ã€ŠThe New Gate (LN)ã€‹


 Vol 13 Chapter 11: Part 1

    In the hidden underground dungeon, Shin had sessfully defeated the evil deity Adetropos .

    While he managed to safely rescue Schnee as well, the teleport magic circle in the room had also been activated . Shin and Schnee were thus separated from theirrades, transported away to an unknown location¡­

    The first thing Shin felt after being transported was a very soft sensation in his arms . Then, he sensed someone¡¯s breath and body temperature . Next, a smell tickled his nostrils .

    ¡°Looks like we weren¡¯t separated at least . ¡±

    After checking the surroundings for any hostile presences, Shin spoke to Schnee, who he was holding in his arms . If he hadn¡¯t found her next to him after the teleport, he would have been beside himself with worry .

    ¡°Yes¡­are we¡­inside a cave?¡±

    ¡°So it would seem . I just checked quickly, but there are paths going both up and down . There are also presences moving, but not anywhere close . ¡±

    Shin had scanned their current location with ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ and detected some responses moving in a group . One response was moving by itself, while the other was a a group of six, packed close together .

    ¡°Could those be monsters?¡±

    ¡°If this is a different dungeon, they might also be adventurers . Six is the max number of people you can have in a party, after all . ¡±

    Monsters like goblins and kobolds moved in packs, so he couldn¡¯t say for sure yet . Schnee had just regained her consciousness, so Shin had her drink an ¡ºElixir¡» and rest a bit, just in case . In the meantime, he kept checking the surroundings .

    ¡°Are you all right already? Do you feel weird anywhere?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine . My memories were just sealed, so I didn¡¯t suffer any damage . Aren¡¯t you worrying a bit too much?¡±

    ¡°Well, of course I do . Our rtionship is a bit different than before . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­that¡¯s right . ¡±

    Schnee probably remembered Shin¡¯s confession: her sentence ended in a whisper . Her cheeks flushed too .

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m sorry . Please give me five more minutes to settle down . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . ¡±

    While thinking how lovely Schnee looked with her hands covering her face, Shin returned to scanning the location for threats . Five minutes passed, without anything noteworthy happening, and Schnee stood up .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the wait . I¡¯m okay now . ¡±

    ¡°I see . By the way, you don¡¯t need to keep that formal tone anymore . ¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s be a habit . ¡±

    Schnee spoke the same to everyone, usually, so it wasn¡¯t like she was being polite .

    ¡°But¡­I agree with you . Sometimes it would be nice to speak in a more familiar way . ¡±

    ¡°Well, take your time . For now, let¡¯s find out where we ended up . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee switched their focus to their current situation . Their stats and equipment were unchanged: the magic circle that whisked them away was just teleport magic, so it shouldn¡¯t have had any other effects .

    ¡°(Shin, where are you?)¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Just as Shin was thinking of contacting the others, Yuzuha¡¯s voice resounded in his head .

    ¡°(We were transported to some cave-looking ce . The evil deity¡¯s defeated and Schnee turned back too . What about you guys?)¡±

    ¡°(Tiera, Kagerou, and Shibaid are here too . )¡±

    After the events at the ¡ºCastle of the Depths¡», Yuzuha seemed to have be more familiar with Tiera too .

    ording to Yuzuha, they had been transported to some kind of forest . They all emerged unscathed from the fights in the secret dungeon, so they were not in danger .

    ¡°(I see, I¡¯m d you¡¯re all safe . Let¡¯smunicate again once we understand where exactly we are . Shibaid can use Mind Chat too, so do you want toe over here, Yuzuha?)¡±

    ¡°(Not now . Shin and Schnee, you can stay on your own for a while . Yuzuha¡¯s a fox that can read a situation . )¡±

    Shin very easily pictured the smug look Yuzuha had to be sporting when she said that .

    Respecting her wishes, Shin didn¡¯t summon Yuzuha to his side .

    ¡°Did you receive a Mind Chat?¡±

    ¡°Yes, looks like Shibaid, Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou are all together . I¡¯ll try contacting Filma and Sety now . ¡±

    ¡°(Hello there . I guess this means you defeated the evil deity? )¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, Schnee¡¯s all right too, we¡¯re together . Is Sety with you?)¡±

    ¡°(Bingo . Me and Sety were transported to a beach somewhere . )¡±

    Filma said that she hadn¡¯t found anyndmarks that could provide hints about their location yet . Shin told her that Shibaid and the others were safe and to let them know when she understood where they were, then cut the Mind Chat for the moment . He then let Schnee know about the rest of the party¡¯s safety too .

    ¡°So everyone¡¯s safe, I¡¯m d . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way any of them would go down easily, after all¡­so, what shall we do now?¡±

    Shin and Schnee could teleport themselves, but the location the evil deity had transported them to also intrigued them . Shin then proposed to Filma and Yuzuha to research a bit about each of their locations before meeting again . They agreed, and Filma and Yuzuha then informed the other members .

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start by finding out where we are . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . I suppose we¡¯ll go up first then . ¡±

    The cave was made of earth and rocks . Normally, the exit would be above .

    ¡°Oh, monsters spotted . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ picked up monster responses in front, while scanning the cave as precisely as possible . The number was just one .

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    ¡°A Hobgoblin, I see . Could this be their nest?¡±

    ¡°This might very well be a dungeon . By the way, do monsters go into dungeons from the outside in this world?¡±

    In one of the game events, dungeon monsters poured out in the open, but the opposite ¡ª monsters going inside dungeons from outside ¡ª never happened .

    ¡°It does . Sometimes powerful monsters happen to be near newly generated dungeons and take over as bosses . ¡±

    ¡°Monsters can take over dungeons too!?¡±

    Dungeons generated suddenly had random monsters as a boss, so it was apparently possible . Schnee didn¡¯t know exactly the rules behind it either .

    ¡°The Hobgoblin is level 51¡­nothing unusual here . ¡±

    Shin closed in on the monster from the front, without the slightest hesitation . He didn¡¯t even bother hiding the sound of his footsteps, so the Hobgoblin spotted him quickly .

    ¡°Akdobun!! Seeeurrralsa!!¡±

    The Hobgoblin charged at Shin while shouting gibberish . The iron sword it held with both hands shone faintly, probably because of a skill .

    ¡°¡­ . all too normal . The skill is just ¡¾sh¡¿ too¡­I guess this is just a normal dungeon?¡±

    Shin grabbed the monster¡¯s sword with one hand and nted his other fist in its defenseless stomach . He only nned to punch it lightly, but the monster was blown away, vanishing soon after groaning a bit .

    ¡°Hey? This way of disappearing¡­¡±

    Looking at the vanishing monster, Shin was suddenly reminded of something .

    In this world, monsters defeated in a dungeon would disappear after a set time . The Hobgoblin Shin just defeated, however, turned into smoke as soon as its HP reached zero . This was typical of a certain dungeon in the game, one that Shin had made good use of too .

    ¡°This could be a training dungeon¡±

    ¡°One of those easily approachable by beginners too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that particr way of disappearing is typical of training dungeon monsters . I used them a lot to practice new skills, so I shouldn¡¯t be wrong . ¡±

    Training dungeons had been installed for yers not used to operating VR avatars or who wanted to test new skills .

    Monsters were as strong as normal, but yers would receive only little damage and experience points .

    Such dungeons were often quite popted, as they could be used to practice exploring in rtive safety .

    ¡°If so, we might be in Erkunt . ¡±

    ¡°Erkunt?¡±

    ¡°A country devoted to the diffusion of study and research, which gathers students and schrs from all over the world . If I remember well, it¡¯s located slightly northwest of the center of the continent . It¡¯s the only country where the presence of a training dungeon was confirmed, so I believe it is highly likely that¡¯s where we are now . Of course, there might be undiscovered training dungeons too . ¡±

    ¡°I see . There¡¯s still a lot I don¡¯t know about stuff like that, so you¡¯re really a big help . ¡±

    Shin thanked Schnee, then looked ahead .

    ¡°¡­ . now that I think about it, my limiters are still all off . ¡±

    After a few steps, Shin remembered how the Hobgoblin had been blown away . In the fight with the evil deity he had removed each ¡¾Limiter¡¿, so even if he meant to go easy on the monster, the power he unleashed was still massive . (T/N: ¡¾Limit¡¿ has been changed to ¡¾Limiter¡¿)

    He had started getting the hang of controlling his strength, but to avoid any unexpected urrences, Shin decided to cast ¡¾Limiter¡¿ again on his stats .

    ¡°I wonder if we were sent here for some special purpose?¡±

    ¡°No idea . I heard that secret dungeons sent you to random ces, so it might be just a coincidence . ¡±

    Shin could not tell what the evil deity might have been thinking . Even if they mulled over it they might never find the truth, so he decided to stop thinking about it .

    ¡°Well, now we know that this isn¡¯t a dangerous ce and there shouldn¡¯t be restrictions for leaving either . Let¡¯s take it easy . ¡±

    Judging from the monsters and traps, Shin concluded that they were in one of the higher floors of the training dungeon . Following one of the typical dungeon rules, strong monsters wouldn¡¯t appear in such a floor .

    Different monsters appeared in dungeons, depending on what the suggested level to explore them was, of course . Monsters of the same type also appeared at different levels . In a dungeon for yers with levels at two-digits, however, nothing that could pose a threat to Shin and Schnee could happen .

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep our guard up just in case, and head for the exit . Let¡¯s use the shortest path . ¡±

    Thanks to ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, he had pinpointed where the exit was ¡®supposed¡¯ to be located . He couldn¡¯t bepletely sure because ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ wasn¡¯t best suited to go above ground from underground: the skill was most useful when going underground from above or exploring locations that were only above or underground .

    In the chance they met a dead end, the mapping function was automatic, so they would never get lost .

    ¡°¡­ . there¡¯s someone fighting up ahead . ¡±

    After walking for a while, without finding any actual obstacles, Shin detected several responses ahead . Judging from the markers, there seemed to be three people surrounded by monsters . The yers had probably triggered a ¡°monster house¡±-type trap, which in turn caused a train .

    Monster houses where traps activated when the yer entered small rooms inside dungeons: the exit would be blocked and great numbers of monsters appeared . Depending on the yer¡¯s skill, they could be good sources of experience, but in most cases the monsters¡¯ numbers overwhelmed the yer .

    Trains were caused when yers, chased by monsters, ended up causing other monsters they encountered to join the chasing group, ultimately forming arge pack of pursuers . If the yers failed to lose the monsters, they could end up being overwhelmed in this case too .

    The battle situation was difficult to judge from just the markers, but it did not seem to be favorable to the people involved .

    ¡°Looks like the frontline is doing everything they can to attract aggro . Wait, it¡¯s not front or rear, though¡­but it looks like they¡¯re handling themselves . If they¡¯re adventurers we could cause trouble by interrupting, so let¡¯s make sure they don¡¯t notice us for now . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . If the situation turns dangerous, should we help them?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s dangerous, we¡¯ll help . But if things look suspicious, we might have to reconsider that too . ¡±

    It might sound cold, but in the worst case there was the option of abandoning the party engaging the monsters .

    Causing a train on purpose, making it target others, then killing them . That was one of the strategies adopted by the so-called MPK, monster yer killers .

    This world was rife with turmoil within royal families, nobles, or among privileged sses . Such troubles were something Shin wanted to stay as far away from as possible .

    Thus, in case there were assassins in the shadows, waiting for a chance to finish their targets, he nned to leave without interfering .

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    If they were really in a training dungeon, even if the explorers¡¯ HP reached zero the probability of their life being saved was high .

    ¡°This is not good . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee proceeded, concealed by ¡¾Hiding¡¿, when he spotted the scene of the monsters and adventurers fighting . The monsters were superior versions of Goblins, Red Caps .

    Therge, two-mel tall monster wore a tattered hat with red spatters . The axe it wielded missed chunks of its de and was dirty with blood .

    As a category, it belonged to the Goblins, but it was more powerful than Ogres . Its level averaged at about 200, with the one Shin was looking at being level 222, slightly higher than the average .

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing one since the Dusk of Majesty, but it seems like they still fight the same way . ¡±

    Red Caps tended to y with their prey . Many yers had been traumatized by them, so it was often said to never get close to one .

    Facing against the pack of Red Caps, standing in a clearing over the wall, were still very young children .

    Their equipment seemed decent enough, but if they were ordinary children their chances of victory were close to zero . They would be quickly crushed by the enemies¡¯ numbers .

    The three children, however, were in a different situation .

    The boy wielding a spear charged into the approaching pack of Red Caps, blowing away several of them in one strike . The girl armed with gauntlets jumped down in the opened space, damaging them further . She would then quickly back away, leaving room for the other boy with a wand to cast his magic .

    When Shin spotted them, the three children were surrounded, fighting with the cave walls at their back, but they attacked in a specific direction while moving .

    ¡°Their strategy isn¡¯t bad at all¡­it doesn¡¯t look there¡¯s anyone else nearby . Let¡¯s do it, then . Schnee, heal the boy with the spear . He seems pretty spent . I¡¯ll take care of the Red Caps . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    The boy with the spear had probably acted as the tank, drawing in the enemies¡¯ attacks: his HP was one-third of the total . Shin asked Schnee to take care of him, then made his move towards the Red Caps .

    Before Shin, the girl armed with gauntlets had been caught by a Red Cap, which was about to lower its broken down axe on her . She struggled desperately to break free, but several Red Caps pinned her down .

    Even in such a situation, she managed to kick several Red Caps away, so she surely wasn¡¯t an average girl . In a normal situation, they would probably have never been surrounded like that .

    ¡°I don¡¯t really care for gore . ¡±

    Shin materialized his broadsword ¡ºKakura¡» and rushed into the Red Cap mob threatening the girl . Making sure not to hit her by ident, Shin swung his de .

    The corridor was packed with Red Caps both to the left and to the right . One swing of the de and more than 10 Red Caps were blown away .

    ¡°¡­¡­heh?¡±

    Seeing the Red Caps pinning her down getunched in midair, the girl let out amement in disbelief . If the pack of Red Caps could bepared to a red stream of turbid water, Shin was a ck gust of wind .

    The Red Caps blown in midair and disappearing were like branches knocked about by a strong wind .

    ¡°I¡¯m not an enemy, so don¡¯t attack, okay?¡±

    Shin warned the girl, who was trying to pull herself up, then strengthened his grip on ¡ºKakura¡» .

    One, two, three shes .

    The Red Caps crowding the corridor decreased in the blink of an eye .

    Shin nced in Schnee¡¯s direction and saw her sh the Red Caps with graceful, dance-like movements, while protecting the two boys .

    She didn¡¯t blow them away like Shin, but froze them to seal their movements and keep them away from the children, then finished them off .

    Just as Shin did with ¡ºKakura¡», Schnee also used a weapon of lower level than the usual, it was the Ice-elemental short katana ¡ºIce Flower¡» .

    Frozen flowers sprouted along the path of the de . The sight of Schnee gleaming as she dispatched the Red Caps was eerily beautiful, it was difficult to believe she was actually fighting .

    ¡°You¡¯re thest one!¡±

    Shin closed in on thest remaining Red Cap and once again swung ¡ºKakura¡» . The monster tried shielding itself with the hand axe it wielded, but before a heavy weapon such as ¡ºKakura¡» it was simply futile .

    Even without a sharp de, ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s sh ¡ª boosted by Shin¡¯s muscr power ¡ª crushed the hand axe and sliced through the Red Cap like a knife through butter .

    The monster was cut diagonally, its upper body slowly sliding down . Before its organs could spill out, the Red Cap vanished .

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re done . ¡±

    ¡°E-excuse me!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin checked to make sure they had taken care of all the monsters, then dered the fighting over . As he did, a hesitating voice called out to him . He turned around and saw the little girl that the Red Caps had surrounded . Her equipment was partly damaged, but she didn¡¯t seem to have suffered much damage herself: she still had over 80% HP .

    The girl had shoulder length red hair and wore an iron headband, karate uniform-like armor, and spats . Her weapons were probably arm and leg guards . Her job was ¡ºFist Fighter¡» .

    Judging from the crystal-like horns protruding at the sides of her head and her red scaled tail, it was clear that she was a Dragnil .

    ¡°Thank you for saving us from that dangerous situation!¡±

    ¡°We had our reasons, don¡¯t worry about it . ¡±

    The girl bowed energetically to Shin, who replied while putting ¡ºKakura¡» away .

    Shin and Schnee had instantly pulverized the enemies that were giving the children a hard time, so the girl¡¯s orange eyes were brimming with admiration .

    ¡°Hey, Myu! Just because they saved us, you¡¯re being too careless!¡±

    Just as Shin opened his mouth to exin their circumstances, the boy healed by Schnee shouted to the girl, while keeping his guard up .

    Deep blue hair, red eyes, metal armor, and a kite shield . His hands held an iron spear . Both his shield and armor, however, were partly shattered, as was his spear¡¯s tip .

    When he looked at Shin, his eyes glowed strangely: he probably used a magic eye-type of skill . He appeared to be a Dragnil, just like the girl called Myu .

    Raising his voice to attract attention and then use the skill was a good strategy, but it would be of little use before Shin and Schnee¡¯s resistance . There was toorge of a level gap between them .

    ¡°You too, Lecus! These people don¡¯t have the teacher¡¯s armband, they aren¡¯t instructors from the institute!¡±

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    Unlike Myu and the boy called Lecus, the blue haired boy was wary of Shin and Schnee .

    Shin and Schnee did save them, but he quickly spotted that they did not belong to the institute and decided not to lower his guard . Another good judgement .

    From his words, it was clear that the dungeon was part of the institute¡¯s grounds .

    ¡°I can¡¯t fight against someone who saved my life!¡±

    ¡°What are you getting all smug for! There¡¯s no guarantee that they¡¯re on our side!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting too heated up, both of you! Calm down . ¡±

    Forgetting Shin and Schnee, the boy and the girl started fighting, as Lecus tried to appease them . He was probably a mage: he carried a brown wooden wand wrapped with rope . His long ears signaled that he was likely an elf .

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any hostility from them . Besides, even if we fought, we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance . I don¡¯t think we could even run for 10 mel . You¡¯ve seen him fight too, right Gian? Thedy is an incredible fighter too . ¡±

    Lecus seemed to be a different type than the blue-haired boy, Gian, but judged the situation calmly too . After he finished talking, Myu put her hands on her hips and shed a big smile .

    ¡°Right, right!! I thought of helping too, but there just wasn¡¯t anything I could do!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear why Myu looked so happy, but the reason why Lecus said not to resist was simple .

    Shin and Schnee abundantly proved that they could easily eliminate the monsters on their own, without the slightest sign of exhaustion . There was arge difference in fighting power between them .

    ¡°First of all, we have no intention of causing you guys any harm . I¡¯ll exin our circumstances, so would you please listen?¡±

    When Shin turned ¡ºKakura¡» back to card form, Gian reluctantly walked closer . His expression clearly showed how dissatisfied he was with the situation .

    ¡°First, please let us thank you for saving us . My name is Lecus Alvein, the leader of this party . The Dragnil girl is Myu Hamill and the rude boy is Gian Ermelt . ¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you!!¡±

    ¡°¡­hmpf . ¡±

    Myu greeted Shin and Schnee energetically, while Gian was still sulking a bit .

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin, she¡¯s Yuki . We have otherpanions too, but we got separated when we were teleported away after defeating a dungeon boss . We were just transported here, and honestly we have no idea where we are . ¡±

    Using the name ¡°Schnee¡± could have proved troublesome, so Shin used her alias . He warned her in advance via Mind Chat and had her transform to her golden haired, red eyed figure .

    Schnee smiled at the children to reassure them, and Lecus and the other two gazed at her, mesmerized .

    Shinughed wryly before talking again, and they snapped back to reality . Lecus, blushing fiercely, apologized profusely . Shin calmed him down and continued to exin their situation .

    ¡°Teleportation, is it . A trap that activated after defeating a dungeon boss¡­so there are things like that out there too . ¡±

    ¡°You can even defeat a dungeon boss!? You¡¯re too strong, Mr . Shin!!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Lecus and Myu were very interested in what Shin said, though one because of intellectual interest and the other because of the admiration towards the strong . They didn¡¯t seem to doubt his words, in any case .

    Shin expected Gian to say something too, but the boy kept an irond silence .

    ¡°We¡¯d like to go outside, first of all, so could you show us the way? We might cause trouble if we went out on our own, and I don¡¯t think you want to go on with your equipment in that state, right?¡±

    Rather than Lecus and Myu, Gian¡¯s equipment required repairs, or maybe even to be reced . Shin thought that they wouldn¡¯t proceed like that, so he made his proposal . He also told them that they would take care of any monsters that appeared on the way back .

    ¡°I see . It is true that we are not in our best condition, and we also have to report about the teleportation trap . Let us go together . We will have to take you to the security patrol, though . It is one of our rules, so you will have to ept it . Of course, we will duly let them know that you saved us . The patrol guards are rational people, I am sure they will do you no wrong . ¡±

    Even if the dungeon was meant for training, monsters still resided in it, so they had skilled guards posted at its entrance .

    Lecus continued that, based on the situation, Shin and Schnee wouldn¡¯t just end up being used of trespassing .

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way, I suppose . Hopefully things will be resolved quickly . ¡±

    They could have gone out while using ¡¾Hiding¡¿, but it was toote now that they met Lecus¡¯ party . If they didn¡¯t talk with the institute, their future movements could meet unneeded obstacles .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then . Can you walk, Gian?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m okay . She healed me . ¡±

    Gian had been struck hard, though over his armor, so he was wobbling a little, but could still stand firmly on his legs . Schnee¡¯s recovery abilities were enough to even restore severed limbs, after all .

    ¡°You¡¯re tough, even though you just got beat up a lot . ¡±

    ¡°I attracted the enemies¡¯ attention! Besides, those damn monsters went easy on us . And Yuki¡¯s¡­Ms . Yuki¡¯s ¡¾Heal¡¿ is a lot more powerful than what I¡¯m used to . ¡±

    Gian replied to Myu without hiding his frustration .

    The Red Caps often yed with enemies weaker than them . They targeted the unit with the most HP and toyed with it even when they could defeat them in one blow .

    It was possible to make use of such a strategy to make the monsters fall in a trap, but Lecus and the others did not seem to have figured out how to yet .

    ¡°Mr . Shin, Ms . Yuki, are you high-ranked adventurers?¡±

    Shin answered Myu¡¯s question by showing his adventurer card .

    ¡°I¡¯m ranked A, even though I haven¡¯t taken any guild requests since I got to this rank . ¡±

    ¡°Wow, rank A¡­that¡¯s why you¡¯re so strong!!¡±

    Shin exined with a chuckle, but Myu waspletely convinced . Lecus, however, couldn¡¯t help but point out how weird that exchange was .

    ¡°No way Myu, how do you get convinced like that?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange? The stronger an adventurer is, the higher rank they have, right?¡±

    ¡°That only works until rank B . To get to rank A and above, they take into ount your contributions to the country, to the guild, your personality¡­things unrted to how strong you are, basically . If you¡¯re strong but just violent, you can¡¯t get to rank A . ¡±

    ¡°This means that Mr . Shin is a strong and good person!¡±

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    ¡°¡­ . well, that¡¯s probably right . ¡±

    Maybe because she didn¡¯t think too hard about it, Myu quickly nodded in eptance . The glow in her eyes when looking at Shin was even brighter than before . It probably happened often, because Lecus just nodded with a smallugh .

    In this atmosphere, it would be hard for Shin to say that in Balmel he just charged smack dab in to the middle of the monsters¡¯ swarm and let loose .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to level one, then . Please step on this magic circle . ¡±

    In the game¡¯s training dungeons, there were normal magic circles ready to travel to the farthest traveled floor from level one: that was probably what Lecus mentioned .

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go first and exin the situation . ¡±

    After the group teleported to level one, Lecus ran ahead towards the light pouring in from the exit .

    Left behind, Myu started talking to Shin, full of enthusiasm . She was like a fan who finally met her favorite athlete .

    On the other hand, Gian was mostly silent . His eyes often wandered towards Schnee, however .

    Outside, Lecus and three armored men were waiting for Shin¡¯s group . The men¡¯s armor had simr designs and were also enchanted . Their level was over 200, high enough to understand why they were in charge of security .

    ¡°Are you the people who were transported by ident?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was a trap that activated as soon as the boss was defeated, so ourrades were transported somewhere else . We were close when the trap activated, so we ended up in the same location, I suppose . ¡±

    ¡°Did you contact yourpanions?¡±

    ¡°We used an item we found in the dungeon, that lets you send messages to people far away . We know that they are all safe . The item was one use only, so we only have a few left though . ¡±

    ¡°I see, we understand the situation . We would like to inquire further, so please follow us . ¡±

    One of the guards went off with Lecus¡¯ party, while the other two walked ahead of Shin and Schnee .

    Lecus¡¯ party did not seem to have noticed, but other than the two guards who led Shin and Schnee, there were several other responses surrounding them . The guards were clearly very wary of them .

    Shin and Schnee were first led to the guards¡¯ station . The building itself was reinforced, so it would not be damaged even if fighting broke out inside . It had a basement too, where Shin and Schnee would probably be shipped to if they were found ¡°guilty¡± .

    In one of the rooms of the station, Shin and Schnee exined their circumstances further . The guard asking the questions was the one who had first talked to Shin, a man named Bermann .

    ¡°¡ª-thank you for your cooperation . Being transported from dungeon to dungeon must be a bizarre experience, that¡¯s for sure . ¡±

    ¡°I guess we were lucky enough not to get stuck in the ground somewhere¡±

    ¡°They say that luck is a part of skill, after all . Let me confirm onest thing: where is the dungeon you said you were? If, like you, other people might end up being transported here, we should make the necessary countermeasures . ¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about that . ¡±

    ¡°And why would that be?¡±

    Bermann¡¯s eyes narrowed because of Shin¡¯s confident reply .

    ¡°That dungeon self-destructed right before we were transported . We saw it starting to crumble and ourrades confirmed that it is no more . ¡±

    This was something that Shin learned by also contacting Tzaobath, after he talked with Filma . He didn¡¯t know if it was possible to contact monsters remotely via cards, so he tried sending one just in case, and it unexpectedly worked .

    ording to Tzaobath, it had annihted the dungeon together with the evil deity, which had crawled out . That¡¯s when Shin learned that the final self-destruction was ast resort the boss monster used to try to escape .

    Shin said that the dungeon ¡°crumbled¡± because he was sure that no one would believe him if he said that a dragon had blown it to nothingness with a breath attack .

    ¡°Is that so . I thought it was used to trespass into our country, but if it¡¯s disappeared, then our problem has too . ¡±

    ¡°Do you believe us?¡±

    ¡°If you were trespassers, you would have no reason to help the students . I doubt there would be foreign agents who attracted attention to themselves on purpose like this . ¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true . ¡±

    Shin was not so naive as to fully believe Bermann¡¯s words, but there was no point in further pressing him whether he really believed them or not .

    After the questioning, Shin and Schnee were led in a waiting room with a sofa and a table . They were asked to stay there until a response arrived from the institute¡¯s authorities . Shin and Schnee did not have any particr objections, so they epted .

    ¡°(They¡¯re pretty wary of us . )¡±

    ¡°(It doesn¡¯t look like they fully trust us . But they don¡¯t seem to have strong suspicions either . )¡±

    Shin looked all around himself while talking to Schnee via Mind Chat . Around the room there were even more responses than when they left the dungeon .

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s actions were not what someone that sneaked into the institute to perform evil deeds would do . They did not tell any lies either, so it might be difficult for the authorities to make a decision .

    After about one hour of waiting, Bermann and a group of people with different uniforms came into the room .

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Shin felt like he had seen the person leading the group before . He might be mistaken, though, so to be sure he used ¡¾Analyze¡¿ .

    ¡ª¨CHmee  Level 255 Mage

    ¡°It¡¯s really you, Hmee!?¡±

    ¡°!! C-could you really be Mr . Shin?¡±

    The female pixie leading the group, surprised, answered Shin¡¯s question .

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time . So you came over here too . ¡±

    They had met a few times during the death game; in the end, Hmee had passed while protecting children with levels lower than theirs . That¡¯s the female yer that Shin knew, Hmee .

    A pixie with emerald green eyes, Shin remembered that she was in a party with a dragnil boy called Masakado .

    The Hmee now standing before Shin was a fully grown adult woman .

 Vol 1 Chapter 0: Prologue

    Prologue

    The depths of the gate to another world ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿

    There, two figures were squaring off against each other .

    One was the figure of a monster .

    The name of the Gatekeeper{monster protecting the gate} was ¡¾Origin¡¿, the very end of the VRMMORPG ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿, and its strongest monster .

    It was a humanoid dragon type, with a humanoid body, a dragon''s head, wings, and a tail .

    It''s total length was roughly 20m . It''s eyes were dyed a sky blue, and its horns and the scales that covered its body glittered golden . A golden armour also concealed a figure like that of a trained warrior . The unadorned spear it held was also golden .

    Though its colour scheme could be very possible taken as ugly, but though you could feel a sublime divinity from its physique and overwhelming pressure, there was no hate .

    It was no exaggeration to call it a divine beast, and could be said to be a monster worthy of the title ''strongest'' .

    The other figure was a person .

    His name was Shin, and his real name was Kiritani Shinya .

    A veteran yer who held top ssbat ability .

    His height was a little over 180cm . If you had to choose between bulky or skinny, he''d be thetter .

    ck hair and ck eyes . Despite facing off Origin, from his in face that could neither be called beautiful nor ugly, not a shred of nervousness could be felt .

    Around his neck was a light muffler, ck-coloured with red zigzags . What he was wearing was a long coat with pants of the same design . His arms and legs were wearing crimson tekkou[ÊÖ¼×, arm guards] and kyakkou [½Å¼×, legs guards], but besides those there wasn''t anything else that resembled armour .

    As for weapons, there was only the ck katana in his right hand . Both the handle and the tsuba were ck, but the de alone faintly sparkled red, as though it had rubies mixed in .

    Shin took a step forward . In response, Origin readied its guard . In contrast to Shin who seemingly wore no armour besides his arm and leg guards, Origin was armed and guarded from head to toe . From an outsider''s point of view, it was a sight that was the epitome of recklessness . You couldn''t imagine anything except Origin turning Shin into a piece of meat with a single swing of its spear .

    Once Shin took yet another step forward, Origin responded by thrusting its spear . With a speed unimaginable for its size, the attack with the spear was like a fast approaching wall .

    The spear bore into the tiled floor . Where the point pierced the floor, not only were stone tiles sent flying, but the spear gouged even the floor beneath the tiles .

    However, Shin''s figure wasn''t there .

    Shin was by Origin''s feet .

    A moment before the attack, Shin had used the Support-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Shingan [mind''s eye]¡¿ to predict the location of the attack, and furthermore relocated himself at high speeds with the Movement-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Shukuchi¡¿[¡ù] .

    Aiming for Origin''s right leg, having left its sight, Shin activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Kogetsusen [Arc Moon sh]¡¿ .  [Note: Here, Toujutsu = katana swordsmanship]

    Together with the activation of the skill, the de of his katana started to glow red . For just an instant, the sharpness and speed of his attack was amplified by 1 . 5 times, and he shed into Origin with all his might .

    "Shii!"

    A single yell and strike .

    Leaving behind a bright red trail, the de bisected the armour around Origin''s right leg .

    The de continued and cut apart the leg about halfway up, and the flowing blood dyed its golden scales red .

    Origin''s HP gauge decreased by 1/50 . Considering it was a single blow against the strongest monster, it was a shocking amount of damage .

    "¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!!"

    Origin let out a cry at the pain that assailed its leg .

    A high pitched cry like the screeching of metal resounded through the room . Immediately reacting due to ¡¾Shingan¡¿''s attack prediction, Shin swiftly made a big jump out of the way . The leg strength that had been strengthened to its limit made Shin fast enough that he left behind an afterimage .

    Immediately after Shin moved, the butt of the spear smacked down like it was trying to crush the afterimage . Probably because it had weakened, there were fewer smashed tiles thanst time . Even so, it goes without saying that even so, it was with force beyond the norm .

    "How quick . As expected of thest boss . "

    Even seeing the fearsome strength of the spear, Shin had enough leisure to admire it . The final Gatekeeper . Filled with fighting spirit worthy of being an opponent .

    Though Shin had a lot of leisure to spare, he was definitely not being careless .

    If the HP gauge that floated in the corner of his vision emptied, he would die . Not only did he understand this, he had made it this far .

    ¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿ had been turned into a death game, it was for the sake of clearing it that Shin was here right now .

    Therades he had fought along with weren''t here in the death game, but people who supported him were .

    Almost all of the gear Shin was using were his own creations, and though the items he had been given were basically all useless in boss fights . Even so,  the feelings of his allies that had supported them him with all their strength were important[heavy] .

    There was a girl who cried from missing her family . There was a boy who was at a loss having lost his older brother . There was a man who refused to lose, and challenged himself . There was a woman who woulde running to help those who were troubled . All of them had struggled, given up, challenged, fought, and a number of them had disappeared .

    It had ben a year since they had been trapped here . Shin wasn''t sure if that was a long time, or a shrot time .

    However, what filled Shin''s heart right now was but one word¨D¨D¨D¨D

    ¡ºWin¡» .

    He''d defeat Origin, and he''d release those who had support him, and those who had pushed him forward, from this game .

    It was because of this¨D¨D¨D¨D

    "I''ll take that head of yours!!"

    Against Origin who red over at him, Shin once again took a stance with his sword .

    "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

    With a yell, his sh cut off Origin''s wing from the base .

    Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Hazan [Mountain Crusher]¡¿ .

    It was a vigorous sh from above .

    And, as the as the name suggested, it boasted enough power to cut a mountain; a massive 2 . 5 damage to enemiesrger than oneself .

    The one-winged Origin fell to its knees from the damage it had sustained .

    Shin thought ''Alright!'', in his mind . The cooldown from the skill was covered by the copse of the opponent .

    The armour that Origin was wearing was now broken and cracked all over .

    Not only was one of its wings missing, but its left arm had been cut off, and even the tip of its golden horn was broken off .

    Only a little HP remained in its HP gauge .

    "Hahh, hahh, hahh . "

    Origin was wounded all over, but Shin wasn''t uninjured either . His equipment durability was still okay, but he had repeated warded off the huge Origin''s blows, repelled its blows, and asionally blocked its blows . Though his HP gauge was in the safety zone, he was mentally exhausted, so he was panting as though he really was tired .

    "Hahh, hahh, suuuuuu haaaahhh¡­"

    He breathed in, then out .

    Even if it was needless because of the game system, to Shin, it was a necessary action .

    As though to calm his anxious heart, he took control of his breathing .

    With ¡¾Hazan¡¿, he''d need only need one more hit to finish things, but the cooldown[dy time] for this skill was long . It was long enough that if not the longest, it had at least the second longest cooldown of all skills . He probably wouldn''t be able to use it again in this fight .

    (It''s not so easy an opponent that it''ll just take huge moves one after another, after all . But that''s only one of my skills . There''s no reason to worry . )

    He didn''t only have the high damage ¡¾Hazan¡¿ . If theycked in quality, then he''d make up for it in quantity .

    "Don''t get hasty, me . "

    Though Origin had little HP left, it wasn''t zero . If he got done in at the very end because he lost focus for a moment, it''d be terribly pathetic . [there should be limits to being pathetic]

    There was still fighting spirit left in those eyes that stared at Shin . Though it should''ve been just graphics, that was what Shin felt .

    Immediately afterwards, a monotonous female voice reached Shin''s ears .

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡¾Survival Instinct¡¿ Activate£º Attack and Speed increased

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡¾Golden Wave¡¿ Activate£º HP, damaged parts, and broken armour, steadily recover

    Shin''s Autoskill, ¡¾Analysis ¨C ¢ú¡¿[''analysis ten''] activated and let him know that Origin was reinforcing its abilities .

    And at the same time, Origin''s HP gauge began to recover just a little . At the subs of its lost arm and wing, a goldened light formed and grew just a little, slowly regenerating its arms and wing .

    If he left Origin alone, at this rate it would return to its original status .

    Of course, Shin wouldn''t .

    At the same time he received the information from ¡¾Analysis ¢ú¡¿, Shin used ¡¾Shukuchi¡¿ to move, and came down hard on the still kneeling Origin .

    "¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨C!!"

    In response to Shin''s movement, Origin roared and at the same time mowed the spear in its right hand across .

    GOU-!! rang the sound of the spear cutting through the air as it approached Shin .

    Without a pause, Shin activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Shirahanagashi [Drawn Sword Diversion]¡¿ and the Barehanded-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Steel Repel¡¿ .

    Lowering his centre of gravity, using ¡¾Shiraha Nagashi¡¿ he blocked the spear with his katana, and shifting the top of the de, he diverted the power of the spear strike away . On top of that, his right hand propped the de, and using ¡¾Steel Repel¡¿, he reduced the power of the spear .

    However, because the strike was strengthened with ¡¾Survival Instinct¡¿, Shin was unable to fully ward off the blow, and a little of his HP gauge was shaved off .

    "Hu-!"

    Whilst taking damage, the moment he part his de from the spear, from his crouched position, Shin increased the power of the strike of the spear above him .

    Because of that, the spear struck faster than Origin had intended, and as a result, Origin''s posture was destroyed .

    Shin immediately activated the Toujutsu-Type Martial Skill ¡¾Gekkou Zanmai [Moonlight Beheading Dance]¡¿ . Silver light like the light of the moon wrapped the de katana, and took the form of a silver de . The de length would be temporarily extended by two times .  [Note: The pre-edit webnovel says it extends to 2 metres]

    "Sehhhhyaaaaaah!"

    The light de struck into Origin''s defenceless torso .

    One!

    Two!

    Three!

    Each time the de swung with a speed that left afterimages, a trail of silver was drawn in the air . The three strikes had whittled away the amount of HP that ¡¾Golden Wave¡¿ had recovered .

    Four!

    Five!

    Six!

    Seven!

    Eight!

    Nine!

    Ten!

    The seven strikes that followed depleted Origin''s remaining HP in one go .

    The moment ten silver trails were etched into the air, the light disappeared from the de, and let Shin know that the skill hadpleted .

    ¡¾Gekkou Zanmai¡¿ was a skill that increased the attack speed and range for ten strikes . The speed of the attack would be increased 1 . 3 times, and the range by 2 times .

    Though the damage given by one of the strikes wasn''t that high, because of the increased range and number of strikes, thebined damage taken from the attack was greater than a simple power-increased skill .

    Though it certainly didn''t reach a ¡¾Hazan¡¿ that was performed with Shin''s STR, weapons and attack power, it was able to deal damage close to it .

    And truly, the intense attacks from the ¡¾Gekkou Zanmai¡¿ ten-strikebination left Origin''s HP gauge with almost nothing left .

    "This finishes it!!"

    Shin ran up to Origin, who was copsed from ¡¾Gekkou Zanmai¡¿''s damage . Even in this time, Origin''s HP had recovered a little, but Shin judged that he would make it .

    Perhaps as a final struggle, Origin''s right hand let go of his spear, and let loose a backfist . Shin leapt over it, and set up a joudan guard in mid-air . [Note: Joudan no Kamae . Oberhut . Vom Dach . ]

    His eyes met with the copsing Origin''s . Despite the fact that this blow would truly spell the end for it, for some reason Shin felt not anger in its eyes, but a quiet calm .

    However, even if he could feel no animosity from those eyes, the power in shin''s de didn''t let up an inch .

    Having decided on victory, his heart didn''t waver .

    "This is the end!"

    Along with those words, Shin brought down his de de on Origin''s forehead .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºYou have defeated Gatekeeper ¡¾Origin¡¿ . ordingly, you will be given the boss defeating bonus . ¡»

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºYou have gained Gift(s) ¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿, ¡¾Aplished One¡¿ and ¡¾Liberator¡¿ . ¡»

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºYou have learned Skill(s) ¡¾Wave of the Dark King¡¿, ¡¾Focus Wave¡¿ and ¡¾Scattered Wave¡¿ . ¡»

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºYou have gained Items(s) ¡¾Corpse of the Guardian¡¿, ¡¾Soul of the Guardian¡¿ and ¡¾Heart of the Guardian¡¿ . ¡»

    [Note: First of all, ''gifts'' are what would be called ''titles'' in other games . The kanji says ''title'', but in the light novel, the furigana reads ''gift'' .

    Also, I have seen ÅR½çÕß(rinkaisha) used before in D . Gray Man as well, but the trantors there couldn''t find a good English equivalent either . In light of the rest of the series, will write it as ''Limit Breaker'' for now . It more literally means something that has hit the critical point . Ah, also, Dark King (Ú¤Íõ) sort of equates to Pluto/Hades in a sense, esp . (Ú¤ÍõÐÇ) . ]

    Hearing the voice of the announcer, Shin stood still .

    The ce filled with light .

    Origin''s body turned into light and scattered, and filled the room with light .

    The light glittered for a few moments, and disappeared . After that, all that remained in the tattered room were an undamaged door, and Shin .

    When the light faded, the announcer spoke again .

    ¡ºThe Gatekeeper of the Depths of the Gate to Another World, ¡¾Origin¡¿, has been defeated, and the dungeon has been cleared . ¡»

    It announced Shin''s victory to hispanions .

    ¡ºordingly, all yers are now able to log out . ¡»

    It let all the yers that fought in THE NEW GATE know that they were released from the game .

    "It''s over¡­"

    Right, it was over .

    The death game they had been trapped in for a year was now over .

    Just to be sure, Shin confirmed that at the very bottom of the menu, the ¡¾Log Out¡¿mand was certainly there .

    Shin opened up his friends menu to see, and even at that moment, the names of the yers were changing from ¡¾Online¡¿ to ¡¾Offline¡¿ .

    It seemed that everyone was able to log out safely .

    "I kept my promise . Right, Marino?"

    His chest brimmed with a sense of aplishment .

    Would the girl who had fallen in this world have praised him?

    So wondered Shin .

    "Now then! Shall I wait to make sure everyone else has logged off?"

    Deciding to stop thinking about the depressing, Shin switched his mood and sat down on the floor .

    Shin had decided to make sure everyone else made it home before logging out himself .

    Shin took out something like a rolled parchment from his item box; the Survivor''s List, and quietly spread it . This list was an item that showed the names of the surviving yers in real-time .

    Apanion alchemist who sympathised with Shin''s thoughts had spent 7 days and 7 nightsing up with the item . If the yer died, or otherwise logged out, their name would disappear from the list .

    Whilst feeling grateful towards that alchemist friend, Shin continued to watch the list for a short while longer .

    The time it took was roughly 3 minutes . Finally, the only name left on the list was ¡¾Shin¡¿ .

    "I''m thest one, huh?"

    He unconsciously let out those words .

    While he was fighting, he did nothing but focus on what was ahead, but now that now that he was about to end things, it felt somehow deeply moving .

    After logging out, he probably wouldn''t return here again . For a game that had been turned into a death game to continue running; no matter how you thought about it, it was impossible .

    (It ended up as a death game in the end, but excluding that, I really had a lot of fun times with it . )

    For Shin, the time he had spent ying THE NEW GATE actually equated to a 1/3 of his life . For better or worse, he had spent a long time in this game .

    "Cya, THE NEW GATE . "

    Muttering words of farewell, Shin made to log out, but at that moment, the door before his eyes let out a groan .

    "Mn?"

    Preupied with the gate, the finger that made to touch the words Log Out, stopped .

    The gorgeously decorated, and dignified doors were slowly opening with a groan . Light shone from the opened gap, and from where Shin was, it was impossible to tell what was happening beyond the doors .

    "What''s this? There shouldn''t be anymore events¡­"

    Shin was bewildered .

    Besides Shin, the door continued to open, and the overflowing light dyed the room white .

    "Something is wrong . "

    Feeling a sense of abnormality, a moment faster than Shin''s finger managed to touch the words ''Log Out'', the light filled the room .

    As though swallowed by the light, Shin lost consciousness .

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

 Vol 1 Chapter 1: Chapter 1

    Gate of the Otherworld ? Deepest Part of¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿

    Two shadows were squaring off against each other .

    ¨D¨D¡ºGatekeeper [One Who Guards the Gate]¡¾Origin¡¿has been defeated . ording, you will be granted the bonuses for defeating the boss . ¡»

    ¨D¨D¡ºYou have gained the Gifts¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿,¡¾Aplished One¡¿, and¡¾Liberator¡¿ . ¡»

    ¨D¨D¡ºYou have gained the skills¡¾Meiou no Hadou [Wave of the Dark King]¡¿,¡¾Shuusoku Hadou [Convergence Wave]¡¿, and¡¾Kakusan Hadou [Diffusion Wave]¡¿ . ¡»

    ¨D¨D¡ºYou have gained the following items:¡¾Remains of the Guardian¡¿,¡¾Soul of the Guardian¡¿,¡¾Heart of the Guardian¡¿¡»

    (T/N: In TNG, Titles are called ¡®Gifts . ¡¯ The kanji reads ¡®Title¡¯ while the furigana reads ¡®Gift . ¡¯)

    While listening to the announcement, Shin simply stood still .

    The ce was flooded with light .

    Origin¡¯s body had scattered into the particles of light that now filled the room .

    After dancing around the room, the lights gradually faded away . At the end, all that was left was the tattered room, a door without a single scratch on it, and Shin .

    When the lights disappeared, another announcement was broadcasted .

    ¡ºGatekeeper [One Who Guards the Gate]¡¾Origin¡¿of the deepest part of Gate of the Otherworld has fallen . The dungeon has been cleared . ¡»

    That was to inform Shin¡¯s nakama that he had emerged victorious .

    ¡ºordingly, all yers will now be able to log out . ¡»

    Now all the yers that had fought in THE NEW GATE knew that they had been freed from the game .

    ¡°It¡¯s finally over . . . ¡±

    Truly, it was over .

    The death game that had imprisoned all of them for a whole year was finally over .

    Just in case, Shin pulled up the ingame menu . There really was a ¡°Log Out¡± button at the very bottom .

    He then pulled up his Friends List . The indicators to the side of each name that used to say ¡°Online¡± were changing into ¡°Offline¡± one by one .

    It appears that everyone was able to safely log out .

    ¡°I¡¯ve fulfilled my promise! Right, Marino?¡±

    A sense of aplishment filled his chest .

    Would that girl who had left this world praised him?

    So wondered Shin .

    ¡°Well then! Shall we stay behind until all the other yers have logged out first?¡±

    ¡°No more depressing thoughts,¡± thought Shin as he sat down .

    He decided to stay behind and watch over everyone until they¡¯ve all safely logged out .

    Shin took out the Survivors [Those Who Remain] List from his inventory . It was rolled up like a sheepskin parchment, so he spread it out . This item was a real time list of the names of every single yer in the game .

    Alchemist nakama of his who had empathized with his wish to see everyone off until they¡¯ve all logged out had spent 7 all-nighters making this item . They said that when a yer dies or logs out from the game, their name would disappear from the list .

    While thanking his alchemist nakama inside his heart, he kept on watching as the list gradually grew shorter and shorter .

    After about 3 minutes, the only name left on the list was¡¾Shin¡¿ .

    ¡°I¡¯m thest, huh . ¡±

    He unconsciously uttered those words .

    When he was fighting, all he did was to stare straight ahead . But now that everything was over, it felt somehow deeply moving .

    He probably won¡¯t ever return here after logging out . There was no way that this game that had turned into a death game would still continue running; no matter how you thought about it, it was impossible .

    (In the end, it turned out like this, but putting the dying part aside it was actually quite a lot of fun . )

    Shin had been ying THE NEW GAME for pretty much 1/3 of his entire life . For better or for worse, he had spent an enormous amount of time together with this game . (T/N: I suppose that means the game didn¡¯t turn into a death game at the very beginning like SAO . )

    ¡°Seeya, THE NEW GATE!¡±

    As Shin murmured his farewell and reached to log out, the door in front of him let out a groan .

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Transfixed by the door that was now opening, the finger that was about to touch the Log Out button stopped in midair .

    The massive doors whose resplendent ornamentation had be loose gradually creaked open . A brilliant light from the other side spilled through the widening crack, such that it was impossible for Shin to see what was beyond .

    ¡°What? I thought the game waspletely finished . . . ¡±

    Shin was bewildered .

    Without regard for Shin, the door continued to open, and the light filled the entire room until it was pure white .

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right here!¡±

    Feeling a growing sense of foreboding, Shin rushed to hit the log out button . But an instant before he could make it, the light filled up the entire room .

    As if he was swallowed up by the light, Shin immediately lost consciousness .

    The first thing that he felt was the wind .

    As his hazy consciousness gradually came back, he felt a warm wind flowing upon his skin .

    The next things that he registered were the hard ground against his back and a sweet smell that was tickling his nose .

    Oh right, the world is all dark because my eyes are still closed .

    ¡°Nn . . . ¡±

    He opened his eyes as he sat up .

    The world before him was a meadow that stretched as far as he could see, with tree groves dotted here and there .

    White and pink flowers were blooming where Shin had been sleeping . With Shin at the center, the circle of flowers had a diameter of roughly 3m . Apparently, the smell which had been tickling Shin¡¯s nose from earlier was from these flowers .

    ¡°This ce is . . . ¡±

    His mind began to turn, trying to answer the question of why he was in a ce like this .

    (Today, I fought with the boss Origin at the deepest part of Gate of the Otherworld and won . That¡¯s right, I¡¯d cleared THE NEW GATE . Then it became possible to log out, and I had waited until everyone else had been freed . . . ¡±

    His mind gradually came back into focus .

    The light at the end that he had seen, that was,

    ¡°The doors . . . opened?¡±

    That¡¯s right, after defeating¡¾Origin¡¿, thest boss, it became possible to log out, and he too was just about to log out when the door that had been closed suddenly opened and he lost consciousness .

    ¡°What on earth was that? And this ce . . . ¡±

    Even when he looked around again, there was really nothing but grass and groves of trees . Nothing else was to be found .

    ¡°Could it be that I¡¯m still inside the game?¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure whether his finger had actually reached the Log Out button at the end . He wasn¡¯t sure if it was some kind of an event at the end and that he hadn¡¯t actually logged out yet, so he tried to call up the ingame menu .

    ¡° . . . oi, oi . ¡±

    Lined up in front of his eyes was a translucent interface and menu items lined up next to it . It was without a doubt the ingame interface from THE NEW GATE .

    ¡°What on earth, I¡¯m still inside the game?¡±

    ¡°Ahhh, that scared me,¡± thought Shin as he scrolled down the menu .

    There, at the bottom, the Log Out button . . .

    ¡° . . . is not here!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t there .

    The Log Out button that should have been between Gold Owned and Help was not there . After defeating Origin, he had confirmed that the button was back . But now it was gone again!

    ¡°Oi, oi, oi, you¡¯ve kidding me, right?!¡±

    He checked every single menu from the interface, but the log out button was really nowhere to be found .

    It was exactly the same as when he was inside the death game .

    ¡°Tch!! Oh right, what about everyone else?¡±

    Was there anyone else other than himself? Entertaining that possibility, he took out the Survivors List from his inventory . If there were any other yers who¡¯d also been left behind, then their name should appear on the list .

    ¡°What on earth . . . is this??¡±

    On the list was only his name . However, below his name was a message floating in the nk space that said,

    ¨D¨D¡ºCannot disy due tock of connection with thework . ¡»

    His alchemist nakama had told him that the Survivors List functioned by essing thework inside THE NEW GATE and confirming the avatars who are still present .

    If that was true, then it means that Shin¡¯s avatar was currently cut off from THE NEW GATE¡¯s system .

    ¡°If I¡¯m not connected to thework, then howe I can still move my avatar?¡±

    Even though he didn¡¯t log out, he was cut off from the system . Was that even possible? In such a situation, Shin would have be unable to move his avatar . Shin was by no means an expert on VR technology, but he at least knew that that was how THE NEW GATE worked . If he thought about it normally, it was a contradiction to be cut off from thework and still being able to move his avatar .

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it! What on earth is happening?¡±

    As the earlier feeling of relief evaporated in one go, Shin threw himself back onto the ground .

    Without standing up again, he wracked his brain as hard as he could, but no matter how hard he thought he still couldn¡¯te up with any answers .

    (I can¡¯t go on like this . In times like these, I have to empty my mind for a bit first . )

    This is what Shin usually does to calm down when he finds his mind all muddled up . When he couldn¡¯t make anymore inroads, he would let go of all his thoughts, then rebuild everything again from the bottom up .

    First of all, I can¡¯t connect to thework .

    Secondly, I can indeed move my avatar .

    Thirdly, the above two points are mutually exclusive .

    The first point could be confirmed by once again checking the message shown on the Survivors List .

    As for the second point, it is indeed true that a connection to thework is essential to manipte his avatar . In actuality, yers who had been disconnected from thework due to bugs or whatever had be unable to move their avatars, so this must also be true .

    There is no particr need to confirm the third point .

    Therefore, Shin now thought about how it was possible for the two points to coexist .

    He considered the possibility that it was just the Survivors List that was bugged and that he was actually connected to thework . It wouldn¡¯t be strange if that was true .

    The second possibility was that it was now possible to control his avatar even without a connection to thework . The problem was that Shin was indeed moving his avatar, so there was no way to test this theory .

    ¡°Thest possibility is that this is now a fantasy . ¡±

    He smiled wryly at this thought that had floated across his mind while trying to think seriously .

    Shin was a total gamer . He was into games so much that his friends even called him the gaming addict . At the same time, he also spent a lot of time on anime, manga, light novels, and web novels .

    He had read many novels of the ¡°can¡¯t get out of this death game¡± genre . He was very surprised when he himself got to experience the exact same thing from the novels . Therefore, of course he had read stories with the setting of ¡°oh I¡¯ve arrived in a world exactly like the game world!¡± .

    The reasons given had been varied, but there were a lot of stories where the main character had entered the game world as is .

    What had entered Shin¡¯s head just now was exactly that . Abruptly, the thought that this was perhaps the real THE NEW GATE world had floated into his mind .

    This would exin how he could move his avatar even though he was not connected to thework .

    ¡°No way,¡± thought Shin as he gave up thinking for a moment and just looked up at the sky . The blue sky spread out before his eyes, and little white clouds floated along .

    At the corner of his eyes was the meadow and the edge of the groves . When he focused there, he could distinctly see each leaf one by one .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    He could see them . Very distinctly . Leaf by leaf .

    He was seeing TOO well .

    He could now see even better than when he was in the game . It was almost as if this was the real thing .

    Indeed, VR technology had already reached the point where it was possible to construct a world that was almost like the real world . Sensory input was not limited to vision and sound; it was also possible to reproduce touch, smell, and taste .

    However, there¡¯s a limit . No matter how urate the reproduction, it was still only possible to get close enough to be ¡°almost like¡± the real thing . The resolution was such that anyone who has seen the real thing would easily be able to tell that it was a mere replica . In the end, it is only pixels and voxels .

    However, everything that Shin could see, from the movement of the clouds to the luster of the leafs to the contours of the flowers blooming in the wild, was screaming that this was reality .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin slowly brought his hands to his face .

    The creases and fingerprints that he couldn¡¯t see while in the game were there .

    ¡°Is this . . . really real?¡±

    Having reached this realization, he started to understand everything else one by one . The scene in front of his eyes, the rustling of the leaves, the feeling of the wind on his skin, the smell that was tickling his nose ¡ª everything was different from what he had felt while inside the game .

    ¡°After the death game, now a trip to a parallel world . . . ¡±

    Shin had now seeded in experiencing the two biggest urban legends rted to VRMMOs .

    Depending on the person, this might be a highly desirable situation, but all Shin was thinking was that he would have preferred some down time between the two happenings . The only outward indication of this weird way of thinking was Shin¡¯s calm expression .

    ¡°Ahh . . . why is this happening~~¡±

    He raised his voicezily while rolling on the ground .

    The gant figure of him fighting Origin was nowhere to be found .

    In addition to the fatigue of fighting Origin, being sent to a parallel world right when he thought he could log out had made him so tired that he just wanted to take a rest .

    To sum it up in one word, he was now the very image ofnguidness .

    It would take a while for this syndrome to burn itself out, so for the moment Shin¡¯s chest was only filled with the desire to justze about .

    ¡°Ahhhh~~~ . . . Haaaaaa~~~ . . . ¡±

    For a while, Shin just repeatedly rolled around like as if he had regressed back into an infant and gotten stuck in that state . Abandoning thought and justzing around for a short time apparently seemed to suffice as a modicum of rest . Feeling a little bit better after those few minutes, Shin began to think again .

    There were too many unknown in his present situation . As there was no one nearby, he couldn¡¯t gather any information . Although his body still felt a bit heavy, he started to move and at the same time began considering what he should do next .

    (In any case, I have too little information . For now, let¡¯s bring up the menu interface again and confirm my status and items . After that, let¡¯s go look for somewhere with people . )

    He called up the menu interface and looked at his character screen .

    The left half of the screen was a 3D model of Shin¡¯s avatar, while the right half had menus that led to other interfaces like¡¾Attribute Points¡¿,¡¾Equipment¡¿,¡¾Gifts¡¿, and¡¾Skills¡¿ . (T/N: One more reminder that in this game, ¡®Titles¡¯ are called ¡®Gifts . ¡¯)

    The 3D model of his avatar was a young man with ck hair, ck eyes, and amon face whose sole unique characteristic was the slightly sharp look in its eyes . Being a direct reflection of Shin¡¯s real face and body, this avatar was also around 180cm tall and looked a little gangly . His friends in real life who were in athletic clubs had frequently told him to go train his body more .

    He realized some slight changes from the fight against Origin when he checked the¡¾Equipment¡¿window . The main thing was that he was no longer wearing his muffler, handguards, and greaves . What he did have on was the ck long coat with red lines on it,¡¾Long Coat of the Dark King¡¿, the pants that were part of the set, and essories .

    He found¡¾Shingetsu [True Moon]¡¿in the column of weapons . It appears that his favorite beloved katana was safe and sound .

    In his equipment storage was everything that he had from beforeing here and also the stuff that he was no longer wearing after the fight . All of his items and the money that he had were all unchanged, so there were no problems on that end .

    Next was his¡¾Attribute Points¡¿ .

    Originally, aside from LUC, all of his other stats had been maxed with 9¡¯s . While praying that he didn¡¯t get nerfed, he opened the window .

    Name:           Shin

    Gender:        Male

    Race:             High Human

    Job:                Samurai

    Level:            255                (MAX: 255)

    HP:                22832            (MAX: 9999)

    MP:               21349            (MAX: 9999)

    STR:              2225              (MAX: 999)

    VIT:               2017              (MAX: 999)

    DEX:             2170              (MAX: 999)

    AGI:              2236              (MAX: 999)

    INT:              2032              (MAX: 999)

    LUC:             36                  (MAX: 99)

    ¡° . . . No way, no way, no way . ¡±

    Shin took his eyes off of the screen, looked somewhere far away for a bit, then looked at the screen again .

    There was no way that doing that would change what was on the screen, though .

    ¡°No, wait a sec . Wait a moment!¡±

    He looked away from the screen again and stared at a point far away . He then rubbed his eyes . Confirming that his vision was not blurry, he finally looked at the screen again .

    ¡°I¡¯m not seeing wrong . . . right?¡±

    In the end, Shin had to look three times before finally acknowledging that he wasn¡¯t seeing wrong .

    The reason was simple . Aside from LUC, all of his stats differed greatly from what he remembered .

    VRMMORPG¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿was different from other VRMMORPGs in that if you spent enough time, it was possible to max out every single stat (except for LUC) .

    Ever since closed beta, Shin had spent an overwhelming of time in the game and calcted the most efficient ways of farming . He had also repeatedly reincarnated his avatar before finally maxing out every single stat . Although there were other yers who had gotten close, he was literally the only yer who had truly maxed out his character .

    Consequently, he had maxed out HP and MP at 9999; STR, VIT, DEX, AGI, and INT at 999; and LUC at 36 . His LUC was so low only because the amount was decided during character creation and couldn¡¯t be increased nor decreased afterwards . However, all of Shin¡¯s other stats were now more than double the max .

    ¡°This game¡¯s bnce . . . has been totally destroyed . . . ¡±

    There was nothing to do but to just be amazed .

    His stats were now so high that he had no idea how strong his full power would be .

    ¡° . . . I¡¯m pretty tired of being surprised by now . . . ¡±

    He was almost going to hit himself because of how ridiculous he looked from having been continuously surprised the whole time .

    With that said, though, it would be unproductive to just continue staring at the status window, so for now he decided to continue checking other interface menus .

    (There¡¯s something here that I¡¯ve never seen before . )

    The long and short of it was that there were Gifts and skills that he had never seen before .

    The new Gifts were¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿,¡¾Aplished One¡¿, and¡¾Liberator¡¿ . The new skills were¡¾Meiou no Hadou [Wave of the Dark King]¡¿,¡¾Shuusoku Hadou [Convergence Wave]¡¿, and¡¾Kakusan Hadou [Diffusion Wave]¡¿ .

    Shin had heard the announcement after defeating Origin, but it hadpletely slipped his mind .

    Curious about their effects, Shin selected the three new additions to his list of Gifts .

    ¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿

    Your power can surpass the limit .

    The upper limit for all stats has been removed . Stats will rise ording to how many attribute points were discarded prior to limit removal .

    ¡¾Aplished One¡¿

    Blessings be upon the one who has broken free of samsara .

    At the moment this Gift is attained, all attribute points will be doubled .

    ¡¾Liberator¡¿

    You are the hope of those who have been imprisoned .

    Immune to all binding and restricting effects . Forbidden magic, traps, items etc . are rendered ineffective .

    ¡° . . . what on earth is this?¡±

    Every one of these new Gifts that he had gotten were ridiculous . He knew pretty much every Gift, but he had never heard of such game-breaking Gifts .

    It was well and good that he finally solved the mystery of why his stats had jumped up so much, but with these Gifts he was now basically cheating .

    It was not even on the same dimension as having rare equips or having high levels from the start . But LUC alone remained unchanged (in ordance to the game¡¯s settings) . Was it supposed to be some form of harassment?

    ¡°Most characters who get sent to a parallel world from an MMO are strong enough to be cheating, but isn¡¯t this overdoing it a little?¡±

    With his original stats, Shin had already been publicly called a cheater . After he single-handedly beat a party of 12 max level yers (their levels were maxed, but not their stats, and they had never been reincarnated), they had screamed ¡°You freaking cheater!¡± while dying . Shin did have a harder time against yers who had reincarnated several tens of times and who¡¯d almost maxed out their stats, but he was still able to handle four of them at the same time . In the first ce, it was extremely rare for any other yers to seriously consider beating him .

    Now that those stats have been even further amplified, as long as he didn¡¯t get killed off instantaneously there was no way he would ever lose to anyone else .

    Shin prayed fervently that these Gifts would never be propagated .

    One of the shadows belonged to a monster .

    The name of the Gatekeeper [One Who Guards the Gate] was¡¾Origin¡¿ .

    It was the end of the VRMMORPG¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿, and its strongest monster .

    As a humanoid dragon type, it had a humanoid body with a dragon¡¯s head, wings, and tail .

    It spanned roughly 20m . Its eyes were dyed sky blue, while the horn on its forehead and the scales that covered its entire body glittered golden . Concealing the stature of its well-trained body was, again, golden armor . The spear in its hand that waspletely devoid of ornamentation was, once more, golden .

    Though one might be tempted to just call it ugly, its body was radiating an overwhelming air of intimidation that was on par with the gods . However, it did not emanate hatred .

    It was indeed worthy of being called the most powerful monster . It would not even be an overstatement to call it a divine beast .

    The other shadow belonged to a human .

    The man¡¯s name was¡¾Shin¡¿ . His real name was Kiritani Shinya .

    He was the top yer with the highestbat ability who had been in the VRMMORPG¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿from the very beginning .

    His height was slightly over 180cm . If one really had to say, his physique was more on the slim side .

    Both his eyes and his hair were ck . Despite facing off against Origin, his face, which was quite mediocre, being neither very handsome nor particrly ugly, did not show a single sign of nervousness .

    Around his neck was a thin, ck muffler with red zigzag lines on it . He was also wearing a long coat and pants that were also ck with red lines . Aside from the deep crimson hand guards and greaves on his arms and legs, he was not wearing anything else that looked like armor .

    The only weapon he was wielding was the ck katana in his right hand . Though the handle, guard and de were all ck, the edge of the de glowed a faint red, as if rubies had been rubbed in .

    Shin took a step forward . In response, Origin took a stance .

    In contrast to Shin, who had on only hand guards and greaves for armor, Origin was equipped head to toe with his armor and spear . From an outsider¡¯s point of view, this scene was the epitome of folly . The only foreseeable future was one where Origin would turn Shin into a lump of meat with only a single swing of his spear .

    The very moment Shin took another step forward, Origin lunged with its spear . A speed unimaginable for its gigantic body coupled with the sheer size of the spear made it look like a wall was pressing in .

    The attack from the spear pierced the ground under the gstones . The thrust not only blew away all nearby gstones, it even gouged out arge part of the earth underneath .

    However, Shin¡¯s figure was no longer there .

    Shin was at Origin¡¯s feet .

    The instant before the attack, he had predicted where the attack wouldnd through the Support-Type Martial Skill¡¾Shingan [Mind¡¯s Eye]¡¿, then rushed forward at high speed using the Movement-Type Martial Skill¡¾Shukuchi [Blink]¡¿ .

    While hidden from Origin¡¯s sight, Shin aimed at its right foot and activated the Sword-Type Martial Skill¡¾Kogetsusen [Arc Moon sh]¡¿ .

    The edge of the de glowed crimson along with the activation of the skill . At that moment, the speed and damage of the sword was amplified by 1 . 5 times . Shin struck with the weight of the momentum of his entire body .

    ¡°Shi!¡±

    All of his fighting spirit concentrated into that split second .

    Leaving behind a red trail, the de split the armor on Origin¡¯s right foot in half .

    The sh almost sliced the foot in half, causing fresh red blood to gush out, staining the golden scales .

    Origin¡¯s HP bar fell by about 2% . Considering that it was a single strike against the game¡¯s strongest monster, it was an impressive amount of damage .

    "¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!!"

    Origin shrieked from the pain of the attack on his foot .

    A shrill sound like pieces of metal being scratched against each other echoed around the room . As¡¾Shingan¡¿predicted the next iing attack, Shin reacted instantly, dashing out from under Origin as fast as he could . Having amplified his leg strength to the very limit, Shin¡¯s body left afterimages from the movement .

    Right after Shin moved away, the butt of the spear mmed down, almost as if it was trying to crush the afterimages . The power did seem to be slightly less than before, seeing as fewer gstones were blown away . However, it needs not be said that the power was still way beyond any normal standards .

    ¡°Fast . As expected of the final boss . ¡±

    Even while facing the frightening power of the spear, Shin had theposure and room for admiration . Acknowledging his opponent, thest Gatekeeper [One Who Guards the Gate], as a worthy opponent, he stoked up his fighting spirit even higher .

    Although Shin wasposed, he still remained very vignt .

    When the HP bar at the edge of his vision bes empty, he would be the one who¡¯d die . Shin hade this far while knowing this .

    Shin was here in order to clear¡¾THE NEW GATE¡¿, which had turned into a death game .

    There was no one fighting alongside him, but there were a lot of people who¡¯d supported him .

    The equipment that he had on were mainly procured by himself, and the items that he had received from people turned out to be pretty ineffective in a boss fight . Despite all that, he was determined to fulfill the hopes that all of his nakama had entrusted him with .

    There was that young girl who cried from wanting to see her family so badly . There was that young man who had be lost after losing his elder brother . There was that man who struggled on in the face of adversity, refusing to give up . And there was that girl who always ran back to offer help to people who needed it .

    Everyone had struggled, given up, then risen again to challenge and fight the world . Sadly, some of them had eventually disappeared .

    They were imprisoned for a whole year . Shin didn¡¯t know if it was long or short .

    At this moment, only one word filled his chest .

    ¡°Win!¡±

    Just that alone .

    He had to defeat Origin and help release from this death game all those people who had supported him and pushed his back .

    For that very reason,

    ¡°I will have you hand over your head!!¡±

    As Origin turned and red at him, Shin readied his sword again .

    ¡°Oooooohhhhhhhhh!!¡±

    With a piercing scream and a slicing attack he managed to sever one of Origin¡¯s wings at the base .

    Sword-Type Martial Skill¡¾Hazan [Mountain Crusher]¡¿ .

    It was a karatake wari from the joudan stance (T/N: Imagine shing down from above . )

    Living up to its name, it was a move that boasted an extraordinary 2 . 5 times the damage against opponentsrger than the user .

    With its wing cut off, the umted damage to Origin finally brought it to its knees . Thankfully, this prevented a counterattack while Shin was recovering from the momentary freeze caused by the use of the huge skill .

    Origin¡¯s armor was by now broken and cracked in numerous ces .

    It wasn¡¯t only the single wing that was cut off; its left arm was also cut off, and the tip of its golden horn was also gone .

    ¡°Haa, haa, suuuuuuu haaaaaaaaa . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin calmed his ragged breathing .

    Using¡¾Hazan¡¿one more time would be enough to finish the fight . However, the cooldown time for that skill was long . Among all avable skills, Hazan probably was the highest, or at least second highest, in terms of cooldown time . Therefore, it can¡¯t be used anymore in this fight .

    (Well, in the first ce, this wasn¡¯t an enemy against which he could just spamrge attacks against . No need to get all worked up from not being able to use one skill . )

    ¡¾Hazan¡¿wasn¡¯t the only high damage skill . When quality is not enough, one merely has to make it up with quantity .

    ¡°Let¡¯s not get hasty, alright?¡±

    Origin¡¯s HP bar had been shaved down to a tiny sliver, but it was notpletely empty yet . It would be beyond pathetic if he lost at the very end from being careless .

    Origin looked over at Shin . Although everything was supposed to be mere pixels, Shin could palpably feel the fighting spirit in its eyes .

    Immediately afterwards, Shin heard a robotic female voice .

    ¨D¨D¡¾Seizon Honnou [Survival Instinct]¡¿ Activated: Attack Power and Speed Increased

    ¨D¨D¡¾Ougon no Hadou [Golden Wave]¡¿ Activated: HP, Damaged Parts and Equipment Steadily Recovering

    The automatic skill¡¾Analyze X¡¿had activated to tell Shin about the skills that Origin was now using .

    (T/N: Shin has the Analyze skill at level 10, the max level . ¡®X¡¯ here is for 10 . )

    At the same time, Origin¡¯s HP bar began to refill itself in increments . A golden light shone from the stump of its left hand and wing and those parts started to regenerate .

    If left alone, it would most likely return to its former status .

    Of course, there was no way that Shin would allow it to do so .

    At the same time he got the notification from Analyze X, he activated¡¾Shukuchi¡¿and closed in on Origin, who was still on its knees .

    "¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!!"

    In response to Shin¡¯s movement, Origin roared and swept his spear across in a mowing attack .

    The wind made a ¡°GOU!!¡± sound as the spear cut through the air and sped towards Shin .

    Shin activated the Sword-Type Martial Skill¡¾Shiraha Nagashi [Drawn Sword Diversion]¡¿and the Unarmed-Type Martial Skill¡¾Hagane Hajiki [Steel Repel]¡¿ .

    Lowering his center of gravity, while receiving and stopping the spear with his katana through ¡¾Shiraha Nagashi¡¿, he slid the spear off the edge of his de by diverting the direction of the attack . On top of that,¡¾Hagane Hajiki¡¿helped reduce the damage taken and also reflected some of the damage back .

    Sparks flew as the spear slid on top of the katana with terrifying force . Even though it was not a direct hit, Shin¡¯s body almost flew away along with the spear¡¯s momentum, but he managed to endure it with the help of his skills and his taijutsu .

    However, with the higher damage from Origin using¡¾Seizon Honnou¡¿, Shin was unable to nullify all of the damage from the attack . His HP went down a bit .

    ¡°Fu!¡±

    The moment the de left the spear, Shin rose up from his lowered stance and added that momentum to the spear .

    Due to that, the speed of the spear went beyond Origin¡¯s expectations, causing it to overreach and lose its posture .

    Shin then instantly activated the Sword-Type Martial Skill¡¾Gekkou Zanmai [Moonlight Beheading Dance]¡¿ . A silvery light like moonlight wrapped around his ck katana, turning it into a silver de . The de also momentarily grew to around 2m in length .

    ¡°Seeehhhyaaaaaa!!¡±

    The silver de shed into Origin¡¯s now defenseless torso .

    First strike!

    Second strike!

    Third strike!

    The de of light flew so fast that it left afterimages, carving paths of light in the air . The first three shes dealt enough damage to cancel out all the HP that Origin had regained from¡¾Ougon no Hadou¡¿ .

    Fourth strike!

    Fifth strike!

    Sixth strike!

    Seventh strike!

    Eighth strike!

    Ninth strike!

    Tenth strike!

    The series of ten shes brought down Origin¡¯s HP in quick session .

    After that, the light from the de disappeared, indicating that the skill was finished .

    ¡¾Gekkou Zanmai¡¿was a skill of ten consecutive shes with boosted attack speed and range . Attack speed was 1 . 3 times, and range was doubled . Although the damage from a single strike was not that high, the increased range and number of strikesbined together added up to much more damage than a simple power-up attack .

    Although it couldn¡¯t bepared to a¡¾Hazan¡¿dealt with Shin¡¯s STR and weapon¡¯s attack power, it was not far off .

    Indeed, the intense attacks from¡¾Gekkou Zanmai¡¿¡¯s ten-strikebination left only about 2mm in Origin¡¯s HP bar .

    ¡°I will finish you off!!¡±

    Shin ran onto Origin¡¯s body as it copsed from the damage of¡¾Gekkou Zanmai¡¿ . Although Origin¡¯s HP bar was still recovering even now, Shin judged that he would make it in time .

    Perhaps as a final act of defiance, Origin let go of the spear in its right hand and let loose a backfist . Shin jumped over the fist, and adopted a joudan stance in midair .

    Their eyes met . This was the very moment when Origin would be finished off, but still there was no anger in its eyes . Instead, Shin felt that Origin was at peace with itself .

    With that said, though, even if there was no animosity in its eyes, the de that swung down did not deviate nor slow down at all .

    The heart that had decided to win would not budge .

    ¡°This is the end!¡±

    With those words, Shin swung down his ck de towards Origin¡¯s forehead .

    Volume 1 Chapter 1 Part 3

    After that, aside from the Gifts, Shin also thoroughly went through his skills and magics, and even activated a few for verification . Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t anything nearby which would have been problematic if destroyed, so he was able to freely test the power of his skills and magic to some degree .

    After creating manyrge craters around himself, he learned two main things: that the paralysis penalty and cooldown times for Martial Skills were both gone, and that it was now possible to directly control the strength of his magic .

    Although it was natural to have paralysis penalty and cooldown times when it was still a game, it wouldn¡¯t make sense to still have those around in reality so it was a great help that they were gone . With that said, though, he realized that it wasn¡¯t possible to keep on endlessly spamming those Martial Skills whenever he wanted .

    The flip side of the game characteristics being gone was that now his tendons could get torn, his joints could get dislocated, and he can generally get injured . Well, if this was reality, then it makes sense . At any rate, Shin was no longer inside the game world . If he took an enemy¡¯s attack, it would no longer be a matter of merely having his HP bar go down . If he didn¡¯t think carefully about how to move, it could be possible that he wouldn¡¯t know how to when he really needed to .

    Shin reminded himself once again that this was no longer a game .

    He used to confuse the real world with the game world, but now he was confusing the game world with the real world . While thinking such thoughts, Shin mused on when it was that he had started to think of the virtual world of THE NEW GATE as a second reality .

    ¡°Then perhaps I should think of this ce as a third reality?¡± thought Shin with a wry smile .

    It took quite a while for the second reality (game world) to start feeling real, but he was adapting much faster to the third reality . As though the exhaustion from a short while ago was a lie, he was surprised at how easily he was now moving about .

    ¡°Well then, it¡¯s about time to get moving . ¡±

    So saying, Shin took out a bookmark from his inventory . He lifted this normal-looking bookmark above .

    ¡°Go home!¡±

    When Shin chanted this, light immediately gathered around the bookmark into roughly the shape and size of a baseball . It then changed into the shape of a falcon .

    The falcon made of light floated in the air a set distance away from Shin¡¯s head, pointing in a specific direction .

    What Shin had used was an item called¡¾Guide¡¿, which would guide the user to a previously registered location . It was usually used to mark the locations of safe spots on hunting fields, but a few yers like Shin used it to mark their home instead .

    Shin didn¡¯t know where he was due to not being able to call up the map . Then he saw¡¾Guide¡¿on his items list, and since the only location that he¡¯d registered was Home, he decided to go check that out first .

    Incidentally, the light being in the shape of a falcon was merely due to Shin¡¯s preference . yers could freely alter the shape of the light from this item .

    ¡°Here Ie, my home!¡±

    Shin started to run in the direction of his house . When he was selecting the destination, the item had indicated that it was about 67 kemels away . 1 kemel is around the same distance as 1 km, which means that his house was about 67 km away .

    It would have taken quite a while to walk that distance for a normal person, but Shin¡¯s stamina and leg strength was on a different levelpletely beyond the norm . Even while sauntering he could cover ground quite quickly .

    His running speed, though, could go up to 70 km/h . Moreover, he was not riding a vehicle, so he was able to travel through any terrain, be it dense forest, scraggy underbrush, or wastnd littered with rocks .

    ¡°Yaaaaahhhoooooo~~!!¡±

    It felt so good to run into the wind with all abandon that he also shouted at the top of his lungs . It felt like all of the murky gloomy feelings that had umted in his chest ever since he woke up would be cleansed and dispelled . He was in a bit of a runner¡¯s high .

    Although he didn¡¯t know how long his stamina wouldst, it didn¡¯t really feel like it was going down much at all, so he just kept on running without stopping for any rest .

    Along the way, he saw Tetra Grizzlies (four-armed bears), Twin-Head Snakes (snakes with two heads), and me Boars (boars with a fire-like mane) . As a further test of his own strength, he picked fights with every single mob he encountered . The levels of the bears, snakes, and boars were respectively 87, 68, and 79 .

    There was no mistaking their levels because he got that information from¡¾Analyze X¡¿ . (T/N: Analyze level 10, not Analyze ¡®x¡¯ . )

    They were all monsters with fixed attack patterns that beginners farmed often . At Shin¡¯s level, he could easily handle all of them barehanded, but he felt a slight chill when he glimpsed the monsters¡¯ spontaneity and willingness to do whatever it took to survive .

    He then thought to himself that it wasn¡¯t good to waste time fighting with these monsters, so he decided to focus on only running .

    He continued running over meadows, leaping over rocks, and dashing through forests for about an hour . When he found a huge castle wall in front and drew closer, the falcon of light started to flicker, indicating that he was getting close to his destination .

    He slowed down, then came to aplete stop . The falcon was pointing in a direction that was slightly off from the castle walls . Apparently, it was somewhere in the forest spread out in front of the castle walls . Shin was pretty sure that there were no cities with a wall anywhere near where his home was, though .

    ¡°When did that get built?¡±

    He muttered with a sigh while looking at the castle walls .

    The walls were about as high as a six-story building . It appeared to have been made of cut stone, and exuded a dignified atmosphere .

    He wasn¡¯t sure if the scratches and splinter parts were from monsters or war .

    Shin had fought in manyrge scale wars inside the game, so he had a lot of experience with castle sieges as well . He determined that this castle would be hard to breach, sensing that enchantments like monster repellent, fortification, and magic resistance had been cast on it . And they were all close to upper ss in strength .

    From his current position, Shin couldn¡¯t see any gates, so he didn¡¯t think that it was a town behind the walls, but he couldn¡¯t be sure until he actually went over it . However, it didn¡¯t make sense to have walls around an empty wastnd, so he decided to check it outter .

    For now, he had no business with the wall, so he turned his gaze back to the forest, and resumed walking in the direction that the falcon was pointing to .

    After walking about 100 mels, he suddenly found himself in a clearing with markedly different vegetation . The trees that he had passed so far were generally 30 to 40 cemels in width, but this area was enclosed by gigantic trees that were more than 1 mel in width .

    (T/N: mel = meter and cemel = centimeter)

    In the middle of the clearing stood a building that matched perfectly with his memory .

    Its appearance was that of a single house built from stone and wood . Inside the game, it had served as both a shop and his house .

    The entrance of the shop side had the noren out and arge sign on top that read¡ºYorozuya Tsuki no Hokora¡» .

    (T/N: Noren is the cloth hung at head level in front of the door of Japanese restaurants . There is no English equivalent word . Also, Yorozuya means ¡®general merchant,¡¯ and Tsuki no Hokora roughly trantes to Shrine of the Moon, but as I said I¡¯ll leave Japanese names in Japanese . )

    ¡°The appearance hasn¡¯t really changed much, huh . ¡±

    Without a doubt, it looked exactly like it did before the decisive battle against Origin . Shin felt a sense of reassurance from seeing his home still safe and sound .

    When Shin had run the shop inside the game,¡ºYorozuya Tsuki no Hokora¡»had dealt with arge range of goods, ranging from weapons to equips to items . Generally, he was selling drops that he had picked up around in fields or dungeons and things that he had made himself when he felt like it .

    The ces that Shin visited were mostly fields or dungeons where high level monsters roamed so he frequently got his hands on rare items or materials, which he would then sell in his shop . Tsuki no Hokora was a well-hidden shop that had gained quite a reputation among high level yers . The things that he sold, being what they were, usually came with a pretty hefty price, so high level yers made up the majority of his customer base .

    While reminiscing about his thriving business (in truth, it was only rarely that busy), Shin flipped the noren and opened the door . He entered the shop while wondering what had be of the store with only goods lined up and an empty counter .

    Inside the shop were a number of men and women wearing formal armor with cloaks . A few of them noticed Shining in, and two of them came towards him .

    ¡°Apologies, but we¡¯re a bit busy right now . Would you minding againter?¡±

    The one who said this was a blond young man wearing splendidly decorated armor . He was roughly the same height as Shin, but he obviously had been training regrly, seeing how thick his arms and legs were .

    ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡±

    ¡°We told you to get out!¡±

    When he tried to ask about the situation, he was roughly ordered out by the brown haired young man who¡¯de over together with the blond one . He was also wearing heavily decorated armor . He was a head taller than Shin and had a well-proportioned, firmly built body .

    ¡°I also have things I need to get done by today . ¡±

    ¡°Shut up . A lowly adventurer like you doesn¡¯t have the right to talk back!¡±

    ¡°Oi, stop it, Iran!¡±

    Iran was probably the name of the brown haired young man . Judging that speaking formally would be wasted on him, Shin protested in casual speech .

    Seeing that Shin had no intention of backing off, Iran decided to push him out with brute force . Aiming to send Shin flying, Iran thrust his palms at Shin¡¯s sr plexus . When Shin failed to react, Iran smirked .

    ¡°Uoh!¡±

    However, when his hand touched Shin, not only did Shin not budge, the reaction force from his own push was reflected back at him, causing him to lose his bnce and fall on his butt . When the armor collided with the floor, a disproportionately loud sound echoed around the room . Everyone around turned to look at the two of them .

    Iran was on the floor, unable to understand what had just happened, while Shin just stood there and looked innocent .

    ¡°Ku, you bastard¡ª!¡±

    ¡°What are you guys making a ruckus about!¡±

    ¡° . . . tch!!¡±

    In a frenzy, Iran reached for his sword . At the same time, a loud voice rang from inside the shop, causing Iran to immediately shrink in on himself .

    Thinking that things were going to get troublesome, Shin sighed in his mind .

    The crowd spontaneously parted, revealing a man with a great figure with blond hair and blue eyes who was also wearing unnecessarily decorated armor . He red at the two of them .

    Unlike a moment ago, Iran remained very quiet .

    Seeing the man part the crowd, Shin muttered, ¡°Are you Moses?¡± while feeling like he couldn¡¯t care less .

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say to not let anyone enter?¡±

    ¡°My deepest apologies, Loost-sama!¡±

    Iran bowed down without a moment¡¯s dy . Seeing how he was acting, Shin guessed that this Loost person must be of a pretty high status .

    Without sparing even a nce for the Iran who was now prostrating himself, Loost came towards Shin . His eyes were totally looking down on Shin .

    (Uwah, another annoying person ising over here . )

    Not knowing what Shin was thinking, Loost clunked over with heavy steps and stopped in front of Shin .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    ¡°Oi! What are you doing, standing in Loost-sama¡¯s way without even naming yourself!!¡±

    Maintaining his silence, Loost suddenly tilted his head at Shin, prompting Iran to raise his voice in anger . Apparently, Loost had been staring at Shin this whole time waiting for him to introduce himself .

    ¡°Ah, please excuse me . I¡¯m Shin, a wanderer . ¡±

    It would be just lead to more trouble if he acted all cocky and got on the bad side of someone important enough to merit a -sama after his name, so Shin also bowed while naming himself . He knew from experience that this kind of person would generally overlook quite a lot as long as you acted subservient, even if it was just going through the forms .

    ¡°Hmph, it appears that you don¡¯t know etiquette . Well, that¡¯s fine, wanderers must not have a very thorough education . ¡±

    Loost nodded arrogantly at Shin¡¯s lowered head . Shin was not bothered at all and noted that these kinds of tactics worked in this world too .

    ¡°Our business is finished . We¡¯re leaving . ¡±

    So saying, Loost immediately started walking straight ahead . Noticing this, Shin quickly scooted to the left .

    The blond young man and a few others who saw Shin¡¯s movement narrowed their eyes .

    ¡°Tch . ¡±

    It was Iran who had clicked his tongue while walking past . Everyone else who had been in the store quickly exited after Loost . Before they knew it, including the blond young man there were only three people left .

    ¡°Iran shouldn¡¯t have done what he did . Allow me to apologize on his behalf . ¡±

    The one who said this was the blond young man . The two other people also had an apologetic expression on their faces .

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it . It¡¯s not like he actually did anything much . ¡±

    ¡°We are thankful that you would take it this way . My name is Aldi . It¡¯s Aldi Sheil . If you ever have any need of the Knights Order, pleasee visit me . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin . If I ever have the opportunity to do so, I will take you up on that offer . ¡±

    Shin answered while extending his right hand in response to the right hand that Aldi was offering .

    It appears that the group just now were knights . Shin thought that they had rather big attitudes for being knights, but seeing Aldi and the other two Shin decided that not all of them were so .

    As Aldi left the shop, briefly nodded to Shin before also leaving . Those two were probably Aldi¡¯s subordinates .

    After all of the knights left, the store now felt very spacious . Shin saw the shelves and the products on the shelves that he couldn¡¯t see before .

    (The weapons are mainly bronze or iron, silver at best . The equips are mostly made of leather . The items are mostly low rank potions and ether, and there are a few pills for curing debuffs . There are no raw materials being sold . )

    (T/N: Potions are for HP recovery and ethers are for MP recovery . )

    Shin was despondent after seeing how low level all of the goods were, especially inparison to when he had been running the store . Almost everything here were things for beginners to use .

    (It doesn¡¯t look like the shop is doing any better than when I was running it . . . )

    Shin became worried about the state the shop was in .

    ¡°What have you been muttering about for all this time?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Having been suddenly talked to, Shin¡¯sckluster response slipped out automatically . It appears that he had been unconsciously muttering his thoughts out loud . Turning towards the direction of the voice, Shin found himself staring into a pair of golden eyes with golden pupils .

    Shin saw a young, ck haired, golden eyed elf girl behind the counter . He was pretty sure that she was an elf due to the sharp ears sticking out from her silky, glossy ck hair .

    Although most elves were beautiful, her beauty was such that if ten people saw her, undoubtedly all ten would have been charmed . She was roughly a head shorter than Shin at 160 cemels . Her skin was a healthy white, her figure was slender and well-proportioned, and her chest very much made its own existence known .

    She looked 17 or 18 at first nce, but since elves were long-lived, it was hard to tell their real age from their appearance . Even though she looked so young, it was a real possibility that she was actually several hundred years old, so he made a mental note to be aware of that .

    ¡°Ahh, I was just checking out the goods on disy . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I kind of feel like the look in your eyes is a bit sharp considering . ¡±

    ¡°I had no such intentions, though . ¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine . The nuisances are gone, so feel free to look around as much as you want . ¡±

    So saying, the elf girl grabbed a chair from behind the counter and sat on it .

    ¡°By ¡®nuisances¡¯ you mean the guys just now?¡±

    ¡°Theye by all the time to bug me about when Master is going toe back . There¡¯s a limit to how annoying one can be!¡±

    It appears that theye really frequently . Shin could feel how fed up the girl was from her tone .

    ¡°That sounds really rough . Ah, I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet . I¡¯m Shin . As you can see, I¡¯m a wanderer . ¡±

    ¡°Even bothering to introduce yourself to an ordinary salesclerk, you must be a really a very serious person . Tiera Lucent is my name . Just ¡®Tiera¡¯ is fine . I¡¯m apprenticing under the Acting Owner and working as the salesclerk here at the same time . If you bring any good items or raw materials here we¡¯d be happy to buy it from you . ¡±

    ¡°Ahhh, I¡¯ll look forward to it . By the way, having the knightse over so often to look for her, is your Master that incredible of a person?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? Even children nowadays know the Acting Owner of Tsuki no Hokora, Schnee Raizar . ¡±

    ¡°Ahhh, she¡¯s that famous, huh . Wait a second, ¡®Acting¡¯?¡±

    ¡°She herself insists on that title . She ims that the real owner is still out there . ¡±

    ¡°So there¡¯s someone above even someone that famous, huh . . . ¡±

    Shin felt a bit reassured in regards to the management of the shop after hearing that there was someone even higher up than such a famous person . For some reason, though, that Acting Owner¡¯s name seemed to tug at something in his memory .

    ¡°Schnee Raizar . . . Schnee Raizar . . . Schnee . . . Schnee RaizaaAAAHHHH!?!?¡±

    ¡°Wh-what! What happened?!¡±

    Tiera jumped at Shin¡¯s sudden shout . Standing up so suddenly made the chair fall over and hit the ground with a ¡°gashan!¡± sound .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just that I got a bit of a shock . ¡±

    Shin apologized after the sound of the chair brought him back to his senses . He had felt like the name was a bit familiar, but of course it should! In the game, he had left the care of the shop to one of the support characters that he had created . That character¡¯s name was Schnee Raizar .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bothering you but may I confirm some things with you about your Master?¡±

    ¡°Su-Sure! I¡¯ll answer any questions within the limit of what I know . ¡±

    Tiera drew back slightly as Shin¡¯s face adopted a menacing look . However, Shin was busy feeling surprised at Tiera¡¯s unexpected cooperation and therefore failed to notice Tiera¡¯s bodynguage .

    ¡°This Schnee Raizar person belongs to the High Elf race, has silver hair that reaches all the way down to her waist, very pale blue eyes, a height of 166 cemels, and an excellent figure on top of all that?¡±

    ¡°Indeed all of that is true, but . . . wait, what? Are you one of Master¡¯s fans?¡±

    By now Tiera had pulled back from Shin to a rtively significant distance, but as expected, he remained unaware .

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it is . I mean, we did know each other from before (since I was the Store Owner and she was working under me) . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re one of Master¡¯s acquaintances? Is that really true?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if she still remembers me or not though . ¡±

    Perhaps due to the look that she had seen on his face earlier, Tiera was now looking at Shin with lots of doubt in her eyes .

    For his part, Shin also understood that it would be hard to believe someone who suddenly visited and dered himself a close acquaintance of the owner of the store . There was a real possibility that Schnee had forgotten about him, which would leave him the only person who knew that he was the real Owner . Therefore, he decided to cover up his outburst by changing the topic of the conversation .

    ¡°By the way, where is Schnee right now? Judging from the conversation so far, it seems that she¡¯s been away for quite a while?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t tell you that . If I didn¡¯t tell the Knights Order then there¡¯s no way that I would tell you, right?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . you have a point . ¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t clear on the hierarchy of this world yet, but from what he¡¯d seen just now with Aldi, he understood that the knights were somewhere pretty high on thedder . Realizing that wanderers as a group didn¡¯t have a lot of credibility, Shin dropped his shoulders .

    ¡°Well at least if you want to leave a message for her, I can help convey it to her . More like, half of my job is to bring messages to her anyways . ¡±

    ¡°Half of your . . . how many messages do you even get?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re mostly from governments or upper echelons of the guilds . Though I say ¡®messages,¡¯ they¡¯re actually usually requests . It¡¯s supposed to be a secret that different countriese to seek her but by now it¡¯s more like an open secret . ¡±

    ¡°How do I put it . . . your Master is pretty amazing, huh?¡±

    Shin thought, ¡°What kind of person has Schnee be such that even countries woulde asking for her?¡±

    ¡°She rarely epts those requests, though . So, what shall it be? Would you like to leave a message for her?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, I guess I¡¯ll leave one for now . ¡±

    ¡°The message referral is 10 bronze coins, 1000 Juls . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, you charge for this? Umm, wait, sorry, what¡¯s a ¡®Jul¡¯?¡±

    Shin tilted his head in confusion at the mention of this mary denomination that he¡¯d never heard of before . Back in THE NEW GATE, the currency had been Geyls .

    ¡°Are you seriously asking me that? How can you travel without knowing the currencies?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that the currency is now different from what we were using before!¡±

    ¡°Different from before? It¡¯s been more than 400 years since we started using this currency . May I have a look?¡±

    400 years . Shin froze at hearing that . He suddenly felt like he¡¯d be Urashima Tarou .

    ¡°This is what I have . . . ¡±

    Shin took out 1 Geyl from his inventory and put it on the counter . Geyls were gold coins roughly 3 cemels in diameter embossed with the image of an eight-winged dragon holding a girl in its arms .

    ¡° . . . . . Hey, just now, where did you pull this out of?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s eyes were as wide as saucers from seeing Shin pull the coin out from what looked to her like thin air .

    ¡°Even if you ask me ¡®where¡¯ . . . I just took it out from my inventory . ¡±

    ¡°Inven . . . tory . . . ¡±

    It appears that Tiera was even more shocked at hearing that word than when she saw Shin pull out the coin .

    ¡°Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Ah, eh, what?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that you look really shocked right now . Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®is something the matter¡¯ me! Anyone would be shocked if they heard you had an inventory!¡±

    ¡°? Why is that?¡±

    ¡°You . . . ¡±

    Tiera exhaled heavily and dropped her shoulders . Shin had no idea why Tiera was so surprised .

    ¡°In this day and age, the only people who can ess their inventory are the elders among the royalty of long-lived races like High Lords, High Elves, and High Pixies . In the first ce, the rest of us don¡¯t even have an inventory . But when you just randomly show up here and use it in front of me like it¡¯s nothing, of course I¡¯d be shocked . You¡¯re not going to tell me now that you actually are royalty, right?¡±

    ¡°Yea, nope . I¡¯m definitely not royalty . ¡±

    It was Shin¡¯s turn to be surprised . It hadn¡¯t even crossed his mind that the inventory that had been so natural for yers was now only usable by such a select group of important individuals .

    By the way, the ¡®High¡¯ in front of race names indicates someone of that race who has reincarnated at least 10 times . There are fundamentally 7 races in THE NEW GATE: Human, Beast, Dragnil, Dwarf, Elf, Lord, and Pixie . Humans are humans, Beasts are beast people, Dragnils are dragon people, Lords are demon people, and Pixies are fairies .

    (T/N: About the reincarnation, think Ragnarok Online . It¡¯s not being revived after dying, it¡¯s restarting your character again after reaching max level . You start off with higher stats and it takes longer to level up . )

    ¡°I thought it was pretty natural to use it . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing ¡®natural¡¯ about using it . Speaking of which, what¡¯s your race? You look human but there are so many different magical powers mixed up inside of you that I can¡¯t really tell . Are you elf? Lord? Dragnil? Some other race?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure either . For now I guess I¡¯m a high human . ¡±

    Shin was pretty sure that that was his race, as his Character window said so too . High humans are a race with amplified resistance to debuffs and magical attacks . As a race whose focus is on bnce, high humans have the lowest attribute points, so nobody ever actually chose this ss .

    ording to the backstory of THE NEW GATE, humans were thest species toe into being . By then, the atmosphere was full of magic . Having absorbed a lot of that magic, humans gained a higher resistance to magical attacks and debuffs . If that was all, then humans would have been a really good anti-magic race . However, the story continues and says that this resistance is using up so much of their energy that they are unable to fully develop any other powers .

    This setting clinched the bottom ce of the list of races for humans . One way to fight as a human character was to further enhance magical resistance and then rush up to enemy mages, but if the other side also had a non-human melee fighter then you¡¯d still lose . Human mages could not match up with elves or pixies in terms of MP and INT, and would lose in a straight up magical dogfight against even Lords, which was a race that also focused on bnce .

    In the end, the only ways to y a human character was to be a bandit relying heavily on curses or a hunter .

    (Well, they were all pros for me, though . )

    Shin liked this race precisely because it required so much more effort to build his character up . Obviously, the number of people who thought the same way were an extreme minority .

    ¡°High . . . human . . . ?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Yes, that¡¯s what I said . ¡±

    Shin was suddenly flooded with memories of the stigma against humans and how he sent flying everyone who mocked him . Tiera replied in a daze .

    What Tiera said next struck Shin dumbfounded .

    ¡°The race of high humans . . . is extinct . . . ¡±

    ¡°Ahh, extinct . . . wait, EXTINCT?!¡±

 Vol 1 Chapter 2: Chapter 2

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    You can grab the PDF here .

    ~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~

    Extinct . That¡¯s what Tiera had said .

    The entire race of high humans was extinct .

    ¡° . . . . . . Then what about humans, are there still humans?¡±

    ¡°Oh, there are a lot of humans around . Those people from the Knights Order just now were all humans, remember?¡±

    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re still around, huh . ¡±

    Clearing up the misunderstanding helped Shin regain some small measure of relief .

    ¡°It¡¯s the high humans that went extinct, not the humans . ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±

    ¡°Of course they¡¯re different . In the past, a group of merely six high humans ruled over this entire continent of Leidimunt . If you pitted them against tens of thousands of humans the humans would still lose . They¡¯re on apletely different dimension . ¡±

    ¡°Six people ruled over the continent?¡±

    The whole six people and continent ruling thing caught his attention and seemed to stir something in his memory . He felt like something like that did happen back then .

    ¡°May I hear more about that?¡±

    ¡°Most people already know this, but fine . I can tell you . Before, around 500 years ago, high humans ruled over this whole continent . There were only 6 of them, but their overwhelming strength was such that there was nothing any of the other races could do to them . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°But suddenly, their rule ended . ¡±

    ¡°It ended?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it ended . It was not only the high humans, but a lot of people disappeared, including the long-lived species like high elves and high lords, the short-lived species like high beasts and high dwarves, and every race¡¯s royalty, elders, heroes, generals, and other influential people . I heard that it all happened very suddenly . ording to Master, there were many others aside from these influential people who also disappeared . Now, we call that day¡ºDusk of the Majesty¡» . ¡±

    ¡°Dusk of the Majesty . . . . . . I see . ¡±

    ¡°Because the high humans also disappeared back then, it is now thought that they are extinct . There were only 6 of them, after all . ¡±

    Sudden disappearance . Shin happened to know a little bit about that .

    If it¡¯s a phenomenon where arge number of people suddenly disappeared, it¡¯s probably that .

    (It¡¯s that day . The day I defeated Origin and everyone logged out . I don¡¯t have any conclusive evidence, but that¡¯s most likely the true character of this Dusk of the Majesty . )

    When she was talking about kings and heroes, she was probably referring to the guilds and guildmasters . The number of people who were released that day numbered in the tens of thousands . Shin didn¡¯t know the exact number, but he was sure that there were tens of thousands of people trapped inside the game . To the eyes of the residents of this world, it must have looked like a sudden mass disappearance .

    (Following that train of thought, then the six high humans who used to rule over the entire continent must have been . . . )

    Shin finally understood what it was that had caught his attention . Six high humans . Unmistakably,

    (That was us . . . . . . )

    Indeed, it was all the way back before THE NEW GATE became a death game, when it was still a normal VRMMO . In THE NEW GATE was a guild that was said to have been unbeatable .

    That guild wasprised of 6 high humans and was called¡ºRokuten [Six Heavens]¡» . They had wiped out every major guild in THE NEW GATE, and within a month there was no yer that did not know their name . They gained the reputation of mercilessly PKing any yer who rose a voice in protest .

    In this way, Shin had also been one of the six members of Rokuten . When he started ying he was frequently mocked for choosing the human race, so in a fit of ¡°other races aren¡¯t such hotshots anyways!!!¡± he and his guildmates decided to let loose and go ballistic on everyone else . To be honest, Shin considered it a really dark part of his past that he would never tell anyone about .

    It goes without saying that all of the founding members were high humans . And they weren¡¯t just any high human, all of them were mad yers who had almost capped every stat . Even their weakest member had maxed out his HP and MP and had all other stats above 950 .

    They had pped every major guild with a written challenge, then removed the limit on the number of participants for the guild war and taken on thousands of opponents at the same time with only the six of them . It was a crazy battle in which they had deployed ridiculously powerful AoE spells that reduced the entire field to cinders before ending it by giving all of the enemy leaders a thorough thrashing .

    After that, the number of people who would pick a fight with Rokuten went from ¡°very few¡± to ¡°none,¡± and the number of people who made fun of humans went down . It wasn¡¯t only because of the fighting strength that Rokuten had disyed, but also because everyone learned how significant high humans¡¯ resistance to magic was . Regardless of the effect, be it poison, paralysis, confusion, charm, burn, freeze, distraction, petrification, or any other debuff, a few seconds was all that was needed for a full recovery .

    With such overpowered characters around, Shin wasn¡¯t sure if it was a blessing or a misfortune that he was the only member of Rokuten who got stuck inside the death game . If there was at least one more member with him, Shin was sure that they could have broken free at least 3 months faster .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°What happened? You suddenly got all quiet . ¡±

    ¡°Nah, nothing . So, we were talking about the currency?¡±

    Shin had a feeling that if he continued this conversation about high humans he would only be digging his own grave, so he steered the topic back to the currency .

    ¡°Yea . So, this was the currency that you had been using?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    ¡°Haaaa, taking out something so priceless just like that, I can almost believe your im of being a high human . ¡±

    It seems that she still doesn¡¯t believe that he¡¯s a high human .

    While sighing, Tiera picked up the Geyl gold coin and stared at it fixedly . She was apparently checking its authenticity .

    Shin was puzzled at Tiera calling the coin ¡°priceless . ¡±

    ¡°Is it really that valuable? A single Geyl?¡±

    In the game, 1 Geyl corresponded to 1 yen . The exchange rate to real money was 1:1000 . Incidentally, there were hundreds of millions of Geyls in Shin¡¯s inventory . It was a mystery why despite being gold coins and having the symbol ¡®G¡¯ they were not actually called ¡®Gold . ¡¯

    ¡°Now Geyl gold coins, or G gold coins for short, are not things that you can get your hands on whenever you wanted . You might not know this, but Geyls are magical items that can amplify magical power . Sometimes people find them in ruins and auction them for at least 10 pieces of Jul white gold coins, which equals 1 billion Juls . Oh, Juls are themon currency nowadays . We usually say how many J gold coins or how many J silver coins or just simply how many J .

    ¡°For a single piece to equal hundreds of millions . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Magic casters would go to enormous lengths to own even one of these . Not counting the time Master showed me one, this is my first time seeing it . I¡¯m going to say this just in case, but 1 billion is merely the minimum price for one . People who really want it usually end up paying more than 10 times that . ¡±

    ¡°This single piece would fetch that much, huh . . . . . . Incidentally, how frequently are they found?¡±

    ¡° ¡®Seldom¡¯ is all I can say . Even when new ruins are found, there¡¯s no guarantee that there would be Geyls . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . I guess I would attract a lot of attention if I tried to cash this in, then . ¡±

    Shin had originally nned to sell them as capital, but hearing how valuable they were he had to abandon even the n of exchanging them for the current currency .

    ¡°That¡¯s a wise decision . You look like someone who¡¯d be careless about that sort of thing . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s harsh~ Oh right, but if I can¡¯t exchange my money then I literally have no money on hand . ¡±

    ¡°Do you have anything to sell? For starters, if you have any raw materials or items then we can buy them from you . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea . How about these?¡±

    Shin took out some item cards from his inventory . Back in the game, if you turned an item into a card and stored it in your inventory as a card, any more of that item that you put into your inventory would automatically be converted into card form and stack with the stack that you already have . Items in card form were basically a picture of that item . Afterwards you could return the item to its real form anytime you wanted .

    What Shin ced on the counter in front of him were teeth, ws, hides, and meat from Tetra Grizzlies, Twin-Head Snakes, and me Boars and some brown jewels . There was a wide range of things you could do with raw materials, such as crafting things with them or selling them, so back during the game there were many ces you could visit to trade them . Jewels were rare drops from defeating monsters that you could bring to a cksmith to enhance or add an attribute to your weapon or equips . As such, they were worth a lot more than raw materials . The jewel cards that Shin had brought out this time were Grade 7, the lowest grade .

    ¡°Item cards . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Nn? Is there something strange?¡±

    ¡°No, if you have an inventory I¡¯m sure this is pretty normal for you . I don¡¯t think you know this, so I¡¯ll also say this just in case . Item cards are also rtively expensive, so you shouldn¡¯t take them out all willy-nilly either . ¡±

    ¡°That sounds so bothersome . I have to carry raw materials around in their normal form?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what everyone does! You¡¯re the one who is weird!¡±

    ¡°I-I understand . I get it already, so please calm down . ¡±

    ¡°Mou, you just keep on throwing off my pace!¡±

    So saying Tiera deftly materialized the items from the cards and began to appraise them . Despite her surprise at seeing them it seems that she does know how to use them .

    ¡°These are drops from Tetra Grizzlies, Twin-Head Snakes, and me Boars . They¡¯re all materials from ferocious monsters found only deep inside forests . Seriously, who are you?¡±

    ¡°Even if you say that . . . . . . I just defeated them on the way here . I didn¡¯t think them particrly ferocious, though . ¡±

    ¡°But every single one of these monsters would take several knights to hunt . . . . . . Forget it . There would be no end to it if I kept on being surprised at every single thing you say . ¡±

    Shin had thought that they were monsters only for beginners but apparently they were surprisingly dangerous .

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it . Rather than that, how¡¯s the appraisaling along?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see . They¡¯re all in great condition and you can turn them into cards so these raw materials amount to a total of 1 gold Jul and 27 silver Juls or 1 . 27 million Juls . The jewels are Grade 7 but their purity is high so I can give you 25 gold Juls or 25 million Juls for them . ¡±

    ¡°Since the currency is all different I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a lot or very little . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°To be honest, the price that I¡¯m offering is a little on the high side . Market price of the jewels fluctuate all the time, but they¡¯re on the rise right now . This rank and purity would normally fetch 20 to 23 million Juls . ¡±

    ¡°Ohhh, lucky me . I gained a profit of more than 2 million . ¡±

    ¡°What will you do? If you¡¯re fine with these prices then we can buy them from you immediately . ¡±

    ¡°Alright, yes please . Ah, you can keep that . Think of it as a gift to cement our future business rtionship . ¡±

    So said Shin while pointing at the Geyl gold coin that he¡¯d left on the counter .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . you¡¯re joking, right?¡±

    ¡°Why would you think that?!¡±

    ¡°Of course I would! Were you even listening to what I was saying just now?! In what world would someone simply give away a G gold coin worth hundreds of millions?!?!¡±

    ¡°This one . ¡±

    Shin pointed at himself .

    ¡° . . . . . . I¡¯m not going to give this back even if youe asking for itter!¡±

    ¡°No way I would!¡±

    The reproachful looking Tiera apparently lost to her fascination with the gold coin . She grabbed the coin with a quick motion and embraced it to her chest . Shin found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Tiera¡¯s breasts, which had been emphasized by her arms pressing in from both sides .

    ¡°Ahhh, the G gold coin that I¡¯ve even had dreams of~!¡±

    The reproach in Tiera¡¯s face had beenpletely reced by a rapt expression . Perhaps due to her slightly reddened cheeks, Shin felt a curious sex appeal from her . Shin chastised himself and lightly shook his head in an effort to dispel the unbidden improper thoughts .

    ¡°Ahem, I¡¯m d that you like it . I¡¯m sure that as an elf you¡¯d be using magic-¡±

    ¡°Wait a second!¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . What?¡±

    Shin was about to say ¡°often anyways¡± when Tiera suddenly interrupted him . Her face was now filled with fright and shock at what she¡¯d just heard .

    ¡° . . . . . . . What is it?¡±

    ¡°Just now . . . . . . did you say ¡®elf¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes I did . . . . . . eh? You¡¯re not an elf?¡±

    Shin confirmed from his memory that small, pointed ears was a characteristic unique to only elves and high elves . He tilted his head in confusion, wondering if there was a race that he didn¡¯t know of .

    ¡°Right now you¡¯re supposed to be seeing a red-haired ck-eyed cat person!¡±

    ¡°Red-haired ck-eyed cat person?¡±

    Cat people was a sub-race under Beasts that was highly popr with female yers and a niche group of male yers . There were numerous sub-races under Beasts, cat people being one of them, and there were further sub-sses within the cat people race, including Persian-type and calico-type . Their avatars had modeled hands, animal ears, and a tail, while some even had their body covered with feathers .

    ¡°Huh?¡± thought Shin as he looked at Tiera again, but all he saw was a ck-haired golden-eyed beautiful young elf girl . There was no red-haired ck-eyed cat person to be found .

    ¡°All I can see is a ck-haired golden-eyed beautiful young elf girl . Yep . ¡±

    ¡°How can this be . . . . . . ¡±

    He did intentionally emphasize the ¡°beautiful young girl¡± part, but it was like she didn¡¯t notice it at all .

    ¡°Howe? Master had cast illusion magic on me!¡±

    ¡°Illusion magic?¡±

    Illusion magic was usually used to confuse an opponent or trick them into falling into a trap . There was a member of Rokuten who specialized in it, so Shin had a very vivid impression of it .

    ¡°Uuu . . . . . . to think that it would be seen through . . . . . . ¡±

    Tiera was looking downcast like it was the end of the world . Shin frantically thought of a way to hearten the suddenly depressed Tiera, but no matter how hard he wracked his brain nothing came up . So he decided to exin the reason behind how he saw through the illusion .

    ¡°Ummm, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Wha-what?¡±

    He¡¯d intended to speak to her softly, but Tiera looked almost excessively afraid .

    ¡°It¡¯s about me being able to see that you¡¯re an elf . It¡¯s actually due to my constitution . ¡±

    ¡°Your . . . . . . constitution?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Illusion magic is for confusing an opponent and making them see an illusion . However, it doesn¡¯t work on someone with an extremely high magic resistance . That¡¯s why I can see your real form . ¡±

    ¡°But . . . . . . regardless of how high your magic resistance is, to see through an illusion cast by Master . . . . . . ¡±

    Tiera looked like she was having a hard time believing Shin¡¯s exnation . ording to Shin¡¯s memory, Tiera¡¯s Master, Schnee, was a level 255 high elf . Being a magic-focused elf and also belonging to one of the higher races must have made her magic very powerful, but there was still a lot of room for improvement to her stats, especially whenpared to Shin . Inbination with the extra magic resistance from Shin¡¯s high human race, the illusion had failed to even register in Shin¡¯s eyes .

    Shin sighed and wondered what to do .

    ¡°Hey . ¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°You can see what I really look like, right?¡±

    ¡°I can clearly see a ck-haired golden-eyed beautiful young elf girl . Are you her?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    There was no response . It¡¯s pretty tough being ignored, thought Shin despondently .

    ¡° . . . . . . You¡¯re not scared?¡±

    As Shin was regretting making stupid jokes that he wasn¡¯t used to making, Tiera let out a voice that he almost missed . That voice was like that of a very frightened child .

    ¡°What is there to be scared of?¡±

    Shin started taking it seriously and talked to Tiera as gently as he could .

    Asking if herself was a monster .

    When Tiera asked that in a trembling voice, the face of one of the previous members of Rokuten floated into Shin¡¯s head .

    Because of how fun he found the game, Shin was proud of having logged so many hours that he was called a gamer addict, but this other member who had been hospitalized for a long time considered even that ¡°just more time to y . ¡±

    When this topic came up in one of their offline meet-ups and this member confessed to feeling this way, the feeling that he got from that member back then bore strong resemnce to what Tiera was giving off right now .

    In clearer terms, that feeling was the fear of having revealed your true self to someone else .

    Shin remembered that fortunately, there wasn¡¯t a single person in Rokuten who actually minded something like that, so that member was very relieved .

    Since he¡¯d experienced something simr before, this time Shin was able to maintain hisposure and handle the situation appropriately .

    ¡° . . . . . . You also don¡¯t know this, huh . . . . . . ck-haired elves are symbols of misfortune . ¡±

    Tiera answered with her head still bowed .

    ¡°Symbol of misfortune, huh . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, symbol . You see, all elves are born with white hair . As they grow up, it gradually changes to other colors, like blond, silver, green, or blue . I don¡¯t know if you can believe it or not, but my hair also used to be silver . ¡±

    Tiera mumbled with a self-deprecating look on her face .

    ¡°But now it¡¯s jet ck . Elves¡¯ hair don¡¯t turn ck . Ever . ¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t turn ck?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why elves with ck hair are unnatural and attract disasters . It was the same in my case . For example, really strong monsters would alwayse attack me . Due to that, I was chased out of my vige .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°When I was wandering around, with nowhere to go, Master found me . She said that the area around this store was surrounded by a powerful barrier so monsters wouldn¡¯te here . I haven¡¯t left this store for more than a hundred years now . ¡±

    ¡°A hundred years . . . . . . that¡¯s really long . ¡±

    ¡°It is, but here I am able to live without causing problems for anyone else, so it¡¯s fine like this . ¡±

    Shin wanted to shout, ¡°There¡¯s no way that it¡¯s fine!¡± He really wanted to tell her that being stuck inside the store for a hundred years is definitely not a good state to be in . However, he knew that just saying them wouldn¡¯t change anything, so he kept it in . He held his fist so tightly that it hurt .

    It hasn¡¯t even been a whole day since their meeting, so Shin was also not sure why he was feeling such indignation and resentment on her part . However, he couldn¡¯t just sit still after seeing her like this, so he wracked his mind thinking of how he could help her .

    ording to Shin¡¯s knowledge, there was no such backstory for elves . If this world was truly THE NEW GATE, then there has to be a proper reason for her situation .

    ¡° . . . . . . Tiera, I want to confirm something . ¡±

    ¡°What . . . . . . do you want to confirm?¡±

    ¡°So, from what you were saying, if your hair used to be silver, why is it ck now?¡±

    Shin felt that understanding that might lead to a hint .

    ¡°One day, it just suddenly turned ck . ¡±

    ¡°Suddenly?¡±

    ¡°Yes, suddenly . I went to sleep like normal and when I woke up it was all ck . At that time, I didn¡¯t know what was happening, and was so scared . ¡±

    Tiera hugged herself as her body started to shake from reliving the memories . Shin¡¯s mind whirred into high gearparing the facts from Tiera¡¯s story to all the information inside his head .

    ¡°Hair color changing suddenly . . . . . . being attacked by monsters . . . . . . . . . . . . hair color . . . . . . changing a character¡¯s color scheme . . . . . . monsters . . . . . . numerous attacks . . . . . . many times . . . . . . strong . . . . . . . . . . . . changing a character¡¯s color scheme and making them susceptible to monster attacks? That¡¯s . . . . . . !!¡±

    Sure of the existence of an answer, Shin was muttering to himself when a light went off in his head . If he remembered correctly, then there is one possibility that matched with these conditions .

    ¡°There is . . . . . . There is one!! There is one status that fits the story exactly!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wh-what?¡±

    Shin suddenly shouted and fixed Tiera with his stare . At his sudden shout, Tiera shook with nervousness .

    ¡°Why did I even forget? But this . . . . . . hm? Strange, why doesn¡¯t the status show up? I seem to remember setting it to automatically activate, though . ¡±

    Shin was staring at Tiera because he was trying to see her status screen . If Shin¡¯s prediction was correct, then it should show up clearly on her status .

    ¡°OK, open the Skills window, analyze . . . . . . analyze . . . . . . f-found it . Oh, I have it to ¡°Show only for monsters and yers,¡± huh . If I just turn this back on, then . . . . . . ¡±

    After fixing the settings, Shin stared at Tiera again . From Tiera¡¯s point of view, though, all she saw was Shin squinting at empty air and moving his fingers . She was a bit apprehensive at what he was doing, but a small seed of hope which had taken root inside her chest gave her courage and dispelled the apprehension .

    ¡°Alright, I can see your status now . As long as I have that . . . . . . I see your name, level, race, and . . . . . . ! YEAAAHHHH IT¡¯S HEREEEE!!!!!!¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help making a ¡°guts pose¡± at seeing his guess confirmed . From a while ago, Tiera had been jumping at every entric mannerism from Shin .

    (T/N: ¡°Guts pose¡± is a ¡°yes I did it!¡± pose . Google image it if you¡¯re curious . )

    ¡°Tiera, be d! I found out the real reason behind the misfortune!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Not ¡®huh . ¡¯ There¡¯s no doubt, since it¡¯s showing up on the disy . The reason why your hair colored changed and you started getting attacked by monsters is because of¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿ . ¡±

    ¡°¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿?¡±

    Tiera didn¡¯t understand what he was saying and looked at him nkly .

    In THE NEW GATE,¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿was a random urrence . As implied by its name, it¡¯s a curse .

    yers could earn titles, otherwise called ¡°Gifts,¡± inside the game through certain determined actions, such as clearing a quest or obtaining the relevant item . Depending on the Gift, the yer could get a small bonus to their stats or even be able to learn a new skill .

    In contrast to that, all yers were susceptible to a randomly granted Gift called¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿ . It could only be removed through the item¡¾Droplet of Purification¡¿or the Holy Arts-Type Skill¡¾Purification¡¿ . As long as it remained, the yer would experience lowered stats, inexplicable unnatural debuffs, and random attacks from unique powerful monsters . The way to get it waspletely random, and a part of the body of the yer would automatically turn ck . It would be marked on the yer¡¯s character screen by an icon of aughing shinigami mask .

    And indeed, on Tiera¡¯s character screen Shin clearly saw the icon of theughing shinigami mask .

    ¡°Alright . Now that we know what it is, the solution is simple . Tiera, would you minding out from behind the counter and stand here in the middle of the store?¡±

    ¡°Su-sure . . . . . . ¡±

    Confused and unsure of what was going on, Tiera obediently walked to the middle of the store without much protest .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to start . Activate¡¾Purification¡¿!!¡±

    To exorcise the curse, Shin faced Tiera, stuck out his right hand, and activated the Holy Arts-Type Skill¡¾Purification¡¿ . It¡¯s a skill normally to priests but due to certain circumstances Shin had also acquired it .

    Slowly, golden light gathered around the right hand that Shin was holding out . At the same time, golden light enveloped Tiera¡¯s entire body .

    ¡°What . . . . . . is this . . . . . . It¡¯s warm . . . . . . ¡±

    Tiera was surprised at the light but due to the warmth it conveyed, she felt no danger . She stood there basking in the sensation of beingpletely cleansed that originated from somewhere in her body .

    After about 5 minutes, the light gradually dimmed, then disappeared .

    Even after the light was gone, Tiera remained still for a while, feeling peaceful and blissful until she suddenly returned to her senses and looked around with a ¡°what just happened?¡± look on her face .

    ¡° . . . . . . The icon is gone, but . . . . . . was it . . . . . . a sess?¡±

    So muttered Shin in bewilderment . He was looking at Tiera¡¯s status window, and the shinigami icon was indeed gone . However, a sessful exorcism of the curse normally also reverted the effects of the color change . In this case, Tiera¡¯s hair still remained ck, but now there was silver highlight in it .

    As it was still unclear whether the curse was gone or not, an indescribable atmosphere filled the air .

    ¡°Sooo . . . . . . how did it go?¡±

    ¡°Mmm, the curse is gone, but . . . . . . yea . I guess the hair color didn¡¯t fully revert back to its original color . ¡±

    Before the celebration was the bad news .

    ¡°Hair?¡±

    ¡°Ahh . . . . . . I¡¯m sorry, only a small part of your hair regained its color . Just in case . . . . . . you might want to confirm it . ¡±

    Shin spoke despondently . He retrieved a mirror from his inventory and offered it to Tiera . Hearing the word ¡®hair,¡¯ Tiera snatched the mirror from Shin¡¯s hand and held it in front of her eyes .

    Tiera saw her own face in the mirror . It looked the same as ever . However, the single tuft of hair covering her face had changed to a dazzling silver color .

    That was without a doubt the color that Tiera¡¯s hair had before .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . *sobs* . . . . . . *sobs*¡±

    When she saw it, her eyes misted over, and a trickle of tears flowed down her cheek .

    As the first drop left her cheek and fell through the air, it was as though a dam behind her eyes had burst open, and her tears gushed out seemingly without end .

    ¡°Uuuu . . . . . . *sobs* . . . . . . eeeuuuuhhh . . . . . . ¡±

    Tiera cried silently while wiping her tears with her sleeves .

    In front of Tiera stood a man who looked like the very culmination of confusion .

    Needless to say, that man was Shin .

    If it was a little child it would be one thing, but seeing a girl who who he couldn¡¯t deny being an adult crying in front of him, added to the knowledge that he himself might have been the reason for the tears, ced Shin in a position that pushed the very limits of his mind¡¯s processing power .

    ¡°*sniffle* . . . . . . wait a . . . . . . *hic* . . . . . . mo-moment . . . . . . I¡¯ll calm down . . . . . . soon, so . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°I-I understand . It¡¯s fine to take your time, alright? I¡¯ll wait here as long as you need . ¡±

    Coming back to his senses after being talked to, Shin finally thought to take out a towel (there were no handkerchiefs in the game so he made do with an essory item instead) and handed it to Tiera . He then pulled the chair out from behind the counter and had her sit on it . After that, he just stood there awkwardly waiting for her tears to stop .

    Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 2

    After about five minutes, Tiera raised her face from the towel . Though the tears had stopped, her eyes were still red .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m fine now . ¡±

    ¡°Is-is that so, ma¡¯am . ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with the ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯?¡±

    ¡°No, well, it¡¯s just that even though the curse has been lifted, most of your hair didn¡¯t go back to its original color, so I feel kinda sorry about that . . . . . . ¡±

    The whole time when Tiera was crying, Shin had felt like he was on pinpricks . He was filled with trepidation that they were going to repeat that scene again .

    From what he was seeing so far, though, Tiera wasn¡¯t giving off any indication that she was angry . Shin was getting jumpy with anticipating her mood . Ironically, their positions had been reversed .

    ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t start acting formal with me because of that! The thing with the hair is over . I haven¡¯t seen my own hair color for more than a hundred years, so I¡¯m actually really happy about getting even a little bit of it back . ¡±

    Tiera smiled, and she really did look very happy . She was smiling the peaceful smile of someone who had retrieved something precious that she had lost for a long time . There was no longer any vestiges of when she had been quaking with fear .

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit relieved at hearing you say so, but . . . ¡±

    ¡°But I thought girls¡¯ hair was their life,¡± Shin wanted to say . His mom had told him so . So had his little sister and his female friends . Therefore, he found it a bit hard to be fully satisfied with how things turned out .

    ¡°It¡¯s my hair and I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s alright, so let¡¯s just leave it at that . Rather than that, is it true that my curse is gone?¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no doubt on that count . I think that if you try stepping out of the store you¡¯d be able to confirm it . ¡±

    Since Tiera herself was insisting on it, Shin decided to acquiesce and consider the issue over .

    The main effect that Tiera had been suffering from was¡ºIncreased Encounter Rate with Unique Monsters¡», so unless she stepped out of the monster-warding barrier around Tsuki no Hokora, there would be no way to confirm that the curse was gone .

    It was Shin who had set up this barrier, therefore it was so high level that even unique monsters could not invade . Perhaps due to THE NEW GATE¡¯s attempt to make the game world as real as possible, there were very few indestructible objects in existence . On the other hand, there were bandit yers who would target yer shops like what Shin was running . Therefore, there existed numerous Barrier-Type skills to discourage or even prevent intrusion .

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m still a bit afraid . There¡¯s this nagging fear in me that the curse has not yet been lifted . ¡±

    ¡°No worries there . I know from experience, because I¡¯ve had that curse before . ¡±

    ¡°Eh? Eehhhh??? You¡¯ve also had this curse before?!?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I also had a lot of high level monsterse after me . There¡¯s no doubt that¡¾Purification¡¿clears this curse . ¡±

    Shin had gotten the curse when his stats were somewhere in the mid-800s . For him, though, the endless waves of unique monsters was merely a good opportunity to gain levels .

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see . So far, out of all the monsters that havee to attack you, what¡¯s the highest level that you have seen?¡±

    ¡°The strongest was probably the Horn Dragon . I think it was around level 200 . ¡±

    ¡°The ones above Lesser Dragons?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know of them?¡±

    ¡°Ah, if it¡¯s only that much, then it¡¯ll be a cinch . ¡±

    Horn Dragons looked like Lesser Dragons (Wingless Small Dragon) but were roughly double in size and had a single horn growing from their forehead . Lesser Dragons were around level 100, but Horn Dragons surpass that and are around level 200 . He had just confirmed that Tiera was level 57, so there was no way that she could have beat them .

    In THE NEW GATE, the max level for yers and their support characters was 255, but the max level for monsters was 1000 . Roughly 4 times stronger than the yers . This was for the high level yers like Shin who repeatedly reincarnated to y with . For yers like the members of Rokuten, who could easily beat many bosses by themselves, to not get bored, the game had monsters that even they can¡¯t handle without proper preparation .

    For Shin, level 1000 monsters was the norm . As such, level 200 were lower than trash mobs in his eyes .

    ¡° ¡®A cinch¡¯ . . . . . . when a Horn Dragones out the Knights Order¡¯s Elite Squad would have toe, you know . ¡±

    ¡°Elite Squad? Why would those elite-sounding guys have toe over?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not ¡®elite-sounding,¡¯ they are real elites . The best of the best . When you came here, you saw the castle walls on your way, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh right, the one with all sorts of enchantments on it . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the fortified wall that encircles the Berylricht Kingdom . The Squad Leader of the Elite Squad of the Knights Order of that country is level 158, if I remember right . The Horn Dragon is around level 200, so it¡¯s still 40 levels higher than the Squad Leader . If you im to be able to easily beat such an overpowered monster, then people would think that you either have a screw loose somewhere in your head or that you¡¯re making an empty boast . ¡±

    ¡°158 . . . . . . you said?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it would be unreasonable for even the 2nd most powerful person of the kingdom to handle it alone . ¡±

    It appears that Tiera thought Shin was surprised at how high the Squad Leader¡¯s level was .

    In reality, Shin was shocked at how low it was . By the standards of the yers, it was a level at which if you didn¡¯t invest heavily in your stats, you would only barely reach the middle ranks .

    If there were two or three monsters with higher levels than a Horn Dragon, then this Order would be overwhelmed, thought Shin . He didn¡¯t say it out loud, though .

    ¡° . . . . . . Well, it¡¯s true that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, soe on, let¡¯s step out of the shop . ¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment, were you even listening to what I just said?¡±

    ¡°I was listening . More like, after hearing it I was even more reassured that there wouldn¡¯t be a problem . ¡±

    ¡° ¡®Not a problem,¡¯ you say . What, you can beat a Horn Dragon?¡±

    ¡°Yep . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Hey, I¡¯m just confirming, but what¡¯s your level?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 255 . So?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    She became quiet . Shin was saying it as it was, but Tiera found it hard to believe .

    ¡°Tiera?¡±

    ¡°255 . . . . . . ? The same as Master?¡±

    ¡°Yes, my level is 255 . For what it¡¯s worth, my level is indeed the same as Schnee . ¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really . ¡±

    ¡°Really really?¡±

    ¡°Really really . ¡±

    ¡°Really rea¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop, stop! How many times are you going to repeat that?!¡±

    ¡°¡ª nn . . . . . . ¡±

    It was bing a Really Ry so Shin put a stop to it .

    (T/N: Œ›Q is more like ¡®confrontation¡¯ or ¡®showdown,¡¯ but puns are fun! :P)

    ¡°Can¡¯t you use¡¾Analyze¡¿? I¡¯ve the restriction off so if you just take a look you would know . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can use it . Only skill inheritors can . ¡±

    ¡°What are skill inheritors?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . I am starting to have strong doubts about yourmon sense . ¡±

    It appears that this was another thing that everyone who lived in this world knew . However, Shin had just arrived in this world, so talking to him with the assumption that he¡¯d know this world¡¯smon sense would get nowhere . So much had changed since it was a game that if someone just gave him an astounded look he wouldn¡¯t be able to make heads or tails of it .

    ¡°I¡¯ve been living by myself for such a long time that I don¡¯t know much of themon sense of this world . ¡±

    He couldn¡¯t really say that thest time he was here it was a game, so he went with the story of being someone who had lived away from society for a long time . He figured that this way, he would have an excuse forcking information regarding this world .

    ¡°I see . From now on, I can teach you everything that you need to know, so if you have any questions then feel free to ask me . ¡±

    ¡°Yoroshiku onegaishimasu . ¡±

    Shin bowed his head while feeling thankful for the Tiera that had been answering all of his questions so far .

    ¡°So, about skill inheritors . As you can tell from the name, these are people who inherit long-lost skills . Ever since the Dusk of the Majesty, a lot of skills have been lost . Nowadays, there are probably less than a hundred skills left . ¡±

    ¡°Less than a hundred . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin was unable to hide his shock . He knew that there were a lot of skills in THE NEW GATE, but the number that Tiera gave was less than a tenth of the original number .

    ¡°Nowadays, just being able to use a skill would merit you favorable treatment . People like adventurers or knights who fight for a living use ¡®Arts,¡¯ a weakened version of skills . The names and effects remain the same, but Arts only have a third of the power of skills . I¡¯m a magic-caster too, but the skills that Master had shown me were on apletely different level from the Arts that I had been using so far .

    ¡°Gotcha, so Arts are a weakened version of skills . Can you level up each of the Arts separately?¡±

    There are levels to skills . An example would be¡¾Analyze X¡¿ . After the skill name is a number from I to X (T/N: 1 to 10 in Roman numerals), which makes for easy recognition . The lowest is I, the highest is X . Most attack skills don¡¯t have levels, it¡¯s mainly the Support-Type skills that do .

    ¡°I know that there are skills that have levels, but Arts don¡¯t . ¡±

    ¡°So they have to rely on Arts when they fight, huh . Sounds tough . ¡±

    Shin himself had a wide range of skills, so he couldn¡¯t help thinking how tough it would be to be using weakened versions of them .

    ¡°What about you, how many skills can you use? From the way you were talking just now, you don¡¯t only have one, right? Two? Three? Don¡¯t tell me you have 4 . ¡±

    ¡°Single digits? Really? There are more than a thousand skills out there . I¡¯ve never actually counted so I don¡¯t know the exact number . ¡±

    ¡°Hah? A thousand? What? Did I hear wrong?¡±

    Tiera thought she had misheard and tilted her tilted quizzically at Shin, who was now saying how there were a lot of them that he¡¯d never actually used before . Well, she knew what she had heard, but it was so far removed from this world¡¯smon sense that she couldn¡¯t help but think that it was a joke .

    Sometimes going too far loses all sense of reality .

    ¡°You don¡¯t have¡¾Analyze¡¿? Hmm, I guess you still wouldn¡¯t be able to see my level with only¡¾Analyze I¡¿ . It won¡¯t hurt to still have it, though . Okay, I¡¯ll use¡¾Book of Secrets Creation¡¿now . ¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    Tiera tilted her head again at Shin, who was now moving his fingers around in midair .

    ¡°It¡¯s done . Here you go . ¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    What Shin had handed to Tiera was a scroll .

    Skills are developed separately from character level . When a skill has been leveled up to a certain point, the yer gains special bonuses like increased damage or getting to learn another rted skill . Some special skills also allow the yer to make a¡ºBook of Secrets¡» .

    ¡ºBook of Secrets¡»is the physical manifestations of a skill and looks like a scroll . When someone else uses the scroll, they learn the skill written on it . Of course, the number of times that a yer can make a¡ºBook of Secrets¡»of a skill is limited, and the person who just learned the skill would have to fulfill the same requirements before being able to make a¡ºBook of Secrets¡»by themselves . The stronger a skill is, the fewer¡ºBook of Secrets¡»that can be made of it, and there are many skills for which a¡ºBook of Secrets¡»cannot be made at all .

    Some skills also have level requirements, so it¡¯s not possible to use skills beyond your level by learning them through a¡ºBook of Secrets¡» .

    It would not be an exaggeration to say that every yer had¡¾Analyze¡¿ . There were no requirements for using the skill, and it was so low level that there was practically no limit to the number of¡ºBook of Secrets¡»that each yer could make of it . Thus Shin had no qualms about making one right on the spot .

    ¡°It¡¯s the¡ºBook of Secrets¡»for ¡¾Analyze¡¿ . I think that if you read that, you would learn the skill . ¡±

    He was quite certain that¡ºBook of Secrets¡»would work even for support characters . If it didn¡¯t actually work, he was prepared to just make an apology . For this kind of thing you wouldn¡¯t know until you actually tried it .

    ¡°I can learn a skill just by using this? But I don¡¯t have anything to give you aspensation . ¡±

    ¡°Compensation?¡±

    He had meant to give it to her without any rpense, but it looked like Tiera would not ept it .

    ¡°As I said just now, skills are extremely valuable! Being able to learn a skill is an enormous deal, and usually involvesrge piles of money or taking someone in as an apprentice or disciple . You aren¡¯t going to tell me that you¡¯re giving it to me for free, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, that was my intention . What¡¯s wrong with it?¡±

    ¡°For now, stop giving it to every random person you meet . It would be a very big deal . Depending on the circumstances, people mighte after your life . ¡±

    ¡°THAT big a deal?!?¡±

    It hadn¡¯t crossed his mind that a single skill would be a big enough deal for people to die over . Shin decided in his heart to only ever give¡ºBook of Secrets¡»to people that he could trust .

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too anxious . Anyways, you¡¯re fine, so could you try using this for me?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t ask me forpensation after I use it?¡±

    ¡°Like I would!!¡±

    Shin wanted to retorted, ¡°What am I, a vicious swindler?¡±, but if there was a real possibility that people might target their lives then her caution was understandable .

    ¡°Is giving away skills for free your modus operandi?¡±

    ¡°If I was scamming you, I¡¯d be offering a higher level skill . ¡±

    ¡°To me, this is already plenty valuable . Anyone in possession of multiple skills would already be a huge deal . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t use any arts, though . All I have are skills, and for me only skills feel natural, so I don¡¯t really feel like a huge deal . ¡±

    ¡°What a luxurious worry . . . . . . Fine, alright . If you¡¯re going to insist on it so much, I¡¯m going to ept it without restraint . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I offered it to you so that you would ept it . Rather, it would be problematic for me if you didn¡¯t . ¡±

    For now, it seems Tiera was finally convinced, and she epted the¡ºBook of Secrets¡» . At Shin¡¯s urging, she opened it right there and then .

    As she started reading, a pale light green glow surrounded Tiera¡¯s body,sting about 10 seconds . This was the visual effect of a character sessfully acquiring a skill . It appears that she had indeed sessfully learned the skill .

    ¡°How is it?¡±

    In the game,¡ºBook of Secrets¡»didn¡¯t have actual text . When they are used, they just disappear, so Shin was curious how it felt to use them now .

    ¡°It was a very strange feeling . When I opened the scroll, the usage and effects of¡¾Analyze¡¿just automatically came into my head . It wasn¡¯t an ufortable feeling, though . ¡±

    ¡°Heh, it was like that, huh . ¡±

    While verbally expressing his admiration, inside he was feeling relieved at the sess . If it didn¡¯t work, it would have been very awkward for him .

    ¡°I can see your name, but everything else is a weird symbol that I don¡¯t recognize . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you can actually see my name, huh . The weird symbol everywhere else is called a ¡®question mark,¡¯ and it appears when the level and stats difference between you and the other party is too great . Therefore, it¡¯s to be expected that you can¡¯t see the rest . ¡±

    ¡°Ehh, so by all rights, I shouldn¡¯t even be able to see your name . I also now know about the skill¡¯s levels and what each field is . So even though I can¡¯t see your level, I understand that that very fact is proof that you are quite powerful . ¡±

    ¡°Will you now believe me that even if we go outside and monsterse, it would be alright?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve already done so much for me that I have no choice but to believe you . ¡±

    Due to having received¡¾Analyze¡¿, Tiera could now somehow believe Shin¡¯s words . However, there was still a fear of being attacked by strong monsters that had been ingrained in her from experience .

    ¡°Just in case, I¡¯ll leave first and look around before calling out to you . When you hear my voice, pleasee out . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    To make sure, Shin first left Tsuki no Hokora and surveyed the surroundings . He also used¡¾Search¡¿at the same time, and confirmed that there were no monsters nearby .

    ¡°It¡¯s clear!¡±

    Tiera stuck out her head from the door of the store, looked around, gathered her resolve, and stepped out .

    Both¡¾Barrier X¡¿and¡¾Wall X¡¿had been cast around Tsuki no Hokora . ¡¾Barrier X¡¿is an invisible wall thatpletely shuts out all monsters within level 900 to 1000 and below (level is derived from the entity¡¯s stats) and nullifies and deflects attacks from them . Simrly,¡¾Wall X¡¿is an invisible wall thatpletely nullifies attacks from all yers within level 230 to 255 and below (here, too, level is derived from stats) . Both were the strongest versions of their respective skills, so even someone using the skill¡¾Ignore [Slip Through]¡¿would be unable to invade .

    Incidentally, with the wrong permission settings on¡¾Wall X¡¿even normal customers would be refused entry, so it needed to be used carefully . When Shin was running the shop, he had set it so that on top of shutting out armed invaders, it was also forbidden to use skills or equip anything while inside .

    At the moment, the two spells were deployed in a 20 mel radius around Tsuki no Hokora .

    ¡°Come over here . ¡±

    ¡°O-okay . ¡±

    At Shin¡¯s beckoning, Tiera slowly walked over . Shin was standing 1 mel outside the barrier, so standing next to him would inevitably mean leaving the barrier .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin was keeping an eye on their surroundings, and Tiera was feeling very nervous so for a while there was no conversation between them .

    After five minutes, there was still no change in their surroundings . A warm wind ruffled their hair .

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s happening, eh?¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s happening indeed . ¡±

    They waited five more minutes before Shin judged that there were no longer any problems . If the curse was still active, it would have called at least one monster already within the past ten minutes .

    ¡°Not seeing any monsters, eh?¡±

    ¡°Indeed . ¡±

    The first five minutes were extremely nerve-wracking, but Tiera gradually gained theposure to look around .

    ¡°The curse has been lifted, see?¡±

    ¡°It seems so, yes . ¡±

    Tiera answered Shin¡¯s questions while looking up at the sky .

    The sky reflected in Tiera¡¯s eyes was the same expansive, blue sky that one could see anywhere . It was not the cut out sky that she could only see through the store¡¯s windows .

    She could feel the wind, drink in the light from the sun, and breathe in the fragrance of the forest . An overwhelming sense of nostalgia blossomed inside Tiera¡¯s chest .

    Shin felt greatly relieved while looking at Tiera, who was in turn looking at the sky . With this, Tiera no longer had to fear the shadow of monsters nor fear bringing disaster to people around herself . She was now free to step outside of the store whenever she wanted .

    ¡°The sky is really broad, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yes it is . ¡±

    Tiera murmured that fact as if she¡¯d just remembered it .

    For a while after that, Shin and Tiera just stood there and gazed at the sky .

    At the corner of Tiera¡¯s eye something sparkled, but Shin remained silent .

    ¡°Shall we go back in sometime soon?¡±

    When Tiera said that, Shin turned to look at Tiera .

    ¡°Let¡¯s do that . ¡±

    In the first ce, they had left the shop to confirm that the curse had been dispelled, so without any further objections they went back into the store .

    ¡°At any rate, it seems that the curse has really been removed . ¡±

    After returning behind the counter, Tiera was earnestly muttering to herself . Though she understood it with her head, it would take quite some while for it to start feeling real .

    ¡°Just saying, but¡¾Purification¡¿is also a skill . If I had to say, it¡¯s one of the rarer ones . It took me a lot of trouble to get it, so it would have been problematic for me if it didn¡¯t work . ¡±

    ¡°So the curse could really be dispelled with¡¾Purification¡¿ . Even if I knew that, it would have been hard to get someone to cast it on me . ¡±

    ¡°Howe? Though it is indeed a skill, shouldn¡¯t most of the priests have it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly true . The priests who can use¡¾Purification¡¿are mostly very high ranked, so it would be quite difficult to get to meet one . In my case, the nature of my curse wouldn¡¯t really allow me to go to them, and I couldn¡¯t very well ask them toe to me either . ¡±

    ¡°I guess if the effect was just lowering your stats then you might have been able to do something about it, huh . ¡±

    That that would have been dangerous in its own way was left unsaid . The moment the curse affected her, her stats would have been dropped to a tenth of their previous value, making her easy prey for any trash monster . That would have been scary in its own right .

    ¡°Now that it¡¯s been lifted, there¡¯s no need to dwell on it any longer . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true . Now you can even brazenly take walks outside . ¡±

    ¡°Yep . ck-haired elves might still be feared and hated, but now that not all of my hair is ck I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t hate me as much anymore . ¡±

    ¡°Nn? It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s not all ck?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . When affected by the curse, even when I dyed my hair it would immediately go back to being ck, so just having a part that¡¯s not ck would show people that I¡¯m not cursed anymore . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . ¡±

    Back during the game, nobody tried dyeing their hair for that reason, so Shin was thinking, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is . ¡± In the first ce, every yer who got the curse would immediately use an item or visit a priest, so it was just that nobody had ever thought of it .

    ¡°Oh right, I¡¯d almost forgotten, but here is your payment for the raw materials and jewels . ¡±

    Tiera ced a bag bulging with coins onto the counter as she spoke . It was filled with more than 50 pieces of gold and silver coins, so it was pretty big .

    ¡°Would I be able to put this into my inventory?¡±

    He tried just in case, and thankfully on top of the line showing G currency, a new line for J currency appeared and noted down the 26 J gold coins and 27 J silver coins .

    ¡°The money disappeared . . . . . . how convenient!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s face looked like she really wanted an inventory too, but this was one thing that really couldn¡¯t be helped, so Shin just smiled wryly . It would be a different matter if he had the item for expanding inventory, but he didn¡¯t have one on hand .

    ¡°At any rate, it appears that I won¡¯t be in want for an inn tonight . ¡±

    ¡°Are you nning on going inside Berylricht Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°Ah, there are a few things that I want to check up on . Do you know of any good ces for information gathering?¡±

    ¡°I see . In that case, please wait a while, I have something good to give you as an extra service . ¡±

    So saying, Tiera went inside the door behind the counter that led to the house side . ording to Shin¡¯s memory, there was a break room back there .

    About three minutester, Tiera reappeared, and held out a piece of paper towards Shin .

    ¡°And this is?¡±

    ¡°A letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora . With this in hand, you won¡¯t need to line up to get into the kingdom . ¡±

    So it seems that one needs to line up to get into the kingdom . This letter was a great help to Shin, who wanted to find an inn before nightfall .

    ¡°This would be a great help . I¡¯m going to pass on having to sleep outside aftering this far . But are you sure? Wouldn¡¯t it be a problem giving this letter of introduction to someone that you¡¯d met just today?¡±

    Shin knew that it would be bad if this fell into the wrong hands, but Tiera shook her head vigorously .

    ¡°You dispelled a curse that I didn¡¯t think could be dispelled, and on top of that you are really strong . In addition, you¡¯re really good-natured . . . . . . This isn¡¯t nearly enough to pay you back for what you¡¯ve done . ¡±

    ¡° ¡®Good-natured,¡¯ you say . . . . . . I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t hear thest part, could you please repeat it again?¡±

    ¡°Don-Don¡¯t worry about it! Anyways, there¡¯s no problem, so just take it already!¡±

    So saying, Tiera pressed the letter of introduction upon Shin . She was trying to hide her blushing face by looking down, but since her ears were all red it was all too obvious .

    ¡°I get it, I get it . Very well, I will ept this gratefully . ¡±

    Shin failed to notice the blushing, though . If it was happening to anyone else, he would notice, but because he didn¡¯t get many opportunities to get thanked, he was very thick about these kinds of things .

    (T/N: Lol where would we be without our thick-headed main characters?)

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be going . When I get more drops from killing monsters I¡¯lle back and sell them to you, so please take care of me then . ¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re pretty strong, but don¡¯t overdo it . If you die, everything woulde to naught . ¡±

    ¡°I got it . Seeya!¡±

    ¡°We will await your future patronage . ¡±

    Like a proper salesclerk, Tiera bowed respectfully while seeing off Shin, who lightly waved back and left Tsuki no Hokora behind him .

    Volume 1 Chapter 2 Part 3

    After leaving Tsuki no Hokora, Shin cut straight through the forest, arrived in front of the castle walls, then started walking along them . He didn¡¯t know where the entrance was, so he just followed his intuition . He figured that there would be one somewhere along the wall, so he set off at a quick pace .

    ¡°Still, this wall really does look pretty sturdy . ¡±

    Now that he was getting a closer look, he was slightly impressed again . ¡¾Analyze¡¿only gives detailed information about monsters and yers, so he couldn¡¯t see much information about the wall . However, he could tell that each of the enchantments cast on it were at least level V . ording to what Tiera had said about how valuable skills are, Shin guessed that there must be pretty excellent skill inheritors around .

    After walking for about 15 minutes, he spotted a line in front of the castle walls . It seems that the castle gate was over there .

    Drawing near, he saw arge variety of people and clothing . There was a human young man wearing tattered clothing, a Beast woman covered with armor, and a dwarf leading a small dragon . There was someone wearing a robe who was most likely a mage, and there was someone riding arge wagon who was probably a merchant . Shin looked around curiously at the diversity in the slow moving line . While inside the game, all of the yers had dressed up all neatly and tidily (given that there were those who chose to not do so), so Shin was slightly surprised at the how different it was now .

    By the time he got close enough to see the castle gate, he also noticed soldiers who were probably townsguards checking people¡¯s identification papers and briefly inspecting the luggage in the wagons . Tiera had told him that with the letter of introduction she gave him he wouldn¡¯t have to line up, so he continued walking straight up to the gate .

    As a result of him walking outside of the line, when he got to 20 mels of the gate the townsguards noticed him . They looked suspiciously at Shin, who was approaching without lining up .

    When he got within 10 mels of the gate, one of the four townsguards came over to him .

    ¡°You there! If you want to enter the town, you have to line up! If you don¡¯t line up, you won¡¯t get to go in . ¡±

    So saying, the townsguard jerked his thumb in the direction of the end of the line . From where Shin was standing, the end of the line was so far away that it couldn¡¯t even be seen .

    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯ve been told that if I show this to you, I would be allowed to enter the town without having to line up . ¡±

    He took out the letter of introduction from his inventory and handed it to the townsguard . He didn¡¯t forget to disguise his motion by pretending to take it out from his breast pocket .

    With a suspicious look on his face, the townsguard epted the letter that Shin was holding out and began looking over the contents of the letter . By the time he finished reading, his hands were shaking .

    ¡°A letter of introduction . . . . . . from Tsuki no Hokora . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I received it from a salesclerk there . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know how important a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora was, so he didn¡¯t understand why the townsguard was so shocked .

    Instead, he even worried about the townsguard, thinking in his mind, ¡°This guy¡¯s hands are shaking, is he alright?¡±

    ¡°I will need to confirm the authenticity of this letter . Would you minding along with me?¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Whether he couldn¡¯t tell if it was real or not, or that he couldn¡¯t believe that it was real, the townsguard promptly returned the way he came and gathered the rest of the townsguards for a furious discussion .

    With nothing particr to do, Shin just stood in front of the gate and stared at arge horse 1 . 5 times the size of a normal horse .

    As Shin gazed nkly at the horse, the townsguard who had talked with Shin earlier returned .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the wait . Please, this way . ¡±

    ¡°Haa, understood . ¡±

    In sharp contrast to before, the townsguard was now extremely courteous and polite, to the level of making Shin feel slightly ufortable .

    (Was that letter of introduction that powerful?)

    While feeling the stares of the people in the line, Shin passed through the gate and stopped to behold arge za on the other side . Large wagons were going back and forth, while the people themselves moved with equal intensity . At the edge of the za were lines of street stalls selling anything from food to armor to essories to strange items that he¡¯d never seen before .

    ¡°I will now proceed to guide you to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild . Would that be eptable to you?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes . Please do . ¡±

    A different townsguard from the one who had approached him earlier was now speaking to him .  The townsguard had gone ahead before noticing that Shin had stopped following him and thus turned back . For his part, Shin had thought that the townsguard would leave him after escorting him through the gate, so he was caught off guard and answered absentmindedly .

    ¡°Do you perhaps have arrangements at any other ces? If it is agreeable with you, I will have the honor of serving as your guide . ¡±

    ¡°No, I have no particr arrangements, so the Adventurers¡¯ Guild is fine . Also, stop using honorifics and being overly polite to me . ¡±

    ¡°However, to show discourtesy to a bearer of a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it . I¡¯ll also speak normally, so you do that too . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . If you say so . Underst¡ª¡±

    ¡°Honorifics . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Fine, fine . I just have to drop the honorifics, right?¡±

    For Shin, it felt like he had received the letter of introduction mainly by chance, so he had no intention of throwing his weight around just for owning it . Having understood that, the guard tasked with guiding him switched to a much more casual way of talking . This was probably how he normally talks .

    ¡°Thank you for understanding . ¡±

    ¡°Good grief, each and every one of you people with those letters of introduction . What¡¯s wrong with a little bit of honorifics?¡±

    ¡°It just felt ufortable . For me . I¡¯m Shin .  Yoroshiku . ¡±

    (T/N: You will see yoroshiku and yoroshiku onegaishimasu many times in this part, as Shin is meeting a lot of people for the first time . Thetter is just a more formal version of the former, and there is a super formal versionyoroshiku onegaiitashimasu; all of them mean something between ¡°nice to meet you¡± and ¡°please take care of me from now on¡± and ¡°please teach me a lot of things from now on¡± and ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care from now on . ¡± If I trante it any single way, then it¡¯ll lose part of its meaning, so I¡¯ll leave it untranted . )

    Shin was just a student in real life . Having someone older speak to him with honorifics felt very strange to him .

    ¡°I¡¯m Beid . I¡¯ve lived in this town my whole life . Just ask if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t get . ¡±

    Beidughed . With his trimmed brown hair and mustache, he gave off the impression of a bear when heughed . From¡¾Analyze X¡¿Shin knew that Beid was level 100 . With just the benchmark of the strongest member of the Knights Order being level 158, Shin didn¡¯t know if Beid was strong or weak .

    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll ask you about the townter . For now, why are you leading me to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild?¡±

    Indeed, Shin had intended to go to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, but he didn¡¯t remember telling any of the townsguards . Then he remembered that he¡¯d asked Tiera about good ces for information gathering .

    ¡°It was written on the letter of introduction for us to do this . Knowing that it was written on a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora, anyone would have done the same . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Oh right, just confirming, but exactly how power is a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora?¡±

    ¡°You showed it to us without knowing that?!¡±

    For some reason, Beid looked shocked .

    ¡°Well I mean, it¡¯s my first time in this country . It was kind of like a coincidence that I went to Tsuki no Hokora, too . ¡±

    ¡°You just coincidentally went there and came back with a letter of introduction from them? . . . . . . Who the heck are you?¡±

    ¡°Just a normal wanderer . ¡±

    ¡°Like I¡¯d believe that . Anyways, fine . I don¡¯t know how it is in other countries, but in this country it¡¯s enough to grant you an audience with the king . It¡¯s so powerful that there are people who make forgeries of it . ¡±

    It turned out to be a ridiculously powerful piece of paper .

    ¡°Tiera dear, this is not something to give away as an extra service . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin slightly regretted not knowing how important it was . In actuality, he had thought that it was just a substitute for a normal entrance pass . If what Beid said was true, then he understood why the guards were so surprised .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to say this just in case, but if you lose it, it would be really bad . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . But I handed it to that townsguard back there . ¡±

    Shin just realized that he hadn¡¯t gotten the letter back yet . He was about to turn back when Beid stopped him .

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got the letter with me . It¡¯s the basics to keep it on your body at all times, even when showing it to a guard . I was just holding onto it before an idiot did something crazy with it . ¡±

    ¡°Beid, good job!¡±

    Shin reflexively gave a thumbs up to Beid for the smart move . Although the way Beid spoke and looked gave off a bit of a rough image, unlike his speech he turned out to be a pretty serious and diligent person .

    epting the letter back, Shin promptly ced it into his inventory under the¡ºImportant Things¡»zone . That zone was burr-proof, so even if someone used¡¾Steal¡¿or¡¾Plunder¡¿on him, he did not have to worry about losing it .

    ¡°Ahh, I¡¯d forgotten to say this, but when you get to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, ask for the receptionistdy called Els and show that letter of introduction to her . ¡±

    ¡°Els?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s an elf adventurer who is also serving as a receptionist at the guild . There were ancient elf runes on your letter . If one was to think of an elf in the guild, then Els would be the girl . It was probably addressed to Els in the first ce . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . I¡¯ll ask around at the guild . ¡±

    Shin made sure to remember it, thinking that this elf was probably one of Tiera¡¯s acquaintances .

    He then dropped the topic of the letter and asked Beid about the town .

    ¡°Right, you said that this is your first time in this country . I guess the first thing to tell you is the way this town is divided up . The gate that you came in through just now was the south gate . There is a gate at each of the cardinal directions of thepass, but the one used most heavily is the south one . ¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s the south one used the most?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because it opens to the industrial district . This country has the royal pce in the middle, the mansions of the nobles andrge merchants in a ring around that, then the rest of the town is divided into four districts . ¡±

    ¡°Please go on . ¡±

    ¡°As I said before, the southern district is the industrial one . Items, foodstuffs, misceneous goods, and most things that you need for living can be found here . Then there¡¯s the eastern district, which belongs to the guilds . The Adventurers¡¯ Guild, the Merchants¡¯ Guild, the cksmiths¡¯ Guild, and numerous other guilds have their headquarters in this district . The west district is the residential area . Most residents of this town live here . The inns for adventurers and merchants in town for restocking can also be found here . As for the north . . . . . . for now it¡¯sbeled as a developmental area . ¡±

    When he got to the north, Beid¡¯s flowing introduction seemed to lose its momentum . Shin could guess what Beid was going to say, so he said it first .

    ¡° ¡®Developmental area¡¯ is just the official name for the slum area, right?¡±

    ¡°As I expected, you figured it out . You¡¯re right . It¡¯s called developmental but actually it¡¯s where those without anywhere else to go drift around . The reason they end up there differs from person to person, though . At any rate, the security there is the absolute worst, so don¡¯t go there unless if you really need to . ¡±

    Beid warned Shin with a unpleasant expression .

    It wasn¡¯t particrly limited to this country; allrge countries end up with simrly unpleasant ces like those .

    While following Beid and listening to him talk about the town, Shin also actively made observations about the town . When they were still in the industrial district, he saw arge diversity of peopleing and going, but in the guild district he started seeing a lot of people wearing full-body armor or havingrge swords on their back .

    Among them was a dragnil with a long sword that made Shin want to call out to him . ording to Beid, it was a weapon from an ind country in the eastern part of the continent called¡ºHinomoto¡» .

    (T/N: ¡®Hinomoto¡¯ can be tranted as nd of the sun . ¡¯ Incidentally, themon name for the Japanese g is ¡®hinomaru,¡¯ which means ¡®circle of the sun . ¡¯)

    In the meantime, Shin and Beid had arrived at the Adventurers¡¯ Guild . The building was significantlyrger than its neighbors, and there was a signboard over the door with the picture of a sword and a spear crossed over a shield on it . Apparently, this was the front of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild .

    ¡°My duty ends here . The rest is up to you . ¡±

    ¡°Ahh, thanks for guiding me here . ¡±

    After seeing off Beid, who lightly waved his hand, Shin passed under the signboard .

    Opening the door to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, he stepped in .

    To the right of the door was the reception desk, and to the left was a tavern area . Straight down from the door in the front of the room was a bulletin board with an enormous number of requests stuck onto it .

    Back during the game, the Adventurers¡¯ Guild was where a lot of rowdy NPCs gathered, so that was the image that Shin had in mind when he entered . But not only was there not a single speck of dust to be seen, there was no angry shouting nor looks that sized him up when he came in .

    At the tavern was a group of adventurers who¡¯d apparently just finished a job and were enjoying a celebratory drink or two . It all looked very calm and normal .

    Seeing the tavern, Shin started feeling a bit hungry too, but he decided to stop at the reception desk first and therefore walked to the right hand side .

    ¡°Wee to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild . How may we help you today?¡±

    As Shin drew near, the girl behind the desk greeted him . She was a beauty with shoulder-length brown hair . As expected, a pretty girl matches best with the reception desk .

    Incidentally, next to the girl was arge man about 2 mels in height with a scar on his face . It needs not be said that Shin took a slightly roundabout way to aim straight for the girl¡¯s side .

    ¡°I wish to be registered as an adventurer . ¡±

    ¡°For registration as an adventurer, please take the stairs on your left . In the second room there is a counter for filling out the particrs . If it is your first time registering, then a processing fee of 1 J silver coin will be charged . Is there anything else that I can help you with?¡±

    ¡°Oh, alright, I¡¯m good . Thank you very much . ¡±

    Shin followed the receptionist¡¯s instructions and went up the stairs . While thinking how there didn¡¯t use to be any procedures to register back in the game, Shin went to the second room and opened the door . Inside, there were three tables lined up together, at one of which was a man receiving an exnation .

    Shin walked towards the table in the middle .

    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m here to register as an adventurer . Is this the ce?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, this is the ce . ¡±

    The receptionist who answered his question looked exactly the same as the receptionist at the front desk downstairs . The only difference was that the one in front of him right now was wearing a ponytail, but that was it .

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that your face is the same as thedy at the reception desk downstairs . ¡±

    ¡°That is my older sister . We¡¯re twins, so we get mixed up a lot . Oops, sorry, you¡¯re here for the registration, correct? I am the person in charge of that for the day, Silica Lindot .  Yoroshiku onegaiitashimasu . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin .  Yoroshiku onegaishimasu . ¡±

    ¡°The registration fee is 1 J silver coin, is that fine with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    He took out a J silver coin from his inventory . He had to disguise his movement so it felt a bit unnatural for himself, but Silica epted the money without any indication of mistrust or suspicion .

    ¡°Please fill this in . ¡±

    The form that she held out had numerous fields, such as ¡®name,¡¯ ¡®race,¡¯ ¡®main weapon,¡¯ and whether the applicant could use magic or not .

    ¡°I have to fill in all of them?¡±

    ¡°No, the only fields that you are required to fill in are your name and race . It¡¯s just that with more information, we will be better able to support you . As such, if it is not inconvenient for you then we would rmend that you fill in as much as you can . However, we will not coerce you to do so or give preferential treatment to those who do, so please rest assured on that point . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Shin asked this because there was a field for ¡®birthce¡¯ and he didn¡¯t know what to write for it . Hearing that he could leave it nk without any problems, he filled out the rest of the form while leaving some fields nk here and there . Just in case, for ¡®race¡¯ he wrote ¡®human . ¡¯

    For ¡®main weapon¡¯ he wrote ¡®katana,¡¯ he ticked the box that said that he could use magic, and for age he added the year of the death game to his real age and wrote 21 on the form .

    It¡¯s a bitte to mention this, but thenguage on the form was Japanese . This must also be obvious by now, but the spokennguage of the game was also Japanese . For Shin, it was a great help, as it made it easy for him to understand people . He had been slightly worried, as a lot of fantasy games used squiggly lines as their writtennguage .

    After he finished filling out the form, he returned it to Silica, who quickly looked over it .

    ¡°For confirmation, your name is Shin-sama, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is correct . ¡±

    ¡°Well then, the necessary paperwork has beenpleted . Next, please drip a drop of your blood onto this card . ¡±

    So saying, she proffered a silver-colored card the size of a normal ying card and a needle .

    Shin poked his finger with the needle and dripped a drop of blood onto the card . In a sh, the card soaked up the drop of blood like a sponge does to water .

    ¡°With this, all necessary procedures have beenpleted . It will take a day to process the card, so anytime after that feel free toe back to take it . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Apparently, he couldn¡¯t take it immediately .

    ¡°Would you like me to tell you about the guild?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please . ¡±

    ¡°First of all are the ranks . At the top of the list is SS, and after that is S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G for a total of nine ranks . As Shin-sama has just be an adventurer, your current rank is G . When you fulfill requests you earn points, and when you reach a set amount you will be promoted to the next rank . Should you fail or abandon a request, the number of points to be rewarded will be taken from you instead, and you will also be required to pay a contract severance fee equal to double the amount of the promised reward . Should your points fall below a certain point, deranking would be possible, so please take special care . You may ept requests at most 2 ranks above your current rank . However, when you reach rank C or above, you can only ept requests at most 1 rank above yourself . Two or more people may get together to form a party . In such a case, the requests that they can ept would be decided based on the rank of the highest ranked member in the party . Depending on the case, it may even be possible for a party to ept a request 3 ranks above their highest ranked member . ¡±

    ¡°What is the maximum party size?¡±

    Shin asked for confirmation . Back during the game, the maximum party size was six .

    ¡°The maximum party size is six people . Requests requiring more than six people will be carried out in the form of a joint enterprise with several parties working together . These are oftenrge scale requests or subjugation requests for particrly powerful monsters . ¡±

    It appears that the maximum party size was still the same . However, aside from subjugating boss monsters, it was previously not possible for multiple parties to take on the same request (back then, they were called ¡®quests¡¯) at the same time, so there seemed to be slight differences here and there .

    ¡°As for the requests, there are numerous different kinds, such as routine tasks, harvesting, subjugation, and protection . We provide support as needed here at the guild, but if you take on requests without going through the guild, we will not take any responsibility if any troubles ur, such as the difficulty of the request differing from the original description, you getting injured, or you dying . ¡±

    ¡°What if I pick up a request from the guild but it turns out much harder than what it said on the request? For example, what if I go to fulfill a subjugation request but upon reaching the location I discover that it is much stronger than described?¡±

    ¡°In such cases, it is eptable to abandon the quest . You will be required to report the details back to us, but you will not be penalized . We here a the guild try our best to vet all of the requests that involve danger of any sort, but unfortunately we are unable to thoroughlyprehend every single one, so please stay cautious all the time and do not let your guard down . ¡±

    It seems that even the guild cannotpletely manage everything . It can¡¯t be helped if their informationwork is still developing, thought Shin .

    ¡°We also offer to purchase the drops that you get from subjugating monsters . If it pleases you, please use our services . Next is¡ª¡±

    Silica¡¯s introductionsted about 20 minutes . However, Shin could not remember it all, so he nned to juste back and ask again if he came upon anything he didn¡¯t know .

    ¡°¡ªand that is all for information regarding the guild . As for the guild card, we will provide you with further information when youe back to pick it up . As such, all necessary procedures for the day have beenpleted . Do you have any other questions?¡±

    ¡°May I pick up a request immediately?¡±

    ¡°Your guild card will be the required to officially ept a request, therefore I am afraid that you will have to wait until it is processed first . As the card will also function as your entrance pass, we would rmend that you take the rest of today to check out the town and its sights . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . I have no more questions . ¡±

    ¡°Otsukaresama deshita . We will look forward to your conspicuous service, Shin-sama . ¡±

    (T/N: Otsukareta, its formal form otsukaresama, and its formal past tense form otsukaresama deshita all mean something between ¡°you have worked hard¡± and ¡°thank you for your hard work,¡± but the work done was not necessarily for the speaker . Again, I will be leaving this untranted due to its multiyered meaning . )

    Shin bobbed his head in response to Silica¡¯s beautiful bow and left the registration counter behind . Going down the stairs, he called out to the receptionist who had given him directions earlier .

    ¡°Thanks for just now . ¡±

    ¡°It appears that you have safely finished the paperwork . Then once again, wee to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild . I am the one in charge of the procedures rted to epting requests, Selica Lindot . From now on,yoroshiku onegaishimasu . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin .  Yoroshiku onegaishimasu from now on . I heard that you are the elder sister of Silica-san from the registration counter . ¡±

    ¡°So Silica was in charge of that today . Indeed, I am the elder sister of Silica . We¡¯re twins though, so I don¡¯t really often feel like an elder sister to her . ¡±

    ¡°It really surprised me . I thought that you¡¯d teleported or something . ¡±

    ¡°There are those who go back looking like they¡¯ve seen some strange wonder, like that person over there . ¡±

    Following the direction of Selica¡¯s eyes, Shin saw a newbie adventurer leaving the guild who was tilting his head in confusion while staring at Selica . It was the guy who had been receiving the briefing next to Shin upstairs .

    ¡°We are often mistaken for each other even inside the guild . Shin-sama, please do not mistake us, alright?¡±

    Though Selica was smiling at Shin while saying that, for a moment Shin felt a strong pressure emanating from her . She was smiling about how it troublesome it was but it probably actually bothered her .

    ¡°I-I will try my best . . . . . . Ah, I have something to ask you, is that alright?¡±

    Shin had originally called out to Selica because of what Beid had said about looking for Els . It didn¡¯t necessarily have to be Selica, but therge man next to her was for some reason sending sidelong nces at Shin so he really did not want to talk to the man . More like, he didn¡¯t even want to go near the man . He didn¡¯t know the exact reason why, but his instincts were screaming rm bells at him when it came to that man .

    ¡°Yes, please go ahead . ¡±

    ¡°I heard that there¡¯s an adventurer here called Els who also serves as a receptionist . ¡±

    From what he¡¯d seen so far, the only receptionists present were Selica and therge man . Beid had called her a receptionist dy¡¯, so Shin prayed fervently in his heart that it wasn¡¯t a joke where the punchline was that Els was actually therge man .

    ¡°Oh, Els? I¡¯m very sorry, but Els is currently out on a request . If all goes well, she is expected to return today . Therefore, please ask for her again when you return tomorrow to pick up your guild card . If she is still not back by then, I¡¯d be happy to pass a message to her in your stead . ¡±

    It appears that he hade at an inopportune time . Being an adventurer, it made sense that she would not always be at the guild .

    Shin kind of felt like he¡¯d already used up his share of luck for the day, so he didn¡¯t mind being asked toe back again tomorrow .

    ¡°Understood . I¡¯lle again tomorrow . ¡±

    Selica slightly nodded her head in acknowledgment . Shin then went over to the tavern side, as his stomach was nearly empty enough to start growling .

    Aside from the group of adventurers who were still celebrating, there were a few other customers at the tavern . Their average levels were somewhere around 90 .

    Once he sat down at an empty seat, he took a look at the menu . However, although the menu was indeed written in Japanese, he wasn¡¯t familiar with the names of the dishes, so he had no idea what to order . In the end, he decided to just go with the rmended set of the day .

    ¡°The rmended set of the day, Shin-sama?¡±

    ¡°Ah, ye . . . . . . s . . . . . . ???¡±

    Shin turned around at the what the waitress said . Why does she know my name, he thought, until he saw the waitress¡¯s face . Understanding and bewilderment settled on his face at the same time .

    It was because the waitress was the person that he¡¯d just finished talking to, Selica .

    ¡°Umm . . . . . . you were at the reception desk just now, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t wearing that outfit when you were talking to me, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was wearing the guild uniform when I was at the reception desk . ¡±

    ¡°You got changed?¡±

    ¡°Of course . ¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that way too fast? More like, why are you waitressing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s normal to change this fast . When there¡¯s nothing to do at the reception desk I help out over on this side . ¡±

    Shin really wanted to retort, ¡°No way that¡¯s normal!¡± but he didn¡¯t say it out loud . It had only been three minutes between him leaving the reception desk and him ordering food . He couldn¡¯t help thinking that it was impossible . But then again, Shin was weird too for taking three minutes to order .

    Being distracted by Selica¡¯s appearance, Shin didn¡¯t notice that the food hade after only one minute . The set of the day turned out to be a steak about 3 cemels thick, a sd of raw vegetables, and a soup . It was not food that could have been made in such a short period of time .

    When Shin looked over at the reception desk, he saw that there was only therge man left . He silently thanked the heavens that he didn¡¯t need to go to the desk now .

    ¡°Here you go, please enjoy the food . If you let it go cold, it¡¯d be pitiful for the food that we¡¯d made, so please dig in!¡±

    ¡°Alright . Without further ado, itadakimasu . ¡±

    (T/N: Itadakimasu is said at the beginning of meals . It is an expression of thanks for the food, but not specifically to anyone . You could direct it to the person who cooked it if they are eating together with you, though . )

    Shin started eating . For some reason, Selica took the seat in front of him .

    (What is up with this development . . . . . . )

    Shin couldn¡¯t help thinking that it was hard to eat . Being stared at while eating made him somehow quite ufortable .

    The steak melted in his mouth, gushing with juices as he chewed it . The sd was also very crispy and fresh, while the soup with well-boiled chicken also came out rather well .

    Despite all this, the atmosphere was ruined . He couldn¡¯t properly enjoy the meal .

    ¡°Is it fine to be leaving all the other customers unattended, waitress Selica-san?¡±

    ¡°The other waitresses are taking care of them so there¡¯s no problem . ¡±

    She really did intend to stay, it seems .

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of hard to eat while being looked at, you know . ¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t mind me . ¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible . . . . . . ¡±

    He was rebuffed with a bright smile . But there was no way he could not mind her staring, even if she told him so . His difort did not go away .

    ¡°Haa, seriously what is this? Is this the hazing for the new guy?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, there is a small matter that I wish to confirm with you . ¡±

    ¡°Then please say so from the very beginning, I beg you . ¡±

    ¡°Before confirming, I also wanted to see what kind of person Shin-sama was . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t feel like he¡¯d gone through any particr testing or examination . The only feeling that he got was that he was being messed with .

    ¡°So, what is it that you wanted to confirm?¡±

    While responding, Selica slightly lowered her voice .

    ¡°We received a report that Shin-sama was in possession of a letter of introduction from a certain ce, so we wish to confirm that . ¡±

    Speaking of letters of introduction, only one came to Shin¡¯s mind . Apparently, it had turned into a bigger matter than he¡¯d expected .

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about that one? It¡¯s true that I have it . ¡±

    ¡°Would you mind if we confirm it in a separate room?¡±

    ¡°After I finish eating, sure . But if it¡¯s a face-to-face with the guildmaster, then I¡¯d like to decline . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin had said it as a joke, but instead ofughing, Selica became very quiet . Rather, her eyes seemed to shift suspiciously .

    ¡° . . . . . . I¡¯d really prefer to decline, though . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . My deepest apologies . I have been ordered to bring you . ¡±

    ¡°You serious?¡±

    ¡°I am serious . ¡±

    Shin identally used casual speech to confirm his predicament . Thinking ¡°I¡¯ve just registered today, why do I already have to meet the most important person here¡± to himself, Shin became despondent and dropped his shoulders .

    ¡° . . . . . . I can¡¯t do it tomorrow?¡±

    The first day here in this parallel world and already so many events . Shin sighed inside and tried to push the meeting to tomorrow .

    ¡°I am deeply sorry again, but he is already here . . . . . . ¡±

    So saying, Selica looked directly behind Shin .

    It meant that the guildmaster was already behind Shin .

    (I reeeeaallly don¡¯t want to turn around!!!)

    He knew that there was someone sitting behind himself, but he never imagined that it was the guildmaster . With that said, though, there was no point in putting up this meaningless resistance, so he slowly turned to look behind .

    The person standing behind Shin waspletely beyond his expectations .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡° I¡¯m sorry that we¡¯re doing this while you¡¯re eating, but I came over myself . I couldn¡¯t stand waiting anymore, see . ¡±

    The person going ¡°ha ha ha¡± was therge man from the reception desk just now .

    The one who was giving Shin sidelong nces .

    The one that Shin¡¯s instincts were screaming warning bells about .

    In other words, it was thatrge man .

    ¡°Wha-It was YOU?!?!¡±

    There was no way Shin could have the presence of mind to use honorifics .

    ¡°Well you see, after getting the report, I really couldn¡¯t help wanting to meet you . ¡±

    Apparentlypletely not bothered by theck of honorifics, therge man who turned out to be the guildmasterughed while speaking .

    ¡°Balkus-sama, if it was possible, I would have preferred it if you had waited a little bit longer . ¡±

    ¡°Come on, go easy on me . I can¡¯t help being curious . You¡¯re Shin-kun, right? I¡¯m called Balkus . I¡¯m sorry, but would you minding to my room for a bit?¡±

    It appears that the guildmaster¡¯s name was Balkus . Shin was surprised, because his mental image of a guildmaster was of someone quite a lot older . From his observation, this guildmaster was somewhere between 35 to 45 . The huge scar on his face and hisrge body coupled together for a pretty intimidating image . However, he came across as a really friendly person, so the effectiveness of that intimidation was halved .

    However, his 228 levels ced him way above everyone that Shin had met so far .

    ¡°Haa, look, I don¡¯t mind, but please just let me eat in peace, at least . ¡±

    ¡°Of course! It was our fault for suddenly approaching you . Well then, I¡¯ll be waiting!¡±

    So saying, Balkus went into a room at the back .

    ¡°The guildmaster is pretty young, huh . I had honestly expected someone a lot older . Ah, I didn¡¯t mean someone just simply old, I meant someone who had umted a lot of experience . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s mental image of an old man came from games and novels . After he said it out loud, though, he realized that it could be taken in the wrong way, so he tried to rify his choice of words .

    ¡°I understand . What you are saying is actually not umon . In reality, most guildmasters in other cities are people with a lot more years behind them . However, Balkus-sama was an S rank adventurer before, so he is definitely not inferior to the other guildmasters in terms of experience and personal connections . ¡±

    ¡°A former S ranker, huh . ¡±

    Shin was still ignorant about a lot of things in this world, but he could roughly guess how hard it must have been to reach S rank . Judging from his level, Shin guessed that he must be a rtively strong fighter .

    He finished eating while thinking this .

    Feeling the stares of people who had gathered from the guildmaster¡¯s appearance, Shin followed Selica to the area behind the reception desk .

    There were several rooms in the area behind the desk . The room that Shin was led to apparently also doubled as a parlor, as it was furnished with not only a desk and shelves but also a table and something that looked like a sofa . Though he he wasn¡¯t yet familiar enough with the prices of this world to ce a numerical value on the furnishings, they all gave off the atmosphere of first-ss goods . The overall arrangement was quite harmonious, as expected .

    ¡°Once more, wee to the Adventurers¡¯ Guild . Please pardon our discourtesy back there . I am the guildmaster, Balkus Heim . ¡±

    As Shin and Selica entered the room, Balkus introduced himself and held out his right hand .

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin .  Yoroshiku onegaishimasu . ¡±

    While Shin was naming himself, he also held out his right hand . The hand that he grasped was hard and rugged, with strength that was truly befitting of a warrior .

    ¡°Please, take a seat . ¡±

    Balkus gestured towards the sofa, so Shin sat on the sofa . With perfect timing, Silica and Selica offered them tea .

    ¡°Shin-kun . I¡¯m sorry for getting straight to the point, but may we have a look at your letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora?¡±

    ¡°Here it is . ¡±

    Shin took it out of his inventory and passed it to Balkus . Balkus took the letter and brought it close to another piece of paper . When he did, a silver light in the pattern of a crescent moon shone from both of them .

    ¡°This is . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Letters of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora are a bit unique . When two of them are in close proximity to each other, they resonate and this crest appears . In other words, your letter is indeed the real thing . ¡±

    From what Balkus was saying, it appears that there were other ways to confirm the authenticity of the letter . However, at the moment, there was no way to create a forgery that could pass this test .

    ¡°To think that it had such a function . . . . . . ¡±

    Even while surprised at this function, it couldn¡¯t be helped that Shin was hoping that someone had told him about it beforehand .

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear about this?¡±

    ¡°I was just handed it while being told that it was an extra service . ¡±

    ¡°Extra service . . . . . . was the one who gave this to you Schnee? Or was it Tiera-kun?¡±

    ¡°It was Tiera . Schnee was apparently out . ¡±

    ¡°So it was Tiera-kun . Something major must have happened for her to forget, but her eye for people is true . I¡¯ve also seen many people in my time, but I have never known her to be wrong . ¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s so good that we¡¯d actually love to scout her,¡± said Balkus with augh .

    Being released from a hundred-year-long curse generally falls into the category of major incidents, so it was understandable that she forgot in the midst of everything that was going on .

    Her eye for people must have been trained from all those years .

    ¡°!¡±

    Thinking of years, a chill ran down Shin¡¯s spine .

    For some reason, the image of Tiera burning holes into his back with her smile and her air of intimidation floated into Shin¡¯s mind .

    (Let¡¯s stop thinking about years, I have a feeling that I might lose my life if I think too much about it . . . . . . )

    All he got from it was a very bad sense of foreboding, so he decided to stop thinking about it .

    ¡°? Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°No, everything¡¯s fine . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . Well then, let¡¯s return to our original topic, as we seem to have digressed a bit . ¡±

    So saying, Balkus corrected his posture . Apparently, the conversation from now on was the main topic .

    ¡°As it seems that you did not get a proper exnation in regards to the letter of introduction, I will now tell you about it . With this letter, you can get into almost every single country without having to be searched . Each guild would also be willing to amodate you to some degree . Any information that you offer will be epted as pretty much confirmed truth . You are able to request an audience with the kings of several countries, including Berylricht Kingdom . In a way, there is no ID more powerful than this letter . ¡±

    It¡¯s not that he was doubting it, but it seems that what Beid had said was indeed the truth . He didn¡¯t know about the guilds and the information, but generally it was all extraordinary and exceptional .

    ¡°This letter is of such efficacy . Naturally, once it is known that you hold this, there will be those who¡¯ll show up to steal this from you . ¡±

    ¡°I can see that happening, yes . ¡±

    There are people who would have no qualms about using smuggling, terrorism, or assassination for such a powerful item . Criminals and criminal organizations would probably spare no expense to get their hands on it .

    ¡°Therefore, we want to know if you have the strength to protect that letter or not . If not, then we rmend that you shred that letter right here and now . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin weighed the pros and cons of keeping the letter .

    The pro was the ease of travel between countries . It would also be much easier to gain the trust of different countries .

    The con was that his life would be targeted if it was leaked that he had the letter .

    At the very least, the pros were things that Shin didn¡¯t necessarily need at the moment . From the introduction of the guild earlier, he knew that he would be able to get into countries with rtive ease just by having the guild card . Also, he preferred to enter countries quietly without getting mixed up in high level troublesome situations .

    On the other hand, it would be very helpful to have on hand something that could guarantee his social status when such a situation arises .

    In regards to the cons, though, at least all of the townsguards already know, and probably some people who were in the line at the time also caught a glimpse . On top of that, the guild also knows . He decided that he should just assume that the word was already out .

    (All I have to do is keep it inside my inventory in the¡ºImportant Things¡»zone and only take it out when I really have to . )

    Tiera had also said that the number of people with an inventory was extremely limited . He highly doubted that there was currently anyone who knew how to steal things from the¡ºImportant Things¡»zone, given that even the members of Rokuten couldn¡¯t do it .

    As such, even if heter imed to not have the letter anymore, there was no way for other people to check .

    ¡°I can protect it . ¡±

    After thinking for a while, this was the conclusion that he had arrived at .

    ¡°So that is what you¡¯ve decided . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t regret it?¡±

    ¡°I will not . I now know the meaning of this letter, and I also know how a single wrong move might easily cost the store its reputation . However, the importance of this letter also tells me how much faith the store has in me . In that case, I must live up to their faith in me . ¡±

    Shin answered with a confidentugh .

    Indeed, without even needing to think about the pros and cons, the answer was already clear from the start .

    Depending on the person, Shin¡¯s answer mighte across as having too

    little consideration for the possibility of death, but the truth was that Shin¡¯s life had been targeted more than just once or twice . Back during the death game era, he had lived through assassinations and ambushes and now has plenty of experience in dealing with them .

    What he chose not to learn from them was their intentions .

    ¡°Fuu, that was a great answer . As expected of a holder of this letter . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but it wasn¡¯t really that great . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not good to be too modest . You took a while to answer, but there was no confusion in you . ¡±

    ¡°How did you know that?¡±

    It seems that the guildmaster had seen through Shin . He was truly not a person to be underestimated .

    ¡°Fumu, I want to know just for reference, but what is your level? I know that I¡¯m the one saying this, but I have lived through quite a lot of battlefields . I can already tell that you possess quite considerable strength . ¡±

    As expected of a former S rank . He apparently possessed the ability to gauge how powerful other people were even without using a skill .

    ¡° . . . . . . Do I really have to tell you?¡±

    ¡°As a guild, we do want to have a certain amount of understanding about how strong our adventurers are . Most adventurers at least tell us a certain range of ¡°between this and this¡± if they don¡¯t want to mention their exact level . On our part, we would also like to prevent lower level adventurers from taking on requests beyond their level . ¡±

    He wasn¡¯t just asking out of curiosity, it seems .

    Knowing someone¡¯s level would also allow a rough estimation of their strength . He was probably not asking just for himself, but on behalf of the whole guild .

    ¡°Understood . My level is above 150 . ¡±

    ¡°Fumu . Shin-kun, as I said before, being too modest is not good . ¡±

    When Shin answered, Balkus frowned slightly . As expected, giving out a number more than 100 levels lower could onlye across as a lie .

    ¡°Do I really have to?¡±

    ¡°Yes you do . The number that you said just now was much lower than your real one, right?¡±

    Having heard that the kingdom¡¯s No . 2 was only level 158, Shin had intended to gloss over by giving a simr number, but it had apparently failed .

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you could tell even without using¡¾Analyze¡¿ . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a guildmaster for nothing . I¡¯ve seen enough adventurers to know . ¡±

    ¡°Haa, can¡¯t help it then . My level is above 200 . ¡±

    Even after all the cajoling, Shin still refused to give his exact level . Thinking ¡°how about this?¡±, he upped the number by 50 in one go .

    ¡°Hou~¡±

    ¡°Sugoi  . . . . . . ¡±

    At this new number, Balkus smiled in admiration . Even Selica, who was standing by the wall, couldn¡¯t help expressing her surprise .

    ¡°Is it that surprising? (I¡¯m still kind of fudging the number, though . )¡±

    Shin thought, ¡°You¡¯re above level 200 too!¡± However, Balkus didn¡¯t take it that way .

    ¡°Just in case, we would like to confirm again, but your age is indeed 21 years old, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    ¡°Someone as young as you reaching beyond level 200 is rarely heard of . You could perhaps even fight on an equal footing with the country¡¯s No . 1 . ¡±

    So 150 was too low, but 200 was apparently too high .

    ¡°What level is the No . 1 person?¡±

    ¡°230 . It¡¯s the country¡¯s 2nd princess . ¡±

    ¡°Are you serious . . . . . . ¡±

    (It¡¯s the princess who¡¯s strong? More like, she¡¯s even stronger than the Squad Leader of the Elite Squad?)

    It was sopletely beyond his expectations that he could do nothing but be amazed . He had thought that the kingdom¡¯s No . 1 would be the king or a prince or at least one of the royal personal guards . Never in his wildest dreams did he expect it to be a princess .

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there too much of a gap against the Knights Order? I heard from Tiera that the Squad Leader of the Elite Squad was only level 158 . ¡±

    ¡°Squad Leader of the Elite Squad? Oh, you¡¯re talking about the Knights Order . His level has gone up to 188 by now . Tiera-kun¡¯s information is from quite a while back, she must not have heard . ¡±

    ¡°The princess¡¯s level is still much higher . ¡±

    ¡°The 2nd princess belongs to the martial faction, that¡¯s why . She often shows her face around town too, so she¡¯s quite popr . ¡±

    ¡°Is it safe for a member of the royal family to frequently walk out onto the streets?¡±

    ¡°Run-of-the-mill thugs wouldn¡¯tst even a second against her . ¡±

    So the country¡¯s strongest wasn¡¯t just for show . From what he was hearing, it sounds like there were indeed people who could defeat Tiera¡¯s Horn Dragon .

    ¡°Well then, Shin-kun . There is actually onest thing that we wish to confirm with you, may we?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . It would depend on what it is . ¡±

    Shin felt a huge sense of foreboding .

    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple a matter, really . I just want to have a match with you . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, may I leave now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t . ¡±

    ¡°What about my rights???¡±

    ¡°Sadly, you do not have the right to refuse . ¡±

    A t refusal from Balkus . Shin thought it was probably to test his real power . He knew from experience that having a high level does not necessarily mean being strong in a fight .

    ¡°I somehow knew that this wasing . ¡±

    ¡°Sorry about that . Both for the guild and for myself, we would like the confirmation . No, scratch that, we must have the confirmation . ¡±

    Shin had the ¡°my sense of foreboding was right¡± look on his face .

    Even back when Balkus was giving him sidelong nces at the reception desk, all he felt from Balkus¡¯s eyes was a desire to fight .

    Shin was a bit disgruntled at not being given a choice, but it was also true that Shin wanted to test the strength of one of this world¡¯s so-called S rankers . From Balkus¡¯s expression, Shin guessed that Balkus himself wanted the fight, but it was for the guild¡¯s sake that he was not given a choice .

    It would be easy to insist on his refusal, but the unnecessary antagonism might lead to problems in using his letter of introduction in the future .

    ¡° . . . . . . Fine, alright . It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand the reassurance from a personal assessment . ¡±

    Now that the general public knows that he is in possession of this letter of introduction, if the word about his strength was also publicized then there would be fewer idiotsing after him . Shin left this thought unsaid, though .

    ¡°Where will we have it?¡±

    ¡°There is a training hall only for guild members . Let¡¯s have it there . Do you need any time for preparation?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m ready to go at any time . ¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s head over right now . ¡±

    Following Balkus through a passageway brought Shin to a room about as big as the one before . In this room, however, there wasn¡¯t a single piece of furnishing aside from a crystal the size of a ser ball that was floating in the middle of the room .

    It was a transfer point . Shin had seen it many times inside the game .

    ¡°The training hall is underground, you see . We can get there through this transfer point . ¡±

    So transfer points had remained the same . Just like back in the game, all one has to do is to touch it and focus on it, and then the transfer will automatically happen .

    The destination of the transfer turned out to be a prettyrge area that was built like a coliseum . One could train in the middle of the open area or stay in the bleachers for a break or to watch and learn from other adventurers .

    ¡°There¡¯s no one here . Is it always like this?¡±

    ¡°No, it is because this is the 2nd training hall, which we use only for special asions like right now . Most adventurers train in the 1st training hall . In the first ce, no one can use this ce without permission, so outsiders can¡¯t wander into here . ¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is . ¡±

    The subtle message was ¡°there was no one around, so feel free to go all out . ¡± It was a great help to Shin, who didn¡¯t want to stand out .

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s begin . ¡±

    So saying, Balkus¡¯s body became enveloped in blue light . A mere secondter, the light was gone, revealing Balkus standing ready with blue light armor and a pair of blue gauntlets on his arms . The blue light armor looked like it was made with ease of movement in mind, with the armored parts even thinner than normal light armor . In contrast, the gauntlets were wrapped with thick armor and covered his elbows to his fingers .

    Back during the game, armor for the hands were split into the Japanesetekkou [handguards] and the Western kote [gauntlets] . They weren¡¯t all that different, but usually handguards provided AGI bonuses while gauntlets provided VIT bonuses . Balkus was probably wearing gauntlets topensate for his thinner armor .

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿had told Shin that Balkus¡¯s job was Brawler, so he wasn¡¯t surprised . However, he was surprised at the way that Balkus had put on his equipment . It made Shin think of the transformation scenes from sentai shows .

    In THE NEW GATE, when putting on equips, there was a line of light that traced the shape of the item before it materialized . The game apparently used that time to read the user¡¯s physique and make necessary adjustments to the equipment¡¯s size . As such, the shy transformation scene like what Balkus just showed did not yet exist back then .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . (Wait, did he have items on him?)¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know if Balkus¡¯s transformation scene was normal or not by this world¡¯s standards, so he decided to notment on it .

    For Shin¡¯s side, he didn¡¯t really have anything to put on . When facing monsters his usual worry was how much to limit his own power, so he didn¡¯t particrly need to use a weapon .

    ¡°Well then, here Ie!!¡±

    The moment Balkus said that, his figure blurred . The distance between the two of them was about 10 mels, but in an instant Balkus had already covered 5 mels . He lunged forward in a straight line towards Shin .

    ¡°His equips are good, and he¡¯s pretty fast . ¡±

    Originally, a human without the bonus stats from reincarnation would not have been able to reach such speeds . Shin noticed that it was Balkus¡¯s equipment that was making this possible .

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    ¡°Bring it!¡±

    Eluding a lunge fast enough to make the wind keen, Shin checked what Balkus was wearing .

    The light armor was called¡¾Blue Crystal Light Armor¡¿, and the gauntlets were called¡¾Blue Fang Gauntlets¡¿ . There was probably no mistake, because Shin had handled them before through his shop .

    ¡°You¡¯re wearing some pretty good stuff!¡±

    ¡°I worked! Hard! To get! Them!¡±

    Shin pulled a wry face as he continued dodging Balkus¡¯s torrent of punches .

    ¡¾Blue Crystal Light Armor¡¿was a Rare armament with very significant AGI bonuses .

    ¡¾Blue Fang Gauntlets¡¿was a Unique weapon that increased attack power and also had a special effect . One of the materials needed to craft it was the fang from Blue Mitt Hound, a level 600 unique monster that was slightly troublesome to handle in a close-quarters fight . ¡¾Blue Fang Gauntlets¡¿was very highly sought after by high level yers who specialized in Unarmed-Type Martial Skills .

    ¡°I suppose you wouldn¡¯t let me hit you so easily, huh . ¡±

    ¡°After all I said, of course . ¡±

    Bing cautious of the Shin who had been easily eluding all of his attacks so far, Balkus let up his attack and retreated a short distance . Heughed wryly while speaking, but his eyes were still sharply sizing up Shin .

    Even when Balkus was retreating, Shin did not proactively go on the offensive . It was because he was being wary of the effect on¡¾Blue Fang Gauntlets¡¿ .

    That effect was¡¾When sessfully blocking an attack with the gauntlets, return 1/10 of the damage that would have been dealt back to the attacker¡¿ . For the effect to activate, the attack must be a physical attack and the attacker must have directly touched the gauntlet, so the aim of the effect was to slowly wear down the other party .

    There was also one more restriction to the activation of the effect: if the STR of the attacker was more than 100 above that of the person wearing the gauntlet, then it will also not activate . Shin didn¡¯t want the gauntlet to activate not because it would be dealing any significant damage to himself, but because he didn¡¯t want Balkus to know that his STR was actually more than 100 points higher .

    (Since it¡¯s his own equipment, he probably knows everything about it . It would be really suspicious to im a simr level to him but turn out to have more than 100 STR points than him . To prevent any more troublesome inquiries, I have to finish this fight with a single attack . )

    Even though he was the guildmaster, Shin had no intention of telling him everything . He had already been exposed as a pretty powerful person, so he went easy on Balkus, hoping for an average evaluation that wouldn¡¯t reveal more about his strength . He deliberated on his course of action while handling the barrage from Balkus .

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re strong, so I¡¯m thinking about how to attack you . ¡±

    ¡°From the way you were fighting just now, it appears that you know about my gauntlets . There aren¡¯t that many people who do, though . ¡±

    ¡°Whatever might you be talking about?¡±

    Even while exchanging light banter, Shin continued to think .

    From their exchange so far, Shin gathered that Balkus¡¯s way of fighting was to rely on a steady stream of attacks . As a Brawler, the range of his attacks was very short, but as a result they were that much faster, so it could be said that this was the only style avable to Balkus . The problem was that¡¾Blue Crystal Light Armor¡¿was increasing his speed even more, making it hard for Shin to win while still going easy .

    (It¡¯s just the gauntlets that are problematic . . . . . . Let¡¯s try this, then . )

    After confirming the skills that he could use, Shin adopted a stance .

    Balkus noticed the movement, but before he could react, Shin stepped forward .

    Leaving behind an afterimage, Shin rushed at Balkus .

    Where Shin had been standing before, all that was left was pieces of broken earth that were still flying in midair .

    ¡°Shi!¡±

    Shin lunged forward with his right fist, covering the distance between them in one breath . It was an honest straight punch without any feints, purposely delivered at a speed at which Balkus could barely block . Reflexively, Balkus adopted a defensive posture .

    (Gotcha!)

    Having manipted Balkus to where he wanted, Shin began his strategy .

    The fist flying towards the Balkus in defensive posture stopped the instant right before it touched Balkus¡¯s gauntlet, and Shin used his left foot to trip Balkus instead .

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    Immediately, Balkus tried to move to the left to lessen the damage, but the knowledge that there was a fist flying towards him dulled his reaction by a fraction .

    Due to the high speed tripping attack, Balkus¡¯s body was now in midair .

    The effect of¡¾Blue Fang Gauntlets¡¿doesn¡¯t activate when the attack isn¡¯t blocked by it, so by attacking other parts of the body there would be no need to worry about it .

    Shin grabbed a gauntlet on the now defenseless Balkus and in a sh activated the Unarmed-Type Martial Skill¡¾Yanagi Nage [Willow Throw]¡¿ .

    ¡¾Yanagi Nage¡¿was a skill with very low damage used for capturing monsters, so there was no need to worry about dealing a fatal wound with this skill . Due to this, Shin used it without hesitation .

    Due to¡¾Yanagi Nage¡¿, Balkus¡¯s body formed a perfect circle in midair before mming into the ground without giving him time to even perform an ukemi . As a finishing move, Shin locked his joints, rendering him unable to move .

    ¡°Fuu~ . For starters, how about that?¡±

    Shin asked this only after confirming that Balkus really couldn¡¯t move . If they had the same stats, though, there was no way that the fight could have been decided so quickly .

    ¡°To think that I could be immobilized so easily . Strangely though, I didn¡¯t take much damage . Was thatst technique a skill?¡±

    ¡°Noment on that . It¡¯s just that your intentions were a bit too obvious, so I took advantage of that . ¡±

    ¡°Haha, so that¡¯s how it was . It¡¯s my loss . I have indeed witnessed your strength . It appears that my worries have been for nothing . ¡±

    Having been freed from the lock, Balkus stood up and held out his right hand towards Shin .

    ¡°?¡±

    ¡°I shook your hand earlier as the guildmaster . This handshake is as fellow men acknowledged by Tsuki no Hokora . ¡±

    ¡°I see . ¡±

    Shin squeezed back with a nod . Even though it was the same hand, it somehow felt different .

    ¡°If you ever need anything, just give us a shout . Both the guild and I myself will do all we can to help you . ¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about that? Showing partiality to a member?¡±

    ¡°Not a problem . The guild will help you as a rank G adventurer, but I will be merely lending a hand to a personal friend . ¡±

    So Balkus was offering help not as toward a member of his guild, but as toward a personal friend . The implication was that being under the guild, he could not provide any excessive aid . Of course, this was a given, as Balkus was the head of the guild, so Shin fully understood .

    When they returned to the room through the transfer point, Selica was there on standby . With an ¡°otsukaresama desu,¡± she offered potions to the two of them .

    Shin declined it, as he had taken no damage, but since there would be no harm in taking it, under Balkus¡¯s insistence he epted it .

    ¡°I will be looking forward to your exploits as an adventurer . Until our next meeting!¡±

    Leaving Balkus behind, Shin followed Selica through the passageway back to the main hall .

    ¡°How was the match with Balkus-sama?¡±

    ¡°It was quite hard . I sincerely don¡¯t want to go through it again . ¡±

    It was a bit awkward to walk in silence, so Selica brought up the topic of the match with Balkus . She was a bit curious about it, as they had finished quicker than she had expected .

    All she had said when they came back, though, was only the expected ¡°otsukaresama . ¡±

    ¡°It really doesn¡¯t happen that often, so I think you¡¯ll be fine . ¡±

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to get invited back as a sparring partner for training . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin sighed, thinking that he didn¡¯t want to have to face off against the guildmaster again, even as practice . From Selica¡¯s point of view, Shin did not look like someone beyond level 200 (who has actually reached the max level of 255) .

    A lot of high level adventurers differed from normal people in that there was a powerful air of intimidation surrounding them . Even though she met such people often due to her job, there are still many who make her body tense up when they are near . However, she felt no such thing from the Shin who was even now sighing with his shoulders slightly dropped . Rather, she felt a mysterious sense of security from him .

    (What a mysterious person . . . . . . )

    Whilst Selica was thinking this, the two of them had arrived back at the main hall .

    ¡°Otsukaresama deshita for everything today . As for the guild card, you maye retrieve it anytime from tomorrow onwards, so please feel free to return after having a thorough rest . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that . Ah, if it¡¯s alright with you, could you please rmend an inn to me? I¡¯ve just arrived today, so I don¡¯t really know anything about the town yet . ¡±

    Shin asked with nothing to lose . He hung his head in embarrassment for not knowing anything about the inns . However, he really didn¡¯t want to end up staying at a bad quality inn for his first night .

    ¡°In that case, then I think you would find The Badger¡¯s Pavilion from the residential district quite agreeable . The food there is delicious, so I am sure you will like it . If you turn right onto the road in front of the guild and then go straight, you will eventuallye across a signboard with a bear¡¯s paw drawn onto it . That sign marks where the inn is . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . The Badger¡¯s Pavilion it is . Thank you so much!¡±

    (T/N: I don¡¯t know why the manga calls the inn The Bear¡¯s Den . I¡¯m using zKanji, and it tells me that Ñ¨ÐÜÍ¤ is not a word, but that separately Ñ¨ÐÜ is ¡°1) badger 2) Eurasian badger (Meles meles) 3) defensive opening for shogi¡± while Í¤ is ¡°arbor, bower, pavilion . ¡± Thus I will be going with ¡®The Badger¡¯s Pavilion . ¡¯)

    Shin felt a tinge of worry at knowing only the name ¡®The Badger¡¯s Pavilion,¡¯ but it was enough for him that it was Selica making the rmendation .

    After thanking Selica, he left the guild .

    Thinking carefree thoughts like ¡°I hope a bear doesn¡¯te out!¡±, Shin set off in search of the inn .

 Vol 1 Chapter 3: Chapter 3

    He walked for 25 minutes after leaving the guild .

    Before Shin¡¯s eyes was a signboard with a bear¡¯s paw drawn on it . It matched Selica¡¯s description perfectly, so this was most likely The Badger¡¯s Pavilion .

    ¡°This must be the ce . ¡±

    Just in case, he double checked one more time before reaching for the handle . As he slowly opened the door, the sound ofughter spilled out .

    Inside The Badger¡¯s Pavilion was arge counter in the middle and sevenrge tables that filled out the rest of the room . At every single table were people who looked like adventurers holding a tankard in a hand and making merry . Five of those tables were already full .

    As Shin gazed at this scene, a shadow fell over him . Something was blocking the light .

    Feeling someone¡¯s presence behind him, he turned around .

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    What came into view was an apron embroidered with flowers and an arm three times as thick as Shin¡¯s own .

    ¡°Wee! Are you alone?¡±

    The voice came from above his head, so he looked up . He found himself staring into the eyes of a man very much like a rock with an indisputably evil grin on a grim face .

    ¡°Huge . . . . . . ¡±

    Instead of an answer, what came out of Shin¡¯s mouth was just that word . At 180 cemels, Shin was taller than the average person . However, the person currently in front of him probably topped 230 cemels . Pretty much a giant .

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, sonny . You¡¯recking spirit!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir! No wait, I¡¯m sorry, who are you?¡±

    Shin came back to his senses at the man¡¯s words . His answer was still a bit disoriented, though .

    ¡°Me? I¡¯m the owner of The Badger¡¯s Pavilion, and also its poster old guy! I¡¯m Douma Bear!¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . ¡®old guy¡¯ . . . . . . ?¡±

    Shin can¡¯t be faulted for thinking, ¡°Isn¡¯t it normally poster girl?¡±

    (T/N: There is this Japanese traditional/strategy of having a pretty girl stay outside your store and attract customers inside . Over time, she would get well-known as the ¡°face¡± of the store in the eyes of the customers . Well, a lot of the store owners just had their own daughters do it, though . This job is called being the kanban musume, which I trante as ¡°poster girl . ¡± The joke here is that the role that Douma is iming is atplete odds with his looks . )

    ¡°Indeed! I¡¯m the popr old guy who is attracting customers to the store! That¡¯s what it means to be a poster old¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s supposed to be a poster GIRL¡¯s job!¡±

    ¡°¡ªguy . ¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help blurting out a retort .

    ¡°Umu . Nice retort!¡±

    For some reason, the self-called poster old guy gave Shin a thumbs up .

    ¡°Did I go into the wrong ce . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed about it, young man!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not embarrassed! What part of me is embarrassed, huh?!¡±

    Before they knew it, they had started a manzai skit .

    (T/N: Manzai is a specific genre ofedy that involves someone saying stupid/silly things (called the boke) and someone retorting in response (both the retort and the role are called tsukkomi) . For example, Douma said that he¡¯s a poster old man, and Shin points out that it¡¯s supposed to be a poster girl, or Douma telling Shin to not be embarrassed, but Shin says that he¡¯s not even embarrassed in the first ce . )

    ¡°Good going, kiddo!!¡±

    ¡°Show us more!!¡±

    Shin sighed at the yells from the group of drunkards . They lookedpletely wasted .

    ¡°Haa, guess I should look for a different¡ª¡±

    ¡°What are you guys doing!!!¡±

    ¡°¡ªinn?¡±

    Shin was sincerely considering finding another inn when a woman¡¯s voice sliced through the din like it was banishing what Shin was thinking .

    Shin thought the voice hade from behind Douma . Due to Douma¡¯srge bulk, though, Shin couldn¡¯t see the owner of the voice at all .

    ¡°Dad? I¡¯m always telling you to stop saying weird things, right? What are you going to do if people start spreading strange rumors about us?¡±

    It was a quiet, gentle voice, but at the moment it was clearly overflowing with suppressed anger .

    ¡°No, you see, this was, I was just ying a little pra¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Yes, ma¡¯am . ¡±

    A curt dismissal of even his attempt at an excuse . Judging from the words just now, the owner of the voice was Douma¡¯s daughter, but apparently the roles of the one doing the scolding and the one being scolded had been reversed .

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the hall, so Dad, you go to the kitchen and help Mom!¡±

    ¡°O-okay . ¡±

    Douma headed towards the kitchen with shoulders lowered . Shin felt that it wasn¡¯t just his imagination that Douma¡¯s figure had shrunk by a size .

    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry about showing you something so weird out of the blue . Are you here for a meal? Or do you wish to book a room?¡±

    Douma¡¯s existence had been reduced to simply ¡°something weird . ¡±

    With Douma off to the kitchen, Shin finally saw the daughter that had been scolding Douma .

    She had short brown hair . The smile on her face was probably her ¡°business smile,¡± but it was already plenty attractive . Rather than ¡®beautiful,¡¯ the word ¡®cute¡¯ probably suited her better .

    ¡°Ah, a room please . Is what happened just now a frequent urrence here?¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯d rather you forget it all, but yes, every now and then . Adventurers are generally quite happy to go along with it, so it¡¯s fine, but it¡¯s pretty hard dealing with the aftermath when he does it to merchants . So, it¡¯s 2 J silver coins for a night, with dinner and breakfast included . Whenever you want a bath, just tell us, the fee is 4 J bronze coins each time . We can serve you breakfast anytime before the 9th bell . If all this is fine with you, the please sign here in the register . ¡±

    ¡°Alright . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know if 2 J silver coins was expensive or cheap, but he could easily pay it, considering how much he had on hand, so he agreed .

    (T/N: If you forgot, he got 26 J gold coins and 27 silver coins from Tiera . 1 gold = 100 silver)

    ¡°I don¡¯t actually know when I¡¯m staying until, how will that work out?¡±

    ¡°In that case, you can either pay day by day, or you can pay for a certain number of days in advance and then extend it as needed . For confirmation¡¯s sake, you¡¯re an adventurer, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I just registered today . It was Selica-san who referred this ce to me . ¡±

    ¡°A referral from Selica-san?! You should have said that in advance! In that case, it¡¯s 1 J silver and 90 J bronze per day . I normally rmend adventurers to pay for a few days in advance . It often happens that they can¡¯te back to the inn for a few days when they¡¯re off on a request . If you¡¯re not staying in the room and you haven¡¯t paid for it in advance, then we will deal with the stuff inside any way we see fit and rent the room out to someone else, so please be careful . ¡±

    For adventurers, requests that take up several days are not unusual, which would leave their room unupied for a while . If they can¡¯te back every day, then they can¡¯t pay day by day .

    ¡°I¡¯ll pay in advance, then . For now, this much . ¡±

    So saying, Shin took out a single J gold coin from his chest pocket (or so he pretended to, while actually taking it out from his inventory) and handed it over .

    ¡°50 days it is . What do you want to do about the change?¡±

    ¡°I do n on using the bath, so please put all the change towards that . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . When it runs out, we¡¯ll tell you . Now that it¡¯s all settled, please write your name here on the register . If you need a scribe to write it for you, that will be 2 J silver coins . ¡±

    ¡°No need, I¡¯m good . . . . . . . Is this fine?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Yes, that¡¯s fine . Shin-san it is . Here you go, your room is 201 on the second floor . Do you know about us having safes for you to put your valuables in?¡±

    ¡°Safes? No I don¡¯t, this is my first time hearing about it . ¡±

    After signing the inn register, Shin was handed the key to his room .

    However, he had never heard of inns in the game having safes, so he tilted his head quizzically .

    ¡°No matter, it won¡¯t hurt to know about them . Having safes is proof of being an inn with a certain amount of prestige and quality . A safe is, in short, a vault that you can safely leave your valuables in . It can only be opened by the person who put the things inside and the manager . It is utterly impervious to all attacks, be they physical, magical, or skill . Well, the safe is a magical item itself, but basically, even if the entire inn was leveled, the contents of the safe would still bepletely fine . What do you think? It¡¯s pretty awesome, ain¡¯t it? There aren¡¯t that many inns around here who have them . ¡±

    While listening to the exnation with the self-promotion subtly slipped in, Shin acknowledged that it sounded very sturdy . At the very least, he understood that having it made this inn a lot better than its neighbors . ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the ¡®poster old guy,¡¯ then this inn would have been perfect,¡± thought Shin while barely holding back a wry smile .

    After receiving the key, Shin immediately went up to the second floor . He didn¡¯t do it because he had luggage to put down, as he didn¡¯t really have much in the way of luggage, but rather to just check out the room .

    Room 201 was the first one from the end of the hallway on the second floor .

    Inside the 10 tatami size room were a table, a chair, a bed, and a closet . Considering that it was a room for a single person, the size was more than sufficient . Deeper inside the room was the aforementioned safe, where he could supposedly store his valuables . Shin was pretty sure that that was the safe, since there wasn¡¯t anything else in the room that looked like one .

    (T/N: In Japan, the size of a room, and that of a house is typically measured by the number of tatami mats or jou . The dimensions of a mat is usually around 90 cm by 180 cm by 5 cm . )

    Aside from the furnishings, the room also had a person toilet . It was even a flush toilet .

    Shin was very surprised, to put it mildly .

    Of course, a room at an inn having a toilet isn¡¯t really anything particrly surprising . However, Shin¡¯s situation was slightly special .

    In the first ce, the very concept of a toilet did not exist in THE NEW GATE .

    No matter how much the game aimed to mimic reality, most likely the idea of including the bodily function of excretion did not even cross the developers¡¯ minds . What a downer it would be if nature suddenly called when the yer was just enjoying traveling through the world or was in the middle of a monster attack!

    It was no different in the death game . Therefore, it had been more than a year since Shin hadst seen a toilet . And it wasn¡¯t just any toilet, it was a flush toilet .

    It could be said that an inn with the quality of The Badger¡¯s Pavilion having a personal toilet in each room was a given, but as Shin had been living without toilets, the sight invoked a weird feeling of surprise mixed with nostalgia .

    ¡°To think that I would feel nostalgia from seeing a toilet . . . . . . ¡±

    It was altogether a very strange mood that Shin found himself in .

    ????

    After checking everything in his room, Shin made sure to lock his door and then went downstairs .

    His current goals were to procure both food and gather information . Well, the first one was kind of optional, as he had just eaten at the guild . However, the rent on his room included the meal, so Shin was actually nning on ordering as much as he could . It was a truly lower middle ss way of thinking .

    The first floor was the same as before, filled with groups of adventurers making merry . ¡¾Analyze X¡¿told Shin that their average level was around 120 .

    Shin remembered the knights that he had seen in Tsuki no Hokora . He hadn¡¯t looked too closely, but their levels were in the 100 to 110 range, with the three who leftst above that . He started musing about the power rtionship between the knights of the country and the adventurers .

    Shin grabbed an empty seat, ordered his food, then listened around himself while waiting for the food toe . He activated¡¾Listen¡¿, which allowed him to clearly hear all sounds within a set radius, and¡¾Noise Cancel¡¿, which allowed him to selectively dismiss specific sounds and voices . Thanks to those two skills, Shin was able to listen to any specific person or conversation he wanted with enough rity to hear even whispers .

    The second skill originally came with a list of the sounds that could be canceled, and it was impossible to cancel sounds not on the list . However, in this world, Shin found that he could cancel whatever sound he wanted just by thinking about it .

    Most of what he heard were normal conversations without much worth to him . However, he knew better than to easily dismiss information heard from ces like this . Back in the game, he often heard unexpected information in ces like this . He wasn¡¯t sure if the same thing would work in this parallel world, but because he was alsocking a lot of basic knowledge about this world, he would still learn a lot by listening around .

    ¡°Have you heard? Apparently Wilhelm was at it again with a group of monsters . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m absolutely starving~ . I need food, I tell you . Food!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a rumor that a Skull Face was seen in the North Forest . ¡±

    ¡°Lately, there is a lot of Hilk grass around . ¡±

    ¡°This beer is de~licious!¡±

    ¡°May I order now~?¡±

    ¡° ¡®Poster old guy¡¯ . . . . . . huh?¡±

    ¡°Tsugumi-chan,e refill my tankard~, wait, Douma, that was a joahhhhh¡ª¡±

    Shin mentally sorted through the information that he¡¯d heard while waiting for his food .

    For some reason, a guy was flying in the air, but no one paid it any mind . Judging by theck of a reaction, Shin guessed that it was probably amon urrence and just looked on .

    Some of the things that he heard piqued his interest, so he filed them away somewhere in a corner of his memory . The one that he found most worthy of mention was the Skull Face .

    Skull Faces were undead monsters with a grading system of Pawn, Jack, Queen, and so on . The grade depends on the level, so failure to confirm the Skull Face¡¯s grade could easily lead to the experience of a crushing defeat .

    ¡°Thank you for the wait, here is your order . ¡±

    Shin returned to himself at the voice . As he was more used to usingbat rted skills, using other ones required more concentration for Shin .

    When he turned towards where the voice came from, he saw Douma¡¯s daughter cing down food onto his table .

    ¡°You looked a bit out of it . Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Aah, I was just thinking about something . Umm . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet . I¡¯m Tsugumi Bear . My dad and the rest are currently busy in the kitchen, so if you need anything please call out to me . ¡±

    ¡°Alright, thanks . I think you already know by now, but I¡¯m Shin . I¡¯m sort of an adventurer . ¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re not really one?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t actually received my guild card yet . ¡±

    ¡°I see . By the way, what were you thinking about just now? Was it something like how to quickly rise in rank?¡±

    After bringing the food, Shin expected her to go back to her work . However, Tsugumi instead pulled out a chair at his table and started asked him a question, visibly brimming with curiosity . Shin guessed that it must have been because beginner adventurers were rare .

    ¡°Nah, I n on taking my time raising my rank . I came from somewhere extremely far away from civilization, so I¡¯m still quitecking in generalmon knowledge . I¡¯m trying to learn as much as I can from my surroundings . ¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is . I myself only know this ce, but I¡¯ve heard that people from other countries aren¡¯t really that different from us . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well, as they say, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be prepared . ¡±

    ¡°Fuun~, you¡¯re a weird one . Most new adventurers only think about how to level up the quickest or how to raise their rank the quickest . Low ranked adventurers are apparently made fun of quite often . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised . I don¡¯t really deny being weird . Well, if I ever get made fun of, I¡¯ll take care of it in a suitable manner . ¡±

    Shin showed a broad grin full of confidence . He didn¡¯t know much about the image that people have of adventurers, but he had plenty of confidence in his own strength . It was a very adventurer way of thinking .

    ¡°Heh~, you have confidence in your own strength?¡±

    ¡°Quite . But when things get really bad, I¡¯ll run away . I don¡¯t want to die, after all . ¡±

    Shin had no intention of starting anything, but he began to suspect that something was going on .

    ¡°More like, why are you casually sitting down? Don¡¯t you have to serve the other customers too, miss waitress?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll call me if they need anything . See, my mom¡¯se out too . ¡±

    Following Tsugumi¡¯s line of sight revealed a woman with simr brown hair tied up in a ponytail behind her head taking orders at another table .

    There were so many simrities between Tsugumi and the woman that Shin was convinced that she was indeed Tsugumi¡¯s mother . Shin wondered if Tsugumi would be as pretty as her mother when she grows up .

    ¡°So you¡¯re cking off . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not cking off! Call it information gathering, you hear? Information gathering . ¡±

    ¡°From a newbie adventurer?¡±

    ¡°You might be someone with a really bright future . I mean, I¡¯ve seen a lot of adventurers, so I think I have a bit of an eye for people . ¡±

    Tsugumi ced her hand on her heart while looking full of confidence .

    ¡°Hehh, so, what score do I get?¡±

    ¡°Hmm . . . . . . you are somewhere around 85 . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . is that a score that I should be happy about?¡±

    As numbers went, it was sort of a high number, but the grading criteria here was not clear .

    ¡°It means I can expect a little bit from you . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty strict . What brought my score down?¡±

    ¡°Firstly, youck ambition . Although it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re overestimating your own strength, people whock the ambition to get stronger rarely end up aplishing great things . But that¡¯s just from what I¡¯ve seen, of course . ¡±

    ¡°Ambition, you say . Well, maybe it¡¯lle to me gradually . ¡±

    In the first ce, Shin didn¡¯t register with the guild to gain fame as an adventurer, and nned to merely put in a mediocre amount of effort . It seems like Tsugumi had caught onto that .

    ¡°You really do n on taking your time, huh . Well, that might be just who you are . I think it¡¯s about time I get back to work, I might get scolded if I stay any longer . Work moderately hard at your adventuring~!¡±

    She left with a wink and resumed taking orders at other tables . There were more customers than before, and now every one of the tables were filled with people .

    He felt bad about taking up an entire table by himself, so he nned to eat quickly and then retreat back to his room . The more people there were, the higher the chance of trouble . He also recalled Tsugumi¡¯s advice about newbie adventurers being looked down upon .

    Then again, that wasn¡¯t the main reason why he wanted to get back to his room . If he really had to say, it was more because he wanted to put his stuff in order . After arriving in this world, most of his time had been spent on learning and confirming, so he wanted to take some time to perform a thorough inventory of everything he had .

    After inventorying his things, he took a bath, then got into something easier to sleep in .

    Ever since the game, it was his habit to set up a barrier around his room before going to bed . He had detection type skills, so it was unlikely that he would get attacked in his sleep, but it never hurt to be careful .

    The bed was fluffy and cozy . While thanking Selica in his mind, drowsiness overtook him .

    In the midst of slumber, he dimly remembered something that had slipped his mind .

    ¡°I forgot to . . . . . . leave a . . . . . . message . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    After all themotion from the curse, he had totally forgotten to leave a message for Schnee .

    When he woke up, the first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling .

    He was about to ask aloud where he was, but then he remembered everything that had happened yesterday .

    Ending the final battle, being sent to a parallel world, dispelling Tiera¡¯s curse, and everything that happened at the guild .

    It wasn¡¯t that he wished it was all a dream, but there was indeed a part of him that had hoped that he would find himself in a bed in a hospital after having sessfully logged out .

    ¡°There¡¯s no way things would be so convenient, I suppose . ¡±

    So muttering, he surveyed his surroundings .

    The room was still dim, with the sunrise apparently still a while ahead .

    He felt the presence of people moving around on the first floor . It seems that people in this world get up quite early .

    ¡°No irregrities from both the barrier and the detection skills . The me from before wouldn¡¯t have even imagined being on guard and checking my surroundings right after waking up . ¡±

    Shin got out of bed while smiling wryly at the thought of how long it had been since he hadst been able to let his guard down while sleeping .

    When he opened the window, the outside air rushed in . Feeling the slight chill, he looked downwards and saw peopleing and going . The crowd was still sparse, but he could feel the city graduallying to life .

    The rooms of The Badger¡¯s Pavilion were a bit higher than the nearby buildings, so he had a good view of the townscape of the western district . For a while, he remained captivated at the sight of a city that was moving not ording to aputer program .

    Perhaps due to sleeping early, there was no trace of sleepiness in him, and his head felt very clear . He felt no need to go back to sleep, so instead he just gazed at the suning up over the walls surrounding the town .

    The dim streets slowly became doused in the warm sunlight .

    After a while, everything had be light, and the number of people going to and fro had increased considerably .

    Shin took out a jacket and pair of pants from his inventory, changed into them, then went downstairs after locking his door .

    On the first floor, he found peopleing down for food just like himself, people who were still eating, and people who were already leaving the inn .

    Most of the people that he saw were adventurers . Apparently, it wasn¡¯t unusual at all to be starting the day by sunrise .

    ¡°Good morning . Did you sleep wellst night?¡±

    The person who had greeted him was Tsugumi . She appeared with food on a tray with impable timing .

    ¡°Good morning . Thanks to you, I¡¯m now wide awake . ¡±

    ¡°d to hear it . You want breakfast, right? I¡¯ll bring it over right now, please take a seat first . ¡±

    ¡°Aah, please and thank you . ¡±

    Last night, he had chosen a seat where he could see all of the other tables, but he didn¡¯t feel as gung-ho about gathering information this morning, so he grabbed a seat at the counter .

    The breakfast that came out was made up of ck bread and stew . The ck bread wasn¡¯tpletely hard, but was more like a baguette in firmness . The colorful stew was filled with vegetables and meat and had a lot more volume than it looked .

    Looking around, Shin saw that everyone was dipping the ck bread into the stew . Apparently no one really ate the ck bread by itself .

    ¡°This is amazing stuff . ¡±

    It was very likely thoroughly boiled . Each and every ingredient¡¯s was thoroughly soaked into the stew and was soft enough to automatically melt inside the mouth . It was another kind of deliciousness to eat it together with the bread .

    It was so much more delicious than his expectations that he ordered two more helpings before finally leaning back with a satisfied sigh . He slightly regretted eating so much .

    ¡°What a great appetite first thing in the morning!¡±

    ¡°I thought so too yesterday, but this ce¡¯s cooking is just way too delicious . ¡±

    ¡°You sure know what to say . I¡¯ll give you a little extra service, then . If you¡¯re going to the guild to get your guild card, then you should probably wait a while more before going . ¡±

    ¡°Is something going on at this time?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s especially crowded early in the morning . There would be low rankers cutting in front of you or forcing you to join their party, so you should be careful . ¡±

    ¡°That sounds quite dangerous indeed . Don¡¯t the staff at the guild stop them?¡±

    ¡°They do stop anything too overt, but these guys are good at doing it in covert ways . ¡±

    ¡°I see, so they¡¯re all used to it . ¡±

    While thinking that the ones who were doing these things could only be small fries, Shin conceded shifting his schedule back a bit . He would be able to easily handle it if they messed with him, but he didn¡¯t want to be involved in any trouble .

    ¡°With that said, you might not be able to rely on them when it really matters . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m of the same opinion . ¡±

    ¡°So yea, because of that, it would be better if you waited for a while more before heading over . ¡±

    So saying, Tsugumi turned around to another table where customers were waiting to order .

    Thanking Tsugumi for her considerate advice, Shin passed the time sipping on fruit juice . As he had nothing else to do, he resumed information gathering while checking out the other adventurers¡¯ equipment and weapons .

    It was only this morning that he realized how valuable the weapons that he had been using so casually were . Due to remembering that he had forgotten to leave a message before falling asleep, Shin was reminded of the rows of weapons and tools all lined up back in Tsuki no Hokora .

    All of the things on sale at Tsuki no Hokora were beginner items, with only a few that were of a slightly higher quality . It wasn¡¯t like there was nothing for the slightly more experienced, but their number was so low that a single hand was enough to count them on .

    Shin had been quite sad at seeing the overall quality of the goods being sold .

    With this reason, he turned to survey the nearby equipment . He had seen a bitst night, but due to the higher rate at which adventurers wereing and going this morning, he was getting a more reliable reference .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Tilting his ss of fruit juice, his line of sight swept across the other tables .

    From what he saw, a lot of the weapons were made of bronze or iron, with only very few people who held anything better . As for equipment, it was mostly made of fur or iron, and he didn¡¯t see anyone wearing enchanted armor .

    Shin surmised that most likely the quality of equipment had greatly fallen since the game . He grew restless thinking about the deplorable situation .

    It was precisely with this fear in mind that Shin had purposely chosen to wear low ranked equipment . He was currently wearing¡ºGround Lizard¡¯s Jacket¡»and¡ºTrousers of Demon Spider Thread¡» . Both of them were made of materials easily gathered by someone at level 70 . With that said, though, he did strengthen them to the max, so their performance was more than four times better .

    It was the same for the katana¡ºSuda [Several Strikes]¡»that was hanging from his side . ¡ºSuda¡»was the beginning weapon that he had received when he adopted the samurai ss . It could indeed be strengthened, but obviously there was a limit, so the majority of yers eventually sold theirs or threw it into storage . The thing is, even such a weapon was still better than a lot of the weapons being carried by the adventurers that Shin was seeing .

    He gained a better understanding of how valuable Balkus¡¯s equips were .

    After hanging out and gathering information for about 30 more minutes, Shin left The Badger¡¯s Pavilion .

    Volume 1 Chapter 3 Part 2

    Shin continued observing the town while waiting towards the guild . When he hade through this routest night, there weren¡¯t a lot of people due to thete hour . Now, though,the road from the western district to the southern district that also goes through the eastern district was the very illustration of the word ¡®variety . ¡¯

    All kinds of food stands were lined up at the side of the street, with people looking for breakfast or buying lunch bustling about . There were also stalls selling armor, magic items, other things needed by adventurers, and even tools that Shin couldn¡¯t make heads nor tails of .

    It almost seemed a lie that daybreak had been only two hours ago .

    Staying within the shadows of the stalls, Shin continued making his way towards the guild . There were a lot of other adventurers wearing their weapons, so Shin with his katana on his hip did not draw much attention .

    It was Shin¡¯s habit to keep¡¾Search¡¿activated . There was also the matter of the letter of introduction, so Shin decided to not deactivate it after all .

    After walking about 40 minutes, the signboard of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild finally came into view . Due to his efforts to avoid the crowds, the trip took him longer than it did yesterday .

    Shin walked in as a group of adventurers came out . Even though he had waited a bit beforeing, he felt like there were still quite a lot of people left .

    The reception desk was currently being manned by Selica and a female elf . She had small, pointed ears like Tiera, so he was probably not wrong . Drawing closer to the desk, Shin spoke to Selica first .

    ¡°Good morning . I came to get my guild card . ¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Shin-sama . We have that prepared, please wait a moment while we fetch it . By the way, this is Els, whom you were looking for . Els, this is Shin-sama, who I was telling you about earlier . ¡±

    As Selica called out to her, the elfdy seated at the neighboring reception desk came over towards Shin .

    ¡°Good morning, Shin-sama . My name is Els Balt . I heard that you¡¯ve been looking for me . May I ask what business do you have with me?¡±

    Els was a ssic example of elven beauty who looked 24 to 25 . She had vivid, green hair that reached all the way to her waist and blue eyes reminiscent of ake shore . Slightly taller than the average woman, her height appeared to be somewhere in thete 170s . She also had enough style and good looks to put models to shame . Her being an adventurer on top of all that made Shin think that the world was much bigger than he¡¯d thought .

    It wasn¡¯t right to just keep on staring, so Shin immediately began talking to her .

    ¡°It¡¯s this . I was told that it was most likely addressed to you . ¡±

    So saying, he retrieved the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora and handed it to Els . He had already taken anti-theft measures on it .

    ¡°Addressed . . . . . . to me?¡±

    Tilting her head at the strange description of ¡°most likely addressed to you,¡± Els opened the letter and began looking over its contents .

    The moment she opened the letter, her eyes widened . After reading it, disbelief and shock colored her expression .

    ¡°It can¡¯t be . . . . . . no, but . . . . . . ¡±

    Selica looked slightly worried at her coworker . Shin was curious what was written . Considering that it was from Tiera, it was likely about the curse, but he thought she had kept the curse a secret . Nothing else came to mind, though .

    Els was so shocked that she forgot about Shin and Selica and began muttering to herself in a low voice . With a start, she returned to her senses and looked at Shin .

    ¡°Umm, what is it?¡±

    Shin slightly winced under Els¡¯s steady gaze . Under the piercing stare, Shin wondered why he was being red at and started to feel flustered .

    ¡°You . . . . . . for Tiera . . . . . . thank you . Please also ept my own gratitude . ¡±

    She abruptly bowed to him . For some reason, she also started using casual speech .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I am not quite following the situation . . . . . . ¡±

    Things were happening so suddenly that Shin was lost .

    ¡°My apologies, I lost myposure . Selica, I will need to leave my seat for a bit, so please take care of the reception desk . I¡¯m sorry about this, but the conversation from now on will need to be in somewhere private . I will lead you to a room in the back, so can we continue this conversation there?¡±

    ¡°Understood . I will have someone elsee to take your ce at the desk . ¡±

    ¡°Okay . . . . . . ¡±

    Perhaps due to using casual speech, Els was giving out instructions with a practiced hand .

    Still wondering if something was wrong, Shin slightly dropped his shoulders while acquiescing to Els¡¯s suggestion .

    Going through the same hallway behind the reception desk as yesterday, he again entered the room that looked like a parlor . After Shin also came in, Els closed the and locked it . She came and sat on a sofa after doing a little something .

    ¡°Once again, please allow me to express my thanks . I¡¯m truly thankful to you for dispelling Tiera¡¯s curse . ¡±

    ¡°Aah, so it really was about that after all . ¡±

    It seemed that Els had already known about Tiera¡¯s curse . The runes on the letter of introduction were probably about him dispelling it .

    ¡°Please raise your head . I don¡¯t really consider what I did to be something this huge . ¡±

    ¡°Even so . I also searched for a way to remove the curse, but only came up empty handed . You did it in my ce . It is only natural for me to express my thanks . ¡±

    There was indeed an item that could remove the curse, but as thought it was probably really hard to get . Maybe she had even gone onto adventures rted to the curse .

    ¡°If possible, I don¡¯t really want this to be a big deal . Oh, and also, are youfortable speaking that way?¡±

    ¡°I understand . By the name of the spirits of the forest, I swear to never leak this information to anyone else . Frankly, this isn¡¯t a topic that I can talk about in public anyways . About the way I speak, this is mostfortable for me . It was written that you are the kind of person who doesn¡¯t really care about things like this, but does it actually bother you?¡±

    ¡°Please speak in whatever way you like . I¡¯ll also do the same . So, what then? I don¡¯t think this is the only reason you had for bringing me to this room . I also noticed you doing something just now . ¡±

    ¡°That was magic to prevent eavesdropping . What we are about to talk about must not be heard even by other staff of the guild . With that said, it¡¯s actually something that I really want to ask you . ¡±

    It was clear that there was something that Els really wanted to ask, but in Shin¡¯s eyes it felt a tiny bit like an abuse of authority .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to say this ahead of time, but I might not be able to fully answer your questions . ¡±

    ¡°I am aware of that . However, I just can¡¯t hold myself back when I think that I may finally learn the method of dispelling the curse after searching more than 50 years withouting across even a single clue . ¡±

    Although intellectual curiosity was definitely a part of it, but Els¡¯s eyes were also trembling with an expression that included envy and longing .

    Fifty years . He didn¡¯t know if she had been at it the entire time, but the time that she had spent for Tiera¡¯s sake was more than twice the length of Shin¡¯s own life . Even though the curse was already lifted, he could understand why she still wanted to know .

    There could be other people who are still affected by this curse .

    ¡°The letter of introduction didn¡¯t mention how I did it?¡±

    ¡°It appears to have been written in quite a hurry . It didn¡¯t go into details . So, how was it . I will rpense you to the utmost of my ability, so would you teach it to me?!¡±

    Els pressed him while leaning forward . It was not altogether unpleasant to have a beautiful girl lean so close, but she did have a slightly bloodcurdlingly menacing look on her face .

    As Shin was still not familiar with this world¡¯s mon sense,¡¯ he couldn¡¯t judge whether he should so easily disclose information about¡¾Purification¡¿ .

    However, Els was someone that Tiera had trusted the information about her curse with, and Tiera had even taken the effort of writing onto the letter to let her know that it was gone . Rather, she was someone who had been searching for this dispelling method for Tiera¡¯s sake . He concluded that it would be fine to tell her .

    ¡°Fine, very well . I¡¯ll tell you, so just calm down and take a seat . ¡±

    Els sat back down on the sofa, and Shin readjusted his posture to sit morefortably .

    ¡°The way to lift the curse is to use the Holy Arts-Type Skill¡¾Purification¡¿ . There are other methods, but to my knowledge this is the most reliable one . ¡±

    He knew about the item that could also dispel the curse, but since he had never confirmed it himself, he decided to not go into details about it .

    ¡°¡¾Purification¡¿, you say . . . . . . To think that that skill also had such an effect . ¡±

    Els had a regretful ¡°if only I had known¡± expression on her face .

    From what Tiera had said, most of the people who could use¡¾Purification¡¿were high-ranking members of the clergy, so there were probably strings that she could have pulled .

    ¡°The people who have learned¡¾Purification¡¿ . . . . . . no, in this case I should say ¡®inherited . ¡¯ How many of them are there?¡±

    ¡°Only clergymen of rtively high status know the requirements for acquiring¡¾Purification¡¿ . They also don¡¯t know every single effect of the skill . In the first ce, I¡¯ve never even heard of someone outside the Church who could use¡¾Purification¡¿ . ¡±

    ¡°What . . . . . . did you say?¡±

    At Els¡¯s words, Shin thought, ¡°Again?!¡± and dropped his shoulders . He could easily imagine how bad the situation could get if word got out that he could use a skill valued so highly even within the Church . He was already conspicuous enough for being able to use skills, but being able to use this specific valuable skill would only lead to being forced into bing a part of things that he would much rather not be involved in .

    ¡°(This only seems like it¡¯s going to lead to more trouble . . . . . . ) I¡¯m begging you, please don¡¯t tell anyone else about this, okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course . I¡¯m also a skill holder myself, so the guild won¡¯t press me too hard . If they really try to force me, I¡¯ll just leave the guild . So don¡¯t worry about it . ¡±

    Els said it like it was nothing . Shin had been worried that it might be hard for her to defy orders from above, being part of an organization, but it appears that his fears were unfounded .

    ¡°Well, as long as you¡¯re careful about it . ¡±

    He won¡¯t say ¡°protect this secret with your life¡± even as a joke . Even if he meant it as a joke, he might be taken seriously . Shin didn¡¯t know how far he hoped that she would go to keep the secret . In the first ce, he didn¡¯t want to be involved with troublesome things, but he didn¡¯t consider this secret severe enough for anyone to die for .

    ¡°You have removed a huge weight off my mind . Even though it was safe, being stuck inside that house for so many years must have been really hard on her . ¡±

    ¡°I thought so too . I decided to help lift the curse because of a simr reason . By the way, how do you know about the curse? I can¡¯t imagine Tiera opening up about it on her own . ¡±

    She was even chased out of her vige . Shin imagined that Tiera would be even more disinclined to share it with a fellow elf .

    ¡°Tiera and I came from the same vige . I had be an adventurer and was going around the world, and one time when I came back for a visit we met each other . At that time, she was still a normal elf . She was a young girl with beautiful silver hair . ¡±

    ¡°I see, I see . ¡±

    ¡°When I returned after hearing about her falling under the curse, she had already been driven out of the vige . When I was asking around about what curse it was, I didn¡¯t even think that she was still alive until I met Schnee . ¡±

    It would probably be hard to imagine someone still surviving while affected by a curse that continued to call such powerful monsters . In fact, if Schnee hadn¡¯t taken her under protection, her survival rate would definitely have been zero .

    ¡°She got cursed, but then got saved by Schnee . . . . . . I¡¯m not sure whether her luck is good or bad . ¡±

    ¡°The only one to decide that would be Tiera herself . Thanks to you, the curse is gone now, so I think it¡¯s fine if she can be happy from now on . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true . It¡¯s not our ce to make the judgment . So, that¡¯s about it for this topic . Is there anything else that you want to ask?¡±

    ¡°Nope, you¡¯ve already given me answers for all of the questions that I had . Sorry for taking up your time . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it . It¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t understand how you were feeling . ¡±

    They hadn¡¯t even been talking for 30 minutes, so it wasn¡¯t that big a deal .

    Leaving the parlor behind and returning to the reception desk, they found Selica and a different receptionistdy talking together . Noticing that Els had returned, the other receptionist left Selica and bowed lightly before returning to the second floor .

    ¡°Is everything fine now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we finished our talk . ¡±

    ¡°Sorry about that, Selica . You were a great help . ¡±

    With a simple thanks, Els went back to the neighboring reception desk and began to process the request form of an adventurer who had been waiting .

    ¡°Well then, Shin-sama, here is your guild card . It is also your ID card, so please take care to not lose it . In the event that you lose it or require a reissue for any other reason, the fee will be 10 J silver coins . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Shin received the guild card that Selica had prepared . On the card was his name, rank, affiliation, party, and other such personal detail . Shin remembered Silica exining that this information could only be seen by himself and someone with a specialized tool .

    ¡°Let¡¯s try picking up a request right away . ¡±

    He looked over the requests stuck onto the bulletin board . G rank requests were mostly harvesting or routine tasks, and thus were very safe but also yielded very low rewards . With that said, the average reward was still 1 J silver coin, so Shin learned that adventurers indeed had pretty high ies .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with this . ¡±

    He removed a page from a request book stuck onto the board and returned to the reception desk with it . With his low rank, he wouldn¡¯t get very far if he tried to go around gathering information . He intended to raise his rank a bit as preparation .

    ¡°I would like to take on this request, please . ¡±

    ¡°The harvesting of Hilk grass, very well . As this request is usually always avable, there is no time limit on itspletion . When you bring back 30 pieces, then you will receive the reward of 1 J silver coin . ¡±

    ¡°If I bring back 60 pieces at once, will I get paid 2 J silver coins?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Hilk grass is an ingredient for potions, so there is a constant demand for it . There is also the option of picking them on the way while fulfilling another request . Please confirm that this is the request you wish to adopt . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, please . Oh right, I don¡¯t actually know what Hilk grass is, would you happen to have an illustrated reference book?¡±

    ¡°We do indeed . Please wait a short while . ¡±

    In truth, he had seen it while in the game, but he wanted to double check . Selica went to a bookshelf behind the reception area and fetched a book even thicker than Kojien .

    (T/N: Kojien is one of the definitive Japanese dictionaries .  Google it . )

    Transferring the book from her arms to the desk, Selica muttered a soft ¡°nn, sho . ¡±

    (T/N: Yokkoisho is a phrase Japanese people say when exerting effort, i . e . bringing a heavy book over . Selica used an abbreviated version of it . )

    ¡°Fuu~, here is the illustrated reference book on nts . Hilk grass . . . . . . here it is . ¡±

    Thanking Selica for putting in the effort of even turning the pages to the Hilk grass entry, Shin confirmed the shape of the grass and where it grew . Its appearance was pretty much unchanged, with jagged leaves 10~15 cm long . They grew in clumps, so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find 30 of them .

    ¡°So they¡¯re inside the Eastern Forest and Northern Forest . ¡±

    ording to the reference book, Hilk grass grew most frequently deep within the Eastern Forest and Northern Forest .

    ¡°People often unintentionally wander deeper and deeper into the forest while searching for Hilk grass, so please be careful . If you go in too deep, you might get attacked by ferocious monsters . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful . ¡±

    When he had been heading towards Tsuki no Hokora, he had cut across the Eastern Forest, but he thought it better to not mention that . The so-called ferocious monsters had already been converted into rent money .

    ¡°Take care on your way . ¡±

    He left the guild while being sent off by Selica .

    While thinking that he should have bought a map in advance and other simr thoughts rted to nning the near future, Shin turned his feet towards the eastern gate .

    ????

    ¡ª¡ª Inside the guild¡¯s break room after Shin left

    After organizing documents, Els and Selica were drinking tea while talking about Shin .

    ¡°Selica, it took me a while to finally get around to asking, but do you know who that guy is?¡±

    ¡°Thinking about it, I never did tell you, did I . But truthfully, I don¡¯t know much either . ¡±

    Shin had showed up at the guild only yesterday, so Selica didn¡¯t know much either . Since Els had already seen the letter of introduction herself, the only thing that Selica could tell her about was the exchange with Balkus .

    ¡°The fact that he won handily against¡ºBlue Wolf¡»is about all I can tell you . Even I can tell that he possesses very considerable fighting strength . ¡±

    As she was speaking to a colleague, Selica dropped the formal speech and spoke casually . She had nned on telling all this to Els in the first ce, so there was no problem bringing it up now . Just in case, though, both of them took extra precaution by not naming any names .

    Incidentally,¡ºBlue Wolf¡»was Balkus¡¯s nickname .

    There wasn¡¯t much information on ¡®that person¡¯ ¡ª Shin . The reason why Selica was telling Els all this was because of Els¡¯s official position in the guild .

    ¡°I see, no wonder I couldn¡¯t see anything . ¡±

    Els nodded her head with an understanding look on her face .

    ¡°Really? You couldn¡¯t see anything?¡±

    In response to Els¡¯s look of understanding, Selica¡¯s face registered disbelief .

    Els was an executive staff member with authority second to the sub-master . She had this position because she was a skill inheritor who could use¡¾Analyze VII¡¿and also held the Gift¡ºObserver¡» . As a result, she could see the level and name of even people with a higher level than herself, allowing her to know immediately when someone was using a fake name . In actuality, she could see Balkus¡¯s exact level with a nce .

    Who on earth was Shin that even Els couldn¡¯t see through him .

    They didn¡¯t even know if the name ¡®Shin¡¯ was his real name or not .

    ¡°Well, there probably isn¡¯t much cause for concern . I can¡¯t imagine Tiera handing a letter of introduction to a bad person, and when I personally talked with him there didn¡¯t seem to be anything shifty about him . ¡±

    ¡°¡ºBlue Wolf¡»was of the same opinion . We do think that he is a bit weird, though . ¡±

    Thestment was muttered by Selica while remembering the inexplicable sense of security that she felt from Shin .

    ¡° ¡®Weird¡¯ . . . . . . huh . Indeed he is . His real strength and the aura around him doesn¡¯t really seem to match . ¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean . I don¡¯t know how to say this, but I feel something like a sense of security from him . ¡±

    The two of them chattered on with a carefree atmosphere .

    ¡°I really don¡¯t get it . . . . . . ¡±

    The more they thought about it, the more the image of the person called Shin blurred .

    They would normally feel unease in such a situation . However, no trace of such feelings could be found in either of their chests .

    After leaving the guild, Shin went straight towards the eastern gate without making any significant detours . He followed the road for a while, but eventually left it to enter the forest . It was standard for beginner adventurers to head towards the Eastern Forest, as it supposedly didn¡¯t have too many ferocious monsters .

    Beid had taught him that ¡®supposedly¡¯ was the key word here as he passed through the eastern gate . Several beginners had already set off towards the Eastern Forest today . Beid had been guarding the southern gate up till yesterday, but apparently the guards rotated positions at set intervals . For a while, Beid will be posted at the eastern gate .

    Back in the game, this was an easy quest that could be finished within 30 minutes . Intending to finish quickly and go to the library afterwards, Shin stepped forward .

    Though it was a ce for beginners to go to, it was a dark and gloomy forest with very dense vegetation . Beid had told him that only low level monsters and wild beasts appear here, but Shin¡¯s impression was that someone not used to the ce would definitely find it scary .

    Refusing to blindly ept the information at face value, Shin kept his guard up while searching for Hilk grass .

    If his memory served him right, they preferred to grow in ces easily reachable by sunlight, so he focused on that point in his search .

    He had heard that there was plenty of Hilk grass all over the ce, so at this time Shin was still expecting to finish quickly .

    ????

    ¡° . . . . . . not here . ¡±

    It¡¯s been almost 3 hours since he entered the forest .

    ¡° . . . . . . Not here either!¡±

    His current score . . . . . . 0 .

    ¡° . . . . . . Can¡¯t find iiiiiiiiiittttttt~~~!!!¡±

    He still couldn¡¯t find a single de of Hilk grass .

    The memory of entering the forest with high spirits seemed so long ago . Despite walking around the forest while keeping an eye out for sunlit ces, there was absolutely nothing to be seen for his efforts .

    ¡°This is strange . . . . . . no matter how hard it is, how can I not have seen a single one so far?!¡±

    He had gone quite far into the forest, so it was about time that he started seeing them around . He didn¡¯t sense the presence of any adventurers nearby, so it wasn¡¯t that someone else was picking them before him .

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll try going a bit deeper, then . ¡±

    Trusting in the reference book¡¯s im that it would be easier to find them deeper in the forest, he dove in deeper . Naturally, his surroundings grew dimmer and he began to feel the presence of wild animals here and there .

    So far, he had encountered no monsters, and was able to focus on his search . He stopped at a depth right before where he thought monsters would show up and started looking around .

    From where he started, he saw no patches of sunlight anywhere, so he decided to a fine toothb of the entire area . He looked through thickets, next to tree roots, and literally everywhere that he could see, but the herb was nowhere to be found .

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty hungry now . . . . . . ¡±

    The sun had risen high in the sky, indicating that it was already around lunchtime . He had been walking nonstop the whole time, so his stomach had already been crying for food from a while back .

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat, shall we?¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t make much progress searching on an empty stomach, so also as a change of pace he decided to have a lunch break .

    There was a conveniently ced stump nearby, so he brought out some food from his inventory and began eating . The menu was hotdog and Coke . Food stored inside the inventory won¡¯t ever go bad . When he was going through his inventoryst night, he had discovered that the food in his inventory were still good to eat, so he didn¡¯t have to really buy lunch for today .

    Originally, the food also gave stat increases or recovered HP, but apparently all such effects had been removed, or he just didn¡¯t feel them .

    He also had more expensive foods, but he would probably just eat them as mere food . It¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to have time to eat them in the middle of monster fights .

    ¡°Mugu, mmm, fuu~ . Well then, let¡¯s get back to work . ¡±

    He finished his lunch quickly . Why he ate so fast was partly because it was just junk food . The other part was because it would be troublesome if wild animals or monsters were drawn over because of the smell

    He resumed his search for Hilk grass, but still couldn¡¯t find any .

    Three more hours passed after his lunch . By this point, it was more refreshing to not find any . He suspected that the Eastern Forest had already been picked clean of Hilk grass .

    After one more hour, Shin was starting to feel tired, so he decided to go back to the inn first . His physical body wasn¡¯t feeling much fatigue, but his mental self had taken quite a beating from not finding anything after such a long search .

    When he got back to the town gate, it happened to be the time for guard change . Apparently, the ones on patrol and the ones guarding the gate were exchanging roles .

    Shin found Beid among those getting off from patrolling . While checking Shin¡¯s guild card, Beid struck light conversation .

    ¡°Yo, you look pretty tired . Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Listen to this . I went to the Eastern Forest to look for Hilk grass, but I haven¡¯t found a single de after a whole day of searching . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Oi, oi, you can easily find those just by randomly looking around . Even today, I saw several beginnersing back with them . ¡±

    ¡°Whaaaaatttt???¡±

    The other beginners came back with them . This sentence struck Shin dumbfounded . Beid delivered a finishing blow .

    ¡°I think every single one of them came back before noon . Don¡¯t tell me, you searched the entire day . . . . . . ?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . aaaaa . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin covered his face with his hands and dropped his shoulders, all crestfallen . He had been a rank SS adventurer back during the game . Despite the constion that this was a different world, his pride was stillpletely shred to pieces .

    ¡°Well, what can I say . Cheer up . ¡±

    ¡°Ku, your words of encouragement hurt . . . . . . ¡±

    Beid didn¡¯t know anyone else who searched so hard for Hilk grass without finding any, so he didn¡¯t know what to say and just said whatever came to mind .

    ¡°Well, you know, luck is a pretty big factor too . Just think that today was a really unlucky day, and try again tomorrow . ¡±

    ¡°Yea, I guess . . . . . . maybe I¡¯ll try going a bit deeper into the forest tomorrow . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t go in too deep . I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll make that kind of mistake, but there have been a ton of beginners who went in too deep and died . ¡±

    ¡°I got it . Alright, seeya . ¡±

    He understood Beid¡¯s worry . There was no time limit on this request, so there was no need to hurry . However, not wanting to back down after having gone so far could be said to be a verymon state of mind . ¡°Now that it¡¯se to this, let¡¯s try the Northern Forest,¡± thought Shin as he immediately started nning tomorrow out .

    Volume 1 Chapter 3 Part 3

    The next day .

    Shin rose with the dawn and quickly went into action .

    After confirming his preparations and grabbing breakfast at The Badger¡¯s Pavilion, he pushed through the crowds towards the eastern gate . On the way, he made a short detour to a tool store to buy a simple map of the kingdom and the surrounding area . Yesterday, he didn¡¯t think he would go far and had expected to return quickly, so he didn¡¯t buy it . He remedied that today .

    It was called a map, but was actually more like just a rough sketch with only a few details . Shin still wanted to explore the kingdomter on in the future, so he bought a map that showed both the kingdom and the Northern Forest .

    Walking for a while after leaving the tool store, Shin saw a throng gathered at the gate . He drew near, curious about what was happening .

    Entering through the gate was a vehicle barely recognizable as a carriage, a coachman, and several adventurers following behind . The coachman was unhurt, but all of the adventurers were heavily injured, with some that had even lost an arm . They were hobbling along while supporting each other . They had clearly escaped from something only by the skin of their teeth .

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    There were all sorts of people of different races in the crowd, but no one was stepping forward to help . Even the guards who were investigating hung back at a distance and merely looked on .

    (Their levels are 131, 129, 118, and 134 . )

    Shin remembered that the Squad Leader of the Knights¡¯ Order¡¯s Elite Squad was level 188 . His power was probably on the level of an A rank, so the adventurers that Shin was currently looking at were probably C or D rank . From afar, he inferred that the damage to their armor and to the carriage was by a de, but considering that the entire roof of the carriage was gone, it might be too hasty to immediately conclude that it was a bandit attack .

    After a while, the onlookers gradually dispersed, and people arrived to tend to the adventurers .

    Shin walked towards the gate and called out to Beid .

    ¡°Hey Beid, what happened to the guys just now?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah, it¡¯s you . It wasn¡¯t anything big, they just got attacked by a monster and escaped . ¡±

    Turns out it wasn¡¯t bandits after all .

    ¡°So that¡¯s what it was . May I ask exactly what they were attacked by?¡±

    ¡°I can tell you if you don¡¯t carelessly spread it around . Well, considering that it¡¯s you, it¡¯ll be fine . Either way, it¡¯s probably going to bemon gossip really soon anyways . ¡±

    ¡°Was it something really huge?¡±

    Shin needed to know how strong the monster was to decide if he needed to be on guard against it, so he waited for Beid¡¯s response .

    ¡° . . . . . . It was a Skull Face . I¡¯m sure even you¡¯ve heard at least the rumors of them?¡±

    ¡°Aah, I think it was the Northern Forest . . . . . . was it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . There have been very little eyewitness reports, so we were expecting a Pawn ss, but apparently it turned out to be a Jack ss . ¡±

    ¡°Jack ss . . . . . . How many people were in that party?¡±

    ¡°They were two full parties, thus a total of twelve people . As you saw, only four survived . ¡±

    ¡°I see . . . . . . ¡±

    The level of a Jack ss Skull Face was between 150 to 250 . Based on the levels of the adventurers that he saw earlier, the parties¡¯ average level was probably around 120 . Considering their armor, and that there were twelve of them, for them to lose would mean that the Jack ss Skull Face was at least level 200 .

    ¡°Right now, they¡¯re gathering all the higher ranked adventurers . Depending on the situation, maybe even the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s head or the Knight¡¯s Order¡¯s head would also have to move . ¡±

    ¡°Based on the level of the monster, that sounds about right . Nn? What about the princess? I heard that she is pretty strong . ¡±

    He remembered that the second princess was above level 200 too .

    ¡°There¡¯s no way she woulde . . . . . . Though she is indeed very strong, as a member of the royal family she can¡¯te out so easily to fight monsters . ¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that from what I¡¯ve heard, she sounded like someone who really liked to fight . Didn¡¯t she defeat a Horn Dragon before?¡±

    ¡°Aah . . . . . . that was . . . . . . ¡±

    In contrast to yesterday, it was now Beid¡¯s turn to cover his face with his hand and drop his shoulders . It was apparently a taboo subject .

    ¡°We-well, I¡¯ll just take care to not go anywhere near the Northern Forest . Seeya . ¡±

    ¡°I think you already know this, but just be careful!¡±

    Drinking in the air, Shin hurried towards the Eastern Forest . Looks like working for the royal family brought with it its own problems .

    Reaching the Eastern Forest, he cut straight through the ces that he had searched yesterday and dove straight into the heart of the forest . ¡¾Search¡¿told him that there were several monsters prowling about, but he could easily handle all of them, and thus paid them no mind .

    He walked around deep inside the forest in search of Hilk grass . Confirming the information that they were easier to find deep in the forest, he did indeed find several clumps of them, which brought his current score to thirteen . Even so, it was still less than halfway to his goal .

    Walking around for two more hours failed to yield any more than the first thirteen pieces, so he decided to go to the Northern Forest . There was only a rarely used road separating the Eastern Forest and the Northern Forest, so he set his course westward with the intention of diving straight into the Northern Forest .

    After walking for a while, he came across the road . It was barely wide enough for two carriages to pass by each other .

    Shin realized that the ce where the adventurers had been attacked was somewhere nearby . The proof was the roof of the carriage lying at the side of the road . Now that he was looking closer, he could also see what seemed to be bloodstains and broken off pieces of armor . The reason why he didn¡¯t see any corpses was probably because the wild animals and monsters around the ce had already taken care of them .

    ¡°In this world, even a Skull Face is a formidable opponent, huh . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin sighed while staring at the remains of the carriage . Considering all this muchmotion over a single Jack ss Skull Face, if an even stronger monster appeared then probably all residents of the area would have to abandon their homes, Shin thought .

    ¡°Oh well, there¡¯s no point in me thinking about this right now . ¡±

    Chasing these thoughts to the back of his mind, he stepped into the Northern Forest .

    The vegetation in the Northern Forest was even denser than the Eastern Forest . As a result, less than half of the sunlight actually filtered through, causing the forest to be pretty dark even during daytime . He would need to watch his step even when walking normally . Thinking about what a pain the ce would be to search, Shin sighed heavily and went on .

    Unlike the Eastern Forest, many monsters lived in the Northern Forest . Although the ingame map was still pretty much unusable, it could still show red and yellow markers within a certain circumference, with himself as the center . Together with enemy detection skills, Shin could clearly know the position of every monster nearby, no matter how hard they tried to hide or conceal their presence .

    He was not a supporter of senseless killing, but he did need to gain a better grasp on his current state, so when he was attacked he fought back instead of running away . Fighting with¡¾Limit¡¿activated, he tried to gauge how much power to use .

    At first, he fought without holding anything back, like when he sparred against Balkus . As a result, the monsters were blown away with a single strike . It had been the same on his way to Tsuki no Hokora, so he wasn¡¯t surprised . However, that oue wasn¡¯t helpful in helping him gauge his own strength . If he had his previous stat profile, then he would have a rough estimate, but with his stats more than doubled, even he didn¡¯t know exactly how powerful he had be .

    In the end, he concluded that the most rational thing to do was to keep using the Support-Type Skill¡¾Limit¡¿at the highest level of X .

    ¡¾Limit¡¿was originally a skill that allowed high level yers to y together with low level yers, lowering the user¡¯s stats to a half or a third or even lower . Using this, even yers with a significant gap in stats could y together . Level X was unlocked for everyone from the start .

    Currently, Shin had applied¡¾Limit X¡¿only to his STR, which brought it down to 223, a tenth of its original value . He left his other stats untouched . This was roughly the appropriate number for a level 255 human who had never reincarnated . Incidentally,¡¾Limit I¡¿would apply a 1/1 divider to the chosen stat, which meant no change . This skill for adjusting one¡¯s stats could at most bring a stat down to 1/10, and at least leave it unchanged .

    As for why he applied it to only STR, it was because of his observations on the amount of damage that normal humans could deal to monsters . Even if he used an average-looking weapon, if he defeated monsters too easily then he would really stand out . As it were, if he ever came across a situation where he had to join a party, he now knew to do this so that the other members would not get suspicious .

    . . . . . . It was also a precaution so that he didn¡¯t identally alter the area¡¯s geography .

    There were more monsters than he had expected, and he was fighting just on a whim anyways, so he didn¡¯t pursue any of the monsters and mainly focused on looking for Hilk grass . He sincerely wished that he had a skill to search for items .

    When he went further into the forest, he did indeed find Hilk grass .

    Currently, he was in possession of 29 pieces . He only needed one more piece to fulfill the request . ¡°Alright, only one left to go!¡± thought Shin as he motivated himself once more as he carefully continued walking through the forest . At that moment, he noticed a marker on the map at the edge of his vision moving very strangely .

    The marker was red . It indicated a hostile entity .

    Thing was, that marker was not moving around in arge area, but was zigzagging and wriggling around within a 10 mel radius .

    ¡°What the heck is this?¡±

    Seeing a marker moving in a way that he had never seen before, Shin¡¯s curiosity was piqued . Intending to quickly check it out, he went towards it by following his map .

    After only a few minutes, he had gotten close to the marker, so he hid behind a tree and took a peek .

    What he saw rendered him both dumbstruck and frozen .

    Before his eyes was the figure of a Jack ss Skull Face . Roughly twice as big as a Pawn ss, its body was made only of bones and was roughly 3 mels in height . It was equipped with armor, gauntlets, greaves, and a helmet . In its left hand was a round shield about 1 mel in diameter, and in its right hand was a greatsword 2 mels long .

    Aside from the greatsword, everything the Jack had on was pure ck and looked very well maintained . It was a far cry from the ragged gauntlets and rusty swords sported by Pawns .

    In ce of its eyes were gloomy purple mes, and ck smoke that could be called an aura of negativity emanated from its entire body .

    It looked like amander of an undead army that had just been called up from hell . This was what a Jack ss Skull Face was like .

    Any normal person of this world would have been petrified with fear at the sight .

    However, the reason why Shin was dumbstruck and frozen was not because of any of that . In the first ce, to someone with maxed out stats like Shin, a Jack ss Skull Face was nothing more than a trash mob . Then why was he just looking on and not attacking?

    The reason was,

    ¡°Why is a Skull Face breakdancing . . . . . . ¡±

    Those words summed up the situation quite sinctly .

    Just thinking about it made one want to see it . Undead monsters are by all rights monsters that hate the living and exist only to drag them to the side of the dead . Their very appearance was to instill fear in anyone who saw them, and they were to sow death all around themselves with bodies that never tire . That is what undead type monsters are like in THE NEW GATE . And Skull Faces could be said to be the representative of all undead .

    They were absolutely not ones to be breakdancing in the middle of a forest when they thought no one was looking .

    ¡°This is surreal . . . . . . This is way too surreal . Did you really want to dance that much? Seriously?!¡±

    There was no vegetation at all in the immediate area around the Skull Face . If one was to look down from above, they would see a hole in the middle of the forest . The reason for this was clearly because the Skull Face was breakdancing with all of its equipment on . Its greatsword had toppled all of the trees, its shield had mowed down all of the grass, and the uneven parts of its armor had scooped out the ground .

    In the first ce, the question whether breakdancing could be done while wearing armor was indeed a valid one, but it was actually being done, so there¡¯s nothing else to be said about that .

    Shin¡¯s outburst was mixed with a faint sense of pity and sympathy .

    It felt like he was seeing something that he was not supposed to see, which made him feel an indescribable sense of guilt .

    However, these thoughts disappeared in a moment as he remembered what a Skull Face really was and heard a very faint sound .

    The sound of a liquid being sshed against a surface reached Shin¡¯s ears . Curious, Shin looked in the direction of where the sound came from, and saw arge tree with red liquid on its trunk .

    Shin¡¯s eyes immediately returned to the Skull Face, and he began to examine it more closely . The greatsword that whistled as it swung through the air, the armor covering the skeleton, the shield that was mowing down the grass, and the red liquid on all of it that matched with what was on the tree .

    Shifting his line of vision a little revealed the corpse of a monster sliced in half . Apparently, anything and anybody that stumbled here would get cut down, no questions asked .

    A Skull Face in the Northern Forest . The adventurers who had been attacked . The dried blood and fresh blood still dripping from the greatsword . There was no definite proof . However, Shin was not naive enough to belief that this Skull Face wasn¡¯t the one that attacked the adventurers . As such, he couldn¡¯t just leave it alone .

    It took a mere moment for Shin to recover from his shock . He tightened his expression and body and sharpened the aura around himself .

    ¡°It isn¡¯t time to be zoned out . ¡±

    While muttering to himself, he finished a thorough analysis of his opponent . It would be dangerous to treat this encounter as flippantly as if he was still in the game .

    In actuality, the Skull Face had enough strength to chop down a 30 cemel wide tree in a single swing, so there would be nothing to gain in letting his guard down .

    ¡°I get to draw first blood . ¡±

    Shin matched the timing of his katana leaving its scabbard and the Skull Face turning its back on him . Keeping his posture low, he closed the gap to the Skull Face in a single step .

    In the same movement, he drew his katana . Without using a skill, he shed at his opponent¡¯s unprotected back .

    Skull Faces naturally have a certain resistance against shing attacks, but a surprise attack to its back should deal a fair amount of damage . However, he was betrayed by this expectation .

    The instant Shin turned his katana towards the Skull Face¡¯s back, almost as if it had already sensed Shin¡¯s presence, the Skull Face mmed the ground with its left hand and used the reaction force from that to turn around at an elerated speed . In the same movement, it repelled Shin¡¯s sword with the round shield on its left hand and brought the sword in its right hand towards Shin with a mowing attack .

    ¡°What the heck?!¡±

    Shin used the momentum from his own attack to dash past the Skull Face, thus escaping the reach of the greatsword .

    Shin couldn¡¯t help being shocked . Even level 250 Skull Faces didn¡¯t use to move like what he just saw . A flowing defense and counterattacking with its sword, plus still maintaining its bnce on top of those movements . This was absolutely unheard of back in the game .

    Considering a body of flesh and blood, such movements were not impossible . However, this Skull Face was apparently managing it with brute strength that belied its appearance of a mere skeleton and by ignoring how joints normally bend .

    Shin could not hide his shock at this Skull Face fighting in such an unimaginable way .

    ¡°What was up with those movements? That isn¡¯t how Skull Faces move!¡±

    The breakdancing was already strange enough, but it wasn¡¯t the only thing about this Skull Face that was off .

    ¡°Its level is also weird . And that sword, that doesn¡¯t look like a sword that a Skull Face would wield . ¡±

    While regaining his stance, he looked at the Skull Face . ¡¾Analyze X¡¿told him that its level was 359 . It wasn¡¯t on the level of a Jack ss . Going above even the Queen ss, this Skull Face was firmly ranked in the King ss .

    The bigger problem, though, was the sword in its hand . It was a broad, double-handed sword that a human wouldn¡¯t be able to wield with only one hand . There was fancy ornamentation on the handle, the de shone with a silver light, and a blue line ran through the heart of the edge . It appeared to be made with mithril and demon steel, the former of which was stronger than iron, and thetter of which had high magical affinity . The edge was enveloped with a white light even more brilliant than the glow from the de body .

    White light indicated the attribute of light . Considering also its design and the aura that it was cloaked in, it could definitely be identified as a holy sword .

    No matter how you think about it, it was clearly not a weapon for an undead monster to be wielding . The attributes didn¡¯t match up .

    ¡°It would be appropriate to think of this guy as a unique monster, then . ¡±

    Shin increased his wariness a notch . It wasmon for unique monsters to possess extra attributes or special powers . However, he had never heard of one that possessed the attribute that was originally its weakness .

    As Shin was weighing the situation, the Skull Face, seemingly in acknowledgment of Shin as a worthy opponent, nted both feet firmly on the ground, brought the shield in front of itself, and slightly drew back its sword . From the looks of things, this stance was not a fluke, but the movement of someone who had studied sword fighting . There was a clear contrast to normal Skull Faces, who only know how to repeat the same attack .

    ¡°So that dancing wasn¡¯t just you messing around, was it!!¡±

    As he spoke, he charged the Skull Face again . He aimed for the left side, where the shield was .

    Again crossing the distance between them in a step, Shin sheathed his sword to draw it again . He aimed for his opponent¡¯s left ankle .

    (T/N: Shin is apparently using iaijustsu here, which is a style of sword fighting that relies on the drawing motion of the sword for a faster shing attack . That¡¯s why he re-sheathed it first . )

    ¡°Sei!¡±

    He ran at full speed past the Skull Face¡¯s left ankle at the moment his sword left its scabbard .

    In response to Shin¡¯s attack, the Skull Face reacted by bringing its shield down to protect itself, but the difference in physique between the two of them and the size of the shield caused it to fail in blocking the attack .

    The sound of metal shing with metal reverberated as Shin escaped the reach of the greatsword . Realizing that blocking would be impossible, the Skull Face had instead decided to ignore Shin and attack with its own sword instead .

    Evaluating the risk from blocking a shing attack aimed at his back, Shin decided to evade, leaving the sword that was being swung down to smash into where he was standing before . It would have been good enough if the sword shaved off a bit of dirt, but it instead left a 3 mel long gash in the ground beyond the tip of the de, almost as if the de had been elongated .

    ¡°That weapon must be either Rare or Unique grade . I¡¯ve never heard of this . ¡±

    An increase in range due to a magical enchantment . It was amon enchantment from Shin¡¯s point of view, but it did not belong on a weapon wielded by a low level monster . Also, if there had been such an acrobatic Skull Face before, it would definitely have remained in his memory .

    Showing zero regard for Shin and his suspicions, the Skull Face began a counterattack with its greatsword . Its left foot had beenpletely severed, but it was no problem for the Skull Face who felt no pain . As if it never even had a left foot in the first ce, it stabbed the ground with its right foot and released a fierce horizontal mowing attack .

    Shin also ran towards the Skull Face on his own ord while activating the Sword-Type Martial Skill¡¾Shiraha Nagashi [Drawn Sword Diversion]¡¿ . Turning his katana towards the handle of the greatsword, he deflected the mowing attack .

    Right afterwards, he activated the Sword-Type Martial Skill¡¾Seijin [de Crusher]¡¿at the Skull Face¡¯s unprotected torso .

    This skill was amon strategy against opponents with resistance to shing attacks . In this case, it would smash through the Skull Face¡¯s armor and directly deal damage to its body .

    ¡ª¡ª At least, that was what was supposed to happen .

    ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡±

    Shin was understandably shocked .

    The very instant before Shin¡¯s attack made contact, the Skull Face retreated with a powerful back step, thus eluding the trajectory of Shin¡¯s sword . The armor did break where the attack had grazed it, but the Skull Face¡¯s body received almost no direct damage .

    It had moved as if it had known that a powerful attack wasing . Even though Shin was not using his full power, for the Skull Face to be able to keep up with him was beyond unusual .

    ¡°GeeEEEEaaaaAAAAAAAA¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!!¡±

    Having dodged the de, the Skull Face released a warped version of a beast¡¯s roar . It was a voice so filled with resentment that it would make anyone who heard it shiver with difort .

    The scream at point-nk range made even Shin grimace . There weren¡¯t any particr effects from the roar itself, butrge sounds were very effective at instilling fear in most living beings in and of themselves .

    Shin recovered quickly, then retreated from his position . Shin saw that the Skull Face¡¯s HP bar had only gone down by a tiny bit . Most of his attacks so far had been dodged or mitigated by the Skull Face¡¯s armor, so as of yet there had been no significant damage dealt to it .

    ¡°Man, why am I encountering such a weird monster so early on?¡±

    Half in surprise at the Skull Face¡¯s movements and half in admiration, Shin muttered to himself .

    He sent a fleeting nce at his own weapon, and noticed that it was chipped and cracked here and there .

    Games often have the setting where weapons and armors have durability points, and when the durability points reaches 0 the item bes unusable . However, in reality, when an item decreases in durability points, it would be physically worn out, such that it would be impossible to keep using it up to the point when its durability points run out .

    At the moment, Suda¡¯s durability had dropped to under 30% . The reason why it had received so much damage was probably because of the Skull Face¡¯s high level and the powerful weapon that it was wielding .

    ¡°There¡¯s about only one good attack left in this guy . In that case, let¡¯s try this!¡±

    Shin and the Skull Face . A single person and an area that had been thoroughly devastated by the Skull Face¡¯s actions . Therefore, this ce was perfect . Shin adopted a proper stance .

    He put his left foot one step forward and leaned forward . The katana was held horizontally at his waist and slightly pulled back .

    Then he whispered,

    ¡°¡¾Limit Off¡¿ . ¡±

    With just two words, the restriction on his power due to the skill was gone .

    Even aplete amateur would have been able to notice the sharp change in Shin¡¯s presence .

    He channeled power into the sword until it started making ¡®gishiri¡¯ sounds .

    ¡°GuUUuuuUUuUuUUU¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡±

    Growing wary of Shin with his stance and his altered presence, the Skull Face groaned in a low voice . Bracing behind its shield, it adopted a stance that focused purely on defense .

    Shin mentally praised the Skull Face¡¯s movement, gathered his own power,

    ¡°Shi!!¡±

    And rushed forward while expelling all the air in his lungs, brandishing his sword .

    With a step-in so fast that he didn¡¯t even leave an afterimage, he attacked with a single upswing .

    As Shin reappeared in front of the Skull Face, the two kinds of sounds of ¡®ki¡¯ and ¡®giin¡¯ could be heard .

    Two changes took ce .

    The first was Shin¡¯s katana breaking into pieces, leaving behind only the handle .

    The other was the Skull Face¡¯s greatsword flying off and disappearing into the sky .

    Among the two kinds of sounds still reverberating around the area, the first sound ¡®ki¡¯ was the vestiges from the transparent sound ¡®kin¡¯ made when Shin¡¯s single attack tore through the Skull Face¡¯s shield, armor, and the core in its chest all at once . The other sound ¡®giin¡¯ was from the Skull Face¡¯s greatsword and Shin¡¯s katana shing against each other .

    Perhaps due to having a really high durability, the greatsword did not shatter nor break, but simply left the grasp of the Skull Face which had failed to resist the attack, and flew off somewhere .

    With its core sliced in half, the Skull Face¡¯s HP bar dropped to zero immediately, and was reduced to a pile of bones . Pathetically scattered all over the ce, it was as if the intense battle that had just urred had been a mere dream .

    ¡°Guess my weapon couldn¡¯t handle thatst attack, huh . ¡±

    Shin sighed while looking at Suda, of which only the handle remained . He had put quite a significant amount of strength in thatst attack, but it was still far from all he had . The attack had left the trees behind the Skull Face in a condition where they might fall over at a whisper . Feeling nothing while looking at that scene, Shin calmly stored the handle back into his inventory .

    ¡°That sword just now looked like it was still fine, though . ¡±

    So saying, he looked up towards the direction where the sword had flown . However, all he saw was the expansive blue sky with nary a cloud . There were no traces that a sword had just flown by .

    He honestly did not expect it to be blown so far . away He prayed that it didn¡¯t hit anyone .

    ¡° . . . . . . Let¡¯s go home . ¡±

    He was no longer in the mood to resume looking for Hilk grass .

    Within the remains of the Skull Face was a jewel, so he took only that .

    He thought that he should at least report this incident to the guild, and ordingly cut through the forest on a path straight towards the gate .

    All the while, he remained ignorant of the huge uproar in the kingdom caused by the sword .

    Emerging from the Northern Forest, Shin decided to re-enter through the eastern gate .

    When he was almost there, he noticed some sort ofmotion at the gate .

    ¡°I wonder what happened . ¡±

    Instead of a crowd of onlookers like yesterday, today was a lot of soldiers interviewing everyone who was going through . From what he saw, they were doing it mainly to people entering the town .

    Usually, he wouldn¡¯t have to wait long if he showed his guild card, but today there was even a line, due to every single adventurer being interviewed . There was nothing he could do, so he just patiently waited in line .

    Gradually getting closer to the gate, he started hearing snatches of the conversations between the soldiers and adventurers .

    ¡°Northern Forest . . . . . . Eastern Forest . . . . . . flying, shadow . . . . . . ?¡±

    Hebined the fragments that he heard with where he was just now . A certain something came to mind, leaving him with a really bad sense of foreboding that he couldn¡¯t shake off .

    As the distance towards the gate decreased even further, he started picking out entire conversations . From what he gathered, residents of the town had witnessed a mysterious object flying through the sky . Furthermore, it hadnded somewhere inside the royal castle . The direction that it hade from was somewhere between the Northern Forest and Eastern Forest . The soldiers were asking around to see if anyone knew anything more about that .

    (Something flying through the sky . . . . . . It¡¯s most likely that sword . . . . . . )

    He remembered the greatsword that he himself had sent flying . He had been focused on the battle and thus didn¡¯t know which way it had flown, but the timing was perfect .

    With heavy steps, Shin continued approaching the gate .

    ¡°Yo, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, Beid . What happened?¡±

    He responded to Beid like nothing was wrong . He still clung desperately to the hope that what flew in the sky was not necessarily the greatsword . It was a hope that even he himself found hard to believe in .

    People normally call that escaping from reality .

    ¡°We received information that a sword had flown into the royal castle . It seems to havee from somewhere in the northeast . We¡¯re interviewing people to see if anyone knew anything about it . You also went to the Eastern Forest, didn¡¯t you? Did you see anything?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Nope, didn¡¯t see a thing . Was there any damage?¡±

    ¡°I heard that it stabbed right into a wall, so there were no casualties . Seriously, what kind of idiot was it that threw a sword over the castle wall . ¡±

    ¡°All that matters is that no one got hurt . ¡±

    Hearing that there were no casualties calmed him down . If someone had gotten hurt, he wouldn¡¯t have known what to do .

    ¡°I really need to confirm the direction next time . ¡±

    He vowed to himself .

    ¡°Nn? What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Nope, nothing . May I go now?¡±

    ¡°Yea, and if you remember anything, just bring it to one of the guards on patrol . ¡±

    ¡°Roger . ¡±

    Maintaining his poker face, Shin left the gate with a quick step . Only when he no longer see the gate did he slow down his pace and sigh .

    ¡°Haah, of all ces tond, why did it have to be the royal pce . . . . . . ¡±

    It was still only his third day in this parallel world, but he had a premonition that he had already gotten into trouble with the country . There was an extremely high chance that if it was taken as an attack against the royal family, then the incident would turn into a crime of treason . Frankly speaking, the situation was now unbelievably bad .

    There was no evidence that pointed to Shin, but as he also had to report to the guild about the Skull Face, he felt like people might turn a suspicious eye towards him .

    ¡°Why did it turn out like this . . . . . . ¡±

    Things don¡¯t always go well in life .

    ????

    Leaving the problem for another time, he headed towards the guild . He had confirmed that a Skull Face had indeed appeared, but he didn¡¯t hear that there was only one of them . Additionally, a Jack ss Skull Face normally also brings several Pawn ss subordinates along, so even though he had defeated the Jack, there was no guarantee that everything was now safe .

    When he had left the battle area, he had searched for nearby enemies, but no monsters had registered on his ingame map . The Skull Face that he had fought had been either working alone, or its dancing had wiped out its own subordinates . Based on how it was moving, thetter was more likely . It did not look like it was making any distinction between friend and foe .

    Adventurers of this world could handle Pawn ss, so should be no problem if he just reported that . The unique monster this time was a different story altogether, but from what Beid and the rest were saying, it was an extremely rare case for a Jack ss toe out, so Shin was not too worried .

    However, he wondered if this incident was truly over, with the appearance of only one unique monster . Stillrgely ignorant about this world, this was what Shin was worrying about .

    With that said, no matter how hard he thought, the wouldn¡¯t reach an answer in his current state . Thinking that it would be fine to just ask Els or Selica, he opened the guild door . The guild was much more crowded than he had ever experienced . Seeing swords, spears, all sorts of weapons, and all sorts of armor and robes all around, he was strongly reminded once again that this was a ce where adventurers gathered .

    What bothered him, though, was the amount of killing intent in the air . Anyone who was not emanating killing intent looked ready to flee at a moment¡¯s notice .

    ¡°What an imposing sight . ¡±

    The reception desk was rtively uncrowded, considering the number of people inside the guild at the moment, so Shin decided to give his report right away . Conveniently, Selica was manning the reception . The content of his report being what it was, it was a great help that he could pass it on to someone that he already knew .

    ¡°Good afternoon . There¡¯s something that I want to report . ¡±

    ¡°Otsukaresama desu, Shin-sama . What do you wish to report?¡±

    ¡°Just something about a Skull Face . I want to confirm, how much is known about it at the moment?¡±

    ¡°!! . . . . . . The ones who made it back alive had reported that it was a Jack ss and that it was holding a stronger weapon than what Skull Faces normally have . We have only confirmed a single body . We have not confirmed any Pawn ss subordinates . Currently, a subjugation request has been released, and due to the location¡¯s proximity to the kingdom, it is being given maximum priority . All S and A rankers have already set off, and parties ranked B or below are now making preparations to set up a united front . ¡±

    Apparently, there had been no instructions left behind in regards to how the attack will be coordinated . But what Shin cared about was rather the information on the Skull Face¡¯s weapon .

    ¡°You mentioned a powerful weapon?¡±

    ¡°It is generally known to be a greatsword double the size of a longsword . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . A greatsword, huh . Is there any other information on that sword?¡±

    ¡°No, this is all we have at the moment . ¡±

    So the survivors had passed that on . As expected of adventurers with battle experience, they indeed did not forget their opponent¡¯s armament . However, the greatsword that the Jack ss was using should have shone with a magical light with light attribute . Why was this part not being passed on, then?

    ¡° . . . . . . In summary, this was a Jack ss in possession of a weaponrger than normal . Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Yes . We estimate its level to be at least 200 . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Fumu, pondered Shin . He was about to ask if the greatsword had a magical glow, but from what Selica was saying, it sounded like this Jack ss¡¯s weapon was a simple greatsword . He can imagine how rare a magically enhanced weapon was, so he knew that he might get suspected for the sword that fell into the royal pce if he identally talked about it .

    The thought that the Skull Face in question was apletely different one did cross Shin¡¯s mind . However, considering how much of amotion there was over a single one, he did not think it likely that there were two of them, with both simrly wielding a greatsword .

    ¡°Umm, Shin-sama?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry about that . I got a bit lost in thought . ¡±

    Selica was a bit worried, because Shin was thinking with a serious look on his face . In Selica¡¯s point of view, Shin was one of the very few people that she knew who had power to rival an S ranker . When such a person makes a serious face after hearing the information on the Skull Face, it would be understandable for those who can only be protected to be worried .

    ¡°Lost . . . . . . in thought?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, I was trying to remember what items a Skull Face would drop . ¡±

    He was still thinking of a way to ask about the greatsword with a magical glow without actually mentioning it when in a sh of inspiration he thought to just ask about all possible drops instead .

    ¡°What it would drop . . . . . . you say? Let¡¯s see, if I remember right, a jewel and the armor and sword that it was wielding, all of which can be sold for a considerable price . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Aah, so that¡¯s what it was . I had totally forgotten, hahaha . ¡±

    To cover up the lie that he had thought up on the spot, Shin tried to act jovial, but no matter how anyone cuts it, he was acting suspiciously .

    For Selica, though, in a conversation about an enemy as powerful as a Jack ss Skull Face, the fact that what was on Shin¡¯s mind was its drops surprised her so much that she failed to notice Shin acting strangely . Thebined result was an out-of-ce scene of a guyughing unnaturally and a girl giving a befuddled answer all within an atmosphere dripping with killing intent .

    ¡°By the way, what was it that you wanted to report, Shin-sama?¡±

    ¡°Oops, sorry . I still haven¡¯t told you the most important part . I just killed a Jack ss Skull Face in the Northern Forest, so I thought I should report it . Ah, this is the jewel that I retrieved then . ¡±

    ¡°I see, a Skull Face . . . . . . Skull . . . . . . . . . . . . Hmm? . . . . . . Umm, a Pawn ss . . . . . . was, it?¡±

    ¡°Nope, it was a Jack ss . Oh right, it was holding a greatsword . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    About to take out the relevant document like normal, at Shin¡¯s words Selica¡¯s movement became clumsy and stiff . Wondering if she heard Shin wrong, she asked for confirmation on what she thought she was supposed to have heard, but was immediately repudiated . She was now so shocked that she couldn¡¯t say anything .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Umm, Selica-san?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah! So-sorry! It was a bit of a shock . ¡±

    With a start, she returned to herself and started to apologize in a fluster . As a result, she identally used casual speech .

    ¡°Is it really that surprising?¡±

    ¡°You would need to be at least as strong as an A ranker to subjugate a Jack ss Skull Face on your own!! Please don¡¯t say it so off-handedly like you just came back from a stroll or something!¡±

    ¡°Err, I¡¯m sorry?¡±

    ¡°I already know that Shin-sama is quite strong, but . . . . . . it is absolutely unheard of for someone to solo a subjugation request the very day it was given out!¡±

    ¡°I met it by ident, though . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Even in such a case, the normal thing to do would be to return here and report to the guild and make thorough preparations first before going back to fight . I think there are very few who would think of just fighting it on the spot . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . Well, my weapon did be like this . ¡±

    So saying, he showed the katana which had been reduced to pretty much only the handle . Knowing that he would be talking about the fight, he had prepared it in advance . Even the tiny bit of the de left attached to the handle had cracks, and in its present state it was even more useless than a bamboo sword .

    ¡°Wha-?! It¡¯s all in pieces!¡±

    ¡°Yea, when I dealt the final blow . ¡±

    ¡°Just how reckless did you get?!¡±

    ¡°Wai-! Selica-san, you¡¯re too close! Way too close!¡±

    With her face color changing, Selica leaned over the counter towards Shin, causing him to ce his hands on her shoulders to hold her back . Due to the sudden movement, their faces were now less than 20 cemels apart .

    Shin had reacted instinctively, but now he was conflicted as to whether he should be praising himself or regretting it .

    ¡°Eh . . . . . . Aaaahhh, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! I wasn¡¯t trying to do anything weird, I really wasn¡¯t! I was just too agitated worrying if you had gotten hurt . . . . . . Aaahhhh what am I saying?!¡±

    It was funny the way the shaken Selica was acting, so Shin just gazed on without making anyments . It seems that soloing a Jack ss was indeed a very shocking feat .

    ¡°Seeing a normally intellectual cool beauty getting all embarrassed and flustered, huh . This is somehow . . . . . . This is good!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want toe but please calm yourself . You two are standing out quite a bit . ¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ohh, Els . ¡±

    As Shin was nodding to himself and marveling, ¡°Is this what people call ¡®gap moe¡¯?¡±, a voice came from behind him . It seems that before they knew it, the exchange between Shin and Selica had drawn the attention of the people nearby .

    ¡°Sorry . It¡¯s just that the embarrassed Selica-san was just too cute, so I couldn¡¯t help myself . ¡±

    ¡°Cu-cute?!¡±

    ¡°I agree with you on that point, but I would appreciate it if you don¡¯t tease my colleague too much . ¡±

    ¡°You agree?!?!¡±

    ¡°Apologies . But please allow me to vindicate myself by saying that I did not do it intentionally . ¡±

    ¡°I know . I was watching the whole time . ¡±

    ¡°Then please speak up earlier . . . . . . ¡±

    Completely ignoring Selica¡¯s lines, Els and Shin continued their conversation . The way Shin saw it, if Els had been here from the start, then the situation wouldn¡¯t have be like this .

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that . I, too, was busy with preparations and gathering information . ¡±

    On second nce, Shin noticed that Els was not wearing the receptionist uniform like what Selica had on, but was instead decked out in a hunter¡¯s clothing, with emphasis on ease of movement . A slightly long, durable-looking jacketpleted a carefully selected outfit that also included a pouch, leggings, and knee-high boots . On her back was the staple of all hunters, a bow, and a short sword was fastened to her right thigh . With her waist-long hair tied up with a string, she emanated an aura very different from before . She now had the presence of a hunter with a prey in her sights .

    ¡°The Skull Face?¡±

    ¡°Un, the one that appeared in the Northern Forest . Some time had already passed since we first heard about it . However, this was the first time that we¡¯ve had actual casualties . It appears that this Jack ss is wielding a weapon more powerful than a normal one would . ¡±

    ¡°Aah, if it¡¯s that one, then I also saw it . It was indeed swinging around a greatsword . ¡±

    ¡°I had suspected so from Selica¡¯s shock . From the looks of things, you¡¯ve already crossed swords with it, right?¡±

    ¡°Rather than crossing swords with it, I killed it already . ¡±

    Shin conveyed the killing part in a smaller voice . He had done the same when telling Selica . The atmosphere in the guild at the moment was not one in which he could loudly proim what he had done, so he kept his voice down just in case .

    ¡° . . . . . . If that¡¯s true, then I can¡¯t fault Selica for being so flustered . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m not weird!¡±

    At Shin¡¯s words, even Els froze in the middle of the light-hearted bantering . Selica had just managed to recover herself, and barely managed to squeeze out an appropriate response .

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to seem doubtful, but do you have any proof? Without any, then it would be hard for us to believe you, no matter how many times you tell us that you¡¯d killed it . ¡±

    ¡°I only retrieved the jewel, but in the first ce, I don¡¯t know how to prove a monster subjugation . . . . . . which part of the Skull Face was I supposed to have brought back?¡±

    As a habit from the game era, Shin only picked up special drops . The fact that he needed to bring back proof of his kill hadpletely slipped his mind after the battle, and he had remembered only after getting back to the guild .

    ¡°Did you not retrieve its armor or sword? Being a Jack ss, it must have had some pretty nice equipment that you could sell or customize for personal use . ¡±

    Shin was troubled over how to answer the doubtful Els . In actuality, he had hundreds of Skull Face drops inside his inventory . It wasn¡¯t that they were anything special or that he had any particr use for them, he had just left them in there as a ¡®just in case . ¡¯ Aside from the greatsword that flew off into the sky, it was a bitte to go back and retrieve the helmet or armor from the Skull Face remains .

    ¡°Those were pretty crappy, though . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°I . . . . . . never thought I¡¯d hear an adventurer say those lines . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Mattaku desu  . . . . . . ¡±

    (T/N: Mattaku is an expression of exasperation like ¡®good grief¡¯ or ¡®really¡¯ or ¡®seriously . ¡¯ None of them really felt right, though, so you get to learn another Japanese word!)

    Realizing what Shin had just said, Selica and Els were astounded . Shin just didn¡¯t know . Els was understating a bit, but in this world, just gathering together equipment of the same quality as what a Jack ss Skull Face had on required a very considerable amount of money . It was so much that an adventurer would have to be at least A rank before even considering such a purchase . It was only natural for the two of them to give Shin odd looks when he just off-handedly called such equipment ¡°crappy . ¡± The implication behind his words was that he didn¡¯t need them . There was no other adventurer who would say such a thing .

    ¡°We-well, as evidence we can just inspect the jewel . Jewels still contain the magical power from the monster that it dropped from, so we can confirm whether it came from a Skull Face or not . ¡±

    ¡°Oooh, is that so?¡±

    Deciding that it was pointless to think too deeply, Els revealed that the jewel could suffice as evidence . It would take a while to analyze it, but time spent to prove the truthfulness of the subjugation would be time well spent .

    ¡°However, during the examination, we will need to hold onto the jewel . There is also the option of selling it to us right now . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I think I¡¯ll pass this time . I don¡¯t really feel like selling it yet . ¡±

    ¡°Duly noted . In that case, when we are done with the examination, we will directly contact your inn . You are currently staying at The Badger¡¯s Pavilion, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Well alright, I¡¯ll leave you guys to it . ¡±

    Taking over from Els, Selica informed him about the time it would take . She was back in working mode .

    ¡°Speaking of which, do Skull Faces often show up in the Northern Forest? From the way you guys were speaking just now, it sounded like this problem had been going on for some time already . ¡±

    ¡°In the first ce, undead type monsters are born when magic isbined with the grudges and regrets of living creatures . Although a lot of ferocious monsters roam the Northern Forest, many precious herbs and raw materials are also there, so an endless stream of people still go in . Many get attacked by monsters and fail to return . Therefore, the fact that undeads are born there is not strange in and of itself . However, it is not an environment that naturally possesses enough magic to give birth to something as powerful as a Jack ss, so when one mentions a Skull Face in the Northern Forest, they are normally referring to a Pawn ss . ¡±

    Els had doubts that perhaps Shin had mistaken a Pawn ss . However, the fact that no one else had fought with it added to the credibility of his im . As the existence of the Jack ss was still a rumor, no one has even been been to confirm it yet .

    ¡°By the way, what is the level range of the Jack ss?¡±

    ¡°The lowest confirmed was 150, and the highest was 250 . Anything above that would be ssified as either a Queen ss or King ss . ¡±

    So it seems that the monster ssification standards had stayed the same .

    ¡°If that¡¯s so, then this time might have to bebeled as an exception . ¡±

    ¡ºWhat do you mean?¡»

    Two people responded at the same time to what Shin said . They had quick reflexes, as expected of a guild staff member and an adventurer .

    ¡°The Jack ss that I fought with was over level 250 . ¡±

    ¡°That . . . . . . is that true?¡±

    ¡°I confirmed it with¡¾Analyze¡¿, so there should be no mistake . I think it was probably a unique monster . Unlike with a normal one, I didn¡¯t see any Pawn ss subordinates around . ¡±

    ¡°Let me confirm, what was its exact level?¡±

    ¡°It was 359 . If I remember correctly, it should be actually be ssified as a King ss, right?¡±

    ¡º359?!¡»

    Even while saying it, Shin was doubting himself . ¡¾Analyze¡¿had indeed confirmed that it was a Jack ss, and Queen and King ss Skull Faces had markedly different physiques and equipment . Aside from the level, weapon, and movements, there was nothing else strange about it being a Jack ss .

    ¡º . . . . . . ¡»

    The two of them froze again at Shin¡¯s words . Doubts like ¡°This can¡¯t be true!¡± and ¡°Was it a misunderstanding?¡± sped through their minds .

    ¡° . . . . . . Did I do something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Rather than ¡®wrong¡¯ . . . . . . no, give me a moment . . . . . . I think I¡¯m also quite dazed right now . Selica, wasn¡¯t there a method to get a rough estimate of the opponent¡¯s strength from examining the jewel? Let¡¯s try doing that . ¡±

    ¡°¡ª¡ª! I¡¯ll hurry the jewel examination . Els, I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯ll have to leave the rest to you . ¡±

    Selica came back to her senses at Els¡¯s words . With a brief bow to Shin, she hurried behind the reception area with the jewel in her hands .

    As for Shin, he was just leisurely being impressed that they could do something like that .

    ¡°Mattaku, you are such a . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is true, then it would mean that you are at least as strong as an A rank party . If it¡¯s a lie, then you are an enormous braggart . ¡±

    ¡°Oh well, if I was wrong, then we can just say that I was mistaken . I mean, I¡¯m still rank G, remember? No one would believe me anyways if I say that I subjugated a Jack ss . ¡±

    ¡°True, if they didn¡¯t know your circumstances . ¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s all fine . I¡¯ve been saying it this whole time, but I don¡¯t really want to be in the spotlight . ¡±

    It sounded like a bit of a contradiction to what he was doing, but Shin really didn¡¯t want to stand out and didn¡¯t want to get involved with people who would drag him into troublesome things . His aim was, in the end, simply to return to his own world . The main reason why he even joined the guild in the first ce was to gain ess to more information .

    ¡°I just reported it because it would be pretty bad if something like that was still lurking around . If possible, I would like to keep the fact that it was me who did it under wraps as much as possible . ¡±

    ¡°I personally would like to abide by your wishes, but the more we try to hide it, the more people will try to dig it up . Since someone who performed such a feat would normally want to make himself known, after all . ¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin himself already knew that, but when it was clearly spelled out in his face, it made him feel even more troubled . There was already such amotion . People would expect the person who was able to defeat it to use the feat to increase his own fame, so it would be extremely unnatural to hide his name instead . If he did try to hide it, then there would definitely be people sniffing around for the reason .

    On the other hand, if it bes known that the person who did it was still a newbie adventurer at G rank, then he would definitely get tons of attention . Either way, things would only get more troublesome .

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be of much help in this matter . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have no intention of burdening you with it . For now, I¡¯m just going to grab some food . ¡±

    Nothing would get resolved even if he wasted time lingering here in worry . As a change of pace, he decided to go eat lunch . As the tavern area inside the guild was already very crowded, and it did not look like any of the seats would get vacated anytime soon, he left the guild to find food outside .

    ????

    Els said she would stay behind at the guild, so Shin stepped out onto the main street by himself . Before he did, Selica had returned to the reception desk, and both Selica and Els had rmended the same restaurant, so he decided to go there .

    After walking for a while, he saw a store with a signboard that had a sword and a fork draw on it . Apparently, the owner of this shop was an ex-adventurer, so he would be able to taste foreign dishes and dishes that used rare ingredients here .

    ¡°A chef who can fight, huh . . . . . . makes me think of Cook . ¡±

    Remembering the female member of Rokuten who had been in charge of cooking, a wry smile slipped out . She had been a picky person who had insisted on personally procuring her own ingredients, almost maxing out her stats in the process .

    In the first ce, every member of Rokuten had a really unique personality, but the image of that girl handling a dragon while duel wielding two sashimi knives that Shin had made for her was burned vividly into his memory .

    ¡°Recalling it made me really hungry . . . . . . ¡±

    His empty stomach was going to cry out soon, so he opened the door with a quick step . Due to it being mealtime, the store was absolutely crowded .

    ¡°Wee¡ª! We are very sorry, but please wait a brief while!!¡±

    A clear voice rang out from inside the bustling store . There was only one waitress, so she was busy rushing back and forth between the tables and the counter . Though Shin was hungry, he would feel bad hurrying her, so he just quietly stood beside the door and looked around . Perhaps because it was close to the guild, or perhaps because the owner was an ex-adventurer, most of the customers were wearing armor and weapons . A lot of them had probably gathered for the Skull Face incident .

    ¡°Thank you for your patience . This way please . . . . . . Oh hey, it¡¯s Shin-san!¡±

    ¡°Nn? Umm, Selica-san? Wait, no, are you Silica-san?¡±

    Shin was surprised at suddenly having his name called, but realized that the Selica with a ponytail was actually Silica instead . For a brief moment, he thought that Selica had gotten changed again .

    ¡°Bingo . Was it Onee-chan who rmended this shop to you?¡±

    ¡°Yep . She has helped me out a whole lottely . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . To get introduced here so quickly, you can¡¯t be just a normal guy, then . ¡±

    ¡°? Did you say something?¡±

    For a second, Silica had a serious face and was muttering something to herself . He was a bit curious and asked about it, but she said it was nothing with a smile so he decided to not press any further . They can¡¯t keep talking by the door while the store was still so packed, after all .

    Coincidentally, an entire group of adventurers was leaving, causing an entire table to be opened up, so Shin was led there . He felt bad having an entire table by himself, but the counter where single customers could sit by themselves was still packed . He told Silica to feel free to guide new customers over to share the table with him . She expressed her acknowledgment, then Shin ordered his food .

    ¡°Excuse me, Shin-san . A new customer has arrived, so would you mind sharing your table?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes . Understood . ¡±

    Barely any time had passed after Shin had ordered his food before Silica returned with the request to share his table . The one who came up was, as expected, an adventurer . He was carrying a spear that gave off a poisonous radiance .

    ¡° . . . . . . ¡ºVenom¡», huh . ¡±

    Seeing the ominous-looking spear, Shin muttered in recognition .

    The Demon Spear¡ºVenom¡»¡ª¡ª As a Legend grade weapon with power that rivaled Mythology grade weapons, it was markedly above anything in the Rare or Unique grades .

    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout this, man . Gonna impose on you a bit . ¡±

    ¡°Not at all . In fact, you¡¯re a great help . I was feeling really bad about having a table to myself . ¡±

    Casually going through the greetings, Shin looked at the man . His height was around the same as Shin¡¯s . He had red pupils, his ck hair was roughly tied up together behind his head, and skin was so white that it could almost be called sickly . Shin thought that his facial features could even be called beautiful, but the very sharp glint in his eyes and the violent aura that cloaked him instead gave off the impression of a wild beast . As far as wild beasts go, he seemed like a predator that could coldly finish off his prey .

    His level was 188 . Most likely, this man was more than able of taking down a normal Jack ss Skull Face on his own .

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin . This is probably some kind of fate . It¡¯ll only be for a short while, but yoroshiku . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . To think that there was still someone who would speak like that to me . I¡¯m Wilhelm Avis . You a newbie adventurer?¡±

    ¡°Aah, today¡¯s my third day . ¡±

    Briefly giving Shin a look-over, Wilhelm named himself . Tilting his head at Wilhelm¡¯s words, Shin answered his question . The noise in the store didn¡¯t decrease, but he felt like everyone in the store was now focusing on the two of them . However, Shin had only recently be an adventurer, so all of the attention was probably due to Wilhelm . Shin didn¡¯t know why there was so much attention on Wilhelm, but there was no real harm being done, so he decided to ignore it .

    ¡°Third day? Your equipment is pretty good considering . Were you a mercenary before?¡±

    ¡°No? Well, I came from the countryside, so I thought this was appropriate . Thanks to that, I¡¯m still quitecking in a lot ofmon knowledge about this area . ¡±

    ¡°No wonder you didn¡¯t freak out at hearing my name . Any proper adventurer would refuse sharing a table with me . ¡±

    ¡°You did something worth freaking out over? What exactly did you do?¡±

    The amount of pressure was such that any normal person would have broken out in a cold sweat by now, but Shin was still naturally carrying on the conversation . All of the adventurers nearby were screaming¡ºWhy is this guy chatting with him all friendly-like!!¡»inside their heads .

    Shin felt not even a sliver of that pressure, though . Rather, he didn¡¯t think that this man looked like someone who would do anything bad, so he got a bit friendly with his questions .

    ¡°Nothing, really . I¡¯ve only been taking down undead monsters since quite a while back, which meant I had been fighting by myself far away from where other people were . As a result, people are saying that I¡¯ve absorbed the power of the undead . ¡±

    ¡°What the heck is that . . . . . . That doesn¡¯t even make sense . ¡±

    Shin thought that it was probably people being jealous . The story was so far-fetched that he wondered if it was a joke .

    ¡°That¡¯s what I think, too . Well, the only people who believe that are low ranked idiots . The real reason is because I have this guy here . ¡±

    So saying, Wilhelm grasped the Demon Spear¡ºVenom¡»that had been leaning against the wall .

    ¡°This guy is¡ºVenom¡» . It¡¯s a Legend grade weapon that has the ability to drain the life force of an opponent and grant it to the user . The ability itself is already quite useful, but all weapons Legend grade or higher also have enough strength to blow away a ton of opponents . The only problem is that even though I¡¯m using it, I still don¡¯t know all of its effects . ¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know them even though you¡¯re using it?¡±

    ¡°There was even a guy who got cursed before he noticed it . On top of that, the power of my weapon is called Drain . In short, people are just freaked out about it sucking up even allies before they know it . ¡±

    It appears that there was no longer a weapon exnation field like back in the game, so the full effects of the weapon were not known . As Shin knew all of the effects, he thought those fears ridiculous, but he also understood that it wasn¡¯t so for people in this world . The same moment he understood the attention of the nearby customers, the question of using¡¾Appraisal¡¿came to mind .

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you learn it all if you bring it to an appraiser?¡±

    ¡°You mean the appraisal of what it¡¯s made of? I¡¯ve tried that, but the only thing I got was its name and grade . It also only confirmed the effects that I was already using . ¡±

    ¡°What was the skill level of the appraiser?¡±

    ¡°It was VII . ¡±

    From Wilhelm¡¯s answer, Shin knew that it was impossible . To appraise a Legend grade item required an appraisal level of at least VIII . Mythology grade required IX, and Ancient grade required the max level X . These requirements were needed to see the full details of the items . Back during the game, most merchants and cksmiths had the skill maxed, so it was a simple matter to just ask them . However, this world was apparently not so convenient .

    Right when Shin was about to change the topic, their food came . It seems that Wilhelm had already ordered beforehand, as Shin didn¡¯t remember ordering some of the food that had arrived .

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s just eat . ¡±

    ¡°I heartily agree!¡±

    pping their hands together with an ¡°itadakimasu,¡± they bit down into their food . Shin¡¯s order was the thigh meat of a monster called Aburidori that had been roasted together with the bone . Even now, it was still sizzling and releasing a savory fragrance that was tickling Shin¡¯s nose .

    The moment he bit into it, an explosion of meat juices and impactful spices spread throughout his mouth . The crispy skin and soft meat that was melting in his mouth tasted heavenly to the famished Shin .

    ¡°Freaking delicious! This is awesome!!¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Let¡¯s calm down a bit while eating . ¡±

    Wilhelm looked a little disapproving of the Shin who was vigorously chomping down on his food . However, Wilhelm himself was eating at the same pace as Shin, so he was not in a position to be saying anything about someone else .

    For a while, they ate their own food without talking, briefly breaking the silence only to ask for seconds . Afterwards, they sat back and sipped on ck tea .

    ¡°It has been a while since Ist ate Aburidori . But whichever way you think about it, the name makes it sound like I¡¯m the one being warmed . ¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re not careful, we might get burnt ck . ¡±

    (T/N: The monster¡¯s name can be broken up into two parts: aburi and dori . The dictionary form of aburi is aburu, which means to warm, to grill, etc . Thus the joke about ¡®being warmed¡¯ and ¡®being burnt . ¡¯ As for dori, it is an altered way of saying tori, which is the Japanese word for chicken or birds in general . )

    The name was a bit silly, but it was a proper monster with levels around 100 . As can be gathered from the name, it is a bird type monster . However, it can not fly, and neither is it agile; its main characteristic is its ability to breathe a very powerful fire . Back in the game, it was also quite infamous for its ¡°kill at first sight¡± policy .

    ¡°By the way, are you sure about telling me everything about your weapon so freely? Don¡¯t people normally want to hide that kind of information?¡±

    ¡°As I said earlier, everyone has known about it ever since long ago . Nothing would change even if I talk about it to a newbie . ¡±

    ¡°Fair enough . ¡±

    So it was something that he could have learned with only a little investigating .

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m off . Seeya, newbie . ¡±

    ¡°Seeya~¡±

    Shin sent Wilhelm off almost like a friend . He felt like the people nearby were buzzing about it, but at this point in time he had already stopped caring about them .

    After Wilhelm left, Shin also vacated his seat before long .

    The first meeting between the high human of Rokuten and the white-faced Demon Spear user who would eventually meet each other on the battlefield was indeed such a light-hearted affair .

 Vol 2 Chapter 1: Chapter 1

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    You can grab the PDF here .

    ~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~

    After getting the fox cub to settle down, Shin turned towards the direction of the kingdom and began walking . It has only been a short while since he managed to persuade the cub to retract its ws . Previously, he had beenpletely unable to walk straight due to the prickling attacks apanying the incessant paw punches .

    Unlike his journey to the shrine, the forest was now filled with the presence of the creatures that lived here . Perhaps the Skull Faces had already been approaching by that time . There had been too many of them for Shin to believe that they had appeared naturally .

    The only ces where such numbers could spawn were designated undead spawn zones where miasma gathered, like gravesites and underground dungeons .

    Shin continued walking while sighing about how he had to report this incident too . For now, he decided to keep the Elemental Tail¡¯s race a secret, so he called out to the cub leisurely sprawled on his head .

    ¡°Aah, there¡¯s something I need to talk about with you . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    The cub responded with a bark that distinctly included a question mark . Based on their exchanges so far, Shin knew that the cub was fully capable of understanding human speech .

    ¡°It might be troublesome if other people see your true form, so would you like to form a contract with me?¡±

    In this case, ¡®contract¡¯ was referring to the ability of the Tamer job to contract partners . Unlike Summoners and their summons, each Tamer was limited to a maximum of only five partners, and leveling up a partner required earning XP separately from the yer . Even those of other jobs could form contracts if they had experience as a Tamer, so many yers contracted a monster as a pet or as support . Those whose main job was not Tamer could only contract one partner at a time, but that was not a problem here .

    Shin had his support NPC characters, and thus had never felt the need to contract . However, a member of Rokuten, Cashmere, who had been the guild¡¯s Tamer and Summoner, had half rmended and half coerced him into bing at least able to form contracts .

    ¡°I¡¯m not a Tamer, so you won¡¯t get any stat bonuses, but other people would be unable to check your name and level as they please, and we would be able tomunicate with each other even without using any items . ¡±

    In order to see a yer¡¯s partner¡¯s status window, one had to be capable of seeing that yer¡¯s status window first . Although a yer¡¯s level, which was openly visible, was not necessarily an urate indicator of his or her stats, back in the game it had beenmon practice to quickly judge another yer¡¯s strength by whether it was possible or not to see that person¡¯s status window .

    Incidentally, the ability tomunicate with each other was so that the partner could understand the yer¡¯s instructions . Also, it provided some privacy, as anything said in the Partner channel could only be heard by the yer and the partner/s .

    ¡°Kuu?! Kukuu!¡±

    As if saying ¡°Really? Let¡¯s do it!¡±, the paw punches resumed with renewed vigor . For some reason, though, Shin and the fox cub already seemed able tomunicate with each other .

    ¡°I got it! I got it already, so stop moving around!¡±

    So saying, Shin took the cub from his head and held it up such that both of their foreheads were at the same height, then intoned the required words .

    ¡°I wish to walk together with thee . ¡±

    ¡°Ku¡ª . . . . . . ¡±

    The cub barked in response to Shin¡¯s words . If it had been a monster capable of speech, then the proper response would have been ¡°I swear to be by thy side . ¡± As the bark faded away, a tattoo in the shape of a peregrine falcon emerged on Shin¡¯s left arm and the cub¡¯s left foreleg . This was a symbol of the contract, and distinguished a partnered monster from a normal monster . The design was, of course, up to the yer¡¯s preference .

    ¡° ¡®K then, once again, more formally, yoroshiku . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!!¡±

    The cub patted Shin with its right paw a few times and gave a bark that seemed to say, ¡°Yoroshiku too!¡± It was a truly heartwarming scene .

    ¡°Alright, since we are now contracted, there is something that I must do first . ¡±

    ¡°Ku?¡±

    ¡°Your name . You are currently named ¡®Elemental Tail,¡¯ but that is your race . Now that we are partners, isn¡¯t it a given that I must give you a name that only belongs to you?¡±

    ¡°Kuu?! Ku~ku!!¡±

    ¡°Because of that . . . . . . Calm down first! You¡¯re shaking my head!!¡±

    As the cub seemingly hurried Shin while asking ¡°Really?! What is it?!?¡±, Shin announced the name that hade to his mind .

    ¡°What do you think about ¡®Yuzuha¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Ku~ku~kuu . . . . . . Kuu!¡±

    Hearing Shin¡¯s words, the cub sank into silence for a while, as if it was turning the name over in its mind . Then it raised a high-pitched bark that seemed to say that it had taken a liking to it .

    Back during the game, the Elemental Tail had, true to legend, appeared to the yers in the form of a woman, so the name that Shin was suggesting was also a girl¡¯s name .

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t actually have a gender . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°Nothing . Well, when you appear in the form of a boy, then you can be called ¡®Yuzuto . ¡¯¡±

    Though he had given it a girl¡¯s name, Shin remembered that as a monster, Elemental Tails were not restricted to a single gender, and could appear as either male or female . The one involved with the Kyuubi Quest had usually been in the form of a woman, but the walkthrough sites said that it had also appeared as a man every once in a while . He had never seen its male form firsthand, though .

    He didn¡¯t know if there were other Elemental Tails in this world that could simrly appear in human form, but if so, he secretly hoped that they would all choose to be female . Elemental Tails ranked pretty high in his list of favorite monsters . He sincerely prayed against the curveball of all of them choosing the form of a man .

    In light novels, anime, and manga, it was amon pattern to fall asleep with a fox cub in one¡¯s arms and wake up next to a naked beautiful girl, but if it turned out to be a guy, then that would be a total nightmare . He had no intention of denying the people who swung that way, but he had even less intention of stepping into that world .

    (My LUC is low . I hope it¡¯ll turn out alright . )

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    The fox cub, no, Yuzuha, tilted its head quizzically at Shin, who had been muttering things like ¡°I hope I don¡¯t have any strange luck¡± to himself for a while . Though the cub felt a tinge of unease at Shin¡¯s suspicious behavior, it decided to stop thinking about it with an ¡°oh well . ¡± Though it was an Elemental Tail, it was still just a cub . It was not good at thinking too deeply aboutplicated things .

    Having obediently retracted its ws, Yuzuha was now lightly patting Shin¡¯s head with its foreleg, eliciting a ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± from Shin . For a long time, Yuzuha had been all alone while enduring the poison and the curse, so even Shin¡¯s simple response filled its heart with delight .

    ????

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    When they had neared the edge of the Northern Forest, a familiar electronic ¡®Pon!¡¯ sound rang in Shin¡¯s ear . It was a sound that he had heard many times before, as it had apanied level ups, message notifications, and event announcements .

    Judging by how Yuzuha did not react, Shin inferred that he was the only one who had heard it .

    ¡°I got a message . Oh right, is it from Tiera?¡±

    At the same time as the electronic sound, the half transparents words ¡°You have received a message¡± had also appeared at the edge of his vision . Having spent only a few days in this world, this tantly unrealistic urrence momentarily gave Shin the delusion that he was still inside the game .

    ¡°The way the system is still halfway in ce is seriously weirding me out . ¡±

    It didn¡¯t feel weird seeing the game windows back when it was VR, but here in reality it gave Shin an out of ce feeling that he couldn¡¯t shake off . ¡°This is what you get when you mix the game with reality?¡±, thought Shin with a grimace . However, it was still an extremely useful function, so he had no choice but to just get used to it . With a sigh, he opened the message .

    ¡ºTo Shin

    I tried sending a message to Master and it worked .

    I do not know if Master has a message card with her, but when I get a

    reply from her I will contact you again .

    P . S .

    Is it possible to send items along with a message card?¡»

    It seemed that Tiera, having met Schnee before, was able to sessfully send a message . This possibility hadpletely slipped from Shin¡¯s mind .

    ¡°Oh well, she was able to contact Schnee, so that¡¯s fine then . ¡±

    Thinking ¡°all¡¯s well that ends well,¡± Shin wrote a reply and tried to attach a few more unused message cards with the mail . The attached message cards turned into particles of light and were sucked into the writing paper . Though there was a weight limit to the kinds of things that could be attached, this was quite convenient in its own way .

    ¡°Is this how it works over here?¡±

    Though he had easily epted things like that back in the game, he couldn¡¯t do so in reality . Shin made a mental note to inspect all of his itemster . While the usage of some might have been rxed a bit, some others might now work in wayspletely different to his expectations .

    Remembering therge number of items in his inventory, Shin¡¯s motivation took a sharp nose dive . However, he told himself that he must wade through it all, for the sake of when he truly needed to use them .

    ¡°I guess ¡®I¡¯ll count on you for the heads up when Schnee gets back to you¡¯ sounds about right . ¡±

    Shin finished up his return message with instructions on how to attach items, then sent it off before starting to walk again . The eastern gate that he had been aiming for was now right in front of his eyes .

    Despite wanting to hide Yuzuha, he couldn¡¯t very well not report the host of almost a hundred Skull Faces, so he decided to head towards the guild .

    ¡°Yo, Shin . This time you¡¯re back with something unusual riding on you, eh?¡±

    The person who had called out to him from the eastern gate was Beid . Perhaps due to seeing each other everyday, the stiff formality from their first meeting waspletely gone .

    ¡°This is my new partner, Yuzuha . I want to confirm, are there any regtions rted to bringing in partner monsters?¡±

    Shin doubted that the country would so easily let a monster in, even if it was apanied by a Tamer .

    ¡°There are lots of regtions on aggressive andrge monsters, but there aren¡¯t many that would apply to that little squirt with you . There are a few documents that you will have to fill out . Then I will need to make a record of the tattoo that represents your partnership . After that, you¡¯ll be good to go . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s surprisingly lenient . ¡±

    Having expected a more rigorous process, Shin now felt slightly let down .

    ¡°We are stricter on ones that look like they would get pretty dangerous if they went on a rampage . Besides, whenever a partner monster causes a problem, the owner will have to bear full responsibility . But because of that, there are ces where people would purposely rile up your partner and then demandpensation, so be careful . ¡±

    ¡°Aah . So there are those kinds of people . ¡±

    ¡°Enough to give us a headache . If we limited the powers of the partners too much, then they would get directly targeted . It¡¯s pretty hard to find the right bnce . ¡±

    ¡°I had thought it was just a lenient system, but it sounds like you guys have actually given it a lot of thought . ¡±

    There are people who would catch and sell off rare monsters, so Shin now understood what Beid had said about it being dangerous to thoughtlessly over-regte everything .

    It was apparently permitted to attack back if someone tried to straight up capture someone else¡¯s partner . However, the cleanup was annoying, so Beid rmended Shin to do it somewhere out of the way and do a thorough job . Though Shin had misgivings about a city guard giving him this kind of advice, the people who wouldy a hand on partner monsters were either members of trafficking rings or criminals of that type, so there would be no need to go easy on them .

    ¡°Name is Yuzuha, race is demon fox . Next is . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin filled in the required documents that Beid had brought over .

    The ¡®demon fox¡¯ that he had filled in was a verymon sub-race under fox types . It had been very popr among the yers as a pet .

    While Elemental Tails were top-tier bosses, they were still a type of demon fox . It¡¯s just that they had been given a different racial ssification of ¡®Elemental Tail . ¡¯ It was simr to how high humans and high elves were ssified separately from humans and elves .

    Thus, what Shin had written on the form was not aplete lie . It simply wasn¡¯t the entire truth either .

    ¡° . . . . . . Alright, I¡¯m done filling them out . Please confirm . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . .  Fumu . No particr problems . All that¡¯s left is to register the symbol of the contract . Please touch this with the arm or leg that your symbol is on . ¡±

    After confirming that there were no problems with the documents, Beid handed them over to another guard, in exchange receiving a purple sphere the size of a baseball .

    Shin and Yuzuhaid their respective left arm and left foreleg on the sphere . When they did so, the sphere glowed weakly, then their peregrine falcon symbol appeared within .

    ¡°With this, the entire registration is over . Also, knock on wood, if your partner dies or is abducted, then there will also be formalities for canceling the registration . Remember it just in case . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . I¡¯ll pray to never have to deal with that . ¡±

    After nodding to Beid¡¯s business-like exnation, Shin left the gate behind .

    He walked on while ignoring the people sending asional nces at Yuzuha on his head . He had expected the attention . Even little kids were pulling their parents¡¯ hands and pointing over while eximing ¡°It¡¯s a Fox-san!¡± .

    While enduring the attention from the people around, Shin passed under the signboard of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild . Even in the guild, Yuzuha continued to draw people¡¯s eyes, and Shin felt their inquisitive stares every step of the way towards the reception desk .

    At the reception were two receptiondies who looked like two peas in a pod . They were Selica and Silica .

    ¡°Excuse me . There¡¯s something I want to report . ¡±

    ¡° ¡°I will receive it . ¡± ¡±

    Both people responded at the same time . Their timing coincided perfectly . Though both of them also nced at Yuzuha, their gaze was more for confirmation than for curiosity . As expected of these two .

    ¡°Umm, who do I . . . . . . ?¡±

    ¡°I will¡ª¡±

    ¡°I will receive it!¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Silica . ¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Shin-sama is currently in front of me, so I will receive it . ¡±

    ¡°Eh~, isn¡¯t it fine even if I receive it?¡±

    ¡°You may not . I will do it . ¡±

    ¡°Your personality seems a bit different from normal . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Never mind, I understand . I will behave myself . ¡±

    From an outsider¡¯s perspective, the two of them looked like an older sister who had it together and a flippant younger sister . Shin could only tell them apart by their hairstyles, but he had apparently guessed right .

    It seemed like they had been disputing over who would receive the report, but eventually Selica emerged the victor . Their fierce exchange had been carried out in tiny voices, so Shin had missed some of it, but he decided to not worry about it . It made no difference to him who he reported to .

    ¡° . . . . . . Ah, may I give my report?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course . We apologize for the disturbance . Please go ahead . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to report an encounter with arge number of Skull Faces in the vicinity of the central part of the Northern Forest . I have already defeated all the ones that I could confirm in the area, but I don¡¯t know if there are still any stragglers elsewhere in the forest . ¡±

    ¡°By rge number,¡¯ you mean . . . . . . ?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a specific number, as I didn¡¯t have time to count, but there were almost a hundred of them . ¡±

    ¡°Wha . . . . . . ¡±

    Almost a hundred Skull Faces . As he had reported subjugating the strange Jack ss yesterday, reporting that he had defeated more Skull Faces again did not elicit much of a reaction from Selica . However, when he supplemented with the number, she could not hide her shock .

    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to think this, but were they like the one from yesterday?¡±

    ¡°No, the ones that I encountered this time all had levels and equipment within the normal ssifications . The group was a mixture of Pawn and Jack sses, and they were moving like they were purposely surrounding a certain building . ¡±

    ¡°A building, you say?¡±

    ¡°Yes, a Shinto shrine . Um, it¡¯s a ce that enshrines a god . ¡±

    He didn¡¯t know whether they were familiar with Shinto shrines, so he gave a rough exnation .

    ¡°Shinto shrine . . . . . . I¡¯ve heard that there are such ces in Hinomoto, but I didn¡¯t know that there was one inside the Northern Forest . ¡±

    It was probably because there had been a barrier that repelled all living creatures . Moreover, it hadn¡¯t been a veryrge area, so he could understand how no one had noticed it before .

    ¡°I had approached the ce because it had caught my interest, but when I got close, I heard the sound of something breaking . At the same time, the Skull Faces arrived and began closing in . I think something like a barrier had been originally in ce . ¡±

    ¡°Did you find anything there?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really notice any objects in the building, but there was a drawing that looked like a magic circle . That¡¯s all thates to mind . ¡±

    He had decided to keep Yuzuha a secret, so he instead raised other points of interest .

    ¡°Thank you for reporting to us . We will look into it together with the matter of the Jack ss from yesterday . Please contact us again if you realize or remember anything else . There are things that only Shin-sama would know, since you are the only one who was there . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . I¡¯lle again if anything elsees to mind . ¡±

    His gaze swept over the bulletin board with requests stuck all over it . When he had chosen the Hilk grass request, he had only looked at the G rank ones . On a whim, he decided to also check out the high reward requests beyond his current rank . To his surprise, he found a separate bulletin board at the side . It was ced almost like it was being hidden behind the main one .

    This other board was about 30 cemels in height and width, and most of the requests on it looked handwritten . He couldn¡¯t helpparing the two boards that were side by side, but the difference in appearance was too great .

    With his curiosity tickled a little, Shin decided to give the requests on this board a cursory scan . When he did, a certain one seemed to jump out at him . He grabbed it with a hand and gave it a second, more detailed, read .

    ¡ª¡ª A request for a Skill Inheritor .

    ¡ª¡ªPleasee contact us at the orphanage next to the church in the east district if you wish to ept this request .

    ¡ª¡ªThepensation is negotiable .

    After reading the content of the request, he noticed that it had not been given a rank .

    Shin remembered Silica exining that unranked requests were posted by people with special circumstances, and ranged from poor children to those involved with crimes .

    When he had asked why such a system was in ce, the response that he had gotten was ¡°because everybody is free to make requests . ¡±

    ¡°It looks like this board is where all those unranked quests are posted . Judging by the other requests, there might be a bit of truth in that rumor after all . ¡±

    While voicing his impression, Shin also recalled a piece of information that he had gathered with¡¾Listen¡¿ . Though it was only on the level of a rumor, it was also a pretty interesting piece of information .

    It was about the connections between so-called ¡°dark guilds¡± and Adventurers¡¯ Guilds . To be more exact, it was between publicly eptable guilds like the Adventurers¡¯ and Merchants¡¯, and the dark guilds where even crimes like assassinations and abductions could be requisitioned .

    Furthermore, the rumor also said that public guilds had a nonintervention policy on requests made to dark guilds to purge oppressive clients and nobles who shoved unreasonable demands on adventurers . Shin didn¡¯t know how much of it was truth, but he would not be surprised if ¡°something¡± was really happening .

    ¡°The orphanage, huh? If I remember correctly, isn¡¯t that where Millie is?¡±

    He recalled what Wilhelm had told him before they parted the other day . As Millie was the one who had arranged the meeting between Shin and Yuzuha, Shin considered that she might be involved somehow . Leaving things as they currently were would leave a bad aftertaste .

    ¡° . . . . . . Guess I can drop in . ¡±

    In the first ce, he had already nned on visiting the orphanage to ask Millie about Yuzuha, so he could inquire after request on the way . So thinking, Shin set off for the orphanage .

    ????

    Following the directions from Selica, Shin found himself in front of the church roughly ten minutester .

    When he had heard ¡®church,¡¯ the image in Shin¡¯s mind was of a chapel with stained ss windows . To his surprise, what he found matched his expectations exactly . Beyond therge doors thrown wide open were rows of long pews and colored light falling from stained ss windows . The sun was coincidentally currently situated right behind the stained ss, such that the light illuminating the dim interior shone like a halo, creating a truly mystical atmosphere .

    Aside from worshipers, there were only two Sisters, and no sign of anyone resembling a Father or Reverend .

    (I see a few differences in the decorations, but this looks exactly like the¡ºChurch¡»from the Architecture skill . )

    Shin stood still and surveyed the interior of the chapel . True to its name, the Architecture skill is a necessity for building buildings . Higher levels in the skill unlocks greater scale buildings and more intricate interior design .

    Partly due to beingpared to Cain, who was Rokuten¡¯s Illusionist and Architect, Shin himself had also reached level VI in Architecture . Thanks to that, he knew enough about buildings to identify their good and bad points .

    His analysis was that though the interior design was slightly old, everything was diligently maintained . That alone was enough to tell him the character of the person currently managing the church .

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Nn? Ah, sorry . It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never been to this kind of ce before . ¡±

    Shin had been tantly checking out the church while standing right outside the doors . One of the Sisters had called out to him, mistaking him for someone who wasing to the church for the first time and currently confused about the way things were done . She was a youngdy with ck eyes and brown hair in a chignon hairstyle .

    (T/N: For those toozy to look up ¡®chignon,¡¯ it is ¡°achieved by pinning the hair into a knot at the nape of the neck or at the back of the head . ¡±)

    In anybody¡¯s eyes, someone who came to a church and was not praying but only stood in front of the building for no apparent reason would appear quite suspicious . Despite that, the Sister¡¯s tone and way of speaking indicated apleteck of wariness against Shin .

    Shin had no business with the church, so he asked her about the orphanage, which was apparently not visible from where he currently was .

    ¡°I¡¯m here for business with the orphanage . ¡±

    "Oh, you¡¯re here because of the request!¡±

    The Sister¡¯s reaction seemed overly surprised . He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because very few people came for that request, or if it was because they had not expected anyone to respond in the first ce .

    ¡°Umm, for now I want to listen to the issue first . Also, is there a beast child called Millie here? I want to talk to her about Yuzuha, this little guy here . ¡±

    So saying, Shin pointed at Yuzuha, who was still on his head . Having only just noticed Yuzuha, the Sister¡¯s eyes became as wide as saucers . Then she answered Shin, but now with a bit of wariness in her eyes .

    ¡°What do you want with that girl?¡±

    ¡°She said something quite odd when I saw her yesterday . I decided to look into it a little when I was on a request earlier today, and ended up meeting Yuzuha . ¡±

    From the Sister¡¯s attitude, Shin thought that there might really be something about Millie, so he replied in a smaller voice to prevent nearby people from listening in .

    ¡° . . . . . . Very well . Pleasee this way . Sister Rashia, I will leave this ce to you . ¡±

    For some reason, the Sister was being wary of Shin, but after quietly mulling over what Shin imed Millie had said, she left charge of the area to the other Sister and prompted him to follow her .

    The Sister stepped outside therge doors, and headed to the back of the church . What he saw there was an old, detached building that closely resembled a traditional Japanese apartment . Though there were signs of repair here and there, the overall impression was not seedy at all . This was apparently the orphanage .

    ¡°I will call Millie over, so please wait here a while . ¡±

    Entering the orphanage, he was brought to a ce that looked like a reception room . He sat down on the sofa and looked around the room . Before long, the Sister returned, bringing Millie with her .

    ¡° . . . . . . It¡¯s Shin-nii!¡±

    She had been hiding behind the Sister, but when she saw that the person sitting on the sofa was Shin, she trotted over with small steps and plopped down next to him .

    ¡° . . . . . . It seems that you really aren¡¯t a bad person after all . ¡±

    So saying, the Sister sat down on the opposing sofa .

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing if you look at me with a charming smile like that . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Fufu~, sorry . It¡¯s just been so long since there¡¯s been someone that Millie would ept so readily . ¡±

    ¡°Wilhelm mentioned something along those lines too . Ah, my name is Shin . I¡¯m an adventurer . ¡±

    ¡°Please ept my heartfelt gratitude for listening to Millie¡¯s request . My name is Thoria Serias . I¡¯m a Sister of the church and the manager of the orphanage . ¡±

    This Sister turned out to be a person in charge . Shin wasn¡¯t familiar with the distribution of roles in the church, so he epted that at face value .

    ¡°I came here today because there is something that I wanted to confirm . So Millie, is this little guy the Fox-san that you were talking about yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Un, yes . Thank you . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wee . Yuzuha, you should thank her too . I was only able to save you because of Millie . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    While rubbing the head of Millie, who was tightly hugging Shin in gratitude, Shin also reminded Yuzuha to not forget to say thanks . In truth, he didn¡¯t know what would have happened to Yuzuha if not for Millie¡¯s words .

    Yuzuha came down from above Shin¡¯s head and lowered its head to Millie . Satisfied with the gesture, Shin then turned towards the Sister .

    The Sister had been warmly looking on the exchange between Millie and Yuzuha . When Shin turned towards her, though, she fixed her position and met his eyes .

    ¡°There is one more thing that I wanted to confirm . It¡¯s about the request posted at the guild . If it¡¯s alright with you, may I hear more about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Shin-san appears to be a trustworthy person . ¡±

    Thoria nodded with a serious face . It seemed that there really were some special circumstances behind this unranked request .

    ¡°Since you¡¯vee after reading that request, am I correct in believing that Shin-san is a Skill Inheritor?¡±

    ¡°Yes, something like that . ¡±

    He was actually not, but he nodded anyways, as it would getplicated trying to exin everything .

    ¡°We are looking for an Inheritor of a specific skill . I know how impudent it sounds, but if possible, we want that person to teach that skill . ¡±

    From what Tiera had told him, anyone who possessed a skill would get favorable treatment just by merit of that alone, so anyone willing to teach it would usually demand a lot of service and/or money . There was also a weaker version of skills called ¡®arts,¡¯ but Shin had yet to see it himself .

    If it was a skill that a Sister would go to such lengths for, Shin could think of a few .

    ¡°Since you¡¯re a Sister, I¡¯m assuming that what you want is something from the¡¾Heal¡¿or¡¾Cure¡¿trees?¡±

    ¡°No, that is not the case . Although it¡¯s true that those are needed, but there are certain unusual circumstances . ¡±

    ¡°Circumstances, you say?¡±

    Shin had expected her to say something like ¡°As someone in a profession rted to recovery and healing, these are the very basics, so can you teach me something like those?¡±, but apparently he had guessed wrong . The other skills that he could think of were either resurrection skills or holy elemental attack skills, but even he would not agree to teach those so readily .

    ¡°In that case, then what is this skill that Thoria-san is looking for?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . -tion . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t hear that clearly . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . It¡¯s¡¾Purification¡¿ . ¡±

    ¡°Aah,¡¾Purification¡¿ . ¡±

    There was a faint note of resignation in Thoria¡¯s voice, as if she had added, ¡°As I thought, it¡¯s impossible, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Now that she mentions it,¡± thought Shin as he realized that he hadpletely forgotten about that option .

    ¡°I am aware that it is an absurd request, but . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Aah, that one¡¯s a hassle to get . ¡±

    ¡°Eeh, ¡®hassle¡¯ . . . . . . ¡®to get¡¯ . . . . . . eehhh?¡±

    For the first time, Thoria realized that Shin¡¯s reply was very odd .

    A few seconds passed in silence . Then Thoria raised her face like she had heard something strange .

    ¡°Sorry, what did you just say?¡±

    ¡°I just said that it would be a hassle to get . ¡±

    In contrast to Thoria, who had a ¡°Hah?¡± look on her face and was desperately trying toe to terms with what she had just heard, Shin had answered in a really rxed manner . It was a scene that seems to have happened somewhere before .

    ¡°Umm, do you perhaps know the method to acquire it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Then would you be willing to take up the request?¡±

    ¡°That would depend entirely on you . ¡±

    With those words, Shin¡¯s expression became serious .

    Though Shin had so far been speaking with an carefree attitude, he had actually done some digging on the church before . He was convinced that there was something about Millie, but wasn¡¯t able to find any information on her . All he got instead was information about the problems of the church . He didn¡¯t hear enough details to realize ahead of time that it was the¡¾Purification¡¿skill that they wanted, but he did not mind revealing the information about¡¾Purification¡¿in exchange for knowing . Of course, though, regardless of how much hecked themon sense of this world, he was not stupid enough to freely disclose the fact that he could actually use the skill to a Sister that he was meeting for the first time .

    ¡°If it¡¯s about the reward, may we have a bit more time?¡±

    ¡°No, money is not my aim . Instead of that, there are a few conditions that I want . ¡±

    Thoria stiffened at the word ¡®conditions,¡¯ almost as if she knew what Shin was going to say next .

    ¡°Conditions, you say?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Firstly, I want to know about Millie¡¯s power . Secondly, I want you to provide me with all the information that you gather from inside the church, effective for one year . Lastly, I want you to keep it a secret that it was me who took up the request . That stands even if it is the top brass of the church that¡¯s asking . You can write it up as someone¡¯s voluntary service if you like . ¡±

    The church was a ce where all sorts of people gathered, be they young, old, male, or female . Shin thought that it could be a source of unique information, the kind that would be revealed only in front of God . The people of this church were all good people, though, so he didn¡¯t hold much expectation .

    What he was truly after was the power that Millie had demonstrated . Shin had naturally guessed that it was something like predicting the future or sensing crises, but that was because he was a gamer . In his original world, that kind of thinking would have beenughed down almost immediately .

    It wasn¡¯t like Shin couldn¡¯t just listen to what Thoria had to say, take pity on the children, and just demand a little bit of money in exchange for directly teaching the skill . However, Tiera had warned him of the demerits of giving people skills so easily . With that in mind, it would be more natural to demand a more significant reward .

    Depending on the point of view, the presented conditions were not worth so much . However, in Thoria¡¯s eyes, it was a very big risk to reveal Millie¡¯s power to aplete stranger whose background she didn¡¯t know . There was also no guarantee that Shin would not turn around and reveal that information with other people .

    It was also noteworthy that this agreement might, depending on the situation, require her to defy her superiors . Even if it was in exchange for the¡¾Purification¡¿skill, this trade might be too much for her . There was also no proof that Shin really did know the way to acquire¡¾Purification¡¿ . If influential people or very greedy people heard that Millie had the power to see the future, then she would be in danger . Thoria could not easily acquiesce to these conditions .

    ¡°These conditions are what I want aspensation . ¡±

    Thoria was hesitant on what to do . Though Millie had let her guard down against Shin, that was that, and this was this . It did not mean that he could be trusted with everything .

    Silence filled the reception room .

    ¡° . . . . . . It¡¯ll be fine . ¡±

    Shin was waiting for an answer, and Thoria was holding her tongue . As if slicing through the silence between the two of them, Millie spoke up .

    ¡°Millie?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s Shin-nii, it¡¯ll be fine . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    It¡¯ll be fine .

    Millie was looking straight at Thoria when she said that . Her eyes were filled with a mysterious sagacity that did not belong on such a young child .

    Thoria had been keeping quiet while deep in thought, but she seemed to feel something from seeing how Millie was and made up her mind . Her mouth slowly opened .

    ¡°Very well . We will ept those conditions . However, we are amateurs when ites to information gathering . The things that we find out might not be of much help to you . ¡±

    ¡°No need to go to great lengths . What I¡¯m expecting is only on the level of telling me about people at the church with something unusual about them . What I value more is hearing about Millie¡¯s power . ¡±

    Shin exined that he was not asking them to be like information brokers . Rather, it would only bring danger to them if they did it without proper training . Having rified that and put their worries to rest, he pressed her to go into the main topic of Millie¡¯s power .

    ¡° . . . . . .  Ever since birth, Millie has had the Gift¡ºStar Reader¡» . The way Millie tells it, she suddenly sees scenes that are different from what her eyes are seeing at the time . To my knowledge, her predictions have never been off . I think that her request to Shin-san was most likely also because of something that she saw . ¡±

    ¡°¡ºStar Reader¡»? To think that that had such an effect . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . . . . . . Do you perhaps know anything about it? I myself actually know almost nothing about this Gift . Those with a Gift are even rarer than Skill Inheritors, so almost none of them ever publicize information about themselves . Everything I know is only what I¡¯ve heard from Millie . ¡±

    Fumu, thought Shin . Here was an obvious deviation from THE NEW GATE .

    Shin proposed that there was the possibility it might turn into a clue for returning to his real world while fully aware of the risks . When he had been confirming his skills, none of them had gone awry, so he had not realized it earlier .

    He couldn¡¯t bepletely sure, as there were still items that he had not verified yet, but it seems that there were things here and there that were different from how he remembered them .

    This was especially true for Gifts, of which there are those that could be activated at will and those which are permanently activated . The yer was always given the choice whether to activate¡ºStar Reader¡»or not when beginning a quest, so it lied somewhere between the two types .

    (So there are changes to Gifts too . Just learning that makes this worth it, as it¡¯s really hard to verify Gifts that could be activated by will . The effect of ¡ºStar Reader¡»is not so much predicting the future as . . . . . . Wait, I¡¯m not getting any visions . )

    ¡ºStar Reader¡»had originally been a Gift that gave the yer a simple hint when they began a quest . Though it was kind of a rare Gift, not having it did not pose much of a handicap .

    Of course, Shin himself had it, but he had not experienced the effect described by Millie and Thoria . Shin guessed that there might be certain additional requirements, but had no clue what they were .

    He had no clue, but ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°Kidnapping, abduction, confinement . It would be pretty terrible if word got out about this . What countermeasures do you guys have in ce?¡±

    Instead, all that filled his mind were troublesome words like these . If his tone sounded a bit too light, it was because he had experience with all of them .

    By the way, they were carrying out their current conversation while covering up Millie¡¯s ears .

    ¡°We are extra careful to not bring it up carelessly, so word wouldn¡¯t get out so easily . Also, there are people who used to be at this orphanage and became adventurers who are helping us out . ¡±

    ¡°You mean Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°Yes . There are others too, but he is the one who ys the biggest role in protecting this ce . People are scared of his nickname, so there are very few who would dare toy hands on the children here . ¡±

    The fact that children were easy targets for crimes was apparently the same everywhere .

    Exactly as Shin had thought, Wilhelm was not a bad person, despite the other adventurers¡¯ fear of him . For good or for bad, the more famous he got, the safer the orphanage bes .

    The problem might lie in that people with a grudge against Wilhelm might purposely target the orphanage for that reason, but that¡¯s where the other adventurers step in . There aren¡¯t a lot of things that could be done by only one person .

    ¡°Well then, since I¡¯ve already received my reward, then I will now officially ept this request . Is Thoria-san the one who is to acquire ¡¾Purification¡¿?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not me, but Rashia . Do you remember the other Sister who had been in the church? Please help that girl learn it . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I had been sure that it was supposed to be Thoria-san . ¡±

    ¡°That girl is the grandchild of the Father who used to serve here . It would make for a much smoother transition if the session was decided by heredity . ¡±

    It appears that there was something else going on aside from simply wanting¡¾Purification¡¿ . ¡°With the quality of this information, the deal is already starting to pay off,¡± thought Shin with a wry smile as he petted Yuzuha .

    (T/N: The web novel version does not have the scene with the children ying with Shin and exining why Rashia needs Purification . From what I can gather, it¡¯s because there is a really greedy priest also aiming for the session . If he wins, he ns on shutting down the orphanage to pocket the extra money . He already has Purification, so he¡¯s ahead, but if Rashia also gets Purification, the fact that she is the grandchild of the previous serving Father would clinch the seat for her . )

    With the help of Millie, Shin quickly broke the ice with the children, which led to several hours of ying together with them . When Thoria returned to the orphanage, the entire group, with the exception of a few older ones, was fast asleep .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for having you look after the chil . . . . . . . . . . . . Looks like they have all lowered their guard down with you, eh?¡±

    ¡°I certainly hope so . ¡±

    Thoria had been about to say something, but stopped mid-sentence . She looked greatly relieved to see the children sleeping so easily . It seemed that she had been quite apologetic for asking someone that she¡¯d met only today to look after them .

    Behind Thoria was the figure of the girl called Rashia from the church . Her gray hair was done up in the same chignon style as Thoria . Her brown eyes looked steadily at Shin, but she was obviously quite nervous .

    ¡°Is this person Rashia-san?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes! For this asion, yoroshiku onegaishimau# . . . . . . ihyai . ¡±

    She had apparently bit her tongue .

    ¡°Umm, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°She has a bit of a careless side, but I can vouch that she is a very hardworking girl . ¡±

    Thoria was trying to cover for her, but herughter sounded a bit strained .

    ¡°Uu, I¡¯m sorry for showing you my unsightly side . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just take it easy, alright? I¡¯m Shin, an adventurer . I will instruct you on how to learn¡¾Purification¡¿ . However, whether Rashia-san can actually learn it or not will be entirely dependent on your efforts . Please do not forget that . ¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Her reply this time was a lot crisper . Her eyes were the very image of the word ¡®serious . ¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s get straight to it . First of all, do either of you know of a ce close by where arge number of undead monsters would appear at? If not, I can go back and ask at the guild . ¡±

    It could even be said to be a requirement for learning¡¾Purification¡¿ . Based on the ce, he would be able to tell roughly how long it would take .

    ¡°The most infamous one would be the Wraith ins, I think . ¡±

    ¡°Wraith ins?¡±

    Shin tilted his head quizzically at the name from Thoria¡¯s mouth, as he had never heard of it before .

    ¡°Yes . When you leave the country and go straight north, you¡¯ll eventually reach it . It seems that it used to be a dungeon, but was brought aboveground by the cataclysms and then fused with the ins . Now, there are lots of undead always roaming about over there . ¡±

    ¡°The dungeon was brought aboveground? Such a thing was possible?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of a few other simr ces, but I don¡¯t know much abou . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°No, all we need is a lot of undead monsters, so it sounds more than sufficient . ¡±

    It was almost too conveniently located, but he decided to not worry about it . Rather than checking out those ces one by one, it would be much faster to just go to the one they knew . In the first ce, the request did not feel like it had a lot of time to be fulfilled . It would be best to get it over with as soon as possible .

    ¡°So, how long would it take to get there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t actually kn¡ª¡±

    ¡°Around five to six days by carriage . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Oh hey, Wil . You¡¯re back . ¡±

    The person who had interrupted Thoria turned out to be Wilhelm, whose figure could be seen at the entrance to the room . Venom was in his hands, and he was silently pouring out fighting spirit .

    ¡°Yo, I came . ¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re the adventurer who epted that request?¡±

    On the surface, Wilhelm looked calm, but Shin could tell that he was in a battle-ready pose .

    ¡°Aah, I¡¯ve already received my reward, so I don¡¯t mind also letting you in on the information about¡¾Purification¡¿ . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . What did you hear?¡±

    Wilhelm immediately understood that the reward that Shin had received was not money . His eyes were dering that he would not forgive even the tiniest lie .

    Shin took a breath before replying .

    ¡° . . . . . . Millie¡¯s Gift and its power . And that people who came from this orphanage are working to keep it under wraps . ¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys cing too much trust in him?¡±

    It was Thoria that he had directed his question to . Considering the faces from the orphanage¡¯s side, he didn¡¯t even need to think to know who it was that had performed the negotiation . Even Shin didn¡¯t think that Rashia could take up the role of a negotiator, so in some sense it was only natural .

    ¡°It¡¯s alright . He doesn¡¯t seem like a bad person . And Millie also vouched for him . It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry . ¡±

    Wilhelm knew about Millie¡¯s power, so he muttered ¡°No way!¡± and looked at her .

    ¡° . . . . . . Did you see something?¡±

    ¡°Un . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . Is that so . ¡±

    At Millie¡¯s response, Wilhelm shut his mouth after a short reply . He looked satisfied with that .

    ¡°So, are you guys done?¡±

    ¡°Yeah . Since she said so, I¡¯ll trust you for now . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll also say it, to clear up any doubts . I have absolutely no intention of spreading around the things that I heard, and I am not thinking of using Millie¡¯s power for anything bad . ¡±

    ¡°You got that right . Just try it, I¡¯ll drain you to death with this thing . ¡±

    Wilhelm waved Venom around in a joking way, but his eyes werepletely serious . His aura broadcasted his readiness to brandish the spear at a moment¡¯s notice .

    ¡°Mu~, fighting, bad!¡±

    ¡°Oops, you¡¯re right . ¡±

    ¡°Tch . ¡±

    Picking up on the atmosphere that was sparkling with tension, Millie decided to mediate . Wilhelm did not look like he was going to do anything more, and stopped sending out fighting spirit .

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, he¡¯s been short-tempered ever since long ago . ¡±

    ¡°Wil has no patience at all . ¡±

    ¡°Wil-nii, hasty . ¡±

    ¡°Oi, they¡¯re saying all sorts of stuff about you . ¡±

    ¡°You bastards . . . . . . ¡±

    Thoria and Rashia had casually helped cover for Wilhelm . Rather than cover up, though, it sounded more like they were just badmouthing him .

    Those two were fine even though there was enough fighting spirit directed at them that would scare any normal person, which caused Shin to consider reevaluating his impression of them as normal people .

    ¡°Tch, whatever . You already heard a lot, right? So start telling us the information about¡¾Purification¡¿ . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you guys to not tell anyone else just in case . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry . We would be in deep trouble too if we go around revealing the secret method to acquire one of the church¡¯s famous skills . ¡±

    The others also nodded emphatically to Wilhelm¡¯s words . It appears that the church had a lot more influence than he had thought .

    ¡°To be on the safe side, I will now cast an anti-eavesdropping spell around the room . . . . . . Alright, let¡¯s get down to the main topic . The way to acquire¡¾Purification¡¿is to defeat at least 200 undead monsters of level 150 or higher while holding onto an item called¡¾Sacred Orb of Prayer¡¿ . Only the final blow is needed for it to count, so I will weaken them first while Rashia-san continues to hit them with as much magical power as she can deal . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Oi, you sure that works?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure . Actually, the more annoying part is procuring the¡¾Sacred Orb of Prayer¡¿, but I already have one, so we can just use that . ¡±

    Shin announced all that in a rxed manner .

    He was not aware that in this world, monsters with more than 150 levels were extremely dangerous to normal residents . Though she only had to deal the final blow, just hearing that she had to face 200 of them left Rashia so shocked that it almost seemed that her soul had jumped out .

    ¡°Oi, Rashia!¡±

    ¡°Hahi!!¡±

    ¡°Oi, oi, you alright?¡±

    The dazed Rashia came back to her senses when Wilhelm started patting her shoulder . There was no other way, so Rashia had no choice but to work hard at it .

    ¡°Oi, Shin . I¡¯ming along too . ¡±

    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind . It might be more reassuring for her to have someone she knowse along . ¡±

    Rather, it might be a bit much to travel with only the two of us, thought Shin as he put in due consideration for Rashia¡¯s mental state .

    From Rashia¡¯s reaction earlier, Shin was reminded again that there weren¡¯t a lot of adventurers in this world who could so casually meet such requirements . He had identally slipped back into the game¡¯s paradigm, so he muttered ¡°Self-restraint, self-restraint¡± to himself .

    ¡°Well then, work hard at it, Rashia . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will!¡±

    While Shin had been deep in thought, Rashia had recovered . With the future of the church on her back, she had no choice but to ovee this .

    After Rashia had built her up resolve, they discussed the finer details of the trip until the day ended .

    There¡¯s no time like the present, so they agreed to set off early next morning and all went back to make their own preparations for the journey . With consideration for Rashia, they decided to meet up in front of the eastern gate .

    Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part 2

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    You can grab the PDF here .

    ~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~

    After Shin left the church, everyone remaining began making their own preparations for the next day . Rashia and Thoria also took the time to tell the children about the trip .

    Wilhelm went out to buy foodstuffs and other goods for the long journey .

    While following the main road and buying everything needed, he also called out to the adventurers with ties to the orphanage . There was no guarantee that the priest aiming to shut down the orphanage would not take advantage of his absence to start something .

    Though there were quite a few adventurers from the orphanage, the number of people who knew about Millie¡¯s power was very small . There was the possibility that this trip might take quite a while, so he told all of them to be on their guard . In the midst of all this preparatory work, Wilhelm continued thinking about a certain man .

    Needless to say, it was Shin .

    Their first meeting was when they had happened to share a table at his favorite restaurant . Though Shin imed to have only just started as an adventurer, he had not been intimidated at all by Wilhelm carrying Venom, and had talk to him normally . Because of this, Wilhelm had remembered him immediately when he saw him again at the orphanage .

    At the church, when hearing that Thoria had revealed Millie¡¯s power, Wilhelm¡¯s first thought was that she was letting her guard down too much . However, even Millie had vouched for him, so it was good enough . Millie had even said that she had seen ¡®something . ¡¯ She didn¡¯t borate on what it was that she saw, but at least it was proof that he was not someone trying to get close to the church to cause them harm . Otherwise, Millie would not have advocated him so emphatically .

    None of that changes the fact that he was still aplete mystery .

    There were very few people who would talk to himself normally, and that guy¡¯s words and actions just happened to remain in Wilhelm¡¯s memory . The more he thought about it, though, the more strange points he noticed .

    When that guy saw Venom, he had asked whether it had been taken for appraisal . He had even asked after the appraiser¡¯s skill level . Thinking about it, that guy¡¯s expression at the time had seemed to say ¡°Ah, that level is not enough . ¡±

    It was the same for the requirements to acquire¡¾Purification¡¿ . Shin had said ¡°defeat at least 200 undead monsters of level 150 or higher . ¡± Right afterwards, he had said ¡°I will weaken them first, so Rashia will only need to deal the final blow . ¡± From the way he was speaking, he had not intended to bring Wilhelm along when he epted the request .

    If what he said was not a lie, then it would mean that he was strong enough to take on a level 150 by himself . And that would be even while bringing along Rashia, who would only get in his way .

    (Has he really be an adventurer only recently?)

    Wilhelm remembered that even back at the lunch, Shin had been speaking like he had a lot of fighting experience . If he was so good, though, then it would not have been strange for there to be information about him from before . Word travels quickly about strong people, even if they are not an adventurer . However, when he had asked the information brokers connected to the orphanage, none of them had any information on the guy .

    Someone who could single-handedly take down a monster above level 150 easily belonged in Rank B . Making Rank A would not even be strange .

    How could such a person have remained under the radar so long?

    (Could it be, that guy is . . . . . . )

    His steps stopped unconsciously .

    A certain title floated into Wilhelm¡¯s mind . It was a name known only to a select few .

    That phrase represented a group of existences who wielded power beyond the limits of normal people .

    Those with this title were born with numerous skills and varying amounts of knowledge already inside their head . This world¡¯s concept of ¡®levels¡¯ cannot be applied to them . They were, in general terms, ¡®ones who were chosen from birth . ¡¯

    ¡°Is he . . . . . . a Chosen One?¡±

    It was something that Wilhelm himself already had deep ties to .

    Nobody heard what he had unthinkingly voiced out loud; it disappeared into the usual mor of the city .

    The sun dawned on the next day .

    Shin finished his breakfast quickly, then told Tsugumi that he would be out of town for a while and got back the rest of his unused deposit . All his luggage was inside his inventory, so he didn¡¯t need any time for packing, which allowed him to set off before long . He wasn¡¯t able to set off immediately though, due to Tsugumi not wanting to part with Yuzuha . Shin felt that her eyes had be those of a hunter with a prey in sight . Was it perhaps because herst name was Bear?

    He walked through the rtively uncrowded roads with Yuzuha riding on his head as usual . Due to there being less people than there would be when the citypletely woke up, he reached the eastern gate faster than expected . Shin was thinking ¡°Aww, I¡¯m a bit too early,¡± but he noticed that there was already someone else by the eastern gate .

    ¡°Yo . ¡±

    ¡°Mornin¡¯ . You¡¯re early . ¡±

    Shin was surprised that there was someone who had arrived even earlier than himself .

    The way most people in this town told time was by the bells that would peal every hour . Therefore, it was really hard to time anything precisely, so if two people agreed to meet up, one person would invariably have to wait for the other . Merchants had clocks, so they were a lot stricter on time with each other, but adventurers were surprisinglyx about it . ording to Tsugumi and Douma, it was not rare at all for people to be just barely on time .

    ording to Shin¡¯s ingame clock, there were still 20 minutes before the meet-up time . He had been regretful about being so early, but it appears that it had not been aplete waste of time after all .

    ¡°Do you always arrive this early?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that there¡¯s something that I wanted to confirm before the trip . Lend me your face for a sec . ¡±

    Shin was bewildered at the inexplicable gravity with which Wilhelm was speaking . He followed behind while wondering what had happened . Yuzuha continued to lull on his head . It had probably decided to leave the situation to Shin to handle .

    ¡°Oh yea, where¡¯s Rashia?¡±

    ¡°Off on a little errand that I asked of her . Well, she¡¯ste half the time anyways . ¡±

    So this was a talk that he didn¡¯t want Rashia to hear .

    They continued walking for a few more minutes . Wilhelm then stopped in front of a certain shop .

    Judging by the signboard, it was a restaurant . The picture of a ss and a spoon did not make it clear what this ce served, though .

    After knocking the door three times with set intervals in between, Wilhelm opened the door . It was dim inside, but lighted enough to not hamper movement . Shin noticed three tables and a five-seat counter, and rows of wine bottles all lined up behind the counter . There was also a bartender wiping a ss .

    This ce was, undoubtedly, a bar .

    ¡°Sorry, man . Gonna borrow your ce . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Nodding once in acknowledgment of Wilhelm¡¯s words, the bartender left the shop through a door behind the counter . He must have noticed Yuzuha, but had not said anything . Shin had expected him to protest against allowing the cub inside for sanitary reasons, but it seems that hygiene was not a big issue for people in this world . Perhaps he had thought that Shin was a Tamer .

    ¡°Your acquaintance?¡±

    ¡°Someone from the orphanage . You¡¯ve already heard about those guys, right?¡±

    ¡°Aah . Wait, does it mean that person just now is also an adventurer?¡±

    ¡°Yes he is . ¡±

    There was no need to remain standing while they continued their conversation, so they both sat down at the counter .

    Without any hesitation, Wilhelm began to talk .

    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I want to confirm . Are you a Chosen One?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . What¡¯s that?¡±

    Shin responded in confusion over the word that he had never heard of before . The brief pause in front was when he had mentally run through all the Gifts that he knew . To his knowledge, though, there was no Gift called Chosen One .

    ¡°You don¡¯t know it?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t a clue . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Wilhelm was carefully watching the way Shin was acting, but concluded that he was not just ying dumb .

    ¡°Chosen Ones are people who are born with skills, Gifts, and knowledge that they wouldn¡¯t have known . They hold power thatpletely belies their level . ¡±

    ¡°They were born with it? You¡¯re not telling me that as a baby, they were already talking and firing magic everywhere?¡±

    What Wilhelm had said made Shin think of the reincarnation genre web novels that he had read where characters who got to restart and could already speak and understandplicated concepts as a baby .

    It was indeed true that after learning it, even a child could freely activate a skill, but Shin was doubtful that it could actually happen .

    ¡°I have heard of incidents like that, yes . There was also apparently a kid under 10 years old who killed a Tetra Grizzly bare-handed by using a skill that can even be described as a secret technique . Those stories are worth a dime a dozen . ¡±

    ¡°So these are people who were born with power . How to put it, sounds like they would get derided as ¡®monsters¡¯ quite often . ¡±

    It would still be understandable if it was just strength that these babies were born with, but the same can¡¯t be said for skills and knowledge . Depending on the way of looking at it, for the residents of this world, these people could indeed only be described as ¡®the chosen ones . ¡¯

    ¡°So, by ¡®knowledge,¡¯ do you also mean memories of a previous life?¡±

    ¡°No, most of what they know is on items and monsters . I¡¯ve never heard of any of them remembering a past self . ¡±

    ¡°I see . ¡±

    While listening to Wilhelm, a single possible exnation came into Shin¡¯s mind . Though there were a few points that didn¡¯t match up, it was something that made him think ¡°Couldn¡¯t it be this?¡±

    (Able to use several skills from the start, already possessing titles, great strength . . . . . . No way, the reincarnation system is still working?)

    Back in THE NEW GATE, yers would go to a temple to reincarnate, and would reappear at the temple . Here in reality, it probably made more sense for the person to restart as a baby . Thinking like that, the possibility of them being born into a random family could not be ruled out .

    The degree would depend on the number of reincarnations, but generally speaking, reincarnating would allow the person to keep a few skills and Gifts, as well as provide a stat bonus . If he closed his eyes to a fewrge questions, Shin thought that this was the most fitting exnation for the phenomenon .

    The biggest question of all, though, was that the temples where one would go to reincarnate are currently deep within danger zones that no one could go into .

    ¡°Ringing any bells?¡±

    ¡°Sort of yes, and sort of no . ¡±

    Shin was at a loss for an answer .

    The reincarnation system was from the game, and it was not like he himself had entered this world as a baby . However, Shin¡¯s power could only be described in this world as that of a Chosen One . Also, he had already registered himself as a human back at the guild, so it was toote to try to cover things up by iming to be one of the long-lived species .

    He didn¡¯t think he would be believed if he inly told the truth, and it would be troublesome in a different way if he was believed . It was widely known that high humans are all extinct .

    ¡°What a vague answer . Well, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not trying to get you to confess everything to me . Everybody has things that they don¡¯t want to reveal . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your understanding . ¡±

    ¡°It just seemed to me that you have too little self-awareness . Only high ranked adventurers can handle level 150 monsters by themselves . It¡¯s not something that you should im so easily, you G ranker . ¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, that¡¯s true . Man, how careless of me!¡±

    ¡°Damn it, damn it!¡± thought Shin as he outwardly disyed a wry smile . He had thought that he was aware of how the way he judged things by stats was out of ce in this world where people judged by levels, but it seems that he had slipped up after all .

    His response was a bit flippant, but internally he was far from calm . He had already told himself to be careful after seeing Rashia¡¯s reaction the other day . Be that as it may, he had only been in this world for a few days, so it was absurd to expect him to already fully understand the standards of this world . In was, in some sense, a world even more severe than the game had been . Perfectly adapting to this world¡¯s value systems andmon sense within such a short period of time was outright impossible .

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many who actually know the name ¡®Chosen One . ¡¯ But if word of your strength gets out, annoying things might start going your way . It wouldn¡¯t hurt to be careful about it . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . It . . . . . . might be a bitte for that . ¡±

    ¡°Oi, what did you do?¡±

    ¡°I won in a practice match against the guildmaster and reported subjugating a Jack ss Skull Face with the level of a King ss . In addition, I also recently wiped out a group of almost a hundred Skull Facesposed of Pawn and Jack sses . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . That sounds so insane that I don¡¯t even know where to start, oi . What the fuck is up with those ridiculous stories?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it . Even I didn¡¯t expect things to be like this . I didn¡¯t rush into those annoying situations myself . ¡±

    Although it was Shin who had approached the Skull Face that had turned out to be a unique monster, the fight with Balkus was because of the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora, and the army of Skull Faces had appeared almost as if it had been timed . Shin insisted that it was not his fault . He couldn¡¯t very well have left those Skull Faces as they were .

    ¡°Man, I had thought that you had done something, but those are no joke . Seriously, be careful, man . Chosen Ones easily earn people¡¯s respect due to their strength . But as you said just now, there are those would ostracize you because of it . ¡±

    ¡°Makes sense . ¡±

    ¡°There was even a guy who spouted nonsense like an oracle had foretold of his birth . There is an enormous difference in treatment whenpared to those who just normally get stronger as they grow up . But well, there¡¯s no need to spend too much time thinking about the other Chosen Ones, because most of them are already under the church¡¯s or a country¡¯s protection . ¡±

    ¡°I see . By the way, around how many Chosen Ones are in each country?¡±

    If Chosen Ones are truly who Shin thought they were, then there was the possibility that there were tons of people around who had enough power to wipe out an entire country .

    ¡°The number varies by country . If you go by official ounts, then there are a total of four in this country, one of whom is the guildmaster . The neighboring countries might not even have one in each . There are prettyrge differences in power between each one, and not every Chosen One is sped for battle, so their numbers is not necessarily a reliable benchmark by which to judge which country has the advantage . If it¡¯s battle power that we¡¯re talking about, then Berylricht is probably on top, but carelessly over-deploying our Chosen Ones would prompt the surrounding countries to ally together to deal with us . No matter how strong Chosen Ones are, even they can¡¯t annihte an entire army, and all countries probably have other cards up their sleeves . Everything is in bnce for now . Well, it¡¯s pretty much a tacit understanding that every country has more secret Chosen Ones hidden away . ¡±

    ¡°Put in another way, countries are keeping their aces face down . So you said that even Chosen Ones would be hard-pressed to wipe out an entire army alone, huh . Just for curiosity, how many can the strongest Chosen One take on?¡±

    ¡°From what I know, our First and Second Princesses would probably be the likely candidates . If we¡¯re talking closebat, then it¡¯d be the Second; if we¡¯re talking magic, then it¡¯d be the First . The First Princess has wide area spells, so she could probably handle thousands at once, but it would be over if someone got close to her . As for the Second Princess, it would depend on her condition and the enemy¡¯s tactics . She would probably have a hard time if she was continually bombarded with long-range magic . There are very significant differences even between Chosen Ones sped for battle . The Berylricht princesses rank pretty high on the scale . ¡±

    From Wilhelm¡¯s description, Shin could roughly calcte the strength of the Chosen Ones . A simple soldier would not have the bonuses from reincarnation, so even if they trained their entire life, their stats would not go above 300 . Of course, with equipment and weapons, they might be able to ovee that limit, but considering the present situation where there aren¡¯t so many who would level themselves up so high, someone who reaches 300 with only one or two of their stats after piling on lots of equipment would already be a notch above the rest .

    Humans have an especially high resistance to magic, so if the First Princess could handle thousands of soldiers at once, then she must have at least 500 points in INT and a rtivelyrge pool of MP . Wilhelm had said that she has spells that can simultaneously attack multiple targets, so the power that she holds is probably considered exceptional by this world¡¯s standards . Paired with her was the Second Princess, who Shin spectes has high HP and STR, VIT, and AGI around 500 . He could not suppress a wry smile at how they were such a picture-perfect illustration of a tanker and DPS duo .

    ¡°That makes things easy to understand . More like, if the two of them worked together, then wouldn¡¯t they be invincible?¡±

    The First Princess would shoot the enemy with her magic, and the Second Princess would defeat anyone who got close . Considering how much power each one had, a battle against the two of them together could only end with aughable result .

    ¡°You¡¯re right . But no matter how strong their teamwork, in the end, they are only two people . If other Chosen Ones simr to themselves also shows up, they could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers of normal soldiers . It¡¯s the same for every country, which is why nobody dares toy hands on anyone else . ¡±

    ¡°I see, I see . ¡±

    If every country was in a simr situation, it meant that there wasn¡¯t much of a difference in the stats of Chosen Ones with simr builds from each country . He had no solid proof, but Chosen Ones ¡ª by Shin¡¯s definition, reincarnated people ¡ª all had at most 500 in a few stats, even with the reincarnation bonuses .

    Shin now understood why so many requests came to Schnee . Instead of only a few, all of her stats were above 800 . He didn¡¯t know what weapon she was currently using, but adding it to the equation would probably bring her STR over 900 . If she used the wide area annihtion magics that Shin remembered, then she could definitely wipe out not just thousands of troops, but tens of thousands . It was not hard to imagine that if she ever came into the service of any one country, then the neighboring ones would all be annexed within the blink of an eye .

    (If it was such a big thing, why didn¡¯t I hear about it from Els or Selica-san?)

    As staff of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild, they probably knew about it, but Shin guessed from Wilhelm¡¯s wording that it was probably told only to staff and adventurers of a certain rank or higher . The real reason, though, was that he had left too deep of an impression, what with lifting the curse and subjugating the Skull Faces, so they had simply forgotten .

    ¡°Thanks for the heads up . It might already be toote, but I¡¯ll be extra careful from now on . ¡±

    ¡°You do that . ¡±

    ¡°More like, you¡¯re a surprisingly nice guy who takes really good care of the people around you . Are you sure that there are people scared of you?¡±

    ¡°Those people are justing up with their own conclusions . I¡¯ve got nothing to do with it . ¡±

    Shin identally voiced out what he felt from the talk . There was arge gap between the impression that he had heard and the impression that he himself got after actually meeting up with Wilhelm . Now he could tell that themon image seemed forced, almost as if Wilhelm was purposely propagating it .

    ¡°But it¡¯s your reputation that¡¯s protecting the orphanage, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the other guys who¡¯re all gung-ho about it . It was bad enough that the Father kicked the bucket, but now there¡¯s that greedy fat pig who¡¯s here to mess up the ce . Thanks to all that, the kids started crying . The sound of crying kids hurts my ears . ¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s face was scrunched up in a scowl . Perhaps due feeling earlier that Wilhelm was purposely acting like this, Shin thought that it was probably not the sound of the children crying that bothered him, but the fact that the children were crying that bothered him .

    ¡°Therefore, you¡¯ll shut down anyone who would meddle with them?¡±

    ¡°You got that right . Buttely, I don¡¯t know what got into them, even the brats have starteding up with weird ideas . Brats should just eat and sleep and run around like the brats they are . ¡±

    Facing Wilhelm, who was making such a brusque deration, Shin could not help thinking ¡°Damn, this guy is such a good guy!¡± .

    In other words, what he was saying was that the children should stay innocent and enjoy their childhood, and that he would show no mercy to anyone who makes them cry . It was such a ¡°big brother¡± thing to say .

    ¡°Dear me, you¡¯re just not honest with yourself, are you?¡±

    ¡°You fucking with me?¡±

    ¡°Oops, I said nothing~ . By the way, there¡¯s something bugging me . Does the ¡®fat pig¡¯ being able to have a say in the session of the church mean that he also has¡¾Purification¡¿?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help smirking with mirth .

    Returning his face to normal, he asked to confirm something that had caught his attention . Though they might not like their opponent, if he had truly gained¡¾Purification¡¿by his own power, then they could not afford to take him lightly . A pig who could fight would be no ordinary pig, after all .

    ¡°It pisses me off to admit it, but it seems like he does . However, to be blunt, that guy is trash when ites to fighting . The method that you spoke of yesterday is impossible for him . Level-wise, no way . ¡±

    ¡°Do you know his exact level?¡±

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s 40 . ¡±

    ¡°I see, that would indeed be impossible . Which means he used a Book of Secrets, then . ¡±

    As he thought, that guy had acquired the skill through an item . Otherwise, it would be inconceivable for someone with such a low level to have¡¾Purification¡¿ . If he was a reincarnated person ¡ª ¡®Chosen One,¡¯ by this world¡¯s terminology ¡ª then it might be possible, but judging by the way Wilhelm was speaking, Shin didn¡¯t think he was one .

    ¡°There are a lot of secrets in the church . It wouldn¡¯t be odd at all for that to be true . More like, that¡¯s most likely exactly what happened . I¡¯ve heard that every single one of the higher ranked clergy serving at the headquarters are really strong . ¡±

    ¡°Either they have a really bad eye for people, or it was the power of money . . . . . . No matter how you think about it, it¡¯s obviously thetter . ¡±

    There was no way that everyone in the position of leadership had such bad eyes . There could be a few other exnations, but money was the mostmon and easiest to understand .

    ¡°At first, I had thought that you were sent by that bastard . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t fault you for thinking that . ¡±

    Exactly when they were in desperate need of the¡¾Purification¡¿skill, an adventurer shows up with perfect timing . It would be weirder to not be suspicious . It was especially true for someone who knew the situation .

    There was no telling what would have happened without Millie .

    ¡°There is usually something up with anyone who Millie shares her visions with . I had thought that there was probably some kind of greater thing going on . ¡±

    ¡°Heeh~, what other people has she talked to?¡±

    ¡°You curious?¡±

    ¡°Well, yea, ¡®cus she did talk to me too . ¡±

    ¡°Fair enough . I won¡¯t go into details, but there was a ck dragnil, a blond pixie, and a silver-haired elf . ¡±

    ¡°Heeh~¡±

    Shin had been lightly continuing the conversation making the appropriate sounds, but it suddenly struck him that he had heard of this grouping before .

    (ck dragnil, blond pixie, silver-haired elf . . . . . . I¡¯ve heard of all of these traits before . Wait, no, this grouping isn¡¯t that rare in and of itself . But it¡¯s not just one, it¡¯s all three of described together . . . . . . )

    There were a few missing, but the question ¡°Isn¡¯t it those guys?¡± refused to leave Shin¡¯s mind .

    ¡°Hey, is that silver-haired elf that you mentioned Schnee Raizar?¡±

    ¡°The fuck? What made you think that?¡±

    ¡°Intuition . . . . . . is the only way I can describe it . It just felt that way . ¡±

    ¡°Intuition, huh . ¡±

    Shin stared right back at Wilhelm, who was looking at Shin with a probing eye .

    ¡°May I ask what she said at that time?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . It was¡ºHe¡¯ll be back soon¡» . I don¡¯t know what that¡¯s supposed to mean, though . ¡±

    ¡°I see . ¡±

    ¡°You know something about that?¡±

    ¡°Nope, not a clue . ¡±

    ¡°You look strangely convinced but you¡¯re telling me ¡®not a clue¡¯?¡±

    ¡°How do I even begin to exin . ¡±

    After unexpectedly disclosing what Millie had said, Wilhelm now looked so surprised that Shin couldn¡¯t tell him that it was about himself . It might be possible that Millie had predicted a while ago that he would being .

    ¡°Umm, I . . . . . . Nn?¡±

    ¡°What is it this time?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, give me a minute . ¡±

    A blinking message had suddenly appeared at the edge of his vision . It was apparently from Tiera .

    While asking Wilhelm to wait, he mentally gave the instruction to open the message .

    ¡ºTo Shin,

    Master replied back .

    She¡¯s bombarding me with a lot of questions, so for now I¡¯ll just tell you

    what I understood .

    When she is done with her work, she will return as quickly as she can .

    Please give me notice if you are leaving Berylricht .

    P . S .

    Master is asking me so many questions that I¡¯m getting a bit scared .

    Exactly what did you do to Master?¡»

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    While thinking ¡°How many is ¡®so many that I¡¯m getting scared¡¯?¡±, Shin wrote back ¡°Understood . ¡± Schnee was probably just really worried, since five hundred years had passed without any news from him, but it wasn¡¯t something that he could do anything about, so he decided to just meet up with her first .

    With a wry smile on his face, Shin was about to close the menu window when he noticed the¡ºImportant Things¡»tab blinking . After clicking on it, he saw the icon for¡ºLetter of Introduction from Tsuki no Hokora¡»glowing with a silver light .

    ¡°Nn? . . . . . . . . . . . . Ah!¡±

    While wondering why it was glowing, Shin suddenly remembered what Balkus had said when they had first met . One way to confirm the legitimacy of a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora is to check if it resonates magically with another letter of introduction nearby .

    ¡°Which would mean . . . . . . ¡±

    He took out the letter in card form . He had done it on purpose, as the letter in card form did not have any recognizable patterns, making it impossible for someone who did not know what it was to guess its true form .

    Even in card form, the letter was still giving off a silver light .

    ¡°This is . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t tell me that what you¡¯re holding is a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s question cut through Shin¡¯s thoughts .

    Shin was about to ask ¡°Why do you think so?¡± when he realized it .

    The only people who know that the letter of introductions would glow are ¡ª¡ª

    ¡°You also have one?!¡±

    ¡°So that glowing thing really is a letter of introduction!¡±

    With shock stered on his face, Wilhelm also produced a card out of nowhere . The card in his hand was also glowing with a silver light .

    ¡° . . . . . . Could that be . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . No way . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin and Wilhelm stared at each other¡¯s face .

    An indescribable atmosphere filled the ce .

    Volume 2 Chapter 1 Part 3

    After a while, both of them regained some sense ofposure, and returned their letters to their real forms for confirmation .

    ¡°To think that you were also a letter bearer . ¡±

    ¡°Same for you, too . ¡±

    Shin replied with a wry smile to Wilhelm, who now looked like all the tension had drained from his body .

    Despite the fact that it was Millie who had orchestrated their meeting, Shin had remained slightly wary of Wilhelm due to his character, and Wilhelm had remained wary of Shin¡¯s unknown strength . Though they had no troubles on the surface, a slight sense of distrust had lingered in some corner of their minds . But all that waspletely dispelled by the letters in their respective hands .

    ¡°There is no greater proof of trust in this world . No wonder you brought up Schnee Raizar . ¡±

    ¡°In my case, it was Tiera who had given me the letter . Did you get yours from Schnee?¡±

    ¡°I got her to do some sparring with me . Well, I say sparring, but it was more like I just got one-sidedly beaten up . ¡±

    ¡°Aah . . . . . . she does have a really serious streak, that one . ¡±

    It was Shin who had written that trait into her settings, but he had done so with a very broad stroke, giving her space to determine the finer details herself . It wouldn¡¯t be strange for Schnee¡¯s personality to have undergone some changes ever since the game era, but Shin felt from Wilhelm¡¯s story that she had pretty much remained the same . But now that she was not an AI anymore, the various experiences that she¡¯s had so far must have left some effect on her, so Shin¡¯s mental image of her probably needed some updating .

    ¡°Alright, Rashia¡¯s going to arrive soon, so we¡¯d best get going . We can continue this conversation while on the road . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s already thiste?¡±

    After ncing at the clock on the wall, Wilhelm stood up . He had not nned on staying here long in the first ce, but the unanticipated discovery that Shin was also a letter bearer had caused them to stay longer than he had expected . However, he considered it time well-spent, as he had been able to converse with Shin at length, so he was now feeling very satisfied .

    Every single person who had a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora had some extraordinary power of other, but none of them had ever turned out to be morally corrupt . Wilhelm got a distinct feeling that with Shin on his side, all the troublesome things burdening the church could be dealt away with in one go .

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask this now that we know we can trust each other: Are you also a Chosen One?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really n on hiding it at this point, but what makes you think so? Not every Rank A adventurer is a Chosen One . ¡±

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s because of the weapon that you¡¯re holding . Normal people wouldn¡¯t be able to use it . They would get rejected . The moment I saw you holding it like it was nothing, I knew that you were someone special . ¡±

    ¡°Hah! So that¡¯s how it is . No wonder you were so insistent on the appraiser and his skill level . You knew what it was from the very start . ¡±

    What Wilhelm wielded was the Legend grade Demon Spear¡ºVenom¡» .

    This weapon could not be equipped if the user did not have at least 500 STR . This was the reason why the weapon had caught Shin¡¯s eye the first time he met Wilhelm .

    Normally, Legend grade weapons only required 350 in certain stats . Inparison, the requirements for¡ºVenom¡»are abnormally high . However, there is a proper reason behind it, and it was not a bug .

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t very well talk about it in front of such arge number of people . Also, just now you pulled that card out of nowhere . Does that mean that you can use an inventory? I¡¯ve heard that people who can do so aren¡¯t thatmon . ¡±

    ¡°Aah, what I have is just something that looks like it . I use an item called¡ºErgement Kit¡», which suffices as a sort of pseudo-inventory, but the capacity is pretty low . Of course, not everyone has it . ¡±

    ¡°Heh~, I see . ¡±

    Shin made the appropriate noises to continue the conversation while thinking ¡°So that function remains after all . ¡± It was a function that was often used to have support characters or partner monsters help with carryingrge loads . With it, yers could give their followers almost as much inventory space as an actual yer . Most people, though, only expanded their follower¡¯s inventory once or twice, which was enough space to store things like potions and other recovery items for emergencies .

    In Shin¡¯s case, though, he had expanded the inventories of all of his support characters to the max . There was no particr reason for it, it was just him being fastidious about that sort of thing .

    ¡°Anyways, weren¡¯t you using it too?¡±

    ¡°In my case, I¡¯ve been able to use it from the very start . ¡±

    ¡°So you are a Chosen One after all . ¡±

    ¡°Mumu, at this point let¡¯s just run with that . ¡±

    Without requesting any further details, it looked like Wilhelm was satisfied with thinking that Shin was a Chosen One, so Shin decided to just let him continue to think that . If he tried to go over each and every setting one by one, he might contradict himself somewhere, so he decided right there and then to pass himself off as a Chosen One .

    While continuing their conversation, they eventually returned to the road that they hade from . When the two of them approached the eastern gate, they saw Rashia restlessly looking around for them .

    ¡°Ah, you stop right there, Wil! Where on earth did you go after pushing all the shopping onto me?!¡±

    ¡°My bad, my bad . I had other things to take care of . ¡±

    ¡°Or so you say, but you were visiting an indecent shop again, were you?¡±

    ¡°Like I would! You better not be still half-asleep . ¡±

    ¡°Shin-san . Even if Wil invites you, don¡¯t follow him, alright? The asional cold shoulder is good enough for this guy . ¡±

    ¡°Listen to me, dammit! More like, stop saying things that could be easily misunderstood!!¡±

    ¡°For now, how about both of you just calm down . ¡±

    After Shin calmed down the two who had spontaneously started something like a lover¡¯s quarrel, they all set off . Secretly, Shin was a bit jealous of how they were so close that they could freely say everything on their mind to each other .

    Their method of transportation this time was by horse . Wilhelm had apparently rented them from the guild . One of the horses was even the guild¡¯s best horse, and it had such a magnificent physique and a beautiful chestnut coat that even Shin, who knew nothing about horses, was impressed . When the horse saw Yuzuha, it stopped in its tracks, but after a soft bark from Yuzuha, it neighed softly and calmed down . Some kind of conversation that Shin andpany did not understand had probably just taken ce .

    Wilhelm and Rashia rode together on one horse, and Shin and Yuzuha rode together on the other one . It was the first time that Shin had ridden a real horse, but somehow the¡¾Riding¡¿skill was still working, so he was able to ride without any problems . Back during the game, there were many chances to ride not just horses, but also things like griffons and dragons, so his Riding level was quite high .

    Wilhelm had said that it would take five to six days by carriage, but Shin thought that their current speed would allow them to arrive faster than that . Of course, Shin could run a lot faster than the horses, but it would be awkward to carry Rashia the whole way, so he didn¡¯t bring it up .

    Stopping every now and then to let their horses rest, their journey was otherwise quite smooth, and no significant problems came up . Both Shin and Wilhelm could use their inventories, so they pretty much had no luggage to carry, and thus they were able to cover that much more distance . Furthermore, since they had all sorts of cookery and cutlery on them, even when they camped outside they had a varied menu instead of just wretched preserved foods . As they had ovee the problem of cooking, which was one of the biggest issues with traveling, the journey was not very taxing even on Rashia, who was new to it .

    The horses ran for 4 days, and in that time Shin grew close enough to Wilhelm and Rashia to drop all honorifics . They arrived at the Wraith ins before noon .

    Though the sun was still high in the sky, the area did not look very bright . At the clear divide between the forest and the ins, there seemed to be an invisible wall that was blocking off some of the sunlight . And if they strained their eyes a bit, they could see a thick purple miasma welling up from the ground . It covered the surface of the entirety of the ins, and stopped abruptly at the invisible wall .

    When Shin checked the miasma with¡¾Analyze¡¿, nothing worthy of note came up . Based on that, they at least knew that the miasma did not cause any negative effects .

    ¡°There¡¯s no response even when I try touching it . Which means that this is unmistakably the boundary line . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right . Also, if you cross the line, those mobs can¡¯t follow you over . They can only exist beyond the barrier . ¡±

    ¡°Is that how it is?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve tried luring them before . It might have been because it was daytime, but when they crossed over, even their armor and weapons crumbled along with them . ¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make it so that we can easily run outside the barrier if needed . ¡±

    The aim was to make sure that there was an escape route for Rashia to use in the event of any unforeseen circumstances . Unlike Shin and Wilhelm, Rasha was nowhere near strong enough to handle the uing enemies even on a one-on-one basis .

    ¡°For starters, let¡¯s build a base so that we all know where to head to if something happens . Also, this is the¡ºSacred Orb of Prayer¡» . There would be no point to all this if you didn¡¯t hold onto it . And also use this . It can repel even dragon breath . ¡±

    ¡°U-Understood! Dhan- . . . . . .  oww  . . . . . . ¡±

    She could not be faulted for being nervous at the cold air wafting over from the Wraith ins . During the trip, Wilhelm had snapped at her many times for her habit of identally biting herself when she was nervous, but Shin suspected that it might have be the way Rashia unconsciously tried to distract herself from worrying .

    What Shin had handed over along with the¡ºSacred Orb of Prayer¡»was a bracelet type magic item that would negate a certain amount of damage from each blow . Shin had made it himself, and the threshold for its negation was so high that it couldpletely cancel out even a direct punch from a King ss Skull Face . Its durability was guaranteed . With this item, their worries could even be considered excessive . However, there¡¯s no point in merely using words to convince Rashia, who was not used to this kind of fighting . The only way was to have her learn to get used to it .

    Incidentally, the reason why Rashia was still using honorifics and polite speech was because of habit . The only person that she used casual speech with was Wilhelm, but that was apparently because the two of them had grown up together .

    ¡°(Yuzuha, if you would . )¡±

    ¡°Kuu . ¡±

    Shin sent a telepathic message to Yuzuha . They had be able to do that right after forming the contract . Yuzuha could pick up on messages that Shin mentally sent over, and Shin could pick up Yuzuha¡¯s agreement or disagreement and mood .

    Having received Shin¡¯s message, Yuzuha came down off of Shin¡¯s head, jumped over onto Rashia¡¯s shoulder, and began rubbing against her face .

    ¡°Wai, wait a moment, Yuu-chan! That tickles . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu~¡±

    ¡°Its telling you to lighten up and that you can do it . ¡±

    ¡°Ah . . . . . . Yuu-chan, thank you . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha seemed to have seeded in lifting Rashia¡¯s spirits at least a bit, as Rashia had started to smile, though the smile was understandably still a little stiff . When Shin was sending Yuzuha a thank-you telepathy for doing what he had wanted it to, Wilhelm¡¯s figure reappeared from the thicket .

    ¡°How¡¯s the baseing along?¡±

    ¡°I did set up the things around the tent like you asked, but what exactly are those?¡±

    Wilhelm jerked his thumb at a spot beyond the forest . It was not visible from where the three of them currently stood, but over there was a tent surrounded by on all four sides by jewels about 10 cemels in size . Though monsters couldn¡¯t leave the ins, the tent had been erected a slight distance away just in case .

    ¡°Just a little something in the way of interception . It would attack any monsters that get close . With a barrier like that, there¡¯s not much else you can ask for from a makeshift base, right?¡±

    ¡°What the heck, I¡¯ve never heard of such an item . ¡±

    To be honest, just setting up Barrier would be enough, but Shin expected that even Chosen Ones have limits, so he opted to use items instead . Though the im of being a Chosen One gave him a lot more leeway in how much power he could disy and could serve as an excuse for the things that he did differently from ¡®normal¡¯ people, he figured that there was still a limit to how far he could push it . It was a problem, though, that he didn¡¯t know exactly where that limit was .

    With all that said, it didn¡¯t hurt to set up Barrier and Wall anyways . It was partly preparation for the one in a million chance of something going wrong, but also partly because there was no guarantee that monsters will be the only thing that poses a danger to them .

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll just have to believe me as a fellow Chosen One . ¡±

    ¡°You sure picked up quickly how to use that title conveniently, seriously . ¡±

    ¡°Eh? Shin-san is also a Chosen One?!¡±

    Apparently, Rashia also knew about Chosen Ones . She had most likely heard it from Wilhelm .

    ¡°Hmm? You didn¡¯t tell her?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have solid proof yet . ¡±

    ¡°Was the reason why the two of you went off the first day to confirm it?¡±

    ¡°Yep . ¡±

    ¡°You guys should have told me from the very start!¡±

    Feeling like the odd one, Rashia pouted .

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d at least had an inkling . The aim of this trip being as demanding as it is . ¡±

    ¡°I thought that if Wil could do it, most people could too . ¡±

    ¡°No way that¡¯s true . ¡±

    ¡°B-but Wil is the only adventurer I know! I know that Wil is strong, but I didn¡¯t know exactly how strong he is because I don¡¯t have anyone else topare him to . ¡±

    Wilhelm was left speechless in front of Rashia, who was tilting her head . It would be very hard to understand how strong the existences called Chosen Ones were without seeing it firsthand . In the first ce, there was no way that Wilhelm would bring Rashia to a ce where he would have to get serious .

    ¡°O~i, I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, but should we get started soon? To my understanding, we don¡¯t exactly have time to take things leisurely . ¡±

    ¡°Good point . Come on, let¡¯s go . You¡¯ve calmed down a bit, right?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah, wait for me!¡±

    Shin had been looking on while waiting for an appropriate time to speak up . He understood that it was to calm Rashia¡¯s nerves, so he picked a suitable time before cutting in .

    ¡°Well then, I wonder what¡¯s going to greet us first . ¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s still daytime, it¡¯ll probably be Skull Face, Bio Hound, or Mad Zombie . When the sun¡¯s still up, only the ones with a physical body are able to move around . ¡±

    ¡°As I thought, nighttime would suit our purpose better . Oh well, we can work on getting Rashia used to fighting first before finding a good time to let up and wait for nighttime to get serious . ¡±

    ¡°Yep, and we can decide the pacing afterwards based on Rashia¡¯s condition . Well then, here theye . ¡±

    Shin and Wilhelm turned to look at the shadows that were approaching from behind Rashia . Visibility was reduced quite significantly by the miasma fog, but it was not a problem for the two of them and their senses .

    What eventually emerged from the fog were two Jack ss Skull Faces and three Bio Hounds . Rashia could not help pressing her hand against her mouth at the sight of the Bio Hounds with rotten flesh falling off from half of their bodies . Seeing them in real life made them that much harder to look at .

    ¡°This is about so-so as warm-up . ¡±

    ¡°The Bio Hounds are just in the goddamn way, though . ¡±

    Shin drew the katana at his waist, and Wilhelm readied his grip on Venom . Though Rashia¡¯s face was a bit pale, she also held out her staff and began chanting .

    The Bio Hounds, which had greater speed, reached them first .

    Probably due to theirck of intelligence, the Bio Hounds charged straight in from the front . Shin stepped up, thrust out a hand, and activated the God-style Skill¡¾Ichiyou no Misogi (Purification Ceremony of a Single Leaf)¡¿ .

    At the same time, a half-transparent wall appeared in front of him . The Bio Hounds were not able to dodge in time, and ended up falling to the ground after crashing into the wall with a ¡°gusha¡± sound .

    Many God-type skills are effective against the undead, and that effectiveness also extends to protective skills . This fact, coupled with the Bio Hounds¡¯ suicidal move of running into the wall, brought the Bio Hounds¡¯ HP bars down to the red zone in one fell blow . Of course, there was no way that Shin would overlook this .

    He immediately dispelled the wall and shot Rashia instructions .

    ¡°Attack the Bio Hounds!¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    Having finished chanting, Rashiaplied by immediately activating her Arts .

    A white light shot out from the staff that she was holding aloft and fell upon the Bio Hounds . What she had used was the God-type Arts¡¾Heal¡¿ . It did not have as much power as a God-type Skill, but recovery magic in general was a very good way to deal damage to undead monsters . With their remaining HP gone, the Bio Hounds¡¯ corpses disappeared into thin air .

    At this sight, Shin confirmed that the rule that monsters inside dungeons don¡¯t leave behind a corpse when they die was still in effect . Apparently, the entire Wraith ins zone was being treated as a dungeon .

    ¡°The others areing!¡±

    At Wilhelm¡¯s shout, Shin temporarily stopped observing the entire field as a whole, and readied himself to intercept . With the sound of pieces of their armor scraping against each other, the two Skull Faces charged straight in, just like the Bio Hounds did . However, they did so while firmly holding shields in front .

    ¡°¡¾Shield Bash¡¿, I would assume . ¡±

    ¡°Oi, can you stop them with the wall thing from just now?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me . You¡¯re not going to tell me that you can¡¯t at least cut off their hands and legs even when I create an opening, right?¡±

    ¡°Hah! Who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡±

    After returning Wilhelm¡¯s question with a confidence response, Shin cast¡¾Ichiyou no Misogi¡¿again . Though the Skull Faces did crash into the wall, unlike the Bio Hounds, they had shields in front, so they took no damage . However, although the Skull Faces had seen the wall withstand the Bio Hounds¡¯ body m, they did not expect it to be durable enough to withstand even¡¾Shield Bash¡¿, and thus lost their bnce as a result of the collision . Confirming that the Skull Faces had indeed lost their bnce, Shin dispelled the wall . In that instant, Wilhelm dashed in between with his demon spear at the ready .

    ¡°Tsuaraaa!¡±

    He drew a huge arc in the air with the Spear-type Martial Skill¡¾Senka (sh Blossom)¡¿ .

    The attack sliced through the air and ground the two Skull Faces¡¯ feet to dust, leaving behind a crimson trail in midair .

    He was not done yet .

    Without killing the momentum from his attack, Wilhelm quickly turned around . Relying on the centrifugal force generated by this movement, he sent the sword and shield of the left Skull Face flying . The Skull Face that had lost both legs and its weapons fell to the ground .

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good . ¡±

    While watching Wilhelm¡¯s movements, Shin had also destroyed both arms of the Skull Face on the right using the Sword-type Martial Skill¡¾Seijin (de Crusher)¡¿ . What he had in his hands was a new katana .

    It was a Legend grade katana with a crimson de,¡ºAkechidori (Crimson Thousand Birds)¡» . Its cutting strength and durability were both far above the¡ºSuda¡»that he was using before, and it also dealt lightning elemental damage .

    The Skull Face that was now reduced to merely a head and torso had not received much damage to its core, but its HP was being steadily shaved off every time it was run through by the red lightning jumping off of the de . The additional lightning elemental damage was helpful in lowering the Skull Face¡¯s HP without Shin having to directly destroy its core . This kind of attack was very effective against monsters like Skull Faces who only receive damage when their cores are destroyed . This was the reason why Shin chose¡ºAkechidori¡» .

    ¡°Rashia! Focus your Heals on the one in front of me!!¡±

    ¡°R-Roger!¡±

    Noting from the corner of his eye that Wilhelm had broken both arms of the Skull Face that had lost its equipment, Shin gave instructions to Rashia, who had finished chanting .

    While holding down the Skull Face that was still struggling despite only having a head and torso, Shin reached out with his senses . Though he couldn¡¯t confirm things by sight due to the fog,¡¾Sense Presence¡¿informed him of several monsters that were now heading towards them, having perhaps been drawn by the sound of fighting .

    ¡°More areing! Please pick up the pace . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go any faster than this!!¡±

    As can be expected, it was taking Rashia quite some time to use only Arts to wear down the HP of monsters more than 100 levels above her own .

    ¡°So this is all the¡¾Heal¡¿Arts can do . Oi, Shin! Is it possible to hold off the enemy with that wall thing and attack them from this side?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible . Even if it is possible, I don¡¯t know how . ¡±

    It would be great if they could attack from behind the invisible wall like Wilhelm was saying, but barrier type skills effectively cut off the two sides of the barrier . As a result, it was not possible to one-sidedly bombard an enemy on the other side while hiding behind a barrier . The rules that govern how skills could be used seem to be more flexible in this world than back in the game, so Shin could not say for certain that this idea could not be done . However, even there was a way that it could be done, Shin did not know it .

    ¡°Tsk, no helping it then . Guess we have no choice but to just quickly beat them up . ¡±

    ¡°Since our roles are not to actually kill them, that¡¯s the only thing we can do . ¡±

    ¡°Wait a sec! I¡¯m working so frantically over here, so howe you two still sound soposed?!¡±

    Though it might already be obvious, pinning down monsters instead of killing them outright was a considerably harder task . It would take a normal adventurer all he had to manage it, but the way Shin and Wilhelm were talking revealed that the only consternation that this was causing them was merely on the level of ¡°now that we¡¯re really doing this, it¡¯s just troublesome . ¡± Only one of them wasining, but even thatint sounded more annoyed than distressed . They were wielding their weapons with only a moderate amount of tension .

    ¡°As we thought, the levels of the monsters are this low because we¡¯re still only on the edge of the ins . ¡±

    ¡°We will most likely need to go in deeper . But with that said, we¡¯ve no choice but to wait a while for Rashia to get stronger first . ¡±

    ¡°She started at level 10, so it¡¯s going up quite quickly . She¡¯s level 24 now . The Bio Hounds were somewhere around level 60 . Oh, she suddenly shot up to level 40 . With a difference of more than a hundred levels, she¡¯s getting quite a bit of XP just from finishing them off . ¡±

    The way they were helping her powerlevel seemed almost to trample the earnest efforts of adventurers who steadily work on leveling themselves, but they could not afford to put in several months to reach the same results, and thus continued regardless .

    Though she was being protected, each and every monster was strong enough to kill her off with a single blow, and all of them were pouring out all the blood thirst that they had, so Rashia could not take it easy . It was no different to being under constant exposure to the fear of death . This fear is especially more potent on normal people who do not make a living out of fighting like adventurers do . If there was a way to quantify stress, Rashia¡¯s current numbers would be through the roof . Seeing how she was raising her voice and trembling while endlessly casting¡¾Heal¡¿, one would be hard pressed to say that she was being shown partiality . The situation was such that any other normal person in the same position could only either give up or run away without wasting time looking to the side .

    ¡°But she seems to be reaching the limits of her mental strength . Her MP¡ª¡ªmagical power seems to be running dry too . Maybe Bio Hounds were a bit much right off the bat . ¡±

    Shin had identally said ¡®MP,¡¯ but quickly tried to cover it up by rewording it as ¡®magical power . ¡¯ At the veryst second, he remembered that though he had heard people in this world say ¡®magical power,¡¯ he had never heard anyone say ¡®MP . ¡¯

    ¡°They¡¯re all really grotesque, too . I guess we shouldmend her for not fainting . ¡±

    Fortunately, Wilhelm did not seem to have noticed Shin¡¯s verbal gaffe .

    ¡°It would alle to naught if she copsed here . Alright, let¡¯s just clean up the ones that are already here and take a break . ¡±

    ¡°Yea, let¡¯s do that . Just because her level is shooting up, it doesn¡¯t mean that her magical power is being recovered, too . ¡±

    They did not intend to jump right into the nighttime part without pause, so a temporary retreat to their base was in order .

    Leveling up was supposed topletely restore all HP and MP, but apparently that was not how it was in this world . Shin¡¯s original n to powerlevel Rashia had hinged on the full recovery from leveling up, but all that was out the window now .

    (This means that we need to properly n time for recovery too . The fact that she doesn¡¯t get a full recovery when she levels up means that we will need to keep an eye on her MP reserves . )

    They couldn¡¯t very well chug Ethers (T/N: mana potions) the whole time, so waiting to naturally recover was the only way . While mowing down the rest of the monsters, Shin thought about how this was going to take longer than he had expected and began making his ns anew .

 Vol 2 Chapter 2: Chapter 2

    After driving back the group of enemies that they were engaged with, Shin andpany left the ins to rest a while .

    Though Rashia was quite spent emotionally, her physical and magical state was in top condition, thanks to the rapid leveling up .

    ¡°Uu~, I thought I was going to die . ¡±

    ¡°With the two of us here, no way that would happen . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s definitely true, but Bio Hounds are probably a bit much for normal people . Especially with how they look . ¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t remind me~!¡±

    Seemingly having been forced to recall the scene of half-rotten dogs closing in while dragging their spilled out innards over the ground, Rashia¡¯s shoulders began to quiver . She red at the two men, but somehow not looking ugly while doing so turned out to be one of her charms .

    ¡°Speaking of which, is it your first time fighting against monsters?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly my first time, but anyone would be shocked to have to face something like that all of a sudden! Moreover, I¡¯m feeling a bit rmed at how fast my level is shooting up, too . ¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s to be expected, given the level gap . I mean, just fighting monsters with single digit levels wouldn¡¯t help you clear the requirement . I think that by the time you get¡¾Purification¡¿, you¡¯ll be somewhere around level 150 . ¡±

    Rashia was a normal human who had never reincarnated before, so her level was rising extremely rapidly . At the current rate, she was going to end up with a level close to Wilhelm¡¯s own . The gap between their fighting power would still be like heaven and earth, but their roles were different in the first ce, so there shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem .

    ¡°I know that, but my body is feeling really light, and somehow magical power just seems to be overflowing from within . It¡¯s a bit frightening how my body almost doesn¡¯t feel like my own body anymore . ¡±

    ¡°People normally level up slowly over time, I guess, so they don¡¯t feel it so strongly . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you have no choice but to just get used to it . And I don¡¯t want this toe across like I¡¯m kicking you when you¡¯re down, so I apologize beforehand, but I need you to use these . ¡±

    So saying, Shin brought out Books of Secrets for¡¾Heal¡¿and¡¾Cure¡¿ . He had learned from the fight just now that¡¾Heal¡¿as an Arts was severely weaker than its skill counterpart . Tiera had said that Arts were about a third of a skill in effectiveness, but it was now clear that depending on the user, Arts might be even weaker than that . There was the difference in level too, but the damage that Rashia was dealing was way too low . Even though she was now around level 40, it was still taking her several hits to kill a nearly dead Bio Hound . Shin felt the need to discuss this problem frankly with the other two .

    With the situation as it was, Shin prudently reminded himself to not forget that it was skills that he was giving away . However, neither of them were attack skills, so he concluded that it wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem to teach them to someone else .

    ¡°What are those?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re called Books of Secrets . Anyone who uses one of these will be able to use the skill respective to the contents of the Book . These are for¡¾Heal¡¿and¡¾Cure¡¿ . ¡±

    ¡°Heh~, be able to use . . . . . . What?! I can¡¯t ept something so valuable! How much do you think these are worth?! It would bankrupt the orphanage to pay for these!¡±

    Knowing the worth of skills, Rashia could not understand Shin¡¯s actions . For normal people like Rashia, skills were just something to know about, and definitely not something to actually use .

    She also knew that it was possible to pay someone who knew a skill to teach it, so she thought that that was what Shin was offering .

    ¡°If you guys keep quiet about me, then I don¡¯t need anypensation . I¡¯m the one who wants you to learn these . If you learn these, you can help people who are in suffering too, right?¡±

    ¡°So, the cheesy line aside, what is your real aim?¡±

    Shin had tried to phrase things in a way that he wasn¡¯t used to, but apparently it had onlye across as being shady . Wilhelm¡¯s eyes seemed to be saying, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lie to me . ¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t get far with Arts alone . Use these and ¡®let¡¯s speed up!¡¯¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re the only one bothered by it!¡±

    ¡°Nice tsukkomi . Well, I was only half joking . You guys are even more familiar with the effectiveness of Arts than me, right? I know there¡¯s the level difference and all, but at our current pace, it will take a long time to be done . We have to defeat 200 of them, remember . Thoria-san might have trouble managing the orphanage by herself for such a long time, and there¡¯s no guarantee that the greedy priest wouldn¡¯t take advantage of this time when we¡¯re gone . ¡±

    Hearing this, the orphanage side found it hard to find a rebuttal . They did know that their current efficiency was low, and that epting the Books could only make it go up . To be honest, as long as they hid where the skills came from, Shin didn¡¯t care if Rashia continued using them in front of other people .

    Of course, the biggest issue was the possibility of something happening to the orphanage during their absence . Rashia was one of their core staff, and Wilhelm was most likely their greatest source of battle strength . In the eyes of someone looking to undermine the orphanage, the two of them being gone would seem like a heaven-sent opportunity .

    ¡°Oh, very well . I¡¯ll take you up on your offer, then . ¡±

    ¡°Please do . ¡±

    Rashia timidly opened the Books of Secrets . At that moment, the effect that Shin had seen with Tiera was now wrapped around Rashia . It dissipated after a short while .

    ¡°So, how is it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes . I do know how to use the skills now . ¡±

    ¡°So she wasn¡¯t supposed to read and remember the contents of the Books?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that it works by directly inserting the information into your head . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was like that . It¡¯s really hard to exin with words . ¡±

    Rashia stared at the hands that had held the Books, deeply moved .

    ¡°Alright, shall we set off again?¡±

    ¡°Sure . ¡±

    ¡°U-Understood . ¡±

    They weren¡¯t really tired in the first ce, so they departed immediately . As soon as they stepped back into the field, they were approached by a Pawn ss Skull Face and a Bio Hound . With the aid of all the leveling up, Rashia¡¯s¡¾Heal¡¿was now extremely effective .

    The gloomy aura wrapped around the Bio Hound that had to be shaved off in several hits with Arts was blown away in one attack . There was no longer any need to lower the enemy¡¯s health beforehand, as Rashia could now dispatch them with only a few hits . Seeing this, Shin understood why Skill Inheritors were treated so favorably in this world .

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there too much of a difference?¡±

    ¡°Nn? That¡¯s just how Arts are . ¡±

    ¡°Well, it was my first time seeing Arts . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . I¡¯m surprised at myself for believing you . ¡±

    Their hands never stopped as they exchanged light banter . Wilhelm used Venom to break the hands and feet of a Jack ss Skull Face, and Shin used the back of his de to beat up a level 163 Gray Orc .

    Gray Orcs were humanoid monsters also called Zombie Orcs . Their appearance was exactly how one would imagine a zombified orc to look .

    ¡°To grant reprieve to those who suffer, Heal!!¡±

    Rashia quickly finished off the weakened monsters . Though the level gap was stillrge, the¡¾Heal¡¿skill was in apletely different dimension from its Arts counterpart, it was not much trouble to reduce both monsters to particles of light in short order .

    Rashia herself was probably the most surprised at the synergy between the rapid leveling up and the transformation of Arts into skills .

    ¡°With this, it looks like we¡¯ve managed to speed up quite a bit . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but we still aren¡¯t making any progress towards the quota . There¡¯s probably no helping it, what with us being outside the Seal and all, but man is it frustrating . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Wait a second . What seal? It¡¯s my first time hearing anything about a seal . ¡±

    ¡°Oi, oi, you came without knowing? There¡¯s an item installed around here to prevent monsters from escaping the ins, even by mistake . It seems like the monsters that you encounter are progressively stronger the closer you get to the center . The guild is managing everything with a firm hand . ¡±

    ¡°I see, so they¡¯re basically attracting the stronger ones to one ce, and leaving the weaker ones alone . ¡±

    ¡°They apparently have a limited number of those seal items, so they can¡¯t use all of them for just one field . ¡±

    In other words, approaching the center of the ins was simr to diving into deeper levels of a dungeon .

    Dungeons were set up so that monsters are stronger the deeper they¡¯re found . The depth of a dungeon equals to the distance from the dungeon¡¯s core .

    ¡°What do we have to do to go inside the Sealed area?¡±

    ¡°All you need is a guild card of A rank or higher . Since it is managed by the guild . ¡±

    ¡°Then there is no problem . Let¡¯s go inside the Seal tonight . ¡±

    Shin made the decision while waiting for the Gray Orc to fade away . Most likely due to Rashia having raised her level, lower level monsters were growing increasingly hesitant in approaching them . Of course, monsters on the level of Jack ss Skull Faces would still attack them without any qualms, but there probably weren¡¯t that many of such monsters around, as they rarely again came upon another group like the one that had greeted them at the very start .

    So far, the number of monsters that they had brought down that counted towards the quota could be counted on two hands . After fighting for another while, Rashia finally hit level 80, and they decided to take another breather .

    The party returned to their base and napped until the sun set . Though the surroundings were still bright, Shin and Wilhelm took turns standing watch, just in case . Rashia, though, was so mentally exhausted that she nodded off almost right after lying down .

    Shin had nothing to do while standing watch, so he spent the time examining his skills . Back when he had first awakened in his world, he had mainly tested his attack type skills, so he now went over the detection type ones . Back during the game, there was a severe restriction on how many detection type skills could be activated at once, so Shin decided to push those boundaries first .

    ¡°This is . . . . . . ¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help muttering in surprise .

    As a test, he had tried activating more skills than the limit that he knew . Contrary to expectations, he was sessful . Furthermore, skills that previously could not be used together could now be . An example was¡¾Sense Presence¡¿and¡¾Search¡¿ . Combining the two of them brought their strengths together and eliminated each other¡¯s shorings, effectively creating a detection skill with the range of¡¾Search¡¿that has the precision and level of detail of¡¾Sense Presence¡¿ .

    ¡°Combining the skills together like this pretty much turns it into a different skill altogether . I wonder what would happen if I used simr skills together at the same time?¡±

    Shin made a mental note to perform further tests in the future . So far, he had only discovered positive effects due to thesebinations, which caused him to grow wary .

    ¡°There can¡¯t only be positive effects . Negative ones are still entirely possible . I need to devote time to testing out simr skills together . ¡±

    Right off the top of his mind, he couldn¡¯t think of abination that would cause a fatal side effect, but that was no constion . He was also concerned about whether thesebinations were limited to active skills or if they were happening to passive skills too .

    upied with inspecting his skills, Shin¡¯s shift passed in the blink of an eye .

    The sun set sometime around 8pm . Determining it to be a suitable time, Shin and Wilhelm woke Rashia up, and the three of them proceeded to the heart of the Wraith ins . Shin had expected the walk to take quite some time, but the fog had dissipated with the rise of the moon, allowing them to see the way clearly and make good time .

    ¡°I wonder what that fog was . I had clearly thought that it would still remain during the night . ¡±

    ¡°Beats me . The magicians seem to think that it¡¯s the magical power spilling out of the dungeon, though . ¡±

    ¡°Magical power?¡±

    ¡°They say that the dungeon itself is some kind of undead . Since half of it has been brought aboveground, when it gets hit by sunlight, it bes unable to hold back the magical power that fills the dungeon . The power that flows out takes the form of the purple fog . Or at least, that¡¯s what the magicians seem to think is happening . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I guess that theory kind of makes sense, logically speaking . ¡±

    Being weakened by sunlight was a weakness shared by all undead . In truth, the undead that they had seen when the sun was out had also been emitting ck auras¡ªa visible indicator of the monster¡¯s HP¡ªinto the air . The daytime fog being simply arger scale version of this effect was the most likely exnation .

    ¡°So the dungeon is now recovering the magical power that it had lost?¡±

    ¡°Probably . But none of that has anything to do with us, though . ¡±

    ¡°True enough . ¡±

    After walking for another short while, theyid eyes on a transparent blue wall . They had apparently reached the Seal .

    ¡°Is this it?¡±

    ¡°Yea, it¡¯s the Seal that I mentioned in the afternoon . The blue wall is just a visible reminder; the actual wall reaches all the way to the sky . ¡±

    ¡°I see . ¡±

    The wall was only about 4 mels in height, so Shin was wondering if it couldn¡¯t be jumped over, but his fears turned out to be unfounded .

    ¡°I can open this anytime . Is everyone ready?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good anytime . ¡±

    ¡°M-Me too . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Everyone gave Wilhelm a decisive answer . After confirming that, Wilhelm touched the wall with his guild card, and a hole about 2 mels high and 1 mel wide opened up . They were to enter through here .

    The first person to go through was Wilhelm, who had experience fighting inside the Seal . Right behind him was Yuzuha and Rashia, and Shin brought up the rear . It was insurance, in case a monster rushed their backs as they were passing through .

    There were no visible differences between the two sides of the Seal . From what they could see, it just looked like two adjoining pieces ofnd .

    However, Shin¡¯s newly enhanced detection abilities had immediately picked up on several monsters . There were still more than 10 minutes left before they would make contact, so Shin focused on each of them in turn to get more detailed information .

    ¡ª¡ªThree Rapt Raptors right in front .

    ¡ª¡ªTwo Jumpkins to the left .

    Rapt Raptors were wyverns with their wings rotted off . They had no hands, but their kicks were fierce and powerful . Additionally, their ws grant a paralyzing debuff . Their average level was 170 .

    Jumpkins were, at a nce, pumpkins flying through the sky . Let¡¯s not make the tsukkomi that they¡¯re not actually jumping . These pumpkins were, of course, rotting . The pumpkins had faces disying joy, anger, pathos, and humor; the joy and anger faces used fire magical skills, and the pathos and humor faces used earth magical skills . Their average level was 200 .

    ¡°Something¡¯s drawing close to us . ¡±

    Wilhelm muttered the warning while Shin was still in the middle of analyzing . The enemies had apparently gotten close enough to be within Wilhelm¡¯s range of detection .

    ¡°Rapt Raptors from the front, Jumpkins from the left . ¡±

    ¡°You can tell what they are?¡±

    ¡°Yea . I¡¯ll leave the Raptors to you . I¡¯ll go restrain the Jumpkins . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . ¡±

    The two of them nodded to each other, then set off .

    Leaving Yuzuha to protect Rashia, Shin and Wilhelm both ran off towards their respective targets .

    Shin was the faster one, so he made contact first . Strongly kicking the ground while beginning to release a horizontal mowing attack, Shin flew in a straight line towards the Jumpkins .

    Jumpkins do indeed float in midair, but they are actually only about 2 to 3 mels off the ground . It took only a moment for Shin¡¯s de to reach across that distance .

    ¡°Shi!¡±

    Two red arcs were drawn through the air, and the next instant found the Jumpkins stopped in their tracks . Before Shin evennded, two sounds like the squish of raw food falling to the floor rang out across the quiet grasnd .

    Thanks to Shin using the back of¡ºAkechidori¡», the two Jumpkins were now afflicted with both Faint and Paralyze . Shin took out arge wrapping cloth from his inventory and wrapped the Jumpkins up, then turned back to have Rashia finish them off .

    Wilhelm reached the Rapt Raptors about 10 seconds after Shin did with the Jumpkins .

    Those who know the word ¡®dinosaur¡¯ probably imagined that instead . Indeed, they were a kind of dinosaur with only two legs and no forearms . Their bodies were about 2 mels long, and they were also half-rotten like how Bio Hounds were, but their speed and muscle strength was on apletely different level . They made annoying opponents . Though they were bad at it, they knew to coordinate attacks together with the rest of the pack .

    ¡°Fuun~¡±

    Right off the bat, Wilhelm dodged the single Rapt Raptor that lunged for him first . The other two came right afterwards, intending to have the first serve as a decoy, but Wilhelm sent both of them flying with a single sweep of¡ºVenom¡» . Rapt Raptors have very brittle bodies, so the lurid sounds of bones breaking and organs bursting could be heard .

    Confirming in the corner of his eye that the two of them were not so much on the brink of death as on the brink of disappearing, he turned around to face the one that he had dodged at the start . Deciding that running away was not an option, the Rapt Raptor gazed at Wilhelm with teary eyes .

    ¡°Having to hold back is such a pain . ¡±

    The Rapt Raptor¡¯s vision was dyed ck after those words .

    Wilhelm used ropes to tie up the Raptor with its head half smashed in and the other two Raptors with broken legs and caved in torsos, then also returned to where Rashia was .

    ¡°Ii~yaa~~~!!¡±

    True to convention, a scream was heard from where the two of them had returned to .

    ????

    While Shin andpany were working hard hunting undead in the heart of the Wraith ins, the sound of fighting was ringing around a ce inside a forest about several days¡¯ worth of carriage travel away .

    ¡°Surround it! Aim for the core!!¡±

    ¡°If you got hurt, use potions to heal yourself! Priests and magicians, don¡¯t stop firing holy elemental arts!¡±

    ¡°Aggro the Jack! Don¡¯t let it coordinate with the Pawns!!¡±

    Several people wearing dully burnished armor were raising their voices while attacking Skull Faces . Behind the knights with shields, people wearing priest clothes and people wearing robes were releasing shining spheres of light towards the Skull Faces .

    Those lights gradually wiped away the dark auras around the Pawn ss Skull Faces, eventually reducing them to mere bones . However, nobody there let their guard down . The biggest enemy on the battlefield was still standing .

    ¡°Guh, it¡¯s too heavy . ¡±

    ¡°Those who still have stamina left,e help! We won¡¯t be able to hold it back if anymore of us go down!!¡±

    ¡°Damn it, what the hell is that?!¡±

    Voices half filled with desperation echoed throughout the forest . They were the best knights from each of their respective countries, but even several tens of them together could not deal any fatal wounds to the single enemy that they faced .

    ¡°I know a Jack ss is strong, but to think that it¡¯s still standing . . . . . . ¡±

    Theint that unconsciously spilled out was lost beneath the din of swords and shields shing .

    If all was normal, this battle was supposed to have been over since a while back . However, this Jack ss Skull Face was holding a white shield, which allowed him to shrug off the knights¡¯ attacks while dealing frequent and heavy counterattacks .

    The knight inmand, Berg, was a veteran, but none of his knowledge nor experience gave him any ideas on how to deal with this Skull Face that was making movements beyond his imagination .

    Aside from its clever movements and expert swordsmanship, this Skull Face¡¯s shield made it nearly impervious to holy elemental attacks, which were supposed to be its weakness . Even though theypletely surrounded the Skull Face, any wrong moves were immediately rewarded with a counterattack . The frustration of the knights grew as time passed .

    (It will be bad if things continue like this . If only that shield was gone, then we could somehow handle it, but . . . . . . )

    It was a thought that hade into his mind numerous times during the battle . The presence of that shield was what was making the Skull Face so formidable . High defense and magical resistance . Considering how the Skull Face was not tiring despite using it, the shield was probably not that heavy .

    He couldn¡¯t help thinking how much of a cheat weapon it was .

    (However, it¡¯s not like it hasn¡¯t taken any damage whatsoever . )

    Each and every one of the knights present had the pride and experience of numerous battlefields under their belts . All of them had skill . If they used everything they had, they could slowly wear the Skull Face down . While keeping an eye on the condition of his allies and the condition of the enemy, Berg desperately looked for the road to victory . Depending on how things unfold, though, they might have to retreat . Right when he was about to yell out further instructions, a silver streak shed before the knights¡¯ eyes .

    The streak headed straight for the Skull Face and, without stopping, flew straight through the Skull Face before quietly stopping right next to Berg .

    ¡ª¡ª¡ªTime stopped .

    The battlefield that was supposed to be filled with the sounds of battle was returned to its original silent self in that split second .

    The silver streak turned out to be silver hair that was shining with reflected light . The owner of that hair had simply been moving so fast that the eyes of the knights could only see it as such .

    The dumbstruck knights left themselves wide open, but not a single one of them felt a sense of danger . They all knew that this silver-haired person had never once failed in delivering the final blow .

    The waist-long silver hair was glossy and shone with a gentle luster . Together with blue eyes that seemed almost transparent and a faint smile that was both motherly and intimate at the same time, this person could almost be called a piece of art .

    When the wind ruffled the silver hair, the pointy ears that were revealed indicated that she was an elf, or perhaps even a high elf .

    What she was wearing was simr to, but distinctly different from, the clothes that a waitress would wear . Someone with modern knowledge would have been able to identify it as something like Victorian-era maid clothes . The outfit, which also had arge apron and a long skirt, was the uniform for employees of Tsuki no Hokora . It was not clear whether the clothes fit her so well because they had been tailored for her or whether she herself has really great style . Needless to say, several knights could not help sliding their eyes towards the mounds that were pushed up in the chest area of the costume .

    She was exuding a calming atmosphere, despite still holding a short sword in one hand . This person who had gathered the attention of everyone present was identified as the Acting Owner of Tsuki no Hokora .

    She was none other than Schnee Raizar .

    ????

    ¡°Wide Heal . ¡±

    Her voice rang out across the silent ce .

    At the same time, the surrounding knights were wrapped in a soft, strong light . What Schnee had activated was the God-type Skill¡¾Wide Heal¡¿ . It was the wide area version of¡¾Heal¡¿ .

    When the light faded away, even the knights that had copsed onto the ground with exhaustion were left without a single scratch on their bodies .

    As the soldiers raised voices of admiration, theirmander, Berg, was the first to regain his senses . Realizing that he was just standing without doing anything, he shook himself, then resumed barking out instructions in a loud voice .

    Being actual veterans, those instructions did not go unanswered . Coming back to themselves, the knights began rushing around in a fluster . A different mor from before reverberated throughout the forest .

    ¡°You really saved us . I was seriously considering withdrawing out of necessity before you arrived . ¡±

    While standing up, Berg thanked Schnee at the same time . His voice was already raspy, but strangely enough, it did not cause listeners to feel ufortable .

    ¡°Not at all . The only reason why I was able to defeat the monster was because of everyone¡¯s efforts in fighting it . ¡±

    The words that reached Berg¡¯s ears were so kind and sympathetic that the illusion that his heart was being cleansed just from hearing them might not be an illusion after all .

    ¡°Thank you very much for saying so . However, no one can deny that the extermination of the Skull Faces was finished due to Schnee-dono¡¯s help, so please ept my expression of gratitude . Even if it¡¯s only to save me face . ¡±

    ¡°If you would insist so, then I would be honored to ept . However, it is still too early to let down your guard . ¡±

    Schnee responded with a slightly troubled smile .

    The warning to not let down their guard was not merely said to make them focus . It was the truth .

    To trace back to the start of the whole incident, one would have to return to one month earlier . An adventurer who had just recently made B rank at the time had decided to visit the Wraith ins to test his own strength . Right when he was about to cross the boundary line between the forest and the ins, he witnessed several Skull Faces emerging from the fog at a spot several mels from where he was .

    Monsters from the ins cease to exist when they cross the boundary line . This piece ofmon sense was overturned by what he was seeing .

    The adventurer was shocked at the impossible scene that was unfolding before his eyes, but he had crossed many battlefields to reach where he was . Realizing the abnormality of the situation, he immediately retreated, heading for the nearest town¡¯s Adventurers¡¯ Guild while evading the Skull Faces the whole way .

    Upon receiving the adventurer¡¯s report, the guild promptly sent out an investigation team . Though they never did determine the conditions for the urrence, their investigation confirmed that several Skull Faces much stronger than their normal counterparts had indeed escaped the fog and entered the forest .

    Due to the size of the ins and therge number of monsters that had escaped, as well as the uncertainty of exactly when and where monsters might break through again in the near future, several more weeks were needed to ascertain the exact details of the first wave¡¯s breakthrough . Before the investigation was over, they had no way of knowing even the exact number of monsters loose in the forest . Without enough information, nearby countries were unable to set up the necessary countermeasures, and damages began mounting .

    When Shin had visited the guild and was told that the upper ranked adventurers were all dispatched, this was what they were dispatched for .

    Of course, the countries that were being ravaged by the runaway monsters did not just twiddle their thumbs . In order to protect their own citizens, all of them stepped up security and sent out more patrols . The problem, though, was that the monsters that had escaped from the fog were a lot stronger than what normal people knew them to be . Due to that strength, most soldiers that actually did encounter one of those monsters ended up being routed or wiped out .

    Concerned over the situation, the kings of the respective countries invoked an alliance agreement that they had signed long ago to pool some of their best knights together into an international monster subjugation squad . The squad¡¯s mission was to work towards diffusing the situation . At the same time, the kings also sent out a request to a certain person .

    The ce where they sent the request to was¡ºYorozuya Tsuki no Hokora¡» .

    The certain person was the Acting Owner of Tsuki no Hokora, Schnee Raizar .

    It was a gamble whether she would ept the request or not, but knowing that the request was because of their genuine desire to protect their citizens, she decided toply . She hastened to join up with the subjugation squad .

    ¡°We understand . And now, ording to the contract, the weapons and raw materials from the monsters . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯ll take care of them . ¡±

    After nodding in response to Berg¡¯s words, Schnee began gathering into her inventory the equipment scattered all over the ground that had been dropped by the Skull Faces .

    As this squad was made up of knights from several different countries, this measure was in ce to prevent them from fighting each other for the valuable equipment and materials . The agreement was that the loot, with the exception of a small portion, would be fairly distributed after the subjugation was over . To discourage anyone who might be tempted to try stealing the loot, the role was entrusted to Schnee, who had an inventory and had battle strength withoutpare .

    While watching Schnee put items away, Berg thought about how much worse off they would have been if Schnee had not shown up when she did .

    The previous battle had illustrated all too vividly that there were enemies that could not be defeated even when the best knights from each country fought together . To be fair, their teamwork was most definitely not perfect, as they had never worked together before, but that was far from enough to exin away the monster¡¯s exceptional strength .

    The biggest problem of all, however, was that the Skull Face that they had just fought was not the only one who wielded an exceptional weapon . ording to the information gathered so far, it was only Skull Faces who wielded these weapons, but the reliability of that information was not high .

    All Berg could do was merely pray for those special weapons to run out, wherever their source .

    So far, Schnee had personally brought down several of these weapon bearers, while the knights had relied on sheer numbers to bring down a few more . As soon as the knights encountered a weapon bearer, they would immediately send a runner for Schnee . This time, she had somehow managed to arrive in time . As long as she got there, however arduous the battle, she would finish it with a single instant . And it would be with a melee attack too, something that elves were supposedly bad at .

    ¡°As expected of a personage who was worthy of apanying a high human . ¡±

    The continental conquerors from history . Just the fact that she was someone who was allowed to stand at that ce was enough to earn her unwavering reverence from everyone in this world . The high humans¡¯ supremacy over the entire continent still burned vividly in people¡¯s memories today .

    These feelings were also very strong in the knights, despite all of them being of different affiliations . They all tried their best to show only their best side, which resulted in very few quarrels and very smooth subjugations .

    ording to the reported number of escaped monsters, the Skull Face that they had just defeated was thest one . The number was confirmed with the help of adventurers dispatched from Adventurer Guilds after numerous days of work . If there was nothing else, then the subjugation squad was ted to disband, with the knights either returning to their respective countries or joining the Guilds¡¯ efforts at setting up a surveincework over the Wraith ins .

    ¡°It would be great if there was nothing else, but . . . . . . ¡±

    Berg¡¯s numerous years of experience made it hard for Berg to believe that the entire incident was over . When his gaze inadvertently swept towards Schnee, he saw her standing among the raw materials from the Skull Faces and being absorbed in reading something .

    ¡°Schnee-dono? Has something happened?¡±

    When Berg called out to her, she put a piece of paper away and turned toward him . Berg¡¯s eyes caught the word¡ºAotsuki¡»before she did so, but he had no idea what it was about .

    ¡°Oh, it is nothing of note . After this, I have to go search, so I will have to take my leave from this squad . Where I¡¯m going will be quite dangerous, so if you guyse upon another monster, please reach me through this magic item . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    After quickly setting up a method ofmunication, Schnee left the ce .

    While maintaining a speed normally unthinkable for someone wearing a long skirt, she mused over the contents of the letter within her mind .

    The letter from Tiera conveyed a certain person¡¯s message and intention to head towards the Wraith ins .

    That person¡¯s name was not particrly rare . It was such amon name that it seemed she could find several people with some variant of it just by looking around . However, it became an entirely different story if he possessed¡ºAotsuki¡» . To Schnee¡¯s knowledge, that could only describe one person .

    ¡°Did he reallye back . . . . . . ¡±

    Schnee continued running, aware that there was a part of herself somewhere inside that was notposed . She was heading towards the Wraith ins .

    She almost couldn¡¯t bear giving up the time that she had to dedicate to searching . However, she was duty-bound, having epted the job, so she performed her tasks without cutting any corners .

    She limited her heart to being the only thing hopping around with impatience .

    The long-awaited reunion with that person might finallye to be .

    That thought zed within Schnee¡¯s chest .

    Volume 2 Chapter 2 Part 2

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    You can grab the PDF here .

    ~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~

    A certain night several days after the the start of the hunt deep inside the Wraith ins found Shin and his party still inside the Seal .

    ¡°Wai-, oi, Shin! A Pecker Hollow ising this way!¡±

    ¡°No helping it, let¡¯s retreat for a bit, then . ¡±

    The two who sensed the approach of the monster first made sure that Rashia and Yuzuha had safely gotten away before also stepping out of the Seal themselves . Apparently, one of the functions of the wall of the Seal made it so that monsters within would not be able to sense people outside, even if they were standing right next to the wall . Every time they took advantage of this function, the monster that got near seemed to lose track of them . After aimlessly wandering around the vicinity for a while, it would eventually head off somewhere else .

    This time, the monster that got close was a level 541 undead called a Pecker Hollow . It was arge monster that looked like many vengeful spirits melted together . Itspound eyes and sickle-like arms gave it the appearance of the top half of a praying mantis growing straight up from the ground . Though it looked that way, it was not a monster with simple insect parts . Itspound eyes were actually made of arge number of human eyes, and its sickles were actually human bones gathered together in bundles . Human faces, hands, and feet protruded from all over the monster¡¯s body, giving it a very horrific appearance overall . It was understandable why the majority of female yers refused to step inside any fields or dungeons where Pecker Hollows would spawn in .

    The most annoying thing about Pecker Hollows was the fact that they could use the skill¡¾Dead Man¡¯s Howl¡¿ . The damage from this skill was not much, but anyone caught in its range would be afflicted with several debuffs at the same time, including Confusion, Distraction, and Curse . Furthermore, all debuffs were at least level V or higher . Shin and Wilhelm were one thing, but Yuzuha or Rashia could easily be hit with the maximum level debuffs .

    There was no merit in taking the huge risk of such an oue, so they decided to take refuge outside the Seal instead of confronting the monster .

    ¡°Is it gone yet?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait a while longer just in case . It¡¯d be annoying if it¡¯s still close enough to hear the sound of us fighting and came back again . ¡±

    These past few days, the number of monsters that they had defeated numbered over two hundred, if they included the trash mobs . By Shin¡¯s count, there was only one monster left between Rashia and¡¾Purification¡¿ .

    ¡°Rashia and Yuzuha, how are the both of you doing?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how else to put it, but I¡¯vee to terms with how life is full of hardship . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shin smiled wryly at the strangely philosophical answer from Rashia and Yuzuha¡¯s energetic bark while probing the immediate area for presences . He was able to confirm one level 343 Jack ss Skull Face, two level 158 Gray Orcs, one level 177 Gel Bison, and four level 249 Ein Jackals .

    Gel Bisons are basically bison skeletons enveloped with a gel-like substance . When the monster gets close to someone, it uses the gel like a whip to immobilize its enemy, which it then dissolves and absorbs .

    Ein Jackals, on the other hand, are monsters that eat rotten meat . As a result, they themselves are also undead . They look like simple purple-colored jackals, but their bodies are actually 2 mels in length . Though their levels are rtively low, they have an evil eye that can cause the Paralysis debuff .

    Both are monsters that even low level adventurers that had gotten used to the game found difficult to handle .

    The Pecker Hollow in question was no longer within detection range . It has been a while since it had left detection range, so it was likely safe to assume that it was truly gone .

    Of all the nearby monsters, the Skull Face was the closest to them, and all of the others were just barely within range .

    ¡°There¡¯s a Skull Face near us, but there¡¯s something weird about its level . ¡±

    ¡°What you mean?¡±

    ¡°What is the matter?¡±

    Wilhelm and Rashia responded with questions to what Shin said .

    ¡°It¡¯s level 343 . I¡¯ve told you guys about the King ss Skull Face from before, right? I think that this guy is likely a simr case . ¡±

    ¡°Although it¡¯s true that this ce is slightly irregr, I¡¯ve never heard of something like that spawning here . But then again, it¡¯s been more than a month since Ist went back to the Kingdom . It wouldn¡¯t be strange if something had started happening in that time . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Speaking of which, Ragnal-san told me that there were several incidents of powerful monsters attacking viges in Beiroon recently . ¡±

    Hearing the level of the Skull Face, Rashia drew out the piece of information from the depths of her memory . At the time, she did not think it very relevant to herself, so it had pretty much gone out the other ear as soon as she heard it . Beiroon was on the opposite side of the Wraith ins from the Berylricht Kingdom .

    ¡°These powerful undead might be rted somehow . By the way, who¡¯s Ragnal-san?¡±

    ¡°The master of the bar that I took you to . He¡¯s the one you met that time . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, that guy . ¡±

    Shin recalled the man who had left without saying a word . At that time, Wilhelm had indeed introduced the man as his adventurerrade .

    ¡°Let¡¯s leave that conversation for another time . How should we proceed now? It doesn¡¯t feel right to just leave it alone . ¡±

    ¡°How strong is it, exactly?¡±

    ¡°My personal assessment is that you should expect it to be as strong as its level indicates . It will use martial arts-like moves that you normally wouldn¡¯t imagine from a Skull Face . The one that I fought before had pretty tricky movements . ¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll take care of it with just the two of us . No point exposing Rashia to unnecessary danger . ¡±

    ¡°No, I aming too!!¡±

    As it was an opponent stronger than the average enemy, Wilhelm suggested fighting it together with Shin only . However, Rashia was perhaps filled with confidence from all the leveling up, and was adamant abouting along .

    ¡°What do you think? I don¡¯t mind, to be honest . Since she still has the item that I¡¯d handed her before, she wouldn¡¯t get hurt anyways . ¡±

    ¡°Good point . Oi Rashia, you sure about this?¡±

    ¡°You bet I am! I won¡¯t be able to go back with my head held high if I merely let myself be protected the entire trip!!¡±

    As a result of all the fighting from the past few days, Rashia had already gotten to the point where she wouldn¡¯t lose herposure even when facing monsters above level 200 . Though monsters outside the Seal were generally not as strong as Skull Faces, most of them were higher than level 80 . Rashia, however, was now strong enough to fight them single-handedly and win . This was the product of Shin and Wilhelm¡¯s Spartan training . She was still a young girl at a tender age, but unfortunately, she was not cut any ck because of it .

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it, then . ¡±

    ¡°Just make sure to not get in front of us too often . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you I can do it!¡±

    Shin and Wilhelm continued to worry about Rashia while heading towards the Skull Face . Due to the difference in speed, they gradually pulled ahead of her, but since she wasn¡¯t supposed to be meleeing anyways, they only left Yuzuha behind to apany her .

    The Skull Face this time was not wearing any obviously strange equipment . However, the way it was holding its sword and shield was exactly like the one that Shin had encountered before .

    ¡°This one is clearly the same type as the one that I¡¯d fought before . Its stance is the exact same . ¡±

    ¡°Either way, what we have to do doesn¡¯t change . Oraaa!!¡±

    Wilhelm had the longer reach, so heunched the preemptive strike .

    The Skull Face deflected the attack aimed at its core with the curved surface of its round shield . Wilhelm had intended to pierce through even the shield, but right before his spear tip found the purchase on the round shield to do so, the Skull Face moved it just enough so that the spear¡¯s trajectory was altered instead .

    In the same motion, the Skull Face brought its sword around in a counterattack . Without flinching at the sparks flying around like fireworks, the sword swung downwards, apanied by the sound of it cutting through the air . Wilhelm quickly withdrew Venom to meet this attack .

    The sh of metal resounded throughout the ins in the night . The Skull Face had added the force of its twisting motion on top of its brute strength, causing the attack to pack so much power that Wilhelm was forced to lower his stance and nt his feet firmly on the ground .

    Just when the Skull Face was about to m its shield into Wilhelm to send him flying, Shin darted in from behind Wilhelm . Sensing the iing attack, the Skull Face promptly leaped backwards, bringing its shield up .

    However, the moment itnded, a ¡°kin¡± sound rang out, and it found that it had lost both the shield and the left arm that was holding the shield . If it had been a split second slower, it would have lost the entire left side of its body . The decision to sacrifice one arm to minimize the amount of damage received was unthinkable for any normal Skull Face .

    ¡°I see what you mean . This guy really isn¡¯t your run-of-the-mill bone bastard . ¡±

    Having seen the Skull Face¡¯s movements, Wilhelm bared his teeth in a ferocious grin .

    As long as a Skull Face¡¯s core was intact, it would not die even if it lost all its arms and legs, so there was no need for the two of them to hold back against it, even though they were aiming to leave it alive for Rashia to deal the final blow .

    Apparently the Skull Face¡¯s skill had ignited Wilhelm¡¯s fighting spirit .

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget our goal, alright?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, so let me enjoy this a while longer . ¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯ll be fine, but if I see things get dicey, I¡¯ll join the fight again . ¡±

    ¡°Fine by me . I¡¯m going to have this guy continue being my practice board as long as it¡¯s still standing . ¡±

    Laughing with wild abandon, Wilhelm readjusted his grip on Venom .

    He dropped his center of gravity, crouching to half his normal height . He held Venom nted, with the spearhead pointing slightly towards the ground .

    His right hand held the butt of the spear, while his left hand was stretched forward as support . His stance bore a striking resemnce to a bow right before release . The fighting spirit emanating from Wilhelm almost seemed to make creaking sounds like that of a bow with its string stretched to the limit .

    In response, the Skull Face fixed its posture once again . It withdrew its right foot slightly, and tucked in its sword to right beside its head, with the de pointing straight up towards the sky . The flickering aura around the Skull Face began to converge upon its body .

    Seeing the Skull Face take a stance that seemed like that of a knight, Wilhelm¡¯s fighting spirit burned even fiercer .

    Man and monster stared at each other without even the slightest movement, as if the very air was frozen . The silent scene was like that of a keg of gunpowder with a lit fuse at the very instant before it explodes .

    ¡°Wil!!¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    Having finally caught up, Rashia¡¯s voice shook the frozen air .

    Like the strike of a bell, it served as the signal for the two figures to begin rushing towards each other .

    A red sh slicing through the darkness met the Skull Face¡¯s beheading strike . The two weapons shed for only a split second .

    The next moment found the Skull Face¡¯s head and torso hitting the ground separately, behind which was the figure of Wilhelm standing still after riding the momentum of his attack to dash past the Skull Face .

    In human terms, the Skull Face was on the verge of death . The single attack from Wilhelm had pulverized its arms and legs and left innumerable cracks on its core . A single touch would be enough to make the corepletely fall apart .

    ¡°Rashia, don¡¯t just stand around and deliver the final blow already . ¡±

    ¡°This is all the fighting I get to do?! What am I supposed to do with all the resolve that I had mustered back there?!¡±

    Rashia was understandably disappointed that the fight had been reduced to being the exact same as all the others before it . It was as if her heartfelt resolve from just now had been voided of all meaning .

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped . There was no room for you to join in . ¡±

    ¡°Uu~ . God, is this perhaps one of Your trials . . . . . . ¡±

    Looking slightly wilted, Rashia turned around to Heal the core . The spell that she cast enveloped the core, extinguishing the final flickers of aura emanating from it andpletely destroying the Skull Face .

    At the same time, a golden light red all around Rashia .

    ¡°Wha-What is this?!¡±

    ¡°Rashia?!¡±

    The sudden urrence threw Rashia into a state of confusion . Wilhelm also didn¡¯t know what was going on, and so could not move carelessly .

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!! This is the effect from learning a new skill after clearing the requirements!!¡±

    Shin raised his voice to calm the two of them down . Shin¡¯s count had apparently been correct, and the Skull Face that they had just defeated was indeed the 200th one .

    The light disappeared almost right after Shin¡¯s exnation . It revealed Rashia staring off nkly at space .

    ¡°Oi, Rashia! Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Fue? Ah, un . I¡¯m okay . ¡±

    Rashia gave a listless answer in response to Wilhelm frantically tapping her shoulder and calling out to her .

    ¡°You look so out of it, are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine . I was just surprised at the information about the skill suddenly flowing into my head . ¡±

    ¡°Did it feel different from the time with the Books of Secrets?¡±

    ¡°Eto, let¡¯s see . The Books of Secrets gave a ¡°sutto¡± feeling, and this time gave a ¡°dotto¡± feeling . I¡¯m afraid I really can¡¯t exin it any better . ¡±

    It seems that there was indeed a noticeable difference .

    Hearing this, Shin¡¯s interest was perked, as it proved that there were distinctly different ways to acquire skills . Rashia was clearly unharmed, so there was no cause for further worry, but it¡¯s just that Shin couldn¡¯t get a good grasp on how it felt . Information suddenly flowing into someone¡¯s mind is normally impossible in the first ce, so it was understandable that he had no experience with it .

    ¡°Well, at any rate, it appears that you have sessfully learned¡¾Purification¡¿ . Congrattions . ¡±

    ¡°Yea, you did good . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much . With this, we¡¯ll be able to help the orphanage pull through . ¡±

    Now that she had acquired¡¾Purification¡¿, the orphanage was out of danger . When she realized that, Rashia started tearing up while expressing her heartfelt gratitude .

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s return to the base then . We¡¯ll sleep till the morning, then quickly get back to Berylricht . ¡±

    ¡°Good idea . No point in staying here any longer than we have to . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go . ¡±

    They headed outside of the Seal, with a huge smile on all of their faces . There was no presence of any enemy in the vicinity of the group of three people and one pet .

    The request was fulfilled . All that was left was to return to the Kingdom . Everyone present thought so .

    Until that happened .

    ????

    Then that suddenly happened .

    Shin heard the sound because the Wraith ins was an extremely silent ce, as no insects nor wild animals lived there . Yuzuha, who was lounging on Shin¡¯s head, also picked up it up with the extraordinary hearing unique to animals and sat up with its ears standing straight up, initiating a survey of the area .

    ¡°Nn? What sound is that?¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    It was simr to the rustle of the wind . If it was just the sound of the the nearby grass being ruffled, then it wouldn¡¯t have caught Shin¡¯s attention .

    However, at the same time, there was a ¡°gushari¡± sound like that of a living creature being squashed . Instead of looking at his map, Shin turned around instead, and stopped in his tracks .

    Right before his eyes was an unbelievable scene .

    ¡°What on earth . . . . . . is that . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s wrong, you . . . . . . guys . . . . . . ¡±

    Noticing that Shin had stopped, Wilhelm also turned around . He saw the exact same thing that Shin was staring at .

    Back where the remains of the Skull Facey, a ck sphere that had not been there before was floating in the air . That sphere was in the middle of sucking up a Pecker Hollow . That part of the map at the edge of Shin¡¯s vision had been empty just now, but there was now arge red marker alongside the white and green markers that represented Shin and his party .

    The three of them stared speechlessly as the 30mel-wide sphere ate up the Pecker Hollow . The sizes were obviously disproportionate, but the ¡°gishiri¡± and ¡°gushari¡± noises that they now heard told them that the Pecker Hollow¡¯s body was beingpressed even while it was being sucked in .

    However, the Pecker Hollow was not raising a death cry, nor was it offering any resistance . Rather, all of the faces on its body were smiling . It was almost as if it was delighted at what was happening to it .

    ¡°What the hell is going on? What is that thing?!¡±

    ¡°Uu, looking at it makes me feel sick . . . . . . ¡±

    The scene of human faces being slowly stretched out before being crushed understandably caused Rashia to press her hand to her mouth and squat down . Wilhelm ran over to her, and Shin stood between the ck sphere and the two of them .

    In short order, the Pecker Hollow waspletely eaten up . At that moment, a great tremor began rocking the ground .

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    ¡°Uwah?!¡±

    ¡°Kyaa!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!?¡±

    They had to quickly adjust their posture to prevent falling over . They didn¡¯t know what was happening, but a quick nce around the Wraith ins showed purple light rising up into the sky from several different ces .

    A twinkling pir of light was also rising up from the ce where they had defeated the Skull Face .

    ¡°So pretty . . . . . . ¡±

    The unexpected scene looked fantastical and beautiful .

    Shin would have been able to enjoy it too if it wasn¡¯t for the mysterious ck sphere . They did not have the leisure of staying there to admire the sight .

    He turned his vision slightly to the top, prompting the ingame map to open up . He realized that the red marker was gone .

    ¡°This is . . . . . . ¡±

    Looking back away from the map, he activated the¡¾Long Sight¡¿skill and strained his eyes to look at the ces where the map was indicating other red dots, all while remaining wary of the ck sphere . As he did so, he saw purple light being sucked out of Gel Bisons and Ein Jackals . The glittering light bore strong resemnce to the effects from back during the game that indicated the death of an undead monster .

    After a short while, the monsters with light being sucked out of them lost their form, seemingly dissolving into thin air .

    Then the extracted purple light flew in a parab towards the ck sphere and was absorbed .

    Seeing this, Shin and Wilhelm both moved to cover Rashia . While remaining wary of their surroundings, they focused the majority of their attention onto the sphere in front of their eyes .

    ¡°It¡¯s sucking up all the magical power . ¡±

    ¡°Magical power?¡±

    ¡°Yea, that purple light is the magical power that enables the undead to move . Without it, they couldn¡¯t maintain their forms anymore . ¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is . ¡±

    The ck sphere very quickly sucked up all the magical power in the atmosphere . Then it whirled up into the sky, stopping at roughly ten mels off the ground . At the same time, the sphere began releasing a dusky ck aura . Gradually, the aura took on form, until a gigantic Skull Face stood before them . It was covered head to toe with jet ck armor, and the aura could be seen between the skeleton and the armor . All this took ce within the span of ten seconds .

    In no time at all, the figure of a Skull Face more than ten mels in height was looming over Shin and the party .

    The armor was so detailed and ornamental that they wouldn¡¯t have believed it was made from aura if they hadn¡¯t seen it themselves . If it wasn¡¯t for the skull at the top, the figure seemed quite knightly .

    However, an ominous aura wasing off from its entire body . That was the definite proof that this was an undead monster .

    Then Shin and the rest, all of whom were frozen with tension, saw a lighte on in its face .

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª Skull Face Lord, level 804 .

    ¡¾Analyze X¡¿activated to give Shin the monster¡¯s name and level .

    That level was considered within the higher tiers even back in THE NEW GATE .

    ¡°Kururuuu!!¡±

    ¡°Its level is 804 . Is it the dungeon boss?¡±

    ¡°Oi, you sure about the level that you just said?¡±

    ¡°Yea, no doubt about it . ¡±

    ¡°No way . . . . . . that level means it¡¯s strong enough to wipe out entire countries!!¡±

    Yuzuha raised its voice menacingly while Wilhelm and Rashia tried, and failed, to hide their shock at the unbelievable number . After the Dusk of the Majesty, if the monsters living inside the Holy Lands were not counted, the strongest monster recorded in history did not even reach level 600 . And that monster had actually erased several countries .

    ¡°B-But there¡¯s the Seal, so it can¡¯t get out, right?¡±

    ¡°I wonder about that . ¡±

    As Shin was answering Rashia¡¯s worry-stricken question, the Lord finally moved .

    It bent one arm, which looked several mels long, and made a fist of its hand . It then bent its knees slightly, then jumped up into the sky in the form of an uppercut .

    A dry ¡°gashari¡± sound was heard when its arm finished extending . The falling traces of magical power indicated without a doubt that the barrier that had surrounded the area waspletely shattered . The devastation was reflected in the eyes of Shin andpany .

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s that for the Seal . ¡±

    ¡°Yea, that single attack took care of it . ¡±

    ¡°Thi-This can¡¯t be . . . . . . ¡±

    Rashia fell onto her butt in the face of enough power to smash through a barrier supposedly designed to hold back high level monsters .

    While sucking up even the magical traces from the remains of the barrier, the Lord turned its attention towards Shin andpany .

    ¡°*gasp*¡±

    ¡°Kuu . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s looking this way, oi . ¡±

    ¡°It sure is . ¡±

    The Lord didn¡¯t have eyeballs, but there was no doubt in the minds of everyone present that the Lord was currently focusing on them . The enormous pressure turned Rashia¡¯s face ashen and she began trembling uncontrobly .

    Seeing this, Wilhelm held her in his arms, and got ready to start running away .

    ¡°GuuuuUUUUUU¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªGaaaAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!¡±

    The Lord¡¯s roar almost seemed to be threatening them to not run away . The sheer volume of the sound was such that all four of them felt physical weight to it . Shin braced himself, Yuzuha curled up into a ball, Wilhelm fell to his knees, and Rashia cowered on the ground while covering her ears .

    ¡°Guh, it¡¯s telling us not to run away?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s wrong . Look around!¡±

    Shin¡¯s shout drew their attention to the white bones thrusting out of the ground

    Though the sizes were different, all the bones were clearly the arms of humanoid monsters . One by one, the arms wed at the ground and pulled out the rest of their bodies .

    All the monsters that came out turned out to be skeletons wearing crude armor . Needless to say, they were all Skull Faces . Ranging from Jack ss to Queen ss, with even one King ss thrown into the mix, they crawled up from the ground one after the other . All of them were about twice the normal height for their ss, such that the King ss towered at about eight mels in height . Their numbers seemed to cover the entire surface of the ins, looking very much like an army .

    The aura released from all of them mixed together, causing the surface of the entire ins to be dyedpletely ck .

    The emergence of the Skull Faces seemed to be urring all over the Wraith ins, the surroundings of Shin andpany already teeming with them .

    ¡°Wil!! Oh, Wil, what are we going to do?!¡±

    ¡°Calm down! It doesn¡¯t help to get all flustered . Oi Shin, let¡¯s break through and run away right now!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Nah, I¡¯m going to stay . ¡±

    ¡°Aah? What are you saying, you bastard . You got a death wish or something?!¡±

    Annoyed at how calm Shin still was, Wilhelm grabbed his shoulder . However, when he pulled the other in expectation of making him turn around, it felt like he was grabbing onto a gigantic rock that refused to budge even an inch .

    Turning slowly to face them, Shin quietly deactivated¡¾Limit¡¿ .

    ¡°Uwah!¡±

    ¡°Kyaa!¡±

    Shin¡¯s released power rushed through Wilhelm and Rashia in a torrent, turning their eye in shock .

    ¡°I can¡¯t leave this guy alone . I¡¯ll open the way, so Wilhelm and Rashia, you two turn back towards the Kingdom first . ¡±

    ¡°All this power . . . . . . Who on earth are you . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exin everything another time . I also have personal business with this guy . I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want to get you guys involved, so please get away as quickly as you can . ¡±

    So saying, he began gathering magical power in his hands . It became so concentrated that chills ran down the backs of the other two .

    ¡°Tch, no helping it . I¡¯ll take care of Rashia and that fox, then . You want me to gather back up the items at the base?¡±

    ¡°It would be great if you would . However, it wouldn¡¯t be much of a loss to leave them behind . ¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be off right now . When we get back, I¡¯m not going to let you go until you exin every single detail to me!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay . Alright, I¡¯m going to cast some buffs on you to make you faster than usual . Just make sure you don¡¯t trip!¡±

    ¡°Hah! Who the hell you think you¡¯re talking to? Dammit, your fox isn¡¯t letting go . ¡±

    ¡°Ow ow ow ow! Oi, Yuzuha! Stop pulling!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!! Kuu~!!¡±

    Yuzuha refused to let go, as if it was saying that it didn¡¯t want to leave . It clung on with all its strength, expressing its refusal to let Shin stay back by himself .

    ¡°Oi, now what?¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha . . . . . . ¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s emotions flowed into Shin through their contract . It was sending through its powerful desire to stay by Shin¡¯s side .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . Haa, no helping it . Don¡¯t you ever let go then, okay?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!!¡±

    Yuzuha purred from on top of Shin¡¯s head . It was full of motivation .

    ¡°Then that¡¯s that . Come on, quickly . ¡±

    ¡°Right, sorry for the wait . Here goes!¡±

    Shin cast the promised buffs on Wilhelm, then turned to release a skill in the direction where their basey .

    What he used was the Lightning-Type Magical Skill¡¾Lightning Bunker¡¿ .

    Two prongs of lightning, each several mels in diameter, shot into the Skull Faces deployed behind the party, turning all of them to charcoal in an instant . Shin maintained the skill while sweeping left and right, burning a hole through the encirclement .

    ¡°Go!!¡±

    At the signal of Shin¡¯s shout, Wilhelm kicked off the ground . Due to Shin¡¯s strengthening buff, Wilhelm shot through the opening, leaving only afterimages in his wake, every step so forceful that it left cracks in the ground .

    ¡°Kyaaaa!!!¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¡ª ¨C ¨C ¨C ¨C ¨C¡±

    Rashia couldn¡¯t help screaming at the incredible speed, but her voice soon faded away . When they were together, they had made sure to not stray too far from the edge of the Seal, so it didn¡¯t take very long for Wilhelm to break through the encirclement at his current speed . There were a lot of swords and spears thrown onto the ground by the Skull Faces that had perished, but Wilhelm¡¯s speed brushed them all away .

    ¡°They¡¯re gone . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu . ¡±

    Shin released the skill after confirming that he could no longer see the other two . He had also destroyed several tens of Skull Faces with that attack, but as soon as he let up, arge number rose from the ground to plug the hole back up .

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get started too, then . ¡±

    ¡°Ku¡ª!!¡±

    The enemy was the Skull Face Lord, who had Jack ss, Queen ss, and King ss summons .

    The Lord that was ring at them had not looked away even during Wilhelm and Rashia¡¯s escape, giving Shin its full attention the entire time .

    Shin had never heard of a monster named Skull Face Lord . There was no monster higher than level 800 that Shin did not know of . In other words, it was an entirely new monster . It was clearly not an opponent that he could afford to gauge by its level alone .

    However, a new monster might be a key for Shin to return to his own world, as there was a possibility that it might give up some relevant item or information . As long as that possibility existed, running away was not an option for Shin .

    While feeling Yuzuha¡¯s steadying presence, Shin readied his katana, then began running towards therge army of Skull Faces .

    In one word, it was a massacre .

    Any normal person would have been speechless in the face of over a thousand Skull Faces, but the reason for their speechlessness would bepletely altered upon beholding the current scene .

    Bones were broken, swords were snapped, and armor was dashed to the ground like so many pieces of scrap iron .

    Cracks were running into the ground and trenches were being dug, all so deep that no one would believe it was done without any magic whatsoever .

    All of it was being carved out by Shin alone . Only Shin and his sword .

    ¡°Shi!¡±

    Without using skills, Shin merely brandished his sword . Just a single swing sliced the cores of more than ten Skull Faces in half, reducing them to magical traces that faded into the air .

    Merely the wind pressure after a swing was enough to smash both swords and armors .

    The moonlight shining upon the ins illuminated the many arcs being drawn in midair that were obliterating scores of Skull Faces like a sand castle being pulled down .

    Even the King ss, which would require several tens of adventurers to take on with the resolve to die, proved to be no more than a slightly more durable wooden doll .

    Skull Faces were being casually mowed down like only so much overgrown grass .

    ¡°KuooOOO!!¡±

    Of course, Shin wasn¡¯t the only one attacking . From its position on top of his head, Yuzuha was also spitting out bursts of bluish-white fire that reduced Skull Faces to piles of ashes .

    It was using the monster-only skill¡¾Fox Fire¡¿ . In the case of normal fox partners, it would be a red fire, but apparently Elemental Tails were different in this aspect . In its full form¡ªthe level 1000 one¡ªits many tails would release a multi-colored attack . However, it was not strong enough for that yet . Each of an Elemental Tail¡¯s nine tails corresponded to Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, Holy, and Dark-type magical skills, physical damage, and God-type skills, making any opponent feel like they were fighting against nine different enemies at the same time .

    The tail that Yuzuha was currently using was the God-type one, which provided an extra elemental multiplier . This skill was not one that yers could use, so all of Shin¡¯s understanding of it wasing from Yuzuha in the form of images .

    ¡°Seriously, there are so many . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu . ¡±

    Shin and Yuzuha had already destroyed more than a hundred Skull Faces, but they had not made much actual headway . The numbers stood for itself, but every one of the Skull Faces had an above average body physique¡ªor in their case, bone physique?¡ªsuch that every opening created was refilled in a matter of moments .

    It felt like an endless task as repetitious and meaningless as trying to dig beneath a mountain of sand with bare hands, watching sand fall back in to fill up any progress .

    The Skull Face Lord, which was most likely the boss, decided to retreat into the center of the Wraith ins after producing therge number of Skull Faces . The ins stretched dozens of kemels from one end to the other . Shin was still quite near the edge of the ins, so the Lord was no longer within his line of sight . It was at least smart enough to make the decision to retreat and let Shin wear himself out on these adds when Shin had been busy helping Wilhelm and Rashia escape .

    It wasn¡¯t clear whether the Lord had simply retreated to wear him down first or whether it was also preparing something else .

    Shin swung his katana and Yuzuha spat its fire, both of them thinking the entire time of a way to make their opponente back out . Within the ins that had been dyed with the ck aura, the immediate vicinity around Shin was the only ce where the bare ground was visible .

    ¡°Don¡¯t overexert yourself, okay?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    When seen from the side, the scene looked like one in which the man and pet were almost going to be swallowed by a ck tide . In the midst of such a situation, the two of them were still leisurely chatting with each other .

    A few more Skull Faces had fallen to shing attacks within the time it took for their exchange, and it looked like the tide was being pushed back for a change .

    The deeper they progressed, the more hemmed in they were . However, none of the monsters present were strong enough to break through the barrier . All of them disyed exemry footwork, sword mastery, and skillful techniques, just like the one that Wilhelm had fought, but all of that only bought them a tiny bit more time before they too were cut down .

    It was pathetic how there was absolutely nothing they could do .

    ¡°This isn¡¯t working . The area where they¡¯re spawning is toorge . ¡±

    Shinbined detection skills to gather information about the nearby area . Due to the ruckus he was creating, most of the Skull Faces on the ins were crowding towards himself, but a few were ignoring the battle and wandering off towards the outside .

    One of them was arge red dot that Shin suspected was a King ss .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bring it up a notch . Hold on tight!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!!¡±

    So saying, he released a powerful swing that cut down numerous Skull Faces around .

    Taking advantage of the opening that he had caused, he used his left hand to take out a new weapon, at the same time bringing his right hand back in a throwing position . An incredible amount of lightning iparable to anything before ran through Akechidori¡¯s de . The red lightning enveloping the de was so dense that it gave the impression that the sword itself was fiercely shining . The intermittent sound of metal creaking was the sword protesting from the sheer amount of magical power being poured into it . Clearly, Legend grade weapons were not strong enough to bear Shin¡¯s full strength after the boost to his stats .

    Feeling the intense concentration of magical power, the Skull Faces hesitated to approach .

    That hesitation gave Shin the rest of the time that he needed .

    He activated the Sword-Type Lightning-Type Combined Skill¡¾Hien ? Raisei (Flying Swallow ? Lightning Cutter)¡¿ .

    It was abination of a martial skill and a magical skill . That single powerful attack shot out from Shin¡¯s hands .

    After being thrown with a physical strength beyond human capabilities, Akechidori easily flew through the air . It tore through everything in its path and left a powerful shockwave in its wake, with the Skull Faces unable to offer up any resistance whatsoever .

    Right after leaving Shin¡¯s hands, the red lightning from Akechidori forked out into several branches that reduced Skull Faces to ashes with a mere touch . They looked like the heads of a hydra . The sight of the sword¡¯s passage,bined with the forks of lightning, gave the impression of a red hydra parting a ck sea at superspeed . It was as if the Skull Faces were offering themselves up to the forks that raked through the air .

    In the wake of its flight, Akechidori left behind a path about 10 mels wide, and the resulting shockwave gouged out the ground in a straight line .

    Shin dashed through the path in one go .

    The intended destination was the heart of the Wraith ins, where the Skull Face Lord was .

    His expectation was that it would take the death of the Skull Face Lord or the destruction of the dungeon core to settle the entire incident .

    (If Schnee was here, then I could handle it in a different way, though . )

    There was a certain skill that he could use if she was present, but Shin conceded that there was no point in obsessing over the ¡®what-if¡¯s . All he had to do at the moment was what he could do by himself, and that would have to be enough .

    He took out a different sword and unsheathed it, resting it on his shoulder while still running forward .

    What he was holding was the Mythology rank oodachi¡ºHamon Hirumaki¡» . Based off of the best oodachi from Japan, it measured more than 3 mel from tip to handle . Its de glittered brilliantly with reflected moonlight, almost as if it would cut through darkness itself . The name was a bit unique, and some people might think of¡ºNenekirimaru¡»when they hear of it . True to thatparison, Hamon Hirumaki was indeed a very high level anti-undead sword . In addition, its length, and its subsequent weight, gave it both the power and reach of a spear .

    ¡°Fu!!¡±

    It was the same mowing attack as before . However, the scale was on apletely different level .

    In the first ce, Hamon Hirumaki was a sword that required at least 800 STR to wield properly, as it weighed enough and was sharp enough to slice off the head of a low level dragon with its weight alone . There was no limit to the amount of power that could be drawn out when it is wielded by a yer with fully maxed stats .

    The de sliced through the air, creating a shockwave that shredded everything to pieces . There was absolutely nothing that the Skull Faces could do in resistance . That was how great the difference in power was . For the Skull Faces, it was as if they were facing a natural disaster, something like a gigantic storm, earthquake, or flood . Something of such absolute violence that no one¡ªnot even if they all banded together¡ªwould be allowed to defy .

    In his current state, that was exactly what Shin was .

    He now pushed forward over the gouged out ground at a pace that made his previous efforts seem like he had been standing still .

    The Skull Faces tried to refill the path that had been created with¡¾Hien ? Raisei¡¿, but this time Shin¡¯s progress was so fast that simple numbers was no longer enough . Every swing of the de was apanied by a roaring that was not supposed to be there, smashing everything in its path into dust .

    ¡°Scatter!!¡±

    While he was at it, Shin decided to activate a magical skill too .

    It was the Wind-Type Magical Skill¡¾Air Barrett¡¿ .

    The skill creates a mass of air about 3~40 cemelsrge freelyunchable from any direction, having enough force to shoot down a flying monster . However, what Shin was using was no longer on that scale . Flying in all four cardinal directions around him, airballs more than 2 melsrge were easily blowing away Skull Faces together with their armor . The Skull Faces flying through the air no longer possessed even a shred of the dignity that they had previously demanded as the world¡¯s image of terror .

    While heading towards the center of the ins, the damage that Shin was inflicting on the surrounding area attracted all the Skull Faces to himself, until the map at the edge of his vision became swamped with red dots, indicating that there were so many of them that he couldn¡¯t even count them anymore .

    He continued running, all while watching the red tide threatening to overwhelm the single white dot that was himself . What he was actually thinking about was the ck sphere that had sucked up the Pecker Hollow . The Skull Faces that were being spawned by that were indeed strong . However, it was not that rare for a boss to have the ability to summon and strengthen adds . What was currently going on was probably the most terrible thing that this world could imagine, but in terms of scale, Shin had been part of evenrger scale events . That was why Shin was actually feeling slightly let down while brandishing the oodachi, thinking that at this rate he was going to resolve everything without much resistance .

    (It won¡¯t hurt to stay cautious . )

    He made sure to reserve some strength while obliterating the enemies . He had the leisure of doing so because his stats were now so much higher than they had been back in the game . Shin was now really strong . However, it¡¯s just that sometimes quantity is enough to overwhelm quality . Though all his stats were maxed, he was by no means invincible, nor was he immortal .

    If he was killed, he would die .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!!!!¡±

    A high-pitched scream reverberated throughout the ins . As if it was a signal, innumerable white hands thrust up from the ground .

    The source of the scream was the Skull Face Lord . The reason why the number of Skull Faces never went down despite how many Shin cut down was because of that scream . As long as it kept ringing, Skull Faces would continue springing out from the ground .

    ¡°Again?¡±

    Shin felt that he was drawing closer to the source of the roar . There were so many enemies around that he was sorely tempted to use a wide area annihtion magical skill, but he made a conscious effort to push the feeling away .

    Unlike back in the game, the power of magical skills were no longer bound by arbitrary numbers . With Shin¡¯s stats, even a beginner magical skill employed without proper control could easily cause as much devastation as an upper mid tier skill . One could only imagine what would happen if he went full out with a high tier wide area magical skill . Many of these skills could only be used inrge scale guild wars, but such restrictions were no longer in ce . Shin was not yet familiar enough with his current strength to use such skills freely . It would be no joke if he erased an entire forest with a simple slip up .

    The effect of his newfound strength was that he was now fighting while chained down by such worries .

    (I would be more willing to try things out if I was alone here, but . . . . . . )

    While staring at the green markers on his map, Shin activated another magical skill .

    What he used this time was the Fire-Type Magical Skill¡¾Impel me¡¿ .

    Arge number of fireballs appeared above Shin¡¯s head then fell onto the the Skull Faces between Shin and the green markers . Instead of exploding, the fireballs simply turned extremely hot whenever they were touched, such that all the Skull Faces that came into contact with one were killed by being turned into a beehive .

    There were very few sparks flying around, as he was firmly reining in the mes, and the air remained free of dust as there were no explosions going on, so Shin was about to urately aim for even targets that were quite a distance away .

    The green markers on the map were most likely supposed to be his backup . Green markers indicated neutral yers or NPCs . In other words, there were currently still other people in the ins .

    Though Shin didn¡¯t know it, those markers were actually the adventurers and knights deployed to keep an eye on the Wraith ins . They had,pletely by chance, encountered a Skull Face that was about to leave, and thus decided to engage it inbat .

    ¡°This isn¡¯t good . ¡±

    Due to therge physique of the Skull Faces in his way, Shin could not see who it was that was fighting . However, based on the movements of the markers, it appeared that they were putting up a pretty good fight . They were at least as strong as higher rank adventurers, and had the fortune of havinge upon a level 353 Skull Face, which was among one of the weaker ones . However, a level 500 was approaching quickly . It would be a different story if those people were just running away, but if they were truly adventurers, they might not allow themselves the luxury of that choice because of their pride in who they are . Or perhaps they have yet to realize that there are an enormous number of Skull Faces on the ins .

    There was a limit to how much Shin could do, even with the use of magical skills . The green markers were simply too far away . By applying detection skills inbination, he had an urate understanding of the situation, and realized that it would be really difficult, if not outright impossible, for him to reach the group in time . It would be so much easier if he could just fly through the sky, but THE NEW GATE have no flying options . He can¡¸Jump¡¹, but not¡¸Fly¡¹ .

    ¡°Why on earth are they heading this way?! Do they not hear the roar?¡±

    Wrapped in the gale of violence created by his de, Shin pushed on towards the markers on his map . He didn¡¯t know who they were, but he was not going to simply let them be sacrifices if he had anything to say about it .

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha was asking ¡°Are you going to help them?¡±, to which Shin replied ¡°As long as I don¡¯t die before reaching them . ¡± He continued spamming magical skills to mow down the enemies in his way . However, the green markers kept on heading deeper into the Wraith ins . Shin watched the red marker that they were fighting with disappear, but in its ce appeared several more nearby .

    ¡°Tch, please let me make it in time!!¡±

    To save the surrounded group, Shin began gathering magical power in his hands .

    Right before he was going to release a magical skill, blue lightning red at the edge of his vision .

    It was the Lightning-Type Magical Skill¡¾Lightning Bunker¡¿, the exact same one that he himself had used to help Wilhelm and Rashia get away .

    The skill wiped out the Skull Faces surrounding the group, almost grazing them with how close it was . However, it did not look like they had suffered any damage from the skill .

    Shin had no time to be relieved at the development, as there was a new marker that had appeared on his map, which wasbeled with a name that took his breath away .

    The marker¡¯s color was blue . That color indicated an ally .

    The disyed name read¡¾Schnee Raizar¡¿ .

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    You can grab the PDF here .

    ~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~

    The blue marker that represented Schnee approached the green markers . She had most likely told them to leave the ins, as after a short while, all of them started doing exactly that . Then the blue marker set a course straight towards Shin, heading directly for him .

    She was also cutting down the surrounding Skull Faces with ease, though not not quite at Shin¡¯s pace .

    Without saying a word, Shin also hacked down the Skull Faces in his way, heading towards Schnee . However, his steps were by no means light . Based on the reaction to his letter that Tiera had told him about, Schnee most likely did remember him still . But now, at the cusp of their reunion, Shin realized that he didn¡¯t know what to say .

    Back during the game, all the conversations that he¡¯d had with Schnee were programmed lines . He had set her rtionship level with himself at the maximum, as she was his support character, but he didn¡¯t know how much that might have been affected by Schnee gaining her own free will .

    To put things in perspective, he had abandoned the shop and disappeared for more than 500 years without any news normunication . He had absolutely no idea what she thought of him by now . He would not be able to me her if she was angry with him or hade to hate him .

    As these worries whirled through Shin¡¯s mind, Schnee steadily made her way towards Shin .

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªThe two reunited amidst the squirming sea of darkness and skeletons .

    In fear of thebined strength of the two of them, the Skull Faces hesitated a moment .

    When they made to move against the pair, they found an invisible wall in their way . Slightly confused at what was happening, Shin nced around warily . Before he could do anything about it, a paw lightly pped his forehead with a ¡®pon . ¡¯ He understood from the iing telepathic messages that it was Yuzuha who had erected this barrier . It wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain it for very long, but this was not an appropriate ce for a prolonged reunion scene anyways .

    In response to his ¡°Thanks¡± came ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it . ¡± This fox was proving to be really good at reading the atmosphere .

    Finishing up the exchange in an instant, Shin then turned his full attention back to Schnee .

    With her silver hair flowing in the breeze, she was looking straight at Shin .

    Seeing this, the first thought that popped into Shin¡¯s head was ¡°Oh wow, she really hasn¡¯t changed a bit . ¡± Not the dazzling silver hair, nor the almost transparent blue eyes that were looking at himself, not even the clothes . Every single thing about her was exactly the same as when he had parted with herst .

    ¡° . . . . . . Have you . . . . . . been well?¡±

    He didn¡¯t know what to say . He had wracked his brain so hard while swinging around the oodachi, but this was all that came out of his mouth in the end .

    He knew how irresponsible his words sounded . As she was an NPC, he had not expected to ever see her against after the game ended . Such had been his thinking .

    In a way, she was the one who had been with him the longest, the one to whom he had the greatest attachment to . Back in the VR, she had not looked any different from normal yers . He had found himself wishing numerous times that she had the AI to participate in a proper conversation .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    There was no reply from Schnee . Or rather, it was more urate to say that she could not reply .

    Her eyes were turning moist, and her lips were pressed together firmly in a quivering straight line, indicating that she was holding something back . Seeing how she was trying so hard not to cry, Shin could not find the right words to say .

    ¡°Schneeeh?!¡±

    As soon as he called her name, he saw the flicker of a silver light .

    The rise in intonation at the end was due to Schnee grabbing Shin in an unexpectedly powerful embrace . Her ce as his highest-sped support character was not merely for show . The conventional ¡°Gofu!!¡± nearly escaped from Shin¡¯s mouth, but he somehow managed to hold it in .

    ¡°Sch-Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have something to say to me?¡±

    Shin called out to her while his spine creaked in protest . Though she said that there was something that he was supposed to say, in the current situation of beingpletely surrounded by enemies, Shin¡¯s mind was not working properly, and nothing that seemed appropriate came to mind .

    ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry for leaving you alone this whole timeahhhh?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it . ¡±

    The arms around him pressed even harder .

    ¡°Th-Thank you for taking care of the shop?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it . ¡±

    His breath was almost being crushed out of him . So, what she wanted was neither an apology nor thanks .

    What was left? What was he to say?

    The gears in Shin¡¯s head turned furiously .

    As he mentally went over everything that had happened sinceing to this world, the images that floated to the top of his mind were that of Schnee¡¯s crying face and Tsuki no Hokora, the ce where all of them had spent so much time together that she had protected this entire time .

    (Aah . . . . . . I get it now . )

    Havinge so far, the rest was simple .

    He almost wanted tough at himself for all the unnecessary things that he was thinking before .

    Saying things that he didn¡¯t need to say, and not saying things that he needed to say .

    Having stepped out from the store, having been away for a while, and now he was back .

    Thus, the first thing that he should say is¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡° . . . . . . I¡¯m back home . ¡±

    ¡°Wee back . ¡±

    Nothing else needed to be said .

    ????

    Hearing the ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± Schnee pulled back from Shin .

    There were no more tears in her eyes . The calm and gentle expression that Shin was so familiar with was back .

    ¡°Mou, I thought you¡¯d never be back . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Indeed . To be honest, I also didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d get to see you again . ¡±

    It was something that he had known when leaving the store . After the death game was cleared, the data that made up Tsuki no Hokora and his support characters would all be deleted together with the rest of the game¡¯s data . When he returned to the real world, he would never see Schnee and the other characters again .

    Even though they were NPCs and could not do anything beyond their programming, the parting had hurt more than he had expected .

    It wasn¡¯t something that could be easily given voice, though .

    It wasn¡¯t just affection or love . Neither was it simple friendship . There were those who were proud of the support characters that they had created, but that didn¡¯t quite describe what Shin felt either .

    Perhaps the best way to put it was ¡°more than the data, but not fully human . ¡± It was all soplicated that Shin himself was not clear .

    ¡°Kyuu~¡±

    The solemn and heartfelt atmosphere was interrupted by the sound of an exhausted sigh . Shin¡¯s vision drew upwards to behold Yuzuhaying limply on top of his head .

    Apparently, Yuzuha had reached its limit after maintaining the barrier for so long . The Skull Faces that had stayed a certain distance away began to rush towards Shin and Schnee .

    ¡°There is so much left to talk about, but how about let¡¯s resolve this situation first . ¡±

    ¡°Good suggestion . I had been looking forward to the reunion so much that I¡¯d almost forgotten about them . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu~¡±

    Wryly smiling at the cry from Yuzuha that seemed to say ¡°I¡¯m leaving the rest to you guys~¡±, the two of them turned their attention towards the Skull Faces .

    ¡°For the first blow, I¡¯m thinking about giving them a really big one . ¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it . We have the perfect thing for that, after all . ¡±

    They both smiled, Shin with a broad grin and Schnee with a sweet tilt of her head . Then they raised their hands skyward .

    ¡°Manifest thyself, O Pure One!¡±

    ¡°Manifest thyself, O Eternal One!¡±

    What they were activating was a special God-Type Skill that could only be used by two or more yers or support characters working together .

    The name of that skill was¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

    ¡°¡¾Sanctuary¡¿!!¡±

    Their chant faded off into the darkness .

    Then immediately, the effects materialized above the heads of everybody and everything present on the ins .

    A gigantic magic circle had appeared in the sky .

    Shin and Schnee . It was a coborative skill cast by the two strongest people in this world . The effect was dimensions above what amon magician could achieve .

    Before the Skull Faces could reach Shin and Schnee, the light poured down from the sky in a massive torrent .

    Tearing apart the darkness and illuminating the entire earth, the cleansing light mercilessly purified every bit of filth and impurity crawling upon the ground . The light temporarily threw back the veil of the night, illuminating the ins so brightly that it was as if the sun itself was in the sky .

    ¡°AAaaaa¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª------------¡±

    As the light continued pounding down, the Skull Faces were one by one reduced to magical traces that dissolved into the air . Of course, this was not enough to finish off the Skull Face Lord, but the Skull Faces that were rising up from the ground due to its sustained roaring were purified as soon as they came up .

    Though the magic circle was supposed tost only a few seconds, the two of them had poured a lot magical power into it, so the strong yet gentle light continued to shine brightly . In that state, the Skull Faces were no longer able to do anything . The map at the edge of Shin¡¯s vision was now cleared of all red markers, allowing him to see a clean and unupied field .

    ¡°Well then, all the annoying obstacles are taken care of, so let¡¯s go take down the ringleader, shall we?¡±

    ¡°Does Master know who is causing this phenomenon?¡±

    ¡°Yea, it¡¯s a monster called Skull Face Lord . It¡¯s my first time seeing it, do you happen to know anything about it?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . No, it¡¯s also my first time hearing of it . ¡±

    Shin had hoped that Schnee might know more, as she had been living in this world much longer, but apparently that was not the case here .

    Now that all the Skull Faces were gone, they had a clear path to the Lord .

    After quickly checking their equipment, they headed towards their target . Due to the healing effects from¡¾Sanctuary¡¿, Yuzuha had made a full recovery, and was now using its heightened senses to keep a sharp eye on their surroundings .

    Shin really wanted to hand¡ºAotsuki¡»over to Schnee, but it was still back at Tsuki no Hokora . So instead, he handed her a ninjatou (T/N: shorter sword that ninjas used) and wakizashi (T/N: short Japanese sword), both of which were stronger than what she was currently using and were sped to be anti-undead . Schnee¡¯s main profession was Kunoichi, the female version of Ninja . It had been quite a popr job back during the game, as all weapon job restrictions were removed for characters in this profession, so they were not limited to ninjatou and short swords . Support characters of an average yer could properly wield maybe two or three different kinds of weapons . However, unfortunately for Schnee, she was Shin¡¯s support character . Two to three was nowhere near enough .

    With Shin at her side, she started running towards the Skull Face Lord, wielding a ninjatou in her right hand and a wakizashi in her left .

    ¡°I see it . ¡±

    Traversing the ins at a speed that would overwhelm anyone else, the two of the quickly reached the ce where the Lord was . Due to the light still shining down, the Lord was on its knees, with magical energy evaporating from every crevice seen though the many prominent cracks on its armor . Its HP bar was roughly halved . Part of it due to the strength of Shin and Schnee¡¯s coborative skill, and part of it was due to the skill¡¯s element being one that the Lord was weak to . ,The Skull Face Lord had already taken an enormous amount of damage even before they had engaged it in directbat .

    ¡°GGUUUuuuuuu . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    It looked down on Shin and Schnee while still roaring . The ghostly fire burning within the skeleton was giving off a very ominous light . As expected of a monster with a level over 800; Shin and Schnee did not have the leisure of letting down their guard for even a second in the face of such pressure .

    ¡°There¡¯s so much I want to ask you, but it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re in any condition to talk . ¡±

    So Shin muttered while standing in front of the monster . He didn¡¯t have any actual expectations for a proper conversation in the first ce, but since it was a monster that had never appeared before, he did hold out hopes of gaining information of some sort . To that end, he now closely examined the Lord¡¯s body .

    Though its armor was crumbling in several ces, the impression that Shin got was that this Skull Face¡¯s appearance was even more polished and refined than a King ss . Even including the information that he was getting from¡¾Analyze¡¿, all he knew was that this was an upper tier Skull Face . It still bothered him how the Lord had sucked up an entire Pecker Hollow, but there was no way to learn anything other than to tear apart the armor in the way and directly examine the core .

    ¡°From the start, it has been an opponent that we must defeat . ¡±

    ¡°Yea, I guess . . . . . . Alright, let¡¯s do it!¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    After replying to Schnee¡¯s words, theyunched their assault on the Lord, which was standing in a defensive stance .

    In the Lord¡¯s hands were dark, night-colored greatswords that it had pulled out from somewhere . As Shin and Schnee charged in from the front, it released a fierce horizontal mowing attack . In response to the iing attack that was apanied by the scream of the air splitting apart, Shin decided to receive it with his oodachi .

    Adding together the oodachi¡¯s own weight, the momentum of the sudden eleration, and Shin¡¯s superhuman muscle strength, the single attack from Shin caught the Skull Face Lord¡¯s sword on the t side in the middle of the de, sending it flying backwards with the thunderous roaring sound of steel smashing against steel .

    The Lord kept its hold on the greatsword, barely avoiding losing its weapon . However, the cost of such a choice was that it was unable to redirect the trajectory of the sword, which caused its upper torso to rotate all the way to the back . Schnee took advantage of the opening and rushed in with her two swords .

    In mid-flight, she activated the Sword-Type Martial Skill¡¾Seijin (de Crusher)¡¿ .

    On top of that skill being highly effective against enemies with resistance to slicing attacks, what Shin had handed over to Schnee were the Mythology grade ninjatou¡¾Rurien (Azul me)¡¿and wakizashi¡¾Hien (Scarlet me)¡¿ . Twin trails of red and blue fire drew arcs in the air, breaking the Skull Face Lord¡¯s armor wherever they touched and revealing what was underneath .

    The inside turned out to be packed with a tar-like substance that was pulsing as if it had a mind of its own . And where the armor was cracked or shattered, the substance reached out immediately as if to grab Schnee .

    ¡°!¡±

    Wary of the ck tentacles, Schnee decided to not continue pressing her attack and withdrew a bit . She repelled the few tentacles that did reach her with her two swords, and quickly removed herself from their range .

    ¡°That attack is really simr to what Gel Bisons use . ¡±

    Upon seeing the ck tentacles, Shin thought back to Gel Bisons, a type of monster that he had seen on the ins . Due to having directly witnessed a Gel Bison being turned into magical energy and sucked up, their image quickly came to Shin¡¯s mind .

    (Could it be that this monster can use the abilities of all the monsters that it had absorbed?)

    Shin earnestly hoped that his guess was wrong . Undead monsters in general drew from a limited pool of special abilities, and the fighting style of most of them hinges instead on their extremely high stamina . There weren¡¯t a lot of kinds of monsters that could use tentacles . . Therefore, the Skull Face Lord disying this ability gave credibility to Shin¡¯s conjecture . Which was a problem, for mainly one reason: one of the monsters that had been absorbed was a Pecker Hollow .

    ¡°No grudges either way, alright?¡±

    After confirming that Schnee had retreated safely, Shin began gathering magical power in his left hand .

    The cast time was instant . Within a few moments, crimson mes were shooting from his hand towards the Lord .

    What he had used without even needing an incantation was the Fire-Type Magical Skill¡¾re Volcano¡¿ .

    The roaring mes that towered several tens of mels over the Skull Face Lord mmed into its target in a direct hit .

    The purifying light and crimson mes . Burned by the two different kinds of magic, the Skull Face Lord perished so quickly that it didn¡¯t even have time to let out a death roar . The mes were so fierce that they left a line of melted earth on the ground .

    ¡°Did we finish it off?¡±

    He had used the skill with the intention to kill . However, Shin was feeling very apprehensive at how easy the fight had been .

    Of the same mind, Schnee continued ncing warily around, still crouched in a defensive stance .

    Shin rested¡ºHamon Hirumaki¡»on his shoulder and deployed his detection skills to their maximum range . Due to the battle, the atmosphere was thick with magical power, allowing him to feel it flow in currents that he wouldn¡¯t have noticed if it wasn¡¯t so concentrated . The currents weren¡¯t on the scale of one or two monsters . It felt like all of the magical energy was flowing towards a specific location .

    ¡° . . . . . . Underground!¡±

    The exact moment when Shin¡¯s attention was drawn towards the ground, the two of them were struck by a huge tremor .

    At the same time, a small red marker popped into existence on Shin¡¯s map . The size of the marker grew together with the strength of the tremors, until it finally became bigger than the marker that had previously represented the Skull Face Lord .

    ¡°Master . ¡±

    ¡°Yea, this is the real boss . ¡±

    At Shin¡¯s words, the ck sphere floated up from the ground . Unlike the first time they had seen it, red lines that looked eerily like blood vessels now ran all over the surface of the sphere, seemingly pulsing in time to a heartbeat .

    ¡°The thing just now was just the shell, I think . ¡±

    No wonder it had been so weak . Apparently, the main purpose of the shell had been to act as a decoy to buy time for gathering up all the magical energy floating about on the ins .

    Another great tremor apanied the appearance of the sphere . What first emerged from the sphere were gigantic armsrge enough to pick up a King ss . A total of six arms, divided into three pairs, wed at the ground and pulled out the rest of the body .

    A head with two twisted horns attached was followed by a torso much thicker than before, all of which was supported by four legs positioned in a way that gave the lower half of the body a crustacean appearance . Five scorpion-like tails waved from behind the monster .

    Turns out that it had indeed gained the ability of the Pecker Hollow . Its height was greater than 20 mels, cing it far beyond the height range for normal Skull Faces . .

    The sphere was seemingly dissolved and absorbed into the huge body . Right afterwards, an eerie me was lit inside the eye sockets .

    ¡°GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!!!!¡±

    The howl was so powerful that it could almost be felt as a physical attack . For Shin and Schnee, though, it was just a vibration in the air, but any normal adventurer would easily have been literally blown away by the wind pressure .

    ¡°It¡¯s serious . ¡±

    ¡°So it seems . ¡±

    ¡°In that case, then we should get serious too . ¡±

    In response to the Skull Face Lord¡¯s howl, Shin changed his loadout . Having already registered the loadout as a set, with the help of shortcut keys the change took only a moment . He was now wearing the exact same outfit that he had been wearing when he took on Origin .

    Crimson handguards and greaves protected his hands and feet, a ck longcoat fluttered on his back and red lines ran like lightning across his ck scarf .

    Shin released the sps that held the Ancient grade sword¡¾Shingetsu (True Moon)¡¿inside its sheath, and propped up the de a little with his left thumb to make it easier to draw .

    Along with the change of his equipment, the color of the vibe that surrounded Shin also changed .

    For some reason, be it the effects of the changing, the conscious decision to change, or the aura of the image of a figure cloaked in ck and red, Shin now radiated an even greater amount of pressure than before .

    Seeing what Shin had done, the fire that served as the Lord¡¯s eyes, which had been ring at Shin and Schnee the whole time, seemed to swell slightly in size . With the pressure emanating from the unique equips added to Shin¡¯s own pressure, the Skull Face¡¯s bones creaked as if it was flinching at the change .

    ¡° . . . . . . Let¡¯s go . ¡±

    Shin grasped the handle of his katana with his right hand, ready to draw it at any time .

    Wordlessly, he activated¡¾Shukuchi¡¿and crossed the distance between the two of them .

    Four arms swung to intercept Shin . Inside those hands were swords so ck that they seemed made out of darkness itself . The great wind speeds caused by the swords were clearly not just a bluff, but spoke volumes about the weight of the swords .

    Before Shin managed to reach the Lord with his katana, the numerous greatswords reached Shin first . As the greatswords entered the katana¡¯s range, the katana handle separated from the scabbard in a red sh .

    Though he had sessfully deflected all four greatswords, there was only one sound . A single swing from his sword had been enough to repel them all . Undeterred, Shin continued flying into the bosom of the Lord .

    The Skull Face was about to use its remaining two hands to deal with Shin, but a slight chill caused it to instinctively bring up one hand over its head . Almost immediately, the sound of metal shing against metal rang out, and sparks scattered all over .

    That had been Schnee, trying to score an attack with Rurien in the Lord¡¯s blind spot . It was no simple feat to detect an attack from a Shinobi, the highest tier of Assassins, that had been aimed at a blind spot . However, it was true that this strategy was not very effective against undead, which do not rely on their five senses to fight . This Skull Face¡¯s responses were made possible by perception abilities far beyond what other Skull Faces normally possessed . As someone able to objectively grasp her own strengths and weaknesses, Schnee was now learning exactly how far beyond the norm this Skull Face was .

    ¡°As thought, it really is different from the existent monsters, huh . ¡±

    Utilizing the recoil from the exchange, shended at a different spot than she would have normally . Evading the attack from a tail released in revenge for just now, she continued analyzing her opponent .

    The reason why the counterattack against Schnee seemed so light was because of Shin . The Skull Face Lord had brought its final arm to bear, but there was no way that a single arm could achieve what four arms couldn¡¯t . A single attack wrapped in¡¾Seijin¡¿shattered the single greatsword, creating a shockwave that the Lord took advantage of to retreat several tens of mels . Having decided to not hold back any longer, every attack from Shin now benefited fully from his boosted stats, dealing damage far beyond his former limits . The disy of power illustrated just how enormous the difference in fighting power between Shin and the Lord was .

    Schnee, who had been very familiar with Shin¡¯s strength, stared in shock .

    ¡°Shi!!¡±

    Shin pressed into the retreating Lord before it could regain its bnce . Having lost its weapons, the Lord crossed its arms in a defensive stance . Shin¡¯s katana fell onto the handguards protecting the arms, then sliced through all of the limbs in a shower of sparks .

    ¡°GURUAAAAAAAA!!!!¡±

    Together with the roar, the Skull Face Lordshed out in counterattack with its tails . The four tails that shot toward Shin had saw-like teeth, and tried to corner him bying from four different directions . Before they reached him, though, Shin leaped towards the Lord .

    Evading the arm swiping at him in a desperate attack with a double jump enabled by the Movement-Type Martial Skill¡¾Hiei (Flying Shadow)¡¿, Shin closed in . After dodging, Shin found himself right in front of the Lord¡¯s torso, where the sr plexus would have been for a human .

    It was the perfect position for an attack at point-nk range, given the height different between the two of them . It was also the ce where the core of the Skull Face lie . Feeling the imminent danger, the Lord desperately tried to regain some distance, but Shin was already in an attack stance and it was toote to do anything about it .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡±

    The katana swung down as he exhaled sharply .

    What he had used was the Sword-Type Martial Skill¡¾Hazan (Mountain Crusher)¡¿ .

    Even though he was in midair and had no solid ground to kick off of, Shin¡¯s single attack packed more than enough power .

    The sh that was a mix of red and ck dove straight into the Lord¡¯s left shoulder, emerged from its torso on the other side, sliced off one of its right legs, and finally left a shockwave that cleft a deep trench in the ground .

    ¡°GIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±

    The Lord roared from the damage . Diagonal lines could be seen all over its body where the armor was sliced through and ck liquid was oozing out . Shin¡¯s eyes saw that the ck sphere that was acting as the core had only about a fifth shaved off .

    ¡°Oh, I missed . ¡±

    The core that had been visible for a moment quickly disappeared from view . It seems that to some degree, the Lord was able to freely move the core within its body . While thinking furiously of a countermeasure, Shinnded and continued attacking without letting up .

    He directed most of his efforts at the remaining right leg, aiming to bring the Lord down .

    The flurry of slices were delivered at such high speeds that they left afterimages in the air . On top of that, for every slice that Shinnded on the Lord¡¯s body, additional ones appeared spontaneously on random ces .

    This was because of the Sword-Type Martial Skill¡¾Kasanedachi (Repeated Cut)¡¿ .

    Each additional cut dealt as much damage as Shin¡¯s original attack . With the armor already cracked and crumbling in ces, these extra attacks tore into all the exposed areas without mercy .

    ¡¾Kasanedachi¡¿was a skill that enabled sword wielders to assail several enemies at the same time . The stronger the user, the more destructive it was . When Shin used it, as someone from whom even a normal attack was already so deadly, the skill became something beyond a mere series of attacks, as the heavy barrage also managed topletely stun lock the Skull Face Lord .

    ¡°GI . . . . . . . . . . . . A . . . . . . aa . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    The effects of each and every sh raged inside the Lord¡¯s body . It had already been hanging on only by the skin of its teeth after being hit with¡¾Hazan¡¿, and no longer had the strength to withstand this new onught .

    Shin¡¯s strength was greatly amplified by wielding an Ancient grade weapon . Theirbined might was so great that even if Sanctuary was no longer active and the Lord was at full strength, it would still have been thus one-sidedly overpowered .

    Even thest means of counterattack left to the Lord, its tails, had already been all cut off by Schnee .

    The invisible follow-up attacks from¡¾Kasanedachi¡¿were directly leaving their marks on the inside, leaving behind energy that was causing the Skull Face Lord¡¯s body to expand from the building pressure . Trapped inside the body by the unbroken parts of armor, the energy that kept on umting sought an exit .

    The core was nowhere to be seen . It wasn¡¯t that they had overlooked it . It was just that the torso was no longer a safe ce to store the core, what with the continuing barrage of attacks . In that case, there was only one ce for it to be .

    ¡°This is the end!¡±

    Shin leaped into the air with such force that the ground cracked under his feet as he was kicking off .

    At a position above the Lord¡¯s head, he adopted an overhead stance, with red lightning wrapped around¡¾Shingetsu¡¿ .

    He then activated the Sword-Type Lightning-Type Combined Skill¡¾Kogetsu?Raimeisen (Arc Moon?Thunder sh)¡¿ .

    The red de made of lightning struck the Skull Face¡¯s unprotected head . Immediately after, when the sword de sliced into the Lord¡¯s head, the red lightning rushed to invade the inside . Red forks shot out from the eye sockets, shredding the fire that had been burning there previously . As if the head wasn¡¯t enough, the lightning flowed through the neck to the rest of the Lord¡¯s body, effectively roasting it from the inside out .

    ¡° . . . . . . ! . . . . . . . . . . . . ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Despite being burned alive, there was no howling .

    Shin¡¯s attack itself had already sliced the core in half, as it had been hiding in the head . The additional lightning had incinerated whatever was left of it . Normal Skull Faces disappeared quite quickly after having their core destroyed, but the Skull Face Lord¡¯s body was gigantic, so it was taking some time to fade away . However, it was already empty . It was just a husk .

    ¡°! . . . . . . ! . . . . . . . . . . . . !¡±

    Or so it was supposed to be . In reality, almost as if in defiance of its crumbling body, the Skull Face reached towards Shin with itsst remaining hand .

    ¡°Master!!¡±

    ¡°Wait . ¡±

    Seeing Shin freeze up at the sight of the Lord, Schnee called out to him . Holding her back with one hand, Shin continued staring intently at the Lord .

    The hostility and bloodthirst and pressure from before were all gone . The hand that was stretching out towards Shin seemed to be reaching out to something beyond its grasp .

    ¡°(So . . . . . . Wo . . . . . . . . . . . . Ni . . . . . . )¡±

    ¡°?!¡±

    Shin¡¯s ears picked up on a voice . Though it was distorted and marred by a lot of noise, it was undoubtedly speaking thenguage of man .

    However, immediately after that, the Lord went the way of all other Skull Faces and turned into magical energy that dissolved into the wind . Where the Lord previously had been, a gigantic jewel more than 50 cemelsrge was rolling to a rest .

    ¡°Master! Are you alright?!¡±

    ¡°Yea, I¡¯m fine . No problems . ¡±

    Shin pacified Schnee, who had rushed over in a fluster . Inside his head, he continued ruminating over the words that been imparted to him just now .

    (After all this, I still haven¡¯t learned anything useful . It had been quite the opponent, though . )

    While trying hard to not let his disappointment show on his face, he turned his eyes toward the jewel that had been left behind . It was unmistakably an exceptional jewel of the highest grade . In case it would turn out to be a clue or key of some sort, he decided to put it into his inventory for the time being .

    When he looked at his map, he noticed the markers indicating the Skull Faces that had managed to escape the fighting disappearing by themselves . There had been a few that had happened to be beyond the area of effect of¡¾Sanctuary¡¿, but they had apparently spontaneously died when the Skull Face Lord did . This was undeniable proof that the Lord had indeed been the one behind this entire incident .

    As Shin was checking his map, the light shining around them was gradually weakening . It was about time for the effects of¡¾Sanctuary¡¿to run out . When the spellpletely faded away, the ins returned to being illuminated solely by moonlight .

    The return of the moonlight revealed an enormous change to the ins . It had not been visible in the dazzling light of purification, but sparkling traces of magical energy were now steadily rising up from the entirety of the ins . The scene all around them was that of magical energy rising high and dissolving into the atmosphere .

    Even the knights and adventurers, who were still very wary, stopped to stare .

    The rising magical energy had be visible with the fading of the holy light that had dispelled the night .

    This sight that had never been seen before instilled awe and wonder in the hearts of many who beheld it .

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s all over . ¡±

    ¡°So it seems . After some time, these ins should most likely return to normal too . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Time to go home . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, Master . ¡±

    There was no need to ask ¡°where is home . ¡± The magical light shone on the two figures walking away .

    They had both been under stress during the battle, so they had automatically fallen into how they had used to talk before . Now that the danger was over, however, a strange air hung between the two of them .

    The time that they had been apart for had been short for Shin, long for Schnee .

    It wasn¡¯t awkward like they had to probe each other, it was just that some time was needed for the words to gradually start flowing . The two of them slowly found the words that could begin to fill up the time that they had lost .

    Before the arrival of the knights and adventurers who were rushing over to investigate, the two silhouettes had already disappeared towards the direction of the Kingdom .

 Vol 2 Chapter 3: Chapter 3

    Shin and Schnee ran Indian file across the ins and into the forest .

    Detouring around the adventurers heading towards the ins, they set a course straight for Tsuki no Hokora . Along the way, they came upon the base that had been left untouched, and retrieved everything, including the interception items . Apparently, Wilhelm and Rashia had decided to prioritize escaping . Which was not surprising, as Wilhelm would not have been foolish enough to waste time on the items in that situation, so everything was still where they had left it .

    For Shin, leaving the items where they were would have been no loss at all, but then the ce posed the danger of being utilized as a fort or fixed artillery battery, so the two of them took care topletely dismantle everything . There were traces of the interception magic having activated, which proved that several Skull Faces had actually been sacrificed to the contraption . As the base wasn¡¯t that far removed from the ins, several of them had made it all the way over here .

    ¡°Oh by the way, didn¡¯t you ept some work? Are you done with that?¡±

    Shin asked Schnee when he was almost done with collecting the items .

    ¡°I¡¯m notpletely done, but my role is pretty much over . ¡±

    ¡°What is your role?¡±

    ¡°The safekeeping and redistribution of items . The current job involved an international unit formed by several countries, so I was assigned the role to prevent countries from stealing a march on the others . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Is it perhaps rted to the uproar just now?¡±

    ¡°Of course . ¡±

    ¡°Are you serious . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin sighed at how he had just stuck his nose into anotherrge incident, unintended though it had been . Not knowing that it was something big enough for countries to make a concerted move against, he had impulsively went all out . He was regretting it a bit now, but hindsight was 20/20 .

    While asking Schnee for the full details behind the current situation, he wracked his mind trying to remember if there had been any eyewitnesses of the battle . After making conversational noises for a while, he finally concluded that to the best of his knowledge, there hadn¡¯t been anyone else aside from Schnee who had been close enough . There were those knights and adventurers that he had helped out with the fireballs, but they should only be able to confirm the direction from which the fireballs hade from .

    ¡°Getting back on topic, don¡¯t you have to go distribute those items? Since your role is over, it might be appropriate to head back to wherever their base of operations or meetup point is . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine for a while . Though I¡¯m supposed to split everything fairly and evenly, if I start early then it¡¯ll be a case of firste-first-served . That¡¯s why I¡¯m waiting for all the squads to get back first . Considering the distance of deployment, it would take roughly a whole week for everyone to reconvene . There is not much need for me to hurry . ¡±

    Deciding to give up on the issue of the eyewitnesses, as there was nothing that he could do about it at this point, Shin asked Schnee about her schedule . If Schnee ran at full speed, she would arrive much earlier than the agreed upon time, so she could afford to spend this time with Shin .

    Both Shin and Schnee had so much to ask each other about . While heading towards Tsuki no Hokora, the two of them continued filling each other in on their own current situations .

    ¡°I have a ton of stuff to ask you, so it might be better if you went first . It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve a whole lot to say anyways . ¡±

    In light of the amount of time that they have together, they decided that Shin would be the one to answer questions first . In actuality, Shin had been in this world less than a month, so there wasn¡¯t much to talk about .

    ¡°Understood . In that case, please allow me to go straight into asking several things on my mind . ¡±

    Schnee asked Shin three things .

    Firstly, where he had been up to now .

    Secondly, why his battle power was so much higher .

    Thirdly, what his ns are from now on .

    She wanted him to go into detail for each and every question .

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with number one . Though you ask me where I¡¯ve been up to now, to be honest, for me it¡¯s been less than a month since I left for thatst dungeon . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°As it sounds . You remember when everyone saw me off and I set off to defeat Origin, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    ¡°After that, I defeated Origin . Everything was supposed to have ended then, but there was this gigantic door in the boss room at the lowest level of¡¾Gate of the Otherworld¡¿, you see . It opened after Origin died . ¡±

    Exining everything to Schnee brought his memories of that time to the surface . How the door that he had thought was just decoration had opened with a heavy, grinding sound, and the scene beyond it .

    ¡°The door . . . . . . you say . ¡±

    ¡°Yea . Then that¡¯s where I lost consciousness . When I came to, I was lying in the middle of a really big meadow . After that, I went to Tsuki no Hokora and heard a bit about the current times . I was so surprised when I realized that more than 500 years had passed since my time! So in summary, I haven¡¯t actually been anywhere these past 500 years . ¡±

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it was . ¡±

    Schnee looked like she believed what Shin was saying . A look that spoke of a reassurance that had not been present during heir initial reunion came over her face .

    ¡°Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Fufu, it¡¯s nothing . ¡±

    ¡°Oooook then . ¡±

    Question marks were dancing above Shin¡¯s head as to why Schnee was in a strangely good mood, but he didn¡¯t want to pour water on her parade, so he decided to not press further .

    ¡°Well then, the next one . My battle power, or to be specific, my stats, have risen because of the Gifts that I received from defeating Origin . ¡±

    ¡°Gifts, you say? What kind of Gifts are they?¡±

    ¡°There were three in total:¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿,¡¾Aplished One¡¿, and¡¾Liberator¡¿ . The boost to my stats is because of the first two . It was my first timeing across these Gifts, but have you perhaps any knowledge of them?¡±

    ¡°No, all three are Gifts that I have never heard of before . What effects do they have?¡±

    Shin exined the Gifts sinctly and briefly . ¡¾Liberator¡¿was not relevant to his stats, but he exined it as well, feeling that there was also some sort of significance to it .

    ¡° . . . . . . That sounds crazy . ¡±

    ¡°I know right . When I first saw my stats I thought it was some kind of a joke . ¡±

    Shin understoodpletely the current feelings of the Schnee who had just interrupted him . If a Chosen One got their hands on even one of these Gifts, the power bnce of the entire world would be destroyed .

    ¡°However, I don¡¯t think there is much to worry about on that count . ¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because of the achievement requirements . Though monsters do exist in this world, there has never been the phenomenon of the exact same monster spawning in the exact same location . There will probably never be another Origin again, so it would be impossible for anyone else to defeat it . In addition, the dungeon that Master went to haspletely disappeared . ¡±

    ¡°I see . Then that would be impossible, you¡¯re right . ¡±

    From Schnee¡¯s point of view, after Shin had left for the dungeon but failed to return even after several days, all of Shin¡¯s support characters had headed together to the dungeon themselves . However, when they reached the ce, the ce waspletely barren, and there wasn¡¯t even a single trace of anything having been there previously .

    When theyter decided to temporarily halt the search and returned to Tsuki no Hokora, they heard reports from other support characters of their own masters disappearing too, and realized that Shin most likely had been sessful in clearing the dungeon . That led to the question why they themselves had not disappeared, as was the n . They decided to split up to investigate . Some held out hope that the fact that they had not disappeared as proof that Shin might still be in this world .

    However, the changes in the earth¡¯s crust had thrown all of the continents into chaos and confusion, so they turned their efforts towards helping those in need . Gradually, with the exception of Schnee, who decided to remain at Tsuki no Hokora, the rest of the support characters split into two groups, one which decided to continue searching for Shin and the other which decided to go back home to help and protect their own race .

    Somehow, Shin was able to visualize who went to which group .

    ¡°But then, wait a second . Does this mean that the Dusk of the Majesty did not ur right after me defeating Origin?¡±

    ¡°Master, considering where Tsuki no Hokora was ced at that time, it wasn¡¯t strange at all that the information didn¡¯t get to us immediately . Do you remember where we were?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . True . ¡±

    Shin had noticed a strange time interval before the ruckus caused by the support characters, but as Schnee then pointed out, Tsuki no Hokora had been set up right next to a boss monster area in a remote region . As the support characters were incapable of using the Chat function, it was normal for some time to have passed before information made its way over .

    ¡°Thus, I don¡¯t believe anyone else possesses the same Gifts that Master mentioned . But in the off chance that I¡¯m wrong, please take care of them, Master . ¡±

    ¡°Gonna shove it all on me, huh . ¡±

    ¡°Naturally . If someone as strong as us came into possession of those Gifts, Master would be the only one who could stand a chance against them . Therefore, please allow us to leave it all to you if it ever happens . ¡±

    ¡°Well, you do have a point . ¡±

    The greater a person¡¯s original strength, the more effective doubling their stats would be . ¡¾Limit Breaker¡¿aside, if a Chosen One with high stats got their hands on¡¾Aplished One¡¿, even several Schnees working together might still not be enough to oppose them .

    With all this said, with the achievement requirements being as impossible as they are and Shin being someone who had already maxed all his stats before the Gifts, Schnee did not believe that anyone strong enough to be a threat to the two of them would ever appear .

    ¡°By the way, Schnee . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Umm, the way you keep calling me ¡®Master,¡¯ can you change that somehow?¡±

    Though it waspletely unrted to the conversation so far, it was something that was really bothering Shin . It was alright back during the game because there was a clear distinction of her being an NPC, but it was extremely embarrassing being addressed so in the current circumstances .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with calling Master ¡®Master¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not exactly a problem . . . . . . OK yea it¡¯s a problem . Schnee is someone pretty famous in this world, right? If someone like you calls me ¡®Master,¡¯ there will definitely be a hugemotion . ¡±

    ¡°Mu, I see your point . ¡±

    Even Shin fully understood the influence of the name of Tsuki no Hokora . The reason for that was undoubtedly Schnee herself . If someone suddenly appears that she would revere as ¡®Master¡¯ appears, there¡¯s no way it wouldn¡¯t cause waves in the world .

    ¡°Right? I would like to avoid being the center of attention if possible . Therefore, please stop calling me ¡®Master . ¡¯¡±

    ¡°But then what should I call you by?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Can¡¯t you just call me by name like normal?¡±

    ¡°?! Th-That¡¯s . . . . . . ¡±

    For some reason, Schnee was looking downward and squirming about while opening and closing her mouth silently . After a while, she looked like she had readied herself for something and raised her face to look straight at Shin .

    ¡°Th-Then . . . . . . ¡®Shin . ¡¯¡±

    ¡°Ye, yea . ¡±

    Schnee said it almost as a whisper . Her cheeks were a faint shade of pink, and her ears werepletely red .

    On Shin¡¯s part, he was thinking ¡°Eh, what is up with this reaction?!¡± while embarrassment filled him from head to toe .

    Schnee¡¯s reaction was something verymonly seen in manga and games . Shin was very familiar with this kind of situation, but his ability to handle it was a different issue altogether .

    If one was being objective, this situation could be glossed over with a ¡°Ah, this always happens, I know this,¡± but it was very hard to do that when it actually happens . It wasn¡¯t that Shin didn¡¯t have any experience with love, but he didn¡¯t have so much of it to be unaffected by this .

    In additional, Schnee¡¯s expression had rarely changed back during the game, so this gesture of being so obviously embarrassed while looking at himself with upturned eyes and calling his name so softly was extremely, exceedingly, exceptionally ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª moe .

    ¡°Such . . . . . . destructive power . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind me .  Un, really, don¡¯t mind me . So yea, let¡¯s go with ¡®Shin¡¯ from now on . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . From now on, I will be calling you by ¡®Sh-Shin . ¡¯¡±

    Schnee was trying really hard to act calm, but the blush in her cheeks and ears betrayed her . Being so familiar with her normal calm self, this sharp contrast was causing a very intense agony in Shin¡¯s chest .

    (So this is the famous ¡®gap moe . ¡¯ I get it . . . . . . because I am so familiar with her normal self, this is proving so much more powerful than when Selica-san does it . )

    For a while afterwards, neither of them said anything, busy trying to calm themselves down . The one having the most trouble with it was Schnee, though .

    After confirming at the corner of his eye that Schnee¡¯s ears had returned to their normal color, Shin resumed the conversation from before .

    ¡°Ah, we kind of digressed quite a bit, shall we return to the questions from just now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s . I apologize for showing you such an unsightly side of myself . I¡¯m fine now . ¡±

    Shin felt that her voice was still a bit on the squeaky side, but he let it go in order to continue the conversation .

    ¡°So, I was pretty much done exining about my battle strength . So, thest question . For now, I n on just going to different ces and prioritizing information gathering . ¡±

    ¡°Information?¡±

    ¡°Yep, before I do anything else, I need to know more about this world first . I¡¯m going to do some more research at the kingdom¡¯s library, but I do also want to try going to one of those Holy Sites . Have you been to one yet, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Yes . However, it was a shallow investigative mission, so I still don¡¯t know what the center of it is like . ¡±

    ¡°I see . ¡±

    He didn¡¯t know if the key to returning to his former worldid inside those Holy Sites or not . The only way to make sure was to go there in person .

    ¡°Umm . . . . . . Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    Schnee called out to Shin as he was thinking about going to Holy Sites . Slightly different from before, her voice was now a bit stiff .

    ¡°If you really do find the way . . . . . . . . . . . . Are you really going to go back?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes, I am . ¡±

    He was silent for a while before finally answering . He had noticed how Schnee was, and had been pondering over how to best answer her, but covering it up here was not going to change anything . As long as the possibility existed, he did not intend on giving up .

    There would be no meaning in giving a vague answer .

    As for lying . . . . . . there was no way he could lie to her .

    ¡° . . . . . . I see, yes . That makes sense, I suppose . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Sorry . ¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t be . From the way you were talking just now, I had already sort of realized that that is what you had decided . ¡±

    Schnee nodded with an understanding smile on her face . Though it greatly resembled the reassured look from just now, Shin felt a twinge of something being off .

    ¡°So, Schnee . How much do you remember from before, from back when this was still a game?¡±

    Shin asked this to put his finger on the sense of unease . Based on several words that Schnee had used in the conversation just now, he kind of saw iting .

    ¡°Everything . ¡±

    ¡°Everything . . . . . . ?¡±

    ¡°Yes . From when I first came into that ce with you by my side . Starting from that time . ¡±

    Running through the beginner areas .

    Being depressed after getting his butt kicked in PVP .

    His eagerness to raise his stats .

    All his nakama from the guild .

    Laughing loudly while sending entire armies flying .

    Risking his life to clear dungeons .

    Shedding tears for those who he failed to save .

    Wielding an assassin¡¯s dagger .

    The promise with that person .

    The sight of his back as he left for thest time .

    ¡°I remember . ¡±

    Schnee replied softly, pressing her hand to her heart .

    ¡°Even if you tell me to forget, I will remember . ¡±

    ¡°No way I would tell you to forget . ¡±

    The smile that she was directing his way was so dazzling that he unintentionally responded in a brusque manner . As she had not been able to make this expression back when she was an NPC, Shin was secretly a little d that she could now make a face like that .

    ¡°Wait a moment . Does this mean that you were saying those programmed lines despite having self-consciousness?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly . Though I did have a self, it was when the death game began that I became fully aware . Before then, it felt like I was watching a movie . Like having an overhead view of myself without feeling any particr emotions . ¡±

    In other words, Schnee was saying that though it was her own memory, it felt like it was someone else¡¯s . It was a very subjective experience, so Shin could not empathize . However, he perceived the situation of being fully conscious butpletely unable to control one¡¯s body as a painful experience, and thus decided to not press the topic any further .

    ¡°I see . In other words, you also know about the logging out, and everything beyond that . ¡±

    The true meaning behind the words ¡°going back . ¡± Shin had his suspicions from the way Schnee was talking earlier, and apparently he had guessed right . If she had memories of the game era, then everything makes sense .

    ¡°Yes . That time, when dying had turned into a real concern, it came to the lips of many adventurers every once in a while . That there was another world different from this one, one that they called ¡®real . ¡¯¡±

    ¡°Yea . . . . . . . . . . . . Oh, I see now, that¡¯s why those who set off to look for me split off from those who decided to wait . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes . ¡±

    Schnee affirmed his deduction with a troubled smile .

    Thest battle in the death game . If Shin wins, then Schnee and the rest would disappear . If Shin loses, then they would lose their Master . Whichever way the coin fell, there would be no happy ending . When faced with the baffling situation where Shin had clearly won, but they still continued to exist, it was understandable that each of them reached a different answer to the question of what path they were to take next .

    ¡°¡®You all should have consulted me beforehand¡¯ is not really something that I should say, huh . ¡±

    ¡°If we did, then it would only have served to unnecessarily worry Shin . What we did was the best course of action back then . ¡±

    ¡°Even if you say so . . . . . . ¡±

    When he had left Tsuki no Hokora, he had done so with full intention of ending things . However, if he had known about this hidden problem of his support characters, it might have caused him to hesitate at a critical moment .

    In addition, it wasn¡¯t like he could have done anything about it even if he had known .

    ¡°At that time, we were not yet fully autonomous . We had only a small degree of control, and were incapable of speaking like we are doing right now . So it was impossible anyways . ¡±

    ¡°Well,e to think of it, I did feel like the NPCs were acting strangely human-like after the death game started . Hearing that you guys were self-aware is making me think about all sorts of things . ¡±

    ¡°Your personality is still as difficult as ever, eh, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up . . . . . . Leave me alone . ¡±

    Shin responded gruffly to Schnee, who was grinning wryly with a troubled face . When he had learned that the support characters had been self-aware, the first thing that came into his mind was the question ¡°Did I treat them right?¡± Schnee¡¯s remark had been right on the mark .

    ¡°Even if you knew it, though, you would have gone off to fight . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . That¡¯s true, yea . ¡±

    Several tens of thousands of human lives weighed against a bunch of 0¡¯s and 1¡¯s . Even if the data had a bit of self-awareness, the question of which is worth more was a no-brainer .

    ¡°And on top of that, you made that promise, didn¡¯t you?

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes . Yes I did . ¡±

    To help as many people as possible go home .

    That was the promise that Shin had made .

    It was precisely because they knew of that promise that Schnee and the other support characters couldn¡¯t say anything .

    ¡°Alright, how about let¡¯s wrap up this solemn atmosphere . It¡¯s our long-awaited reunion, after all . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Good call . Whatever we say now is toote anyways, so let¡¯s call it quits with the dark reminiscing . No more!¡±

    Schnee pped her hands together loudly and adopted a more cheerful stance before the mood got any more depressing . Going along with it, Shin decided to raise his voice too .

    ¡°First of all, we¡¯re going back to Tsuki no Hokora and having a big party to celebrate our reunion . Don¡¯t worry about the ingredients, I¡¯ve got a ton of them stored away in my inventory . ¡±

    ¡°Good idea! I¡¯m going to unveil the results of the many years that I¡¯ve poured into my Cooking skill!¡±

    ¡°So, what level is it at now?¡±

    ¡°About a month ago, I finally got it to level IX . ¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?!¡±

    Now she could cook even high level monsters . At this level, even a simple, low-leveled soup made by her would turn into an amazing dish that grants bonus buffs . In the majority of guilds, chefs were valued as highly as cksmiths . Making dishes out of rare ingredients could give unbelievable buffs . If two yers with the exact same level, profession, and skillset were to fight, the one who ate something beforehand would win, hands down .

    One of the reasons why Rokuten had been so great, aside from the members and their stats, was because they had a level X chef in the guild . Through eating, maxed out stats could be boosted slightly beyond the cap for a limited period of time .

    Incidentally, the only people who knew this fact was only Shin, who had maxed out all his stats, and the other members of Rokuten . It was they who had noticed that Shin¡¯s damage output was different from usual due to the food . No one else in the game knew because no one else had been fully capped .

    ¡°Though I¡¯m not as good as Cook-sama, you may keep your expectations up!¡±

    ¡°Hell yeah! You can count on me for the ingredients!¡±

    His eyes swept over the rows of ingredients in his inventory as a ¡°fu fu fu¡± escaped from his mouth . They had been in there since the game, but he had already confirmed that everything was still fine to eat .

    ¡°By the way, Shin . There¡¯s somethingpletely unrted to the questions just now that I wish to ask about . ¡±

    ¡°Nn? What is it?¡±

    Just as the conversation was taking a lighthearted turn, Schnee asked a question while looking above Shin¡¯s head .

    ¡°May I inquire after the identity of the one over there?¡±

    ¡°Over there? . . . . . . Oh . ¡±

    After repeating a bit of her question, he quickly understood .

    She was talking about Yuzuha, who was sound asleep on top of his head .

    ¡°I can only see its name and level . Does that mean you Tamed it?¡±

    ¡°Yea, due to certain circumstances, I ended up contracting it as a partner . Its name is Yuzuha . I¡¯ll tell you this only because it¡¯s you, but its race is Elemental Tail . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . When I saw the tails, I thought that it was just a demon fox, but I see . So it¡¯s an Elemental Tail, huh . ¡±

    Schnee had frozen for a split second after hearing Yuzuha¡¯s race . However, she went back to normal almost immediately, as if saying ¡°Well, it¡¯s Shin after all . ¡±

    ¡°Tails?¡±

    ¡°? Shin, could it be that you haven¡¯t realized it yet?¡±

    Shin tilted his head in confusion, not fully understanding what Schnee was talking about . He didn¡¯t remember Yuzuha¡¯s tail having such noticeable characteristics . Moreover, plural form?

    ¡°Just the fact that there are three tails erases any possibility of it being a normal demon fox . ¡±

    ¡°Three, you say?¡±

    It registered all of a sudden . He realized that he had been feeling a tail hitting him from both behind his head and near his ears for a while already .

    He raised his right hand and grasped a tail . It was fluffy .

    ¡°Fumu . ¡±

    Next, he raised his left hand and grasped a tail . This, too, was fluffy .

    ¡° . . . . . .  Fumu . ¡±

    Lastly, he focused his senses on the back of his head . There was indeed a slight perception of fluffiness .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . .  Fumu . ¡±

    For now, he let go of the tails, held Yuzuha by its torso, and brought it in front of his face .

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, there are three . ¡±

    Yuzuha woke up from being moved . As it did so, its three tails began to wave to and frozily .

    When Shin checked its level, he discovered to his surprise that it was now over level 400 .

    ¡° . . . . . . No way, it can¡¯t have gone up that much!¡±

    Considering that its level had been slightly above 200 earlier, the change was too abrupt . The monsters that they had defeated while raising Rashia¡¯s level had not been enough to level Yuzuha up even once . With that as a reference, it was ridiculous to think that the fight with the Skull Face Lord afterwards had made Yuzuha¡¯s level jump up by almost 200 .

    ¡°All I can think of is that something else must have happened . ¡±

    Shin was convinced that something must have happened without him knowing about it . He had previously heard about the average leveling up rate of partner monsters from Cashmere, another member of Rokuten . That¡¯s why he was so sure . This ridiculous growth spurt was impossible .

    The first probably exnation that came into Shin¡¯s mind was that conditions had been cleared for a hidden quest . It had happened to him many times during the game, so he was extremely familiar with it . If his memory served him right, there were indeed quests rted to partner monsters .

    ¡°Schnee, how are hidden quests treated in this world?¡±

    ¡°To the extent of my knowledge, I have never heard of any quests activating . Also, after Shin disappeared, I have never again heard the voice from the sky . I haven¡¯t heard anyone mention anything even remotely simr to it . ¡±

    The ¡®voice from the sky¡¯ that Schnee was talking about was most likely the system announcements .

    There were quite a lot of hidden quests in THE NEW GATE that activated when certain conditions were met . Unlike the quests that could be picked up at the Guild, when the activation conditions were cleared, there would be an announcement informing the yer of the details of the quest that had just been activated .

    Originally, this was what Shin thought had happened, but there had been no announcement, so he hadn¡¯t even noticed Yuzuha¡¯s new level . In the first ce, ording to what Schnee said, the probability that the system was still around was extremely low .

    ¡°At any rate, is the fact that there are more tails now because of the higher level?¡±

    Shin just threw that question out there while looking at Yuzuha .

    There had been no young Elemental Tails back in the game, so he waspletely clueless in regards to how they grow .

    Unexpectedly, all this could be happening as a natural part of growing, instead of some quest or something else .

    ¡°Kuu~ . . . . . . Good morning, Master . ¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    Having failed to pick up on Shin¡¯s mental state, Yuzuha yawned widely and gave his greetings like it was the most natural thing in the world .

    ¡°Wait a minute, Yuzuha . You¡¯re able to speak now?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? I think when the ck thing went away, my head cleared up . ¡±

    ¡°ck thing?¡±

    When Shin heard ¡®ck,¡¯ the first thing that came to mind was the core of the Skull Face Lord that he had split in half just now . When he thought back, he remembered that he had met Yuzuha amid a sea of Skull Faces too . It somehow did not feel strange to think of the Lord as the head of those Skull Faces too .

    ¡°The ck and round thing inside the bones . The thing that Master cut apart . ¡±

    ¡°That sounds like the core of the Skull Face Lord to me . ¡±

    Apparently, Shin¡¯s guess had been on the dot . Shin¡¯s gamer instincts were telling him that there was some connection between Yuzuha and the Lord after all .

    Either Yuzuha had absorbed some of the Lord¡¯s power, or some seal on Yuzuha had been released . Unfortunately, with the Lord dead and gone, there was no way to confirm which it was .

    ¡°For now, you¡¯re forbidden from speaking in front of other people . Normal demon foxes can¡¯t speak, after all . ¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s just us, then it¡¯s fine . This applies only when there are other people around . ¡±

    ¡°Nn, can I still speak inside my head?¡±

    ¡°Oh, telepathy? That¡¯s totally fine . ¡±

    Even if speaking out loud was NG, they still had telepathy, so it wasn¡¯t like they had to maintainplete radio silence . Yuzuha seemed to have instinctively understood that it was the more important of the two, so Shin nodded immediately .

    ¡°But Shin, with three tails, there¡¯s no way it could pass off as a Little Fox . ¡±

    ¡°Can we do something about that? There are some sub-species of demon foxes that have more than one tail, right?¡±

    In actuality, there were many different kinds of demon foxes, and indeed there were those with multiple tails . Rather, it could be said that those with a single tail are in the minority . The problemy elsewhere . All of those demon foxes with multiple tails had a higher level that normal people might consider dangerous .

    Some examples of demon foxes with three tails included me Tails and Tail Leaders, but even the weakest of those were above level 250 . In this world, it would be hard to bring such monsters around freely .

    ¡°Perhaps we could try it pass it off as ¡®it is only a kid¡¯?¡±

    ¡°But it would eventually be full-grown . Let¡¯s see . . . . . . . . . . . . Hey, Yuzuha . Do you know how to shapeshift, by any chance?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Some forms I can take, and some forms I can¡¯t . ¡±

    ¡°Can you make it so you only have one tail?¡±

    ¡°Ea~sy~¡±

    So saying, the three tails turned into one tail with a ¡®pon . ¡¯

    ¡°Ohh!¡±

    ¡°Wonderfully done . ¡±

    It wasn¡¯t an illusion passing off three tails as one; there really was only one tail now . It also didn¡¯t feel strange .

    ¡°Is this good?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s perfect . Is it tiring?¡±

    ¡°No problem!¡±

    ¡°In that case, can you make it so that you only have one tail whenever we are in a ce where other people can see? It would be really helpful if you could . ¡±

    ¡°Un, okay~¡±

    Yuzuha easily agreed . It did not seem at all opposed to the subterfuge .

    ¡° . . . . . . That somehow got resolved quite quickly . ¡±

    ¡°Yes it did . With this, the secret would no longer be easily exposed . ¡±

    Schnee also gave her seal of approval .

    For a split second, it felt to Shin like the matter was fully resolved only after Schnee¡¯s endorsement .

    ¡°Yuzuha great?¡±

    ¡°Ou, very great, very great . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu~~¡±

    sping Yuzuha to his chest, he stroked its head for a job well done . Yuzuha basked in the praise .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . so cute . ¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Nothing, that was nothing . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Do you want to pet it?¡±

    ¡°Yes please!!¡±

    Though she was strong, Schnee was still a girl . She apparently really loves cute things .

    Yuzuha also looked like it was really enjoying being in her hands .

    ¡°All things considered, Shin, you still continue to surprise me, like you always have . ¡±

    ¡°Nn?¡±

    ¡°No one has ever sessfully Tamed an Elemental Tail before . ¡±

    Stopping her hand, Schnee spoke with a tinge of wry resignedness in her voice . In the first ce, back in the game the settings did not allow any yers to tame Elemental Tails . Schnee¡¯s surprise was understandable . The reason why there was resignedness mixed in was because she knew all the crazy things that he had done during the game era .

    ¡°Though you say that, you don¡¯t sound very surprised, though . ¡±

    ¡°Well, I was surprised for a bit, but then I felt like if anyone could do it, it would be you . And it¡¯s not the high level version that we fought against in the past anyways . ¡±

    ¡°True that . That one was so strong that even Rokuten didn¡¯t have the leisure of going easy on it . ¡±

    Shin remembered that fight . Employing magic of all elements and dealing powerful physical attacks with its fangs and ws while moving with an agility that belied its huge body, it was a monster that even yers with maxed out stats could not let down their guard against . That was the true form of an Elemental Tail .

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    The menace of a fully-grown Elemental Tail could not be seen at all from the Yuzuha that was curled up in Shin¡¯s arms .

    ¡°Well then, I think it might be about time for us to start running in earnest . Actually, I have somepanions who¡¯ve gone on ahead . They might be raising a fuss . ¡±

    ¡°If that is the case, then let¡¯s hurry . Looking at the time, we might be able to catch up to them yet . ¡±

    Considering Shin and Schnee¡¯s movement speed and the fact that Wilhelm was on foot and not riding a horse, they could easily catch up . However, Wilhelm¡¯s physical capabilities had been boosted by the buff that Shin had cast on him earlier . The situation being what it is, Wilhelm and Rashia would probably have gotten quite far away by now . If they manage to reach the Kingdom and tell people about what happened on the ins, things would get quite troublesome for Shin in several different ways .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go at full speed . I really don¡¯t want to draw anymore of the Guild¡¯s attention . ¡±

    ¡°If you had told me this earlier, I would have been fine with waiting to do the exnationster, you know . ¡±

    ¡°This and that are two separate matters . ¡±

    Seeing her make the face that she did, there was no way that he could have asked to do itter . But he couldn¡¯t just say that, of course .

    ¡°Alright, off we go!¡±

    After making sure that Yuzuha wasfortably settled on his head, he took off with Schnee by his side .

    It didn¡¯t take long for the two of them to catch up with Wilhelm and Rashia .

    Soon after the sun¡¯s face peeked out from beyond the horizon, scattering thest few wisps of morning fog in their way, the two figures ran abreast of each other .

    Shin and Schnee had been running together for about half a day . That was all the time they needed toe into Wilhelm¡¯s detection range .

    ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, I¡¯m going to make you spit out everything . ¡±

    ¡°Why do you sound so belligerent even though we just got here?!¡±

    Wilhelm had been keeping a sharp eye on the surrounding area while protecting Rashia, who was currently napping . When Shin and Schnee arrived, even though they had joined up safely, Wilhelm red up at Shin in a threatening tone almost immediately .

    Rashia was fast asleep, probably due to fatigue .

    ¡°Well, pretty much Schnee just showed up and took down the Skull Face Lord by herself . ¡±

    ¡°Hmph . ¡±

    The response to Shin¡¯s words was an attack with a demon spear . The sound of the attack was not very sharp, but there was still a significant amount of strength behind it .

    ¡°Dude! That¡¯s dangerous!!¡±

    ¡°After letting off that crazy amount of magical power, the hell you pretending like it¡¯s all someone else¡¯s achievement . You probably rampaged all over the ce, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°How did you know?!¡±

    ¡°Of course I do!! More like, are you trying to insinuate something by catching up so quickly after sending us off with a freaking shy move like that? You were pulling your punches? You could afford to pull your punches against something like that, ah? Gimme back the years I lost from desperation, damn you!¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait, calm down! It¡¯s my bad for making a joke like that but isn¡¯t using Venom going a bit too far?!¡±

    Though Wilhelm was attacking Shin, he was not fully serious, of course . It was more like a rougher sort of ying around .

    Wilhelm was an A rank adventurer . He fully understood how dangerous the thing that they had met was .

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª If he fought, he would die .

    Even putting aside the fact that Rashia had been there, that was what Wilhelm had felt with every fiber of his being . All the tough spots and dangers that he had been in could not hold a candle to the presence of death in that ce . The army of undead had given him the impression that they were ready to march to war against entire countries .

    In spite of all that . He had been running so desperately to reach the Kingdom and ask for reinforcements, and had decided to take a short break to keep his strength up . When he did so, the person who had supposedly stayed behind to fight actually caught up with himself . He was more than a little concerned with what had happened to the army that had made him so apprehensive .

    The sudden sense of exhaustion that followed his desperation and the relieve that he felt upon hearing that the entire incident was resolved mixed together ufortably in his chest . Therefore, he was using Shin to vent off some of the irritation and vexation that he was feeling against the unfairness of the world, thinking that there probably wouldn¡¯t be any divine retribution even if he managed to dump off some of these negative feelings onto Shin .

    Needless to say, not a single one of the attacksnded on Shin .

    ¡°Tch . ¡±

    ¡°Did you just tantly click your tongue at me?! It was just a joke, man!¡±

    ¡°A ¡®joke¡¯ my ass . You totally had a ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything¡± look on your face . Stop screwing around and give me a proper exnation . ¡±

    Shin had apparently gone a little too far with the messing around .

    The loose atmosphere from before dissipated as Wilhelm red at the two of them .

    ¡°Shin, it¡¯s about time to get to the main topic . ¡±

    After watching the exchange between Shin and Wilhelm, Schnee stepped forward .

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you . So, he¡¯s the one?¡±

    ¡°Long time no see . It appears that you have fully grasped the situation already . Do you still want further exnation?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s words seemed to have some deeper meaning behind them . Clearly, some sort of meaningful exchange had just taken ce .

    ¡°Guys, can you put things in a way that I can understand?¡±

    Shin had no clue why Wilhelm had been so easily appeased .

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? The name ¡®Schnee Raizar¡¯ is famous for being someone who never yields, never gets won over, and never kneels, be it to kings or the Pope . ¡±

    What firmness of character .

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a disrespectful person?¡±

    ¡°I will never kneel to anyone other than Master . ¡±

    He had only knowledge from light novels to go on, but Shin felt that it might not be a great idea to take such an attitude with royalty . However, for Schnee, it was a policy that she would never concede on .

    ¡°Well, in the first ce, there isn¡¯t anyone who values their life so little as to pick a fight with her . ¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason why she gets away with it, huh . ¡±

    Even if someone wanted to punish Schnee, no one could touch her if she got serious .

    Of course, that was just the more trivial reason . Both her way of speaking and her attitude is respectful, she lends her strength whenever strong monsters appear, and she maintains a neutral stance by not being affiliated with any faction or organizations ¡ª these are the real reasons why no one wants to fight her . More like, anyone who wished her harm would get showered with blows from all sides with a ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing!!¡± .

    A powerful entity who would lend her strength in times of trouble . The list of achievements that she had built up over 500 years was not merely for show .

    As a natural consequence of being who she was, many people had approached her in secret to try to convince her to join their camp, but no one has ever seeded .

    ¡°I canpletely understand why they would want to win her over as an ally . ¡±

    ¡°Anyways, for someone like that to be obediently following you, well . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Ahh, so from that . . . . . . ¡±

    So he had already been seen through . He didn¡¯t know how familiar Schnee and Wilhelm were with each other, but when put like that, he understood that anyone could havee to that conclusion .

    ¡°So you¡¯re a high human?¡±

    ¡°And also my Master . ¡±

    ¡°For all it¡¯s worth, yea . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®for all it¡¯s worth¡¯ me . But if it¡¯s like that, then I finally understand . That amount of magical power was seriously no joke . ¡±

    ¡°Sorry, that was still me holding back . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . The master of Schnee Raizar, huh . I see, you are much more than I had expected from the stories . . . . . . Oi, then the fox sitting on a high human¡¯s head is most likely not a normal fox either, is it?¡±

    While shrugging his shoulders with a ¡°gimme a break¡± kind of feeling, Wilhelm¡¯s eyes fell on Yuzuha . Mixed inside his tone was a sense of resignation that had gone beyond surprise . The reason why there was no fear in his voice was most likely because he had gotten to know Shin without being influenced by any preconceptions .

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°Yea, it¡¯s not a Little Fox . Its level just broke 400 after thatst battle . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . I don¡¯t even feel surprised anymore . ¡±

    Wilhelm looked intently at Yuzuha with a sigh . It wasn¡¯t that he was not surprised at this little creature being more than level 400, but it¡¯s just that what he had learned a while ago had been that much more shocking .

    ¡°So this is why your answer was so vague when I asked whether you were a Chosen One . ¡±

    ¡°Yea . In my case, I am much stronger than Chosen Ones, but I didn¡¯t start out this strong . There are very few people like me in this world, right? That¡¯s why I decided to just pass myself off as a Chosen One . ¡±

    ¡°I see, I see . But well, if you two are going to move together all the time, then it¡¯s only a matter of time before other people find out . ¡±

    What Wilhelm was saying had merit . Schnee and Tsuki no Hokora were famous . If a man was to sudden appear by her side in a seemingly close rtionship, those with good ears would start digging around .

    ¡°I was hoping to deal with it somehow with magical skills . Time can be bought by making good use of illusion magic . ¡±

    ¡°I have a feeling that the illusion magic you are thinking of is not exactly the one that I have in mind . I¡¯m not going to be surprised even if you transform into a monster . ¡±

    ¡°What do you think I am . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty much a walking cataclysm . Don¡¯t be strolling around the ce, Mr . ¡°Oh I Can Raze a Country to the Ground When I Wake Up On the Wrong Side of the Bed . ¡± I wouldn¡¯t be able to rest easy if I was a lord . ¡±

    Only when Shin retorted with ¡°I won¡¯t rampage around for no reason¡± did Wilhelm lower himself to the ground . It was not exactlyfortable to both talk while standing up and fix Rashia¡¯s bedding every once in a while as it slips off, so Shin and Schnee urged him to sit down .

    Rashia was sleeping so soundly that she did not appear affected at all by all the ruckus happening around her . Wilhelm had calmed her down by pointing out that he himself, a high rank adventurer, was around . And on the topic of Shin, he had pointed out that someone who could use so much magical power wouldn¡¯t go down easily . As she had witnessed firsthand Shin using skills, those words were enough to alleviate her worries . Though she hadbat experience, she still couldn¡¯t tell the difference between power levels, so she didn¡¯t actually fully understand the situation .

    ¡°Speaking of, are there any records about us left behind?¡±

    Thest time he was at the library, he didn¡¯t finish looking everything up, so all he knew was only what Tiera had told him . He was willing to admit that there was most likely a part of himself that had unconsciously steered away from that topic . No one would enjoy looking up their own dark history on their own ord .

    ¡°To some degree, yea . Well, all I know is that you guys were strong as heck and that each one of you had an ridiculously high proficiency in a different profession . Some people in those professions still treat you guys like gods . ¡±

    ¡°There are still anecdotes and legends of the others being passed down . ¡±

    ¡°Uweh, that sounds like another annoying thing I have to deal with . But then again, we did start off as a crafting guild, so we would never let anyone surpass us in our respective fields . ¡±

    ¡°Hah? Didn¡¯t you guys get bored of being the strongest and then start making things to kill time? That sounds more reasonable . ¡±

    ¡°Wilhelm, I haven¡¯t been training my Cooking skill only to kill time!¡±

    So it turns out that indeed some discrepancies had risen from the stories . Though it was true that all members of Rokuten had ridiculously high stats, the main reason why they had gotten together was because of crafting .

    ¡°That¡¯s wrong . See, even when the levels are the same, humans are the weaker race . In my case, I got into cksmithing as a way to make up for that . It was unbelievably hard work to raise my level and my cksmithing together at the same time . ¡±

    ¡°Most of the time you spent as a beginner was just running away, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Shin nodded . At the beginning, he had been so weak that the present him could not even imagine it anymore .

    The difficulty of purposely raising one¡¯sbat level and crafting level at the same pace was something that people without experience in ying online games could not understand . Due to the game system and the level of difficulty being what they were, each profession required a ton of work to master .

    ¡°No normal person could do that . ¡±

    ¡°Those who could were called high yers . ¡±

    ¡°Well, you could also just call them game addicts . ¡±

    ¡°High p- . . . . . . What?¡±

    ¡°Anyways, I kept on making weapons to make it easier to level up . I then equipped those weapons, went out, and defeated strong enemies to level up . I then took the materials dropped by those guys to make even stronger weapons . Then stronger enemies, and so on went the cycle . ¡±

    The person who had just casually used a word that only yers would know was Schnee .

    As question marks floated above Wilhelm¡¯s head from hearing a word not of this world, Shin matter-of-factly described something that residents of this world could not do .

    In the first ce, this world was not so lenient as to allow someone to make higher tier weapons as easily as Shin made it sound . Taking cksmithing as an example, crafting skills were slightly easier to level up than attack skills, but THE NEW GATE was not indulgent enough to let any half-hearted yer cap anything .

    Therefore, yers made a distinction betweenbat-oriented guilds and crafting-oriented guilds . Most people who tried to be a part of both at the same time either gave up almost immediately or somewhere in the middle . Almost nobody stuck with it to the end .

    On the system side, mostbat-oriented yers could only make low level recovery items like Potion X, while a lot of crafting-oriented yers had a little bit of experience with fighting . However, most of it was on the level of ¡°better than nothing . ¡±

    Rokuten¡¯s fame was indeed partly due to the member¡¯s fighting power, but also partly due to their crafting prowess .

    ¡°I give up . You are what normal people would call an idiot . ¡±

    ¡°How rude of you . ¡±

    ¡°Do you know about absurd it sounds? No sane person would even think of doing what you did . ¡±

    ¡°Probably the only ones who could consider it are the long-lived races likes elves and pixies . Not that they would, though . ¡±

    Just as Schnee said, only long-lived races like the elves and pixies could consider it in earnest, but neither of those races had any affinity towards cksmithing .

    To residents on this world, the very idea was madness . The only reason why Shin had been able to aplish it was because it had been a game . Using items to boost xp gain and reading Books of Secrets to learn skills, it was his single-minded pursuit of strength that made Shin into what he was today .

    With that said, he had truly poured an enormous amount of time into the game . It was impossible for someone who lives and breathes in this world to imitate what he had done .

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t know we were abnormal . Every member of Rokuten was remarkable . If it wasn¡¯t for my cksmithing, I couldn¡¯t evenpare to them . Kain could build an entire castle in a day, Cook would prepare and cook dragons, Cashmere would be making monster farms left and right if you took your eyes off her, and Hecate would mass produce Elixirs and Philosopher¡¯s Stones like they were low level potions . Leid¡¯s dolls could even fight toe to toe with holy beasts . ¡±

    ¡°Shin also forged many holy swords and demon swords, didn¡¯t you? And if you didn¡¯t like it, you would melt down even Ancient grade swords and reforge them . Filma shrieked when she saw you do that . ¡±

    Schnee grinned wryly as she reminisced about the past . Indeed, Shin had frequently melted down and reforged weapons that he wasn¡¯t satisfied with, even if they were Ancient grade or Mythology grade .

    Incidentally, Filma was number 2 among Shin¡¯s support characters, and she was a greatsword user . Shin finally understood why she had been so despondent for a while .

    ¡°Each and every one of you sounds like a freaking monster . More like, your specialty was cksmithing, huh . ¡±

    ¡°Ou . By the way, do you want me to upgrade Venom a little?¡±

    ¡°Screw you . ¡±

    Wilhelm immediately shut down the Shin who was grinning sleazily andughing like a suspicious merchant . He had no doubts that Shin would indeed make Venom better, but the strange way that Shin was speaking gave him pause . To be blunt, he was sure beyond a doubt that there was no way Shin would stop at a normal upgrade .

    ¡°When you feel that it¡¯s not enough for you anymore, just give me the word . Since it¡¯s you, I¡¯ll strengthen it for you at a really low price . ¡±

    ¡°Why do you have the look of an unscrupulous merchant, huh?!¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s just my cksmithing blooding awake, you see?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . Okay, okay, I concede that your main profession is definitely a craftsman . Come to think of it, you¡¯re making the exact same face those gambling old timers make . ¡±

    People of the same upation tend to speak and do things the same way in every world . The faces of the dwarven craftsmen that he had shown Venom to came into Wilhelm¡¯s mind .

    What he had seen zing fiercely in those eyes was a mixture of the innocence of a child who has found a new toy and the fighting spirit of a warrior who has found a worthy adversary . When he took another look at Shin, he realized that Shin had the same eyes too .

    ¡°Anyways, don¡¯t you dare start showing off your techniques at the smithy . Since it¡¯s you, you¡¯d probably be using mystery somethings or long-lost secret arts to make your weapons . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything shy like that! I was just thinking that it has been a while since I¡¯ve held a hammer in Tsuki no Hokora!¡±

    ¡°If I let you do it, I have no idea what¡¯s gonna happen . The craftsmen that helped me were telling stories about Rokuten¡¯s cksmith making longswords that could exchange blows with Legend grade weapons . ¡±

    Originally, the performance ability between Normal grade and Legend grade weapons was so great that even if you bunched up a lot of Normal grade ones together, a single blow from a Legend grade would shatter them all . Of course, Wilhelm was not gullible enough to believe those stories .

    ¡°Ohe on, that¡¯s a bit . . . . . . wait a second . Wasn¡¯t there that experiment where we tried to find out how far we could enhance a Normal grade weapon?¡±

    ¡°Oi . . . . . . that¡¯s a joke, right?¡±

    When Wilhelm was about to say that it really was impossible after all, Shin closed his eyes like he was trying to remember something . If the story just now was truth, it would shatter themon sense of cksmithing . That¡¯s why Wilhelm had been so sure that it was just exaggeration . But the sight of Shin wracking his brains started to erode his confidence .

    ¡°Are you perhaps referring to the experiment suggested by Leid-sama and Hecate-sama?¡±

    ¡°Oh right! So that no one could everin again about low quality materials, we took a random piece of iron and pped every enchantment we could onto it . Then we used the best facilities that we could find to forge it into a longsword . Well, after that we identally ced it onto the shelf in the store and someone bought it . He was so shocked that he came back and asked us about it afterwards . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . What the hell . ¡±

    Incidentally, the person who had bought the sword had intended it as a gift to another beginner yer . Later, he discovered the other guy one-shotting monsters that were supposed to be out of his league . The one who received the present just thought that the monsters were weak . The yer who had bought the present did not check the stats when he bought it, thinking that it was a normal longsword .

    ¡°That time, everyone was so shocked at what we had managed to do . But then again, it really was just made of iron, so its durability was really low . We made several of them and tested them against actual Legend grade longswords, and they onlysted 10 or 20 blows . ¡±

    ¡°Please listen to your own words and realize how crazy you sound . ¡±

    Realizing that Shin was a prime example of someone who does not understandmon sense, Wilhelm pressed a hand to his head . cksmithing was not so lenient that the grade of the weapons could be decided solely by the cksmith¡¯s skill . But so what . Even though it wasmon sense for a Normal grade sword to shatter immediately when exchanging blows with a Legend grade sword, Shin had made several ones that couldst around 20 blows . Thinking of the chaos that would happen if swords like that were to start circting around in the market, Wilhelm could not help but let out a huge sigh .

    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it, I fully get it now . I have no more doubts about you being a high human . What I know to bemon sense is now lying at my feet in shreds, all thanks to you . ¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my Master, after all . He can¡¯t be bound by today¡¯smon sense . ¡±

    ¡°Ku~ku~!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t apliment!¡±

    Wilhelm retorted at the Schnee who was looking really proud for some reason and the Yuzuha who was nodding approvingly . He was likely still a bit shaken, as he failed to notice that Yuzuha was responding like as if it could actually understand the conversation going on .

    As for Schnee, she was looking so proud because of how widespread this legend about Shin was .

    ¡°Nn  . . . . . .  Nnnn?¡±

    Just as Wilhelm was thinking ¡°Oh man, these guys are hopeless¡± and letting out another sigh, Rashia, who had been sleeping at his side, woke up . They had apparently been making a little too much noise . It must have been hard to continue sleeping .

    ¡°Eh . . . . . . Shin . . . -san?¡±

    ¡°Yo . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, good morn- . . . . . . Wait, no, why are you here?!¡±

    She was still half-asleep, but when she saw who was sitting in front of her, she unconsciously shouted in surprise . He was supposed to have stayed behind after helping them escape that crowd of monsters, but her eyes were telling her that he was here . And Yuzuha was still riding on his head as usual .

    ¡°Things somehow worked out . ¡±

    ¡°Eh . . . . . . ?¡±

    Rashia looked towards Wilhelm for help, as if she was asking ¡°What is he saying?¡± . Her eyes were filled with disbelief .

    Wilhelm caught the nce and returned it .

    ¡°He said that someone who just happened to pass by helped him out . ¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s gaze shifted to Shin and Schnee as he exined . His eyes were saying ¡°We can¡¯t tell her . ¡±

    With a barely perceptible nod, Shin also agreed to keep the fact that he was a high human concealed from Rashia . Different from Wilhelm and some royals who were acquainted with Schnee, Rashia was not familiar enough with her to deduce Shin¡¯s identity through Schnee¡¯s attitude . It wasn¡¯t really a problem for Shin if she found out, but she mighte into danger for possessing valuable information . There was no guarantee that a possible information leak in the future would not drag her into trouble .

    Therefore, the three of them decided to pass it off as Schnee just passing by .

    As for Wilhelm, Schnee was the one who had given him his letter of introduction, so she already knew that she could trust him .

    ¡°Nice to meet you . My name is Schnee Raizar . I have the honor of serving as the Acting Manager of Tsuki no Hokora . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the courteous introduction . My name is Rashia Luzel . I . . . . . . . . . . . . Excuse me, what did you just say?¡±

    Rashia asked Schnee to repeat herself, looking like she had heard something unbelievable .

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t that she had misheard . It was simply that she could not believe what she had heard .

    ¡°She said she¡¯s Schnee Raizar . You know of her too, right? She¡¯s that one . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . .  That one?¡±

    ¡°Yea, that one . ¡±

    ¡°Why does it sound like you two are making fun of me?¡±

    Being called ¡°that one¡± so many times in a row made her sound like some weird person, for some inexplicable reason . In this case, it was being used with a positive connotation, though .

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the details . Oi, don¡¯t just freeze up, Rashia . Get your act together . ¡±

    ¡°U-Um, I¡¯m Rashia! It¡¯s an honor to meetuh . . . . . . . . . . . . o . ¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you .  Yoroshiku onegaishimasu . ¡±

    Schnee continued on as if Rashia had not bit herself at all . So mature .

    ¡°Thanks to Schnee¡¯s help, we managed to kill all of the monsters . Everything¡¯s fine now . ¡±

    ¡°You two defeated all of those monsters?! As-As expected of the¡ºSaint¡»-sama . ¡±

    ¡°Saint-sama?¡±

    Shin had been ready to begin extolling on Schnee¡¯s strength and achievements, but question marks suddenly appeared above his head at the term that he had never heard before .

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so sorry! Even though Schnee-sama has not epted it, I unintentionally . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Not epted it?¡±

    ¡°Before, I got a notice from the headquarters of the Church expressing their intention of acknowledging me by granting me sainthood . I turned it down, though . ¡±

    ¡°Was it bad to ept it?¡±

    ¡°Yes . As someone who had the honor of serving high humans, I have no intention of affiliating myself with any powers that be . However, epting the position of sainthood would naturally cause everyone else to think that I¡¯ve allied myself with the Church . This was something that had happened more than a hundred years ago, though . So they haven¡¯t given up on it yet, have they?¡±

    She sighed in a long-suffering manner at the unexpected revtion .

    Even though the Church wanted to acknowledge her as a Saint, if she herself refused to ept the position, then the Church can¡¯t make ims on their own ord about her joining their camp .

    As he was currently involved with a dispute inside the Church, Shin worried that Schnee¡¯s help could be interpreted as her affiliating herself with the Church . Religious organizations were troublesome everywhere and throughout all ages .

    ¡°You can just call me ¡®Schnee,¡¯ I¡¯m fine with it . ¡±

    ¡°How-How could I? The honor is too great for me . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re way too freaking tense . ¡±

    ¡°And you should take this more seriously!¡±

    Though a bit exaggerated, Shin actually thought Rashia¡¯s reaction to meeting Schnee the more normal one .

    Shin himself had a long rtionship with Schnee, and Wilhelm was a person who is rarely reserved . That¡¯s why the two of them were able to talk freely and not freeze up . However, any normal person would be nervous in this situation . Tiera had said that even children in this world knew Schnee¡¯s name, so he can imagine how famous she must be .

    When meeting such a famous person, the usual reaction is what Rashia is doing .

    ¡°Come on, stop fidgeting around suspiciously and get ready to leave . Whatever the reason, we¡¯ve shortened our traveling time, but that¡¯s no reason to start taking things easy . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee didn¡¯t get much rest from this break, but Wilhelm now fully understood that they didn¡¯t even need the rest anyways .

    ¡°Good idea, let¡¯s get going . ¡±

    So saying, Shin and Schnee also stood up . As Wilhelm had said, their trip back had been shortened after great trouble . There was the orphanage to return to, so they shouldn¡¯t go out of their way to take things slowly .

    As everyone began their own preparations, Rashia turned around in a fluster and began to pack away her bedding . To be fully honest, Rashia still didn¡¯t understand exactly what had happened, but she was satisfied just knowing that Schnee had taken care of everything . It wasn¡¯t that she had forgotten the fear that she had felt when surrounded by rows and rows of enemies . Rather, it was that she believed in Schnee that much .

    ¡°This has turned into something much bigger than I had expected . ¡±

    Seeing the look of trust that Rashia was directing towards Schnee, Shin muttered to himself . It was not hard to imagine what a fuss it would cause when he began traveling together with Schnee . Just going out to buy something could turn into amotion .

    With a sigh, he decided to make an borate and thorough disguise .

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    You can grab the PDF here .

    ~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~

    Shin and Schnee ran briskly, consciously maintaining a pace that Wilhelm could keep up with even while carrying Rashia . Though she had leveled up so much, it was determined that running as fast as the other three would still cause too great a burden on her .

    With that said, their current speed was iparable to that of horses . Despite taking breaks on the way, the four of them (and the one animal) had already gotten close enough to see the kingdom by sundown .

    It would be problematic to catch unnecessary attention, so they slowed to a walk when they were still too far away to be seen by other people .

    ¡°Uu, I feel sick . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll piggyback you, so just endure it . ¡±

    Unused to high-speed travel while being carried by someone else, Rashia¡¯s face was pale, looking almost like she was carsick . It would be too much to ask to have her walk in such a state, so Wilhelm decided to carry her on his back .

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°So sorry ugh, for causing you worry . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°We have a seriously wounded patient here!¡±

    There were no potions that were effective against carsickness, so the group simply continued as they were .

    To remain discreet, Schnee had already used a magical skill to change her appearance . Her blue eyes were now red, and her silver hair was now blond and tied in a ponytail . Naturally, other skills had also been applied, all to lower the possibility of people catching on .

    Shin had been quite liberal with his skills, so she would not be easily seen through, short of anything major . In the first ce, a girl¡¯s appearance changes drastically with a different hairstyle . Having changed even the color of her eyes and hair, even people familiar with Schnee would not be able to recognize her quickly .

    ¡°For confirmation¡¯s sake, we are splitting up in front of the gates, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°That sounds good . The request was just for acquiring the skill, anyways . Therefore, there¡¯s no need to even see us all the way back to the church . Even if there¡¯s something happening at the church, that¡¯ll be our own problem to deal with . ¡±

    ¡°Just as always, you¡¯re surprisingly conscientious, despite your usual rough way of speaking . ¡±

    ¡°Leave me damn alone . ¡±

    Exchanging light banter, the party drew towards the gate . Despite what Wilhelm was saying, Shin had already reached his detection skills towards the orphanage, and had confirmed that everyone had gathered there . Of course, there was no indication of any unwanted guests . It was unlikely that anything untoward would ur within the short amount of time that they were on the streets .

    ¡°In that case, then this is as far as we¡¯ll go . Just in case, take this . If anything happens, contact me . ¡±

    So saying, Shin held out a message card and writing paper .

    However, seeing that, Wilhelm did not immediately reach out to take it .

    ¡°It¡¯s an item to send a message, huh . If things evere to a ce where I¡¯d use it, I would not choose my methods . When that happens, you¡¯ll most likely be pulled into unnecessary trouble, you know . ¡±

    If Shin was truly offering it, he would have to be prepared to be involved in troubles that he otherwise would not have to be involved in . This action would only bring him inconvenience . Though it was left unsaid, Wilhelm¡¯s gaze was telling Shin to mind his own business .

    Even though they were both Chosen Ones, and they were both people recognized by Tsuki no Hokora, just having taken one request together was not enough to give Wilhelm the right to draw Shin into his own troubles . Shin may have already drawn a few eyes by helping with this purification request, so if he was to be drawn into an incident serious enough to warrant using the message card, a few eyes would not be the extent of what he would have to deal with . Wilhelm¡¯s words were alluding to all this .

    Because Wilhelm knew Shin¡¯s abilities, soliciting Shin¡¯s help might help to clean up the incident quicker, and with fewer casualties . Despite this, Wilhelm chose to ask Shin for confirmation instead .

    Rashia also understood, so she stayed silent on Wilhelm¡¯s back .

    With their measly strength, they were going against someone who held authority and money and power . Nobody could fault them for epting any help that was offered .

    Schnee Raizar and her Master . It would not be unseemly to rely on these two, whose names held authority and power withoutpare in this world . However, the two people before Shin did not do so . Their problem was theirs alone .

    They had posted the¡¾Purification¡¿request . And that request has been fulfilled . Therefore, they will take care of everything afterwards . That conviction now stood as a wall separating Shin and Wilhelm .

    ¡°Just take it . ¡±

    Shin thrust the message card towards Wilhelm . It was as if he was purposely ignoring the existence of the wall between them .

    ¡°We¡¯vee all this way . Abandoning you guys at this point in time would only leave me with an uneasy conscience . ¡±

    ¡°But ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡±

    ¡°And also!¡±

    Cutting off Wilhelm, who was still trying to say something, Shin pressed on .

    ¡°The first friend that I made aftering here, and the kids that he¡¯s trying to protect . I can¡¯t very well leave such people, can I . That¡¯s why, if something happens, involve me . I¡¯ll lend you my strength . ¡±

    ¡°You . . . . . . What are you saying . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Contact me without reserve . Seriously man, just take this! You¡¯ve gone and made me say really embarrassing things!!¡±

    Saying lines that he had never spoken in his original world made him really embarrassed . Whenever he thought back again on this moment, he would invariably roll around the floor with mortification . ¡°Have I always been such a passionate person?,¡± he wondered .

    However, regret, he did not .

    Even though this world was a different one from his own, there was no way that this choice was wrong . Shin was pressing the item on Wilhelm because he believed so . The entire time, he felt like the promise that he had made long ago was now softly pushing his back .

    ¡°I won¡¯t hold back, you know . ¡±

    ¡°Just the way I want it . ¡±

    Grinning broadly, Wilhelm finally epted the message card .

    ¡°You¡¯re the same as ever, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Schneemented as the two of them saw off Wilhelm and Rashia to the gate . Her words invoked memories of simr urrences in the past .

    Though Shin¡¯s reaction seemed to say that he had no idea what she was talking about, she remembered vividly the numerous strangers that Shin had helped .

    There had been that girl who had been crying her eyes out, that boy who had been in a daze, that elder who had been about to sacrifice himself, and that young man who had been so desperately moving forward . Schnee saw these people in her mind almost as if they were still before her eyes .

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª It is impossible for me to save everyone and everything . I do not know how far I can go .

    He always said that .

    He was not so arrogant as to believe that he was omnipotent, but every time, he still held out his hand to whoever needed it .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Schnee? Gonna leave you behind, you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just thinking about something . I¡¯ming now . ¡±

    Watching Shin¡¯s back, Schnee resumed walking . After catching up, she naturally fell into pace beside him .

    Shin shot sidelong nces at Schnee and tilted his head quizzically, but the two of them continued making their way towards Tsuki no Hokora without exchanging anymore words .

    The face that Shin saw at the edge of his vision was a kind, gentle smile .

    ????

    Walking for a while after separating from Wilhelm and Rashia, Shin and Schnee finally found themselves in front of a familiar sight . Needless to say, it was Tsuki no Hokora .

    The que hung on the door said¡ºOwner Currently Out¡», which meant that the shop was closed . The door was locked, but Shin was the Owner, and Schnee was the Acting Manager . Therefore, when Shinid his hands on the door, the lock turned by itself .

    The interior of the shop was the same as thest time that he had been here . A faint smell of food hung in the air .

    ¡°Oh no, my stomach is rumbling . ¡±

    ¡°So hungry~¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just the right time, let¡¯s have dinner, shall we?¡±

    Shin pressed his hand to his stomach, prompting Yuzuha to also speak up . Reading the atmosphere, it had remained quiet the entire time when they had been with Rashia, and must have been really bored . Now, it was being held in Shin¡¯s arms .

    Nodding to Schnee¡¯s proposal, they turned towards the door behind the counter that led to the main house . As they did so, however, they heard a flurry of steps drawing closer from the other side .

    ¡°Shishou!!¡±

    Naturally, it was Tiera . She had most likely heard the bell that reacts to someone entering the shop .

    She had apparently been in the middle of cooking, so she showed up in the slightly rming state of panting while holding a knife in her hand .

    ¡°Calm down . You¡¯re too flustered . ¡±

    ¡°S-Sorry . But you see, like I wrote on the message card, someone who imed to know Shishou came, and he left something amazing before he took off again!!¡±

    The person himself was standing in front of the door, but she was too agitated to notice .

    ¡°Would that be this person here?¡±

    ¡°Ah! In-Indeed it is, but . . . . . . Eh? Wait a second, why is Shishou and Shin together?¡±

    When Schnee turned sideways and drew herself back, Tiera finally noticed Shin . However, now she was confused as to why either of them were here .

    The Master that was supposed to have been busy eradicating monsters, and the Shin that was supposed to have been heading towards the Wraith ins . Tiera could not imagine why both of them were now here in the shop . Going by this world¡¯smon sense, her Master side, at least Shin was still supposed to be in the Wraith ins .

    ¡°A bunch of things happened . Can we get into the details over dinner?¡±

    ¡°Quite a lot was packed into yesterday, so the telling is going to take a lot of time . ¡±

    ¡°I . . . . . . see . Eh, Shin is going to eat together with us too?¡±

    When Shin took charge naturally, Tiera became even more confused, as she didn¡¯t know what was going on .

    ¡°Naturally . ¡±

    ¡°Eh? It¡¯s . . . . . . natural?¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t told Tiera yet, have I . You have already met him, but this is Shin, Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s ¡®Owner . ¡¯¡±

    Schnee smoothly dropped the bomb .

    ¡°Own,er? . . . . . . I see, ¡®Owner,¡¯ so . . . . . . Owneerrrr?!¡±

    It took a while for the letters ¡®Owner¡¯ to trante into the word¡ºOwner¡»inside Tiera¡¯s mind .

    When she finally understood what Schnee was saying, her response was the most clich¨¦ one in the book for expressing surprise . Her eyes became round, her mouth became fixed in the shape of the letter ¡®o,¡¯ and she almost dropped the knife that was in her hand . What an easy to read reaction .

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bit too surprised?¡±

    ¡°Well, the general knowledge is that your race no longer exists anymore, so we can¡¯t fault her for being surprised . ¡±

    ¡°How can I not be surprised?! By ¡®Manager,¡¯ you mean, you mean . . . . . . The legendary . . . . . . ?!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wait, what? People call me the ¡®Legendary Owner¡¯?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it!! I meant, you being a high human!!¡±

    ¡°I remember telling you so when we first met, though . ¡±

    ¡°No one would just take that at face value . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin was ying the boke while Schnee remained calm . Being all flustered by herself, the flow of the conversation seemed to be framing Tiera as the crazy one, but she insisted that she was the normal one, and that her reaction was still among the milder ones .

    Just as Tiera had said, in most cases, no one would take seriously someone who imed to be a high human . However, Schnee Raizar, the most informed witness in this matter, was currently present . It was unthinkable for her to mistake someone that she had personally served before, so her testimony was the best evidence to confirm that Shin was indeed a real high human .

    ¡°(Oh no, what am I supposed to do? I seem to remember talking to him in a really superior way because I didn¡¯t know who he was!?)¡±

    Tiera vividly recalled their first meeting .

    Remembering that at that time, she had been looking at him like he was a country buffoon, Tiera¡¯s face grew pale . Now that she thought about it, Shin had been too ignorant about this world¡¯smon sense, even for someoneing from the countryside . Additionally, there was a strange magical aura around him, and he had so easily given her something as rare and valuable as a Geyl gold coin . Including how he took out an Ancient grade weapon so casually, there were really so many pointers that she should have caught .

    Because it was so widely epted that high humans = legendary and extinct, Tiera¡¯s mind never seeded in drawing the connection that Shin = high human . The person himself also did not strongly insist on the matter, and eventually the conversation had moved onto something else .

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know you were the Owner! I¡¯m terribly sorry for my extremely rude behavior from before!!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Aplete about face fueled by fright . Tiera lowered her head with great vigor .

    Now it was Shin¡¯s turn to be surprised .

    For some reason, Yuzuha reached out with a paw and patted Tiera¡¯s lowered head with a ¡®pon . ¡¯ Shin immediately stopped it .

    (This is . . . . . . ¡®that,¡¯ isn¡¯t it . That state of mind when you¡¯ve been talking to a stranger in casual speech and then suddenly learn that he¡¯s your boss . When it happened to me, it had been a prank, but it still gave me such a fright . )

    Shin, who had experience getting along really well with someone from a part-time job only to learn that it had been the store manager, could understand what Tiera was currently feeling . There might be some disparity in the status gap of the two situations, but they were the same in that a personage who was supposed to have been addressed with honorific speech had instead been addressed without the respect they were due . The more diligent and serious someone was, the more flustered and confused they would be in such a situation .

    Seeing Tiera¡¯s condition, Shin could not help but to empathize .

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it . I know how you feel . ¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes sir . ¡±

    Shin ced his hand on Tiera¡¯s shoulder while nodding ¡®un, un . ¡¯

    Of course, Tiera had no idea what was going on in Shin¡¯s head, so when Shin looked at her with a ¡°I totally understand you¡± expression, it only confused her even further .

    ¡°Anyways, there¡¯s really no need to worry about it . Rather, I would find it troublesome if you suddenly get all formal with me after all this time . ¡±

    ¡°Is, is that so? You won¡¯t kick me out of the shop?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t!!¡±

    Shin could not help retorting ¡°What kind of unreasonable person am I supposed to be?!¡±

    After talking together a bit more, all involved parties eventually decided to just continue talking the same way from before . When the fact that Shin was Schnee¡¯s master was brought up, the exact same conversation was repeated, but that will be omitted here .

    ¡°Well then, shall we start digging in?¡±

    A little while after the catching up, the three people and one animal were gathered around the dining table . Of course, they had already taken a bath to get rid of all the dust and dirt from traveling .

    Everyone brought their hands together and said¡ºitadakimasu¡» . Elves did not have such a custom, but Schnee was doing it, so Tiera did it too .

    Needless to say, Schnee was doing it because Shin did it .

    ¡°However, as expected of Schnee . Each and every dish looks absolutely scrumptious . ¡±

    It was only natural that Shin was so liberal with his praise . All of the dishes lined up on the table were ones that even Shin had rarely seen .

    Even though Cook had reached the pinnacle of the cooking world, even he wouldn¡¯t make top-ss dishes for every single meal . Menu items truly worthy of being called Level X were not things that they could eat whenever they wanted . And every once in a while, they were also forced to eat experimental dishes that turned out to beplete failures .

    However, even though the food currently in front of Shin was still iparable to what Cook could make, it was not far behind . In this world where skill levels significantly contribute to the deliciousness of food, what he was seeing was undoubtedly of an extremely high quality . And such dishes were all lined up in a row .

    In the face of cuisine that even royalty in this world could not get their hands on, the audible sound of gulping could be heard in the room .

    ¡°Kuu~, a feast, a feast!¡±

    ¡°All these dishes that I¡¯ve never seen before, all lined up . . . . . . Shishou, you really did put in a lot of effort . ¡±

    ¡°Of course I did . ¡±

    Seeing therge spread, Yuzuha was in high spirits .

    Even Tiera, who had lived together with Schnee for so long, was amazed at how enthusiastic Schnee had been in making this meal . There were so many dishes that Tiera had never seen before in her life . In her eyes, the cooking was even giving off some sort of aura .

    Elves and pixies have a unique sensitivity, which was why Tiera hadmented on Shin¡¯s magical strength in their first meeting . With that said, she had never seen food with an aura .

    ¡°Seeing all this incredible food lined up makes me feel that it was worth it providing the ingredients . ¡±

    ¡°Sugoi~¡±

    ¡°Nee, I¡¯m just asking, but exactly what ingredients did you provide? The cooking is giving off this really weird aura . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Shin froze up at hearing that the food was giving off an aura . Yuzuha tilted its head quizzically .

    Though there were no unusual indicators in Shin¡¯s view, but since it was an elf who was saying this, it would not be strange if something was really being emanated . So thinking, Shin thought back to the ingredients that he had handed to Schnee .

    ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s see . The meat is mainly Thermal Leo, Orc King, and various parts of Elmora . The vegetables was something along the lines of Blood Radish, Karima Onion, and Vulture Potato . As for the fruits, it¡¯s mostly Fruit of Edea and Topaz Pear . There were a few other random things . For the rest, you just used what we had in stock, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I did . Since it¡¯s such a rare opportunity, I went ahead and used the high tier ingredients . But just saying, due to theck of time, I couldn¡¯t make anythingplicated . ¡±

    Implying that she still hadn¡¯t shown everything that she was capable of .

    As for Tiera, who heard the names of the ingredients . . . . . .

    ¡°Wha-Wha-Whaaatt?! Almost all of them are super rare, high ss ingredients!! There are a few that I¡¯ve never even heard of . Furthermore, Fruit of Edea is a phantom fruit that ripens only once every hundred years . It is said that none of it exists anymore . . . . . . ¡±

    Tiera held her head after hearing the listing out from Shin¡¯s mouth . Almost all of the ingredients were dangerous monsters or nts that were extremely hard to cultivate . It was a lineup that no one else would even dream of gathering .

    Both Thermal Leo and Orc King were ssified as Cmity-ss monsters . They were so dangerous that the very moment one is found, the Guild would issue an emergency summons . Tiera had never heard of Elmora, but since it was listed together with the previous two, she assumed that it was most likely a simrly ridiculous monsters .

    Blood Radish was a half-monster, half-nt that floated in midair and absorbed the surrounding magical energy to grow . Vulture Potato was a nt tuber that would explode if it took more than a certain amount of damage, just like andmine .

    Topaz Pear was a pear that shone like a jewel, and Fruit of Edea, well, there¡¯s probably no need to go on any further .

    In summary, none of them were things that other people would even think of cooking .

    ¡°Hey, Schnee . What is this aura that Tiera is talking about?¡±

    ¡°It is something simr to the ingredients¡¯ leftover magical power and life force . Us elves and pixies possess a special sensitivity that other races do not have which allows us to sense such things . Powerful monsters and rare nts tend to leave stronger residues, so that is what Tiera is seeing . ¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s what it was . ¡±

    Elves and pixies were races with heightened sensitivities in the first ce, so this piece of information did not sound strange to Shin . If he had not been a high human, though, then he might have felt bewildered by this disparity in sensitivity .

    ¡°Rather than all that, let¡¯s start eating, shall we? All this food is going to get cold . As for Tiera, just calm down first, alright?¡±

    ¡°U-Understood . ¡±

    ¡°Well said . Without further ado, itadakimasu . ¡±

    ¡° ¡°Itadakimasu . ¡± ¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Itadakima~¡±

    After joining his hands together, Shin took up the soup .

    There were hamburger patties, potato sd, soup, rice, and bread spread out on the table . As for drinks, everyone had a ss of Schnee¡¯s prized¡ºMoonlight Sake¡», which had been brought out for the sake of this celebrated asion .

    Putting aside the drink, the fare looked very simr to the standard menu from a family restaurant . However, the great familiarity that Shin had with the dishes only served to bring out Schnee¡¯s skills even more .

    The meat juices that spurted out from the moment he brought a knife to it and the fragrance of the sauce burning on the hotte brought a flood of saliva to his mouth before he had even tasted anything .

    When he held it in his mouth and began chewing, even more meat juices spilled out . The mixture of juices and sauce in his mouth worked in perfect tandem with the soft texture of the meat, such that the only word that he could think of was ¡®delicious . ¡¯

    In addition, when he left everything in his mouth as it was and also added white rice to the mix, there was nothing more to say .

    Broadly grinning, with the corners of his mouth turned up . A smile of delight came unbidden to his face .

    When humans eat something truly delicious, they cannot help but to smile .

    Tilting his ss, the mellow fragrance of the Moonlight Sake and its full-bodied vor only served to stimte his appetite even further .

    ¡° . . . . . . ! . . . . . . ! . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin and Tiera ate furiously without saying a word . As for Yuzuha, its body seemed to be the very illustration of the phrase ¡®undivided attention . ¡¯

    While smiling gently at the sight of the two people and single animal, Schnee herself was eating at a more stately pace .

    ¡°Oh!! I becamepletely engrossed in the food before I knew it?!¡±

    ¡°There is still enough for helpings, you know?¡±

    ¡°Please and thank you!!¡±

    Including Tiera and Yuzuha, this exchange took ce several more times .

    Schnee had astutely predicted thisrge demand for helpings and had prepared ordingly .

    Eventually, the pace started to drop off, and Shin and Schnee shared about what they had gone through .

    ¡°Even so, those guys have been living pretty freely, huh . ¡±

    That was thement that Shin had unconsciously spoken after hearing about his other support characters . Bing a king, wandering thends, or goingpletely off the radar . It seems that they were still putting effort into looking for Shin, but most of it was only on the level of an aside . Knowing that they knew about the possibility that he had been left behind in this world, Shin was slightly relieved that they didn¡¯t throw away their lives for his sake .

    It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t understand, given their personalities . It was Schnee who was the strange one .

    ¡°It was mere wishful thinking, after all . They all understood that it would not be right to be overly hung up about it . ¡±

    ¡°From my point of view, I¡¯m d they made that choice . I wouldn¡¯t want to have subjected them to a fate of endlessly searching for someone who might or might not have been there . ¡±

    ¡°Even if there was someone who chose to do that, it would have been that person¡¯s own decision . It¡¯s not something for Shin to feel bad about . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that . . . . . . ¡±

    Isn¡¯t it only human to be concerned when learning about it? He couldn¡¯t help thinking this way, but it was most likely mere redundancy . When the people themselves do not mind it anymore, even though he was their Master, it would be meaningless for him to be the only one going on at length about it .

    ¡°Master, sad?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine . ¡±

    ¡°Sherioushly~ Shhin ish alwaysh too worried about thingshh~¡±

    ¡° . . . . . . Oi, Tiera . Are you drunk?¡±

    Speaking with a slight drawl and blurred speech, Tiera¡¯s white skin that stood out in contrast with her ck hair was tinged slightly pink . Inparison to the usual whiteness, she was now quite significantly red .

    At this sight, Shin suddenly realized how many bottles they had emptied . It seems that they had gotten a bit carried away at the delicious drink that they¡¯ve never tasted before, and thus unwittingly gone through arge number of them .

    ¡°Hey, Schnee . How many bottles of Moonlight Sake have we drank?¡±

    ¡°Around 5 bottles, I believe . ¡±

    ¡°Incidentally, what is its alcohol content?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere around 35%, maybe?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s high!!¡±

    The easiness with which it had gone down and its taste had lulled Shin into thinking that it was only on the level of red wine (T/N: average red wine alcohol content is 12 . 5%), but leave it to alcohol in a fantasy to go beyond the norm .

    ¡°Dere are TWO Shishoush~¡±

    ¡°This is getting pretty bad . Is Tiera weak with alcohol?¡±

    ¡°Thest time we drank, she didn¡¯t get this drunk, but the quantity being what it is . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel particrly intoxicated, though . ¡±

    He most likely also had resistance to alcohol, as he only had the awareness of being slightly tipsy . He could still walk straight, and his speech was not slurred, so he wasn¡¯t really drunk in any meaning of the word . Considering the alcohol content and the quantity, his real body would have been downed ages ago, but he realized that he was now much stronger against it . There are no disadvantages to being strong against alcohol . At least, he couldn¡¯t think of any on the spot .

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in this body for a whole year already, I wonder how my body on the other side is doing . . . . . . . . . . . . But I guess now¡¯s not the time to be thinking about that, huh . ¡±

    As Schnee carried Tiera to her room, Shin used the time to clear up the tableware . Such a thought suddenly came to Shin¡¯s mind as he was wiping the tableware . He didn¡¯t even know if he could go back or not, so there was no meaning in mulling over such things .

    Schnee came back when he was about done putting everything away .

    ¡°You¡¯re fast . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m kind of used to it, so, yea . ¡±

    In the real world, he had been living alone, so he had washed his tableware by himself . He hadn¡¯t done it during the death game era, but apparently his muscle memory still remained .

    ¡°Yuzuha, sleepy . . . . . . ¡±

    ¡°Alright then . I suppose it¡¯s about time for us to head to bed too . ¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do that . Shin¡¯s room is as you left it, so you can use it immediately . ¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it . ¡±

    Leaving the living room, Shin headed towards his own room . Tsuki no Hokora had rooms for Shin, all of his support characters, and even guests . It wasn¡¯t really necessary to build so many, but it was more like a fixation of Shin and Cain, the other member of Rokuten who had helped build the house . The finished product was the result of them carrying out their obsessions to the end, answering the call of their blood as Japanese craftsmen .

    ¡°Everything is really as I remember it . . . . . . ¡±

    Going into his room, Shin looked around . In his 16-tatami-sized room was a bed, a desk, and shelves decorated with items and trophies earned from events . There wasn¡¯t a lot of stuff . It was a neat and clean room . It had most likely been regrly cleaned, as evidenced by theck of any dust in it .

    Originally, moonlight was supposed to be shining through the window, but the moon was currently clouded over, so the light was weak . Shin had the¡¾Night Vision¡¿skill, which eliminated the need to for a light source as he changed and went to bed . He didn¡¯t have pajamas, so he was wearing the avatar costume ¡®jerseys . ¡¯ .

    As for Yuzuha, the moment it had entered the room, it had jumped straight onto the bed, and immediately curled up into a ball next to the pillow .

    ¡°All things considered, this is the most rxing ce of all . ¡±

    He had lived here during the game, so that was arge part of it . The house was equipped with extremely heavy security, which allowed him to let down his guard and not have to set up a barrier . During the death game, there had always been the possibility of a surprise attack in the night, so tonight was probably the most rxed that he had been for more than a year .

    Of course, if there really had been an intruder, Shin would strike back without hesitation .

    ¡°Yuzuha is . . . . . . already asleep . I don¡¯t really have anything to do either, so I guess I¡¯ll sleep too . ¡±

    Intending to fall asleep while still feeling good from the alcohol, Shin closed his eyes .

    Spread out on the bed, his consciousness was gradually slipping away when suddenly, he felt something soft wrapping around his arm .

    ¡°?¡±

    His consciousness returned with a snap, and he realized that rather than being wrapped around, the sensation was more like his arm was being hugged . There were only two people who could do this in Tsuki no Hokora, and one of them was currently out for the count .

    There had been no response to his permanently deployed surprise attack detection skill . Shin¡¯s own intuition also told him that there were no enemies nearby .

    Somehow, just somehow, he thought ¡°isn¡¯t this that?¡±

    After staying still for a while, and having felt no more movement, he slowly turned his head to look at his right arm .

    There, he saw the figure of Schnee sleeping while hugging his arm . Shin¡¯s arm was stuck between Schnee¡¯s breasts . That was the true form of the soft feeling from the start .

    (Are you serious . . . . . . This development? Really?)

    With a different connotation from the time when he had been before the food, Shin audibly gulped .

    Shin was a man too . It was different when she had been an NPC, but the Schnee of this world was undeniable real . Of course, there was no way that he would feel nothing from the sight .

    Rather than calling Schnee the culmination of Shin¡¯s crafting prowess, it was more urate to say that she was the culmination of all of his preferences . Since she was just sleeping by his bed, he could do the gentlemanly thing and bring her back to her own bed in her own room . However, the warmth and softness of her chest transmitted through his right arm was muddling his reason . Even though he knew this, he could not help reaching towards her with his left hand .

    (This is . . . . . . bad . )

    Although he did not intend on ming the alcohol, he could not tear his eyes off her defenseless sleeping face, no matter what .

    Shin was aware . Indeed, he was fully aware that it was wrong .

    He tried desperately to cool down his inmed mind, but his reason didn¡¯t kick in like he wanted .

    He was thoroughly mesmerized .

    Moreso because she was self-aware, her face now looked sopletely defenseless, sopletely pure, but tinged with sadness somehow .

    ¡°Just a little more,¡± thought Shin as he made excuses to himself, continuing to put off the time when he has to disengage himself .

    At that moment, the moon that had been hidden behind clouds was unveiled .

    The moonlight that had previously been obscured now gently lit up the inside of the room . It barely reached the edge of Shin¡¯s bed, right where Schnee was sleeping .

    ¡° . . . . . . ?!¡±

    Illuminated by the moonlight, Schnee¡¯s body shone with a pale and fleeting light . Her hair, which was spread out over the bed, reflected the light and gave off a mystical glimmer . Then the sight of something glittering while flowing from her closed eyes mmed into Shin .

    ¡°Schnee . . . . . . ¡±

    The glittering something was, of course, tears .

    Flowing from her close eyelids, they ran in a straight line, wetting Shin¡¯s sleeve .

    ¡° . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡±

    The instant he saw that, the mist that had been fogging up his mind cleared up .

    The eagerness that he had been wrestling with vanished without a trace .

    The cause was her sad sleeping face . Because he identally saw it .

    Shin had no idea what she was dreaming of that was causing these tears .

    Were they tears of happiness at their reunion? Or were they tears of sorrow in anticipation of their eventual separation?

    ¡°Ma . . . . . . s . . . . . . er . . . . . . ¡±

    Shin gently wiped her tears, then softly rubbed her head .

    Though he couldn¡¯t hear it clearly, had she been trying to saw ¡°Master¡± in her dream? It seems that she was still not used to calling him by name .

    (I . . . . . . )

    Entrusting his body to the bed, Shin continued to muse while feeling the sleeping Schnee through his right arm .

    When his consciousness eventually sank into darkness, an answer still had note to him .

 Vol 2 Chapter 4: Chapter 4

    The next morning, after Shin had spent the night at Tsuki no Hokora .

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s too bright . ¡±

    It was the first thing that he thought when he woke up .

    The sunlight had reached the top of the bed because he didn¡¯t close the curtains . Now, it was directly shining on Shin¡¯s face .

    ¡°What time is it now?¡±

    Because he had gone to bed without setting the rm, he didn¡¯t know the time . When the menu screen was disyed, it was slightly pass 6:30 .

    ¡°Schnee is not here¡­¡±

    Schnee, that had been clinging to his right hand, was nowhere to be seen . It was likely that she was already awake . A faint smell of breakfast confirmed Shin¡¯s prediction .

    As he had those thoughts, there was a feeling of some difort on his left arm . He turned toward that way while thinking ¡®no way¡¯, as silvery hair spread on the bed, entered his field of vision . If it was that alone, he would have thought it was Schnee, but the physique was too different for some reason .

    The figure that was stark naked and sleeping peacefully, was a little girl of around 10 years old .

    Her identity¨D¨D

    ¡°Is this Yuzuha?¡±

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿showed the name of the little girl . Besides when Yuzuha mentioned about its head clearing up after the fight yesterday, perhaps there was some sort of seal that was removed as well . If that was the case, then the unusual level up, suddenly being able to speak, and having this figure too . All of it was exined .

    Anyways, when an Element tail became a full-fledged level 1000, highest ss monster in the game; human transformation and talking too, were possible by default . It just felt unnatural to see instead of the fox¡¯s usual appearance .

    Leaving behind the fox ears and tail for no special reason, it was an irresistible appearance for a person who likes these sort of things .

    ¡°In any event, this is a very dangerous setting . ¡±

    It was amon pattern, someone woulde to wake another person up with bad timing and then, receive an outrageous shock due to the misunderstanding .

    There was no presence of a person on the other side of the door, but he couldn¡¯t be careless now .

    ¡°Hey Yuzuha, wake up . It¡¯s morning . ¡±

    He held Yuzuha¡¯s shoulders and began to wake it up . While paying attention toward the outside the room, he shook it a little harder .

    ¡°Unyu¡­What~?¡±

    ¡°I will say it again, it¡¯s morning . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still sleepy¡­¡±

    It seemed like its appearance still simr with the personality, too . The Element Tail in Shin¡¯s memory had an antique way of talking, but now, it talked like a little child .

    ¡°Come on, wake up, quickly . ¡±

    ¡°Nh? Oh . . Shin~ Good morning~¡±

    ¡°Yeah, good morning . Please put on clothes for the time being as you get up . ¡±

    Though Yuzuha was only a little half-asleep, when it realized it was Shin that woke it up, it had an ¡®awkwardly forced smile¡¯ on its face . Depending on the person who saw the smile, they would roll over in agony . Of course, there was no such characteristic in Shin as he ignored it and urged Yuzuha to put on clothes .

    ¡°Shin is warm~¡±

    ¡°Why are you clinging . A girl must not do such a vulgar thing, it¡¯s bad . ¡±

    ¡°Eh~¡±

    Shin warned Yuzuha while separating himself .

    After all, everything would end if someone saw him embraced by a naked little girl .

    While it looked like fondling a younger sister, he had to keep some distance .

    ¡°Is a girl no good?¡±

    ¡°Not good!¡±

    ¡°Then I will transform this way!¡±

    Yuzuha, who asked that, emphasized girl for some reason . For Shin who was against it with, ¡°Not good¡±, Yuzuha took an unexpected action .

    All of a sudden, Yuzuha¡¯s body emitted a faint light, and the slightly bulging chest disappeared, followed by that, the hair became very short . And then, in thather region, there was a thing that a little girl shouldn¡¯t have .

    Shin¡¯s thoughts stopped at that moment, the phenomenon that happened before his eyes was too shocking .

    ¡°¡­Oi¡­Why, did you be this?¡±

    ¡°If a girl is not good, then I should be a boy!!¡±

    It was not a line that a nude pretty boy, while puffing out his chest with pride, should say . In front of Shin was not the coveted ¡®loli¡¯ of pretty girls, it was the desired ¡®shota¡¯ of pretty boys . There was no fixed distinction of sex to an Element Tail . This was the moment that made him realize it clearly .

    ¡°Even if it is a girl or a boy, it¡¯s not good to embrace while naked . ¡±

    ¡°Shin doesn¡¯t like ¡®boys¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Why is it, that I feel like the way you said ¡®boy¡¯ has a different meaning to it . ¡±

    He felt the sense of incongruity from the remark . Yuzuha wasn¡¯t supposed to know the meaning it held in order for it to say it .

    ¡°Yuzuha? I have one question for you; when you said a ¡®boy¡¯, you mean a ¡®man¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Doesn¡¯t it mean a cute boy? But, I wonder if this boy is a cool looking guy . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Although it seemed alright for now, he felt a shudder .

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­It is not wrong, I guess . ¡±

    And then, Shin properly glossed over the question .

    ¡°Or more precisely, where did you hear that?¡±

    ¡°People who came to the Shinto shrine said it . In addition, the ¡®BL¡¯ they said was interesting . ¡±

    ¡°Who the ©`!! What a fool to have a conversation like that in front of the boss Element Tail©`©`!!¡±

    While sending a curse to whomever and wherever the unknown yers were, Shin instructed Yuzuha to return to the little girl mode . It was not so bad when it was a ¡®loli¡¯, but a suspicious ¡®shota¡¯ was too hard mentally .

    ¡°Come on, put this on for the time being . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s puffy . What is it~?¡±

    ¡°It is from the material that I made before . If I remember correctly, didn¡¯t you wear clothes that had such a feeling before?¡±

    Shin handed Yuzuha a scarlet hakama* with a kimono* undershirt and a white robe . In short, it was the shrine maiden clothes . Certainly, they were not ordinary clothes since they came from Shin¡¯s Item Box . (T/N: A type of traditional Japanese clothing)

    Even though the clothes would be suitable in the Shinto shrine, they were also the clothes that Element Tail wore during the game in human mode .

    ¡°Oh~¡±

    ¡°Please say if you think you want to change the color . If i¡¯m not mistaken, it was navy blue?¡±

    ¡°This is fine~!!¡±

    Yuzuha delightedly said, while putting on the shrine maiden clothes . Because the size adjustability was included, there was no problem even if the figure was small .

    However, was the memory vague? A few minutes after the clothes began to change, they had lost shape everywhere .

    ¡°Shin¡«¡­¡±

    Yuzuha called to Shin in a frail voice .

    ¡°Say it from the beginning if you don¡¯t know how . ¡±

    Shin spoke while he repaired Yuzuha¡¯s disarrayed clothes . Speaking of how he knew how to put on the shrine maiden clothes, it was because of the schematic attached to the note column . Such a thing was a part of the item¡¯s clothes description .

    As Yuzuha put on the Japanese sock that Shin took out as an addition, it spun around and around on top of the bed in high spirits .

    ¡°Kuu~¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move around too much . The outfit will get out of shape . ¡±

    ¡°Then, I will have Shin dress me again~¡±

    ¡°Stop it . ¡±

    What made it so happy? It was twirling around and around, matching with the tail that extended from the hakama . Somehow the shrine maiden clothes expanded from the spine muscle as a result .

    Was it the close feeling of wearing a dougi*? Shin wondered . He had a hunch that the spine expanded only because it wore it like that . (T/N: martial art¡¯s uniform)

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go turning around . It should be breakfast soon . ¡±

    ¡°Breakfast!¡±

    ¡°I guess Yuzuha feels hungry too . ¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go . Hmm? Someone ising . This response, is it Tiera?¡­Ha!?¡±

    Shin perceived that it was Tiera approaching . It was different if it was Schnee, but he hadn¡¯t exined about Yuzuha to Tiera in detail yet .

    ¡°Shin, are you awake? The breakfast will be ready soon . ¡±

    Tiera knocked on the door as she told him about breakfast .

    ¡°Oh, yes . I will be ready right away¨D¨D¡±

    Still, the door was not impudently opened like the way they did in mangas and light novels . But, was Yuzuha not able to wait? Yuzuha, who didn¡¯t notice Tiera¡¯s voice, pushed open the door with all of its might .

    ¡°Breakfast!!¡±

    ¡°¨D¨DThere!? Yuzuha stop!!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    At the same time as Tiera¡¯s surprised voice, a thick sound resounded as the door collided with Tiera .

    ¡°Ouch~¡±

    ¡°Um, ano, au¡­¡±

    Shin, who appeared from the side of the door, saw Tiera holding her reddening nose and the figure of Yuzuha was also seen . It seemed like Tiera took a pratfall as she was sitting in a child-like sitting state .

    ¡°Are you alright¡±

    ¡°Uu~ This child is?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Yuzuha . Actually, it has a transformation ability . Hey, apologize to Tiera . ¡±

    ¡°I am so-sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°I see . Haha, it¡¯s alright, Yuzuha-chan . Since I didn¡¯t get hit with too much power . But, be careful when you open the door next time, okay? And um, good morning . ¡±

    ¡°Okay~ Um, good morning . ¡±

    Tiera, who was seenughing, made Yuzuha, who was panicked, feel relieved . As for Yuzuha now, one would think that it was only a child that was excited too much, because its thoughts and actions were appropriate for its age .

    Shin thought about it while seeing the situation that got the two people talking . If he looked at Yuzuha¡¯s situation, this might be the maximum growth limit in the present conditions . Yuzuha hasn¡¯t leveled up since that time, and he knew that it¡¯s mind state hadn¡¯tpletely returned to its original state either .

    Why was Yuzuha¡¯s power sealed? Though he didn¡¯t understand much of the information obtained from Yuzuha itself, he would have to verify it . It was obvious to Shin that there was something else unknown that urred .

    ¡°By the way, now that you two have reconciled, shouldn¡¯t we go eat breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because I only can serve it after . Master is already there waiting . ¡±

    ¡°Breakfast~, breakfast~¡±

    ¡°Huh, was it a young fox originally? Yuzuha-chan, do you like fried tofu?

    ¡°I love it!¡±

    ¡°Then, shall I make inarisushi* for lunch?¡± (T/N: sushi wrapped in fried tofu )

    ¡°Really!?¡±

    Yuzuha rejoiced when it heard inarisushi . This appearance that wasn¡¯t even seen in intimate sisters .

    ¡°Good morning . Ara, is Yuzuha also able to change into a human form?¡±

    When the three people arrived at the living room, Schnee who set the table greeted them . Since she knew that Yuzuha was an Element Tail, she didn¡¯t seem to be surprised much . And Shin decided not to touch on what happenedst night .

    ¡°G-Good morning . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, good morning . Then, shall Iy out the meal for each person?¡±

    Was it because of the sudden encounter with Tiera? Yuzuha showed a little restraint while greeting Schnee .

    Seeing Schnee, who returned the greeting while smiling kindly, Yuzuha separated from Shin¡¯s trousers, which Yuzuha had kept holding while watching from there .

    As for the table, even if four people sat, there was plenty of space left . While Schnee prepared breakfast for Yuzuha¡¯s portion, Shin brought a spare chair .

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s eat . ¡±

    ¡°¡°Itadakimasu!¡±¡±

    They sped their hands and began to eat . The menu was rice, fried tofu miso soup with seaweed and tofu, and dried and opened mackerel fish .

    Shin thought about whether or not Japanese foods suited elves, but there was no feeling out of ce because of the figure that was holding wooden chopsticks and breaking the fish into smaller pieces .

    Yuzuha was using a spoon because it couldn¡¯t use chopsticks properly .

    ¡°Yummy!¡±

    ¡°As expected from Master . ¡±

    ¡°This is great . ¡±

    Only voices of praise came out . Even though it was not luxurious, even in the real world he never ate such a delicious meal .

    ¡°That is because of the vor boost from the skill . I can¡¯t be proud of it very much . ¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a great thing?¡±

    ¡°The taste goes up at least two stages due to the skill . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so, but it could not originally be delicious if there was no practice . After all, I still think it¡¯s amazing . ¡±

    ¡°That is so, didn¡¯t Master practice so much?¡±

    Tiera talked about how the humble Schnee put great effort in cooking .

    As for the cooking skill, it certainly couldpensate the dish in various ways, but it was not possible to improve bad foods . Because a bad thing would always be a bad thing .

    Even if onepensated with the skill, there was no change if the cooking ability was good .

    ¡°Thanks for the meal!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m d that you¡¯re satisfied . ¡±

    After breakfast, Schnee and Tiera were in charge of cleaning up and Shin headed toward the cksmith¡¯s workshop in the inner part of Tsuki no Hokora . Yuzuha, who was probably curious about it, came along with Shin .

    ¡°What is in there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my warehouse and workshop, and the warehouse is a little special . It has considerable more capacity than it looks . ¡±

    The storehouse of Tsuki no Hokora was not as big as a guild house, but quite a lot of items were stored inside . Since it was Shin¡¯s personal warehouse, its contents were inclined to be weapons and armor .

    They were making a little detour in response to Yuzuha¡¯sment, ¡°I want to see it¡± . The appearance of the warehouse was a normal door with a hanging lock . However, it was so tough that even Shin¡¯s strongest attack in the game era couldn¡¯t break it . It was said that nothing could break it physically .

    ¡°Just pour a little magic power, and done . ¡±

    When Shin poured magic power into the lock, a light ¡°click¡± sound was made, and the lock came off . This type of lock was opened by using magic power recognition . The door wouldn¡¯t open no matter how much someone fiddled with the fake keyhole .

    He pushed open the door and they entered inside . There, it was overflowing with lines of armor and weapons side by side .

    There were swords, katanas, spears, bows, daggers,rge hammers, halberds, ils and all kinds of weapons disyed . In a different location, there were full body armors for warriors, gauntlets that were thought to be custom-made, and shields alongside it all . Naturally, everything was valuable, starting from ¡¶Unique¡· grade to ¡¶Legend¡· grade, ¡¶Mythology¡· grade and finally, ¡¶Ancient¡· grade .

    A person would feel an enormous amount of pressure the moment they entered the room, even if the person was not sensitive to magic power . Although the quantity and the quality of each item was different, the overwhelming magic power given off was simr to the feeling of abnormal tepid water ording to a dweller of this world .

    If even one of them was put up for sale, many countries would have piles of their weapons lose their value whenpared to its prestige . A warehouse that had arge quantity of these kinds of things for sale already felt like a ¡®warehouse clearance sale¡¯ .

    ¡°Amazing! But, somehow I feel hot~¡±

    ¡°It is because this ce is filled with magic power . You better not enter if you are not strong-minded . ¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha is okay for this much!¡±

    The Element Tail was indeed one of the strongest species even if it was young .

    Rather than being overwhelmed by the magic power pressure emitted from the arms, Yuzuha was looking curiously around the warehouse . Even though its tail fur was fully bristled up, there are some things that are better left unsaid .

    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you only look at it, but don¡¯t touch without permission, okay? There are some cursed arms here . ¡±

    ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I just don¡¯t want you to get hurt . There is a seal function attached to the containers, but there are several of them that you might able to break . ¡±

    ¡°Muu, Yuzuha don¡¯t do things like that . ¡±

    While apologizing to Yuzuha, who puffed its cheeks, they headed off to the cksmith¡¯s workshop . Even here, it was in a perfect state without change, waiting for its master to return .

    ¡°There¡¯s no problem at all . It seems like I can use it right away . ¡±

    ¡°To do what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m making swords and armor here . But before doing it today, I have to ask you something, Yuzuha . ¡±

    ¡°Want to ask me something?¡±

    ¡°There is a lot I want to ask . Well, lets return to the living room for now . After that, we will talk . As for forging a sword, that¡¯s forter . ¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s go quickly . I want to see Shin forge a sword!¡±

    They returned to the living room and Yuzuha had sparkling eyes with anticipation . Even though Shin didn¡¯t know what Yuzuha was looking forward to so much, he lightly checked the tools and followed after Yuzuha . As for Schnee and Tiera, who were taking care of the cleaning after the breakfast, it should be done soon .

    When he returned to the living room, the three of them already surrounded the table . He sat down on his seat while smiling wryly at Yuzuha, who urged him on with ¡°quickly! quickly!¡± .

    ¡°What did Shin want to ask?¡±

    ¡°First of all, why were you in such a weakened state in that Shinto shrine . And, did arge amount of people disappear around 500 years ago? If you know something about it, then please tell me . ¡±

    When Shin¡¯s question was heard, Yuzuha closed its eyes and folded its arms like it was thinking about something . After several seconds like that, Yuzuha began to talk .

    ¡°Well, err¡­ When Yuzuha was there, I was having the most painful experience from the inside . It was very painful, so much that I copsed . ¡±(T/N: Yuzuha sometimes refer itself as ¡°Yuzuha¡± when talking . )

    ¡°Is that so? Did you understand the drawing on that floor?¡±

    ¡°No~, I didn¡¯t know it . ¡±

    Shin thought it was some sort of relief feature that dyed the condition, but Yuzuha didn¡¯t seem to remember it .

    ¡°I understand . How about the people who had disappeared?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know . People didn¡¯te very much . ¡±

    ¡°Now that I think about it, there was some kind of erected barrier that made people stay away from there . ¡±

    Shin remembered that a barrier, around the Shinto shrine, affecting one¡¯s mind had been erected . A person might note near it because of that .

    ¡°Eventually, what was Yuzuha doing in such ce?¡±

    ¡°Uhm, I was basking under the sun, when suddenly the ground went ¡®bam¡¯, the wind blew ¡®byu byu¡¯ and the mountain went ¡®ng¡¯ . Yuzuha was surprised and jumped . After that, I tried my best so that the ground would not be wrecked apart . ¡±

    ¡°¡­In other words, the natural disaster urred, and you tried to suppress it?¡±

    ¡°It is likely so, I have no doubt if it is Yuzuha . ¡±

    ¡°Eh, is that true?¡±

    When Schnee chimed in with an agreeable response, Tiera was amazed and had wide eyes .

    Though Shin didn¡¯t know what kind of technique Yuzuha used, the Element Tail was a monster that corresponded to all attributes . The possibilities of interfering with the natural disaster by some special method was high .

    ¡°A lot of power was used while I kept at it, then I took a rest in the Shinto shrine . Because my power could not be held in my body then, I thought I was gonna die soon when Shin came . ¡±

    ¡°It was just at thest minute when I came, huh?¡±

    ¡°When the unpleasant wind blew, I was scared . ¡±

    When he heard about unpleasant wind, Shin was reminded of the miasma . Perhaps both of the ¡¾Curse ? ¢ú¡¿ and the ¡¾Poison ? ¢ú¡¿ at that time, were caused by the miasma . A number of monsters and levels were increased in an area with a lot of miasma during the game . Moreover, to a yer, it was a troublesome way to be given an abnormality state responding to status at a regr intervals . Apart from the monsters, they had to drink potions regrly because of the abnormality state, although it didn¡¯t affect high-ranked yers too much .

    ¡°It was thanks to Millie that Yuzuha was saved . I wouldn¡¯t have gone there if not for Millie¡¯s advice . ¡±

    ¡°I will give thanks when I meet Mi-chan again . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, let¡¯s take some souvenirs . ¡±

    Because of the forecast ability, Shin couldn¡¯t say it clearly . Whether Yuzuha understood it or not, it matched with Shin¡¯s way of talking .

    ¡°Hey, who is Millie?¡±

    Tiera looked puzzled .

    ¡°She¡¯s a child who lives in the orphanage of the kingdom . I happened to meet her by chance . If you know Wilhelm, think of the orphanage he is protecting and you will understand . ¡±

    ¡°Ah! that guy . ¡±

    ¡°You know Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°Hees over once a while to meet master . But I rarely meet him . However, I thought it was strange that he bought sweets while he was here on asion . I wonder if he was going to the orphanage, if so, it is understandable . ¡±

    Wilhelm seemed to buy the cakes which Tiera made .

    ¡°It is because the cakes that Tiera makes are delicious, right?¡±

    ¡°No, it is because it¡¯s cheap . Master¡¯s cake are more delicious . Even the king¡¯s messenger hase to purchase it . Because I learned mine in an elf¡¯s vige, it is only fine . ¡±

    They praised each other, although both of them seemed delicious .

    ¡°When you said learned it in an elf¡¯s vige, which one was it?¡±

    ¡°Uhm, it¡¯s a baked confectionery called Cayfal, have you heard of it?¡±

    ¡°No, I have never heard of it . ¡±

    In the first ce, he didn¡¯t remember any kind of setting called skillful bakery in any elf¡¯s vige . Because cooking was not his specialty, there were many dishes which he couldn¡¯t cook or make, even if he had the recipe .

    ¡°That Cayfal is like a financier*, huh? It will be nice to distribute it to children because the cake is as big as a mouthful . ¡± (T/N: Financier is a small French cake)

    ¡°Though I disyed it on a whim, one or two sale items have topete at the present time . Because I originally lived in the forest, my strong point is making cake using honey . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? But wait, since Tsuki no Hokora is not a store that mainly sells foodstuff, are there any other sales?¡±

    Shin looked at Schnee while asking that .

    ¡°Because Shin was absent, there are a few items for sale . I am an amateur with smithery, and for replenishing the goods, only Shin can open the storehouse where the arms were kept . ¡±

    Therefore, Schnee had to replenish unskilled stock from somewhere, and it seemed difficult to replenish goods because ofpetition over that right . It was only natural that if the maker went missing, there would be a shortage of inventory .

    ¡°How should I say it¡­I¡¯m sorry . Schnee is doing a good job to keep the store open . ¡±

    ¡°Even if it is open, there aren¡¯t many things that are able to be put up for sale . ¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s true . Even if it¡¯s open, it won¡¯t solve anything . ¡±

    During the game era, the store was barely continuing in business . It was no wonder .

    ¡°When I have time, I will replenish the stock with the ones I have saved . ¡±

    ¡°Roger that . By the way, the talks have derailed from the subject . Yuzuha, can we continue?¡±

    ¡°Yup . But, because I was in the Shinto shrine the whole time, I don¡¯t know more than you already know . ¡±

    The interference to the natural disaster, it seemed to be an impossible task, even to an Element Tail . Although it said that it didn¡¯t know about the world¡¯s situation, because it made a great effort to decrease the damage of the natural phenomenon since the Dusk of the Majesty, there¡¯s no reason to me it .

    ¡°I see, tell me when you recall something, just in case . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand~ Umm, Tiera-onee-chan, that Cayfal just now, is it done yet?¡±

    When the conversation settled down, Yuzuha asked about the pastry matter to Tiera . Was it interested in it that much? Even the things about the smithy was forgotten . As Yuzuha approached Tiera, its tail shook with flutters .

    Such an appearance also suited its age .

    ¡°Excuse me, but there is one more thing . I have to talk to Shin . ¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    Though Schnee was in a serious mood; it was different from a while ago, as she put a stop to the air trying to clear .

    She appeared to have been looking for the right time to begin the talk .

    ¡°Actually, there is a person I would like you to meet . I understand that you may have various things to investigate, but please make this the first priority this time . ¡±

    ¡°Then, who is this person you want me to meet?¡±

    Shin felt like it was a rush from Schnee¡¯s tone . It was like something was running out of time, such a feeling of impatience .

    He corrected his sitting posture, and waited for Schnee¡¯s words .

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was a good idea to meet again immediately so I didn¡¯t talk about it yesterday, but the person I want you to meet is Girard . ¡±

    ¡°Girard huh?¡­No, wait, is it really Girard?¡±

    Girard was the no . 3 support character of Shin . A High Beast . But, it was more than 500 years since the Dusk of the Majesty, it should be impossible to meet Girard .

    ¡°¡­Is he still alive?¡±

    Although he was called a High Beast, he didn¡¯t have a long lifespan . Humans, Beasts, Dwarfs were said to live a long life if they lived for 100 years .

    In contrast to these 3 races that have short lives, such races like Elves, Pixies, Dragnils and Lords were said to be a long-lived species .

    Even though High Beasts and High Dwarfs were a superior race, still, it should be 150 years at most .

    Although a beast¡¯s length of life depends on the animal which became the model, Girard¡¯s model was a rtively orthodox wolf among the choices . It wasn¡¯t a model for long living especially .

    Certainly, he heard the thing about Girard bing a king . However, because that was a fairly old story, Shin never thought that Girard was still alive .

    ¡°Yes . But¡­I think he has a few days left and it will not be that much longer anymore . ¡±

    Schnee personally didn¡¯t know why Girard was still alive until today .

    But she was certain about one thing .

    ¡°He too, was waiting for Shin . ¡±

    As Schnee was, Girard also was waiting for Shin .

    ¡°He himself doesn¡¯t know how he could live this long . There is likely some meaning, since he is alive . ¡±

    He didn¡¯t seem to feel too much fear from the approaching death either since his body should already be dead .

    ¡°Actually, even if there¡¯s no Girard, the alliance can continue functioning . The current beast king is the eighth generation, that not only has military power, but he also has the ability as a ruler . ¡±

    Falnido Beast Alliance was formed by bundling up every beastman tribe . It was built by Girard during the confusion that struck the world .

    And then, as for the first beast king, it was Shin¡¯s support character, a no . 3 of High Beast origin .

    Girard Estaria .

    The appearance that Shin remembered, when he was in a normal human form, was a man of about 40, characterized with an unkempt beard and brown hair that was trimmed short . Handsome men and beautiful women would be wretched, because this appearance of a wild middle-aged man was good . When Girard was fully armed, the charisma that was felt around him could be called a veteran warrior, Shin took pride at that time for not making a wrong choice .

    When inbat, Girard went into werewolf mode, a figure that swooped down upon his prey, exactly like a hunter .

    He specialized in close rangedbat and paired up with the no . 4 support character, Shibaid, a High Dragnil, to serve as an advance guard party . Although his offensive power from magic skills was low, it waspensated with agile movement, and perfected with hand-based martial arts skills . He could fight on par with Schnee, and would win under certain conditions .

    The figure that used to strike his fist against enemies with a roar, was reproduced instantly in Shin¡¯s mind, as he remembered it properly .

    ¡°After hearing that, we can¡¯t afford not to go . Where is Girard¡¯s ce?¡±

    ¡°When we exited from the Wraith ins the other day, just go further north ahead instead . The alliance extends over the ins and forest area, it is next to a capital city that is said to be ruled by a human king . There are 4 big viges like the capital city, and the Girard is in the vige of the dog n where the current beast king is . ¡±

    ¡®I see . Although I heard it roughly, there is no danger before arriving there, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think it will be safe for at least another several more years . Because the person in question has not weakened that much too . ¡±

    ¡°Then, should I go normally?¡±

    Shin was going to use his trump card for long-range transfer if he was really driven into a corner, but it somehow seemed to be all right .

    ¡°Then, because there are several things I want to check, let¡¯s leave after I am finished . I have to be ready too, will both of you be alright for tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m all right anytime~¡±

    ¡°I wonder if I¡¯m good since I¡¯ve always been the sort of ¡®stay at home caretaker¡¯ . ¡±

    Shin asked Yuzuha and Tiera, who had taken the role of listener . Basically, Tiera was entrusted for house-watching because of Schnee always being away from home, and she thought she would do the same this time too .

    ¡°Tiera, you will also go this time . ¡±

    ¡°Eh! Me too?¡±

    Tiera was surprised to hear from Schnee that she was also going .

    ¡°Because Shin has returned, there¡¯s no need to stick to this ce anymore . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the strong point of owning a personal store . ¡±

    ¡°Um, is it okay to leave this store alone?¡±

    Schnee smiled wrily at Tiera¡¯s question .

    ¡°No problem . Because he will carry it away . ¡±

    ¡°Carry it¡­away?¡±

    What did she say, Tiera had an expression of not understanding . Surely, there were few people who could understand immediately when Schnee said, ¡°Carry the store . ¡±

    ¡°I can take it . This store . ¡±

    ¡°¡­Eto, what do you mean by that?¡±

    It was understandable that Tiera couldn¡¯tprehend what Shin was trying to say . No matter how one looked at it, he couldn¡¯t easily carry the store, was what she was probably thinking .

    ¡°Is it unusual now? To carry a store or a house?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not nonexistent, but without an expert in that field, it would not be known . As far as I know, it needs quite arge sum of money to be attached even to a small hut . ¡±

    Although it wasmon technology during the game era, as usual, Shin didn¡¯t know what happened under the present situation . When he heard about it from Schnee, he understood that it was treated like a special technique .

    From seeing Tiera¡¯s reaction, the production skills seemed to have suffered a steep decline .

    ¡°Indeed . Then, it¡¯s only natural that Tiera doesn¡¯t know about it, huh? Then, are arts more mainstream than skills now? Is the production system too?¡±

    ¡°Yes . The production system is also divided by arts and skills . After the Dusk of the Majesty, people tried to restore the skills, and from trial and error, arts were born . It¡¯s the same as thebat system, where the effects are lower than a skill . ¡±

    ¡°I knew it . ¡±

    If it was said in a game style, they were trying to reproduce the skill without the system assistance . Normally nothing would happen, but here was a different world . Perhaps, an effect, such as a portion of the skill was produced, and it was called arts . As for a cksmith, because there were techniques that could never be reproduced by simple physical work, it must not be an ¡®off the mark¡¯ guess .

    ¡°Since the new generation, like me, thought arts were the standard, it¡¯s deviated from Shin and Master by all means . Were people with the same ss as Mastermon before the Dusk of the Majesty? I can¡¯t imagine what kind of world that was . ¡±

    ¡°Well it had its own way, but there were not many people who had the same ss as Schnee, right?¡±

    ¡°Still, it can¡¯t be counted with the number of fingers on both hands, don¡¯t you agree? It was so beyond scary that I¡¯m amazed from that time . Those kind of people fighting were heard everywhere, and how such a society was able to maintain itself in such situation . ¡±

    ¡°In that situation, it was managed properly, and when a guy went too far they would get expelled . ¡±

    Malignant yers were reported to GM¡¯s and had their ount deleted, but because he couldn¡¯t say that, he got by with simr words . If there really was such a world, it ought to have perished a long time ago .

    ¡°How was it able to be managed?¡±

    ¡°That was because there were various people cooperating in that situation . Leaving that aside, what do you mean by a ¡°new generation¡± that you said a while ago, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Ah that matter? It¡¯s simple . It is a ¡®new generation¡¯ for people who were born after the Dusk of the Majesty, a person who was born before the Dusk of the Majesty and is still alive is called the ¡®old generation¡¯ . It was first said by someone when the country was founded after the Dusk of the Majesty, andsted until now . Though I think as a new generation, I obviously feel inferior when I see Master and other older generations . ¡±

    As Tiera said, an old generation was certainly superior when looking at the ability .

    Shin and Schnee were good examples . However, if the skill was excluded, it didn¡¯t mean that the old generation was high in ability .

    ¡°There are gaps in ability between the different generations, but I¡¯m not too conscious of differences between the old and new . However, I clearly feel the generation differences from Shin and Master . ¡±

    ¡°Not generation differences!¡±

    To tell the truth, a piece of the generation differences didn¡¯t make sense to Shin .

    ¡°Such recognition is all right I guess . ¡±

    Since it was already established, there didn¡¯t seem to be any harm or anything . Although it appears to have some exceptions .

    ¡°Let¡¯s return to the talk that had derailed away for the time being . I said it a while ago here, but Tsuki no Hokora is a store that can be moved . Because of that, I intend for the two of you to act together . In addition, Tiera is able to go out without much trouble now and I thought it would be good to take a trip . Ah, of course there is a choice, do you want to stay?¡±

    He wouldn¡¯t force her, against her will, toe along with him . And there was no reason he must take Tsuki no Hokora with him .

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I will follow you . Though I did go out from here several times, it was still a little scary for me to enter the kingdom yet . But I think it¡¯s all right if it were with Shin and Master together . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s decided then . ¡±

    ¡°Everyone will be together~!¡±

    All of them nodded at Yuzuha¡¯s remark .

    ¡°Let¡¯s move for preparation immediately!¡±

    In addition to Tiera and Schnee, they aimed to meet an old friend at Falnido Beast Alliance .

    The anticipated reunion and parting, Shin has decided the destination .

    What was waiting for them thereupon, no one knows .

    As she felt the morning light warming up her chest, Schnee woke up .

    (Here is¡­)

    She remembered yesterday¡¯s event vaguely in her head . The things where Shin returned . The situation where Wilhelm and Rashia were surprised . The time when they sat down at the dining table in Tsuki no Hokora .

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, I definitely put Tiera in my bed¡­Eh!!?¡±

    As she muttered that, she noticed that there was somebody next to her . She was also holding somebody¡¯s arm .

    ¡°EH? S-Shin!?¡±

    She desperately suppressed the loud voice which came close to shouting . Schnee confirmed that it was her master¡¯s arm that she had been holding .

    The curly ck hair . The deep ck eyes under the closed eyelids, it was something that Schnee knew well .

    That person was Shin, the master of Tsuki no Hokora .

    ¡°Huh!?¡±

    The state of their bodies being so close and the sensation of their skin touching each other, caused Schnee¡¯s face to turn red . Even she herself was aware of her ears turning bright red . She was aware that she had been intoxicatedst night .

    However, she never thought that she would do something like step into Shin¡¯s bed in a natural fashion while being drunk .

    ¡°W-What a blunder¡­¡±

    While her face was flushed red, she reproached herself, since she never had the intention of releasing Shin¡¯s arm .

    When she got out of the bed without waking Shin up, she let out a small breath . The reason was that she didn¡¯t know when Shin would wake up . If Shin was to wake now, she couldn¡¯te up with any excuses .

    Somehow she restrained her desire of wanting to look at Shin¡¯s sleeping face, and she left the room .

    After changing her clothes in her own room, she washed her face and cleared her consciousness . She felt refreshed due to the cold water, and her reflection no longer showed her face flushed red from a little while ago .

    ¡°First of all, I will prepare breakfast . ¡±

    As for the time, it was only a little past 5:30 . Because she always finished tidying up before 7:00, this was pretty much her daily routine .

    Schnee went to the kitchen, and as she looked at the fridge¡¯s contents to decide the menu, Tiera came over .

    ¡°Ah, Master, good morning . ¡±

    ¡°Good morning, you were quite drunk yesterday, are you okay now?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­I caused an inconveniencest night . For the time being, I have no hangover . ¡±

    Tiera seemed to remember, and she apologized while dropping her shoulders .

    ¡°Then, please help with the preparation for breakfast . Because it is likely that we will need to prepare portions for 4 people . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­huh? For 4 people?¡±

    ¡°Well, just in case . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see . ¡±

    Tiera seemed to have some doubts about the 4 people part, but she obediently wore the apron and began to help . Schnee also put on her favorite apron . Schnee¡¯s was light blue, and Tiera¡¯s was light green .

    ¡°What would you like for the menu this morning?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with a Japanese-style meal . For the other ingredient beside the miso soup, take out the treasured fish . ¡±

    ¡°Huh!? Master, don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s THAT?¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t hide her surprise due to Schnee words . That super high-quality ingredient was said to be worth arge amount of Jul white gold coins . The name of the ingredient was ¡®Diamond Horse Mackerel¡¯ . The special food was opened and dried in the sun, and it was best to be used at this time . In other words, the breakfast at Tsuki no Hokora today was the dried and opened horse mackerel, along with the miso soup which is a must in Japanese cuisine .

    As for the Diamond Horse Mackerel, it was a fish type monster, like the horse mackerel, and had scales that shined like a diamond . However, regardless of its appearance, it boasted a strength level of 450 ¨C 600 . They were usually found in a school . It was a monster that ate low-level Krakens and a shark type monster that exceeded level 500 instead of normal bait . Only a few were caught, when they weakened and got lost from their school, and asionally ended up on the market .

    Among the food ingredients from the sea, it was recognized as a high-ss food material with a tremendous price . What would happen if such a Diamond Horse Mackerel was processed with Schnee¡¯s cooking skill? It was already needless to say .

    ¡°Though the mackerel has the appearance of a dried and opened fish, somehow it is sparkling . ¡±

    With the keen sense of an elf, Tiera seemed to have caught the hidden life force in the horse mackerel .

    ¡°Now then, I will prepare the miso soup first . Tiera, please cook the rice . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes . ¡±

    The fish, which emitted the shine of a diamond, was first put on a te, and Schnee took out the ingredients for the miso soup . The ingredients were miso paste, wakame seaweed, and three kinds of fried tofu . It was said to be a ssic style with Dashi* and dried bonito and kelp . (T/N: Japanese soup stock)

    ¡°Master, the rice is ready . ¡±

    Tiera who finished preparing quickly called out to her master . Because it was obvious that she cooked her own meals when Schnee was away, Tiera too could prepare basic dishes . She didn¡¯t need much time in preparation for cooking rice either . The magic stove was ignited, and the preparation wasplete . In a few minutes, the aroma of the boiling soup stock from the miso began to fill the inside of the room . For Schnee, it was a smell she was very familiar with nowadays .

    It was already past 6:00 at the time . It was time for breakfast soon .

    Suddenly Tiera opened her mouth .

    ¡°Master, may I go outside for a moment?¡±

    ¡°Since the mackerel is almost roasted, try to make it brief . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I will return in about 10 minutes . ¡±

    Tiera excused herself from Schnee and headed toward the doorway of the store . What was Tiera going to do? Schnee knew and encouraged her . This was because Tiera needed to get over the final defense line with her own power .

    Tiera opened the door and went out . Then, the morning sunlight enveloped Tiera gently .

    ¡°This time, it¡¯s still only a little chilly . ¡±

    Was it the remnant of the night? She felt the air was still cold with her thin clothes . Tiera then walked slowly toward the boundary of the magic barrier that was erected around Tsuki no Hokora .

    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­it¡¯s alright¡­¡±

    As she approached the boundary, Tiera felt her heart beating rapidly . Shin was together with her when she went out for the first time . And she was able toe forth alone on the second time around .

    Still, the fear thatsted 100 years was cultivated and wouldn¡¯t disappear so easily . She might get attacked again by monsters if she went out . In addition, someone else might fall victim to it, again . That sort of unreasonable idea clung to her .

    Schnee certainly noticed it, because she encouraged Tiera to keep at it .

    While regaining her breath, Tiera advanced forward step by step . She already understood that there was nothing ahead . If there was experience, Tiera was able to advance beyond that .

    She recalled the hand that Shin held out . In order to grasp that hand, Tiera stepped forward outside of the boundary .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    She stayed in that ce for about 1 minute, and confirmed that there was no change in the surroundings . While it may be true that she was outside of the boundary, there was nothing that abruptly appeared or anything unusual . However, she still felt that the air that surrounded her was unusual .

    ¡°¡­Phew . After all, I¡¯m still nervous . ¡±

    Together with her voice, she entered the barrier again . Once again, this was obviously only for her to get used to the outside .

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s do this quickly . ¡±

    Aiming toward the corner of the trees that surround Tsuki no Hokora, Tiera began to walk . She moved until there was grass that grew thickly to about the height of Tiera¡¯s waist, and went around sideways there .

    A blooming flower with an appearance that was simr to a Cosmos flower, was in Tiera¡¯s line of sight . Only its shape was simr, the flower¡¯s petals were varied in manner, such as, red, blue, green, and purple .

    The name of the flower was ¡®Repika¡¯ . ording to the elves¡¯ belief, the flower had a meaning of gratitude and sincerity . When she was not yet able toe outside of the barrier, Tiera knew when it would bloom at this ce in the current season . She didn¡¯t look after the store for 100 years just for show . From the windows of the store, she looked casually at the blooming Repika .

    Though she could see and was unable to touch it, those things were in the past now . She picked several flowers to decorate the dining table, and returned to the store .

    ¡°Flower vase, which flower vase~~¡±

    ¡°Have you be ustomed to it a little?¡±

    Schnee called out to Tiera who was searching for a vase with a reasonable size .

    ¡°Somehow or another, though it is only a little . ¡±

    Tiera replied with a calm face, and Schnee had a gentle smile on her face . From her words, there was no sign of overdoing things .

    ¡°¡­It will be ready soon . Please go and wake Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Schnees¡¯ smile deepened a little as she sent off Tiera . The figure of Tiera disappeared into the depths of the passage and after a while, a sound of something falling was heard by Schnee .

    Before long, the appearance of Shin and Tiera turned up, and then a young girl with fox ears and silver hair .

    Though Schnee was extremely embarrassed when she recalled that theyid in bed togetherst night, she managed to keep herself calm somehow . She just hoped that Shin would say nothing . On the corner of the table, in that little noisy situation, a Repika flower watched the scene .

    ~Volume 2 End~

 Vol 3 Chapter 1: Chapter 1

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start getting ready now.¡±

    Shin decided to head toward the Falnido Beast Alliance where his old friend Girard awaited, and they began making the preparations respectively. However, because Tsuki no Hokora could wholly be carried with him, most of the preparations were unnecessary.

    The elf, Tiera, returned to her room to choose the clothes that were appropriate for going out. The Element Tail, Yuzuha, stood by on top of Shin¡¯s head in the young fox mode. The High Elf, Schnee, looked back at Shin and said;

    ¡°I have to goplete the request. Could you buy some food and supplies, just in case?¡±

    ¡°Okay. Since I¡¯m going to go to the adventurers¡¯ guild after I lightly temper a sword, I¡¯ll buy them on the way.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to the guild?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I guess we¡¯ll go do our separate actions for a while; Schnee, you¡¯re still on the Skull Faces matter, right? Therefore, I¡¯ll take a request toward the Falnido area, and improve my rank while I¡¯m at it. It¡¯s regrettable, but I can¡¯t stay a rank G forever.¡±

    To enter the guild and stay at the lowest rank forever, was not a good thing in the eyes of society either. Because he knew that staying as a rank G for a long time was a rare case, even for a person who didn¡¯t have remarkable abilities, he thought to at least to make it to F rank.

    Since the Skull Faces¡¯ subjugation was not a request, Shin currently had zero request achievements.

    ¡°I understand. What about the meeting ce?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll decide it after seeing the status of the request. We can always use the message card to talk to each other.¡±

    ¡°If so, let¡¯s form a party. We can use the voice chat in that case. It¡¯s easier than using message cards.¡±

    ¡°EH, Seriously!?¡±

    ording to Schnee, only partners in the same party could use the voice chat. Now the speaking and writing via the mind was called ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿.

    ¡°However, only we, the old generation, are able to use it immediately. People like Tiera, a new generation; someone who was born after the Dusk of the Majesty, I heard they are unable to use it if they don¡¯t trust each other. Even so, I don¡¯t know how true that is.¡±

    ¡°What happens if the old and new generations are mixed in a party?¡±

    ¡°Only the old generation is able to use it.¡±

    Because she didn¡¯t know on what kind of principle it worked, she appeared to be unclear on the exact conditions. In the case of the new generation, they seemed to suddenly be able to use it one day. Certainly, the ¡¾Mind Chat¡¿ was not usable when the party was disbanded, but if the party united again, the person who experienced thatmunication would be able to use it right away.

    ¡°So that means, only Schnee and I can use it immediately, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha is also able to talk to Shin~¡±

    A sweet voice came down from on top of his head.

    ¡°In the case of Yuzuha, I think it is because of Yuzuha¡¯s individual talents and Shin¡¯s tamer ability. I also think it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t announce that too much. Please remember the party that we are talking about and the guild¡¯s party are two different things.¡±

    ¡°Different?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Shin and Yuzuha had a question mark floating above them.

    ¡°A party is only recognized by the guild after it has registered with the guild. However, the party formation system for the old generation, like Shin and me, was performed through the menu disy so the general public is not aware of it. In other words, we can create a double party.¡±

    To begin with, the menu screen seemed to be limited to the people who are still alive since the Dusk of the Majesty. For the new generation, they couldn¡¯t read the precise exnation notes of the skills and arts and somehow only understood how to use it, not how it worked.

    ¡°If there is no guild card for the new generation, they only roughly know my stats, excluding my level, huh? But eventually, only a party that was formed in the guild is recognized by the guild, don¡¯t you agree? Is there an advantage of forming a party the way the old generation did?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s being able to use the Mind Chat. In this world, when there are many partners who can do long-distancemunication, only that alone is useful. Since there are almost no human beings that have the message card, I guess. Also in any country, the person who has the Mind Chat is given preferential treatment. Even if that person is not an adventurer for an old generation. Because there is no need to go to battle, if that person joined a party and it was dispatched to various locations, as they are able to quickly receive information.¡±

    ¡°I see, so a person who is able to use the Mind Chat is hired just because of the skill, huh?¡±

    Themunication method in this world was letter delivery by a messenger or a wagon. The speed of the information transmitted was extremely slowpare with Mind Chat.

    From Schnee¡¯s story, only a small handful of adventurers from the whole new generation were able to use Mind Chat. Now, since the old generation has decreased in number, it¡¯s worth has be immeasurable.

    ¡°Kuu~? Is it really that amazing?¡±

    Yuzuha asked while shaking its tails.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s amazing. As an example, I can convey my thoughts to my partner who is in a remote ce immediately. If I¡¯m hurt and can¡¯t move, I can call for help, and I can pass along important information right away.¡±

    ¡°Kuu! Yuzuha will help if Shin is in trouble!¡±

    ¡°Please take care of me at that time. Yuzuha too, can call me if you are in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Yuzuha, who didn¡¯t understand the advantage of fastmunication, somehow understood that it was amazing from Shin¡¯s words. It was not possible to say if itpletely understood though, as it was still a child.

    ¡°Now, the old and new generation that are able to use Mind Chat have to form a party with the guild. So the Mind Chat is not usable with amoner who has not registered to the guild. If you have time, it would be nice to help Tiera register as an adventurer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Then, do you want me to bring her to the guild with me?¡±

    ¡°That would be really helpful. She should be able to move better than an amateur since I have trained her in basic fighting techniques for thest 50 years.¡±

    ¡°Eh, you trained her?¡±

    The other day, Wilhelm, who had fought together with Shin in the Wraith ins, said that he had received training from Schnee as well. And he was beaten up one-sidedly.

    ¡°Yes, is there something wrong with that?¡±

    It seemed like Schnee didn¡¯t know why Shin was surprised, as she looked slightly puzzled. That spontaneous action made Shin felt embarrassed, but he somehow kept hisposure.

    ¡°Was it safe?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though I don¡¯t understand what you mean by that.¡±

    The figure of Schnee doing Spartan training just popped into Shin¡¯s head. For some reason, that image seemed to be pretty harsh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Shin imagined, but it was only basic training that was done. Because I¡¯m able to go outside of the barrier, I only teach her when I have time. Although her level is low, she should have superior movementspared to a newly fledged adventurer.¡±

    Schnee, who seemed to have read what Shin had imagined, said that with a slightly displeased tone.

    ¡°Iya, that¡¯s¡­ well, sorry. Because I heard that training with you seemed to be a little harsh.¡±

    Shin apologized upfront at this time. It was an invible rule, that his mother in the real world told him. Incidentally, in his father¡¯s words, the situation would be worse if he did not apologize.

    Somehow he recalled these kind of things from the talk with Schnee.

    ¡°Then, in exchange, you will listen to my simple request.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes¡­I understand.¡±

    Schnee said it with a smile. The smiling face that could make the whole nation captive was a little frightening to Shin now.

    He felt a little worried about whatever he was going to be made to do.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Before long, Schnee went out for shopping, and Shin then took Yuzuha along with him to the cksmith¡¯s workshop. He wanted to lightly temper a sword before going to the guild.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s do this.¡±

    He took out an unprocessed iron ingot from his Item Box. It wasn¡¯t bad one but it wasn¡¯t a good quality one either, it was just a normal ingot.

    A longsword was also amon thing to make. Of course, it would be forged. Although metal casting is easy and fast, he couldn¡¯t sell it like that.

    ¡°Does this be a sword?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t approach me too much when I¡¯m forging, because it¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    After telling Yuzuha to keep its distance, Shin began making the longsword. His body moved without trouble sinceing into this world, probably because he had done this for more than 5 years.

    The iron was heated and beat with a hammer. The sound of metal being struck, ¡°ng¡±, ¡°ng¡±, resounded in the forge, and Yuzuha¡¯s tails synchronized with a small flutter.

    When hitting the ingot in the game, it didn¡¯t matter where it was struck as the result was still the same. But now that it was reality, that wouldn¡¯t work. Nevertheless, Shin somehow understood where he should hit. It might be the benefit of the skill. While thinking whether a real craft man might have such a sense, he set the metal and hit it with the hammer again.

    ¡°Amazing~!¡±

    Yuzuha raised a cheer, as it saw the ingot changing form almost instantly. It was at a speed that would leave an ordinary cksmith stunned. One would wonder whether it was alright to be that fast, but obviously it was not alright. Only inferior goods would be produced by striking it quickly.

    It was the¡¾cksmith¡¿ skill which Shin possessed that allowed this. With the creator¡¯s intended design known, it was a cheat skill that increased the production speed to an efficiency that was impossible to reproduce in the real world.

    Certainly, it didn¡¯t mean that any weapon could be created with the cksmith skill. A Magic skill was needed for magic bestowal, and the skills ¡¾Mixing¡¿ and ¡¾Tempered Metal¡¿ were necessary for raw materials as well.

    When the person tried to master a production job, it was inevitable that the person had to learn how another production worked.

    ¡°The first one.¡±

    He looked at thepleted sword he had made for practice. Though there was only a de, no one would think it was only made from an ordinary ingot.

    The light that entered from the entrance of the cksmith¡¯s workshop was reflected by the sword de, and a dim white light on the de showed its sharpness. Even if an amateur handled it, the item seemed to raised the probability of sess in battle.

    ¡°¡­I was fired up a little too much.¡±

    Though it was made just as an experiment, it obviously became goods that would cause uproar when put up on the storefront. It was not possible to simply say that this was amon longsword. When the item was bestowed with magic, it would be ssified as ¡¶Rare¡· or ¡¶Unique¡· grade.

    A sword that was bestowed with magic was known as a Cursed Sword, or sometimes a Holy Sword in this society. Because there were few people in this world that had a weapon that was higher than ¡¶Legend¡· grade, weapons such as a ¡¶Rare¡· grade were often found up to ¡¶Unique¡· grade. However, for weapons that were above the ¡¶Legend¡· grade, they had a higher ability than a Cursed Sword without any magic bestowal.

    ¡°A failure?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a failure, but this can¡¯t be sold. There are no weapon shops in the kingdom that put up magically bestowed weapons.¡±

    It didn¡¯t mean that there were no magically bestowed weapons on sale, but it was rare. Moreover, because it was Shin who tempered it, the weapon¡¯s performance was different from the other cursed swords around there. If someone bought a Cursed Sword with an average ability from the weapon shop and put two longswords together, that would be the limit that Cursed Sword could break. However, one of Shin¡¯s tempered Cursed Swords would be able cut 4 additional longswords. If he put in some serious effort, even one of his low-grade Cursed Sword could break it. The weapons that Shin made and could rally with the ¡¶Legend¡· grade ones were not just for show.

    Nheless, it backfired this time. There were differences between the cksmiths in this world and the cksmiths in the game era, especially when it came to weapon design.

    ¡°For some reason, I have a feeling. The next one should be good.¡±

    He was probably doing it unconsciously. So, while being aware of the boosting performance from the cksmith skill, he made another longsword. The second longsword had a bit of a high performance, and the third one was somehow a normal one. Because those ready-made goods were aggravating, he continued to mass-produce swords with a simr ability to the second one.

    He repeated this for about one hour, and decided to stop after he had made several of them. Meanwhile Yuzuha, instead of moving around and making noises, was watching Shin and thepleted longswords for a long time. It appeared to be so interested that it lost track of the time, probably because of the concentration that was peculiar to a child.

    ¡°I guess Tiera should be ready soon.¡±

    They left the cksmith¡¯s forge and headed back towards the living room. It was partly because he presumed that the presence that came out of the room was Tiera, that he finished up.

    ¡°Ah, Shin. I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I just tempered with swords here and there.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would take up so much time myself. After such a long time, I don¡¯t know what I should wear.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s point was understandable. For the first time after about 100 years, she would have to go to a ce where there were a lot of people. It couldn¡¯t be helped that she was hesitating over what clothes to wear.

    Because she was told that she had to register with the adventurers¡¯ guild, Tiera wore clothes simr to what a hunter would wear, emphasizing easiness of movement. What Tiera chose was close to what Els had equipped before. Especially thebination of long boots and leggings.

    On top, she wore a light green colored jacket with ck colors on the inner side. Because its design was made to fit the body, Tiera¡¯s body shape could be seen clearly. This might be the standard for elves.

    She appeared to be unarmed, but it was concealed in the form of a card. A lot of elves had a battle style thatbined magic with daggers and bows.

    ¡°Well, shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s hurry up a little.¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    Yuzuha, who was in fox mode, was put on Shin¡¯s head, and they walked out of the store. It was a fine day. Warm sunlight shined over the two people and the animal.

    ¡°Ha~, it is nice on the outside after all.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is fine weather and ¨D¨D!?¡±

    It came into Shin¡¯s view as he casually answered Tiera and he turned to face her, an astounding sight was disyed.

    It was a pair of spheres.

    It was the most magnificent pair of globes he had ever seen before.

    (Amazing¡­)

    To put it in simple words, while basking in the sunlight, Tiera was also stretching her body. However, when she raised her arms and bent her back in a nice way, her chest naturally stuck out as a result. Only the owner of that body could know, from the current posture, the size of what was being emphasized. Shin¡¯s eyes were glued to it.

    ¡°Phew, shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Uhm, yeah.¡±

    She didn¡¯t seem to realize that her chest was being stared at, and Shin tried to look calm. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything, at least not on purpose¡± was what he tried to say with his body behaviour.

    While walking next to such Shin, Tiera coughed in a whisper.

    ¡°And, what are your thoughts on my chest?¡±

    ¡°Iya, they are seriously perfe¨D¨D¨D¨DHA!?¡±

    It was said that a man¡¯s ncing look was simr to staring for a women. Shin didn¡¯t know whether it was true or not, but at least he knew he was found out by Tiera.

    ¡°Shin will be in charge of the shopping fee. And, really, you did look too much earlier.¡±

    ¡°That was my bad. Haa, that was an expensive view¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only natural because you so rudely stared at a maiden¡¯s breasts.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but smile wryly at Tiera¡¯s smiling face. Did she aim for it? Or was it done spontaneously? Only Tiera knew the truth.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    While Yuzuha tilted its head, it watched the exchange between the two people.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    They left Tsuki no Hokora and arrived at the gate of the Bayreuth kingdom after a short while. Was it a slow hour? There was not a lot of pedestrian traffic.

    When they passed through the gate and entered inside, Tiera looked around while surveying the surroundings.

    ¡°Uwaa, there is a great number of people. Are there always so many?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not crowded right now. There are twice as many people as this in the mornings and evenings.¡±

    ¡°There are? I can¡¯t imagine what it¡¯s like when it¡¯s crowded.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s eyes sparkled like those of a child who went to an amusement park for the first time.

    ¡°So the things that the people, who came into the store, said is true.¡±

    She seemed to have heard various stories from adventurers who came to buy goods. Since she couldn¡¯t go out from the store, she couldn¡¯t do anything but imagine. It seemed that when she actually experienced it by herself, she realized that what they had said was not a lie.

    ¡°You sure are in high spirits, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not¡­that excited¡­¡±

    She was probably aware of it herself. Though she denied it, the wordsing out from her mouth were a little weak.

    ¡°Let¡¯s register you first, and then do the shoppingter. You can decide to do whatever you want in the remaining time.¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s sounds good. Then, let¡¯s go to the guild right away.¡±

    Was she drawn to the word ¡®sightseeing¡¯? Tiera walked rapidly while grabbing Shin¡¯s hand.

    Didn¡¯t she just say ¡°The crowds are scary¡±? Now she was charging through the main street by force.

    ¡°Wait! It¡¯s good to hurry, but do you know where the guild is?¡±

    ¡°¡­Ah!¡±

    It seemed like she didn¡¯t know. She suddenly stopped, and threw nces at the surroundings.

    ¡°Come on, over here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    Because it was truly pointed out for the second time, Tiera also finally listened.

    They walked down the street as Shin held Tiera¡¯s hand to lead her.

    From Tiera¡¯s point of view, while in the crowd, she would lose sight of Shin if she took her eyes off of him for a second.

    They walked along the street while being careful not to bump into any pedestrians. As they approached an intersection with a particrly lot of people, she unintentionally saw a man and a woman walking together in front of them, and Tiera now noticed what kind of situation she was in.

    (Hands holding¡­ remaining connected¡­)

    Probably because she was carried away, due to this being her first time in the outside world in 100 years, but she didn¡¯t notice that she was walking hand in hand with the opposite sex until now.

    Because of the size difference, Tiera¡¯s hand was wrapped in Shin¡¯s hand.

    It was different from hers, his hand was a bit bigger and more rugged. When she saw her hand in a certain way, she had a feeling that her face was somehow blushing.

    (So this is a man, right?)

    Since she tended the store, she had obviously talked to men. However, she had never touched any of them. Tiera moved her legs while finding herself not really understanding her own feelings.

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s the Adventurers¡¯ guild.¡±

    ¡°I heard it was big, and it really is!¡±

    Thergest building in the area came into view when they passed through the crowd. That was their destination, the adventurers¡¯ guild.

    While it was inevitable that adventurers would make up most of the pedestrians now, Shin was aware that an awful lot of gazes were directed toward them.

    ¡°Somehow, aren¡¯t we being watched?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, probably.¡±

    The passing adventurers were mostly men, and Shin didn¡¯t know the reason for why their nces were mixed with hostility. He verified if there was something wrong with his state and noticed.

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re holding hands.¡±

    Even under normal circumstances, Tiera was a beautiful woman. Naturally, a man who walked hand in hand with such a woman was exposed to jealous looks.

    ¡°Sorry, I thought it was likely that we would get separated since there are a lot of people.¡±

    He separated his hand from Tiera¡¯s in a hurry.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    That time, when he let go, he had a feeling that he faintly heard a sound that seemed to be disappointmenting from Tiera¡¯s mouth. He decided to think that it was just his excessive self-consciousness and forgot about it.

    ¡°All right, let¡¯s get you registered quickly then.¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    They entered the guild with Tiera looking a little flustered. Was it because the time was in the middle between morning and noon? There were not many people in the guild either.

    The figures of Celica and Els were seen at the receptionist desk, and when Shin and Tiera were half-way there, the two people who noticed them showed dissimr reactions.

    Celica had a little of a sullen expression, but Els momentarily had a very surprised look on her face, which quickly erupted into one of joy.

    ¡°Tiera!¡±

    Els jumped over the counter at the same time as she called out her name, ran straight to Tiera, and hugged her tightly.

    ¡°Wa, E-Els!?¡±

    Though Tiera was surprised at the sudden embrace, she rxed when she realized that the person was Els.

    ¡°Wait Els, it¡¯s a bit tight.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Though I¡¯ve heard the news, I couldn¡¯t contain myself when I saw you in person.¡±

    While having tears in the corner of her eyes, Els started to gently hold Tiera. The abrupt situation caused the adventurers who were there to stare in wonder.

    ¡°I really wanted to go see you immediately, but I¡¯ve been very busy with the guild for a while now. It wasn¡¯t possible to leave.¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re not my mother, you really worry too much.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying. If you¡¯re the daughter of Eilen, then it¡¯s as if you¡¯re my daughter too.¡±

    Els embraced Tiera like a true mother.

    Away from the two people, Celica talked to Shin.

    ¡°Shin-sama. What kind of acquaintance is that person?¡±

    ¡°Due to a little twist of fate, we will be traveling together. So she will register as an adventurer for the asion.¡±

    ¡°I heard you were walking hand in hand like lovers though?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s absurd! How did you hear that!?¡±

    Shin was surprised at the speed of which the information travelled. Perhaps, there was a guy who could use Mind Chat standing guard! Certainly a cautious lookout, but really, this was only a trivial matter. The adventurer, who knew Shin¡¯s name and face, identally saw the two people, and Celica, who were receiving requests at that time, grumbled when she heard about it.

    ¡°Because she is a beautiful woman, right? Not because you are a man, right?¡±

    ¡°Um, you¡¯re not using some scathing words, are you?¡±

    ¡°No no, not at all.¡±

    ¡®I guess there¡¯s nothing¡¯, was what Shin wanted to say.

    While they continued on with the exchange, they noticed that they had attracted some attention as well.

    ¡°Why is it that other people seem to be distancing themselves?¡±

    ¡°Ara, I think they don¡¯t want to break the deeply emotional reunion, huh? Besides, it was Els who suddenly jumped out.¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡±

    ¡°Now, now, both of you. I want you to register Tiera for the time being.¡±

    Thereupon, Celica and Els returned to their professional expressions, and bowed slightly.

    ¡°Ah, my apologies. I was acting shameful.¡±

    ¡°Just now was because I also wanted to meet the person in question.¡±

    She was probably very d. Els¡¯ eyes were still a little red. Apparently, she seemed to have been a good friend of Tiera¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Um, what should I do?¡±

    ¡°I will take care of the registration. It was my turn to take care of new registrations anyway.¡±

    Els said that and lead Tiera to the second floor. Just like Shin did before, Tiera filled out the documents and listened to the exnation.

    ¡°Now then, I should go and look at the list of requests.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Shin-sama. I¡¯m sorry, but may I have a bit of your time, please?¡±

    ¡°Me? Well, I don¡¯t really mind.¡±

    Shin, who was going to go to see about requests in the Falnido area, was called out by Celica. She seemed to have to talk to Shin individually about something or another.

    Because he was asked to hand over his guild card, Shin took out the guild card from Item Box and handed it over to Celica. Celica then proceed to engrave the guild card, and ced it on top of the tray-like thing..

    ¡°What are¡­¡±

    While Shin thought about asking what she was doing, the transparent guild card was dyed yellow.

    ¡°There we go, the improved rank ends with this. From now on, Shin-sama is rank E.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Shin absentmindedly replied, due to the sudden rank up. At this point, Shin actually had a zero request aplishment rate at the present time. If just by an evaluation of the guild; let alone rank improvement, he would be defeated even by a neer who had the same rank G.

    Nevertheless, to suddenly be a rank E, it was too much to be expected. He didn¡¯t think about rising to E and skipping F altogether.

    That reminded him of the exnation he had received from Celica before, the talk about the ssification of the card by rank.

    SS was gold, S was silver, A was ck, B was white, C was red, D was blue, E was yellow, F was green, and the lowest rank G was semi-transparent.

    ¡°Errr, there aren¡¯t any aplished requests yet, so why did I rank up?¡±

    ¡°Certainly Shin-sama¡¯s official request achievement rate is zero percent. However, there are the results of the subjugation of a high rank Skull Face and the suppression of the Skull Faces¡¯ outbreak in arge quantity. Because Shin-sama¡¯s report was proved to be authentic by an investigation handled by us, the guild, the promotion of Shin-sama was decided as a partial reward. It is rank E, but if one more request is aplished, it will rank up to D.¡±

    ¡°I see, but why do it to an unfinished state?¡±

    ¡°If you rank up too fast, it would not look good in the other adventurers¡¯ eyes. I think rank A is enough for an individual like you, but when I think of the strife it would cause, it only became a rank improvement like this. Of course, the bonus is paid, too. I need to return the previously borrowed jewel before that though, please wait here for a while.¡±

    Celica gave the guild card back to Shin, and entered the inner room of the receptionist desk for a moment. She came back in less than 5 minutes. There was a bag and a dull shining jewel grasped in her hand.

    ¡°This is the jewel that was borrowed, and here is 250 J gold coins of reward inside this bag.¡±

    For convenience sake, it seemed like she brought them in gold coins. Though white gold exists, it was not used in everyday life. One piece of white gold could make one live and enjoy life for more than ten years. The gold coins in front of him were considered arge sum of money from an adventurers¡¯ viewpoint, and Shin suddenly voiced his thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering, but is it possible for you to make the guild card as quickly as possible in exchange for the reward?¡±

    ¡°The guild card? Let me see. I think it can be done by today at noon if it¡¯s rushed.¡±

    ¡°Then that please. Though I will be going afar for a little while, I want to leave as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°I understand. Then, the reward will be 200 gold coins. Is that alright with you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about that, but is it fine to ept a reward of this magnitude?¡±

    Though only 50 gold coins were deducted, Shin had heard that the guild cards were made with the guild¡¯s original special technique, so he felt that there might only be a few of them.

    ¡°I will have the experts do their best for a little while, and the additional charge is satisfactory enough from the received amount of money. There will be too much when all of the bonus is returned.¡±

    ¡°I see, by the way, how much is the subjugation reward for the Skull Faces?¡±

    ¡°5 silver coins per Pawn ss. For the Jack ss, it is 5 gold coins. Actually you can earn a lot more because the Jack ss¡¯ armor and swords are valuable if sold.¡±

    Celica added and smiled wryly, the degree of danger of a Jack ss is in a whole other league. In fact, once or twice a year some adventurers go off to fight with a Pawn ss, in a spur of the moment feeling, in spite of the warning from the guild¡¯s staff, and then get killed by a Jack ss that is avenging the Pawn ss.

    When thinking about the amount of money that Celica spoke of, Shin¡¯s reward was naturally almost 500 gold coins, but because a formal request was not issued, the reward became this amount of money along with the rank improvement. To begin with, that was not thebat capability that a rookie should have shown on his own, so without Barlux, the guild master, and Els and her acquaintances, the skill sessors, it was certain that the reward would not have been so easily paid like this.

    ¡°Do the Skull Faces appear that frequently?¡±

    ¡°There is a nearby spawn spot called the Wraith ins, but normally there will be more than a couple of them. It¡¯s not so bad when it is a Pawn ss, but several individuals, which are higher ranked than a Jack ss, appeared; I heard it happened for the first time, too. Such an event has never urred before.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. By the way, does the guild deal in information, besides monsters?¡±

    ¡°Information other than about the monsters? Well, it depends. There is a lot information about monsters and ruins thates in, but you should inquire about that with people who specialize in information.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Incidentally, may I ask what kind of information you have on Sacred ce?¡±

    If they had detailed information on monsters and ruins, they might have gotten their hands on some information on the city that fell after the Dusk of the Majesty, which was called Sacred ce, too.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a lot of information about the Sacred ce. Even though the guild investigated it, because the danger zone is not normal at all, it¡¯s impossible to let someone go towards it just like that. About the information, it was decided to not disclose it to adventurers who are below a minimum of rank B. I¡¯m sorry, but showing it to you, Shin-sama, with your current rank is¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it so much, I was just interested. I wille back to hear about it after I¡¯ve raised my rank.¡±

    As one would expect, she could not easily give out information on Sacred ce. Shin thought of confirming this again with Schnee some other time.

    ¡°Which reminds me, you said you are going away, right? Are you looking for a request towards the destination?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I intend toplete at least one request. Is there a request that is going to the Falnido area?¡±

    He could go and look at the bulletin board, but it was quicker to directly ask Celica for a good request.

    Celica picked up a thick file from under the counter, and removed a piece of request paper from that.

    ¡°Well, how about this request here? There is no request going to Falnido for the moment, but this is a request for going to Beirun, which is on the way.¡±

    ¡°Is it alright for Tiera to receive the request too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if you form a party with 2 people, there will be no problem, because Shin-sama¡¯s rank matches the rank required. Here is the content.¡±

    He took a look at the presented paper.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D

    Request contents: Cargo guards to Beirun

    Client: Nack

    Number of recruitment: Up to five people

    Rank: E and above(Individual, party, both are eptable)

    Reward: 10 silver coins per person

    Note/Remarks: Meals included

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D

    ¡°The departure is three bells(3:00 p.m.) this afternoon. Though two adventurers have already participated, there¡¯s still time. Other than this, I still have avable requests for several days¡­¡±

    ¡°I will confirm with Tiera just in case. Can you hold onto this until shees back?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think it¡¯s alright if shees back soon.¡±

    Nobody else came to ept the request, probably because of the time period. He continued chatting with Celica while holding onto the request. Tiera and Els returned before 10 minutes had passed, and Shin exined the contents of the request.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Then, it¡¯s possible to finish our other task ahead of time.¡±

    Tiera didn¡¯t seem to have any problems either. They went out of the guild at once, and went shopping.

    The ingredients were bought while walking along the street crowded with other shoppers. Bread was not a food to keep for a long time like dried meat was, but the strong point of the Item Box was that they could buymon ingredients. Basically, ingredients would not spoil if they were put into the Item Box, and they could buy various kinds of fresh food. Looking at the two people choosing fruits and fresh vegetables, no one would imagine that they were about to go on a long journey after this.

    By the way, the luggage was already ced into Shin¡¯s Item Box, hidden from prying eyes. Still, he didn¡¯t boldly use the Item Box publicly in the middle of the street.

    They also bought the items necessary for the trip, like hooded cloaks, insect repellent and so on.

    The shopping ended after 30 minutes because there was no limit to their luggage. They still had time until noon.

    ¡°The Item Box is too convenient. I have time until the card is done, so what should I do after this?¡±

    Tiera didn¡¯t think it would be over this quickly; it was a little anticlimactic.

    ¡°There is a ce I want to go to, is that alright with you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, where do you want to go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to go to the orphanage.¡±

    Shin too, was worried about Thoria¡¯s situation over the seat of sessor. Sister Rashia had learned the skill ¡¾Purification¡¿, and although the orphanage inheriting requirement had been cleared, the pig bishop* might have interfered with something when he felt that he was losing. *(T/N: Shin¡¯s naming)

    ¡°Orphanage? Ah, the ce of the person who buys the cake.¡±

    ¡°More of less. I thought of going there, just in case.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯m interested in the church¡¯s building too. Let¡¯s go there now.¡±

    They faced toward the church, guided by Shin. Did it look forward to meeting Millie? Yuzuha¡¯s tails moved cheerfully to express a happy spirit on top of Shin¡¯s head.

    They walked on for several minutes, but the church was still not open and Rashia and Thoria were cleaning the surroundings. When Shin and Tiera entered the church grounds, Rashia, who noticed, ran up to the two people.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it Shin-san! What are you doing today?¡±

    ¡°I came to check up on the situation. How¡¯d the matter in question turn out?¡±

    ¡°Well then, pleasee to the orphanage. Um, that person is?¡±

    ¡°Ah, My name is Tiera. Nice to meet you.¡±

    ¡°I apologize for not having told you this sooner. I am a sister in this church, and my name is Rashia.¡±

    To Tiera, who introduced herself while feeling a little nervous, Rashia replied with a calm expression. Was there any progress in the talks? Theposure she showed now was not imaginable a few days ago.

    Though Rashia was surprised about Tiera being an employee of Tsuki no Hokora, since that was the case, it was no problem to lead her into the orphanage.

    Shin thought the duties of the church might be dyed, but the church seemed to be closed today. When they arrived at the reception room in the orphanage, Millie was sitting on a sofa for some reason.

    ¡°Shin-nii!¡±

    When she realized that it was Shin who entered after Rashia and Tiera, she jumped vigorously. Seeing the state of the girl who was clinging to him with a smile, Shin expected the transfer problem to have been settled.

    ¡°Yo, you seem to be happy.¡±

    ¡°The orphanage was not lost! Shin¡¯s help. Thank you!¡±

    She seemed to be in a very good mood as her feelings, which wereing out, were reflected on her expression. For Millie, the possibility of the orphanage possibly being lost would be a big problem.

    Shin waited for Millie to settle down and then sat on the sofa, as he had decided to hear the whole story after Tiera had introduced herself again.

    ¡°Thanks to Shin-san it was settled that I would take charge of this church as the next priestess without any problems. The official announcement has not yet been publicized, but I think it will be alright unless something extreme happens.¡±

    The priest, who lives in the upper level district where the nobles live, came to the Orphanage a little while ago; he had to confirm whether or not Rashia¡¯s skill acquisition was authentic.

    When she was asked how she acquired the skill, she answered that it was the result of training. In fact, because the priest seemed to remember that it was possible to learn skills through training, she didn¡¯t appear to be doubted in particr.

    ¡°The children were pleased, too. Really, how can I thank you enough??¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯ve already received the promised reward, please don¡¯t worry about it too much. Ah, this is a present.¡±

    Because he was worried that she would worry about it too much, he changed the topic by handing over the presents to Thoria. In the middle of shopping, they bought them from a peddler due to its unquestionable quality, though the peddler was surprised because Shin purchased said present inrge quantities.

    ¡°Is it alright with this many?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve already bought them, I¡¯d feel rather troubled if they didn¡¯t get epted. Look, Millie has already taken one.¡±

    Thoria, who reserved herself, was won over, while Millie, who was sitting and pressing Yuzuha to her chest, opened one of the bags filled with candy. When Millie took out an orange candy from it, she put in her mouth without hesitating.

    ¡°Sweeet!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡±

    Millie¡¯s smile made everyone around her also smile.

    When the reception room calmed down, the sound of a door opening was audible.

    ¡°Sensei, is that true that onii-chan hase?¡±

    The one who appeared from the door was the girl who mobbed Yuzuha when Shin came to visit before.

    ¡°That¡¯s no good, Melka. Because I¡¯m busy right now.¡±

    ¡°Ehh, but I want to y with onii-chan~¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m having an important talk now. I¡¯ll y with you next time.¡±

    ¡°Muuuu, then can onee-chan, y?¡±

    ¡°Eh, me?¡±

    The girl called Melka promptly changed her target to Tiera when she was declined by Shin. Was this because she was together with Shin, or was it women¡¯s intuition? For the little girl, it seemed like Tiera was judged to be a person whom she didn¡¯t need to be cautious around. She had already caught the hem of Tiera¡¯s clothes.

    ¡°Um, because it¡¯s my first timeing today, I don¡¯t know the games well¡­¡±

    ¡°y?¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    Looking at Melka staring at Tiera, Shin, while smiling wryly, thought ¡°Can¡¯t refuse that.¡± With a lisping voice, and upturned eyes, thisbo from the little girl required immense willpower to decline. She might be cunning depending on the person, but Tiera, who rarely came into contact with children, shouldn¡¯t be able to resist her.

    ¡°Millie,e y too.¡±

    ¡°S-Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°T-Traitor~¡±

    Tiera called for help from Shin, but she was taken away by Melka along with Millie after all. Was she unable to just watch anymore? Thoria too followed them to save her.

    ¡°Umm, will it be fine?¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe.¡±

    Rashia answered as if it was not necessary to stop it. Though it was another matter if it was something good or bad for Tiera, Shin thought it would be a good experience for her to y with children.

    ¡°By the way, Wilhelm is¡­?¡±

    ¡°As usual, he went to investigate the bishop in question. It¡¯s unlikely that he¡¯s going to leave it as it is.¡±

    ¡°As expected, he understands it well.¡±

    As an adventurering from the orphanage, Wilhelm seemed to gather information in cooperation with fellow adventurers. This way, Shin thought it was improbable for this fellow to be obediently lead by the hand.

    ¡°Shin-san also thought the same as Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Though I don¡¯t know why the bishop thought of taking over this church, as far as I know after having heard the story, I don¡¯t think that guy is willing to give up so easily.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯d good if nothing happens.¡±

    ¡° Indeed, that¡¯s right. Please hand this to Thoria and Millie just in case though.¡±

    Shin took out 2 small essories from the Item Box and handed them over to Rashia. One of them was simr to the bracelet he gave to Rashia before, and the other one was attached to a light green colored string and was a simple wooden ne in the shape of a diamond. If one was to say it in a nice way, it had a handmade feeling, and if one was to say it in a rude way, then it looked crappy.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°It grants various magic skills. Just in case.¡±

    He then exined what kind of magics were bestowed upon it to answer Rashia¡¯s question. Because he had already told her about the damage reduction effect of her own bracelet earlier, it was omitted. The ne got the main exnation. Although it had a in appearance, when Rashia heard what kind of material the string and wood were made from, her mind wentpletely nk for a short while. One of the reasons he chose this material was because it wouldn¡¯t stand out among the children in the orphanagepared to if it was a metal ne.

    ¡°What can I say. Just amazing!¡±

    ¡°About Millie¡¯s ne, it has the ability to block her ability. How¡¯s it going with the bracelet I gave you before?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still wearing it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for me to continue borrowing it, but Will asked me to wear it. Though I¡¯m intending to return it in the near future.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine with it as it is. Since the safety of the church isn¡¯t settled yet, there is still the possibility of Rashia bing a target, too. The danger will be minimized if you keep wearing it.¡±

    Rather than the problem of the continuation of the orphanage, the possibility of Rashia being aimed at was high. Therefore, besides the essory for Millie, the bracelets for Rashia and Thoria had considerable abilities, too. They could even stand against a chosen one for a certain period of time.

    ¡°Thank you very much for everything.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to prostrate yourself that much.¡±

    Though she was only half satisfied with the way she had shown her appreciation, the words were stored in her heart.

    ¡°Please have lunch with us at the very least. You still have time, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Shall we feast?¡±

    She probably wanted to pay back her feelings of gratitude, even if just a little. He nodded to Rashia about lunch, and they proceeded to the square where the children were.

    Tiera was surrounded by several young girls, maybe ying with dolls, since some beautiful handmade dolls were ced around her. Yuzuha, who was being mobbed earlier, was seeking refuge on top of Tiera¡¯s head. Yuzuha seemed to have learned that no one could touch it when at that location.

    In contrast to the young girls, who were happy and joyful, for some reason, the boys were looking at Tiera¡¯s group from afar. Although the boys seemed to be kicking around a round ball that looked like a ser ball, they nced at the girls too much, especially toward Tiera.

    ¡°The boys are kind of quiet, huh?¡±

    ¡°No no, that¡¯s a normal reaction.¡±

    Shin said while holding hisughter, to Rashia who looked puzzled. She apparently didn¡¯t know why the boys didn¡¯t approach the girls.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°They are probably too embarrassed to approach because of how beautiful Tiera is.¡±

    Though there was a boy who was mixed in with the girls, when Shin looked at him, the boy appeared to be at the age of a child who had just started kindergarten. The boys, who were watching from a distance, were equal to children approaching puberty. When one reached that age, it became difficult to freely talk to an older, beautiful onee-san. That didn¡¯t mean that everyone disyed the same behavior, but Shin, who had simr experiences, understood the feeling of wanting to talk but being too embarrassed to do so.

    ¡°Tiera-san is indeed beautiful, even from my point of view as a woman, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that hard to call out to her.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can understand, because I also experienced simr things as a boy, but it¡¯s not strange if you don¡¯t understand it, Rashia.¡±

    Speaking of simr patterns, there were children in kindergarten who were in love with their teacher, and primary school children who were interested in the onee-san type.

    He had a wry smile when he recalled the good old memories as an adult. The world was different, but simr things seemed to happen everywhere. He told the frowning Rashia not to worry about it, and called out to Tiera who was beckoning him.

    Tiera, who noticed it, kept evading the eyes from the girls that seemed to be reluctant at parting, and came over to Shin.

    ¡°Shi¡«n¡«, how could you abandon me?¡±

    ¡°No, hold on, I just thought that it would be impossible to reject them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ certainly, it was impossible to refuse that. *Sigh* I guess it can¡¯t be helped, huh.¡±

    ¡°Leaving that aside, because I¡¯m treating you to lunch, I want to take out some ingredients. How about it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. Well, since I promised to make Yuzuha-chan some inarisushi, how about I make it for the children of the orphanage as well? May I borrow the kitchen?¡±

    Even though the sun was already high in the sky, there was still enough time. There was no problem if they overstayed a little.

    Tiera also had the ¡¾Cooking¡¿ skill since it was taught to her by Schnee. The eyes of the children were nailed to the inarisushi which was soon disyed on a te.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re the one who ended up making it, even though it was me who suggested it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, since I¡¯m the one who wanted to do it. Although I said one thing or another, it was fun ying with the children.¡±

    The church seemed to be a ce for a tranquil heart, as there were children who could approach without being timid. Even from Shin¡¯s point of view, he had a feeling that Tiera¡¯s expression had be softer than before.

    Lunch ended and Shin and Tiera wanted to help put things in order, but Rashia¡¯s words of, ¡°I can¡¯t have you do that¡± caused them to excuse themselves.

    They left the church and returned to the guild. Because it was already past noon at that time, Tiera¡¯s guild card should have been made.

    The bar inside of the guild was crowded with adventurers having a meal. They went towards the receptionist area to avoid the crowd, and called out to Celica. Were there few adventurers receiving requests at this time? They were able to talk without even waiting.

    ¡°This is Tiera-sama¡¯s guild card. Please check it.¡±

    ¡°There seems to be no problem. Thank you very much.¡±

    Tiera confirmed the card functions without any problems. Shin also took out his own guild card at this point.

    ¡°While you¡¯re at it, can you please register us as a party.¡±

    ¡°Understood. In regards to the members, there are only two people, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±

    In the case of a fixed party, it seemed that the guild required a party name, but they decided to not do it this time.

    They were seen off by Celica and Els and left the guild. Their destination was the shopping street again.

    This time, they bought preserved foods due to the acquaintances they¡¯d be traveling with on their trip. Because they would be in the presence of others during this trip, the Item Box couldn¡¯t be used lightly. However, since the rations were made into cards and taken along, it didn¡¯t change the quantitypared to the normal preparation for a trip.

    Besides that, it might not even be necessary since there was the remarks column in the request that stated that meals were included, but it was for emergencies. ¡®Save for a rainy day, save for a time of need¡¯ was thought, and they kept shopping.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to go now.¡±

    As they arranged the necessary items they bought, Shin called out to Tiera.

    ¡°Eh, but it¡¯s not time yet.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m taking Tsuki no Hokora with us.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t leave Tsuki no Hokora as it was, before the departure.

    ¡°Ipletely forgot about it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not good, forgetting about it, at least.¡±

    ¡°I normally wouldn¡¯t think about forgetting a ¡ºHouse¡», you know!¡±

    That was quite natural. It was crazy to think that a ¡ºHouse¡»could be considered a personal property item.

    ¡°S-Sorry. Look, am I not the owner of Tsuki no Hokora? So it¡¯s only natural to think that it could be carried.¡±

    ¡°The old generation is weird after all. Or is Shin particrly strange?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cruel!?¡±

    Tiera voiced the question without hesitation with a teasing smile. While receiving the mental damage, Shin took out a light blue crystal from the Item Box.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡ºCrystal Stone¡». You¡¯ve never seen one before?¡±

    ¡°That is a Crystal Stone? That one is big and clearly processed, something which I am seeing for the first time right now.¡±

    ¡°This item is bestowed with ¡ºMetastasis¡» magic. I can move to a registered point in an instant if I use it. It a disposable one, but with this we can move to Tsuki no Hokora without any effort.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s right. The things that Shin pulls out are all unique.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rude.¡±

    Did Tiera go beyond being amazed, and arrive at the eptance state? ¡®Shin clearly said that we could move in an instant with the metastasize-crystal.¡¯ .

    There were a lot of mages who have tried to reproduce the magic up till now, but they weren¡¯t able to get even a little foothold on it.

    This mystery, among the secrets of the old generation, was assumed to have already been lost.

    No one would be able to expect things would came out from said item with a pop.

    ¡°Shin, I want to check one thing.¡±

    ¡°Ah, ok, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Maybe, just maybe¡­is it possible to manufacture this?¡±

    Tiera had glossy eyes. It waspletely different from the mood from a while ago, and Shin couldn¡¯t hide his bewilderment.

    Still, he understood that the item he took out appeared to be the stuff that defiedmon sense, again.

    ¡°Please tell me, before I answer your question, but what would others think about a Crystal Stone with the metastasis ability?¡±

    ¡°¡­Metastasis, itself, is considered a lost magic.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Shin understood with those words. If that was the case, he could see why Tiera would be surprised. Even from Shin¡¯s experience so far, the Crystal Stone was thought to be quite valuable.

    But he frankly found the ¡®lost¡¯ part in Tiera¡¯s sentence hard to believe. He was certain that it could have been spread out to the general public, but it seemed like such a thing was likely to have been concealed. It would not be surprising, if even the country and the organization were secretly covering it up.

    ¡°Then I will also answer, yes, it¡¯s possible to manufacture it. If, and only if, you have sufficient materials.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sigh, I guess so. For one of Rokuten, a Crystal Stone with metastasis is easy to make, huh?¡±

    As she settled with a sigh, Tiera too, seemed to begin to understand what sort of people belonged to the Rokuten guild.

    ¡°Ahh, though it seems bad when you are dispirited, may I transfer us now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, do it.¡±

    He took the defiant Tiera to an open ce with no signs of life. Together with Schnee, he had confirmed that it was usable without problems. It was possible to use it soon after having woken up in this world, but he would rather not take the risk. Unlike other tools, it was unknown what would happen if it failed, so he couldn¡¯t bring himself to use that item.

    When Shin let magic power flow into the Crystal Stone to act as a detonator, the magic stored inside the stone activated itself. Their vision distorted, and shelves that lined up with goods came into view in the next moment.

    The two people were certainly in Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°T-That¡¯s a strange feeling. And, how are you going to carry this ce?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go outside for a moment. Then we can start on that conversation.¡±

    Shin went toward the door as he mumbled a bit. Because Shin turned his back, Tiera didn¡¯t see that Shin¡¯s mouth continued moving.

    It was the familiar woods outside of the store as they exited it. Shin nced around as he surveyed the surrounding area.

    There was a green marker which was not there when he came to Tsuki no Hokora before, glowing on the map screen.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a rat. I think it¡¯s time to tease that guy a little.¡±

    Shin said that while looking at the trees or at the rat? Tiera had a question mark floating above her head. Though she wanted to retort that he might be looking for a rat in the wrong ce, the opponent was Shin. Common sense wouldn¡¯t work anyway, so Tiera stopped questioning it.

    Shin finished the preparation, stopped talking to himself, and held up his hand toward Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°¡ºStorage¡»!¡±

    Simultaneously with those words, Tsuki no Hokora began to glow faintly. The light extended out to cover the whole store, and in the next moment, the lights were converging into a single point.

    It stayed in the air for only a few seconds and then slowly flew and settled in Shin¡¯s hand afterward. When the light disappeared, a ne with a crescent moon shape was grasped in his hand. It shined silver and seemed to be more valuable than its poor artwork showed. The transparent glow was proof that it was not ordinary silverwork.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is Tsuki no Hokora, carry mode.¡±

    ¡°You really can carry it! As expected.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s doubt was answered while he put the ne away into the Item Box.

    Did she tire of getting surprised? Or did she grow ustomed to it? Tiera¡¯s words contained pure admiration.

    There was no reason to stay forever in a ce that had gone, although Tiera looked at the ce where the former Tsuki no Hokora was for a while, so they decided to head toward the departure ce on the request. It was just the right time. Shin knew this because of the time disyed in the menu screen. Furthermore, it was because he was wearing a wristwatch-like item.

    The other two possible applicants had already arrived. Because of that, he nned to have a conversation for a little while. They would participate in the same request for some period of time, so there was no loss in deepening their friendship.

    When they entered the country in the direction of the east gate from the Tsuki no Hokora site, in a corner of the za before the east gate was where the departure point was located, the wagon upon which the luggage was already loaded had arrived. A group of two people who appeared to be a Dragnil and Lord race were standing on the side.

    ¡°Excuse me, this is Nack-san¡¯s wagon, correct?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s right¡­Oh, both of you adventurers are joining us, right?¡±

    It was the Dragnil who responded. Probably because he had thought words simr prior to joining, they served as confirmation and he therefore called out to him. The blue scales that were covering its whole body gave out a really strong impression. Judging from the deep voice, it was probably a male. The longsword on his waist and the chest protector were made with some kind of skin that stood out. If he didn¡¯t put on that much protective gear, he was probably the type who yed around with speed. Or maybe, he probably didn¡¯t need much protective gear because the scales were hard enough?

    ¡°Yes, we will be going together, although it¡¯s sudden. By the way, I¡¯m Shin. This here is Tiera who is made a party with me.¡±

    ¡°I am Tiera. I hope to get along with you.¡±

    ¡°Yea, my name is Gaien. It is my pleasure to get along with you along the journey. And this one here is¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Tsubaki, best regards¡±

    The one who had introduced herself with a few words was a girl with crimson hair that reached her back along with red eyes. The red eyes, which were transparent in contrast to the hair which was darker in color, were observing Shin and Tiera.

    Her height was considered short. At least one fist lower than Tiera. Probably about 150 cemels. Though the features were in order, it would not be strange if someone said that she was a high school student only by appearance. However, he had a painful experience because of judging from appearances in the THE NEW GATE.

    Since she could work as an adventurer, he judged that they wouldn¡¯t have any problems. He was positive that she should at least have an E rank ability.

    Gaien¡¯s level was 187, and Tsubaki¡¯s level was 133. If one judged it only by the level, Gaien might be an A-rank adventurer. The sword on his waist didn¡¯t seem to be for decoration.

    As for Tsubaki, her level already exceeded rank E.

    ¡°Oh! Did additional faces appear? I am Nack the merchant. I hope we get along until Beirun!¡±

    When they introduced themselves to each other, a dwarf showed up from the shadow of the wagon and started talking. Apparently, this person seemed to be the client of the request. The muscr body which differed from the usual Dwarf, was wrapped in well-tailored clothes, which gave off the feeling that something was wrong. They properly exchanged greetings, and boarded the wagon in order.

    ¡°Everyone has gotten aboard. It¡¯s a little early, but let¡¯s depart!¡±

    Nack¡¯s voice was cheerful while the whip sh was heard from the driver seat, and the wagon started to move slowly.

    As the wagon with 5 people passed through the east gate, it began to advance straight north, to Beirun.

    Afterwards, the news of the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora made the higher-ups of Bayreuth Kingdom arrive at the pinnacle of the confusion. It would be a story for the future before Shin and the others knew it.

    ~~

    The disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora.

    That information was not only known to the upper echelon of the Bayreuth Kingdom, but it was spread out even to the other countries, which were monitoring Tsuki no Hokora, in a sh.

    Initially, everyone had to confirm whether it was a mistake. For more than 500 years, preceding the Dusk of the Majesty, the immovable building existed without change. People couldn¡¯t invade it no matter how powerful they were, it didn¡¯t permit any high-level monsters to invade, not even a single step. It was the secret shop that was made with lost technology, that was Tsuki no Hokora. When it was said to have disappeared, it was impossible to believe it so easily.

    However, after verifying it many times, the only answer was: ¡°No doubt about it¡±. The side that received the report was still good. At the actual scene, the shock of the people seeing Tsuki no Hokora vanish before their eyes, was also indirectly affecting the superior who heard the news from far away. At this point, a strange situation urred, where the spies who monitored Tsuki no Hokora revealed themselves in broad daylight, and ascertained each other whether the scene they just saw was true.

    ¡°What the heck just happened!?¡±

    It was their superior who was shouting.

    It was noisy in a corner inside a castle.

    They had gathered in a meeting room, talking about the important matter at hand. Although they were roused up from bed before the first sunshine appeared on the horizon, nock of sleep appeared on their faces. To begin with, there was no such margin for that, except one part.

    ¡°Well then, there is no mistake in that report after all?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no doubt about it.¡±

    The one who asked from that ce, where the head of the table sat, was the King of Bayreuth Kingdom, Jeon Courtade Bayreuth. With blond hair, blue eyes, and 2 mels of height covered with muscles; this person had the body of a warrior.

    By all means, it was a splendid king who d himself with dignity as the ruler of his body, but it wasn¡¯t going so well today. The agony-d expression on Jeon face made even the prime minister worry about whether they should continue answering his questions or not. This time, it was not just a problem for Bayreuth Kingdom. Let alone the neighboring countries, an inquiry would surelye from the Empire and Imperial if they did a bad job.

    ¡°Tsuki no Hokora¡­Disappeared¡­huh?¡±

    Everyone who gathered had a darkplexion.

    The one who was, more or less, better off was the first princess, the royal magician. Jeon saw the report while knowing that it would not change no matter how many times he read it. Here was the summary.

    ¨CReport About the Disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora¨C

    Fourth month, second day.

    At the sound of the 12th bell, that indicated it was noon, all of sudden the Tsuki no Hokora begin to emit light.

    After a few seconds, when the light settled, Tsuki no Hokora was already gone.

    The spies for each nation were confused about the sudden urrence, too.

    This caused the situation where we mutually contacted each other.

    There was no reaction from the skill detection system, though we did investigate the hollowed-out mark left in the ground.

    Again, there was no sign of anything happening in the surroundings either.

    The whole urrence was aplete mystery.

    The people who were assigned to the monitoring job jotted down the details of what they saw in the report. It was written as detailed as possible, even though the amount of sentences were few. It was not possible to report it any further, as they didn¡¯t have much information.

    The spies of the other countries in the vicinity whom they exchanged information with and of whom they should be wary of, understood the disordered state of the site well. It was that crazy.

    However, they didn¡¯t want to go back without understanding anything. Even though Tsuki no Hokora did not belong to Bayreuth Kingdom, it was almost next to them. They took pride in having a more intimate rtion with the shop than any other country.

    ¡°Do you know what happened to Raizar-dono?¡±

    ¡°No, however the second princess, Rionne-sama has reported that she came into contact with her in the Wraith ins. Because of the considerable distance, it is the only ce to think of when Tsuki no Hokora disappeared.¡±

    ¡°I see. There¡¯s no mistake if Rionne said so, but¡­as long as Raizar-dono does not have some problem, she will at least show up for the distribution of the spoils of war several dayster, because if Raizar-dono is healthy, it should spread to the many countries.¡±

    Even if Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, if Schnee Raizar was alive and well, it should not be a lethal problem. The important one was not the building, but the person who lived there.

    ¡°Tell Rionne that when Raizar-dono appears, she is to report it with Mind Chat immediately. That¡¯s an order!¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    He passed on an order to one of the soldiers who was standing guard, and left. There were a few of the old generation who served the king, and every one of them was currently in the midst of gathering information by Mind Chat. Jeon had to change his n, as there was no other way, even though it put a strain on his informationwork.

    And then, because the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora had never happened before, he ordered an investigation.

    ~~

    Let¡¯s rewind back the time a little to the previous day.

    While Shin and the others who left the kingdom were jolted about in a wagon, they confirmed each other¡¯s hands. They confirmed what they were able to do and what they couldn¡¯t do, because it might cause a dy in judgement in the case of an emergency. It was mainly confirming each others job and rank, also whether having the ability to use magic or not. The level and way of fighting could be understood roughly with this. Since there was the danger of revealing level and trump cards during the first meeting, it might be concealed somehow or another.

    ¡°As you can see, I am a samurai. Adventurer rank is A. I can use charms to some extent, but I don¡¯t not want to rely on it very much.¡± (T/N: Gaien uses ¡°sessha¡± to refer to himself)

    It was Gaien who gave information about himself first. It seemed he was an A-rank adventurer after all. His equipment itself was unrted to his job. So when he said ¡°As you can see¡± with his current state of not wearing a kimono, no one could have guessed it without ¡¾Analyze¡¿. Samurai was a vanguard job, it was natural that they didn¡¯t use much magic as they didn¡¯t get an upation bonus for that. As for expecting a proper magic attack, the rear guard jobs that get an upation bonus (in INT/WIS)monly used those.

    ¡°I am a fist fighter. Rank is E. I can use a little support magic to raise agility.¡±

    The next one who opened her mouth was Tsubaki. Her level seemed to be befitting of a rank D, but it appeared that she had only newly joined the guild. Incidentally, he was told that she was going to be rank D very soon.

    ¡°I am more or less an alchemist, but I can use a bow and dagger¡­if I have to¡­ I just registered to be an adventurer, so my rank is G. I can use water and wind magic arts and create simple recovery medicines, if necessary, please call out to me¡­¡±

    Tiera, who almost spoke in formal lines, did so partly because it was their first meeting. Though it was a great difference from when she met Shin in Tsuki no Hokora for the first time.

    It was Gaien who suggested first to speak casually, so they didn¡¯t have to pay attention to their wording. Since they had to entrust their lives to each other, and there was no objections, which lead to the present.

    Even though she was worried about having a low-level and rank, her recovery medicine was reassuring, Gaien and Tsubaki encouraged Tiera who was feeling a little small.

    In reality, it was very difficult to consume a potion during a battle. Though the story was different when there are a lot of people, there were many situations where there was only a little bit of time when hunting a dangerous monster. For the few adventurers who fight regrly, having an ally who could cast recovery magic could make a big difference in the survival rate.

    ¡°I am simr to Gaien, a samurai. Rank E. I can use a little fire and lightning magic. And this is Yuzuha. Even though it might appear this way, this is an excellent monster.¡±

    Shin told them about himself and Yuzuha. Including Tiera, he didn¡¯t forget to inform them that they did a guarding-type job for the first time, too. This was because experience could be the factor which makes the difference between life or death. He was not asked for his level this time, but if he was, he ought to pretend that it was low. Because he didn¡¯t know what surprise it would cause, if he carelessly said that his level exceeded 200. When one thinks of Shin¡¯s age, it was indeed too abnormal.

    Just in case, he had already arranged beforehand to tell the same story as Tiera. Of course, he had already forbidden Celica, who knew the circumstances, from speaking about it, too.

    For Yuzuha, he talked about it being contracted by the tamer contract, and informed them that there was no danger.

    ¡°Oh, you can use magic while being a samurai, huh? I didn¡¯t hear about it in detail, but it seemed that doing so requires extraordinary training. It is also unusual to have tamed a monster.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that. I¡¯d be troubled if you expect me to be at the magician level. I only use it for diversions and surprise attacks to a certain degree. Yuzuha, by the way, is unexpectedly strong, right?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Although these diversions were a far cry from the instant kills he could produce if he was serious, it seemed to be moderate for a rank E.

    Since for a vanguard to use magic was enough, Gaien and Tsubaki should not have high expectations, like magician level, either.

    ¡°Are you peopleing from Hinomoto?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not, but why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Almost all people from Hinomoto are samurais. This is the first time that I¡¯ve met a samurai other than Gaien.¡±

    Shin looked puzzled at Tsubaki¡¯s question, but understood it after hearing the reason. Even though Shin had also collected information via the ¡¾Analyze¡¿ and¡¾Listen¡¿skills, finding a person who had the samurai job was nearly impossible. That was probably why Tsubaki said that it was unusual. But, it didn¡¯t mean that Shin had never seen one. When he was walking toward the guild for the first time, the Dragnil he saw wearing a long sword at his waist was actually Gaien.

    ¡°Usually it is a warrior or knight one sees in this country. And then there is the job specialization. A lot of the people who are aiming to be a samurai are oddballs.¡±

    ¡°Oddballs!? That¡¯s absurd¡­ because it is a job that is excellent for raids¡­¡±

    In a basic strategy, it is a hit and run job that deals out a heavy blow while ying around with speed, but the samurai could also tank if equipped with warrior armor.

    The job that was popr in the game era regardless of generation seems to be different in this world.

    ¡°That is probably because the prerequisite is the necessity to master both the knight and berserker jobs.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡±

    Shin consented to Gaien after hearing the reason.

    In the game specification, one needed to have two jobs, knight and berserker, to be a samurai. The requirements seemed to be identical in this world.

    On one hand, a knight put emphasis on defence, and on the other hand, a berserker put emphasis on attack. Mastering two contradicting jobs was the reason that samurai were known to be able fight versatile. That was the reason a samurai was easy to use. Although there was highpensation, Tsubaki seemingly found it difficult to understand somehow or other.

    ¡°I understand it, but to put it bluntly, it¡¯s strong?¡±

    ¡°I agree on that point, but it¡¯s strange after all.¡±

    Then Gaien interrupted the conversing Tsubaki and Shin.

    ¡°Either way, it¡¯s the difference in cultures. Hinomoto is an ind country that was formed by a natural disaster. There are some bases of the guild where people with jobs like samurai and shinobi gathered at that time. Those people yed a key role and made it possible for the country to be established. For that reason, the people who now use their body to fight for Hinomoto have a strong admiration for samurai. The country is regarded as a curiosity, even though it is quite smallpared to the countries on the continent, so only a few peoplee near it. I, personally, was often puzzled in various ways after I left the ind.¡±

    The guild that Gaien talked about appeared to be different from the current adventurers¡¯ guild. Hearing the story, it seemed to be the one from the game age.

    Shin felt like it was too good to be true when he heard about an ind country filled with samurai.

    ¡°By the way, what are the names of the guilds that founded the country?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what is generally known as their pursuit of natural beauty, the ¡®Dark Child Shrine¡¯.¡±

    ¡°H-Heh, it that so?¡±

    Shin showed understanding with an ¡®I see¡¯, without putting it into words.

    The guild that Gaien mentioned, with a Japanese style name, represented by samurai and shinobi, was formed by people who liked the Japanese clothes, such as the shrine maiden clothing. In that guild, the samurai, shinobi, and miko(shrine maiden), ordered sequentially by the highest number, werepeting for power. The guild house was a castle, needless to say a Shinto shrine, and consisted of many entric yers. Because the armed forces that protected the guild house consisted of only support characters, they might have been able to repel monsters even if the yers disappeared. Shin thought that if they cooperated, they should have the ability to govern a small country.

    ¡°In addition, there seemed to be some small guilds, too, but I don¡¯t remember it well.¡±

    ¡°I understand it well, thank you.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know that the country had originally been a guild in the game era. Possibly, there might be a lot of surprises there.

    ~~

    They exchanged various information while being jolted around in the wagon for a few days. The party advanced smoothly without being attacked by monsters, and because it was a Grimm horse, a demon beast, that pulled the wagon, their speed was twice as fast as normal. By the way, this Grimm horse was the one that Shin saw at the gate, when he had visited Bayreuth for the first time. The Tamer, who he caught a glimpse of when entering the gate at that time, was Nack who was doing this request. A merchant with the sub-job Tamer could pull a wagon in the same way as yers did in the game era.

    Shin and the others decided to take turns watching the surrounding, and those who could take the position of coachman took over for Nack alternately as they continued traveling.

    It was when Nack had just taken his turn to be the coachman that the sign for enemies was disyed in Shin¡¯s perception range.

    ¡°Something ising. And it¡¯s fast.¡±

    ¡°What? Tell me in detail.¡±

    ¡°There are 12 bodies ahead. Judging from the number and speed, it might be a wolf pack, but¡­¡±

    Though Shin knew the full details, he simply told them some spection, because it would be troublesome if he told them too much.

    ¡°That alone is plenty of notice. You guys! It¡¯s time to work!¡±

    When Nack heard about the situation from Shin, he immediately raised his loud voice, before Shin had finished talking. As expected from a former adventurer, his courage resounded through the air. It was so loud that if a person was asleep, they would jump up to their feet. However, his words sounded more like that of a bandit than a merchant.

    When his voice rose, Gaien and Tsubaki were already finished preparing. Tiera too was holding her bow, and confirming the quiver position. Apparently Gaien had also perceived the signs.

    ¡°It¡¯s a wolf group as Shin said. I¡¯m worried about there being no movement from the 2 animals at the rear, but first, let¡¯s take care of the 10 animals in the lead.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking the same thing. If they are willing to approach a Grimm horse pulling a wagon, then I know that they are not ordinary beasts.¡±

    Shin, who heard Gaien and Nack exchange opinions, looked at the monsters¡¯ details that wereing up.

    The monsters¡¯ name was Jag Wolf. It was twice as big as a normal wolf, an extremely aggressive monster. Their movement speed was in a different leaguepared to ordinary wolves. Ten of them wereing toward Shin and the others. Their average level was around 100, with one of them at level 120. This one was probably the leader of the pack. As for the two that were staying behind, their level didn¡¯t even reach level 10. They might have been left behind because of the danger.

    3 out of 10 Jag Wolves went ahead of the pack. The rest of them divided into two to go to the right and left, scattering between the trees sessively, while the leading three, including the leader, were getting closer approaching.

    The road where the wagon was on right now was caught within in the forest. They seemed to intend to perform a surprise attack using the forest as cover. Gaien appeared to grasp the position of the approaching enemy, immediately deciding the arrangement without Shin having to suggest it.

    ¡°Split into the left and right. I will hold the front. Shin to the right, Tsubaki to the left. Tiera, give support from the top of the wagon. Nack-dono, stay near the horse. I think it won¡¯t go wild if a tamer is nearby.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no turning back in this situation. Come on!!¡±

    Nack stopped the wagon at a rtively wide section, and each of them was given a position to hold. Yuzuha stayed beside the Grimm horse, just in case.

    ¡°Here we go!!¡±

    Gaien¡¯s shout was the signal as the three leading wolves showed movement. The center one sprang forward from the front and the remaining two went to his left and right.

    Gaien, with a longsword in his right hand and the sheath in his left, charged to the front.

    ¡°Nuun!!¡±

    Something like a light blue aura covered Gaien¡¯s body as the Jag Wolf approached, flicking away therge beast.

    Dyed with a short pause, the other two Jag Wolves approached. Without Gaien panicking, he sliced at the jaw of the beast on the right by brandishing arge swing and jumped to his left, where the one on that side received a hit on its mouth and thereby silenced.

    The remaining Jag Wolf, which had been pushed off, saw itspanions get defeated in an instant, and was disheartened.

    ¡°Mu, it¡¯s somewhat easy.¡±

    He scowled at the lightness of the resistance, but he didn¡¯t need to go all out if the opponent was weak, so Gaien concentrated his attention on the approaching leader.

    ¡°As expected. By the way, there are someing here, too.¡±

    ¡°The left side is quick. Do you see it from above?¡±

    To Shin¡¯s warning, which perceived the Jag Wolf approaching from the forest, Tsubaki answered and asked Tiera.

    ¡°I caught it!¡±

    Tiera was already aiming at the fastest one and shot the arrow into the forest.

    A howl of pain was heard from the point that the arrownded at, and one of the markers disyed on Shin¡¯s map disappeared.

    ¡°Did you actually kill it?¡±

    As Tiera was relieved, Tsubaki voiced some admiration.

    ¡°I did.¡±

    Shin thought she couldn¡¯t kill it in one shot when he thought about the level differences, but the Jag Wolf seemed to have run out of energy unexpectedly. It might have hit a vital point.

    Was it because they received an unexpected counterattack on the left side? The Jag Wolves turned back to where the leader was.

    ¡°It went back, huh? Tsubaki, please go support Gaien. Tiera and I are enough to hold this position.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    As Tsubaki moved ording to Shin¡¯s instruction, a Jag Wolf jumped out from the forest on the right. The w attack of the Jag Wolf passed through next to Shin, and moved toward where Nack was. The attack towards Shin appeared to have been a feint.

    But, it was too careless to have thought that it was able to outwit Shin to that degree.

    Shin twisted his body to dodge the Jag wolf¡¯s w and at the same time, pulled out a katana to parry. The one he pulled out from the scabbard hanging at his waist was the longsword katana which he had forged in Tsuki no Hokora before. A single attack from a sword that was at a simr level to an average Magic Sword; it traced a white line in the air and the Jag Wolf¡¯s neck was cut into two.

    As the body fell over, Shin thought that his physical ability rose proportional to his kic vision, but he only had time to observe the Jag Wolf. And then he felt that something was wrong.

    While thinking about the source of that ufortable feeling, Shin perceived another Jag Wolf approaching. The Jag Wolf probably didn¡¯t want to waste an ally¡¯s sacrifice, as its fangs were already out when Shin turned his eyes. It was at a close enough of a distance for Shin to quickly counterattack with his sword.

    But an arrow pierced the forehead of the Jag Wolf before he could swing the katana. Seeing the wolf receive a mortal wound, Shin dodged with a sway as the Jag Wolf fell past him due to the momentum from its leap, and then he turned toward Tiera.

    ¡°Nice follow-up!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not nice, geez.¡±

    Tiera, who shot the arrow, breathed out as she was relieved, and nocked the next arrow.

    Instant sniping was quite a sight to behold. No matter how one looked at it, that was not a move a newly fledged adventurer should know. Schnee training her was really not just for show.

    ¡°If you can do that kind of movement, you would have no problem at rank E. Go cover the other side quickly!¡±

    ¡°Tsubaki also said something simr. Well, I got it.¡±

    They shifted their attention forward as Gaien and Tsubaki fought against five of the wolves, including the leader. Did Tsubaki use magic to raise her agility, as she mentioned earlier? Her body was enveloped with a thin white aura while she was trifling with the Jag Wolves.

    ¡°Haa!!¡±

    One of the wolves was unable to keep up with her pace and received a direct hit from her fist and vanished.

    Tsubaki¡¯s radiant blunt gauntlet sunk into its body, and it was thrown off at the tree while bending back and forth, without moving. It was a scene that would make one question where that power came from, with such a thin arm.

    Tsubaki¡¯s level was 133. There was nearly a 30 level differencepared to the Jag Wolf; even so, she gave off a feeling of power.

    ¡°This is strange. These fellows¡¯ movements are rather slow.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. Their reactions are pretty mild.¡±

    While Gaien muttered that while throwing an enemy down into the ground, Tsubaki also agreed. Apparently everyone seemed to have felt that something was wrong.

    Shin joined in and it became 3 against the remaining 3 members of the pack, including the leader. They didn¡¯t show any behavior of turning their backs at all. Normally, they should have already tried to run away.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t these fellows look a bit thin?¡±

    Shin said as he noticed it when the other two people spoke of a sense of incongruity. The Jag Wolf appeared to show its ribs if one looked closely, even the leader as well.

    ¡°It¡¯s like the demon essence affected these monsters somehow or another. They probably aimed for the Grimm horse because of its meat and demon essence. That certainly exins theck of resistance I felt a while ago.¡±

    Gaien nodded when he understood it, without dropping his guard against the Jag Wolf.

    There were monsters that were born from the demon essence¡¯s influence, and wild beasts that became monsters due to the demon essence. The former could live on demon essence alone, but thetter was different. They had to eat meat and could not just absorb demon essence to maintain their bodies. The majority of thesetter types often attacked people and domestic animals, but it didn¡¯t get much public attention, because the former have such a strong demon essence. Gaien exined the situation on the way. As for Shin, since he didn¡¯t remember in detail how the monsters spawned during the game, he memorized it for future reference.

    ¡°It is prepared for death as there¡¯s nowhere for it to go.¡±

    Tsubaki said it inly. Even for the monsters in this world, they had to be strong to exist. Before the rule of the survival of the fittest, all living things were equal. There was no line dividing the humans and monsters here.

    It must be remembered that Shin¡¯s and the others¡¯ request was to guard the wagon. If it ran away, they would not chase after the wolf, but they could not help but kill it if it continued to attack.

    The choices left for the Jag Wolves was either to die starving or to die fighting.

    ¡°We are also risking our life for this. Shin, it¡¯s useless to hold back.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Shin answered him briefly, as this was not the first time he fought a monster to live.

    However, he had never met such a desperate opponent prior to this time.

    (The resolution is different from the previous guys. Though that¡¯s the only difference, it couldn¡¯t have done that so easily.)

    It was not about challenging a strong opponent, nor the hunt or fight.

    It fought to live.

    To the extent that the pressure they received was remarkably different.

    (Moreover, the two of them that are behind it are still pups.)

    The two that were approaching little by little were still children with the shapes of puppies.

    Was it because he was a Japanese person, that his de was getting blunt?

    ¡°I will kill the leader. Tsubaki on the right, Shin on the left.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Roger that.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­let¡¯s go!!¡±

    The timing was matched to each other.

    Tsubaki and Shin were the first to begin.

    Tsubaki stepped into the fight with her aura continuing as it was. Judging from the Jag Wolf¡¯s point of view, it felt like there was a chance of being cut down if it blinked. To the opponent, which froze by reflex, Tsubaki swung down her fist without mercy.

    The Jag Wolf mmed into the ground with a cracking sound, and then twitched a few times before it stopped moving.

    Shin also took a stance and raising his sword above his head, stepped in with a speed superior to Tsubaki¡¯s. The katana swung down as he stepped forward. The Jag Wolf didn¡¯t move. No, it was not possible for it to move.

    At the same time as the arc in the air disappeared, its body slipped diagonally. The eyes of the Jag Wolf blinked a few times as it turned toward Shin. It might not even have noticed the cut.

    ¡°Then after you.¡±

    ¡°Umu, agreed.¡±

    Gaien stepped forward between Shin and Tsubaki. The reason why the leader didn¡¯t attack Shin and Tsubaki was because Gaien had overpowered it.

    There was no longer a chance of winning. Still, the Jag Wolf leader didn¡¯t back down. It raised a short howl and put its strength into its limb. Its intention to live was straightforward. Even if he thought it was hopeless, Shin felt a sense of respect for that figure.

    The leader exerted its power for a few seconds. In itsst dash, it squeezed out all of its strength, aiming at Gaien. The speed was as expected from the alpha of a pack; powerful.

    ¡°Magnificent.¡±

    It was Gaien who spoke words of praise. He prepared his longsword while facing the oing leader.

    For the leader, which was approaching straight, Gaien moved calmly. The figure of Gaien wavering, with his feet side-stepping.

    The moment of their sh. In the next moment, along with Gaien¡¯s swung down sword, there was the figure of the leader split in two.

    While waving the blood off of his de, Gaien turned his eyes toward thest, small Jag Wolves ahead.

    ¡°What should we do?¡±

    How would a person of this world make such a decision at this time. To find out the answer to that question, Shin called out to Gaien.

    ¡°I will kill them if they attack, but I won¡¯t give chase if they decide to leave. Our work is to guard, not to hunt monsters. In any case, I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s possible for those two children to survive on their own.¡±

    In case they survived, they might get attacked by someone else. However, that was for another story. If they appeared outside a vige in this world, it was amon sense to employ a bodyguard or to learn some self-defense. They might get attacked by other monsters or even by bandits in either case. Even if they killed the Jag Wolf children here, the possibility of someone else attacking the wagon, as well as themselves, didn¡¯t decrease.

    The children might have understood that their parents had died. They disappeared into the forest to escape.

    ¡°Somehow, it leaves a bad aftertaste in the mouth.¡±

    ¡°It was different from a fight againstmon monsters, huh.¡±

    Shin nodded to Tiera¡¯s words.

    ¡°I share your sympathy. I¡¯ve never experienced such a fight before.¡±

    Gaien consented.

    ¡°But it¡¯s not good to mind it too much either.¡±

    What Tsubaki said was right; if they worried about it too much and thereby let it dull their des, apanion might be sacrificed next. They had to be practical.

    ¡°Is it over? Then let¡¯s hurry up and leave.¡±

    Nack, who was near the Grimm horse, called out to the four people. As expected from an elderly former adventurer, he changed gears quickly. He was not shaken to see the scene from a little while ago either.

    ¡°Still, for them not to eat to get thinner, there must be something in the forest, right?¡±

    Gaien then answered Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I can add. Jag Wolves are smart monsters. It¡¯s hard to think that they failed at hunting until they reached such a condition.¡±

    ¡°Even if the food supply diminished?¡±

    ¡°These guys also eat goblins. It unreasonable to think that the goblins were swept away, right?¡±

    ¡°I agree. If one of them was found, 30 of them woulde out.¡±

    Tsubaki said it in a way that was like saying a G* was lurking in the house. After all, the goblins¡¯ reproductive power didn¡¯t seem to have changed, just like in the game era. (E/N: G = cockroaches, ¡®cause Goblins are like cockroaches)

    ¡°I heard a story that said Skull Faces were appearing inrge numbers in the Wraith ins. Wouldn¡¯t that have an influence?¡±

    When Tsubaki said that, Shin opened his mouth as he suddenly remembered.

    ¡°Ah, that reminds me, I overheard that all high-rank adventurers are away the guild, wasn¡¯t there something like arge-scale request?¡±

    ¡°That matter, huh? At that time, I was going to go home for a few days before, at Bayreuth¡¯s southern town with Tsubaki. So I didn¡¯t participate there.¡±

    Then Tiera secretly whispered into Shin¡¯s ear.

    ¡°(Hey Shin)¡±

    ¡°(What¡¯s the matter?)¡±

    ¡°(The Skull Faces, was that the request that came to master?¡±

    ¡°(Yes, those fellows were quite strong. That might be the cause.)¡±

    There was the possibility that their territory was overflowing with Skull Faces.

    ¡°Either way, we don¡¯t know the reason. It¡¯s useless even if we think about it. So I¡¯m going to go to sleep.¡±

    Doing things at her own pace, Tsubaki said that and put on her overcoat. It was typical for adventurers to be able to sleep in a shaking wagon. Because there were shifts between being coachman and standing guard, it was an important duty to rest while one can.

    ¡°It¡¯s as Tsubaki said. There¡¯s not enough information even if we think about it. Since that took a significant amount of time.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. For the time being, should I do maintenance on our weapons? What are you going to do, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s my turn soon, I will be at the coachman box.¡±

    When Tiera said so, she exited the canopy, and moved next to Nack.

    ording to Schnee, Tiera learned most of the necessary skills for an adventurer, so she could take the role of coachman without any problems. Rather, it was Shin who didn¡¯t have the experience. That was because a horse could advance without him having to guide it when he set the direction in the game, so he was not used to doing such things.

    ¡°What adventurer can¡¯t drive a wagon? Even a young woman can do it.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    Even though they were just simple words, what Nack said made him feel a little down.

    Afterwards, they advanced without another incident and went toward Beirun while camping. They had to take a detour around the forest surrounding the Wraith ins, not only merchants such as Nack, butrge scale caravans did the same, too. Thus, not a lot of monsters came near them from the start. The reason was that, there was already plenty of prey inside of that forest. And one day before they were due to arrive in Beirun, Shin and the others encountered what they were asked to defend the caravan against.

    ¡°Poor merchant-san. If you don¡¯t want to die, hand over the money and baggage.¡±

    They were bandits.

    Though ording to the information Shin and Tiera exchanged with Gaien and Tsubaki, bandits seldom came out; they did not seem to have any luck. It goes without saying whose ¡®luck¡¯ it was.

    They were not a numerous group, but they were properly armed in leather armor and were holding longswords as well, which was likely to earn them money. Though one might not want to know how.

    ¡°Then, how? I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m confident enough to ambush and take on 6 people head-on all alone, what should I do?¡±

    Shin looked back at Gaien and Tsubaki.

    ¡°That won¡¯t change anything. If we attack, they might turn the table.¡±

    ¡°One person should leave the right to y someone with impunity to me.¡±

    Ignoring Tsubaki¡¯s remark, which they didn¡¯t know whether she was joking or not, the three people moved out.

    The strategy had already been decided. They formed a basic formation with three people, where Shin, Gaien, and Tsubaki stepped forward, while Tiera was to cover them. Yuzuha was left in the wagon in case there was an opponent they couldn¡¯t perceive.

    The enemies level were about 150 on average, although the man who started to talk was unexpectedly higher-leveled at 163. Shin was a little surprised by that. They could make a living as normal adventurers, but he thought that they might have had various things happen to them to make them stay like that. No matter how much he thought about it, it wouldn¡¯t change anything.

    Nack as well this time, held an axe for self-defense.

    It was only a matter of time before the battle began. While the tension increased, Tiera was holding her breath inside the canopy, and recalled what Gaien asked earlier.

    ¡®Shin, Tiera. Have you ever killed someone?¡¯

    When the trip first began, it was the first question that Gaien had asked of the two people. Even though this was the first barrier that adventurers aimed to strike at, it was because the request for the guard was an E rank request. Therefore the possibility that an enemy rted to this request would appear existed. The mortality rate was divided by each rank for adventurers; high rank requests at rank B and above had a much higher mortality rate. Aside from monsters, many of them were killed by people. It was a rank E.

    (It¡¯s alright. I will defeat them.)

    Only Tiera hadn¡¯t killed anyone yet among the members. Shin¡¯s worrying about this was reflected on his expression, but she said it would be alright. She ought to do it. If she couldn¡¯t do it, the danger toward the three people stepping forward increased.

    ¡°Oioi, do you intend to fight with only three people? There¡¯s still time now?¡±

    ¡°Shall you leave the youngdy too? I can entertain her in a bunch of various ways!¡±

    The stinging lines from the bandits was heard by the three people. Of course, it was only natural.

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    While looking at such three people, it was Shin¡¯s name that came out from Tiera¡¯s mouth.  Tiera¡¯s sensitivity was particrly strong even among the elves. That¡¯s why she understood it. Just after the bandit said to leave Tsubaki behind, the feeling from Shin changed a little.

    It didn¡¯t change to bloodlust. But it became sharp and dark. The calm presence that Tiera knew vanished, as she felt some kind of sinister feelinging from Shin. From Tiera¡¯s perspective, it was already another person¡¯s presence. Was Tiera not keen enough? Neither Gaien nor Tsubaki seemed to have noticed it. Be it fortunate or not, it was only Tiera who felt the change to the present Shin.

    (I can¡¯t leave Shin like that any further. That Shin is no good!)

    The hand holding the bow filled with power.

    Before she knew it, Tiera¡¯s thoughts of killing without hesitation, disappeared from her head. The opponent was a bandit, and in addition to that, he was obviously a habitual criminal. To be a bandit repeatedly in this world was equal to having a worthless life. There were no other destinations except the execution stand if caught. For such opponents, topare them with Tiera¡¯s worry for Shin, their existence itself was already too light.

    The arrow was nocked in the bowstring, which in turn was drawn to the limit. She aimed at the bandit lurking in the bushes nearby. That person might have had the intention to hide, but it was no different than casually going for a walk for the elf Tiera. While aiming, she waited for the signal from Gaien.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like useless killing. I will stop if you pull back, but I will kill if you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Oioi, can you see the situation? I know that one is merely a rank E.¡±

    ¡°No matter how much of a rank A you are, don¡¯t you have to fight while protecting other members? You better turn a blind eye to us without causing trouble rather than showing off that strange spirit, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Where did they learn that information from? The bandits knew that they were all low-rank with the exception of Gaien. Even though the number of bandits hidden and visible aiming at Nack were unknown, it was clear that this was not an idental encounter.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to listen any.¡±

    ¡°Leave the number of people to two.¡±

    Shin and Tsubaki made eye contact. The negotiations broke down. No one here thought it would end any other way. They only wanted time to prepare so as to lessen the damage while observing the other side.

    Gaien shook his head a little, reacting to Shin¡¯s and Tsubaki¡¯s remark. That was the starting signal for the attack.

    In the next moment, an arrow shot by Tiera flew out from inside the canopy, and was sucked up into the thicket where the bandit hid in.

    ¡°¨D¨D!!?¡±

    There was no scream. However, a dull sound of something hitting the ground was audible.

    One red marker that existed on Shin¡¯s map disappeared. Was it the head or the heart? It might have hit one of the two. The HP vanished in a single blow. It was an instant death.

    ¡°Tsk, what a failure. You guys, do something!!¡±

    The leader appeared to curse, far from mourn over the death of theirrade. The bandits rushed to attack after they received their instructions.

    ¡°Then, two bandits per person. Leave the person alone if you can¡¯t do it. You heard the story.¡±

    ¡°With no injuries?¡±

    ¡°You should listen to the directions, do as you like to the others, I don¡¯t care.¡±

    Gaien and Tsubaki calmly exchanged disturbing words. It was as if they were used to it. Even though there was sure to be a level difference between Tsubaki and the enemies, she didn¡¯t seem to be eager at all.

    Gaien stayed as he was, and Shin and Tsubaki scattered to the right and left, distracting the bandits.

    Three bandits were going for Gaien, one for Tsubaki, and two for Shin. Was there any ¡¾Analyze¡¿ skill holder among them? The low-level was after Tsubaki rather than Gaien.

    ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡±

    Anger was mixed in with Tsubaki¡¯s words. The bandit whom she faced was certainly stronger than Tsubaki when one only looked at levels. Still, just because the bandit was stronger didn¡¯t mean that they would be able to knock her down easily.

    A chill ran through the back of Tsubaki¡¯s neck, to ce where the she thought the bandit hid his hand. She immediately close the distance, caught and pulled the bandit¡¯s sword with her gauntlet.

    ¡°Heh, you have some nice intuition, don¡¯t you?¡±

    The man looked at her, like he was making light of Tsubaki¡¯s body. Red aura was being released from the sword grasped in her right hand.

    She shifted her gaze and saw the surrounding state. All of the bandits, though the colors were different, had weapons that gave off an aura like the man in front of Tsubaki. Did all the members have a Magic Sword, they appeared to have weapons with simr characteristics.

    Apparently, besides from the level, there also seemed to be a reliable chance of sess due to the equipment.

    ¡°Don¡¯t put up much resistance. I can¡¯t enjoy it if I kill you, kukuku¡±

    The bandit noticed that Tsubaki¡¯s gauntlet was just amon mass-produced item. It was not possible to defend with this. Therefore, he had no doubt about his superiority.

    ¡°If you see me as being only small, you¡¯ll experience pain for looking down on me.¡±

    ¡°Haa, say that after you defeat me!!¡±

    The bandit lunged at her while speaking. Was the attack aided by the sword? Obviously the speed level was faster than before. However, Tsubaki didn¡¯t lose. She was enveloped in a white aura and ran before the bandit arrived at her position. The real nature of the aura was ¡¾Spirit Maniption ? Katsusen¡¿.

    As the name implied, it is a martial art skill that strengthens the body, although an inferior version. As for the ¡®Katsusen¡¯ that was attached there, aside from body strengthening, it indicated that it specialized in speed increase.

    Tsubaki left a white afterimage and jumped toward the bandit¡¯s chest, and drew back her fist. Though the bandit was surprised that Tsubaki¡¯s speed was faster than his own, he judged that it was not possible to sh with it, and instead tried to guard with his hand that wasn¡¯t holding the sword.

    But Tsubaki¡¯s aim was not to deal damage. She aimed at the hand that was holding the sword. The bandit¡¯s reaction was good, but he didn¡¯t read Tsubaki¡¯s aim until after it happened. The fist wrapped in her gauntlet directly hit the bandit¡¯s right hand, breaking all five of his fingers. Bones poked out from the bandit¡¯s fingers, as they bent in the wrong direction.

    ¡°Even if you have a good weapon, you are untrained.¡±

    No matter if his weapon was a Magic Sword or not, the user¡¯s ability didn¡¯t change. The bandit, who was screaming intensely, couldn¡¯t defend because of the excessive pain. In front of that virtually defenseless enemy, Tsubaki umted power in an instant.

    ¡°¨D¨DFly!¡±

    Her fist was released along with that word. At the same time, a dull sound that wasn¡¯t supposed toe from the body was heard. The bandit was sent flying off into the sky while continuously vomiting blood.

    Beyond that point, there were figures of bandits surrounding Gaien.

    ¡°Gahaa!!¡±

    Without any time to react, the bandit who was sent flying crashed into one of them, and disappeared into the thicket. Because the sound of heads-butting together was heard, the person who was thrown would probably not move for a while.

    The bandit who was hit again had the pit of his chest cave in, so that rather than his intestines, it was certain that his heart had exploded. It was an instant death simr to the person who had received the arrow from Tiera.

    ¡°W-What it is now¡­¡±

    One of the bandits, whoserade was suddenly sent flying, looked at the thicket in in a daze.

    When in front of an enemy, that was a fatal opening.

    ¡°Idiot! Don¡¯t turn your eyes away from this fellow!!¡±

    It was already toote when the bandit¡¯s leader yelled out.

    ¡°Swish!¡±

    Gaien approached the bandit who showed the opening and swung his long katana down.

    The bandit barely reacted to the voice of the leader and broke his posture, thereby he became unable to defend against the single blow from Gaien that was filled with power. The long katana raised a buzz as it shed against the Magic Sword. The Magic Sword was repelled, and from the single blow of the long katana, it was blown away together with the body. By a miracle, the Magic Sword seemed to act as a substitute for armor, defending the bandit from the long katana. But unfortunately, although the Magic Sword gave off the impression of protecting the bandit¡¯s life by reducing most the momentum from the long katana, it was disappointingly not enough and broke in the next moment. Naturally, the bandit¡¯s body, which the Magic Sword protected, was still in one piece.

    ¡°Wh¡­What¡­¡±

    Looking at his subordinate from the side, the squeaky voice of the leader came out. It was unthinkable to beat a Magic Sword and cut it in two, even for a rank A. His eyes were wide open as he looked at Gaien like he saw something unbelievable.

    ¡°Though you guys are Magic Sword holders, unfortunately, they are no match for my Magic Katana.¡±

    The battle situation that they thought to be to in their favor was overturned in an instant.

    The incident that happened in front of him was unbelievable for the bandits¡¯ leader. The information he had received imed that they all were rank E, with Gaien as the sole exception. They were supposed to only lost half of their men at worst. For the one who went up against Tsubaki, despite being a Magic Sword holder at C rank, he was a subordinate that was worthy enough of being her opponent.

    The confused leader clung to the tiny bit of hope that a subordinate would save him, but he even turned toward his aide. And then, what came into his view next, was yet another impossible scene.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Immediately after the battle started, two bandits went to face Shin. One of them had brown hair and the other man had blond hair. The one with brown hair was level 151, the blond hair was 153. If one were to say it in adventurer terms, they would be C rank. Looking at the deployment, Tsubaki had taken down her sole opponent quickly, Gaien was holding four people, and the two people here, probably going after Nack, were already expected by Shin. The man who lurked in the bushes was the lowest level among the bandits while the blond man had the highest level next to the leader. At that level, he might even be able to deal with the flying arrow. The air he gave off was clearly different.

    ¡°Well, what has been done can not be undone.¡±

    He muttered, and blocked the route of the two people.

    To force Shin out of the way, the guy with brown hair went ahead and unsheathed his sword. The aura attached to this Magic Sword was yellow. However, the katana Shin was holding was different in a big way. For the Magic Swords of the current world, the definition was differentpared to the Magic Swords from the game era.

    Though the ce where the aura leaked out from on the de was identical, the sword itself was originally ssified as a ¡¶Legend¡· grade, not a Magic Sword. The swords that the bandits had were not Magic Swords in the true meaning of the word.

    The bandit¡¯s sword gave off an aura like steam, but the white aura which Shin¡¯s katana emitted was converging in the form of a sword in order to fit around the katana¡¯s de. The air pressure of the aura, released from the Magic Sword showed the quality. An aura that did not scatter, and instead surrounded the sword¡¯s de was said to be the top in ability.

    Therefore, the natural oue of the two people shing their swords was disyed.

    After the des shed with a little rivalry, it ended when a clear sound rang out and the sword of the bandit was broken. Both items could be called Magic Swords but one was a Magic Sword imitation.  However, the katana that Shin held disyed its ability multiple times, and could exchange blows like the real deal. The sword that uselessly discharged its aura was so different from Shin¡¯s standard that he would call it a fake.

    The brown hair looked at his sword that could even inflict a wound on a Horn Dragon but yet was broken in a single blow. And then, continuing with that gap, with the same stroke, Shin cut down the brown haired man.

    ¡°Waa!? broke¨D¨Dn !?¡±

    The voice raised was filled with surprise because he was cut, and the bandit with brown hair copsed.

    Like a sh. There was no hesitation in that movement.

    For Shin to kill a person, it didn¡¯t mean that he was used to it. But he was already beyond the stage of hesitation, worry, and other such things since a long time ago. During the death game, nobody wanted to get tangled up with a person who fought on the front line.

    Besides, the opponent was a bandit who wielded a sword with evil intentions. When he saw the blood remains from a previous victim on the armor, it was impossible for his sword to be dull.

    He never looked at life lightly. However, he shouldn¡¯t be too serious either.

    ¡°Now then, what are you going to do?¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t look at the brown haired man that copsed, instead he stepped in front of the blond hair.

    Shin had a light tone.  Speaking as if he was asking for the description of a meal, giving the blond hair more pressure.

    The blond hair, who was shocked, was making an ugly face. He looked at the ce where the brown hair¡¯s Magic Sword broke, perhaps, for the first time. Then his line of sight changed topare Shin¡¯s katana with his sword.

    ¡°Anyways, that sword is a nuisance.¡±

    Shin casually stepped forward, and waved his katana. With that alone, the blond hair¡¯s Magic Sword was smashed apart.

    ¡°Wha!? T-That¡¯s ridiculous¡­My Magic Sword is¡­¡±

    The blonde hair muttered dumbfoundedly after seeing his Magic Sword that had already be only a hilt. He was not able to see the single blow from Shin from a distance where he should have been able to. Shin didn¡¯t use any skill. With only stats and ability, he closed the distance of several mels in an instant.

    ¡°Next, to immobilize.¡±

    With those words, Shin¡¯s figure vanished. Thereupon, an acute pain ran through the blond¡¯s limbs.

    The body, without the support of its hands and feet, copsed onto the ground. At the rear, Shin put his katana back into the sheath. He had shattered the bones just by striking with the back of the sword.

    ¡°Did it end there too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Shin was tormenting him.¡±

    ¡°He just going easy on him!¡±

    While they were exchanging jokes, the leader, who was the opponent of Gaien, looked at Shin. The blond hair was equally confused about the situation. No matter how much he thought about it, that was not the fighting power of an E rank.

    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s have a talk about the person who handed over the information to you.¡±

    The situation was exined to Nack, so there would be time for them to interrogate the leader. When Nack understood that he might have been deliberately targeted, he consented.

    The interrogation was performed by Gaien and Nack, as they entered the thicket and Shin and Tsubaki returned to the wagon.

    Tiera had a worried face toward the two people, especially as she approached Shin¨D¨D¨D¨D

    ¡°Good job, for the time bei¨D¨Dmuguu!?¡±

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D And she suddenly held Shin¡¯s head, embraced to her chest.

    Tsubaki stared in amazement at the sudden action, and Shin, whose speech was interrupted, was confused. Tiera¡¯s jacket was open, exposing the chest, and Shin¡¯s face was in held in there. Though there was the inner cloth, the fabric was not thick enough. Therefore, a fairly vivid sensation enveloped Shin¡¯s face.

    Though there was no space topletely enjoy the sensation, as the person in question, Tiera¡¯s action, was too abrupt.

    ¡°Um, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move¡­just a little¡­bit¡­okay¡­¡±

    It appeared that Tiera had some sort of purpose for the time being. Tsubaki, who was forcibly convincing herself to watch their progress attentively so as to understand. This situation was too iprehensible to get involved with. Above all, Tiera¡¯s expression was awfully serious.

    When he heard Tiera¡¯s oddly charming voice, Shin became docile too. That state was maintained for a while and when Shin was about to start being able to enjoy the soft sensation that surrounded his face, Tiera let Shin¡¯s head loose.

    However, both of her hands firmly held onto Shin¡¯s head.

    ¡°Umm¡­Tiera? What¡­¡±

    Tiera, who said nothing, stared into Shin¡¯s eyes with a serious face. Shin felt it was awfully long, although it was only a few seconds.

    ¡°¡­Yosh.¡±

    Finally, after nodding a little, Tiera released Shin¡¯s head, and went outside the wagon to be on lookout.

    ¡°What is it¡­now¡­¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡±

    Though he asked Tsubaki, she simrly didn¡¯t understand it either. Shin had a question mark over his head as well.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While taking distance from Shin and Tsubaki, Tiera searched for Shin¡¯s presence. Even though it was only a fairly small range from Shin and others, it was still out of normal for G rank adventurers.

    Relief spread through her chest as she secretly moved to behind the wagon. Until a few minutes ago, Shin, who returned with Tsubaki, still slightly wore that presence as usual on the surface. That dark, sharp, and unpleasant feeling that she wanted to run away from by reflex.

    Although it was a momentary thing, when looking back at the action she took, it was an action which she really thought of seriously, but at the same time her face became almost as red as a beet.

    In the beginning, when Tiera hadn¡¯te to Tsuki no Hokora yet, Tiera, who was totally frightened, was gently embraced by Schnee. Her anxiety was softened by that act alone.

    Thus, she thought that the presence might disappear if she did the same thing. For Tiera, who had limited contact with others, she thought that it was the most effective way.

    Anyways, the result was a sess. If anything, she was a little panicky when she returned to her sanity, but because the goal had been reached, she considered it a good thing.

    (Am I the only one who noticed? Or am I strange?)

    She felt the familiar thirst for blood at the time when she was driven out of her vige. She was still mentally young back in those days, but she only felt fear. On the other hand, when Shin confronted the bandits, she noticed the change in the nature for the thirst for blood. No, it might be good that she noticed.

    Tiera personally didn¡¯t understand her sense well, but it was because of the sense of impending crisis that it became stronger. The impulse that she couldn¡¯t understand. Though it was not regarded as maniption of the heart and mind, there was strangely no difort. She seemed to understand that there was no danger at all; there was a strange trust.

    When sheposed herself before long, in a sense, it was obvious what Tiera would think of next.

    (After this, what kind of face should I make when I talk with Shin¡­?)

    Where had the seriousness, when embracing Shin tightly, gone? The bewildered appearance of saying ¡°Au Au¡±, when seen by a person who knew the usual Tiera, would think of it as really cute.

    Though she intended to hide and move, Shin and Tsubaki having perfectly witnessed her appearance, was a fact not known by Tiera.

 Vol 3 Chapter 2: Chapter 2

    Shin and the others waited for ten minutes while guarding the wagon. Then Gaien and Nack returned. The bandit leader¡¯s figure was not seen. He was likely taken care of since there was no need to bring him back alive.

    Everyone climbed back into the carriage and tried to recover from the dy caused by the bandits, so the speed started to increase a little. Nack was responsible for being the driver, so Gaien exined the information obtained to Shin and the others.

    ¡°In other words, they wanted the baggage Nack-san carried?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. It seems to be rted to a church matter. But they weren¡¯t informed of what the baggage was.¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t know what to take?¡±

    Tsubaki asked.

    ¡°Well. Consequently, after the guards were ughtered, together with the coachman, they would steal the wagon.¡±

    Shin, who listened to the story, instantly thought that Rashia might be rted to this case. The priest appointment of Rashia was only valid when recognized officially by the church. Therefore, the mark of proof, necessary documents, and so on might have to be transported.

    The client who requested it, without telling their goal to the bandits, was at the same time trying to avoid being detected. Though it was simply a guess, when he looked at the ce, where no one had disclosed what Nack was transporting, it was no doubt that it was something important. There were plenty of those possibilities.

    When Shin thought about it, for Nack to have a Grimm horse by chance, which traveled faster than amon merchant, and to also have guards, it seemed to be the right interpretation.

    Afterwards, without encountering any more bandits or being attacked by monsters, the group arrived at Beirun.

    The wagon pulled by the Grimm horse passed the gate.

    A lot of wagons entered the gate in simr ways. It was congested, but it was reasonably crowded with people.

    Beirun was a small country, and simr to the surrounding countries. Eltnia continent had a shape of two continents linked, and Beirun was located in the middle of the two. Because of its strategic location, they might be invaded by the big countries, so they cooperated by forming an alliance to prevent an invasion by another country. Since each of the countries had a chosen one, the total force of the alliance was said to exceed even a big country¡¯s.

    ¡°Thank you for your efforts, if there¡¯s a another opportunity, I will request you again.¡±

    They passed through the gate and advanced for a while along the road, and the wagon stopped in front of a second-hand shop.

    Unlike a usual merchant, Nack said his gratitude with words, and handed over the proof of requestpletion to Gaien. This was how to receive the reward, once it was submitted to the guild.

    ¡°Well then, I will go to Kilmont after this, what will everyone else do?¡±

    Gaien started on a topic after this matter along the road. Kilmont was ruled by the dragon king, a Dragnil¡¯s country.

    The formal name was the dragon empire, Kilmont.

    From Schnee¡¯s story, it was Shin¡¯s support character no. 4, High Dragnil Shibaid¡¯s country.

    ¡°I also have business in Kilmont.¡±

    ¡°Tiera and I have business in Falnido.¡±

    Gaien and Tsubaki seemed to have a different destinations from Shin and Tiera.

    ¡°Fumu, this is divided splendidly again.¡±

    ¡°I knew it¡¯s like abination.¡±

    Meeting and parting were part of the adventurer ways. Gaien and Tsubaki seemed to go to Kilmont for another guard request this time. By the way, before they met Shin and Tiera, they already received the same request several times.

    After receiving the reward, they each left the messages, ¡°Let¡¯s meet again¡± and ¡°Call out to me if you see me¡±, and started their journey to Kilmont. Though it was very simple, because it was often the case for adventurers to meet again during different requests, they might have to be practical if that was the case.

    ¡°So, how do we advance after this? Use a wagon too?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, using an ordinary horse will take one and a half months, and a wagon will take 2 months, which we should not do.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too far now that I think about it again.¡±

    After separating from Gaien and Tsubaki, Shin and Tiera talked about the means of transportation. There was the way of moving on foot, but they were not so poor that they couldn¡¯t ride on a wagon together. Though Shin was the fastest if he ran, he couldn¡¯t hold Tiera all the time. After thinking it through, Shin decided to purchase a wagon. Either way, Shin and Tiera could continue traveling even after Schnee joined them. There was no loss in owning one. That¡¯s why Shin and Tiera visited the shop that sold wagons for trips, as introduced by the guild.

    ¡°How should I say, all of the performances seem simr, even the high performance ones.¡±

    ¡°No no, customer, there is a reason for this.¡±

    Towards Shin, who had muttered while looking at the shop, the storekeeper, who wasing nearby, answered.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°Yes, arge quantity of wagons were bought by the country a while ago. The ones here were made with the leftover materials, because we had to prepare the number required, it pretty much became the same thing in the long run. Depending on the material, it will be a little better.¡±

    ¡°I see, materials huh?¡±

    From Shin¡¯s assessment, the quality wasn¡¯t that good, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Shin recalled the wagon used by Nack. Though the appearance was not good because it stressed the importance of transporting cargo, as for the material, the good ones were certainly used. Something needs to be done about the shaking, so they didn¡¯t have to suffer there. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that he was dissatisfied with everything else.

    ¡°This one¡­only need to restructure it just a bit.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute, did I hear something bad just now?

    Tiera put her hand on Shin¡¯s shoulder who was muttering. And as she now knows from experience, she would expect that didn¡¯t mean a good thing. Though she had aughing face, her eyes weren¡¯tughing.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s shameless. I know you¡¯re lying. Now spit it out. What are you going to do this time?¡±

    ¡°Why are you being so cautious? I just want to improve the wheel¡¯s movement, and suppress the shaking a little.¡±

    The shaking countermeasures could reduce the burden on the horse pulling the wagon. Naturally, he didn¡¯t want the trick to be found out, so the outward appearance wouldn¡¯t change much. One must get in the wagon to actually feel the change.

    ¡°Really? It won¡¯t fly in the sky and travel without a horse?¡±

    ¡°Of course not!!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t say, ¡°It was not possible to do.¡± But because the wagon¡¯s design was out of his specialty, it wouldn¡¯t be easy.

    However, because the springs and wheel bearings were within the cksmith¡¯s domain, it would be easy to start working on it.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine if you only go that far.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to keep a low profile. Aren¡¯t I learning, even a little?¡±

    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t you who said it, I¡¯d believe it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of cruel.¡±

    Not being able to object was painful.

    ¡°Then, the wagon can be remodeled further?¡±

    ¡°Only a little because it¡¯s not my main job, but it¡¯s better than nothing.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s better than Nack-san¡¯s, it¡¯ll be weed.¡±

    Apparently, Tiera was also annoyed by the shaking of the wagon. The carriages that nobles rode in hardly shook, that was something that Tiera learned from an idle chat with an adventurer who came into the store. So, she thought that she should rather wee him if he could make such a carriage.

    Though the shaking was minimized in Nack¡¯s wagon too, it was hard on Tiera who was not ustomed to it.

    ¡°Enough about remodeling, which carriage will do? Honestly, I don¡¯t know which one is good.¡±

    ¡°First of all, I want space big enough to be able to sleep inside. Something like that.¡±

    Shin thought about the number of people and the baggage they would have, and pointed at the biggest carriage in the shop.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Master wille too, so we also need to think about if it will hold arge amount of baggage.¡±

    Tiera also agreed, about it not posing any problems with the number of people.

    Also the horse must be powerful in order to be able to pull the wagon¡¯s weight, in the worst case, he would have to get Yuzuha¡¯s help to pull the wagon. That transformation ability was indeed useful.

    ¡°Thank you for your patronage! By the way, customer, have you obtained a horse for pulling the wagon?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go buy one after this.¡±

    ¡°Is this your first time buying a horse?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, this is a piece of advice for the customer who just did an expensive purchase. The horse¡¯s legs should be as strong as possible. Though it¡¯s different when using several of them; to pull it with only one, the wagon is a little heavy.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, I will use it as a reference.¡±

    Perhaps, a draft horse type would be good. Given the number of people that will ride on the wagon, Shin thought that type was better.

    ¡°On that subject, how about using a monster to pull it? Because there is person I know who does it in such a way.¡±

    ¡°Well, the horsepower is definitely in a whole different league. Though it would have to be tamed, haven¡¯t you heard that it¡¯s difficult?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Thank you for the information.¡±

    He thanked the storekeeper who gave them advice and left the shop. Their following destination; a shop that dealt with horses.

    ¡°Next is¡­hmm? This sound is¡±

    When Shin took a step forward to go purchase a horse, a ¡®Ding¡¯ sound reach his ears. It was the ringtone when notified of a voice chat, which he had set before. Because the operation hadn¡¯t changed since the game era, he epted the call by thinking about it.

    ¡°(Hello, This is Shin. Loud and clear.)¡±

    ¡°(This is Schnee. The request here is over. Where are you now?)¡±

    ¡°(We are in Beirun. I intend to go to Falnido by carriage once a horse is obtained.)¡±

    Because it was just the right time, he conveyed his present location and the wagon he just bought.

    ¡°(Is that so. Then, I will capture a monster. I think I will arrive in Beirun in about 1 day, would you wait for me there?)¡±

    ¡°(I understand. Now that you mention it, you are also a Tamer.)¡±

    At the time when Shin was encouraged to obtain the job from Rokuten¡¯s Tamer and Summoner, Cashmere, he was also apanied by Schnee. She acquired it when he did. Though she hadn¡¯t tamed anything up till now, it was useful in an unexpected ce.

    ¡°(Yes, please look forward to it, because I will bring the strongest one possible.)¡±

    An image of Schnee stating so in high spirits came into his mind.

    ¡°(And, may I ask you one thing?)¡±

    Schnee asked.

    ¡°(What is it?)¡±

    ¡°(When storing the Tsuki no Hokora, did anything happen? Because Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, I¡¯m worried they would do something.)¡±

    ¡°(Ah, somehow it was monitored, but because being followed is troublesome, I used a little magic skill.)¡±

    ¡°(I see, it¡¯s an illusion, huh? That¡¯s quite peaceful. I thought the surroundingnd would be cleared, because it is you.)¡±

    ¡°(Hold on, what do you think I am!?)¡±

    ¡°(Haven¡¯t you done it before?)¡±

    Apparently, she seemed to be talking about the death game era.

    ¡°(No, that¡¯s because I¡¯m not the kind of guy who just goes all out in order to wipe such opponents, and to begin with, I wouldn¡¯t do such a violent thing to the monitoring people of a country.)¡±

    Certainly, he would not go easy on an opponent who hade to take his life, but he didn¡¯t have the intention to needlessly kill an opponent who only observed. In the first ce, it was Tsuki no Hokora and Schnee that were monitored, not Shin.

    ¡°(If Shin decides so, then it¡¯s fine. The upper echelon might be serious about it this time, because I acted like I didn¡¯t know about it.)¡±

    ¡°(Right. Of course, our appearance was not seen, since I used a concealment skill. To the guys who were watching, Tsuki no Hokora would have seemed to have suddenly disappeared. I¡¯m sure it caused a great deal of confusion.)¡±

    The multiplex use of concealment and illusion. It was a popr way of showing an illusion to others while hiding oneself. Because the user was Shin, the other person couldn¡¯t help but to be a target of the spells. As for the ¡®concealment¡¯, the skill name was simr for both martial arts and magic skills. It was the magic skill ¡®concealment¡¯ that Shin used this time. The effect was lower than the martial arts skills, but it was effective for himself, and he could hide Tiera too. In fact, the spies couldn¡¯t see them at all.

    ¡°(Get a taste of their own medicine. To be honest, while I get praised unanimously, I got mad at the way they monitored and solicited repeatedly behind my back. Even if it causes a bit of an uproar, it will be their own fault.)¡±

    Schnee said that irritably. Of course, not all countries were like that. There were many countries that contacted her with a moderate attitude. However, there were also a lot of countries that gathered war potential over the hegemony after the chaos due to the crustal movement. It was known that Schnee was the subordinate of a High Human, and an endless amount of countries desperately tried to include her in their own area.

    This was how things got this way, that Tsuki no Hokora continued to be monitored even after the turmoil had settled down. Even though there were few people or countries that monitored her knowing those days, it was not so very long ago for the high elf Schnee. Even now that she became calmerpared to those days, she still felt a strong difort from the monitoring and solicitation.

    ¡°(Somehow, it¡¯s even worse than I heard.)¡±

    ¡°(There are even countries that imed to have the property rights for Tsuki no Hokora without permission, too. I thought of erasing each of those countries at the time.)¡±

    ¡°(When you say it like that, it must be serious.)¡±

    While telling him that she was disgusted, Shin understood why Schnee got angry. Their precious ce and things, it was natural to be angry when others imed it was their own without permission.

    With Schnee¡¯s temperament, her anger was probably greater than that.

    ¡°(Well, there¡¯s no need to be worry about it anymore now. That was my property originally, it¡¯s up to me to take it anywhere.)¡±

    He couldn¡¯t concede Tsuki no Hokora, even if it was important to the people.

    For Shin, Tsuki no Hokora was a precious ce where he spent a long time with friends. Even if the opponent might be the king, he didn¡¯t have any intentions to submit even a fragment.

    ¡°(Perhaps if Tsuki no Hokora was obtained, they thought that Schnee would follow?)¡±

    ¡°(Right, such people exist, too. There were even a lot of people who proposed marriage though.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­Right)¡±

    It was Shin who set her appearance, but the beauty of Schnee could be said to be on the level of a beautiful courtesan. It was easy to imagine that she would be popr before long. Since Schnee and Tsuki no Hokora were known as a set, there might be a lot of people who tried to obtain Tsuki no Hokora, just to get that pretty face unexpectedly.

    ¡°(Well, it¡¯s only natural, huh?)¡±

    ¡°(Are you jealous?)¡±

    ¡°(That¡­)¡±

    He would¡¯ve been proud of it in the game era, but the feeling changed now that it was reality. Shin also felt considerable feelings from Schnee. Was it because he was the master? Or as a man? It was difficult for him to make a judgment, but if possible, he thought it would be nice if it was thetter.

    ¡°(Fufu, is that so? Would you be jealous for me?)¡±

    ¡°(Why are you in a good mood like this?)¡±

    ¡°(Please guess~)¡±

    ¡°(I feel like I¡¯m being led around by the nose.)¡±

    The problem before guessing the reason for a good mood and so on; For a light novel¡¯s main character who was thickheaded, there were possibilities of saying ¡°I seriously didn¡¯t know¡±.

    Though Shin was also dense, still, it usually didn¡¯t go to that extent.

    ¡°(Then contact me when the inn is decided upon. Because I don¡¯t know when I will arrive yet. I will go directly to the inn ording to the time.)¡±

    ¡°(Understood. See youter.)¡±

    The Mind Chat was cut off. Since the goal of obtaining a horse were more or less met, he didn¡¯t have to purchase a horse anymore.

    ¡°Hey Tiera, once the wagon is obtained, why don¡¯t we look for an inn for tonight? I think securing the beds is important too.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with this abruptness? Don¡¯t we have to go buy a horse?¡±

    ¡°Schnee just contacted me. We will wait because she¡¯ll catch a monster to rece the horse.¡±

    ¡°As expected from master. It¡¯s perfect timing.¡±

    Even though the admiration felt different, because he felt like he lost when he thought about it, Shin didn¡¯t say anything. That timing was too perfect in his opinion.

    ¡°For the time being, would you like to go sightseeing while looking for an inn?¡±

    ¡°Okay, but it¡¯s boring if we only walk around.¡±

    Because they had time on hand, the two people decided to walk slowly. When they looked around at the stalls, various ssworks attracted their attention.

    By the way, although Shin was also attracting attention because of the young fox on top of his head, he didn¡¯t mind it since he had already gotten used to it in Bayreuth.

    ¡°Is the specialty here ss?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. But I don¡¯t know what it represents.¡±

    The ssworks seemed to be popr, except the shops that sold ss, the products were disyed in almost every shop entrance.

    They went to several shops in session before finally stopping by a female store-keeper who was talkative, so they were introduced to a famous inn in this town. Since it was a lot of effort, they decided to stay at the inn there tonight.

    They walked for about 15 minutes after they were instructed about the route, and saw a quite elegant building.

    Judging from its appearance, it seemed to be made from wood, the outer walls were painted in white and its presence was clearly different from the neighboring inns. The windows in all of the rooms were fitted with ss. If seen properly, those window-sses were enchanted to bepletely strengthened.

    Because the entrance door was big and had ss attached on the left and right, they could have a look inside. Rather than amon inn from fantasy, it had the same appearance as one would see in a modern hotel. The name of the inn was ¡®The Reflected Flowers Pce¡¯.

    ¡°Amazing! I didn¡¯t see any inns that used ss in this way in Bayreuth.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s seems to be one of the selling points of this inn. It was said that its ss windows were firmly strengthened.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. I think it would be okay even if I hit them with a hammer.¡±

    ¡°But it seems a bit expensive.¡±

    While Shin looked at the details of the exterior with his architectural skill, Tiera worried about the price.

    Since they couldn¡¯t stand in front of the inn forever, Shin went ahead and entered. Still, there was no automatic door or something like that, so they had to open it by themselves.

    Once he was inside, the employees, who were dressed in stylish uniforms, immediately greeted them. When he conveyed that they had a female store-keeper refer them, they received a slight discount to some extent.

    Apparently the main building was separate, this seemed to be the annexes for the trial services. Trial service? The two people look puzzled.

    ¡°For one night, it 4 silver coins per person.¡±

    Though the discount should have reduced the price, it was two silver coins more expensive than the Bear Point Pavilion of Bayreuth where he stayed before. It was as expected from a high-quality hotel.

    Because there was the reward from Nack, they paid respectively for a night. He also thought about whether it would be okay for Yuzuha to apany them, but it didn¡¯t seem to have any problems if they had a contract. Naturally, Shin would have take responsibility if it caused a disturbance or something like that.

    ¡°Um oba-chan(aunty), did you see through us and know if we could pay the price?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer. Aren¡¯t you all considered to have money?¡±

    ¡°Well we do have some, but the request¡¯s reward just diminished in one go.¡±

    Because half of their reward vanished in an instant, Shin unconsciously thought of such things. As a matter of fact, though there was some additional ie, as a reward from defeating the bandits, he still felt it was too expensive. Actually, he did have a certain amount of white gold coins, but his money sense was still fuzzy.

    ¡°Since this is simr to the famous inn in Beirun, there are stories saying that you should stay at least once. Also, the main building costs one gold coin per night, that¡¯s still fair.¡±

    ¡°Who could stay there?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, it¡¯s people like Shin. Don¡¯t you have money from the raw materials you sold to mest time? To be frank, the current Shin is quite rich, you know?¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. I only thought about the request¡¯s reward.¡±

    Tiera pointed it out, and Shin finally remembered that he himself was quite rich. Judging from the total sum of money he had in hand, 4 silver coins was just a trivial expense.

    Even though the inn was where the reward from the guard duty would disappear within 3 days, because the tempered ss was very expensive, 4 silver coins might be a cheap price when he thought about the details of the facilities.

    For this sort of famous inn, he understood why it became the topic of the story. It was a special trip, s0 Shin decided not to worry about it and enjoy himself a little.

    ¡°As expected from a high-quality inn. This is already an ordinary hotel. The soundproofing is secure, too.¡±

    That was the level of quality that Shin first felt when he entered the assigned guest room. It was a ce that could be called a budget hotel if seen in his former(real) world. Though it would be excessive forparison, the only other inn that Shin knew of in this world, Bear Point Pavilion, from the bed, desk and the chair provided, they were of a higher grade. Still, it was inferior to the furniture inside Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°Kuu, can I talk already?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all right here.¡±

    Yuzuha seemed to endure it for a long time in the town. The walls of the inn were thick, so it was judged to be safe to talk as it spoke to Shin.

    ¡°There¡¯s still time until dinner, shall I do some equipment maintenance?¡±

    Shin put the luggage on the floor and took off his sword from his waist and began the inspection.

    It was hardly necessary in the game, but he thought that he should try to keep doing it wherever it was practicable here. A small chip in the de and rust due to blood remains and so on were factors that hastened the deterioration of the arms. Naturally, frequent inspections were required, especially for low-grade arms.

    ¡°Pretty!¡±

    ¡°It took a lot of hardships to reach this level.¡±

    The aura that wrapped the de was visible, and Yuzuha voiced its impression. Actually, the de, which retained its mysterious shine, was indeed beautiful. He could understand if it was called a work of art and not arms. While looking at the radiance that could not be emitted by superficial gear, Shin remembered the days of his former training.

    He confirmed the de state, loosening the hilt and the guard of the katana in order. As he was about to return the katana into the scabbard, the door was knocked upon.

    Tiera¡¯s voice was heard from the room.

    ¡°Shin, do you have a moment?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll open the door now.¡±

    Before Shin stood up, Yuzuha took a human form and opened the door. Of course, it wore the shrine maiden¡¯s clothes.

    ¡°Ara, Yuzuha-chan. You are in that form now, huh?¡±

    ¡°Kuu, do you have business with Shin?¡±

    ¡°I want to ask about a little something.¡±

    Yuzuha showed her in, and Tiera entered the room.

    ¡°And, what do you want to ask me?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I receive ¡¾Analyze¡¿from Shin before? It¡¯s about that.¡±

    ¡°Was there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°It may be trivial, but when I looked at Tsubaki¡¯s stats, there was a thing that worried me a little.¡±

    ¡°Something that worried you?¡±

    Suddenly, a certain conjecture shed into Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡°By any chance, when you used¡¾Analyze¡¿, sometimes it became hard to see the race of Tsubaki¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Shin too?¡±

    Tiera was surprised. Shin¡¯s prediction appeared to be correct somehow or another. To say it urately, rather than hard to see, there was some static or something such that moved around. Though it was only the race column, it was a phenomenon that had never existed in the game. It was the first time for Tiera to have seen one. For Shin, it was his second time.

    ¡°I am a bit interested too. But I don¡¯t understand this well either.¡±

    In case of Shin, he wondered whether it was a malfunction appearing or not, since the way he came into this world was also a malfunction. Anyway, he only knew that the static noise didn¡¯t start until he encountered Tsubaki.

    ¡°I wonder if master knows something?¡±

    ¡°Right. Either way, she¡¯ll join us tomorrow, and we¡¯ll ask her then.¡±

    Since Schnee could use the same ¡¾Analyze¡¿as Shin, she might know something. However, it was not an urgent business, so he decided to not use the Mind Chat.

    ¡°Kuu, a serious problem?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably not a serious matter. I have a guess, but there is no conclusive evidence.¡±

    Shin shrugged his shoulders while smiling wryly toward Yuzuha.

    ¡°Which reminds me, when will mastere?¡±

    Tiera asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact time. She told me that if I tell her the inn, she wille there.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you can already take a rest for today. I guess master won¡¯te at night.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess so. Let¡¯s have dinner soon.¡±

    The current time was past 6.00 P.M. Though it was a little early to have a meal, it seemed to be unquestionable in the inn. Because Yuzuha wanted to eat together, but its human appearance couldn¡¯t be shown so they brought their dinner inside the room to eat.

    Though it could be said that the food was grand, the bread was still brown. Apparently, the white bread seemed to be quite high ss for some reason or another. By the way, if this was the main building, white bread would appearmonly.

    Afterwards, he asked for a hot bath and fell asleep after changing his clothes. About the hot spring, in Bear Point Pavilion it was charged per use, but was free here. There didn¡¯t seem to be a bathhouse. Since the one in Bear Point Pavilion was basic bathing, he felt like there wasn¡¯t much of a difference.

    Dawn of the next day.

    The half-asleep Yuzuha had crawled into Shin¡¯s futon, but it was really peaceful and not making any fuss, because it was in young fox mode. Shin unconsciously rubbed Yuzuha¡¯s head and moved it away, and then washed his face. Just like a hotel, the room had a washbasin. After feeling refreshed, Tiera visited them, and they ate a breakfast simr to yesterday¡¯s.

    ¡°Just now, before breakfast, I heard that Schnee will arrive in Beirun by the end of the morning. I¡¯ll remodel the wagon, what will Tiera do?¡±

    Shin talked to Tiera while chewing his bread. Because he thought it was not a good idea to keep waiting without doing anything, he intended to remodel the wagon.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look at how you remodel the wagon.¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha too!¡±

    Tiera, who had demanded that Shin restrain himself, seemed to be interested in the remodeling process, too. It goes without saying for Yuzuha.

    Apparently, they appeared to be excited about seeing an unknown technique.

    After checking out from the inn, they headed straight to the shop from which the wagon was bought. The wagon was still in the shop as there was no horse to draw it yet.

    ¡°Wee. Oh, it¡¯s the customer from yesterday. Have you bought a horse?¡±

    ¡°It was decided that my acquaintance would supply it. So I intended to fiddle with the wagon a little.¡±

    ¡°Heh, is Customer-san a craftsman or something? I thought you were an adventurer.¡±

    The surprised shopkeeper returned, and they moved to the ce where the carriage was. First of all, heid a magic skill that lifted the target temporarily to prevent the frame from falling down, and then installed the spring as a countermeasure for the shaking. Of course, it was not just attached, he tinkered around with the wheels¡¯ axis, too. The appearance of lumps of wood and metal, wriggling and changing shape, might be quite weird, depending on the point of view. However, the speed of the operation in that state was fast. Since he went underneath the frame; he worked quickly, because he didn¡¯t want the shopkeeper to see it. The shopkeeper didn¡¯t notice that the wagon¡¯s performance had already be iparable to that of the surrounding wagons.

    And seeing the work scene up close, Yuzuha had glittering eyes, and Tiera¡¯s eyes were in a focused state. Tiera was somehow able to understand the details of the operation, too. But seeing lumps of metal be flexible and changing shape in Shin¡¯s hand caused them to be speechless. She wanted to say: ¡°Haven¡¯t you learned about not attracting attention already?¡±, but managed to endure, as the shopkeeper might hear her.

    ¡°Phew, I only need to attach the bearings next.¡±

    ¡°(Kuu! Shin, what was that a while ago? The iron was flexible!)¡±

    Was it that interesting? Yuzuha began to talk through the Tamer version of Mind Chat. Did it love craftsmanship? The enthusiasm was seen before, during the time when Shin was tempering the longsword.

    ¡°(This is the production group skill which processes iron. Somehow, I found a use for it.)¡±

    It was the production group skill, ¡¾Molding¡¿, to be exact. Originally, it was only possible to transform objects into fixed patterns, but once he knew how to use it, the shape could be changed into interesting ways. Because the technique of remodeling a wagon had not changed since the game era, he could finish it without any problem.

    ¡°Shin, where did your self-restraint go?¡±

    ¡°A-Ah? I hid myself in a way that I couldn¡¯t be seen, and the external appearance didn¡¯t change either. Why are you so mad?¡±

    ¡°Certainly I saw it in a sh, and I don¡¯t even know what the difference is.¡±

    ¡°Right? Then¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°But! It¡¯s obviously unnatural.¡±

    ¡°Um, why is that?¡±

    Before he knew it, Shin was spinning his mind around to think if he was guilty of doing something wrong, as Tiera was in preaching mode. Unfortunately, the reason why Tiera was angry didn¡¯te to mind.

    ¡°It¡¯s the time.¡±

    ¡°Time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, time. You know, no matter how easy the work was that modified the wagon, it shouldn¡¯t take less than 1 hour! It¡¯s too fast!!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Ah¡¯ me, you have to take it a little more serious¡­¡±

    She said it with a strong tone, but in low voice. While Shin was using the impressive lost technology, Tiera warned him. Though Tiera said one hour, only about 15 minutes had actually passed since he started his work. Come to think of it, it was definitely too fast, so it might be a story of, ¡°How on earth did you do that?¡±. Because he only cared about the appearance and the result, he seemed to have forgotten about the working speed. Shin didn¡¯t realize it, since there was never aint about being too quick in the game.

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped, so I¡¯ll go slow with the bearings.¡±

    ¡°Please, do so.¡±

    He epted Tiera¡¯s demand and proceeded to work slowly this time. Since he only had to remodel the axial junction and the wheels to some extent, it didn¡¯t take that much time even when he did it slowly. He could concentrate on the work, because only a small part of the body was still floating.

    Afterwards, the bearings were attached to all four wheels, and the modifications werepleted. The total time for the job took about one and a half hours, including the instation of the springs. The current time was half past 10 now.

    He told the shopkeeper at the wagon dealer that they would bring a horse, and exited the shop. And then, they waited for contact from Schnee. Since they had time, they went for another walk in a different direction from yesterday. They spent about one hour of window-shopping at the street stalls, and then the call from Schnee came.

    ¡°It¡¯s the call from Schnee. She seems to be in the forest ahead of the north gate.¡±

    Because he conveyed that they had already checked out from the inn and were wandering around, it was decided that she would wait outside. And so, they headed toward the north gate immediately. While extending his perception area, they passed through the gate and walked further. The response from Schnee showed what she had already captured a suitable beast. But¨D¨D

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Both of his feet that were supposed to be walking in high spirits became heavy.

    ¡°Kuu, what is it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, how should I say this¡­, I think you will understand when we arrive there.¡±

    Tiera raised her question after Yuzuha¡¯s words, but Shin said that she would find out once they reached there. The reason was that even if he didn¡¯t expressly speak of it, as Shin walked forward, he had an expression of bewilderment, because he understood what had caused Yuzuha to be cautious.

    What was disyed on the map, moved into Shin¡¯s field of vision. The monster that stood next to Schnee was why there was such a reaction from Shin.

    When they got closer to the forest, the appearance gradually came into view.

    ¡°Shin, that one, is strong.¡±

    ¡°Hey Shin, really, what is that? My ¡¾Analyze¡¿ doesn¡¯t show its name, let alone its level.¡±

    Yuzuha and Tiera seemed to be uneasy.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s natural.¡±

    Even if it was Schnee, it couldn¡¯t be helped as the monster alone emitted huge pressure. Tiera stood behind Shin to hide herself, Yuzuha re-hardened its posture that had weakened.

    ¡°I¡¯m here now. As I told you with Mind Chat, the monster I brought will pull the wagon. In the case of this fellow, it won¡¯t have any problems pulling the wagon that Shin gets on.¡±

    With a very nice smile, Schnee said so full of confidence. That smile with overflowing charm would make everyone a captive.

    However, Shin¡¯s heart was about to say ¡°Seriously?! This will pull the wagon?¡±, as his line of sight went to what was behind Schnee.

    ¡°Just to check, but where did you get it?¡±

    ¡°Because I was near the sacred mountain, it¡¯s from there.¡±

    ¡°¡­Clever. As expected from Schnee.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m honored to receive your praise.¡±

    As expected from Schnee, she seemed to interpret the meaning of crazy in a good way, even with Shin¡¯s state of mind.

    ¡°I forgot. Master sometimes gets reckless when ites to Shin.¡±

    ¡°That information, if possible, I wish you would have said that earlier.¡±

    Tiera looked up at the sky with a shocked expression, while Shin held his brow with one hand as if to say, ¡°Oh great!¡­¡±. Watching the two people, Schnee looked puzzled.

    ¡°Well, nothing can be done since you already brought it here. For the time being, may I ask about this fellow?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Because it will pull the wagon that Shin is riding on, I thought it should be something like this, a divine beast ss monster.¡±

    ¡°No no, that way of thinking is weird. It¡¯s strange no matter how I think about it! What kind of wagon do you think it¡¯ll pull!?¡±

    Shin eximed, while pointing at the monster which was obedient behind Schnee.

    That shout was reasonable too. Anyhow, its physique was much bigger than a carriage. In the case of it pulling, the wagon would need to be the size of a single house.

    ¡°Of course, I assumed that Shin would say that.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Schnee calmly replied to Shin¡¯s retort. Apparently, she seemed to have a n.

    Shin looked at the monster Schnee brought again.

    A four-legged walking type monster, its name was Gruefago.

    It had a forward-leaning posture when it walked, and its height was about 3 mels from the ground. Even if it was pulling to the wagon he purchased, they might not able to see the front.

    Ash-silver hair covered its whole body to the forearm, which was developed like a horse¡¯s body. Moreover, it had thick and strong muscle masses on its tail, and it rivaled the power of the Lord Skull Face which Shin and Schnee fought before.

    In addition, if it began a surprise attack during the game era, it would be a fiendish monster even for advanced level yers. Its head resembled that of a wolf, but there were scales that dully shined visible here and there, making it possible to tell that it was a different animal.

    Above all, it was eye-catching as Gruefagos¡¯ have a horn protruding from their foreheads. Though its horn was crooked to some extent, an amount of light and shade was emitted from the emerald horn, just like a crystal.

    There was one fact to understand from there. This meant that this Gruefago was a unique monster.

    Even though it was unclear, it should be a monster that attacked without hesitation when it found a yer, and yet it behaved itself without showing such signs at all.

    When he checked with ¡¾Analyze¡¿, it appeared as Gruefago Jade, Lv. 751. Originally, the upper limit level of a Gruefago should be 650, but it was amon urrence for a unique monster to exceed the limit. It would certainly be a recipe for disaster if it descended on a human dwelling.

    ¡°Go on, do it.¡±

    When Schnee said that, green phosphorescence enveloped the body of the Gruefago. Crackling sounds were asionally heard, a small sense of incongruity was added to that magical scene.

    The phosphorescence dimmed in less than a minute, and a single monster made an appearance.

    Though ¡¾Analyze¡¿ confirmed it as the Gruefago, the appearance was different from before. The forelegs were about the same length as the rear legs and the tail also shrunk. Though it was somewhat irregr, it could be said that it was a slightly big wolf. The featured horn shrunk as well, so that only a small part of it could be seen from the forehead.

    ¡°It became small?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Since there¡¯s this ability, there¡¯s no problem if it pulls the wagon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s certainly true.¡±

    Surely, the wagon could be pulled without any problems. But, there was a thing Shin was interested in before that.

    ¡°Did it have such an ability?¡±

    Gruefago were originally monsters that put emphasis on flinging themselves onto the enemy. Like Yuzuha, it should not specialize in transformations.

    ¡°Because it has a habit of ambushing and a preference for surprise attacks, it became a unique monster, and I think it obtained a more useful ability. In fact, it can use illusion and lightning attribute skills.¡±

    Though he didn¡¯t feel at ease because of that, a monster that couldn¡¯t adapt didn¡¯t make sense. Because it was born from demon essence, he was convinced that it would transform into a skeletal monster.

    ¡°I guess this appearance is probably fine for the time being. The wagon has already been modified, let¡¯s return and depart from there.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do it.¡±

    Since it was a waste of time even if he talked here, he decided to return and leave at once.

    ¡°Haa, it is strangely tiring.¡±

    In contrast to the happy Schnee, Tiera appeared to be slightly tired. It was natural too, no matter how light the exchange of Shin and Schnee appeared to have been, that was certainly a monster that was called a divine beast standing before her eyes. Even if it seemed docile, the intimidating air dispersed around it was not normal. Now that it became small, the feeling of intimidation was on the same level as that of amon monster. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if amoner fainted because of the strong pressure from its original figure though. For Shin and Schnee to talk like it was nothing, the two people were strange.

    If Tiera hadn¡¯t received training from Schnee, she would have joined the fainting group.

    ¡°Kuu, Kukuu?¡±

    ¡°Guru, guruaa!¡±

    Looking at both of them barking to talk, all one could do was to have a strained smile.

    ¡°I agree with Tiera. I didn¡¯t expect that you would bring something of this level, either.¡±

    For Shin, if anything, his surprise was stronger than fatigue. Because when he said horse, he expected something like the higher kind of Grimm Horse, a Wonder Horse, or even higher than that, a Tri-Horse. For a monster that was said to be the standard for every merchant yer, the level didn¡¯t exceed 200, because it was easy to handle. It was unexpectedly popr because of its horsepower.

    However, a divine beast was obviously overqualified if he looked at the oue.

    ¡°Was it something strange?¡±

    ¡°Master, usually one doesn¡¯t bring a divine beast simply to pull a wagon.¡±

    ¡°I will only settle for this.¡±

    ¡°¡°Eh¡­¡±¡±

    What was her intention to bring it along? It couldn¡¯t be helped for Shin¡¯s and Tiera¡¯s voices to be in harmony.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit excessive?¡±

    ¡°No way, you don¡¯t like it¡­?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s face became gloomy.

    ¡°Wait, wait, why are you depressed?¡±

    ¡°Well, Shin has a contract with an Element Tail, so if it¡¯s not a stronger monster maybe you wouldn¡¯t be pleased with it?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Guu-chan, don¡¯t want?¡±

    ¡°Guruu!?¡±

    Though what Shin meant was: ¡®You don¡¯t have to strain yourself¡¯; Schnee seemed to have interpreted it as ¡®You are not satisfied with this level?¡¯. She was overly enthusiastic, too.

    And, hearing the two people¡¯s conversation, toward Yuzuha¡¯s remark, the Gruefago expressed its surprise. Judging from its facial expression, it probably said, ¡°Really?!¡±. As expected from a divine beast, it didn¡¯t need to say out loud what it was thinking.

    ¡°No, a Gruefago is strong enough. Besides, it is a unique monster and I see almost no other ws.¡±

    ¡°I am relieved when you say that. I thought it would be useful if the monster was as smart as a person.¡±

    ¡°So that means, it understood the things we talked about just now?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Though it can¡¯t talk with words, most of our words are understood.¡±

    ¡°Guruu!¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me, it said.¡±

    Yuzuha promptly followed up. It seemed that fellow monsters understanding each other was possible. After all, a divine beast ss had high intelligence.

    ¡°This is my master. Be sure not to be rude.¡±

    Schnee said while presenting Shin.

    ¡°Guru!!¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    Shin said as he patted the head of the Gruefago. Without a sign that it disliked it in particr, the Gruefajio closed its eyes partly, indicating that it felt good.

    ¡°By the way, what is this fellow¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Kagerou.¡±

    ¡°Is it because it can use illusions?¡± (T/N: The ¡®Ó°¡¯ kanji, from ¡®»ÃÓ°¡¯[genei] which means illusion, is pronounced as ¡®kage¡¯.)

    ¡°Yes. Is it too simple?¡±

    ¡°Well, that might be good. I think it¡¯s a cool name.¡±

    It was certainly simple, but Shin thought it was not bad. It was a name that is asionally seen in games and manga.

    ¡°Guruu¡±

    ¡°I like it.¡±

    This beast seemed to like it, too. Yuzuha, who moved to Kagerou¡¯s back from Shin head, interpreted it properly. Since it might be hard to understand with only barking and gestures, it was very helpful.

    ¡°Then, Kagerou. I will give your first mission!¡±

    ¡°Guruu!!¡±

    ¡°That is, pull the wagon!¡±

    ¡°Guruaa!!¡±

    To Shin, who exaggeratedly informed the beast, Kagerou answered full of motivation. Though Shin worried that it mightin, it didn¡¯t seem to mind pulling the wagon.

    With Schnee and Kagerou added to Shin¡¯s party, they returned to Beirun from the forest, and came back to the shop where they left the wagon. At the time when they passed through the gate, Kagerou was registered as a monster partner of Schnee, simr to what Shin did in Bayreuth. For Kagerou, because its build was quiterge unlike Yuzuha and its appearance seemed to be a little ferocious as well, it was necessary to hang a te that indicated ¡°Tame¡± on the monster¡¯s neck.

    Schnee was strongly warned that if Kagerou barked, acted violently and so on, there would be penalties for that, but that was inevitable. Unlike the monsters of the horse group, it was considered very likely that it would act violently.

    Did bringing Kagerou along have some effect? Although Schnee and Tiera were beautiful women, no suspicious men tried to pick a quarrel with them. People like punks generally had a low sense of danger andcked the ability to read the mood. But when they saw Kagerou, there were no daredevils who tried to pick quarrels with the group.

    With Yuzuha riding on Shin¡¯s head, they might have thought that Shin was Kagerou¡¯s tamer, too. It was natural for a strong man to be with 2 beautiful elf women; it was from the air he gave off, everyone who looked at Shin¡¯s party thought.

    ¡°Customer¡­ this is also another great one you brought.¡±

    The storekeeper was surprised when looking at Kagerou that appeared alongside Shin.

    ¡°There¡¯s a little connection with someone I trust.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t say, is it that beautiful woman whom I didn¡¯t see yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sort of.¡±

    ¡°I envy you brother, with how your youngdies look.¡±

    What did the storekeeper imagine when looking at Tiera and Schnee; Shin¡¯s shoulders were pped down on hard. Though the storekeeper was acting a little overly familiar, there was almost no feeling of difort, which was expected from a merchant.

    ¡°It¡¯s not such a rtionship¡­¡±

    Before he knew it, the way he was called changed from ¡°customer¡± to ¡°brother¡±. Incidentally, even with such a poor excuse, the smirking storekeeper didn¡¯t seem to be listening.

    Currently, Schnee had changed her appearance with a skill. With blond hair, red eyes, and a ponytail hairstyle, her impression appeared to be more energetic than usual.

    Therefore, the collection of gazes she received from passerbies, was even more than Tiera and Kagerou gotbined.

    Shin received the wagon while sighing, and then mounted the necessary pulling device on Kagerou. It took some time for the fitting, because it was originally meant to be mounted on a horse, but he adjusted it using a skill in secret and kept up the appearance.

    ¡°Is it tight?¡±

    ¡°Guru¡±

    Kagerou nodded, telling Shin that it didn¡¯t have any problems. It felt no constraints, even when Shin took it for a light run. Though the wagon¡¯s weight should be more than normal, it didn¡¯t seem to be a burden judging from Kagerou.

    ¡°Then, shall we depart?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Guruu!¡±

    While hearing enthusiastic voices from the monsters, the carriage began to move slowly. Was it the result of his remodeling? The shaking had been considerably lessened.

    ¡°Amazing, it doesn¡¯t shake at all.¡±

    Tiera widened her eyes in amazement.

    ¡°Fuh, this is the result of my remodeling. Aren¡¯t you d I did it?¡±

    ¡°Now that I know this to be thisfortable, I won¡¯t be able to ride a normal carriage anymore.¡±

    There were personalized cushionsid out for each of them, so the vibration wouldn¡¯t make their buttocks sore. From a person who knew the shaking of an ordinary wagon, the difference infort was like heaven and earth. What Tiera said was also understandable.

    ¡°I see, it¡¯s been modified, huh?¡±

    Schnee also felt admiration as she looked around the wagon.

    ¡°Yes, originally I thought of excluding the extra bearing, but I knew I could improve it more if I tried. I thought why not do it on this opportunity, as it really is harsh to be inside a shaking wagon for a long period of time.¡±

    ¡°It is indeed. Isn¡¯t the performance better than the carriage of the royal family?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not that rash to go all out there though¡­¡±

    ¡°In present times, there are no wagons¡¯ that don¡¯t shake like this one.¡±

    Schnee smiled as if she was troubled. Judging from the talk, she was likely to have ridden on the royal family¡¯s wagon.

    ¡°Long distance travel in this world is really hard.¡±

    ¡°There are problems of public peace too, one wrong step could cost you your life.¡±

    Monsters and bandits were dangerous too, but even wild animals were plenty of a threat for any ordinary person. For this reason, there existed the work called, bodyguard. For a person who couldn¡¯t hire a guard, a trip was really risking their life.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll hardly feel danger with these members.¡±

    The words that Tiera muttered alone were the truth, too.

    To begin with, with a divine beast ss monster, Kagerou, pulling the wagon, monsters wouldn¡¯t approach directly. Even if a bandit who couldn¡¯t measure its power showed up, they would either settle in Kagerou¡¯s stomach, or be minced meat by Shin.

    There was no problem even if there was somewhat of a travel mood.

    ¡°When Shin and I are present, we can generally even do something about a national disaster ss problem.¡±

    ¡°Master is too almighty.¡±

    The speech that came off as arrogance was incorrigible, simply because it was reality. Even with only Schnee, she was already a national ss in regards of war potential.

    ¡°Kuu! Yuzuha also here, so it will be all right!¡±

    ¡°Guruu!¡±

    The two of them agreed with Schnee¡¯s words. That scene was exactly like a pet seeking approval from its master.

    ¡°As long as it¡¯s trustworthy.¡±

    The words Shin muttered while smiling wryly were not heard as they dissolved in the hustle and bustle.

    ¡°But well, to modify it to not attract attention, it stands out in a different way.¡±

    ¡°Mou, this couldn¡¯t be helped.¡±

    In addition to thebination of Schnee and Tiera that would attract public eyes, there was Kagerou, too. There was no way that this group wouldn¡¯t stand out.

    After all, they were continuously exposed to public eyes from the surroundings until they left the gate.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin¡¯s party departed from Beirun. Kagerou¡¯s movement speed was notparable with a normal wagon; when it ran for a while, all presences of people disappeared.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright if it¡¯s here. Schnee, can youe over here for a moment? I want to ask you something.¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    He searched for any surrounding presences, and called out to Schnee after confirming that there was no one around. He had something to discuss with her that couldn¡¯t be heard in the neighborhood, though he only now remembered it.

    ¡°Ipletely forgot about it. What was Kagerou¡¯s position on the sacred mountain?¡±

    So, he had forgotten to ask this because he was surprised at the appearance of the divine beast, since Kagerou had been found by chance and was brought along, he felt uneasy with its presence.

    Basically, for divine beasts, most of them had their own territory, and rarely came out from there. In addition, each of them were followed by their underlings. It was different in the game, but in reality, he couldn¡¯t just bring it along like that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see. If I am to say it nicely, it would be symbiosis, but if I must say it in a negative way, it would be freeloader.¡±

    ¡°Hah?¡±

    Due to the anticipation ahead of the unusual answer, Shin couldn¡¯t be helped to have a stupid expression on his face.

    A freeloader.

    It was not a word he imagined would describe a divine beast.

    That symbiosis she mentioned earlier, there might be a another divine beast in this case.

    ¡°Is it that? Kagerou was allowed to live in another divine beast¡¯s territory?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There is a monster called Mist Garuda that leads on the sacred mountain, near the summit. Because of that, there are not many ways for Kagerou to be helpful. And Kagerou didn¡¯t appear to have either followers or its own territory.¡±

    The story seemed to have taken a quite special turn. Normally, in the territory of a divine beast, other divine beasts didn¡¯t emerge. Since it was not a game any more, it was possible, but if that was the case, Shin felt a strong sense that something was very wrong.

    ¡°I understand this much as we came to a mutual understanding over the Mind Chat. I don¡¯t understand Kagerou as clearly as Yuzuha, but we canpare the information I know.¡±

    ¡°I see. Yuzuha, can you ask?¡±

    ¡°Kuu, leave it to me.¡±

    Yuzuha, who was able tomunicate clearly, asked about its circumstances. The conversation that sounded like ¡°Guruguru¡±, ¡°Kuukuu¡± continued for a few minutes.

    Was she interested in that conversation? Tiera also sat near the coachman¡¯s seat. Before long, Yuzuha returned to Shin.

    ¡°I got it.¡±

    ¡°Yosh, let¡¯s hear it right away.¡±

    ¡°Let me see. Was it the Mist Garuda, now? Though it rules the sacred mountain, originally half of it belonged to Kagerou¡¯s mother. However, its mother was killed by adventurers, and only Kagerou survived.¡±

    ¡°Adventurers, huh?¡±

    Shin had done simr things in the game era, so he felt ashamed.

    Of course, he didn¡¯t intend to hunt divine beasts thoughtlessly in this world.

    ¡°It desperately ran for its life, and then, it was helped by an elf girl. After that, it tried its best and became strong, though when it returned to the sacred mountain, it could only help in battles, because its mother¡¯s territory was already lost.¡±

    ¡°Elf, huh? Indeed, when I met it, there was a little hostility against me.¡±

    Did she recall the time she met Kagerou for the first time? Schnee nodded as she understood.

    ¡°Did it surrender without fighting?¡±

    ¡°Though we did have a contest, if anything, it was a slight degree of testing each other¡¯s ability.¡±

    Apparently, without showing their whole power, they seemed to understand each other¡¯s strength.

    ¡°Schnee is very strong and had a nostalgic scent attached to her, that¡¯s the reason it apanied her.¡±

    ¡°Nostalgic scent?¡±

    ¡°It said that it was the same scent as Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    An unexpected answer returned. Shin, who heard it, had an idea pop up by chance.

    ¡°The elf girl who helped¡­ was probably Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Kuu, looks like it.¡±

    It was totally like a development from a manga, but such a thing was really unexpected in reality. If Shin hadn¡¯t arrived, it seemed like their destinies wouldn¡¯t intertwine.

    ¡°Errr, I wonder when such a thing happened¡­¡±

    Tiera said as she closed her eyes to search for the memory where she helped Kagerou. She didn¡¯t seem to be able to remember it right away.

    ¡°Guru¡±

    ¡°It said it was more than 100 years ago.¡±

    ¡°That was when I was still a child¡­ Now that I think about it, I did save an injured puppy.¡±

    The information of Tiera¡¯s age could be guessed, but because circumstances were circumstances, Shin didn¡¯t dig deeper.

    Though it was difficult to associate the puppy from back then with Kagerou¡¯s current real figure, it probably didn¡¯t have a brutal appearance when it was a baby. She could understand because it reduced its size to pull the wagon furthermore.

    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, there was a severe injury. It was hopeless for me alone, so I asked for mother¡¯s help.¡±

    ¡°Guru¡±

    ¡°Benefactor, it said.¡±

    ¡°And you chose to be tamed? Even if you might not end up meeting Tiera?¡±

    Shin pointed out that doing so was hasty; even if it followed the scent, it might not have met Tiera again.

    ording to Yuzuha, it seemed to understand that it couldn¡¯t win, even if it fought against Schnee. That being the case, it decided to believe in its own intuition.

    By the way, the reason it let Shin pet it quietly too, was because it felt a portion of the strength that he hid. Even if he limited it using a skill so that his true ability wouldn¡¯te to light, it seemed that he wasn¡¯t able topletely cover it when it came to a monster of Kagerou¡¯s ss. It felt an overpowering sense of intimidation that couldn¡¯t bepared, even with Schnee, or so Yuzuha informed them of what Kagerou said.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why it was so docile.¡±

    Indeed, it wouldn¡¯t let an unfamiliar human touch it just like that. Although it seemed to be no problem for the members here now.

    ¡°Then, shall I transfer the master¡¯s qualifications to Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Will that be alright? For her level and such.¡±

    ¡°If the person in question is epting, there won¡¯t be any problem. It has been verified.¡±

    Though Shin raised his doubts, it seemed to be alright.

    ¡°Um, master. I don¡¯t have the Tamer job, so continuing with this conversation is pointless.¡±

    Of course, a special skill was necessary to form a contract. And only a tamer was able to do it.

    ¡°In this case, I was thinking of an irregr contract, rather than the said transfer. The contract is canceled temporarily and then made again, right?¡±

    Shin asked.

    ¡°Yes. Because a monster that was freed from the contract would return to the wild, it can make a contract with another tamer.¡±

    Though it was obvious, this world was a reality. If it was a game, there was no such thing. It was simr in the sense that a monster would return to the wild after the contract cancetion, but something like a re-contract was impossible. After the message of it having returned to the wild, 2 characters disappeared.

    As Shin had mentioned, it wouldn¡¯t disappear in the way they did in the game.

    ¡°No, like I said, I don¡¯t have the job.¡±

    Tiera didn¡¯t get the point.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. With this method, Tiera doesn¡¯t necessarily need the job.¡±

    ¡°Errr, what do you mean?¡±

    Tiera was at a loss for Schnee¡¯s words. The reason for her perplexity was because she didn¡¯t know the acquisition conditions for the job.

    In THE NEW GATE, there were 3 main methods to get the Tamer¡¯s job.

    1. ept the contract application from the monster¡¯s side, generated at a very low probability. (E/N: Monster proposes contract, yer epts)

    2. Inherit the skill, ¡¾Master and Servant Contract¡¿ from another yer, and at the same time, acquiring the job.

    3. Clear a job acquisition quest.

    In Tiera¡¯s case, it was falling under no. 1 this time. Though they were supposed to fight until it was driven into a corner, Kagerou was uninterested in fighting, so it became a contract as it was. He understood it since the characters for ¡°Very Low Probability¡± were included. There were only a few yers who obtained the job through method no. 1 in the game age. Even Cashmere of the Rokuten guild hadn¡¯t experienced this, more or less making him realize the low probability to some extent. Though it looked a little like a cheat, there was no benefit in particr.

    Therefore, most yers received the skill from acquaintances, or obtained it directly through a quest.

    ¡°Indeed, then I can do it, too.¡±

    Tiera consented after receiving the exnation from Schnee.

    ¡°So, let¡¯s finish this quickly. Kagerou, stop.¡±

    The wagon stopped moving, and everyone hopped off for the time being. The pulling device was detached from Kagerou, and it changed back to its former appearance.

    ¡°First, I will cancel the contract.¡±

    When Schnee said so, she stretched out her arm, and Kagerou bowed its head and touched her hand.

    ¡°The light in thy future¡±

    ¡°Guru¡­¡±

    Schnee recited the words of contract cancetion. Then a faint light enveloped Schnee and Kagerou, and vanished after a few seconds. With this, the engraved contract marks on both of them disappeared.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s Tiera¡¯s turn.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±

    Though she was tense, Tiera stood before Kagerou.

    The current Kagerou was in a state without any restrictions. The intimidating feeling released by that body was enough to make amoner scared, even if Kagerou suppressed it. Combined with that gigantic appearance, Tiera felt the illusion of a force that pushed her into the ground.

    ¡°Guruu¡­¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s alright. I can do this.¡±

    With a smile to Kagerou who barked worriedly, Tieraposed herself. There was no hostility from Kagerou. Those eyes too, when looked at properly, were worried about the shaking Tiera.

    She took a deep breath, and looked straight at Kagerou. The next moment, a stream of information flowed into her head. A golden light enveloped Tiera¡¯s body, and disappeared after several seconds.

    With the guide from the skill she acquired, Tiera recited the words of the contract.

    ¡°I, wish to walk with thee.¡±

    ¡°Guru¡­¡±

    Kagerou barked to answer Tiera¡¯s words. At the same time, Tiera and Kagerou, on each of their left arms, a tattoo with the shape of some kind of flower, emerged.

    ¡°That is¡­oops¡±

    The pattern of the tattoo created ripples in Shin¡¯s memory for an instant.

    But since Tiera staggered after that, his thoughts were interrupted, and he caught her as she was about to fall. Because of that, the sense of incongruity he had, was gone along with the waves.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, somehow I¡¯m losing strength.¡±

    ¡¾Master and Servant Contract¡¿ was originally a skill used on a partner who was already weakened substantially. Since there was a huge level difference too, Shin judged that there might be an unexpected burden on the body.

    Shin let the tired Tiera rest on the canopy top, and installed the pulling device on Kagerou again. Though Kagerou worried about Tiera, when he said she¡¯d be alright once she took a rest, since the person in question was merely tired, Kagerou began to pull the wagon obediently.

    ¡°Hey, Schnee. When you transferred Kagerou to Tiera, was it to protect her after all?¡±

    The carriage has moving forward, and approximately 20 minutes had passed. Shin confirmed that Tiera was still asleep, and opened his mouth.

    ¡°Yes. It is as you say.¡±

    She probably knew that she would be asked that question. Without being surprised in particr, Schnee answered.

    ¡°After this, we won¡¯t always be nearby.¡±

    Schnee said it in a t voice. This was likely one of the reasons she tamed Kagerou in the first ce.

    Schnee would follow Shin, but for Tiera, it was not necessary to follow him. Though she brought Tiera a little forcibly this time, she intended to let her go free after the affairs were over. It was up to Tiera on how she lived.

    However, in the case of her joining Shin with his action, there was the insecure factor of fighting power in the long run. Currently, Tiera¡¯s level was 59. Although it went up a little in the battle with monsters and bandits to some extent, it was still low. It goes without saying that the same goes for her stats. Even Rashia, who did power leveling with Shin and Wilhelm, had a much higher level. The equipment necessary topensate for it was also limited.

    That was the reason for the¡¾Master and Servant Contract¡¿. The person who became the master was able to summon their monster partner near oneself in an instant. The danger might decrease if Kagerou was there.

    Above all, if Tiera was exposed as staff of Tsuki no Hokora, some insurance for that time was needed. No matter how much she raised her level, if a chosen one appeared, it was impossible for Tiera to deal with them alone. If Kagerou made some serious effort, it would likely end up as overkill, even against a chosen one. But one could expect that the opponent would use any cruel means, so there was no need to show mercy.

    Also, if it was Tiera, Kagerou would not to be used formitting crimes.

    For Schnee, what kind of life Tiera would choose, though she thought to decide on the coping method, it was unexpectedly easily settled. Of course, since it was possible for her to do something for Tiera indirectly, a different coping action was needed again.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that it would turn out like this, though.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­for an ordinary elf to tame a divine beast, usually one wouldn¡¯t think of doing it. Though, I didn¡¯t think you would bring a divine beast to pull the wagon either.¡±

    ¡°I was aiming for the Mist Garuda actually.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the top position in the sacred mountain? That would endanger the ecosystem or the territory in various ways, you should stop that.¡±

    Certainly, bringing the master of a territory would be too much of a problem.

    ¡°If Tiera chooses a different path from us, I will look for another monster again.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be fixated on another divine beast, you know? You seem ready to pull something like this time again.¡±

    Something like this time, it certainly was Kagerou.

    She wasn¡¯t aiming for it, andpletely discovered it by chance. However, contrarily it was human nature to be suspicious when it went smoothly up until there. To the chain of events, he felt some kind of artificial destiny.

    Shin asked Schnee for a horse substitution, and Schnee came across a divine beast that has a connection with Tiera. The divine beast was reminded of Tiera by the attached scent of Schnee, who was a High Elf, and followed her obediently. And then, it made a contract with Tiera.

    The urrence was too much for it to happen by mere chance.

    ¡°Really, for it to somehow move like it was arranged, it makes me uneasy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad sign though.¡±

    If he took it in a good way, it could be said that he was guided to it. Depending on the viewpoint, even if he was dancing in the palm of someone, he couldn¡¯t make a conclusion based on the present situation.

    ¡°There! That¡¯s what I mean. How do I put it¡­basically if it¡¯s malicious, it seems even stranger because I couldn¡¯t see the intentions.¡±

    ¡°In terms of war potential, there is no disadvantage to us, right?¡±

    At present, they didn¡¯t have a big disadvantage. Only at the present, however.

    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t understand even if I think about it.¡±

    ¡°If something happens out of my expectation, I cannot do anything but deal with it right away.¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped, huh? As I said earlier, it hasn¡¯t been a long time since I came to this world. In some cases, there might be situations where I can¡¯t make a decision.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Since a lot of things are different from before, adjusting might be difficult.¡±

    ¡°And to be frank, I will rely on Schnee when it gets really dangerous. So please take care of me at that time.¡±

    ¡°!!¡­Leave it to me!¡±

    I will rely on Schnee.

    As Schnee heard those words, she stopped moving as if struck by thunder. And after a short period of silence, she answered in a firm voice. The expression that overflowed with determination only brightened her pretty face even more.

    Because she was relied on, Shin thought it was good to show some motivation. But Shin¡¯s words appeared to be more effective than he thought.

    When he looked between her hair, her long ears, which were peculiar to an elf, sometimes twitched and quivered, and her cheeks were also tinged a little reddish. Her lips were twitching like she was enduring something, and when he looked closely, he found out that the corner of her mouth almost rose up.

    ¡°Schnee? Are you alright?¡±

    Shin was surprised at the unexpected reaction from Schnee. Though he intended to understand Schnee¡¯s feelings for him, he didn¡¯t expect that this much of a reaction woulde out. Having said that he would rely on Schnee, he was including Tsuki no Hokora that he carried, Tiera, and the monsters¡¯pany, because he thought it would make a big difference in dealing with an emergency.

    Of course, no one could rival Shin¡¯s dependability of Schnee, but did he flip a switch? Shin was anxious.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. No problem at all¡­¡­.that surprise attack, it¡¯s unfair.¡±

    While she answered Shin, Schnee vented out her emotions in a faint voice. The voice was covered by the sound of the moving carriage, so it didn¡¯t reach Shin¡¯s ears.

    Schnee was a youngdy, too. To thepanion whom she longed for, it was impossible for her not to be happy when told she would be relied on and so forth.

    She was counted on. How long did she wait for that moment. The joy that erupted next, no one in that ce could understand it. Contrary to motivation, the face that almost broke out into a smile was tightened by force. In some way or another, she maintained a front as hard as possible.

    ¡°Well, that. Please do.¡±

    With moistened eyes and a reddened face, coupled with the strange romance that appeared, as he nced at Schnee, Shin issued instructions to Kagerou. The speed was about 1.5 times that of a normal carriage when it was doubled, and the scenery of the surroundings flowed by faster. The wind that blew against their faces became stronger, too.

    While thinking that it was nice if his face didn¡¯t redden, Shin stared ahead.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It was an easy route,paratively, for one week. Without being attacked by any monsters or bandits, the trip advanced smoothly. From Beirun, there was arge forested area, which was called Larua Grand Woods, and the wagon traveled along its borders.

    The wear and tear of the wagon was intense due to Kagerou¡¯s speed, but it still didn¡¯t break because of the good craftsmanship. However, maintenance would be necessary when they arrived at Falnido.

    ¡°It¡¯s normally impossible toe all the way up here in one week.¡±

    Tiera muttered alone while looking at the map. If it was a normal carriage, even when it advanced quickly, at this time they would only have covered around one-fifth of the way, and yet they had already covered four-fifths of the whole distance. There was hardly any shaking, thanks to the modifications before the trip, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about Tiera and the others, even if he sped up.

    If he had done the same thing with a normal wagon, it probably wouldn¡¯t have held up for even an hour. Especially the passengers inside.

    ¡°Even with this speed, I have gottenpletely used to it.¡±

    ¡°It can be faster than this. But the wagon wouldn¡¯tst.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t raise it any further, it¡¯s scary¡­¡±

    Currently, their speed was about 60km per hour(T/N: About 38 mph). Because of the terrain, that speed was not always maintained. However, after Tiera became ustomed to it, they moved at a speed about 3-4 times faster than a normal wagon. For Kagerou, it was somehow fast, since its stamina to maintain the speed was off the charts.

    Most of the inhabitants of this world have never experienced that kind of speed.

    Although Tiera¡¯s face showed no reaction at the moment, her face had been blue while yelling ¡°Too fast! Too fast!¡± repeatedly when Shin raised the speed in the beginning. She didn¡¯t seem to be able to feel relief even when she saw how calm Shin and Schnee were.

    ¡°With this pace, we should arrive in another 2 or 3 days, huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I think around then.¡±

    Contrary to the calm conversation, the wagon traveled on the grassy ins at a blistering speed. Not only animals, but monsters also ran away immediately when they saw the carriage.

    ¡°For monsters to clear the road for me, I¡¯m seeing it for the first time.¡±

    ¡°Because the one pulling us is Kagerou. It¡¯s far from being reckless.¡±

    Shin said that while giving instructions to Kagerou. The direction of Kagerou¡¯s running changed depending on those instructions. Avoiding big cavities in the ground while running in a zigzag line, the wagon easily sped across the grassy ins.

    They got through the grassy ins in one day. A forest came into view in the direction of their movement, and there were some reactions within Shin¡¯s range of perception.

    ¡°Schnee, Tiera. There is something up ahead. Be cautious, just in case.¡±

    While giving instructions to drop the speed to Kagerou, he called out to the two people in the wagon.

    Yuzuha, as usual, was on top of Shin¡¯s head. It¡¯s attitude was alert even without having been told.

    ¡°This is¡­are they being chased by something?¡±

    Shin muttered while looking at the map disyed in his view. Judging from the speed, it might be riding a horse. It was faster than a running human, and the multiple responses were heading toward Shin and the others.

    Behind them, a response came from a monster.

    ¡°They are being chased.¡±

    ¡°Um, naturally I don¡¯t understand even if you guys say something like that.¡±

    ¡°Mmm~, I can¡¯t see them¡­¡±

    They seemed to already have entered Schnee¡¯s range of perception, and she gave the same judgment as Shin.

    Neither Tiera nor Yuzuha could grasp the situation. It was only natural, as they were still several kemels away.

    ¡°At this rate, we are going to sh. Should we change ourne?¡±

    ¡°Eh, we aren¡¯t going to help?¡±

    ¡°Whether they were attacked or not, it¡¯s hard to judge by theposition.¡±

    While having a difficult face, Shin told Tiera about the other party that wasing straight toward them.

    The number of people who were on horseback numbered five. There were people of level 40 and exceeding 200 in the center, and three people around level 150 surrounding them.

    Three Guardian Golems at Lv. 430 were chasing them from behind. If Shin¡¯s memories were correct, the Guardian Golem acted as a gatekeeper for a dungeon; it was a monster that was supposed to serve as protectors of treasure. At least, it didn¡¯t attack a person indiscriminately.

    If that characteristic was still in effect, it meant that the 5 people who were escaping were being chased because they were guilty of something.

    ¡°Indeed. It will bring us harm if we thoughtlessly help.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what she said. You might say it¡¯s because the monsters from the golem group sometimes run wildly without any meaning, but I cannot affirm that.¡±

    Like this time, it was very likely the model that persistently ran after the opponent. At the same time, there might be something nearby that was unknown to Shin, something that the golems were protecting.

    ¡°If I might add another possibility, the golems were protecting a secret, for example, an item, and they stole it and ran away.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the most troublesome one.¡±

    The golems that guard a treasure chest would chase the stolen item until the ends of the earth. It could be said that it was thest form they wanted to be associated with.

    ¡°I¡¯d understand if that is the reason they went wild when I see it, but¡­¡±

    The golems, when in a state of running wildly, were clear at a nce, because mana was emanated from the core to its whole body. The problem was that it was not understandable just by looking.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell the difference with ¡¾Analyze¡¿.¡±

    In¡¾Analyze¡¿, except for the official record of the wild golems, it was usually indistinguishable from a normal golem.

    ¡°¡­There¡¯s no point in continuing the matter by prediction alone. I will help if they are really being attacked, otherwise I will kill them if they started the problem. Let¡¯s adapt to the circumstances for the moment.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Roger.¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    He assumed it would be the worst type and got prepared just in case. The driver was Shin. Schnee and Tiera hid themselves inside the wagon¡¯s canopy.

    ¡°For the time being, all members put on cloaks. One of those escaping is a noble. Even though I don¡¯t know what they are doing, I don¡¯t want our faces to be remembered.¡±

    Because the illusion skill would be removed if they took off the cloaks, it was still better than nothing.

    ¡°They will reach us anytime now. Kagerou, please slowly reduce the speed.¡±

    ¡°Guru¡±

    They advanced for a little while along the road when he saw the cloud of dust that was whirled up by the golems, and he dropped the speed of the wagon. Shin confirmed the armored men who rode the horses with an eyesight strengthened by a skill.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s the troublesome type.¡±

    He sighed while saying a few words. That was Shin¡¯s guess from the scene that was reflected in his view.

    In front of Shin and the others¡¯ line of sight, a man in armor riding on a horse, who seemed to be leading the group, made an appearance. And then, there was a low-level man and a man who seemed to be his guard, appeared sessively. Andstly, two horsemen with a little dy appeared.

    The men with armor seemed to be really experienced inbat. On the other hand, the low-level man wore clothes that gave off a luxurious feeling of material. A word that exined his body: obesity. He held a cup that shined like silver in one hand.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed the name of the cup. Shin, who saw it, grimaced in a big way.

    ¡°They don¡¯t seem to have been attacked without reason.¡±

    ¡°Schnee¡¯s prediction is a strike. That guy who is yelling has a Holy Grail of Rotten Malice.¡±

    Treasure chests existed in dungeons of regr rank and above. One of the items could be obtained at random from there.

    Considering the situation, Schnee was right; it was likely that they only collected the item and ran away.

    ¡°I¡¯m going for a moment. I¡¯ll leave the defense to you.¡±

    While taking out a card from the Item Box, Shin got off of the wagon. In the next moment, he disappeared with a Hiding skill.

    In the coachman¡¯s seat, Schnee now sat instead of Shin. Because there was a distance between the two groups, the movement of the two people couldn¡¯t be seen by the side that was running away.

    While hidden, Shin approached the men who escaped. Then, he heard the low-level man who was ranting louder than the sound of the horses¡¯ hooves.

    ¡°What have you done!? They are catching up! Can¡¯t you go faster!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is the limit!! If you just throw that thing away, the golems might stop chasing us!!¡±

    Looking ahead, a guardsman answered. That face clearly showed that this situation was not the man¡¯s real intention. As for the other men, they were making simrly ugly faces.

    ¡°Damnnit, this pig guy is misusing his power. If I was holding it, I would have already thrown it away.¡±

    Shin strengthened his hearing, and caught the murmur of the man who lead the group.

    (There seem to be some circumstances. Given this situation, all of them will be killed immediately in the end.)

    Though he didn¡¯t know the reason, the guards didn¡¯t seem to be cooperating willingly.

    The distance between them and the wagon which Schnee rode on was getting smaller.

    ¡°Hey! That wagon! Make that a decoy and let¡¯s escape! It might earn us a bit of time!!¡±

    ¡°Wha!? Don¡¯t joke around!! Do you know what you¡¯re saying!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s you guys who are joking around! Do you understand what happens if I don¡¯t return!¡±

    At the words which the low-level man said, when he looked at the wagon, a guard shouted back. As one might expect, the guard couldn¡¯t hold his anger.

    (He might be using the guards¡¯ weaknesses. Even if he did something to that low-level, it wouldn¡¯t solve the problem)

    While watching the exchange of the two people, Shin decided to act.

    He could kill only that low-level man, but then the situation of the guardsmen would worsen.

    Judging from ¡¾Analyze¡¿, the job of the low-level man was priest. It was no doubt that he was a church official. And from his attitude and appearance, he was probably a priest with a high-rank.

    When Shin thought up to there, everyone in the orphanage came to mind.

    (¡­Don¡¯t tell me, this guy is that pig bishop in question.)

    Partly because of the ¡®pig guy¡¯ remark he had heard a little while ago, Shin was convinced that he identified the low-leveled man correctly. Though there was no conclusive evidence, he wouldn¡¯t let him steal the item just like that.

    (I will switch the item with a counterfeit.)

    The cup, which that low-level man held, was quickly exchanged with an imitation. It looked exactly the same, but only in appearance; it was now a joke material item.

    The holy grail was turned into a card, and stored away in his Item Box. With Shin having snatched the item, the target of the Guardian Golems moved to Shin. Because he didn¡¯t want them to notice that, he traveled side by side with them for a while.

    ¡°(Schnee, can you make a scene where you run away when the golems attack the wagon with the illusion skill?)¡±

    ¡°(I can do it, though do you want to let them escape?)¡±

    ¡°(There seem to be some circumstances here. It¡¯s just one person who is the root of all of these problems.)¡±

    ¡°(I see. I understand. Should I refrain from counterattacking even if they do something?)¡±

    ¡°(Do so.)¡±

    He made an arrangement with Schnee via Mind Chat. If one looked properly at the carriage, Kagerou had also been d with the illusion of amon horse. To the men¡¯s eyes, it would only look like a horse. Since Kagerou stood out, Schnee seemed to have made a smart move.

    ¡°The wheels! They can¡¯t run away immediately if you break the wheels! Break them when we pass each other!!¡±

    ¡°For a guy like you to say something like that!!¡±

    While Shin acted separately, the low-leveled man¡¯s instructions went in a cruel direction. Of course, the guard tried to refuse. However, he finally pulled out the sword from the sheath at his waist and lowered it due to the words of the low-level man.

    That face was filled with bitterness. The thing which the guardsman tried to protect, him or them, he wanted to protect even if he got his hands dirty.

    The man¡¯s sword destroyed the wheels on one side when they passed each other, making it impossible for the wagon to advance.

    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±

    A faint mumble leaked out as anguish appeared on the guard¡¯s crooked facial expression; it clearly expressed the man¡¯s feelings.

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult¡­¡±

    Shin muttered while seeing those men gallop away. In the eyes of the man who looked back, the destroyed wagon and Shin¡¯s group trying to escape was reflected.

    ¡°Now then, shall we finish it up?¡±

    He turned around, and prepared for the Guardian Golems that were approaching from behind.

    Although he also could just return the item to the Guardian Golems, the Holy Grail of Rotten Malice was very dangerous when misused. Therefore, it was too bad for the Guardian Golems, but he decided to retrieve it here.

    ¡°Those golems are a precious raw material. It¡¯s useful for remodeling the wagon.¡±

    He asked Schnee to be cautious and hide in the surroundings, then faced the Guardian Golems.

    Even if the Guardian Golems were in front of Shin, he charged without faltering. Since they were not living beings, they were not affected by Shin¡¯s overpowering presence. Their gigantic build reached about 3 mels in total height, and they were closing in on Shin while raising a cloud of dust.

    ¡°Swish!!¡±

    Without changing the momentum of his charge, he dodged a fist, and they passed each other as he swung his katana. The sh that hit the Guardian Golem broke through the high defense that was a characteristic of the Golem group monsters without difficulty, and its left leg was sliced off.

    Shin changed his running direction and aimed for the golem¡¯s core after it lost its bnce and fell down. The core was located in the center of the body from behind, which Shin pierced through with his katana. Though the Guardian Golem moved its body as it suffered, it slowly stopped moving after Shin twisted his katana to tear and crush the core.

    The two Guardian Golems that were left attacked Shin when his movements stopped after he dealt the finishing blow. With Shin¡¯s katana sticking out of the core, the two bodies swung their fists downward like hammers.

    ¡°Boom!!¡±

    Shin parted with his katana, turned around and held out his right fist. With the barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Steel Repel¡¿ activated, his fist shed with the fist of the Guardian Golem. Following that, the thick sound of metal being hit resounded. Shin¡¯s fist didn¡¯t seem to be much of a rival, but the golem¡¯s fist, which was almost 1 mel wide, was repelled. That recoil caused the Guardian Golem to lose its posture and stumble backward. Various big and small cracks traveled across the fist that collided with Shin¡¯s own.

    Shin didn¡¯t pay attention to the stunned Guardian Golem, and twisted his body with the momentum of the swung right hand. And then, toward the other Guardian Golem that was closing in a little bit more slowly, he unleashed a skill from his left palm.

    Barehanded system martial art skill ¡¾Transparent Wave¡¿¨D¨D a vibration wave that destroyed the internal parts of the body was transmitted through the Guardian Golem¡¯s fist from Shin¡¯s palm. Was the power too strong? It was over in an instant, as the Guardian Golem¡¯s body shook a little, before half of it got blown away. Among the shattered pieces, the core seemed to be mixed in, too. The remaining half of the body fell down to the ground like a broken doll.

    ¡°This¡­can¡¯t be used on a living being.¡±

    Shin muttered while seeing the Guardian Golem shattered. If the opponent was a living thing, it would be a painful scene to look at.

    He made a mental note in his mind, and faced thest golem. The Guardian Golem that fell on it¡¯s back didn¡¯t seem to flinch at all, even though the other two were already knocked down. At the same time as it was getting up, it naively turned its fists toward Shin.

    Before the punch arrived, Shin fired magic toward the final Guardian Golem.

    It was the earth system magic skill, ¡¾Earth Spear¡¿. The magic that was released immediately showed its effect; the earth right underneath the Guardian Golem shot upward and simultaneously became a spear that attacked its target. The earth spear was reinforced with Shin¡¯s magic, and ran straight through the core of the Guardian Golem, as it ceased to function.

    ¡°An elementary level magic skill of the Earth system can take down a golem exceeding level 400, huh?¡±

    Shin tested two skills as an experiment, since there were a few golems. ¡¾Transparent Wave¡¿ seemed to be effective against monsters which have a high defense, such as golems. However, a very grotesque spectacle might ur if he used it on a living being. By the way, after he had used it, he had a feeling that adjustment of the skill¡¯s power was possible.

    As for ¡¾Earth Spear¡¿, was it because of Shin¡¯s magic power? It¡¯s power had increased considerably. Though the increase in power itself was obvious, he hadn¡¯t thought that the defense of golems surpassing level 400 would break so easily. Anyways, earth system magic skills were the first skills one obtained in the game. Though it was useful for traps and surprise attacks, there was no power behind it until now. Soon aftering to this world, he was only able to test the operations of a few skills, but Shin once again thought that it was necessary to train.

    ¡°Now then, time to collect the raw materials¡±

    When he concluded the matter in his mind, he moved on to retrieving the raw materials. However, the only thing he collected was the golems¡¯ fragments, which he then changed into Item Cards. From the Guardian Golems, one could harvest magic steel, while even small amounts of orichalcum could be retrieved, so he didn¡¯t forget to collect even the smaller pieces.

    When he collected everything, Shin returned to Schnee¡¯s location.

    ¡°Good job for today.¡±

    ¡°That one too, so what¡¯s your impression on the damage?¡±

    ¡°The right wheels werepletely destroyed. The axles were broken too, as it slumped against the ground afterward.¡±

    Schnee and the others got off the carriage and waited. Schnee, who heard the report about the broken wheels, got off from the wagon earlier and cast an illusion.

    As for the wagon, the wheels were destroyed and one side of the carrier had sunk into the ground. When it lost its bnce and touched the ground, it didn¡¯t seem to be able to endure the weight of the carrier, so the axles brokepletely. It was also probably influenced by the violent speeding earlier. When he looked more closely, they were pretty much worn out.

    ¡°It¡¯s totally broken. Should I make it more sturdy on this asion?¡±

    He made the carrier float with a skill, and removed the broken axles. Taking advantage of this situation, he took out parts for the wagon that were long stored in his Item Box. Even if it wasn¡¯t his specialty, it was still a production job. While raising a skill, parts he made couldn¡¯t help but pile up to an excessive amount.

    He removed the wheels to change out the broken axlex, while at the same time, he remodeled it to reduce vibrations. The newly installed parts gave off the appearance of wood. However, for a human specialized in that field, if they were not an expert craftsman, they wouldn¡¯t be able to grasp the unnatural gloss on its surface.

    That shine was the adamantine coating, which only Shin and Schnee had in this world.

    ¡°It¡¯s finished.¡±

    ¡°¡­Something, feels strange.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination.¡±

    Tiera was going to ascertain the strange feeling with the power of observation, but because of herck of knowledge, she gave up on it. Nonchntly, Schnee also diverted her attention.

    When the repairs were over, they began to depart. The wagon¡¯s performance rose significantlypared to before the repair, and pushed onward in spite of the bad road.

    After moving for an additional 2 days, the party finally reached the end of the Larua Grand Woods, and arrived at Falnido.

    Shin and the others were in the southeastern part of Falnido. Probably because the grand wooded region was adjacent to Larua Grand Woods, it wasn¡¯t dense, but the scenery of the forest across the border was extended. Was it different vegetation? While Larua Grand Woods was a densely packed area close to a jungle, Falnido¡¯s forest gave off the impression of small animals living peacefully.

    Although the forest was spread out, naturally there was a border. ording to Schnee, there were guard troops, too.

    The road that lead to the country was maintained; there was no need to charge through a trackless path. On the main road that continued to Falnido from the ins, Shin¡¯s troupe advanced slowly. They might be taken as suspicious fellows and be restrained if they increased their speed here.

    Schnee sent out a message card, to inform Girard of their arrival.

    ¡°Hmm? Someone¡¯sing. Their levels are quite high.¡±

    About 10 minutes had passed since they entered inside the forest through the road. Shin sensed someone heading toward the carriage in a straight line. There were two of them. Their levels were 210 and 179 respectively.

    ¡°Since I already sent a message to Girard some time ago, I think it¡¯s the people who areing to wee us.¡±

    Because they couldn¡¯t afford to just call him a High Human, she seemed to have requested a reliable person to guide them. Schnee, who appeared to remember the two people, casually sat next to Shin.

    The wagon stopped for a few minutes, and a pair of Beast-men appeared from the forest.

    ¡°As expected, you guys came.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I received a decree from the Founder whom you are visiting.¡±

    The one who responded to Schnee¡¯s words had gray hair and deep green eyes was a man with masculine looks. There was no opening in that standing posture, so it was clear that he could cope on the spot if something happened. He looked to be in histe 20s; for this world¡¯s standard, considering his level, Shin felt he was pretty young.

    ¡°That person is, the one who was mentioned?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is him. Because it¡¯s somewhat difficult to introduce him here, I asked for a guide from Girard.¡±

    ¡°I understand. We will be the guide to our city, Elden. Follow me.¡±

    The man moved to the front of the wagon with that reply. Shin made the wagon advance to match the speed of the man running.

    ¡°Cuore seems healthy, too.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Schnee-sama also seems healthy above all.¡±

    Having answered in a brisk tone, was the woman called Cuore. Identical to the man who was described just now, she was a beautiful girl with gray hair and deep green eyes. The length of her hair was shoulder length. Shin saw that the only part that was lengthened was the part at the back of her neck. She talked like a warrior, and gave off the impression that she was popr with the same-sex.

    Judging from the friendly conversation, Schnee and the two people appeared to be acquainted since olden days.

    ¡°Have you been acquaintances for long time?¡±

    ¡°I was there when she was born. I also trained her.¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­a Chosen One?¡±

    ¡°The implication might be different, but she has enough power that it could be said she is a chosen one. After all, it¡¯s because she is Girard¡¯s direct descendant.¡±

    ¡°What!? ¡­Is that so? If that beast has great-grandchildren, let alone great-great-grandchildren¡­, no¡­, anymore would not be strange.¡±

    When he thought of Girard¡¯s original life, Girard was married to his wife, and it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to have a child. Since he couldn¡¯t live for several hundreds of years like elves and pixies.

    ¡°Hmm? Have we arrived?¡±

    After the man had run for a while, he signaled for them to stop in front of the ramparts that came into view. When Shin looked at the ramparts, he discovered that some parts of the wall were camouged to make it look ordinary.

    Apparently, there was a concealed door somewhere or another. The width was enough to let about one carriage pass, and there was not much height either. This might be a gate to let the fortingpany go through incognito, like at this time. The soldiers who were on guard were likely chosen ones, too.

    ¡°How about the wagon?¡±

    ¡°In this case, I should change it into a card.¡±

    Because the parts he used for remodeling might be suspicious in this world, he put it away in the Item Box, just in case. It could be said that the moment he started remodeling it, the option of selling it was already gone.

    Kagerou was released from wagon pulling duty, obviously changing into a small body, so that Tiera could hold it.

    They moved from the open space where they stopped the wagon to go through the tunnel, so they could meet Girard who was ahead. They then entered a building, and advanced toward the underground from there.

    ¡°Somehow, I feel out of ce.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying, an employee of Tsuki no Hokora is a legitimate person concerning the people.¡±

    As they were guided along the way, Shin encouraged the nervous Tiera. Since she was in the shop for more than 100 years, she was pretty much family as far as Shin saw it.

    ording to Shin¡¯s memory, Girard was not the type that worried about trivial things, so it shouldn¡¯t be an issue.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so nervous, because I already told him about you, Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Even if that is so, it¡¯s impossible for me to rx¡­¡±

    From amoner¡¯s viewpoint, the person whom she was about to face after this, was a person who was on such a whole different level, that it was only possible to encounter them once in a lifetime. It was normal to feel small. Just because she was close to the existence named Schnee, didn¡¯t mean she was able to get close to other simr members.

    ¡°Prepare yourself. We have arrived.¡±

    While they were talking, it seemed like they had reached the end of the tunnel. Beyond what appeared to be above ground, there was a building like a Japanese samurai residence.

    There was no gate, but everything from the roof tiles, to the paper sliding doors, it was like a full-scale replica that seemed to be able to be used for a historical drama.

    ¡°This way.¡±

    The man invited them in with a few words. They took off their shoes at the entrance, and proceeded to the depth of the residence through the veranda.

    In front of a room in the house, the man who guided them stopped his pace.

    ¡°I have brought Schnee and herpanions.¡±

    ¡°Ou,e in.¡±

    The answer was received, and the man opened the paper sliding door. There were three people in the room.

    Before long, Shin recognized one of them. Sitting in front of him was a Wolf Type High Beast, his support character no. 3. It was Girard Estaria.

    From Shin¡¯s point of view, there was an Elephant Type on his left, and a Turtle Type to his right side, but Shin had no memory of them. Both were level 255. They might be Girard¡¯s trusted confidants.

    Following the man, Shin, Schnee and Tiera entered the room. Of course, Yuzuha and Kagerou followed along too.

    Shin was in the center, Schnee and Tiera were on his left and right respectively, and Girard opened his mouth to talk.

    ¡°Ou, Master-dono. I never thought I¡¯d live until the day I saw you again.¡±

    Girard¡¯s voice, which he now heard for the first time aftering to this world, and one that Shin used to hear all the time, was a low and deep voice.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Same here, I never thought that you would still be alive.¡±

    Simr to Girard¡¯s first opinion, Shin too, answered back.

    Unlike the beasts that were sitting down on his right and left, Girard was a Human Type now. Wrinkles had increased on his face, and his hair had whitened.

    However, even if his appearance looked old, the presence that emanated from that body, Shin thought that not even a particle of it had be weak. At least, he didn¡¯t look like he would die any time soon. That arrogant tone seemed to be the same as before, too.

    ¡°Kukuku, that is right. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m still alive either. Because I might die suddenly, everyone around me is worried.¡±

    ¡°Well that, you shouldn¡¯t beughing at that.¡±

    While saying things that he shouldn¡¯t joke about, Girardughed heartily. As for the beasts who sat on his right and left, they were in a shocked state and also sighed while nodding in agreement at Shin¡¯s remark.

    ¡°Now then, there is great deal to talk about too and the story has been umting, but I have to introduce these guys before that.¡±

    Saying so, Girard introduced the man and woman who guided Shin and his party, while sitting down between the beasts.

    ¡°This guy is the current Beast King, Wolfgang. And this here is Wolfgang¡¯s daughter, Cuore.¡±

    ¡°I am Wolfgang Estaria. Please to make your acquaintance hereafter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Cuore Estaria! It¡¯s an honor to meet you!¡±

    Introduced by Girard, the two beasts lowered their heads respectively.

    Wolfgang lookedposed, but Cuore seemed to have gotten a little bit excited.

    ¡°And, these two people are my trusted friends. Van and Rajim.¡±

    ¡°King¡¯s right arm, Van Kuu.¡±

    ¡°King¡¯s left arm, Rajim Dolku.¡±

    The two beasts said no more than that and calmly bowed. Their shocked states from a while ago disappeared, and they now wore serious expressions.

    The one who introduced himself as Van was an elephant, and Rajim as a turtle beast, were known. The position where they were seated seemed to be corresponding to each arm. The right was Van, the left was Rajim.

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. You might have already heard it, but I¡¯m a High Human. I hope to get along with you.¡±

    Shin too introduced himself and bowed. That humble attitude was not the same dignity as those who transcend and were talked about among the people.

    From the beginning, he didn¡¯t have the intention of doing it with an air of superiority.

    ¡°Kuku, master said it like usual. There¡¯s no profit even if you are being modest here.¡±

    ¡°Well, because I shouldn¡¯t talk so casually to a king I just met. It¡¯smon to call them by name. You originally wouldn¡¯t call them by such a name.¡±

    ¡°A reunion after such a long time. I want you to forgive me for making a joke like this. Besides, Shin, we know how much High Humans are an irresponsible existence. Then, I should understand such a reactioning back.¡±

    ¡°Good grief, this guy. Well, if you know about the things we have done, you should understand.¡±

    For a resident of this world, a High Human was a legendary existence, and also an object of fear at the same time.

    They sank a city into a sea of mes and hunted divine beasts. It was an existence that really aplished what people usually thought to be a joke.

    And now, amongst the long-lived races such as elves and pixies, which have seen such spectacles, many were still alive, spreading stories about the mighty power of High Humans.

    Moreover, if Schnee and Girard, who were merely subordinates, have shown such a phenomenal power, one could only imagine how mighty of an existence the one they followed was.

    For a person who governs a country, bowing their head to one with such power was trivial, just done to tter them. It was a might so great that any king voluntarily does such a wee.

    ¡°For the time being, let¡¯s talk normally, whether or not I can erase a country on a whim doesn¡¯t matter. This way, I feel I can talk to a friend.¡±

    In a defiant attitude, Shin asked Wolfgang to talk in his normal tone.

    ¡°Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better to ask here.¡±

    Shin answered immediately.

    Though he had made a mess of various things in the game, he was aware that he was known as a legend. However, from Shin¡¯s point of view, even if he didn¡¯t remember that he had done anything, other than the game era, for him to be worshiped made him ufortable.

    The reason was different from respect as a high yer during the time of the game.

    ¡°Cuore-san, Van-san, Rajim-san too, please do the same.¡±

    ¡°IS IT FINE!?¡±

    ¡°Princess, please calm yourself a little.¡±

    ¡°But Van, he himself said it¡¯s fine!¡±

    The high-spirited Cuore gave Shin the impression of a fan who met their idol. Though when they met for the first time she had a dignified appearance, there was not even a shadow of that left. It was an absurd ¡®change¡¯.

    ¡°Shin-dono is our Patriarch beast king, Girard-sama¡¯s master. Don¡¯t use the honorific title for us either, we don¡¯t mind if you call us by our first names.¡±

    ¡°That was an unintentional mistake created by the dignified presence just now.¡±

    In the ce of Van who calmed down Cuore, Rajim talked with Shin. For the person whom Girard pledged his allegiance to, using the honorific titles, the style might go mad.

    ¡°Then, it will be easy to talk if Rajim and the others speakfortably, too. Since it¡¯s morefortable for me and I feel more at ease that way.¡±

    ¡°If Shin-dono says so, I will have the privilege of doing so. Because this is my mostfortable way of speaking. Please understand.¡±

    Because of the warrior personage which Shin had gotten an impression of, he thought Rajim was going to decline, but he seemed to be surprisingly adaptable. Since Girard was not holding back, that might be the influencing effect.

    ¡°By the way, Shin. Now I want to hear about the youngdy and the divine beasts over there.¡±

    In a somewhat friendly way, Girard shifted his attention to Tiera and the monsters. About Yuzuha and Kagerou being divine beasts, he seemed to have already found out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for thete introduction. She is Tiera. She was the one who looked after Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Tiera Lucent. For Tsuki no Hokora, I am very grateful.¡±

    Her behaviour from before entering the room hadpletely changed, Tiera perfectly managed her behaviour, and even performed good etiquette. The strained appearance was nowhere to be seen. Not even stiffening up, she faced everyone in Falnido in a natural manner.

    Shin may have seen it in a different way, as a defiant attitude, because she was too tense.

    ¡°And the fox here is Yuzuha, that wolf pup is Kagerou. I¡¯ll tell you just in case, but their races are Element Tail and Gruefago.¡±

    ¡°Hoh.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­the legendary¡­?¡±

    ¡°C-Cute¡­¡±

    While Yuzuha, who had be small next to Shin, and Kagerou, who was held by Tiera, were looked at alternately, Girard had a smiling face, like a mischievous boy grinning.

    In contrast to him, Wolfgang and Cuore opened their eyes wide in surprise. To a certain extent, Shin had a feeling that Cuore¡¯s shock was pointed in a different direction.

    Though neither Van nor Rajim reacted in a big way, they gave a small nod, as if they thought it was as expected from a High Human.

    ¡°Same as ever, you neverck on subjects.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I aim for that in particr.¡±

    ¡°Kuku, it¡¯s a good thing not to be bored. Then, the story has piled up, but you all must be tired from the long journey. The youngdy looks like amoner. Lead them to their rooms for the moment. After having cleansed your bodies in the baths, let¡¯s have a meal together.¡±

    The current time was 4:30 P.M. Apart from Shin and Schnee, because Tiera showed fatigue as expected, he seemed to be worried.

    Wolfgang and Cuore returned to work temporarily, and would join them for a mealter on.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Shin,e here for a minute.¡±

    When he was about to move, Girard called out to Shin.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a party. There will be some talkster on.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Apparently, there was something secret he wanted to talk about. For a party created in the old generation version, Mind Chat was avable anytime.

    Van and Rajim lead them to their rooms.

    With a private room each, the interior of all rooms were decorated with a chest of drawers on tatami mats next to a hanging scroll, just like a samurai residence.

    ¡°(Shin. I¡¯m sorry about being so sudden, but can you keep mepany for just a little?)¡±

    ¡°(Okay, I will go there right away, so wait for me.)¡±

    While Shin was looking at the interior of the room, a message came through Mind Chat from Girard. For some reason, he didn¡¯t have a good premonition. However, there was nothing he could do butply with him, and therefore headed toward Girard with the help of a map.

    Though this was a digression; the simple map projected in Shin¡¯s view before he knew it, the map drawing function was restored like it was during the time of the game. Because of that, he couldpletely understand the structure inside the samurai residence.

    ¡°Oh, here you are.¡±

    As Shin preceded while checking with the map, he discovered Girard who was looking at the garden while sitting on the veranda. Was it to match the style of the house? He was wearing a kimono.

    ¡°You came. Please sit down. The tea wille soon.¡±

    ¡°Well then, I won¡¯t hesitate.¡±

    He sat on a prepared cushion, and Shin paid attention to the garden Girard was looking at. As for the vast garden, there were both a pond and a stone garden where the greenery was well arranged. Even Shin, who didn¡¯t know much about such things, was somehow able to recognize that it was an excellent garden.

    Before long, Schnee arrived with a tea set. The tea seemed to have been prepared by Schnee.

    ¡°Now then, where should I start talking from?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s about the heroic story of Girard founding a country, I have already heard it from Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Oioi, did you tell him about it earlier? I was gonna brag about it.¡±

    ¡°If you were the one telling it, I thought you were going to exaggerate the contents, so I conveyed the truth of what I saw objectively.¡±

    Schnee answered with a smile, to Girard who was disappointed. Knowing the temper of her fellowpanion, she replied without hesitating.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Leaving my heroic tale aside. In exchange, please tell me about Shin¡¯s circumstances instead. I received the message, but not the minor details that weren¡¯t written.¡±

    ¡°Is that so, though I already told Schnee, to tell you the truth¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    Just like at the time with Schnee, he exined to Girard how he ended up here.

    ¡°I see. That exins why no matter how much I looked for you, not even a single clue was found.¡±

    Girard, who had now heard his circumstances, nodded. Girard had searched countless times for Shin. Since he shared information with Schnee, he knew that difficulty well.

    ¡°Even so, Shin too, don¡¯t let this mysterious thing bother you.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Well, though not everything, helping out isn¡¯t all bad.¡±

    Girard wore an expression seemingly wanting to say ¡°Yareyare¡±. Because Girard was relieved as he felt sorry for the person concerned, Shin was slightly touched.

    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s right. At least it¡¯s a good thing to me.¡±

    ¡°Girard?¡±

    Girard¡¯s mood changed. The sensation that Shin felt, pricking his skin, it was the aura that Girard wore.

    ¡°Now let¡¯s get down to the main point. Shin, I must tell you something.¡±

    ¡°¡­..What is it?¡±

    Anticipation appeared in Shin¡¯s mind. However, he calmly asked again, without showing it on his face.

    ¡°I am going to die soon. It¡¯s not long now. Perhaps, I won¡¯tst for even one more month.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    At the least, the Girard who was before his eyes didn¡¯t seem like he was going to die in about a month¡¯s time. Rather, his body, with which it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he stayed alive for several more decades, unleashed a suitable presence.

    ¡°I¡¯ve felt an ufortable feeling for several weeks now, and I was convinced when I read Schnee¡¯s message. Inside me, the stopped time has started moving again.¡±

    ¡°As if it was waiting for Shin to return.¡±

    Schnee also added.

    ¡°If God exists in this world, it might have granted my wish.¡±

    ¡°Wish?¡±

    It might be the content of the main point. Girard looked straight at Shin, and opened his mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s a match, Shin. You¡­me, I want to fight against you.¡±

    ¡°Girard¡­You¡­¡±

    In the situation where his life span has shortened considerably, he asked for a match.

    Even if Girard didn¡¯t say everything, Shin understood well what Girard wanted to say.

    (You want to die in a battle?)

    Girard was a warrior. Not as a job, but as a way of life.

    For this reason, he couldn¡¯t help but think about it. More importantly, it was a fight against Shin who was the strongest warrior at the same time.

    He never had a duel in the game era, a one on one duel with Shin, that is.

    How far could he reach with his fists and skills against a transcended person? Not as a Beast King, and not as a support character either. Just as a warrior, he wanted to challenge the summit.

    ¡°It¡¯s myst wish. Can you ept it?¡±

    Girard¡¯s eyes conveyed that there was no way more suited to burn thest of his lifeforce. Unaffected by old age, his fighting spirit was still burning brightly; there was no option for Shin to decline.

    For example, ifrades who walked together before wished it, even if it lead down a path that would continue until death, it was Shin¡¯s duty to ept his challenge.

    For the role of the opponent who gives glory to the end of the first Beast King, there was no person that fit the role better than Shin.

    ¡°¡­I understand. I ept your challenge.¡±

    He looked back into Girard¡¯s eyes and agreed.

    There were no grim emotions in the eyes of these two people.

    As if it was expected to happen in the near future, such a sensation was shared.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    As the two resolved themselves to face each other, Schnee was quietly watching them.

    To Girard, who had revealed all his feelings, she felt it was enviable.

    ¡°By the way, have you talked about your decision to Wolfgang, Van, and Rajim?¡±

    Girard¡¯s existence as the first Beast King was huge. If he died, then the influence his death would have on the surroundings was immeasurable.

    ¡°I have told them about my shortening life span, but not yet about the duel. Nheless, I have no intentions of concealing it. I will talk to them after this. Well, Van and Rajim seem to be aware of my wish though.¡±

    Saying his confidants¡¯ names, Girardughed.

    They probably pretended not to see through and so on; it seemed like they had really followed Girard for a long time.

    ¡°Are they your fellowrades-in-arms?¡±

    ¡°Yes, after Shin disappeared, it was a rtionship built on continuously fighting together.¡±

    Girard probably felt nostalgic for the old days, as he talked while at the same time being boastful in some respects.

    ¡°Elephant and turtle. There are one or two kinds amongst the Beasts with long lives, huh? I guess it¡¯s possible to live for more than 500 years.¡±

    ¡°You might say that I¡¯m the one who is an old geezer. They were originally in a guild somewhere, but it copsed during the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.¡±

    When Girard first met them, both of them were still boys. They became his subordinates with whom he shared his life; it could be said they wererades.

    ¡°Those guys have years of experience. I am also simr. Soon, the people of this country have to get out from our influence.¡±

    Different from when Girard boasted about his subordinates, he closed his eyes like he was worried about something.

    ¡°We beasts quickly go through our generations. Though it¡¯s not what I should say myself, our existence has grown too big due to that. I got off as a retired person until about the second or third generation, but I became the shadow who was being relied upon after that. Other than the current Beast King, we were being counted on by the guys before that.¡±

    ¡°That is certainly bad.¡±

    It was a problem if the strongest king was still active during each sessive generation. The stories would be slightly different though if his ability declined. However, whether it was for better or for worse, Girard¡¯s physical strength hardly changed as time passed. When his bad influence showed traces on the current reign because of it, Girard was probably in a bind. Looking at his character, one wouldn¡¯t expect him to be involved in politics. However, his influence would remain, simply because he was part of the first generation.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I want to die just to pass over my lifespan. But the country is still not good. Though I cannot strongly say that because there are the chosen ones, if I only depend on a few strong warriors, I don¡¯t know what would happen if those guys died. If Shin hadn¡¯te, I thought of going away to a far-offnd.¡±

    It was not necessarily a bad thing to be gathered up and lead by a strong person. But, Girard¡¯s strength,pared to the other chosen ones, was too different in order of magnitude, so it was not possible to treat them as if they were of the same rank.

    ¡°I heard that Wolfgang is excellent as a ruler, what about that?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, that guy is especially excellent among the sessor generations. Even in battle he is the strongest, next to me, within Falnido. He also listens to the voice of the people.¡±

    The present Beast King seemed to be stronger than Van and Rajim.

    ¡°So you can leave it to him, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s so.¡±

    This was a someone with whom he was able to entrust the country. It was a very joyous thing for the people who supported Wolfgang to shoulder the country. Moreover, Girard was also able to die without worry for the only country he created.

    ¡°Come to think of it, I heard that Wolfgang and Cuore are not Chosen Ones, why was that?¡±

    ¡°Those fellows are certainly not chosen ones. However, that¡¯s what people say. If I am to judge from their stats, they are more than 600 on average.¡±

    The value that Girard conveyed greatly exceeded the ability level of a chosen one by many times over, even more than Shin expected. Apparently, powerful people in this world didn¡¯t seem to be limited to only the chosen ones.

    ¡°Even if I say that, they are more like the exception. Within my direct descendants, a child who can seed my ability would asionally be born. Wolfgang and Cuore are two of them. There are individual differences regarding how much those children inherit, but generally, their attribute values are high.¡±

    ¡°In the case of a chosen one, such a thing never happens?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a story. But such cases, where one has stats above the standard, I have heard rumors about them. At least, they never went out of the stage from being rumors to facts.¡±

    Girard highlighted a portion of the rumor. Though he didn¡¯t confirm it, since it happened to a child¡¯s body, he couldn¡¯t be so sure.

    ¡°Actually, though it is a rarity among the chosen ones, a person with abilities greater than Wolfgang might have been born.¡±

    Once again, a very powerful chosen one seemed to have appeared.

    ording to Girard, he was informed that each of the stats had an average of 700. It was a value than could even fight with Kagerou. It was said that there was no information rting to their descendants.

    By the way, as Shin expected for an ordinary chosen one, if one of their stats, STR or INT or so on, reached 500, they seemed to be ssified in the upper advanced level. It seemed to be quite rare for two of the stats to be that high.

    The two princesses of Bayreuth seemed to fall under that category, but there were hardly any others. Furthermore, their stats were around 200-300 higher than the standard. This numerical value could be gauged from intuition when fighting. As for the majority of the chosen ones, they had an average of 350 at most.

    ¡°Still, it¡¯s plenty menacing for amoner, huh?¡±

    ¡°It seems so. Well, the story has digressed. Let¡¯s return to the talk about our duel.¡±

    Girard lightly shook his head.

    ¡°Okay, on that subject, do you know of a good ce with plenty of room for the duel? If we fight seriously, it won¡¯t end up as just a joke.¡±

    As Shin said, the surroundings would definitely be turned into empty plot ofnd with a destroyed surface. ording to the circumstances, it was necessary to take the terrain changes into consideration.

    Of course, no buildings, including the arena and training grounds, either. When Shin and Girard¡¯s attacks shed, it would be too dangerous to even just watch.

    ¡°There is a ce I have in mind. If you came from Beirun, do you remember Larua Grand Forest? Let¡¯s do it there.¡±

    ¡°Is there a ce to fight there? It¡¯s looked like a jungle to me though.¡±

    ¡°That forest is a little special. Within a certain range in the extended forest, no matter how many trees are cut down, they will all be restored overnight. Because there were times when I tried to rampage before, even after I turned the roots upside down, it waspletely restored the next day.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a jungle-type dungeon that mutated. Though the cause is unknown, because the forest didn¡¯t extend from its fixed range, it was left alone. It was also used as a ce for a fellow chosen one to fight, so it¡¯s not the first time.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Shin, who at first might have been worried about the destruction inflicted upon nature, understood when hearing Girard¡¯s words. If it was restored no matter how much damage it took, it was perfect as a battleground. Moreover, if it¡¯s constantly being used as a ring, he didn¡¯t need to hesitate.

    If the two people got serious, even if there were monsters that wandered around the area, they wouldn¡¯t be a threat either. It was just perfect.

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem about the location. Next is the time. I guess you don¡¯t have much time left?¡±

    ¡°It would the best for me to have it one week from now.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be better to have it earlier?¡±

    ¡°No, most of my power is likely toe forth on that day. The embers that are fading will burst into mes during my final moments; there is timing, you know?¡±

    What he said was probably that his physical condition was also having its ups and downs. Was it because he sensed death? He seemed to understand about these types of things to an extent.

    ¡°Is that so? Then in the meantime, I will polish off your personal weapon. If we do this, you should have the best equipment.¡±

    ¡°That is unnecessary. Still, I want to use that in my fight till the end.¡±

    Girard¡¯s personal weapon was an arm guard, covering everything from the hand to the elbow, ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». Its rank was of course, ¡¶Ancient¡· grade. It was firmly kept in Shin¡¯s Item Box.

    Because ¡ºBlue Moon¡» was already returned to Schnee, the equipments he had remaining for his support characters numbered only three.

    ¡°How about your armor? I think you kept it with you before though.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s securely stored. Though its appearance is a bit rough, it was never in poor shape. Even after 500 years of using it, somehow I don¡¯t feel like its performance has dropped.¡±

    ¡°Can I see it just in case, I have a feeling that no one could repair it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, none of them have the sufficient skill level. If it wasn¡¯t an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade with an outstanding durability level, it would¡¯ve probably be useless by now.¡±

    For Girard, since the armor was not close to a keikogi*, it could be said that he had no way of maintaining it. He couldn¡¯t improve it by only using magic power. As Girard said, if this was a ¡¶Mythology¡· grade, it was likely that the armor would be useless. Its performance too, was the highest ss in respect of the durability level in ¡¶Ancient¡· grade gear. *(T/N: Martial art uniform)

    ¡°I will hand over the armor first¨D¨D here it is.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll keep it¡­this is horrible.¡±

    When Girard took out the armor, which was in Item Card form, from his Item Box, Shin lightly checked on the armor¡¯s condition and raised his voice as he was astounded. The reason was that the durability level of Girard¡¯s personal armor was left with only 30%.

    To exhaust the durability of an¡¶Ancient¡· grade armor until it¡¯s this low, it was difficult even in the game. Exactly as Girard stated though, there was hardly any change in its defensive power, regardless of the degree of damage its durability suffered; it was as one expected from an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade item.

    When he materialized it in an attempt to take a look, no other words came into his mind, except for ¡®worn-out¡¯. There were torn spots, burns, and even discolored ces, to which he couldn¡¯t help but want to say; ¡®What have you done to this thing all this time?¡¯

    However¨D¨D.

    ¡°When ites to fight after fight for more than 500 years, I must say, you have cared for it well.¡±

    When Shin thought about the times when the armor was repeatedly worn, he understood.

    ¡°The performance state hasn¡¯t changed much either. It¡¯s still usable.¡±

    ¡°Though it¡¯s not something I should say myself, I have made an incredible thing.¡±

    ¡°Oioi, is that what the maker should say?¡±

    Though what Girard said was reasonable, having touched the real thing and not data, Shin was made to wonder, ¡®Was there such a thing?¡¯. As for the one who was familiar with modern science, he believed that just this one could cause a technological revolution.

    ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s fine.¡±

    Shin stopped thinking about these matters. If he returned to his former world, magic, skills, and so forth didn¡¯t exist, even if it was possible, he didn¡¯t intend to take something with him from this world.

    ¡°For the time being, leave the equipment to me. Is there anything else to decide upon?¡±

    Returning back to the point of the discussion, Shin asked Girard. Assuming the battleground and equipment didn¡¯t have any problems, the arrangement and session were needed. Whether Shin could help it or not, he intended to lend his hand if there was anything he could do.

    ¡°Another thing huh?¡­I have nothing in particr. Because I¡¯m not in some official position, there is no troublesome session either. The preparations have already ended, too. Ah, that¡¯s right. I want Wolfgang, Cuore, Van and Rajim, the four of them to watch the fight, do you mind?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s no problem. They already know that I¡¯m a High Human, so I guess they want to watch from the side, too.¡±

    ¡°As for me, what kind of level of power a High Human has, I want to know that. The residents of this world, they don¡¯t know of the existence that is stronger than me and the others. Of course I know there are monsters that are stronger than us, but if you find yourself representing a country, you will have a better understanding from the highest standpoint.¡±

    Girard probably wanted to personally experience what it was like to go up against an opponent that one must not fight. The stories of Shin and the others¡¯ strength were exaggerated like a fairy tale. He couldn¡¯tprehend that, unless he experienced it with his own body.

    ¡°Indeed. Certainly, the things before the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯ would be unknown if there were no long-lived species.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not often that we fight seriously either, so they will be using ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ to watch us fight. I guess that is enough to feel the atmosphere of the battle.¡±

    Though Shin intended to push the issue if Girard said they would be watching from within the vicinity, but as expected, Girard didn¡¯t say it.

    All jokes aside, the distance should be a kemel(km) at the minimum, or there would be casualties in the aftermath of the battle. Such a thing would result from the fight between Shin and Girard.

    Whether or not they could defend themselves, they couldn¡¯t watch safely unless they were in a remote ce, away from the battle.

    ¡°Such a ce must be decided upon soon. And the rest will be decided after I tell Wolfgang and the others.¡±

    ¡°Roger that. Then, is that all for today?¡±

    ¡°Uh huh. Ah, Schnee. Sorry, but can you take the teacups to the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°Yes, no problem.¡±

    Schnee put the teacups for 3 people on the tray, and left without making a sound.

    ¡°¡­So? What is it that you don¡¯t want Schnee to hear?¡±

    After Schnee¡¯s figure disappeared for a few moments, Shin asked Girard. Because it was somewhat quite forced, Schnee probably also noticed it.

    ¡°Well, sorry for this.¡±

    He seemed to be sorry for what he did, Girard scratched his cheek.

    ¡°Only one, I want to confirm one thing.¡±

    Those eyes, they were more serious than when Girard talked about dueling with Shin. The opposite side, Shin, also naturally got nervous.

    ¡°Schnee might have already asked you this, but if Shin finds a way to return, will you?¡±

    Will you leave Schnee behind?

    Though that wasn¡¯t expressed in words, it was clearly conveyed by Girard¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡­¡­.Yeah, I will return. That is the reason I continue fighting.¡±

    He has family waiting. Has friends. Haspanions.

    There was no end, even though he cleared the game. It was the promise he had exchanged with his special someone to continue living in future, it was an oath that Shin himself decided upon.

    Just because he was transported to another world, it would not make him quietly abandon hope and give up so easily.

    ¡°¡­Is that so?¡±

    Shin¡¯s answer was heard, and though Girard was about to say something for a moment, he didn¡¯t turn it into words.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, it should be me apologizing. I¡¯m sure the person concerned would understand. This old man tends to say unnecessary things.¡±

    Girard shook his head, as it wasn¡¯t his intention to say it expressly. Even Shin understood the things Girard wanted to say. No matter howrge an effort Girard was making for the country, his fellow support character had been exchanging information with him, and they would notice each other¡¯s intentions.

    Schnee¡¯s situation from Tiera¡¯s story, and guessing from Girard¡¯s way of speaking, Schnee must have searched for Shin for a long time.

    Would he return and leave her? Girard wanted to ask him, no, he was going to ask him. Girard, as apanion who had seen Schnee¡¯s actions, couldn¡¯t help but do so.

    ¡°We have our own, and Shin has his circumstances. They¡¯re difficult ones, too.¡±

    Girard sighed after he said so. He didn¡¯t express his words clearly, because he saw various colors in Shin¡¯s eyes. Doubt, confusion, and sadness were all reflected in there. There were also positive colors such as joy and love. And then, the color of determination enveloping them.

    Girard knew those well, it was the color of a warrior who advanced while struggling. When he saw it, he understood that Shin was thinking about Schnee. In fact, he could assert about that.

    However, a clear answer had note out yet. In the answer that Girard heard, there was still some hesitation. His former world or the current world. Even though Shin still strongly thought about his former world right now, one never knew what would happen in the future.

    ¡°My matter and Schnee¡¯s matter too, I will think about them when I have gathered all the possible solutions, isn¡¯t that the smartest way of doing it?¡±

    ¡°Well, I too just thought about it a little while ago. It¡¯s as they say, the principle of convenience.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, everything goes well and you get a good ending. Everyone is happy and they all lived happily ever after.¡±

    The ending where everyoneughs, no one is missing, and an overflow of happinesses to him. For the misfortune that befell him, he would have no choice but to y a minor role that emphasized happiness.

    ¡°Really, I can¡¯t rte to it at all.¡±

    ¡°That was just said unintentionally. But I also have the same opinion.¡±

    He couldn¡¯t help but think that to believe in both at the same time wasn¡¯t possible. The two people, who experienced a lot of unjust separations, smiled wryly together.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to take so much of your time, Shin. There¡¯s still a little time before the meal. Get some rest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    They bid farewell to each other and returned to their respective rooms. Shin killed time in the room while ying with Yuzuha. He wanted to begin the restoration of Girard¡¯s weapon and armor, but the currently avable time was insufficient.

    Then he ate with relish over the luxurious dishes at dinner, and took a bath to wash off his sweat. There was no big event afterward either, the night of the first day in Falnido grew silent.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After dinner, when Shin and his group were heading to their bedrooms, Van, Rajim, Wolfgang, and Cuore; the four of them were called to Girard¡¯s private room.

    ¡°Ou, sorry to call you when all of you are tired.¡±

    ¡°What is it that you want to discuss together?¡±

    Wolfgang, who might have felt there was something abnormal from Girard¡¯s appearance, asked on behalf of the four people.

    ¡°Well, you see, I have found a ce to die. And I wanted to tell you all.¡±

    Out of nowhere, Girard said so with a light tone. Of course, the contents were far from being light-hearted.

    ¡°¡­¡­Hah?¡±

    To the sudden remark, Wolfgang¡¯s response escaped from his mind. It was natural. Being suddenly told that a ce to die was found, there was no way he could return with ¡°Yes, I see¡±.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°It is how it sounds. Didn¡¯t I tell you all that my life-span was about to end? Before that, I will duel with Shin. That is the ce I¡¯m going to die at.¡±

    ¡°Why, now?¡±

    ¡°It is one week from now that I can disy my maximum power. If I go beyond that, there is nothing left but to be decrepit and ugly with age afterwards. My warrior¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t allow it if I didn¡¯t bring it to an end before then.¡±

    He dies as a warrior in the end. Wolfgang could say nothing to Girard who announced it so. After having done everything, protecting his family, leaving behind a child, he was ending his life in a fight without leaving any regrets.

    For the wolfman n warrior¡¯s family, which was also called Wolf Type, it was the best way to die. Much more so, if the opponent was of the legendary race, High Human. It would be envied by everyone.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to say that the time hase.¡±

    In ce of the silenced Wolfgang, Rajim muttered as he consented.

    ¡°Umu, when I heard the story of the longevity of the king, I never thought that it would end this way. What a way to go, huh?¡±

    Followed by Rajim¡¯s words, Van also agreed while expressing his feelings. Wolfgang had no grim feelings here, which made him feel a little relieved.

    ¡°Why are you all so calm?¡±

    The one who raised such a question to the 2 people was Cuore. She was losing herposure as she couldn¡¯t maintain her usual, formal tone.

    ¡°Princess, to die in a final fight against a High Human, there is nothing more honorable than this. As the king¡¯s direct descendant, shouldn¡¯t you already understand this?¡±

    ¡°I GET IT! I get it, but I can¡¯t calm down like Van at all.¡±

    To Van, who exined it to her in an admonishing way, Cuore, who was confused, rebutted. Even if she understood, it was not possible for her to consent.

    Cuore could not imagine for that familiar power she felt, for Girard to die so easily.

    ¡°Cuore¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°You glorify me a little too much.¡±

    ¡°Such a thing is¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say no?¡±

    Girard, who talked to Cuore with dignity, erased the light mood from a while ago. Still, somewhere in that figure, it was like a grandfather loving his grandchild, as it was reflected in the eyes of the three people who were watching.

    ¡°I have lived for a long time. My brothers have fallen, my son has died, and I have even nursed the grandchild he left. Why me, why didn¡¯t I die? It¡¯s reached the point where I often think of that. And the answer wille in one week.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡° Cuore, the time when I decided to see off Shin, who is my master, that is the only regret I have.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­.¡±

    ¡°And, there is no match like one against Shin, even if I wish for it.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Without even a trace of tragic feelings in Girard¡¯s words, his determination to fight calmly fired up. Everyone in the room could feel that heat. No one could make it stop. As a first ss warrior, everyone understood it. Stopping him would be an insult instead.

    Cuore, who revealed her feelings too, now couldn¡¯t do anything but agree.

    ¡°The ce will be Larua Grand Woods. I will make it myst and greatest fight. Watch closely!¡±

    ¡°Yes!!¡±

    Thest order of the first Beast King.

    The confidants and the direct descendants, all in a unified voice, epted it.

 Vol 3 Chapter 3: Chapter 3

    ¡°Shin-dono! I¡¯vee to pick you up!¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    The next morning. When Shin and Yuzuha were getting ready to dress themselves, a voice came from outside the room.

    Shin opened the door while thinking, ¡°Where have I heard that voice before?¡±. It was Cuore, kneeling in a proper seiza posture.

    ¡°Breakfast is ready. Come this way, please!¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you.¡±

    Since she didn¡¯t talk much at the dinner table, he didn¡¯t know it was her, with only her voice. Also, because it was not a maid, but Cuore, what kind of thing was that?

    ¡°Um, why is Cuore the one who is summoning me? Yesterday, I was told by the maid about dinner.¡±

    Supposedly, Shin was a guest of Wolfgang, so the maid came to pick him up at dinner time.

    ¡°I asked to take over.¡±

    Why would she do that? Shin thought, while thinking back that he had the same feeling at yesterday¡¯s dinner. Within Cuore, the existence of High Humans was quite glorified, especially Shin¡¯s, for some reason. Though she didn¡¯t talk much, her manner and gaze showed eloquence toward Shin, too.

    It was also probably because Shin was Girard¡¯s master. Apparently there were too many anecdotes that were told when she was a child, so she seemed to feel strong admiration.

    From Shin¡¯s point of view, his embarrassing past being dramatized was nothing but a punishment game(batsu game) to him.

    (I somewhat feel like her image of me is too far away from reality.)

    Furthermore, the Cuore of today, her tension felt higher than yesterday. Shin became a little worried about that.

    Did Girard tell her about the duel? It seemed to have slightly forced her tension to raise a little.

    When he checked the route they were walking, while thinking about what was up with her, he noticed that they were going to a different ce from the dinner.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the destination different from yesterday¡¯s hall?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was told to guide you to Girard-sama¡¯s private room.¡±

    Since the dinner was a banquet feast, he wondered if he could eat peacefully in the morning. On the ount of the work, Cuore seemed to finish it earlier.

    ¡°It¡¯s here. I think yourpanions wille soon. Then, I will be on my way.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Shin thanked Cuore who was leaving with a bow, and entered the room. Inside were Girard, Van and Rajim.

    Schnee and Tiera entered after a few minutes.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s eat.¡±

    They finished greeting each other and began to eat breakfast. There was rice, miso soup, grilled fish and pickled vegetables when he looked at the contents of the menu.

    When breakfast was over, they talked about things from then onward.

    ¡°Though I asked you to take care of the equipment, I don¡¯t want you to only do that. You have to take it easy and go sightseeing.¡±

    ¡°Then, will you tell me a ce with a library? A ce with past documents is good, too.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, understood. There will be a need for a permission, but I will arrange it all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved of the trouble.¡±

    He might identify some of the things he didn¡¯t understand in Bayreuth. If there was the permission of the first Beast King, he might even be able to see something like a prohibited book which was his goal earlier. There were no issues somehow or other.

    ¡°What will Schnee and Tiera do?¡±

    ¡°I will stay with Shin.¡±

    Schnee answered immediately as if it was natural. To take it easy? It seemed there was no option for her to go sightseeing.

    ¡°Well um, I wonder if I can follow you to the library too? I am curious but¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you want to go together after I repair Girard¡¯s equipment?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. When you repair the equipment, will you deal with an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapon? I¡¯m interested in that too.¡±

    Tiera has been researching the message card he handed over from before, but apart from that, she appeared to be interested in the work that Shin did.

    Her study couldn¡¯t crack a part of the mechanism yet, but because she was not in a hurry, it seemed to be postponed.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Girard andpany, what will you do?¡±

    ¡°I am, well as they say, putting my affairs in order. While I¡¯m at it, I intend to teach a skill that I failed before to Wolfgang.¡±

    ¡°From yesterday¡¯s talk, did you reach the Hiden rank?¡±

    ¡°I almost mastered it up until the Ouden. Because the Secret Book is almost certainty a loss. What will happen next will depend on that.¡±

    Because Shin had heard the story about their stats, he expected that a rank of martial art skills has been acquired.

    The ranks in martial art skills were divided into 5 ranks in THE NEW GATE.

    First, the foundation skill was Shoden. There were many techniques to learn by leveling up. Ouden could be attained by training Shoden and Chuden. When a special quest waspleted, Hiden was usually acquired by taking a different action. And then, when everything from Shoden to Hiden skills were forged until they were at their greatest, Shiden could be learned.

    (T/N: Shoden[Beginner] < Chuden[Intermediate] < Ouden[Hidden] < Hiden[Secret] < Shiden)

    Because there were stat value requirements too, any yers who attained Shiden were all advanced level yers. Wolfgang¡¯s stats were barely enough for a Hiden rank.

    Though Shin understood all of that, Girard¡¯s next words made him raise his eyebrows.

    ¡°Is there such a thing as the Secret Book failing?¡±

    Shin was surprised at that information, as it shouldn¡¯t have failed if the condition was met. Was there another factor that has emerged or something? He thought it over.

    ¡°Martial arts and magic. Both depend on the mental condition of the user. Long story short, it can¡¯t be learned if he is mentally inexperienced even if his stats are high.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. It requires both mental and physical strength, huh?¡±

    It was natural for martial arts, Shin who was thinking of various things, felt silly. As he himself belonged to an archery club in high school, he didn¡¯t remember any sense of difort either. Martial arts were such things.

    Mind and body were strengthened, to polish the techniques. It was a natural duty for a person to learnbat techniques.

    ¡°It¡¯s that kind of thing. Well, if it¡¯s Wolfgang, I don¡¯t have to worry.¡±

    ¡°Certainly, he seemed to be diligent. And he has a warrior vibe as well.¡±

    Shin had never met a person who was a genuine master or a person who was called a warrior in his former world, but he still felt integrity from Wolfgang. That sign would not be worn, if he had an untrained mind or inexperienced heart.

    ¡°He is pretty much my valued descendant. I¡¯m so happy to have heard you say so.¡±

    ¡°You have be a grandpa who is proud of his grandchild, don¡¯t you? Well, the meal is finished, so I will start preparing. I want to take out Tsuki no Hokora, is there an open ce somewhere?¡±

    ¡°There is a za for training. If it¡¯s there, it will be fine. Van, guide them, Rajim, go ask for the permit. I will go to Wolfgang¡¯s ce.¡±

    ¡°¡°Roger!!¡±¡±

    Van would guide the three of them, Shin, Schnee, and Tiera, towards the za behind the residence. By the way, Yuzuha was on top of Shin¡¯s head, and Kagerou was walking with small steps by Tiera¡¯s feet.

    ¡°Step back just a little.¡±

    Van stepped back, and Shin took off the ne with the crescent moon shape. And then, at the same time he threw it out to the za, he said the keyword.

    ¡°¡ºRelease¡»!!¡±

    The ne emitted light instantly. The light with the shape of the ne was greatly expanded in the next moment, and took the form of a house. And when the light disappeared, Tsuki no Hokora appeared there.

    ¡°Hmm, this is the technique that only the store owner can use, huh? There¡¯s a big difference from hearing it and seeing it.¡±

    Van, who saw it for the first time, seemed to feel some admiration as he looked at the state of Tsuki no Hokora. Tiera, who had surely seen Tsuki no Hokora put away before, had her face stiffen at that absurdity again. As usual, only Schnee didn¡¯t show any reaction at all.

    ¡°Let¡¯s enter now. What will Van do?¡±

    ¡°If it is possible, I would like to see the process of repairing the armor. Such an opportunity, there will be no next time.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I don¡¯t usually show it, but if it¡¯s Girard¡¯s aide, I guess it¡¯s fine. Come on, follow me.¡±

    Shin spoke and entered the Tsuki no Hokora. They passed through the counter, and went straight to the cksmith¡¯s workshop. Other members also followed for some reason.

    ¡°Somehow, it feels like a tour.¡±

    ¡°I agree. Being able to see the person¡¯s technique who mastered cksmithing, that possibly nobody will ever see again? Anyone would want to see it.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, it¡¯s interesting to watch.¡±

    ¡°Guru¡±

    Following Tiera¡¯s remark, Yuzuha and Kagerou raised their voices too. When Yuzuha spoke, Van had the look that seemed to want to say ¡°Eh¡­?¡±, but never did. Incidentally, Shin recalled when Yuzuha couldn¡¯t speak.

    It was possible for Yuzuha to talk, unlike an ordinary monster, because it was an Element Tail; Van was forcibly convinced, and Shin started working.

    The divine beast was also there but without Van who consented pursuing it in particr, he looked closely at Shin¡¯s work.

    ¡°First, from how I understand its current condition¡±

    By materializing the card, he held the armor in both of his hands. When Shin¡¯s mana ran through it, the armor itself began to shine in seven colors. From that, Shin listed the missing things in his brain.

    ¡°¡­this can only be done with Orichalcum.¡±

    After confirming his list, Shin separated one hand from the armor and manipted the Item Box. Though the armor was held with only his left hand, with it still shining, it was maintained in the air like the time he held it with both hands.

    Shin took out the missing material, and materialized it. A transparent lump of metal like a crystal appeared, it was the Orichalcum. When Shin held his right hand out toward it and performed some movement, the Orichalcum came apart at the edges, and changed into a fine thread.

    ¡°That skill¡­indeed, no one could learn that.¡±

    Van muttered, unable to describe the mysterious phenomenon before him. Van was a character originally made to have the role of a cksmith during the game era. Therefore, he has the capability of amon cksmith. That was why he was able to understood, more than everyone who was there, the abnormality that happened right in front of him.

    The spectacle where the Orichalcum transformed its shape voluntarily, he couldn¡¯t do anything but keep looking at in utter amazement.

    ¡°The torn part is repaired. The Orichalcum is diffusing thoroughly and the strength is recovered. Mana is mixing evenly¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    Was what Shin said, as he was concentrating on his work so much that he didn¡¯t notice the state of Van and the others. It was only natural. What Shin had in his hand now, so to speak, was Girard¡¯s burial clothes. He couldn¡¯t afford to pay attention to the surroundings, because he had to keep working with the utmost respect. As for the reason he allowed their observation, other than the reason that they would not interfere, it was because he had a hunch that there was no room for him to mind.

    All of the nerves in his body concentrated to restore the armor to the best possible condition. That was the thing that Shin must do.

    At about 30 minutes. When the seven colors of lights disappeared, the dougi type armor reached the point where one would hesitate to touch it. It was unimaginable that its appearance was once battered.

    ¡°Phew, it¡¯s done.¡±

    Shin wiped the sweat that slightly drifted away, and change the armor back into a card. The work that ended after several minutes in the game, it was actually felt very time consuming for the one who did it.

    Generally, it took more time to finish since his magic maniption wasn¡¯t perfect yet, although it was understood that he could do it by intuition. Even so, the area around precision rose up greatly when he used mana the same way of using magic skills; it was as one would expect from a person who mastered cksmithing.

    To restore such a flexible equipment like the dougi of ¡¶Ancient¡· grade, this method was the most efficient. There were other methods too, but they were inferior in terms of performance.

    ¡°Hey Shin. Earlier, was that cksmithing? It seemed to be a magic skill to me.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it certainly looks like that when seen by others. However, if there is no smithing skill covering it, let alone to change the metal¡¯s shape, it would be a quality that is lower than scrap iron in an instant.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know the requirements before too, so he himself, experienced Orichalcum and Mithril changing into scrap iron. The rare metal which he had gathered through much hardship, when it crumbled right in front of his eyes, it was heart breaking, even to Shin.

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°I understand that the mana seems to change the quality.¡±

    Such a thing should have been written on the exnation column of the skill, so Shin then opened the exnation column of the skill he used a moment ago to confirm. <When manipting the mana, if there is a power fluctuation outside of the material¡¯s quality, it will result in the lowest quality for metal.>

    ¡°By the way, the skill level must be sufficient too, or the same thing will happen while repairing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you did an experiment on the substance?¡±

    ¡°¡­There were times when I would repair armor made of Orichalcum and made a mistake, it be an armor of scrap iron.¡±

    Recalling those days, Shin¡¯s mood became deeply emotive as he brooded over that time. Tiera who heard the story, hadplicated feelings.

    ¡°cksmithing is surprisingly a job with a big risk.¡±

    Tiera calcted the mary damage of when Orichalcum became scrap iron. Since she was dealing with goods in Tsuki no Hokora, she knew the market price to some extent, but for the amount of Orichalcum needed to make an armor and so on, she couldn¡¯t imagine how much it cost to only collect it. Tiera didn¡¯t want to think that there was a job that turned it into worthless scrap metal in an instant.

    ¡°Usually it returns to an ingot even if I make a mistake, and other items can be processed to be reuseable. Just this, let alone reusing it, I¡¯m worried because it can,pletely be garbage.¡±

    If Shin failed normally with cksmithing, there were several methods to reuse a material. Of course the item would not just return to its original form without any changes, but it¡¯s still better than nothing. However, the method Shin took couldn¡¯t be reused now, no matter what. The purchase price was zero if sold to a NPC in the game.

    To rise a skill level, just how many rare metals did he convert into garbage? If it was not a game, it was something he wouldn¡¯t have been able to do by any means.

    ¡°The reason for the loss is not only because of the craftsman¡¯s ability. To use Orichalcum for practice, would be an unbelievable act for the present cksmiths.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. How much does Orichalcum cost now?¡±

    ¡°In Falnido, it will be a white gold for a fist-sized ingot. Though only a few people can deal in it, it is obvious that everyone would be in a frenzy if the price was knocked down. It¡¯s difficult to ascertain how many times its value has increased.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s amazing after all.¡±

    How much would it cost if Shin seriously made a sword from it? There were various rare metals in his Item Box, it seemed like he couldn¡¯t show it to the other cksmith.

    ¡°I will stop selling metals then. Well, the story has gone this far, should I move on to the next one?¡±

    Shin then took out Girard¡¯s personal weapon, ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». (T/N: Changed from ¡ºMoon Destroyer¡»)

    Since this weapon was at an even higher ranking than the armor, there was only a little damage on the surface of the arm guard. The durability level also had more than 90% remaining.

    He needed to restore this to bepletely perfect. This time he put the ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» on top of the table, in addition, a small ingot was put on top of it.

    ¡°What is that¡­¡±

    ¡°By chance, is that the¡­¡±

    Tiera and Van saw the ingot, but only hoarse voices leaked out. The ingot, which was put on top of the ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», except Schnee, no one in that ce had ever seen it before.

    The metal had a dull shine for a ck color. However, on the main colored surface, big and small glitters were able to be perceived. It was like the night sky where the stars sparkled for as far as you can see, or like the space contained numerous gxies.

    Tiera, who was sensitive to magic, understood that the metal contained extraordinary magic power, and was astonished. She consistently saw metal that had magic power contained in them many times before, but the metal in front of her was far more superior. She thought it was possible for it to be a magic catalyst as it was.

    Van, who knew a lot about metals, had its identity sh in his head. It was different from any of Orichalcum, Adamantine, Mythril, or Crimson Ores, but it felt higher rankedpared to the above metals. Suddenly one thing came to his mind. It was called an illusion among the cksmiths, because no one could say they have seen the real thing.

    ¡°Bang!!¡±

    Despite the two people being shocked, before they knew it, Shin took out a hammer and struck the ingot on top of ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». With a high-pitched sound ¡°Kin¡±, the two people were fascinated to see the phenomenon that happened earlier, following again.

    When Shin beat the ingot with the hammer, the ingot melted and faded away. And the scratch under the ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» disappeared, it began to shine brightly as if to say it waspleted.

    The hammer was swung downward a few times topletely fuse the ingot, ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» looked like a brand new gauntlet on the table.

    ¡°Yosh, this one isplete too. It is perfect if I say so myself.¡±

    While looking at ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» which had returned to its perfect state, Shin nodded and agreed. If it was this, there was a confidence of satisfying any kind of demand of the user.

    Because he couldn¡¯t look at it forever, he formed it into a card and put it away in his Item Box. ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting¡± Shin said and turned around, he saw that Tiera and Van had an indescribable expression on their faces.

    Schnee had no change in particr, Yuzuha and Kagerou seemed to be excited for the time being. They were having some kind of conversation with ¡°Kuu Kuu¡±, ¡°Guru Guru¡± sounds.

    ¡°Shin-dono. May I ask you one thing, only one?¡±

    Among the two people who had frozen in shock, it was Van began to move first. By bringing his face close, he urged Shin to consent with force. As one might expect from a beast of the elephant type, that power was considerable. Shin moved back a little.

    ¡°For the time being, please settle down, you will hear the story. You are close, too close!¡±

    ¡°Oof, I am sorry. But the metal that Shin-dono took out some time ago, that is, perhaps a Chimeradite, the one thing that is of the highest grade?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s right. But you seem to know it well. Because there are different types of Chimeradite, there are not many people who see it and recognize it instantly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not because I understand it¡¯s type. It is something like a legend, circted among the cksmiths. The dark-colored metal where it retains the twinkling of the stars. Chimeradite, The weapon made using it, could easily kill even a higher kind of dragon. Depending on the person, such a thing was deemed as a mere fantasy.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. This thing is certainly quite limited. It¡¯s hardly circted in the market.¡±

    Even during the game era, for a high-level cksmith, it was an item that they would almost never see. Even the ingot. Once, a retired yer had put a weapon made of Chimeradite into the market on a whim, a fiercepetition arose because of it.

    It was virtually impossible to be fully equipped even for an advanced yer. With only one of those, it was possible to be famous. Of course, it goes without saying that all of the Rokuten members were the irregrity that had all of their metal-based weapons made of Chimeradite.

    ¡°By the way, Shin. You were doing it differently a little while ago, is there any significance to it?¡±

    After Shin made Van settle down, Tiera asked a question. If he had used the same method earlier to repair the armor, he should have been able to repair it without using the hammer.

    ¡°That ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» is a weapon which has the highest rank, that¡¯s why. And both grades are ¡¶Ancient¡· grade. But, there is a rating higher than that. The armor is ranked as average ¡¶Ancient¡· grade. Because the metal is knitted together with thread using mana, that method was effective and fast. In regards to ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», it is a higher-rank of ¡¶Ancient¡· grade. When ites to that, I need to directly hammer it while giving mana. Though it¡¯s possible to mend it using the same method as the armor, this is more efficient and above all, there is no possibility of making a mistake.¡±

    Tiera knew there were differences between the same grade. However, she never thought that the grading was also applied; ¡¶Ancient¡· grade was even referred to as a fragment of the world, it was indeed the highest grade.

    ording to Shin¡¯s exnation, based on the grade and the nature of the armor, there seemed to be a maintenance method that was the most suitable.. Though there were other methods, in that case, the possibility of changing the quality sharply rose. If it was done in a timely manner, with a sufficient ability, it was almost impossible to make a mistake.

    ¡°I have to redo my thinking about a cksmith that is out of their area of expertise. For such precise mana power maniption, it won¡¯t be possible without mage knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Magic maniption is necessary anywhere, someway or another. In case of a production job, skill in magic maniption is required as it gets closer to the advanced levels.¡±

    ¡°Alchemy however, is a difficult study thoroughly too. Even though I learned a few skills, I can¡¯t even call myself a full-fledged practitioner.¡±

    Tiera had the skills which could be said to be the mark of a full-fledged alchemist, but from today, she realized that that was only one part of it, and she was aware that she wasn¡¯t as good in that regard either. She couldn¡¯t help but think that she might not even reach the middle of the pack in the era where Shin came from.

    The field was totally different, but to see the person who reached the very pinnacle, doing his work, Tiera felt something towards that person.

    ¡°You seem to be improving slowly. It¡¯s not easy to gain skills either.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s shoulder was lightly tapped, and Shin faced the entrance of the forge. The things that needed to be done were over, so everyone decided to go towards the living room now.

    When Shin and the others moved, he heard the sound of the store¡¯s entrance being opened. It should be Rajim, when guessing from the timing.

    ¡°Shin-dono. This is the reading permit for the restriction area in the library. Please ept it.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m saved.¡±

    As he anticipated, the permit was received from Rajim who entered the store. Because there was also no reason to remain, after everyone left, Tsuki no Hokora was stored again. They headed toward the library with Schnee as a guide. Van and Rajim returned to their residence as they couldn¡¯t be together all the time.

    When they appeared from the back door of the residence to Elden¡¯s city district, Tiera was surprised at the diversity of the people walking.

    There were many people in Bayreuth too, but almost all of them were humans. There were not many races with different characteristics, such as beasts or pixies.

    However, this was the beast¡¯s country. Beasts with various animal characteristics, were walking and overflowing. There were types that walked on two feet with almost an appearance of animals in clothes, a type that had a tail and ears on a person¡¯s body and so forth; there was no uniformity.

    Even if it was the same as the great number of people in Bayreuth, she was even more surprised to see this many beasts here.

    ¡°I thought I got used to seeing beasts, but there are just so much different impressions as there are numbers of them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because the beast race is the one whose outward appearance is the most diverse.¡±

    In the game era, there were people whose bodies resembled a human, there were some who only had their face as animalbinations and the like. The degree of freedom inbinations was high, so the word of beast was attached to it.

    ¡°Even for the people other than the beasts, there are items so you can feel what¡¯s it¡¯s like to be a beast too.¡±

    What Schnee was saying, is that there were items such as animal¡¯s ears or tails which could be mounted and removed. A so-called cosy item. The item was surprisingly popr among the female yers. It was also the item for which the male yers made a petition for the female yers to wear.

    ¡°Speaking of which, I also have several of them.¡±

    ¡°By chance, it¡¯s that!?¡±

    Schnee pretend to reach into the pouch on her waist, and a card was taken out of her Item Box.

    It was the cosy item that Shin gave to Schnee before. When she materialized the item, it was adjusted to match Schnee¡¯s hair, silver colored dog¡¯s ears and bushy tail, grasped in her hand.

    It was an item created on a whim by the members of Rokuten before. Anyway, it was high quality with various options. It was not just an ordinary cosy item.

    ¡°Amazing. doesn¡¯t this feel like a real one?¡±

    ¡°It was Shin, Reed-sama, Cashmere-sama, and Hecate-sama coboration. To bring it as close to the real thing, there is a function that automatically conceals the characteristics of other races when attached¡­ how¡¯s it look?¡±

    Schnee stated, and equipped the cosy set. The long ears peculiar to elfs disappeared in a moment, instead there were dog ears on top of her head, and a tail of a simr color to her hair emerged from around the area of her tailbone. The beautiful High Elf woman, transformed into a beautiful woman of High Beast.

    By the way, what Schnee was wearing now was hotpants with boots under, and a light-blue shirt with nothing but a long jacket on top. Because the uniform of Tsuki no Hokora somehow stood out, her clothes were changed into an easy to move adventure-like style.

    A belt was worn near thep on top of the jacket, and the pouch was attached there. In one of the equipments in the game age, the jacket was split into right and left from the belly area, so it wouldn¡¯t obstruct the movement of the legs. Schnee left only one button in front of her belly, and others remained open. There were two reasons. One, it wasn¡¯t so cold to close everything. Two, she couldn¡¯tpletely close it because of her chest measurement.

    In the game¡¯s specifications, even if it¡¯s armor or a dress, it would automatically adjust to the physique of the person who equipped it; one would not deliberately wear something without that feature. What Schnee was wearing, was the equipment previously created under supervision of one of the female members of Rokuten, Hecate. Not to mention its good performance, it was set-up to emphasize Schnee¡¯s style. ording to Hecate, it was erotic for a beautiful woman and youngdy, like a cute outfit where a man would want to help her put it on too, was what she said.

    Clothes that focused on seduction, when worn by a woman whose style was the embodiment of a man¡¯s desire, such as Schnee, the effect level rose by at least one more step. Inparison to a thin waist tightened with a belt, the bulging of a chest pushed up due to the shirt in the jacket, but it would be emphasized too much.

    Schnee, in such a state, blushed a little as she felt embarrassed, but still asked for an impression.

    ¡°¡­It suits you very well.¡±

    Anyways, in the game era, the NPC¡¯s only reacted like a doll. So when asked ¡°How¡¯s it look?¡± by Schnee just now, Shin couldn¡¯t think of anything good to say except, she matched well. He wasn¡¯t used to seeing lively garments either, but the dog¡¯s ears suited her very well.

    The moment Schnee heard those words, her face¡¯s rosyplexion shed even pinker. At this point, one would have noticed her abrupt behavior.

    ¡°¡­E-Elfs stand out, so disguising as a beast makes it easier to fit into the surroundings. Besides it¡¯s better like this now I will lead us to the library let¡¯s go.¡±

    While talking quickly, she stuttered to some extent and Schnee began to move at a quick pace. There was no breathing in thetter half of her speech.

    Supposingly, the long ears, peculiar to elfs, would have turned bright red. As for the dog¡¯s ears that were shaking on top of Schnee¡¯s head too, they somewhat look red when seen by Shin and the others.

    ¡°I saw, for the first time, Master, act like this.¡±

    ¡°To be honest, me too.¡±

    He agreed with Tiera¡¯s remark while running after Schnee. As for the two people, it was better not to attract attention. So he took out some items, and Shin and Tiera changed their appearance to beasts, too. What Shin lent to Tiera were, cat ears.

    Could it be, Schnee wanted him to see so she changed herself? Shin guessed while chasing the back of Schnee. Though it might just be him over thinking it, but if it proved to be right¡­it was already toote to think about it in various ways.

    The Schnee that Shin knew was a woman like a secretary, a calm, cool and collected woman. Because she alwaysmunicated in a businesslike manner during the game, he never saw this side of her like at this time. It seemed he needed to change his way of thinking.

    (I think that¡¯s not so bad, mostly.)

    While he was aware of his favorable impressions of Schnee rising, Shin quickened his pace in pursuit of her.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It was several hourster, after seeing the unknown side of Schnee. Shin was alone in the library of Elden.

    When he arrived at the library with Schnee¡¯s guidance, after he showed the permit and entered the restricted reading area, he proceeded to examine what happened after the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯. Unlike Bayreuth, because the materials were not open to public, the content was different in quality. Some information that Shin wanted to know was recorded too.

    ¡°The natural disasters that urred after the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯¡­there¡¯s no difference in damage by the regions after all. Isn¡¯t the range of thest dungeon connected to the¡­Earth Pulse?¡±

    Shin arranged the information he obtained, while voicing out in a small volume. ording to the material, what was called Earth Pulse seemed to have been rted with the natural disasters. Shin has heard it well in manga and light novels, it was something like a circle that ran through the earth. Though it was the guess of the person whopiled the document, the biggest ce where the continents divided had numerous flows of Earth Pulse. The dungeon that Shin faced at the end of the death game, ¡¾Gate of the Otherworld¡¿, that ce was the convergence point, which could be read from the document.

    ¡°Come to think of it, Yuzuha interfered with the Earth Pulse and suppressed the damage, huh?¡±

    Even if he said they had a contract, a monster was still prohibited from entering the area. So now, there was no figure of Yuzuha on top of Shin¡¯s head. Under the watch of the youngdy at the reception desk, while apologizing to Yuzuha, who was waiting at the entrance in his heart, he remembered the things Yuzuha said before.

    ¡°Is the Earth Pulse also rted with meing here? But at the time of the game, it was not a major thing.¡±

    There was an event rted to the Earth Pulse, but there were a lot of limited-time events that he couldn¡¯t remember up until a trivial setting. The one he understood the most was, the ce where the Earth Pulse runs, monsters were likely to appear. Even if he knew this, there was no conclusive evidence in this world.

    However¨D¨D¨D¨D

    (As shown in the document, if the ce where the Earth Pulse gathered(Power Spot) is rted to the dungeon, it is possible for me to return if a simr ce is found¡­right?)

    Though it was only a in hypothesis, it was simple and persuasive too.

    It would save a lot of trouble if it was simple as this. While thinking about these kind of things, Shin picked up the next document.

    ¡°(Shin~¡­Shin~?)¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    One hourter.

    Shin was concentrating on reading the documents, when he noticed the Mind Talk from Yuzuha.

    ¡°(What¡¯s the matter?)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m hungry¡­no lunch yet~?)¡±

    When he confirmed the time due to Yuzuha¡¯s meal remark, it was already past 12:00 in the afternoon. He seemed to have forgotten the time passing as he got absorbed in reading the documents.

    ¡°(My bad, I will go out immediately. Schnee, can you hear me?)¡±

    ¡°(Yes, is there something wrong?)¡±

    ¡°(Let¡¯s have lunch soon. Yuzuha seems to be feeling hungry.)¡±

    ¡°(Understood. I will go toward the entrance.)¡±

    Schnee was contacted with Mind Talk, and Shin left the restriction area a little early. He caught Tiera who was conducting research in the general area, and went toward the waiting Yuzuha and Kagerou. After thanking the receptionist who looked after them, Shin left the library after all the member joined.

    ¡°Did you find something?¡±

    ¡°No, not much of the important things. Still, it is regretful that the dungeon disappeared. If I could investigate it directly, I think I might able to get a little clue from there¡­

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing we can do since it¡¯s already gone. It¡¯s thanks to Schnee that I understood something, and it¡¯s going steadily.¡±

    While pretending not to worry about it, Shin thanked the discouraged Schnee. For the information that vanished afterward, it was not possible to know without Schnee.

    Instead, Shin was more worried if they couldn¡¯t coborate in information gathering together.

    ¡°(Kuu, smells good from there.)¡±

    ¡°(Hmm? It indeed smells nice. Let¡¯s go there.)¡±

    Shin changed his feeling from Yuzuha¡¯s urging voice. Even if he was anxious, he decided not to say it yet.

    After the meal, he looked around the residence a little, and then shut himself in the library again.

    He took a rest in the residence at night, and it was the repetition of the library in the daytime.

    As a change of pace, he had a match with Cuore, and watched the skill session of Wolfgang so he was never bored.

    When he went to Larua Grand Woods for a preliminary inspection, Tiera¡¯s leveling up also took ce. With her level still low, she becamepletely dependent on Kagerou conditions. Even if her upper limit was pretty much decided, Shin respected Tiera¡¯s intention to want to be strong even if by only a little.

    In the meantime, the remaining days passed in no time.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    One weekter, Shin met Girard again. They moved toward Larua Grand Woods in the early morning.

    Because they were in the wagon which Shin remodeled, it was Kagerou who pulled it. There was Shin, Girard, Schnee, Tiera, Wolfgang, Cuore, Van, Rajim and Yuzuha who rode in the wagon.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine weather.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the perfect weather for a duel.¡±

    Shin and Girard were sitting on the driver¡¯s box. Contrary to everyone who seemed a little tense, the two people had a conversation like they were going fishing. Since there was nothing that could be done about it, there were no things that needed to be discussed left. Everything hase to an agreement, including the things after the duel.

    ¡°How is your condition?¡±

    ¡°I can do it anytime. My mind and body are joined together.¡±

    The broad grin andugh from Girard, an irrepressible presence was leaking out. Shin felt it was refined even more from the time when they met again.

    Girard certainly seemed to be at full power today.

    ¡°Though I want to begin immediately, let¡¯s send the other people to the spectator seats.¡±

    ¡°I guess from that hill should be fine, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, if there I guess it will be fine. Last time when the chosen ones dueled, I watched it from there.¡±

    For a fight between the chosen ones of another country, Girard seemed to be called as a referee role. Though there were guards with low fighting power watching from the top of the hill, it seemed to have no problem if they saw Girard was nearby, Shin thought.

    It was the human¡¯s and beast¡¯s chosen one that fought. Their stats were around 400, but the beast appeared to have won by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    ¡°The usage of skill and power were rough, but the fight was not so bad.¡±

    While they were talking, the ce where the ground was several floors higher than its surrounding, appeared in Shin¡¯s field of vision. Only short grass grew there, and it seemed to be quite vast when they surveyed it on the top of the hill. Because Shin and Girard were to fight, it was impossible to know what would happen. It was certainly perfect for a spectating ce, when he thought about the spectator¡¯s safety.

    ¡°Then, we will wait here.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I will count on you if there are any stray shots.¡±

    The wagon was returned to a card, and he asked Schnee for precautions just to make sure. He thought it would be fine, but it wouldn¡¯t end as a joke if it did happen.

    ¡°I understand. And as for Girard¡¯s matter, thank you in advance.¡±

    ¡°Well, see you soon.¡±

    ¡°Shin, go for it~¡±

    ¡°Guru¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±

    Schnee, Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou saw Shin off, and faced toward Girard¡¯s people. Shin nced ahead, and saw every one of Falnido were exchanging theirst words.

    ¡°I will leave it to you two afterward.¡±

    ¡°¡°I wish you good luck in battle!¡±¡±

    The things that should be told might have already been conveyed. So Girard only said a few words. Van and Rajim striked their left palm to their right fist, and said their farewell words.

    ¡°I will not forget the founder¡¯s teaching throughout my life. As for the country and the people, leave it to me.¡±

    Wolfgang dered that he would take responsibility of Falnido when Girard was no more, he announced it with confidence, sticking out his chest with pride. That expression has a close resemnce to Girard in the past. Powerful words, and oozing with presence, it was worthy of a Beast King.

    ¡°¡­I will be a warrior that won¡¯t shame the founder¡¯s name.¡±

    Cuore, who stood nearby, had little watery eyes, but still looked ahead and stated her oath firmly. She couldn¡¯t expose her unsightly side at Girard¡¯s final goodbye, so she didn¡¯t cast her eyes down.

    Girard who saw her state nodded in satisfaction, and began to walk toward Shin¡¯s party.

    The parting was finished. There was only one thing left to be done.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Ou.¡±

    Starting with those words, Shin and Girard began to run. With that sudden eleration, the figure of the two people became blurry. They ran down the hill¡¯s slope in a sh without anything obstructing them, and entered the forest.

    ¡°The king hadn¡¯tughed like that in a long time.¡±

    ¡°When was thest time I saw him like that?¡±

    As they saw the two people disappear into the forest, Van and Rajim exchanged a few words. That face, that wasughing innocently like a child, was simr to Girard¡¯s expression.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin and Girard ran between the trees, they were headed straight towards the center of the forest. By the way, Larua Grand Woods was quite spacious. One could imagine the vastness, when it was said to be wider than Hokkaido in the real world.

    They went towards the center to keep the damage to the surroundings to a minimum. To really ensure safety, they should be at least 20 kemels away from the spectators.

    Wouldn¡¯t it make so that they couldn¡¯t be seen by the¡¾Far Sight¡¿ skill if they were that far away? It was probably a concern, but it would never happen. Because, on the route where Shin and Girard ran through, clouds of dust looking like explosions and thousands of sliced trees flying off could be seen. Even though their figures couldn¡¯t be seen, that track of destruction informed the others of their existence.

    The two people ran side by side for a while, and divided into two groups on the way. While heading toward the center, they gradually separated from each other. It was about 10 minutester, that the earth and sand that was flying up due to their tracks disappeared, and so they knew that the two people stopped moving.

    About 5 kemels apart, both of them faced each other. Among a few of the dueling methods of the beasts, it was the oldest dueling principle that was chosen this time.

    With that settled, the duel that took ce in Larua Grand Woods was where they set a distance ording to the ability of the people who were fighting. This was intended to get rid of the handicap of each other¡¯s weapon specialty.

    Though it might seem to be disadvantageous for the short distance type, the dense trees that obstructed the view made it easy to dish out a surprise attack.

    As for the long distance type, though the distance was reduced, that meant it was harder to make a line of fire with the trees in the way.

    Now that it came to this, whoever found the opponent first, was the most important point. Normally the distance would be roughly 50 mels, but because it was these two¡¯s ability that were having showdown this time, what was said to be the best distance was not decided. Both of them spontaneously decided the distance.

    There was also no referee for this match. Though it wasn¡¯t just because it would put the referee¡¯s body into danger; to begin with, victory or defeat was not significant between Shin and Girard. The fight itself was the goal. A referee, and the likes, would only be a hindrance instead.

    Their fighting spirits were mutually raised at their locations, and they gazed at the opponent they couldn¡¯t see.

    Shin had to control his ¡¾Limit¡¿, to match his stats with the time in the game. It wasn¡¯t because he was ¡®going easy on someone¡¯. The titles, such as Limit Breaker and Aplished One, were turned off in the fight, so it became the original values from when he had spent time with Girard.

    Shin wore the titles that had increased his power from around the time of the Death Game. The titles that he acquired after he defeated the boss, Origin, in the final dungeon, would never have been obtained via normal y. Because the dungeon that was also called ¡¾Gate of the Otherworld¡¿, and Origin too, both appeared after the Death Game began. To fight against an opponent who called himself Master, it was extremely rude to depend on those cheat skills. Though there would certainly be a time when he must use it, at least now was not that time.

    This was a kind of ceremony to see off Girard. It was meaningful, when fighting with only his own power.

    Girard strengthened his own ability with the aid of martial arts skills. Shin¡¯s stats were better than his, this was something he had known a long time ago. To fill the differences, even if only by a little, he wouldn¡¯t spare the effort.

    Though Shin talked about the titles with Girard, he also conveyed that he didn¡¯t have any intentions of using them. About that, Girard was thankful, but regretful too. He would do the same thing if he was in Shin¡¯s position; it was easy to imagine. The feeling of them getting in the way was understood, and he felt genuine happiness by thinking that it would be settled with only their own original powers. However at the same time, he really wanted to have a fight with Shin at his best, in the true sense. Girard also knew, that Shin also thought of the same thing. When that time happened though, it would be over in an instant.

    Girard was lost in thought for a brief amount of time; To receive the death that he could be satisfied with the most.

    Now at this moment, Shin and Girard were pouring every nerve into each other¡¯s presence.

    Thus, it was the moment that both of them were well prepared for. The presence of the opponent was felt, and it was understood that they were ready.

    And then¨D¨D¨D¨D.

    ¡°¡°Suuuuu¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D.¡±¡±

    The two people inhaled in a deep way. And like they had arranged it beforehand, skills were invoked.

    ¡°¡°Oooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡±¡±

    What seemed to be like the firing of a signal gun for starting a war, was actually the barehanded system martial art skill, ¡¾Cannon Wave¡¿.

    <Attract enemy¡¯s attention, and cancel incantations of magic skills at a low probability.> As if sneering at such a skill¡¯s exnation, both of them fired a¡¾Cannon Wave¡¿ that ran through Larua Grand Woods. Power that could rival even the upper ss of wind-system magic skills mowed down a big tree exceeding 1 mel of diameter, sted away arge monster on its course, and finally collided at the midpoint of the two people.

    The charged energies did not offset each other, instead it condensed where it gathered, and that energy was released in all directions in the next moment. The scattering energy was transformed into a shock wave, and spread the destruction out to the surroundings.

    That shock, together with the earth shaking, cleared the ground from a radial center that should be called ground zero. Big trees that were said to be several hundred years old, and the gigantic stones that were buried under them, flew over several mels up into the sky and disappeared into the thin air. Though it would cause a second disaster when they fell, the two people didn¡¯t worry at all. After firing ¡¾Cannon Wave¡¿ , they had already started moving.

    If Shin used a magic skill for long distance, than Girard, who specialized in close-range was at a disadvantage. However, Shin abandoned the advantage of a one-sided attack from the distance, as he went toward Girard.

    With the speed of the two people, it wouldn¡¯t take too long for them to arrive at the ce where the ¡¾Cannon Wave¡¿ collided. The trees vanished and the ground was exposed, it was almost like an impromptu ring had appeared. Shin with his ¡ºTrue Moon¡» and Girard with his ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», took a stance and filled the distance furthermore.

    ¡°Shiiiiiiin!!¡±

    ¡°Giraaaaad!!¡±

    Against the blowing from over Shin¡¯s head, Girard answered by thrusting his right hand straightforward. Sparks and a buzz sound were produced when the weapons shed.

    With a high-pitched metallic sound, cracks ran through the ground around the position where the two people stood. The earth was split, due to the energy from the sh.

    ¡°Kuku, still as good as usual.¡±

    ¡°Hah, this is nothing for me to stop the blow.¡±

    With a grinding sound, while praising each other as their weapons met, the grins that appeared on their faces could be called fierce.

    The duel had be a state where they couldn¡¯t go easy on each other, because the higher the ability of both of them; just a trivial blow might prove fatal.

    However, at this time now, Shin and Girard were both convinced that the other would not die from a lucky shot.

    There was no reasoning there. They just knew.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DThis guy(Girard) won¡¯t fall by such an attack!!

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DI can¡¯t defeat this guy(Shin) with just this level!!

    The weapons were repelled and they took some distance again.

    Shin took a stance with his katana, and waited for Girard. Those fangs, if only he could pierce through them.

    Girard, who prepared his stance with one leg bent in front and the other extending behind him, calmly overflowed with fighting spirit. As long as he used his own technique, he could receive it with his own body.

    ¡°¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±¡±

    Silence, time flowed slightly.

    And, the moment when the big tree fell from the sky between the two people, their figures vanished.

    Subsequently, consecutive metallic and crushing sounds were heard. Sparks were scattered about midair and the ground on top of the ring was crushed.

    As for speed, Shin was faster. The shing attack that could be mistaken for a sh of light, he faced towards Girard without any hesitation.

    And as for reflexes, Girard was superior as he faced Shin. He didn¡¯t specialize in close-rangebat just for show. The reaction to the strike, instant judgment, and above all, the attack predictions that came from 500 years long experience. Girard had experienced fighting against numerous people and monsters, and watched Shin fight side by side with him. His intuition showed that he could cope with Shin¡¯s attacks, even if Shin had better stats than he had.

    He bent his body and dodged the shing attack from the upper right, approaching while flicking it with his ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», and then turned his body back to go under the roundhouse kick from Shin. The wind pressure, from when it missed, created a storm of destruction 10 mels in a straight line. Without minding Shin¡¯s attack, Girard jumped up from the ground, after bending down, and drew back his fist.

    That fist was then continuously fired out, with the support system magic skill¡¾Enchant ? High Blow¡¿ to reinforce it further. It was an additional reinforcement magic, to the fist that could already crush a solid castle wall easily. For a fist that the naked eyes couldn¡¯t follow, it was said to be inevitable that the opponent would be definitely crushed.

    But Shin, who was a master of swordsmanship, was not so normal that he could not receive it either. The current stats were at the value that Shin was the most experienced with. When he fought against divine beast monsters, when there were confrontations among the Rokuten, and when he defeated Origin too; it was always with these stats.

    Therefore, now Shin couldpletely grasp his own physical abilities. The arms that wielded the katana swung, and the foot that crushed the earth, they moved as Shin imagined them to. Was it because he dueled against this pinnacle opponent, the one known as Girard? His mana maniption that was imperfect before the duel, it too was sharpened unconsciously. If he strengthened his stats by using the titles, his control might be weakened again. However, when he was in the present state, he was able to use mana naturally, like breathing; Shin was able to grasp it again.

    For this reason, he didn¡¯t skimp. In contrary to the fisting toward him, Shin was pouring mana into his beloved katana.

    Simrly to Girard¡¯s fist, the de that now received the support system magic skill ¡¾Enchant ? High Edge¡¿ effect was shining, and its edge was sharpened, along with its speed.

    The de raised a buzz sound whenever it cut a fist. Whenever Shin¡¯s de resisted the fists of Girard, each weapon¡¯s charged mana counterbnced each other before discharging into the surroundings. Small explosions sounded around the two people as they exchanged blows, and the terrain was transformed.

    For a lengthy long rally, remarkablyrge shocks resounded, then Girard and Shin separated again. Without missing a beat, they began to move. While it was going nowhere, even with the exchange of blows there, the way of fighting changed.

    Contrary to before, it hadpletely changed to a high-speed chase inside the forest, now they dashed without leaving a trail of destruction. Though the figure of the opponent disappeared from sight, the two people wouldn¡¯t make such a blunder as to lose sight at that level.

    Let alone the five senses, their intuitions also sharpened. Multiple support system martial arts skills, ranging from¡¾Mind¡¯s Eye¡¿ to ¡¾Insight¡¿ were activated there, and they sensed each other¡¯s blood-lust, repeatedly shing into each other.

    The de that was aimed towards Girard¡¯s blind spot was repelled by his fist, while Shin had to fend off a tempest of fists that came from above with his katana. The attack wasing from all directions, whether from above, front, left, right, rear, and sometimes from the ground when they jumped.

    Still, not a single blow was hitting each other¡¯s bodies. Since there were stat differences, it was natural for Girard¡¯s attacks to not hit.

    But even Shin¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯t graze Girard. A person who knew the ability of these two people would feel a sense of incongruity. No matter how much they kept strengthening, currently there was a wall that couldn¡¯t be overturned between Shin and Girard.

    ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t get through. Is this the limit of the current technique?¡±

    ¡°Did you finish warming up? It¡¯s time to show it. I felt something was off only a little while ago.¡±

    ¡°Kuku, you found out, huh? I was trying to conceal it.¡±

    ¡°Did you think I wasn¡¯t gonna find out after we exchanged blows? It would be noticed eventually.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s a technique I devised specifically to fight against you. Let me put on some airs a little.¡±

    Sparks were scattered with the de and fist, but the two people were joking around while running in the forest. Shin who was expressing slightly messy words, and Girard who was returning them with a smile.

    For both attacks, though they were certainly powerful, it seemed to have turned into a state where friends talked about obtaining a rare item by chance.

    They understood each other. There was still much to this fight; they hadn¡¯t gotten serious and gone all out yet.

    It had been about 10 minutes since the duel had started.

    The greatest battle was about to begin.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Whenever Shin and Girard shed, a portion of the forest vanished as craters and trees were blown away, exposing the devastation. The animals, which had sensed the abnormalities and moved to the edge of the forest, where there was little danger, were perhaps the only things saving grace. The two people were getting absorbed in the fight, but seemed to have considered the area as the damage tended to be concentrated at the center of the forest.

    Somehow, that spectacle, which was watched with the ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ skill, was divided into two groups based on their reaction.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be¡­this is when the founder is serious.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    ¡°Ku~¡±

    ¡°Gu-Guru¡­¡±

    Tiera was speechless at the scene that unfolded before her eyes. Wolfgang, who saw Girard being serious for the first time, growled. Cuore and Yuzuha couldn¡¯t cover their excitement. Whereas Kagerou was watching their state.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time they finished warming up.¡±

    ¡°Umu, shy warm-up as usual.¡±

    ¡°Well, expect no less from our king.¡±

    Schnee, Van, and Rajim watched it all with a calmposure, as if saying ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything yet, there¡¯s still more after this¡±.

    Their reactions were split in two splendidly, into whether or not they had seen that Shin and Girard were not being serious yet.

    ¡°Master, they haven¡¯t gotten serious yet, despite all that!?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Shin appears to have hardly used his magic skills at all, and Girard hasn¡¯t shown his new move in that state either.¡±

    ¡°Master is strong like that too, right?¡±

    ¡°Depending on the fight, I still have a hard time against Girard.¡±

    To Schnee who indirectly implied ¡°I am stronger¡±, Tiera became speechless again. Though Tiera knew that Schnee was strong, after watching the fight between Shin and Girard, she understood how poor her imagination had been. Furthermore, it was said that the two people who were battling now weren¡¯t evenpletely serious yet. How far away was the existence that spoke to her like it was natural? Tiera finally understood the true meaning.

    ¡°Honorable father, this is the fight of a High Human and Girard-sama, right?¡±

    ¡°It seems like there¡¯s still more to it from Schnee-dono¡¯s story. Though I also seeded in the secret and became strong myself, I can¡¯t help but think I have so much more to learn when I see this.¡±

    ¡°I have had a match with Shin-san before, and I thought he was as much the same as Girard-sama. But it was not so.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the person whom founder-sama lowered his head to. We are likely not able to see through that power or something.¡±

    While hearing the explosions echo far away from the hill, the parent and child were having a talk. Meanwhile, their pupils were moving rapidly, as they were going to sear the fight between Shin and Girard into their memory.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for him to move.¡±

    ¡°Umu, I guess it will be an exchange of existing skills from now on.¡±

    ¡°That will reach the High Human, huh?¡±

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s up to our king.¡±

    Van and Rajim knew Girard¡¯s trump card. They were not excited nor did they adopt a philosophic view on it; they just calmly watched the progress of the battle.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The intense sounds stopped.

    The vibration of the earth and the atmosphere fell silent.

    In the forest, in the space that was born from thest sh, the main sources were facing each other.

    ¡°Let me dere this. From here, I will be one fang.¡±

    It was time to go all out from here.

    Girard announced with the implied meaning, and released all of his power.

    There were two changes.

    First, the aura that covered Girard¡¯s body slightly shook.

    Second, his body trembled a little, and transformed into the appearance of a wolf.

    On top of that, there was the beast¡¯s race bonus due to the changed outward.

    Though the differences between the outward appearances were small, he was neither discouraged nor unprepared. Had Girard reached that fang? That couldn¡¯t be just a mere transformation appearance.

    In contrast to Girard, Shin started to invoke magic skills as well.

    ¡°Come then. I will fight with my whole soul.¡±

    Matching that remark, there were 7 attributes of advanced level magic skills developing around Shin.

    Starting with a white me, a water that rotates at a high velocity, then red thunder, to the earth rising from the ground like a snake, if a person who practiced magic in this world saw that, they would faint. As those magics shouldn¡¯t be able to manifest without chanting them one by one.

    However, even facing the magic skills that surrounded Shin, Girard¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change a bit. It was natural. If he was shaken at this point, reaching that fang would only be an empty dream.

    ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨DHere Ie!¡±

    Just a word. Speaking no more than that, Girard disappeared.

    No, it was¡­

    ¡°!!!¡±

    It was high-speed movement without any prior motion. Even for the advanced level chosen ones, the reaction speed was unbelievable.

    However, it was not possible to shake off Shin, even with that. Even if Shin was astonished, his perceptual skill continued on grasping Girard¡¯s movement.

    Shin unleashed one of his magic skills. A crimson thunder approached Girard¨D¨D¨D¨D

    ¡°It won¡¯t hit!¡±

    Not even a graze on Girard, but the forest was burnt.

    ¡°I see!! You have reached this point, huh?!!¡±

    Shin shouted at Girard, who avoided being struck by lightning, while having a smile on his face.

    Thunder and light techniques. In magic skills, these two boasted of being the fastest; They were thought to be unavoidable. It was possible only for a small handful of people, who reached an AGI value exceeding 900, with the support skill enabled.

    Girard¡¯s AGI value had reached 800. No matter how much he tried to enhance his physical ability, 900 couldn¡¯t be exceeded. However, Girard showed that he could dodge the thunder technique. The action that was impossible in the game, he had shown it to be possible.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting, for this time.¡±

    Girard spoke while in a fired-up mood, and closed the distance while feeling the heat on his skin from the lightning before.

    He had gone through battlefields, polished his techniques, and searched for the technique that exceeded the limit by himself.

    How far had hee? To what extent could he go? Girard himself didn¡¯t know it either.

    Still, he knew one thing . He was confident.

    ¡°Now, only now¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    Yes, he was sure at this moment.

    ¡°My fangs will reach you!!¡±

    He elerated.

    He was faster than when he avoided being struck by lightning.

    It passed even the light technique.

    Girard was the at the breaking point for a man who was at the summit, as he set foot there.

    His whole body screamed with the intention to fight against Shin, as he charged towards the target(Shin) before his eyes.

    ¡°Ooooooooooooooooo!!!¡±

    He drew back his fist, while maintaining top speed, with a power that was not evenparable to just several minutes ago. Girard¡¯s blow that was approaching had one long straight beam of light behind it, while Shin held his ¡ºTrue Moon¡», prepared to receive the blow.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think this attack will defeat me, do you?¡±

    Shin told Girard, who then reacted like it was obvious.

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    As for Girard too, it was only natural that Shin wasn¡¯t surprised.

    Girard, who was at the boundary of men, continued stepping onto the road to the summit, and finally he achieved a view of the top. However, Shin was already there. He was not so naive, as to think that this amount of attack would surprise him.

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen that. How did you do that enhancement?¡±

    ¡°You can ask Schnee. After this battle!!!¡±

    Girard pushed Shin aside together with a roar as he invoked the barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Burst Strike¡¿. No matter how different the stats were, mass didn¡¯t change. If it was the current Girard, if he used ¡¾Burst Strike¡¿ which had a powerful knock back effect, it might be able to repel Shin forcibly.

    Shin retreated while shaving the ground, and Girard attempted a second assault. There was no chance of winning if the distance increased, and he didn¡¯t have a lot of time either. Therefore, whether or not Girard could finish his attacks in this match? It would depend on that.

    The firmly stepped-on ground burst and scattered as Girard¡¯s figure vanished.

    ¡°Gaaarr!!¡±

    ¡°Swish!!¡±

    Against the fist that was approaching from his left, Shin put up his de. The attacks didn¡¯t alwayse from behind. As Girard couldn¡¯t do such monotonous attacks.

    Before the spark went out, Girard¡¯s figure vanished again. He was running around Shin while maintaining maximum speed, and not only from the blind spots, he struck from the front sometimes, too.

    Shin was thinking. For Girard¡¯s phenomenal ability to rise, Shin knew Girard¡¯s limit was being exceeded. Furthermore, there was something that he was hiding.

    Did he want to use magic, or bring it to closebat? Or maybe do a surprise attack? While observing Girard¡¯s movement, Shin considered his next move.

    While striking at Shin who didn¡¯t move, Girard also thought about how to deal a single blow with all of his might.

    In Girard¡¯s judgment, Shin, who was using magic skills to move from ce to ce, was troublesome. Supposedly, if Shin kept freely running around, with that alone, the chances of Girard winning went down to zero.

    The skills for Girard, he was not only strengthened by bing a beast, he was enhanced through the arts, too. And strengthening his body by 3 fold, it was done by consuming his life force. The movements that exceeded Girard¡¯s limit, were possible because he staked everything on this fight. Until he could finally fight with Shin head-on.

    If he moved poorly and the distance increased, it wouldn¡¯t just end with time running out. Nheless, he couldn¡¯t continue in his present state for a long time. He had to keep up with Shin with all of his efforts. He couldn¡¯t behave as he did earlier.

    ¡°¡­Now, I¡¯ll go from here!¡±

    With a few words, Shin kicked the ground. A sh, like he was no longer ¡®going easy on someone¡¯ was unleashed at Girard in the form of a thrust.

    ¡°Chiii!!¡±

    Girard nced off the approaching katana with his ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», while at the same time bending his body. Although the ce right beside him was blown away, Girard barely seed in turning that brandish strike to the ground. Hended on his limbs at the same time lifting his upper body, thrusting out his fist high towards the sky.

    ¡°¡°Enchantment!!!¡±¡±

    The voices of the two people and the sound of the arms shing ovepped in session, and the surrounding trees were blown away from the shock.

    With Shin¡¯s activated movement system, martial arts skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, due to the sudden change of course, together with attacking while pursuing, Girard reacted without even seeing it.

    When Shin entered Girard¡¯s range of attack, Girard¡¯s body moved unconsciously. Because he knew the nature of the fight from one another, Girard¡¯s reaction was precise. Shin especially, didn¡¯t know this world¡¯s unique strategy, which Girard had mastered. Therefore, Girard was able to predict the skills that Shin would unleash urately.

    ¡°I guess we don¡¯t have much time. Shall we exchange blows!!¡±

    Shin shouted, with his sword not one step away. He didn¡¯t understand what kind of enhancement Girard used, but he knew this duel, it was not the right way. When the duel had be drawn-out, only Shin would have the advantage. Such a thing, was not the fight Girard hoped for.

    (Girard, you don¡¯t wish for this kind of fight, do you!!)

    With that thought, Shin put his strength into the hand holding his katana.

    ¡°Answer me!! Girarrrdd!!¡±

    Girard withdrew back, avoiding the powerful blow, and corrected his posture.

    ¡°Kuku, haha, haha, that¡¯s right. Good grief, I got greedy since the enhancement worked smoothly, huh?¡±

    A strainedugh unintentionally leaked out from Girard, answering Shin¡¯s remark. What exactly was he thinking? He reserved his power for the biggest game, Shin, he shouldn¡¯t keep thinking as if he was the same as before. Such thoughts were discarded together while he exhaled.

    Does the chance of winning disappear when Shin moves? Does he have the stamina?

    Such thoughts were for a person who had the time.

    ¡°No, not now. With my remaining strength, my fangs will reach yoouuu!!¡±

    He began to run with those words. As an answer to Shin¡¯s shout, he returned a blow right to the front.

    Shin didn¡¯t avoid it. The swung down de was pushed up, Girard¡¯s shout was answered.

    It was a simple blow that had neither had skills nor arts. Thus, there was no need to put much thought as their weapons resounded mutually.

    ¡°Hahahahaa¡±

    ¡°Kuahahaha¡±

    It was said that fellow masters didn¡¯t need words, they spoke by the exchanging of techniques.

    ¡°¡°Hahahahahahahahahaa!!!¡±¡±

    Thus from thereon, the two people stopped talking.

    They understood, even if they didn¡¯t speak. Theymunicated when their weapons crossed.

    Onlyughter came from their mouths.

    ¡°ZeeaaAAA!!¡±

    Shin invoked the katana and water techniquebined skill, ¡¾Setsugekka*¡¿, a single blow formed an ice de, from outside the distance between them. (T/N: Snow, Moon and Flowers)

    ¡°GuuraaAAA!!¡±

    Girard¡¯s fist was d with fire, and broke the icy de. Furthermore, he thrust out his fist in front before the mes went out.

    The range shouldn¡¯t have reached Shin. However, a mass of energy was projected out from his fist, and that fist, made up of mes, rushed towards Shin.

    Barehanded me techniquebined skill¡¾zing Sky¡¿ and barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Far Strike¡¿ were put together for a counterattack.

    ¡°This sort of thing, *Burst*!!¡±

    It was several times the normal ¡¾Far Strike¡¿. The bullet of fire with a width of almost 1 mel, Shin cut right in half with his katana. One of the effects bestowed upon ¡ºTrue Moon¡», was the nullification of magic skills that came in contact with the katana de. Naturally, not all of the magic was erased, pure energy such as martial arts skills couldn¡¯t be nullified. Having cut the blow that became the form of a me technique from Girard just now, it was Shin¡¯s height of capability.

    Still, being able to cut magic, it became very handy inbat. Though it was a slightly different situation this time, he originally used it to cut barrier skills. With that alone, he could turn the tables.

    Yet, it became a trap this time. Simply because Girard knew that Shin was able to cut ¡¾Far Strike¡¿, so he used a skill that let him wear mes.

    Under the guise of a huge bullet of fire, Girard unleashed a skill while pursuing, in a situation where Shin would shake off his katana.

    It was the barehanded system martial arts skill¡¾Binding Snake¡¿.

    To obstruct the movement of the opponent, the energy with the shape of a snake hung around Shin¡¯s arms.

    ¡°This won¡¯t hold me!¡±

    The restraints in front of Shin vanished, but that moment became the chance for winning the fight between the two.

    ¡°Shiden¨D¨D¡± (T/N: This is also known as Itariden, which was mentioned in the previous part. I have changed it to Shiden.)

    That moment when Shin¡¯s movement was stopped. Girard dealt a blow with all of his might.

    This was the secret that only the person who learned all of the martial arts system skills could unleash.

    The pinnacle in martial arts skills.

    ¡°¨D¨DZekka*!!¡±(T/N: Superb)

    Barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Shiden ? Zekka¡¿. This skill needed only a moment before it was invoked, its movement was only a pushed out fist, right in front. It had a short reach and an even bigger opening, too.

    However, for this reason, its power was top ss among the many martial arts skills. If it was in PvP, it was said to be able to overturn the situation with just a single blow.

    When the current Girard released it, supposedly, its power should be beyond Shin¡¯s imaginations.

    ¡°Ku, GuoooooOO!!!¡±

    In front of the approaching fist, Shin barely slid his ¡ºTrue Moon¡», at thest moment between the attack and his body. But even Shin too, was just barely able to properly parry it, as it was difficult to turn aside. Holding out was not possible, as he was blown away into the forest.

    ¡°Aaargh*cough*, as expected, it¡¯s strong.¡±

    Shin was blown away for dozens of mels, while some of therge trees vanished. Though it wasn¡¯t a direct hit, it was clear that damage prated into his body. No matter how much of a stat differences remained to some extent, the power of the Shiden ss of martial arts skills were in a different league. The forest, except for the ce where Shin was, had a folding fan shape scattered for kemels away, testifying to the ferocity of that power.

    Shin got up, and returned to Girard¡¯s location. Although there was no pause time when using the skill, ¡¾Zekka¡¿ was a skill that had a big bacsh. In the game, it became temporarily impossible to move after using it, and unnecessary damage was often received. It was not thought to be able to attack immediately after using such a skill.

    Therefore, it was toote to react to an attack while being pursued from the rear.

    Girard was soundless, without revealing his presence too, closing in on Shin as he glided on the ground.

    He seemed to be able to totally read Shin¡¯s thoughts perfectly, and assaulted the moment he had the chance. He suppressed his skill¡¯s bacsh forcibly, and his pupils were fiery and shined like a beast¡¯s in a hunting game

    ¡°¨D¨D!!¡±

    Due to the wind technique skill, the noise of the approaching fist was gone, and the handle of Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡» struck up. He judged the de was good enough, rotated his body with minimal movement, and raising his opposite fist shed against the armguard on Shin¡¯s left arm.

    The armguards shing with each other resounded. It was a blow that could have taken off each others arms, if it was not Shin. The distance between them was only a few dozen cemels. Girard had invaded Shin¡¯s domain.

    Barehanded system martial arts ¡¾Reverse Wave¡¿¨D¨D¨D¨D that skill was the derivation of ¡¾Transparent Wave¡¿ which Shin had used on the golem before. It was not a power that burst from the inside, it was a skill that broke through at a point and exploded on the outside. Though Girard was also slightly damaged from the point-nk range, he didn¡¯t worry about such a thing anymore.

    But because it was Shin, he wouldn¡¯t remain silent when feeling the pressure gathered on his left arm. Shin immediately used ¡¾Steel Repel¡¿, and though the majority of the power from ¡¾Reverse Wave¡¿ was warded off, he couldn¡¯t prevent his left arm from being flipped by the shock remaining.

    With Shin¡¯s damage reduced by his defense, Girard received a portion of the aftermath. As for damage, Girard who had a lot of it shouldn¡¯t be able to move right away. Yet, Girard moved. As if there was no damage at all, he invoked the next skill.

    Girard forcibly adjust his disordered stance, and what he invoked next was the barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Eight Petals Palm¡¿.

    As the name might imply, it was an 8-hitbo attack. But the flowingbinations had already all been seen by Shin. Even in this world, there were certain motions to engage abo attack.

    Though Shin didn¡¯t know it, it was said that skill was used against the physical body with magic. Each skills¡¯ form has their own kind of chants, it could be said that the unleashed blows were invoked by magic. Therefore, it was very difficult to change form in the middle of a fight for a martial arts skill, as its power would drop if interfered with forcibly.

    And supposing that rule was not known, if it was a person such as Shin, who was well-informed about the skill and the motion associated with it, it would not be difficult to deal with.

    While destroying the posture with a close ranged martial art skills, Shin also dodged the drawn fist, and a kick with minimal movement.

    When thest round kick approached from his rear, Shin put his strength into counterattacking it, but once again he was hit by an unexpected attack.

    Soon after the kick passed in front of Shin, Girard instantly changed his pivot foot, using the rotation of his body, and aimed for Shin¡¯s head. That without a doubt, was the movement of the continuous rotation kick from the barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Two Wheels¡¿.

    ¡°Guu¨D¨D!?¡±

    The kick that was approaching his face was stopped by ¡ºTrue Moon¡», Shin raised his eyebrows at the lightness of the power. He didn¡¯t know it, but he felt that something was wrong. However, that ¡®something was wrong¡¯ feeling was confirmed before long by Girard¡¯s following action. Using Shin¡¯s de that stopped the kick as a foothold, Girard jumped up and invoked a skill while rotating.

    He made one rotation above Shin¡¯s head, and without breaking his momentum, an axe kick from the barehanded system martial arts skill ¡¾Waterfall¡¿ weaved its way towards Shin on the spot.

    The ground caved-in, as Shin, who received that blow, had his feet pushed into the ground. But even with such power, it didn¡¯t be the decisive blow.

    Shin, whose main job was samurai, was not superior in defense skills like a shield job, and was not equipped with high strength shield either. However, the katana Shin was holding was an ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapon, ¡ºTrue Moon¡». The average shield was no match for its strength. In addition, because its performance as a weapon was top ss, it could withstand an attack that was impossible to defend against by ordinary katanas. This was also usually thebat method that was used with arge sword that values strength.

    Nheless, if Shin was without his prized possession, the ¡ºTrue Moon¡», he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to defend against even a single blow of Shiden ss attacks from Girard.

    ¡°Swish!!¡±

    With his feet buried in the ground, while facing Girard who was in mid-air, Shin counterattacked with nothing but ¡ºTrue Moon¡». Girard, who was a little faster than Shin¡¯s katana that was swinging down, took some distance with ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿.

    Shin¡¯s thoughts were filled with astonishment. Girard was doing movements that he didn¡¯t think of in the game.

    Apart from the ¡¾Zekka¡¿¡¯s recoil, ¡¾Eight Petals Palm¡¿ to ¡¾Two Wheels¡¿, and ¡¾Waterfall¡¿, Shin thought that suchbinations flowing together were admirable even if it was his body caught in the attack.

    To work out such a strategy, he had no idea how much training Girard went through. But there was one thing that was clear, giving hisplete devotion was Girard¡¯s true strength. He was a real warrior, one who might have overtaken High Humans on earth. When he thought about that, Shin, just like Girard, had his chest filled with bitterness.

    It was understood. No, he was going to. Still somewhere, he was reminded of the sense of fighting during the game. Although Shin had already experienced PvP in this world, it was not a proper fight. So, he hadn¡¯t experienced something called a real battle.

    Thus, he was falling behind.

    ¡°¡­Pathetic. To think that I am the culmination that an opponent is risking their life against, and it ended up like this?¡±

    It not being the final blow, it was all thanks to his stats and his piled upbat experience. But even with that, Girard had also caught up now.

    What a predicament, when he said he would ept the challenge. In the way of fighting until now, he might receive a heavy blow sooner orter.

    ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨DNo good. This is no good.¡±

    Shin thought. The opponent, whom the first Beast King has pursued, shouldn¡¯t be merely at this level. Even without the unusual titles, everyone must have thought that with an opponent like this, it would be a worthy death.

    Is this the limit?

    ¡°¨D¨DNo¡±

    Is this how the Master of Girard fights?

    ¡°¨D¨DNo¡±

    It should be overwhelming. Being led around shouldn¡¯t be allowed.

    He was a High Human. The person who stood on the summit.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, Girard. It still wasn¡¯t my everything.¡±

    The way of fighting in the game was over, from here on out, it would be Shin¡¯s best.

    ¡°Shiden¨D¨D¡±

    He returned to his senses, and the small skills were meaningless. Simrly with Girard, he would show his feelings with the his highest skill.

    With his posture set with him holding the katana above his head. His movements, from up to down, were as if he were about to cut some Chinese bamboo in half.

    Just, he only put it all into a single stroke.

    ¡°¨D¨DAmagiri*!!¡± (T/N: Heaven sh)

    The single blow that designate itself as cutting the heaven, he ran toward Girard in an instant.

    ¡°¨D¨D!!!¡±

    Though Girard understood that he should never lose sight of Shin, still, he couldn¡¯t help but stare in wonderment. The de that was swinging down, it became blurry when Girard looked at it.

    His body moved before he could even think of following his instincts and intuition. Girard¡¯s abnormal reaction speed was acting in harmony, and reinforced by his body repeatedly.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    He didn¡¯te through unscathed. Girard¡¯s dougi type of armor, though it didn¡¯t have any effect in battle, had a part of the shoulder cut open and stained with blood. As it may be called the same Shiden, ¡¾Amagiri¡¿was a more converged power than Girard¡¯s ¡¾Zekka¡¿.

    Behind Girard, who defended against ¡¾Amagiri¡¿, the earth was cut apart, exposing its cross-section due to the attack.

    Nheless, for the current amount of damage that had been received, neither Shin nor Girard showed much of a difference.

    Still, the presence that Shin gave off, Girard felt it had changed a little. From the blow just now, Shin deciding on something was transmitted.

    ¡°¡­Ku, kukuku, now you¡¯re talking! That¡¯s what I wanted to see!¡±

    Girard muttered with a smile so ferocious, that even a grown man would run away. Though he was facing death at this moment, he was unbearably happy.

    Faster and stronger. Until he could pierce his fangs into that body.

    ¡°RoaaaaAAR!!¡±

    The ground was smashed and he ran.

    Also with ¡¾Amagiri¡¿, there was big recoil simr with ¡¾Zekka¡¿. Naturally, it produced a big chance too. Girard was aiming for that. If it was the current Girard, he didn¡¯t even take two seconds to catch Shin in his attack range.

    ¡°UraaaAAA!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s roar resounded there.

    Girard¡¯s fist arrived a little faster, Shin¡¯s arm that should be stiff from the recoil, suppressed his mind and jumped up. The de shed and sparks were scattered with Girard¡¯s fist. That was a movement that was impossible in the game.

    And then the de flipped. It didn¡¯t mean that he knew how to suppress the recoil. It was by using his stats, that could be said to be forcibly breaking the mechanisms.

    However, that was the correct solution. If it was impossible to remove the bacsh, then the only thing left, was brute force.

    Shin¡¯s invoked movement of the katana technique system martial arts skill ¡¾Swallow Reversal¡¿, added to the de, which drew an arc. The de elerated rapidly in the air once again, as Girard¡¯s body was wounded.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DYou have to do it. You have to do this, you know?

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DYes, it was ratherte.

    Each other¡¯s smiles were deepened. Without saying anything, those words were transmitted through their weapons.

    They realized the end was near.

    ¡°¡°¨D¨D!!!¡±¡±

    The smiles were erased, and at the same time they prepared their weapons.

    Shin raised his ¡ºTrue Moon¡» over his head, Girard set his fists on his waist. As if they knew what they would unleash next, their preparations were simultaneously ready.

    Their eyes met, but silently they bid farewell.

    ¡°¡°Shiden¨D¨D¡±¡±

    This was the end. They understood that mutually.

    With the unleashed Shiden. There was no more martial arts to follow this, to decorate the end.

    ¡°¨D¨DZekka!!¡±

    ¡°¨D¨DAmagiri!!¡±

    Together with the invoked skills, the figures of two people disappeared. Instantly the distance between them was closed, as well as the impact that shook the space, a violent sound echoed out.

    It was the sh of Shidens in close range. With that alone, the ground caved in radially with Shin and Girard in the center. The power of the sh increasing endlessly, the collided energy that was repelled, destroying the surroundings without exception.

    Though the power¡¯s repulsion was very powerful, both of them continued to let out Shidens like it was natural. It was an exchange of skills of the Shiden ss, which was impossible in the game. Not only the user, but it also put a tremendous burden on each other¡¯s weapons.

    A snapping and cracking sound reverberated. To achieve that, which weapon was it?

    No matter how much each of these weapons were bestowed with an invalidity weapon destruction attack effect, what was called durability surely existed. Therefore, it didn¡¯t mean that it would never break, even though they were weapons of ¡¶Ancient¡· grade.

    Still, even if they heard the screams of each other¡¯s weapons, neither of them loosened their power. Because they knew it would be their defeat in that moment, if they rxed, even if only a little.

    ¡°¡°OooooooooooooOOOOOO!!!¡±¡±

    They shed, separated, and collided again.

    Apparently, in this fight simr to a rivalry, Shin gradually began to overwhelm. It was natural, because the ability of the two people was not equal. The weight of the blow after blow, and the burden to the body, the distinct differences became visible.

    Therefore, Girard tore off thest charm.

    ¡°Shiden!!¨D¨D¡±

    This was the technique for someone who had already abandoned their life.

    Color faded from Girard¡¯s whole body. And, besides the power of his right fist, that waspeting against Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡» at close range, power also gathered in his left fist at the same time.

    The white light that covered that fist was Girard¡¯s own life force. It was thest splendor of his life, as he was baring his fangs at this moment.

    ¡°¨D¨DKassenkou*!!¡± (T/N: Constrict Pierce Armor)

    That skill would inflict huge damage to both the armor and shield. A blow, like a sh exploded on Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    The sound of something breaking gradually grew bigger.

    Girard continued to receive the burden, of the multiple invoked Shidens on himself, yet he still continued to put forth his power.

    ¡°Using Shiden simultaneously, huh? That¡¯s cheating.¡±

    Shin cursed while taking the blow from Girard. Still, he didn¡¯t back down. While his Shiden was activated, Shin stacked ¡¾Enchant ? High Edge¡¿ on his ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    The power to rampage was arranged beforehand, so they could mutually unleash their best single blow soon. Having realized it was the end, it came down to which one had the first move.

    Did theypete for a moment, or only several seconds? Or was it for several minutes?

    ¡°¡°¨D¨D!!!¡±¡±

    What reached the limit first was their weapons. The de of ¡ºTrue Moon¡» broke, and the armor part of ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» also broke into pieces.

    However, even if the weapons crumbled, it didn¡¯t stop the users.

    Shin, who was holding the remains of the hilt, took one step toward Girard with both of his hands lowered.

    In regards to Girard, with nothing but both fists thrusted out, he single-mindedly charged toward Shin.

    Shin too, promptly jumped upward with both hands holding the hilt. However, with both skills, ¡¾Zekka¡¿ and ¡¾Kassenkou¡¿, worn on Girard¡¯s fists, and with ¡ºTrue Moon¡» bing just a handle, without any skills, even Shin couldn¡¯t defend against it.

    ¡°I got yoouuuuu!!¡±

    The hilt that was used as a shield was repelled by Girard¡¯s left fist, as his right fist smashed into Shin¡¯s defenseless body.

    With a raised roar, his fist ripped through Shin¡¯s coat,ing into contact with the sr plexus¨D¨D¨D¨D and made a ¡®Tap¡¯ sound, and there, he stopped moving.

    ¡°Damnit!!¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨DHuh?¡±

    I¡¯m done for, was what Shin thought, and he took a step backwards from the unexpected lightness in Girard¡¯s fist. He shouldn¡¯t die an instant death, due to his high stats, but he was prepared for some damage. However, the fist that hit his body had no strength at all.

    Shin raised his line of sight towards the thrust out fist, and saw Girard again¨D¨D¨D¨DHe understood.

    ¡°¡­Girard¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Girard didn¡¯t respond. Only, he had be rigid in the state where his fist was thrust out.

    ¡°Gira¨D¨D

    ¡°Listen, I got¡­*hack* *cough*¡­¡±

    Girard interrupted Shin, who tried to call him once more. With blood vomiting at the same time, he fell down to his knees at the spot.

    ¡°Hey Girard!¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡­ Apparently¡­This is as far as I can go.¡±

    Shin was about to rush over, but Girard stopped it by raising one hand. He knew that recovery and so forth were useless.

    ¡°¡­I received thest blow. As expected from Girard.¡±

    ¡°Kuku, I have lived for 500 years,¡­ not just for show. Surely¡­ these fangs,¡­ have reached you.¡±

    Though his face was pale, Girard wasughing, baring his fangs. It was a ¡®proud of myself¡¯ smile, as this body had finally reached his master.

    ¡°Urgh¡­. Now then, my long-held¡­wish was fulfilled. Shin. Can I request..from you, onest time, a single blow as the reward?¡±

    ¡°¡­Understood.¡±

    Girard, who had stood up while tottering, spoke of hisst wish. After a bit of hesitation, Shin who heard it, epted it.

    From Girard who was barely standing, he took a distance of about 10 mels. And, quietly released his ¡¾Limit¡¿. Simultaneously a torrent of power gushed out. The time when he was exchanging blows with Girard seemed halfhearted, and strange pressure surges were in the surroundings.

    ¡°So this is a¡­¡±

    Receiving the pressure that emitted from Shin, Girard kept standing there. Hisst wish would depend on Shin¡¯s all out power as the finishing blow.

    Power that Girard couldn¡¯t fight against. Thus, to get over thest ordeal, he wanted to witness Shin¡¯s power.

    Shin took a stance. The shattered ¡ºTrue Moon¡» was stored into the Item Box, with nothing in his hands. No, to begin with, weapons and so on were unnecessary.

    Shin¡¯s stance that he took, was the movement for ¡¾Zekka¡¿. It is quite ironic if that is the case, Girard thought.

    ¡°¡­See you¡±

    ¡°Farewell¡±

    They exchanged a few words, and Shin took a step forward. With that speed, which was godlike. Girard had already lost sight of Shin.

    But he knew. Before the blow that was approaching his body, Girard perceived Shin in the world for a moment.

    With overwhelming power, and mana gushing out. The speed that would leave everything behind.

    That figure, the appearance of the Master whom Girard surely yearned for. The present Shin was more powerful than even the figure that existed in his memory.

    He wanted to reach those fangs someday. He, wished to be the best existence. That conflicting wish was now, bing a shape in front of Girard.

    (Indeed, that¡¯s what I expected of my¨D¨D¨D¨D)

    Hisst thought dissolved, when the roaring sound echoed.

 Vol 3 Chapter 4: Chapter 4

    ¡°It seems to have ended . ¡±

    It was a little silent, after that remarkably big explosion . The powerful shock wave that crossed the forest and mowed down the trees had stopped .

    Not just Schnee, but everyone on top of the hill realized that it was the end of the duel .

    ¡°¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±¡±

    Wolfgang and Kagerou, who both boasted of high stats too, fell silent . No, they couldn¡¯t say anything . They were cautious while all of their body hair was bristling .

    Thest blow . They were speechless at that too powerful pressure . Though they knew who fired it, still, the power surge couldn¡¯t be seen in an optimistic view . It made them realize defeat, without even fighting, and they couldn¡¯t help but feel the presence of a conqueror .

    It hadn¡¯t been long since they met the person called Shin, but everyone¡¯s breath was taken away as they couldn¡¯t imagine that violent presence hade from the figure of the ordinary Shin .

    Therefore . In the midst of that silence, only Schnee remained calm .

    ¡°You can¡¯t be befuddled forever, you know . ¡±

    ¡°¡°Huh!?¡±¡±

    With that single phrase, everyone quickly came back their senses . It was the moment of their own king¡¯s death . This was not the time to be senile .

    ¡°Someone ising here . ¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, that¡¯s¡­ . ¡±

    Having steeled themselves in the confusing surroundings, Wolfgang and Cuore noticed a person approaching . When did that person get close? There was a figure at the bottom of the hill .

    There was only one figure appearing . It walked toward the top of the hill while carrying something on its back . Needless to say, it was Shin and Girard . Shin was shouldering Girard, whose eyes were closed like he was sleeping .

    Everyone went down the hill without waiting for Shin to arrive .

    ¡°Shin, your clothes¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s from Girard . ¡±

    Tiera, who saw the ripped coat, spoke with concern, but understood Shin was not seriously damaged from his gesture, and nodded as she was relieved .

    ¡°I will take out the wagon . Please hold onto Girard . ¡±

    ¡°¡°Affirmative¡±¡±

    While fiddling with the Item Box, Girard¡¯s corpse was left to Rajim and Van . After taking out the wagon, Girard wasid behind the carrier, so he wouldn¡¯t be shaken .

    ¡°Girard-sama¡­¡±

    Looking at theid down body, Cuore leaked out a voice with moist eyes . Her shoulders were dropped feebly, the ears that always stretched upwards were now drooping along with her head . Wolfgang didn¡¯t show any of the attitude, but he looked somewhat a little disheartened .

    Nothing could be done for the grief to held in, even if it was the person¡¯s ownst wish .

    ¡°Raise your heads . All of you guys . ¡±

    Shin called out to the two people . It was different from before . It was a voice carrying some dignity .

    ¡°Shin-dono?¡±

    ¡°He would be ashamed of your sympathy . ¡±

    Shin knew what he said was harsh . Gratitude was not expressed . Still, he believed he had to say it himself .

    ¡°Princess, Ulu too, don¡¯t be disheartened . Look at the king¡¯s face . ¡±

    Van called out, and the two people looked up . Though it was a digression, Ulu seemed to be a nickname for Wolfgang, only spoken by his close friends .

    ¡°He has a satisfied look . No one will think he had a regret remaining when they see this . ¡±

    Rajim too, called out to cheer up the two people . What Rajim said was right, a faint smile had appeared on Girard¡¯s face . To Van and Rajim, who had shared a long time with him, Girard¡¯s final thoughts were understood, without them even having to wonder .

    There was certainly a feeling of sadness . However, the feelings of relief were stronger . They knew Girard had hidden the truth about his life span . Therefore, the joy of him dying without any regrets was bigger .

    He would rather die in a satisfying fight than survive shamelessly . Because that was the way of his life, for a man who lived as a warrior .

    ¡°That¡¯s right . If I was to weep, I would beughed at . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, you are right . ¡±

    From the words of the two people, that were the closest to Girard, Wolfgang and Cuore seemed to have regained themselves . The two people each faced Girard¡¯s death firmly, the resolve to step forward was able to be perceived .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It didn¡¯t take much time for the wagon to arrive at Girard¡¯s residence in Elden .

    The corpse was enshrined by Van and Rajim, and various people in charge of office and executives were gathered under the instructions of Wolfgang . When Girard¡¯s death was announced, there were grieving people, there were people showing an expression of relief, and various other reactions .

    There seemed to be people who also guessed at the things that happened in Larua Grand Woods, too . Apparently the sounds of their battle had echoed throughout Falnido . When connecting the dots, together with Girard¡¯s death, questions on who was the person who fought him surfaced .

    ¡°The founder¡¯sst moments, were very worthy of him . ¡±

    Wolfgang didn¡¯t report Shin¡¯s name . However, it was clearly dered that there was no better match for Girard¡¯sst fight .

    Naturally, there were people who wondered who it was, but the majority of people guessed it was someone simr to a High Human follower . Schnee and Shibaid, both were well known to have interacted with Girard, as for the other members, there wasn¡¯t a doubt about their abilities, too .

    For the people who still weren¡¯t convinced, when they met Girard¡¯s corpse and looked at his face, Wolfgang¡¯s speech was understood to be truthful . A lot of people from Falnido had the reaction of; this was the spirit of a true warrior .

    Anyways, everyone was quickly convinced . Before the day was out, contact was made with eachmunity that lived here in Elden, with the exception of the dog tribe, and they started the preparations for the funeral service in unison .

    Girard was unmistakably the founding father, even if he had long since retired . It was a necessity for it to be a national grand funeral . Before the supposing one week, various people gathered in Falnido, reaching the point where the ce was like a festival rather than a funeral . Envoys seemed toe from all of the countries with diplomatic rtions, except the n in Falnido .

    Because Shin and his group didn¡¯t have to prepare for the funeral in particr, they spent every day going back and forth to the library . But they hadn¡¯t aplished much . Still, being able to enter the restricted zone, more useful things were discovered here than from the books in the general area of Bayreuth¡¯s library .

    And then, it was the tenth day after Girard¡¯s death . The funeral of the first Beast King, Girard Estaria, was held in the capital of the dog tribe, Elden, of the Falnido Beast Alliance .

    Shin and Schnee participated too . It was told that Schnee came after she had heard the report of Girard¡¯s death, and it was epted without any doubt . Shin and Schnee lined up to see off Girard, equipped with a full body armor for that asion . Some of the attendees wore the equipment that they had worn when they had shared battlefields with Girard, and Shin, who had put on armor, was mistaken as a veteran hero; he was thought to be a famous soldier . Girard had had a lot ofbat experience, so unexpectedly, there were a lot of people who had shared battlefields together, but didn¡¯t know each other by sight .

    At the funeral, everyone in the upper echelon of the country was present, each tribal head and sessor, retired former generals, and so forth; a terrific lineup had been gathered . The representative from the vige of elves and pixies was also among them . Wolfgang, who was the king, and Cuore the princess were in the front row . There was a person next to Schnee . It was the representative of the dragon imperial empire, Kilmont, an ally of Falnido, and Shin¡¯s support character no . 4, Shibaid Etraku .

    He was a High Dragnil with red eyes, and scales like obsidian . As a fellowpanion that founded a country, apart from as a person that also served as a fellow vanguard in Shin¡¯s party, Shin heard they had formed strongmunications . Both the capitals of the two countries should have a considerable distance between them, but somehow, he made it in time . Shin, who saw that figure, felt nostalgic, and thought that as soon as he had calmed down, he would meet him directly .

    The funeral advanced solemnly, and finished peacefully without any trouble . Girard¡¯s body seemed to be buried in the earth where the sessive kingsid . ¡®I am born from the earth, live on the earth, and return to the earth . ¡¯ That was the outlook on life and death that most of the beastmen had .

    At the end of the ceremony, Wolf Type, Dog Type, and Fox Type, all of the beasts howled together . It was the melody of burial rites, to send off warriors who fought till theirst breath .

    Girard¡¯s body was buried in the tomb of the kings while being seen off by many people .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    When the funeral was over, Shin returned to the residence . Wolfgang and the executives of the country had a pile of matters to be discussed hereafter, and it seemed that they wouldn¡¯t return home for a while .

    ¡°Can I sit next to you?¡±

    Having called out to Shin, who was looking out at the garden, while he was patting Yuzuha above his knee, was Van . The figure of Rajim was seen behind him, too .

    ¡°Is the discussion going well?¡±

    ¡°We, the old soldiers, shouldn¡¯te into y . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, the country¡¯s matters have already been entrusted to others . ¡±

    Van sat on the veranda, and spoke those words to Shin who was asking . And Rajim agreed with the words .

    The two men were d in such a calm atmosphere, that Shin had the feeling that they would disappear at any moment .

    ¡°What will you two do from now on?¡±

    ¡°Go on a journey . ¡±

    ¡°Journey?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because ourpanion is waiting, too . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I see . Go join your friend . ¡±

    Theirpanion is waiting, too . From the words which Van said and the atmosphere around him, Shin felt something special . He knew the destination of the two people .

    ¡°¡­Hey, ording to you two, what kind of guy did you see Girard as?¡±

    After a few minutes of silence, such words came out from Shin¡¯s mouth .

    ¡°He was a great person . ¡±

    ¡°He was a warrior rivaled by nobody . ¡±

    As Van and Rajim were feeling nostalgic, they closed their eyes and spoke .

    He stood before everyone else, a leader who showed the way . A great person, who possessed overwhelming fighting power .

    ¡°He was a solitary man . ¡±

    ¡°He was someone who got lonely easily . ¡±

    A hero without equal . A lonely king .

    Because of hisbat power, it was often said that it couldn¡¯t be helped that he fought alone on the battlefield . If neither Schnee nor Shibaid was there, the two people said he would really keep standing alone on the battlefield . And yet, he seemed to impulsively pick quarrels with his friends .

    ¡°He was a person who thought of his friends . ¡±

    ¡°He was a person who could do nothing but fight . ¡±

    For this reason, people gathered in Girard¡¯s surroundings . For the sake of his friends he picked up a weapon, and rushed on to defeat monsters, he gathered up the tribes during the confusion of the crustal movement . He was just like a hero from the fairy tales .

    Just, unlike a lot of heroic tales, he had no enthusiasm to be king . Girard¡¯s job was focused purely onbat . Other than that, it was not important .

    Though people requested it from Girard, he himself knew that he didn¡¯t have the ability to rule . If anything, he was fit as a general . Thanks to that, he needed people to support him . Van and Rajim were first on the list, and he was said to have a hard time . Nevertheless, though he never tried to stop them from leaving, he felt mutual trust within those surroundings .

    While having fighting power that could be called abnormal, it wasn¡¯t the contributing factor on why he was alone . As the gap between battlefield and daily life was tremendous, the two people spoke in unison at the end .

    ¡°I see, thank you for telling me . ¡±

    The appearance of a Girard, whom Shin didn¡¯t know, was there .

    ¡°Shin-dono, I want to express my gratitude once again . ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that, suddenly . ¡±

    Van straightened his posture and bowed to Shin . When he moved his line of sight, Rajim too, was bowing in the same way .

    ¡°Hey now, both of you . ¡±

    ¡°For granting the king¡¯s wish . Our feelings of gratitude will never end . ¡±

    ¡°Come on now, just quit it . It happened by chance, really . ¡±

    Yes, it really was a coincidence for him to return, and etiquette was not necessary, Shin thought . Moreover, if Shin didn¡¯t return, Girard might still be alive .

    ¡°We don¡¯t think of those kinds of things at all . ¡±

    Rajim spoke his words while raising his head, to Shin who did think about these kinds of things .

    ¡°A life that does not end, it¡¯s painful for us beasts, who are not of the long-life kind . ¡±

    Rajim said . The average lifespan of a beast didn¡¯t vary muchpared to humans . It was about 120 years at most, even if one had a long life . Sure, there would be people who would live for several hundreds of years, that were born in this age, but judging from the whole, it was only a small handful . Inparison with the elves and pixies, who seem to live for an eternity, it could be said that life was too short .

    However, that was fine . Elves are elves, pixies are pixies, and beasts have the beast¡¯s way of life . It was very cruel, that he alone deviated from that road .

    Except for himself, the other people that were born, died . People who lived in the same time as him, left him . Certainly, Girard¡¯s soul was gradually being eaten away by time .

    ¡°We are people who live for just a short time . Living a long life is like an endless prison . Thus, to Shin-dono, who released the king from there, it¡¯s natural for us to express our gratitude . Even if it was by chance that you returned here, you did not leave without doing anything . ¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Van and Rajim left, and a veil of darkness descended in the area . Because he conveyed that he would have dinner by himself, no one came to call on Shin .

    While the moonlight shone, Shin was still on the veranda . Yuzuha had curled its tail and was sleeping .

    ¡°¡­Wee home . ¡±

    Shin called out to Schnee as he perceived her approaching . Though Shin returned to the residence soon after he had witnessed the burial, Schnee, who was in a special position, was unable to return immediately .

    After the fight, outwardly, Shin appeared to have no change until now . However, looking at it from Schnee¡¯s viewpoint, that state of no changes was unnatural . For this reason, she wanted to be at his side if possible, but Schnee had to attend a meeting .

    The general greeting was finished, and when she returned to the residence and felt the presence of Shin, she discovered that he was looking at the night sky from the veranda . But the face that she saw from the side seemed to melt inside the moonlight and disappear; he looked empty .

    Schnee approached quietly and embraced Shin . Because he was sitting, Shin¡¯s face was held against Schnee¡¯s breasts, but his expression didn¡¯t have any big changes .

    ¡°¡­Schnee?¡±

    Shin called Schnee¡¯s name in wonder . But that voice somehowcked feeling, too .

    ¡°The current Shin seemed to have disappeared somewhere . ¡±

    Oddly enough, it was the same feeling that Shin felt from Van and Rajim . In order to erase the anxiety welling up inside his mind, Schnee put power into her arms to hold Shin .

    ¡°Whatever it is . Please say it to me . ¡±

    She didn¡¯t know what she was able to do . But to make him even just a little energetic, Schnee spoke the words .

    Before long, an answer came back .

    ¡°Just a little while ago, Van and Rajim came . ¡±

    Saying few words, Shin conveyed the things he talked about with those two . With Schnee embracing Shin closely, she listened to his voice .

    ¡°Van and Rajim said they understand it . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    ¡°They also said they understand Girard¡¯s own wish . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    ¡°Even me, I understood it as the opponent . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    While speaking, Schnee noticed Shin¡¯s voice was trembling a little .

    Aftering to this world, the time Shin spent with Girard was awfully short . However, they discussed each other¡¯s intentions through weapons, to fill the time they had been apart . It was neither NPC, and not data either; it was the real Girard . The length of time spent and so on, was unrted to the two people .

    Therefore, in a sense, this was the proper reaction .

    Even if the person himself wished it . Even if the surrounding people consented . But still .

    ¡°My friend died¡­it¡¯s hard¡­ . ¡±

    It was painful . Because Shin understood it at the end .

    ¡°¡­Please cry . You have fulfilled your obligation . It¡¯s okay to grieve . ¡±

    While hugging Shin, Schnee also noticed that her view was blurry .

    She must be sad, and it must be difficult . To Schnee, Girard was an importantpanion .

    Beneath the moonlight, without sobbing, and without crying voices .

    Only the tears didn¡¯t stop .

    The two shadows that drew close to each other under the moonlight, slowly separated .

    The person who got over his sadness, in his eyes a fire with a strong light was lit .

    The moon sunk over the horizon, and the sun made its appearance .

    The spectacle that filled the world with light, Shin directly watched it .

    One day, while waiting for the duel with Girard, set to be held 3 dayster .

    ¡°Falnido is more lively than a country of humans, huh?¡±

    ¡°If I were to say it in a few words, it¡¯s because the customs and cultures are quite different from tribe to tribe . ¡±

    Shin, who said so, spoke without any particr reason, but was dutifully answered by Cuore .

    Four days had already passed since Shin came to Girard¡¯s ce in Elden .

    It¡¯s not good to stay in the library all the time, said Schnee and Tiera; which was the reason they were sightseeing in the town . Cuore who heard them, immediately announced she would be his guide, which is how they reached their current state .

    Only Cuore walked next to Shin, except for Yuzuha who was sleeping on top of Shin¡¯s head . Tiera was doing apletely different action of siding herself alongside Schnee .

    Tiera, who was taken away by Schnee, had a gloomy face, or it was probably just his imagination . Shin deceived himself, she¡¯ll feel better when shees back .

    ¡°Though I only took you to the rmended ces until now, is there anywhere Shin-dono would like to go?¡±

    The capital of Falnido was decided on as the city where the king resides . Therefore, the current capital was here at Elden . He had heard the exnation from Schnee, but naturally it was not on a scale that could be called a vige . It would be difficult to finish going around it in one day .

    ¡°ces I want to go, huh?¡±

    Since Cuore already guided him to some extent, it didn¡¯t ur to him right away .

    ¡°So?¡±

    While thinking about where he wanted to go, what entered Shin¡¯s line of sight was the signboard of a certain shop . Shin who saw it, for some reason, picked Yuzuha up from on top of his head and brought it before his face .

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha, who was suddenly being held, barked like it wanted to say: ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°That reminds me, I have a feeling that Yuzuha¡¯s fur is going from a bad situation to a worse one . ¡±

    One of Rokuten¡¯s members, Cashmere, had taught him a lot of things about taking care of monsters . Was this because hugging a monster that had a good coat fur let one thoroughly enjoy its fluffiness? The present Shin understood the disorder of its fur to some degree . Of course, there was no such skill in the game . But when he stared at it closely, he was certain that the coat hair was deteriorating after all .

    ¡°For the moment, may I stop at that shop?¡±

    ¡°That one? Ah, I see . I understand . ¡±

    Cuore, who saw the shop, somewhat knew what Shin thought, and agreed immediately .

    When they passed through the door and entered, a Dog-type woman came over .

    ¡°Wee . What are you looking for today?¡±

    After the woman shifted her attention from Cuore, who was standing next to Shin and Yuzuha, whom he carried, she shifted her pleasant eyes toward Shin .

    Shin felt like he was being somewhat misunderstood .

    ¡°I need a brush for brushing, but I also want you to show me somebs¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°Certainly . Here please . ¡±

    In the ce which that woman guided them, there were big and small brushes disyed . Ignoring the employee who was speaking slowly, Shin looked at the brushes .

    Apparently, there were materials that were prefered by different races, although they looked the same, they varied from materials to prices .

    Dog, Wolf, Fox, and so on seemed to have simr preferences, as they were sold together .

    ¡°Amazing . Do you have something like personalized brushes here?¡±

    ¡°For a particr person, they can get the material by themselves . ¡±

    It was not rare, as Cuore had one, too . As Shin felt admiration for the beasts¡¯ obsession to brush, suddenly he remembered these kinds of things . It was by the greatest tamer; the article that had been carefully made by Cashmere . It was something that seemedfortable when Girard was brushed in the game era .

    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time to explore, so I should care for Yuzuha every once in a while . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    He purchased some items to improve the coat of hair, and they exited the shop .

    When they returned to the residence, Shin sat on the veranda outside of the room, and took out the brush, ¡®Gloomy Star¡¯, from his Item Box . It had a dark appearance, like amon brush . But the handle was made from the World Tree¡¯s trunk, and the bristles of the brush were made from the materials removed from a level 800 gigantic monster with arge mass of hair, called Tyrant Bristle .

    By the way, here is the description: <From here on, you are the Brushing Master, may the best coat be with you>, was one sentence that appeared . With brushing alone, cat, dog, horse and so forth, the favorability of the monster for each model increased . It was certainly a super brush .

    Originally, there were various kinds of brushes; this brush was for hair loss, the furballs were collected and broken down by the magic item; it was also a magic tool .

    ¡°Keep still . ¡±

    Shin said, and he put the brush on Yuzuha¡¯s back . First, it was gentle, as the brush loosened up the hairs .

    ¡°Kuu~¡­¡±

    While being careful not to put in too much power, the entwined hair was unraveled . Did this gentle repeated brushing feel good? Yuzuha let out a bark, like it was losing strength .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Cuore was staring enviously at Yuzuha . Though she should be free, since the town tour was finished, when she heard that Shin was going to brush Yuzuha, she asked him to show her by all means . Shin too had no reason to decline, though it might be boring, so her being there was approved .

    With her admiration for Shin continuing to umte from Girard¡¯s stories, his courteousness and skillful brushing of Yuzuha was seen, so Cuore unconsciously thought about these kinds of things .

    ¨D¨DIs it no good if I request it of him?

    ¨D¨DNo, it¡¯s rude to him¡­he¡¯s a High Human, yeah .

    ¨D¨DBut, still¡­

    For a beast, having the opposite sex do the brushing and grooming had a special meaning .

    It was an expression of one¡¯s intention towards their lover, or someone close like a family member . A woman requesting it from a man, although it wasn¡¯t necessarily a confession, the fact of it being special didn¡¯t change .

    While her tail and ears were twitching, Cuore was inwardly troubled about what to do, and the figure of someone she knew approached from the other side of the veranda .

    ¡°Hmm? Shin? Didn¡¯t you go sightseeing in the town?¡±

    ¡°I have to take care of my partner asionally, hence the brushing . ¡±

    ¡°I see . Fumu¡­It¡¯s been a long time . Can I request it too?¡±

    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s almost over, so please wait a little . Come to think of it, this brush was made by Cashmere for Girard¡¯s sake . ¡±

    They exchanged such a conversation, as Girard sat next to Shin . Yuzuha¡¯s brushing ended after a few minutes, and the brushing of Girard, who transformed into a beast, began this time .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Cuore was speechless at seeing such a scene . The current Girard who hadn¡¯t let anyone, except his deceased wife, brush him was well known to Cuore .

    However now, Girard was lying down and had his eyes closed before her; while Shin carefully moved the brush using one hand . That appearance, which looked like arge dog that entrusted its body on the knee of its master, was captured by Cuore¡¯s eyes .

    Though Wolf Types hate to be treated like a dog, it couldn¡¯t be helped but to think so . Cuore felt the reliable bond between the two people .

    (For Girard-sama to make such a face, I¡¯m seeing it for the first time . )

    The expression was hard to understand when Girard was in beast form, but Cuore, who was a simr Wolf Type, understood well that Girard was rxing and loosening his whole body .

    Unlike Yuzuha, Girard had arge physique, but eventually it ended in less than 30 minutes .

    ¡°I feel refreshed after such a long time . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you feel that way!¡±

    ¡°Now then, on this asion, how about you do it to Cuore as well?¡±

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    It was a dreame true for Cuore, but at the unexpected development, she shouted out unintentionally .

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, but is it okay to do it? Apart from the monster Yuzuha, and the man, Girard, Cuore is a woman . To do that to the opposite sex, there tends to be a lot of strange meanings that could arise though . ¡±

    Shin turned toward Girard with a suspicious face . Even without the knowledge, he thought there was some meaning to the act .

    ¡°That will not be a problem . To let my master take care of my descendant, there¡¯s no motive . Cuore also seems to anticipate it . ¡±

    ¡°Wha!? G-Girard-sama!?¡±

    Cuore¡¯s face reddened from Girard¡¯s remark . But no words of denial came out from her mouth .

    While she tried to say something in a hurry, eventually she finally looked downward embarrassed, answering ¡°Yes¡± in a faintly audible voice .

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll do it as carefully as possible, it¡¯s my first time brushing a woman . If the power is too much for you, I want you to say so without any reservations . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . Please treat me favourably . ¡±

    Cuore transformed into a beast, and put her body weight on Shin the same way as Girard did . Immediately she felt the brush touch the back of her head . Slowly and carefully, the entwined hairs were pulled apart without causing any pain; it was a skilled hand movement .

    ¡°¡­!! ¡­Umn¡­nn¡±

    Was it because of the superior tool, or because of Shin¡¯s technique? Choppy voices leaked out from Cuore¡¯s mouth, as she felt thefort that she didn¡¯t experience in everyday brushing . With each stroke of the brush, she felt calmness . Before several minutes had passed, Cuore was in a dreamy state of dreaminess .

    ¡°Kukuu, she somehow looks pleased . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu . Shin is skilled . ¡±

    Girard and Yuzuha understood . Understood in that territory, but Cuore didn¡¯t notice . Within thatfort, just like receiving a first rate massage, her cheeks loosened .

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s done . ¡±

    ¡°*Woof*¡­Thank you very m¡­What did I just say!?¡±

    Girardughed .

    ¡°In the presence of others, make sure to not let your mind wander . ¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­I think I let my guard down a little, anyway it¡¯s different!¡±

    The feeling of being embarrassed rose, when she said things that she only spoke about in her own room . However, when her head and neck were being gently stroked by Shin, she was able to regain herposure a little . If she looked at the front, Girard being patted the same way was rxing . Before anyone noticed, Yuzuha was already sleeping on top of Girard . At that appearance, Cuore had a soft smile .

    Tiera and Schnee came back after a while, Shin at that time, was like a master that was surrounded by his pet dogs; wry smiles on their faces .

    That was just a few days before Girard died .

    It was like the good old days they spent before, a peaceful time .

 Vol 4 Chapter 1: Chapter 1

    It was the first reunion in 500 years with Shin¡¯srade in arms from the game era, Girard; his support character No. 3, a High Beast. In addition to the duel and the bereavement following it; a figure that was seen at Girard¡¯s funeral was Shin¡¯s support character No. 4, High Dragnil Shibaid.

    Shin, who visited Falnido Beast Alliance, faced the reality of parting with his formerpanion.

    At dawn, following the funeral held in Elden, the capital of Falnido. Shin, guided by his support character No. 1, Schnee, headed towards a certain ce. On his head was his monster partner, the Element Tail, Yuzuha. In front of him was the current Beast King, Wolgang, and his daughter, Cuore.

    The elf, Tiera was next to Schnee. The monster that became Tiera¡¯s partner, Kagerou, had dived into Tiera¡¯s shadow using a monster skill called ¡¾Shadow Dive¡¿.

    After about 15 minutes of walking from their residence, a 2-story building came into view. It was the ce where the envoys and representatives from the other countries stayed in to witness the funeral. The reason Shin was visiting there, needless to say, was to meet Shibaid. Shin and the others went there, because they couldn¡¯t invite Shibaid to the residence.

    ¡°Come to think of it, it is Shibaid after all. Isn¡¯t his rank the same as Girard¡¯s, king?¡±

    ¡°No, currently he has severed connection with the royal family. However, he is famous as an adventurer with the highest rank.¡±

    ording to Schnee, simr to Girard, Shibaid became the first Dragon King of the dragon imperial empire, Kilmont, but it seemed that he roamed free after the country stabilized. As a member of Kilmont¡¯s adventurer guild, and at the time when monsters overflowed from the Sacred ce, he fought together with other ordinary adventurers.

    ¡°¡­Is that fine? To be like that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably fine, since the royal family also seems to agree. For Shibaid, rather than the country, he became a figure that participates as a mercenary in a guild led by Dragnil.¡±

    Apparently his banner-like implication, for having be the first king from the start until the people gained stability, was strong.

    Since he didn¡¯t gather the scattered tribes like Girard did, the session seemed to be carried out unexpectedly smoothly. As for severing the connection with the royal family, there might be an external implication.

    ¡°From the start, it seems that he dered to be king for temporary.¡±

    ¡°The people must have understood it well.¡±

    ¡°Because the second generation king, also in the vanguard together with Shibaid, was the one he severed ties with. Originally, that second king was supposed to have be the first king. But I heard that he was wounded in the final battle just before founding the country¡±

    ¡°So he was something like a substitute, huh?¡±

    Shin wondered what kind of king they were to be reced so easily, but there appeared to be some circumstances. Since Schnee didn¡¯t know all of the intricate details that well either, he would have to hear from the person in question when they met afterward.

    By the way, this time, because Shibaid was a friend of Girard, he was picked as the representative.

    ¡°Anyways, this is packed.¡±

    Before long, the group arrived at their destination. Shin, who saw the building, was the first to speak, it was that crowded.

    The people who had heard the news about Girard¡¯s death were many, and that the amount was about to exceed the capacity of the mansion was clear to Shin. Seeing from Falnido¡¯s side, this might have been unexpected. Incidentally, Shin recalled the state of the funeral, and it looked like the people who had been guiding the attendees appeared quite exhausted.

    There might be no more vacancies any longer to stay at the other inns. But the thought hadn¡¯t hit Shin¡¯s mind yet.

    ¡°The number of people far exceeded the numbers we had expected. The founder shared the battlefield with a lot of people, and many of them are leaders or general ranks of each country now. Though I already reduced the numbers, everyone has acting power.¡±

    The tired-looking Wolfgang spoke.

    It seemed to be impossible to invite all of Girard¡¯s acquaintances. Although there seemed to be no end to people who slipped through the loophole and came over. These acting powers were certainly due to the influence from Girard, and the top management was at their wits¡¯ end.

    ¡°Nheless, Shibaid-dono is an exception. I had him stay at the further inner side of the second residence, since he is the representative of a long time ally, together with the envoy of Kilmont.¡±

    Apparently Shibaid received special treatment. As they advanced to the depth of the site while following Wolfgang, a building on a different level was seen. The feeling of luxury was grasped by Shin, as if to tell it was only for VIP.

    When the doorbell was rung, a man past middle age, thought to be the butler, showed up. When Wolfgang stated his business, a deep sound was made as the door opened. Was it to barricade themselves in an emergency? The door was coated with Adamantine when one looked closely.

    ¡°Then, I will call out to Shibaid-sama, everyone please wait here.¡±

    The butler went to call Shibaid, after he guided them to reception room.

    Though Shin had already perceived the presence of Shibaid, because of the call out, he decided to wait patiently.

    ¡°Please excuse me as I have a discussion with the envoys of Kilmont after this. In the future, if there is anything, please ask Cuore.¡±

    When the butler left, Wolfgang also left, leaving Cuore behind. Now that Girard was gone, Wolfgang was the Beast King in both name and reality. He might also apany Shin and the others depending on the asion of the business.

    ¡°Though it¡¯s kind ofte, it¡¯s unwise to speak to a King without the honorificsnguage, right?¡±

    ¡°At present, it won¡¯t pose any problems when meeting Ulu, except in public. I too, speak in formalnguage outside the royal family.¡±

    Schnee spoke about her manners when meeting the king on formal asions. She seemed to understand the area well.

    ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s because before power, he looked for abilities that were superior than him.¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem that Wolfgang had the intention to let Shin and his group use politenguage in his own country, it was probably because Wolfgang was a warrior type, not a staff officer. It¡¯s also possible that one of the reasons was that he didn¡¯t interpret it as being impolite manners from Girard¡¯s master.

    After a while, Shibaid showed up together with the butler.

    He was a big man with a height surpassing more than 2 and a half mels, had scales like obsidian, and deep crimson eyes. Because the default appearance was a dragon in human form, a person might feel a little fear during the first meeting, Shin thought.

    ¡°Um, it¡¯s been a long time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am sincerely pleased with Master¡¯s return now. From here on, I will return under themand of Master, and be the spear who pierces through the enemies.¡±

    ¡°¡­Right,e to think of it, this guy was like this¡­¡±

    As soon as they met, Shin was perplexed at Shibaid who started speaking and was for some reason kneeling. In their settings, Shibaid was a very earnest person, in a different meaning from Schnee. Was it because Shibaid¡¯s main job was Holy Knight? Somehow he appeared to be pompous.

    The butler, after guiding Shibaid, left immediately. Fortunately or not, such a thing was not seen.

    ¡°Well, um. As I have told this to Schnee. It¡¯s a long-awaited reunion so there¡¯s no need to be so formal.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Shibaid, because Shin said so, it will be fine. It¡¯s different from before.¡±

    Schnee called out to Shibaid who hesitated to talk. Hearing Schnee, who was calling their master Shin, without any honorifics, Shibaid understood the meaning of her words: ¡°It¡¯s different from before.¡±.

    However, he was not able to understand the dog ears and tail that was seen on Schnee¡¯s head and rear.

    By the way, at present, Schnee and Tiera had the appearance of beasts through the cosy item set. Cuore, who was well-known by the people, was in disguise with Schnee¡¯s illusion skill.

    ¡°¡­Hmm, I agree indeed. Then I will try to be easygoing as well. Is this okay?

    ¡°Yes, please do so.¡±

    Shibaid stood up from his kneeling posture, looked at Shin¡¯s face and agreed. Though Shin, as the master, didn¡¯t change, Shibaid presented his right hand when he answered happily.

    ¡°Once again, please take care of me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Shin also grasped that hand. The sizes of their hands were too different, it was like an adult¡¯s and a child¡¯s.

    ¡°Well then, we can¡¯t talk while standing forever. Let¡¯s continue while drinking tea.¡±

    Shibaid prompted Shin with a terrific speed of change.

    ¡°That right¡­Hey, those two people there. Come over here.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Ah yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡±

    Shin also called out to Tiera and Cuore who stiffened up when Shibaid knelt, and sat on a sofa.

    It was a situation that seemed impossible with this world¡¯smon sense for the two people, as their thoughts were frozen. Though they got used seeing Schnee and Girard acted like that, they might be shocked because it was the first time for them to see Shibaid thoroughly showing his allegiance. From an ordinary view, Girard and Shibaid, were without a doubt, said to be heroes.

    Everyone took a breather as Schnee poured tea in a prepared teapot.

    ¡°Still, it¡¯s been a long time. Though I heard the news from Schnee, you really have returned. I too, wanted to visit as soon as possible, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Many things have happened, right? As a person like Schnee and Girard, you have a considerable role corresponding to the current situation. It couldn¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Shin talked with Shibaid for the first time in this world. Was it due to the parting during the time in the game, as they talked like friends who met again after being unconscious for a long time. Though it was also like when he was with Girard, it was the first time and yet not the first time; It was a mysterious feeling.

    ¡°When I saw Girard¡¯s face earlier, I guess he was quite satisfied with moving on. It¡¯s that guy after all.¡±

    ¡°That guy was a warrior till thest moment. Nevertheless, I never thought that the fighting in this world was different than in the game. He invoked Shiden twice at thest moment, you know?¡±

    ¡°Kukaka! He did something like that, huh!? Even I would lose after that.¡±

    The mood was about to be a little solemn, but it was not the first time for Shin when talk deviated this way. Just before the mood became strange, the topic was deliberately switched.

    Shibaid also naturally participated in the talk, and the atmosphere of the ce lightened. To give praise for that splendidst moment was a natural thing to do as apanion. From there, Girard¡¯s heroic tale that even Schnee didn¡¯t know about would be heard.

    ¡°By the way, Shin. What will you do after this?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Right, for the time being, I have examined most of the materials in Falnido¡¯s library. After doing a little bit more, I¡¯m going to go to Kilmont and investigate the Sacred ce next. Shibaid has investigated it a little too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you might have heard it from Schnee, but what¡¯s in the Sacred ce¡¯s heart is unknown. There are numerous roaming monsters that can¡¯t be underestimated so easily, even for skilled adventurers and advanced level knights. Besides, almost none evere out alive. Since Kilmont must preventrge-scale invasions from the monster spawns around the Sacred ce, the help is never enough.¡±

    ¡°Looks like I need to directly ascertain it as soon as possible, huh? What will Shibaid do hereafter? I heard you are active around Kilmont though?¡±

    ¡°The Adventurers¡¯ guild has no border. Adventurers are free to go anywhere with anyone. Of course, there are restrictions depending on the rank. I also will return to Kilmont for a moment, then I will join Shin after that. Master has returned after a long wait. I can¡¯t sit and wait.¡±

    Shin thought about whether it would be alright with the monsters invasion, but it seemed the preparations were done, so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem when Shibaid left. From the start, if the frontline couldn¡¯t be maintained without Shibaid, he wouldn¡¯t be the carefree adventurer he is.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we were together in a party.¡±

    ¡°I never thought, the day we stand shoulder to shoulder woulde once again.¡±

    ¡°Me too. By the way, when are you going to depart? It will not take long to examine the rest of the materials, incidentally, I intend to receive requests from the guild, but¡­¡±

    On this asion, Shin confirmed the matter for the future.

    ¡°I am sorry, but we have to travel separately. Though I attended the funeral as the representative of Kilmont, in name, I am a guard for the king that acted as an envoy. I have to give them priority until they return to the country.¡±

    ¡°I see. Were you not able toe privately?¡±

    ¡°It was the travel problems. I received the report 3 days before the funeral. It was not possible to move from the capital of Kilmont to Falnido in such a short time. That¡¯s why I became an escort with the condition that I can borrow a flying dragon, which is the country¡¯s possession.¡±

    Even though Shibaid was not a speed type, his AGI value exceeded 700. If he moved at full speed, even a horse would be left behind. However, it was truly because of ack of time, that he used a little trick.

    There were various problems for a country to help an individual, but Shibaid was in their favor for founding the country. Therefore, the role of guard for the envoy of the country was given to him, and he was able to use the flying dragon under the pretext. Shibaid was also aplished as an adventurer at SS rank, so he was the best choice for an individual as an escort.

    The king in question, which was the second generation and the current Dragon King, appeared to be still active in duty. And it was arranged because the rtionship between Shibaid and Girard was known. Shin thought it was a very smart thing to do.

    ¡°Indeed. Then I will join you when I arrive over there. We canmunicate via Mind Chat too.¡±

    ¡°I will wait for you.¡±

    ¡°Then, we will be going¡­ Ah that¡¯s right, I¡¯ll return this to you.¡±

    Without finishing his talk, as Shin was going toward the guild, he recalled something as he took out a card sheet from his Item Box. A halberd was drawn on its surface.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this is your personal weapon ¡¾Calming Moon¡¿. I have finished the maintenance while I was in this ce. Please check it just in case.¡±

    In response to Shin¡¯s words, Shibaid materialized the card. The next moment, a Halberd about Shibaid¡¯s height was grasped in his hand. The grip was twice as thick as normal, so it was ready for Shibaid¡¯s physique. Even so, just the tip of the spear was 60 cemels in length. In addition, des was ced to the handle was rather than an axe at the left and right of the base of de, and a single-edged sword looked like an oblong axe head, was also attached. It might be seen as a Trident depending on the viewpoint.

    Because it was made from Chimeradite, simr to ¡¾Crushing Moon¡¿, the weapon¡¯s appearance shined as if the night sky waspressed in it. Part of the de was decorated in deep, vivid green as if an emerald was inserted into it. There was a dignified presence that it seemed to pass for ceremonial use.

    ¡°Though I haven¡¯t held this in a long time, it seems to perfectly fit in my hand. It is excellent workmanship. But, if my sense is correct, I have feeling that the power from the weapon has increased.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you realized it? In fact, it¡¯s magic control is better than Girard¡¯s item. It¡¯s because of the 50% increase to the performance, you know?¡±

    ¡°50%¡­The ability has increased even further from the current state, huh? Even though you are my master, you are scary.¡±

    The power transmitted from the current weapon to his hand was iparable to so far, and Shibaid reflexively stopped breathing after hearing the reason. If Shibaid¡¯s memory was correct, even in its former state, it should able to break an opponent¡¯s weapon of ¡¶Mythology¡· medium grade 10 times. Now, it was a 50% increase. Since it was already ¡¶Ancient¡· grade, Shibaid felt it was beyond exnation.

    By the way Tiera, who heard it, had a distant look and was like ¡°Ah, again huh?¡­¡±. Cuore was ¡°50?¡­50!?¡­¡±, exposing her surprise. Only Schnee didn¡¯t change as usual.

    Needless to say, Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Blue Moon¡¿ and the rest of the weapons, except Shin¡¯s ¡¾True Moon¡¿, were already finished being upgraded.

    ¡°Well, Shibaid and the others are special to me. I don¡¯t have any intention to throw a weapon with this kind of ability into the market.¡±

    ¡°I am relieved to hear that. If it is the current Shin, you could make a ¡¶Rare¡· grade weapon have a simr performance to an average ¡¶Legend¡· grade weapon.¡±

    Shibaid nodded with a relieved face. If Shin was serious, he could make dozens of rare grade weapon per day. It wouldn¡¯t be a joke if he could open a warehouse with such numbers. Chaos would be inevitable, if arge amount of these kind of things appeared on the market. Besides, confusion might also spread. Indeed, it was not a thing to overlook and keep silent about.

    ¡°Right now, I don¡¯t want to stand out yet.¡±

    Though Shin wouldn¡¯t hesitate if it was necessary, there were only disadvantages if he put the weapons on sale inrge quantities, at least for the present Shin. Even if he was desperate for money, he didn¡¯t want to make connections somewhere.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll use this gratefully.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, then see you again.¡±

    They bid farewell briefly, and then Shin and his group left the residence. After that, they were walking toward the Adventurer¡¯s guild in Elden.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    There were no borders for the adventurers¡¯ guild. Because the information was shared, there was no need to register again in another country, even if he registered in the Adventurer¡¯s¡¯ guild in Bayreuth. Since there was a branch office of the guild in most countries, it was rare for an adventurer to not find work.

    It seemed unnatural, if looking at it from the outside, for onerge army force that didn¡¯t belong to the country to be inside the country. However, no matter how much an army consisted of knights keeping a close watch on the peace and order maintenance, they couldn¡¯t do anything for all the monsters scattered around the borders. Also, there were troublesome formalities just to move a bunch of knights. Before the guild was established, the dy in initial responses caused the damage to spread.

    Now, the knights¡¯ job was to maintain the order in cities, fight inrge-scale monster invasions and wars against another country and so on. As for adventurers, they have misceneous jobs; guarding caravans, small-scale monster subjugations in isted areas where knights couldn¡¯t correspond. Of course, when a situation that threatens the country urs, like during the event in the Wraith ins, the decision to coborate with each other was reached.

    By the way, in case of war, the adventurer¡¯s¡¯ guild in the countries involved wouldn¡¯t actively participate in the battles. If an adventurer participated in the war, it was simply an individual action, as the guild wouldn¡¯tpensate for any consequences. The position of the Adventurer¡¯s¡¯ guild in the world, though not all followed the current rule, was neutral to the end.

    That position was ensured by the high-ranking adventurers. Because, including Shibaid, rank A and above adventurers usually had higher fighting power than the advanced level knights. If the adventurers¡¯ guild was untactfully meddled with, the military units that controlled a city might get annihted in the worst case.

    Still, there were oddballs that changed job from knight to adventurer, when they wanted to live freely rather than keep living on the country¡¯s payroll. Hence, total war potential of the guild was sometimes bigger than arge country.

    It was mostly disadvantageous, whenparing the pros and cons of a country meddling with the guild. Rumors where the Adventurers¡¯ guild took refuge in an emergency state indicated something had urred in the past.

    ¡°Still, this isrger than in Bayreuth.¡±

    ¡°How should I say this? It seemed like it expanded, huh?¡±

    The first things that caught Shin¡¯s eye when they arrived at the Elden¡¯s Adventurers¡¯ guild, was the size of the building. As Tiera said, beside the long sideways, the ceiling on every floor was 50 cemels higher than the one in Bayreuth. Although the two-story building was still the same. Since the appearance was simr, in a sense it looked like a photo that was erged.

    ¡°Because many Beasts have big builds, naturally the buildings are bigger too.¡±

    Schnee answered the question of the two people.

    ¡°We Beasts greatly vary in physique depending on the tribes, so the ceiling and entrances arerge to match the Elephant type people.¡±

    Cuore added to Schnee¡¯s exnation. Because it was inevitable that having arge physique could cause idents mainly due to contact; It seemed to have been built with that in consideration.

    Shin and his party opened the big door and entered the building. The interior also had no great differences to the Adventurers¡¯ guild in Bayreuth, as the cement such as bulletin boards with requests posted and so on were almost the same.

    Though a lot of people noticed when they entered, their gaze stopped at Schnee and Tiera for several seconds due to their attractiveness. Somehow, Shin felt that the nces directed at him became sharper.

    ¡°Which reminds me, wasn¡¯t there a request that I haven¡¯tpleted yet¡­¡±

    Shin suddenly recalled it, as he looked at the bulletin board for non-subjugation requests. Despite the unfulfilled request, because thest piece he found was a very expensive item, therge amount of money he earned was far more than the reward of the gathering request. (T/N: This was in LN volume 2 when he found Gem Grass, something not stated in the WN. You can read it in the manga, chapter 10.)

    Shin headed toward the receptionist desk to confirm the details, because it was convenient toplete the request if he found another piece.

    ¡°Excuse me, I would like to confirm a little something.¡±

    ¡°Yes, how can I help you?¡±

    The reception woman, whose featured ears reminded him of a Chihuahua, was asked about the collection request for Hillock herbs.

    ¡°I am truly sorry, about the gathering request of a repeatable kind, it has to be confirmed at the branch office where you received it.¡±

    ording to the receptionist, items in demand depended on each area, and the reward was often different, too. So they couldn¡¯t handle this request, only the branch office where the request was received could. Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, Shin decided to ept a subjugation request corresponding with his current rank.

    The content of the request was; Subjugate Goblins that infested the forest south of Falnido. At least 5 bodies. 50 copper coins per body are added if any more Goblins are killed than that. Proof part of subjugation is an ear.

    ¡°Is this expensive, or it is cheap?¡±

    50 copper coins per Goblin. In his calctions, if he killed 4 of them, he could stay overnight in Bear Point Pavillion at Bayreuth from the ie.

    ¡°It can be said that requests of rank D are in the easy ie category. Goblins basically act in groups, so you can earn decent ie if you defeat them altogether. Though there is a higher risk to a certain degree, too.¡±

    Cuore exined it to Shin who looked doubtful at the reward. The rank that was said to be the recognition that an adventurer has finally be independent was the rank D. People whom leveled more than 100 began to appear when ites to this rank. For such people, they could kill goblins rtively easy.

    However, even for low-rank monsters like the goblins, there was a possibility of danger when they came in a group. The goblins of THE NEW GATE have levels which range between 10 to 50.

    Also in the game, it was a monster that couldn¡¯t be underestimated, though it was only goblin. Many have died, from warrior types to magician types, because the adventurers who had their ranks rise got carried away and challenged them carelessly.

    There would not be a problem if they formed a party, but encountering a group of goblins alone, even a rank D wouldn¡¯t necessarily be safe.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this, we could go and return in a day.¡±

    Of course, Shin could kill them even if he closed his eyes, so he took the request paper to the receptionist desk without getting worked up.

    ¡°It¡¯s the subjugation of the goblins. Please show your card so I can carry out the formalities.¡±

    ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Pardon me for being rude, but the ce you registered as an adventurer, less than a month ago, is Bayreuth, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes. That¡¯s correct.¡±

    The receptionist who received the card, confirmed whether Shin was the person in question.

    Though Celica didn¡¯t confirm it when he received a request for the first time, it was because the card was handed over immediately after it was created.

    ¡°Excellent. The content of this request is about the goblins subjugation that reside in the forest of southern Falnido, is there any mistake?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Are you in a party? If so, please present the party member¡¯s guild card.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Schnee, Tiera, pleasee over here.¡±

    Shin called out to Schnee and Tiera who were behind him, he exined the situation and their card was pulled out. Since Cuore didn¡¯t join the party, she waited at the original location.

    ¡°Here, I have confirmed it. The party name is not registered, do you want to keep it as it is?¡±

    Though a party name was for adventurers who formed a party for a long time period, it was also used to raise the fame and strengthened thebination power of all party members.

    Some of the parties were those who specialized in support rather thanbat, such as scout, had a hard time to raise their achievements.

    In any case, it was easy to earn fame by fighting in the frontline, but it became hard to get noticed for someone working behind the scenes. To avoid that, a party name was made.

    If the name as well as the party rises, it came to the point where one could be acknowledged by simply saying that they were a member.

    Though it was not apletely fair assessment yet, as long as it was not a one-man party, it was beneficial to decide a party name. Still, it was unnecessary for the current Shin and his group.

    ¡°Ah, yes. Please keep it as it is.¡±

    ¡°Understood. The procedure is finished. Take care.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Shin thanked the receptionist who corresponded politely, and left the counter.

    ¡°A person like Shin-dono, is going for goblin subjugation?¡±

    Cuore talked to Shin who had just returned.

    When Shin held the request paper for goblin subjugation in his hand, she seemed to keep silent whether there were any special reasons. However, it appeared that she had questions about the somewhat ordinary request content.

    ¡°That¡¯s how the merits are, because my adventurer¡¯s rank is not high. I have no choice but to keep umting achievements.¡±

    No matter how strong a person was, their guild¡¯s rank didn¡¯t rise easily. This was because achievements and corresponding trust were demanded from the high-ranked. Even if the person was a former knight or a noble, the treatment didn¡¯t change.

    From Celica¡¯s exnation before, even a chosen one had their first rank go from G to F, or otherwise to E.

    ¡°I¡¯ll end it quickly. Because I want to make it to C rank at least. What will Cuore do after this?¡±

    ¡°May I go together too?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but it¡¯s goblin subjugation, you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s all right. For my remaining work, because I don¡¯t know how long it takes, I¡¯ll do itter.¡±

    ¡°What work?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the investigation of the ce where the duel was fought the other day. I always go to confirm whether or not the forest has restored itself after a battle is fought in Larua Grand Woods. Because the scale of the fight was quite huge this time, the damage of the forest increases too. Even though I should increase the number of people for the investigation, the monsters that appear in the Larua Grand Woods are deadly for an ordinary adventurer. So, even if the request was given out, it won¡¯t be easily epted. I have to go, especially because it was after the fight of Shin-dono and Girard-sama this time. When strong people fight, a nt that doesn¡¯t naturally grow there might appear for some reason. Besides, this investigation, it is not possible to finish it before Shin-dono finishes his request ande back, so I¡¯m going to postpone it.¡±

    And, though many nts with a high medicinal property seem to appear, they wither after a certain period, so it was said that they don¡¯t grow after that.

    ¡°I see¡­Hey, may I go together with you for that investigation too?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah, no, but it¡¯s possible¡­¡±

    Cuore had a puzzled look at Shin who suddenly offered to go together. She might have been surprised because it was work that did nothing except for looking around.

    ¡°Sorry because it¡¯s so sudden. For once, I wanted to see the ce as the person who fought there.¡±

    It didn¡¯t mean anything would change if he examined it. Still, because it was beyond recognition from the sceneryst time, Shin wanted to look again at the ce where he fought with Girard.

    ¡°I understand. What about Schnee-dono and Tiera-dono?¡±

    ¡°Since I don¡¯t have business elsewhere, I will go with you two.¡±

    Schnee decided to apany without any hesitation.

    ¡°Um, I¡¯ll go too. As the forest was noisy at that time, I have no idea what happened to the state of the spirits as well.¡±

    Tiera seemed to have been wanting to go to the forest after a long time as well.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin and his group left the guild and headed toward the southern gate of Elden.

    After leaving the gate and advancing for a while, there was almost no people around. Since their destination ce was nearby, they went on foot whilst almost everyone else traveled by wagon. Because very few passerby also moved along the highway, it was a different direction from Shin and his party who were going to the forest.

    ¡°Over here.¡±

    Shin changed the directions, as he perceived a monster¡¯s sign. They were moving inside the forest at a speed simr to when moving in a in, but there was no one falling behind.

    There were the elf¡¯s Schnee and Tiera, the beast¡¯s Cuore, and the monster¡¯s Yuzuha and Kagerou. It could be said that these members were specialized at moving inside a forest.

    Wild animals ran away once Shin and his party approached. Since they didn¡¯t hide their presences, they might be deemed as a dangerous beings.

    ¡°¨D¨DFound it!¡±

    Shin who activated both¡¾irvoyance¡¿and¡¾Through Sight¡¿, discovered a group of goblins moving in the forest.

    Their height was about 140 cemels, and their skin was a green color. Compared to humans, their head was about twice as big; the structure of the face was ugly. Some of them were holding a dagger or short sword in their hand. 5 of them were around level 20, only one was level 31. The one with highest level appeared to be their leader, as it was holding a wooden shield.

    Cuore also offered to cooperate, so they decided to kill one per person as they moved closer.

    After confirming that all members had entered the range of attack, each of them took out their weapon. Throwing daggers for Shin and Schnee and bows for Cuore and Tiera. Needless to say, it was ws and fangs for Yuzuha and Kagerou.

    While Tiera and Cuore drew their bows together, Shin and Schnee wielded the daggers in their hands. Yuzuha and Kagerou were crawling so they weren¡¯t noticed, and approached without making a sound.

    ¡°¡­Now!¡±

    At Shin¡¯s voice, daggers and arrows ran through the forest.

    The daggers that Shin and Schnee threw, prated the head of the two goblins who were walking in front. And then, without any time for them to make amotion, arrows pierced the heads of the two in the back.

    As for the remaining two, their necks flew away from the ws of Yuzuha and Kagerou.

    Even if it was natural for them, it was an instant kill. The ears were cut as proof of subjugation, and after gathering them together in one bag, it was stored in Shin¡¯s Item Box.

    Though this was already proved when he was shopping in the town, if several things are collected and put in one ce, the items could be stored in the Item Box as one item. Turning it into a card was also possible.

    However, the card became impossible to separate, when the card was materialized into pieces.

    ¡°The request ispleted. Then, shall we go to Larua Grand Woods too?¡±

    Including the travel time, it was only 1 and a half hours since the time they took toplete the request, and they have enough time left to head towards Larua Grand Woods.

    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go. There are two ways, crossing the forest as it is, or using the main road, which would you choose?¡±

    ¡°Cuore is used to the forest, and we won¡¯t be a hindrance, so it might be nice to go with crossing, right?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    As if to say ¡°Agreed¡±, Yuzuha barked. Simrly, Kagerou which was next to Tiera also barked.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    When they got out the forest to the south, some ins appeared for a moment. They then further advanced for 30 more minutes. From there, the wagon was taken out and they advanced on the main road.

    There were no particr events except for when Cuore was surprised at the speed of the wagon that Kagerou pulled.

    Shin and his party finally arrived at Larua Grands Wood.

    It was at the hill where Schnee and the others previously watched the duel between Shin and Girard, that they got off of the wagon.

    ¡°Amazing. Even after all of the shy blows, this doesn¡¯t look the right ce.¡±

    Shin, who looked at the forest while standing on top of the hill, was surprised about not seeing any traces of destruction.  At the start of the fight with Girard,  the exchange of skills from the¡¾Cannon Wave¡¿ had mowed down a lot of trees. Though boulders and big trees were blown away due to the after-effects of the fighting, damages were magnified as they were thrown onto the other trees on the ground. Shin had also caught a glimpse of the changes before.

    However, now within the range of Shin¡¯s field of vision, he couldn¡¯t find any evidence of it.

    ¡°After seeing it, the vegetation from before and after the fight doesn¡¯t change, huh? Rather than restored as before, I think that the rapid growing nts covered the scars or something like that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. When I look at it closely, I can see a few young trees in several ces.¡±

    When Schnee exined the state of the forest, Tiera also had the same opinion. While pointing at a portion of the forest, Tiera said ¡°That is the ce where it is growing, around the original forest.¡± to Shin.

    ¡°It¡¯s just like Larua Grand Woods. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t understand it even if you tell me.¡±

    Shin was staring hard at the direction Tiera pointed at, but he wasn¡¯t able to distinguish the differences in the end.

    To begin with, naturally other than the size, there was no distinction between the young and old trees.

    ¡°As one would expect from Schnee-dono and Tiera-dono. It took me about 10 years until I finally understood the differences.¡±

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped I guess, since the sense rted to forests are prominently keen for elves and pixies. But to be able to tell the difference by yourself is a great thing.¡±

    Schnee praised Cuore, while smiling. She seemed to have directly taught Cuore how to tell them apart before. She was probably happy that Cuore could master it properly.

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    Cuore replied with a smile. As if she couldn¡¯t bear the joy of it, her tail was wagging left and right in a big way.

    ¡°And, what should we do after this? We are doing the investigation, right?¡±

    Shin asked Cuore, because he didn¡¯t know what kind of method the investigation was going to use.

    ¡°For the investigation about the regeneration of the trees, we check whether or not there are unnatural nts that shouldn¡¯t grow in these surroundings. Because it¡¯s indeed impossible to look all around, the range is divided roughly, and I decide some points based on that.¡±

    As Cuore said that, she took out a card from her pocket and materialized it. In the next moment, a map of Larua Grands Woods appeared. There were big trees, like ndmarks, and other peculiar characteristics and so on that were drawn.

    ¡°With this tree as a mark in the a middle, the forest is divided. Because thesendmarks do not change after they have regenerated, we should not lose sight of them.¡±

    If ordinary adventurers were here, they would have to be cautious about not going too deep into the forest, but she didn¡¯t have to worry about that if it was Shin and his party.

    ¡°¡­I feel guilty for me asking to apany you, since I don¡¯t seem to be helpful.¡±

    To begin with, differentiating between trees that have been restored couldn¡¯t be assigned to Shin. Because he couldn¡¯t understand it even if Tiera taught him.

    ¡°Then, how about going together with Tiera? Tiera can harvest any nts that are found, and Shin can put them into the Item Box, so it will be efficient.¡±

    Looking at Shin, who was sulking and feeling bad, Schnee made a suggestion.

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s right. I think it will be most suitable for you two to pair, because I and Schnee-dono are able to use the Item Box.¡±

    Cuore also agreed.

    As for Shin, he could only answer yes because that was at least the only way he could be useful. It waspletely reasonable that an Item Box member would be essential.

    And though it was heard just now, Cuore was also able to use the Item Box. As for the card she pulled out from her pocket not too long ago, it was actually her using the Item Box.

    On that subject, he remembered that Tiera talked about royal families and elders having the Item Box.

    Cuore was a daughter of the Beast King, in short, a royalty. It was understandable that she could use Item Box, if she inherited the abilities as Girard¡¯s descendant.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s divide into three sides. Just to confirm, have any changes taken ce except the unnatural nt that appeared so far?¡±

    Did something concern her mind on the harvesting? Schnee asked Cuore.

    ¡°As far as what has been confirmed, there¡¯s no such things. In fact, nts that don¡¯t grow naturally were discovered only twice in the past, when strong people fought in a duel. The first, that was found was after the duel between a Dragnil and Beast, was ¡®Fairy Grass¡¯. The second that was discovered,  after the duel between a Lord and Elf, was ¡®Phantom Grass¡¯. That was the only two which were recorded. Because both were found at several ces, I think someone will find something this time too.¡±

    However, it was said that because the numbers of growing nts increased, it wouldn¡¯t remain intact. It was only a temporary thing.

    ¡°How do you split the works? Is it good to divide it into 3 equal parts?¡±

    Shin moved his finger to form 3 circr ranges on the map while Cuore listened.

    As Cuore said, it was impossible to examine Larua Grand Woods with such a small number of people, so the scope of investigation must be narrowed to some degree.

    Though the others didn¡¯t take note of the drawing, all of the members understood the approximate ranges.

    ¡°Everyone might be unfamiliar with Larua Grand Woods, so I don¡¯t mind if my area of responsibility increases.¡±

    Toward Cuore who said that, Schnee disagreed.

    ¡°Because the investigation like this time was requested of me too, there is no problem as it is either. It¡¯s better for you and me to increase our area of responsibility, and decrease the area that Tiera¡¯s and Shin¡¯s are in charge of instead. Even though Tiera is able to tell the difference, she hasn¡¯t handled this kind of request before, so it might take more time than us.¡±

    ¡°I agree. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could do that.¡±

    Tiera agreed to Schnee¡¯s proposal.

    Tiera was hardly able to enter the forest for about 100 years. Even though she was an elf, the fact that she didn¡¯t spend time going to the forest was undeniable.

    In addition, Shin was going together with her. Schnee thought if there was only one beginner, the work would be dyed. At the same time, she considered this as a training in order to restore Tiera¡¯s intuition.

    Meanwhile, Shin, in front of Schnee and Tiera who were able to differentiate the nts intuitively as elves, was reminded yet again about not being useful although he was the who had one who suggested they work together. Once again, his shoulders dropped.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being a burden¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you how to spot the differences~¡±

    Tiera patted Shin¡¯s shoulder in order to console him.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Shin-dono. I didn¡¯t know what¡¯s the differences were at first too.¡±

    While Cuore was a beast, she possessed the knowledges and experiences that could sense the changes in the forest quickly. However, that was the result of years of effort. If Shin could do it from the beginning, nobody would have a hard time.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s copy the map. It will be a troublesome if there is slip of memory.¡±

    Schnee who spoke, activated a non-system skill ¡¾Transcription¡¿. It was literally a copying skill, as patterns and characters were drawn on the paper.

    In the game era, it was also a skill that was used to share map data among the yers. Shin also learnt how to use it, but he was impressed as he thought ¡®It can be used like this, huh?¡¯.

    ¡°Okay then, shall we start?¡±

    In case a person finished quicker than assumed, they would join a person who hasn¡¯t finished yet, and the restrictions and the meeting ce in case it didn¡¯t end was decided. Afterward, all members were scattered in the forest.

    ¡°Now quickly, which one is irregr?¡±

    ¡°The ce is a little bit ahead, right? Since you¡¯ll lead the way, I¡¯ll learn it while actually seeing it.¡±

    While moving through the forest, Shin received guidance about the names and the medicinal effect of flower nts, which were not counted as items in the game, as well as the distinction between the old and young trees from Tiera.

    There was no grasses named ¡®weed¡¯; Even if there was such a word, the grass that looked identical to Shin had their own respective names. It was a different nt from other things, such as how its flower bloomed or how it dispersed seeds.

    Tiera talked about the development of those flowering nts and its item utilisation in this world too. Shin was a little excited with the possibility of something new being made, ifbined with his own techniques.

    ¡°Shin, is this a young or an old tree?¡±

    ¡°¡­Old tree?¡±

    ¡°Wrong, it¡¯s a young tree.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡±

    However, it was another question whether or not Shin could tell the difference, even if he understood. Even Cuore took 10 years to aplish such a feat. There¡¯s no way the amateur Shin could easily do it.

    ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡±

    Shin followed after Tiera¡¯s example and along the way, the same questions were repeated, although most of them were correct only by chance. Even if Shin opened his eyes wide while looking at it, he couldn¡¯t distinguish it at all.

    ¡°I cannot do it easily after all.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult even for a High Human. huh?¡±

    ¡°Materials in the old days could have been distinguished with¡¾Analyze¡¿ and ¡¾Appraisal¡¿, but for such grass, it was treated as an ordinary weed.¡±

    To Tiera who was only reassured a little, Shin picked up the grass he was taught about a moment ago and answered.

    The grass that Shin held, might be usable if he intended to use it as material. But if they had additional effects, the rate of failure might rise in some cases. And there was no reason to check or to use the grass either.

    ¡°But if you can distinguish it easily, that would leave me in a fix. However, I can see the name of this medicinal herb with my¡¾Analyze¡¿ too. Something like this and this, shouldn¡¯t have grown in this area around here.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shin stopped moving at Tiera¡¯s statement. As far as Shin knows, it was appraisal that identifies an item. No matter how much he analyzed it closely, only information of ¡°Grass A¡± was disyed.

    By the way, what Tiera picked up just now was ¡®Golden Grass¡¯ and ¡®Pure White Flower¡¯, each of them were one of the ingredients for Potion One and Ether One. It was material with a prospect of recovery that was higher than a potion of low rank, even without being changed.

    ¡°The duel between me and Girard brought some kind of effect, huh?¡­That¡¯s right, is there any difference between my ¡¾Analyze¡¿and Tiera¡¯s? No, but she learnt it from ¡®Secret Book¡¯ I gave¡­¡±

    While storing the golden grass in the Item Box, Shin voiced his doubt.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But only up to the name was disyed, when viewed with my¡¾Analyze¡¿. Though I heard it from master, I think detailed information will be disyed when appraisal is used, right? But there¡¯s nothing like that.¡±

    As Tiera said, if the conditions were met, the hints ofpound and detailed effects of the item were disyed when appraisal was activated. However for Tiera, such information didn¡¯t appear.

    ¡°Really¡­hmm?¡±

    Shin attempted to learn the name of the nearby grass by staring at it closely. But as expected, he couldn¡¯t find anything. At the same time, next to his view, he noticed something dark.

    ¡°Is this, ck iron?¡±

    What appeared on the ground, was a material that cksmiths are familiar with.

    Looking at its state, it might appear naturally from ground dug up by animals, or it came up to the surface as the soil was washed up by rains.

    ¡°¡­With only¡¾Analyze¡¿¡­¡±

    Suddenly it urred to Shin¡¯s mind, that he viewed the ore with an appraisal skill. And then, he looked at the ck iron with nothing but ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    ¡°¡­I can see it. Hey, really, I can see it¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Though I only looked at the metallic material with ¡¾Analyze¡¿ as an experiment, I can see its name. But it was something like ¡®Iron A¡¯ or ¡®Ore A¡¯ before though.¡±

    Shin¡¯s guess, where he thought the race characteristics and the upation might be rted, seemed to hit the mark. The name that was rted to the metal was disyed as if it was natural.

    In ability standpoint, Shin was at the pinnacle of cksmithing, even though it was not his race characteristic. As a result, the name of things relevant for cksmithing might be disyed.

    ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s some kind of meaning?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wait a minute, don¡¯t you understand it on your own!¡±

    Tiera said with a sullen expression at Shin who nodded his agreement.

    ¡°Sorry sorry. The job I do might be also simr to a dwarf I guess. So things like individual skills and race characteristics might have some sort of effect on analysis, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°I am elf so I can see nt-rted things, and because Shin is a cksmith you can see metal-rted things?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, probably. Though it¡¯s only an inference, it¡¯s not off the mark I think.¡±

    Shin thought he would confirm it with Schnee and Cuoreter.

    ¡°So, besides seeing Golden Grass and Pure White Flower, do you feel anything abnormal?¡±

    ¡°Oh, well. There¡¯s nothing special besides that. The only thing left is whether or not it will regenerate afterwards. But we don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s sense didn¡¯t seem to be dull. From her affirmation, without a doubt, it didn¡¯t feel as though there was any harm from her not entering the forest for a long time.

    The investigation afterward was quick, partly because Shin¡¯s understanding of golden grass and so on as the materials.

    Just in case, while Shin gathered it, Tiera examined whether there were changes elsewhere, and then moved away immediately if there was nothing.

    Though Schnee and Cuore joined along the way, at that time, Shin and Tiera were almost finished examining the range entrusted to them.

    After the investigation, Cuore reported the results.

    ¡°We discovered Golden Grass and Pure White Flowers here. How about everyone else?¡±

    ¡°I also saw the same. There are arge quantity of them too.¡±

    Schnee also seemed to have made a simr discovery.

    ¡°Here too, but the quantity was not so much.¡±

    ¡°Well, it must not be growing at both ces inrge quantities.¡±

    Shin¡¯s remark was confirmed, as Tiera knew the detail of the materials too.

    ¡°By the way, though it had nothing to do with the investigation, when a non-appraisal item was checked with analysis, does it show the name of the things that are rted to jobs and race?¡±

    Shin confirmed what was on his mind with Schnee and Cuore.

    ¡°For me, if it were daggers and bows, I can see the name of magic items before the appraisal. Perhaps, it¡¯s because I have used such weapons for a long time, no?¡±

    Cuore disyed her own dagger and bow as she materialized it. Even from Shin¡¯s eyes, it was understood that the items were maintained properly.

    ¡°I am simr with Tiera. I can see if it¡¯s nt-rted. A few ores and metals too, if it¡¯s of the lower ranking ones.¡±

    About the ores group, it might because of her watching Shin¡¯s cksmithing for a long time, was what Schnee said.

    ¡°Things, different from the game era, seem to appear steadily, huh?¡±

    ¡°Because we also don¡¯t fully understand it.¡±

    Schnee answered, to Shin who muttered small.

    There were no particr troubles afterward, and the party returned to Elden.

    It could be said it was already evening time. When they arrived at the guild, they headed straight towards the reception.

    ¡°The request has beenpleted. Please confirm it.¡±

    ¡°Understood£­£­Yes, there¡¯s no mistake for the the subjugation¡¯s parts. The request isplete. Please take this paper here to the reward recipient counter over there.¡±

    The receptionist who confirmed the goblin¡¯s ears, wrote something on a paper and presented it to Shin. Like in Bayreuth¡¯s guild, the rewards were not handed over at the reception desk.

    ¡°Also, I have one more thing to tell you.¡±

    Before Shin who received the paper moved, the receptionist spoke.

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°To Shin-sama, we received a message from the guild master of the Bayreuth branch adventurers¡¯ guild, Barlux-sama.¡±

    ¡°Message?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The same message was conveyed to each branch office. The contents are inside here.¡±

    The receptionist handed a piece of envelope after saying so.  The transmission was likely to have been written down via the Mind Chat.

    ¡°If it¡¯s for Shin, there are other adventurers with simr names too, right?¡±

    ¡°Guild Cards can be used for identification. Because the magic reaction issued is peculiar to each card, unless it was forged, I would never mistake it with another person.¡±

    ¡°I see. I understand.¡±

    Shin left the reception desk, and joined the others.

    ¡°Is it from Barlux?¡±

    ¡°It seems so.¡±

    He nodded to Schnee who asked, and unsealed the envelope. There was a letter inside, and only some brief information was written. The content was ¡°Greetings, Shin. There is a summons for you from the royal pce. I want you to return as soon as possible¡±.

    ¡°Why did you receive a summon from the royal pce?¡±

    ¡°Well, I have no idea.¡±

    ¡°It is something you don¡¯t have knowledge of?¡±

    ¡°No¡­No, there¡¯s not,¡­ maybe?¡±

    Though he quickly responded that he didn¡¯t know to Tiera who was amazed, something came to his mind followed by Schnee¡¯s remark.

    (Don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s about the Skull Face sword which flew into the royal castle?)

    Besides that, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else.

    He thought about whether he had done anything that could rte him with the sword, then he recalled that he talked about the greatsword to Celica and Els.

    The battle where he fought against a high-level Skull Face with a powerful weapon, was likely to have been circted.

    Since it was not written in the contents of the summon, he had no choice but to confirm it when he met Barlux afterward.

    ¡°Prior to rank up, shall I straighten up this one?¡±

    No matter how much an adventurer was said to be have freedom, ignoring a summon from the royal pce was unthinkable.

    Of course, even if  Shin and the others ignored Bayreuth, they couldn¡¯t be brought immediately.

    However, there was no benefit even if they made trouble on their own ord. Even now, Shin still intended to act as a mere adventurer. The interference of the country would be troublesome if he, a High Human, was revealed.

    To break off from the country, Shin didn¡¯t know much about this world yet. Acting bymon sense of the game and former world was a bad n at this current stage.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go together with you.¡±

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    Schnee and Tiera dered as if it was natural to say. Cuore couldn¡¯t afford to go together as expected, and they parted momentarily here.

    ¡°Mmmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t make such gloomy face. For the time being, tell me when Wolfgang is avable, because I have to hand over something.¡±

    Shin calmed down Cuore, who was suppressing her desire to go with them, which was reflected on her face with of all her heart. And then, he confirmed Wolfgang¡¯s schedule.

    Since Wolfgang was busy, he thought maybe it was good after the investigation matter here was over, but it didn¡¯t go so well.

    ¡°Though the conference may be prolonged, because it should be paperwork after that, I think it¡¯s better for us to wait for the opportunity in the residence. So we won¡¯t be passing each other and so have to chase after him.¡±

    ¡°Roger.¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    When Cuore returned to the residence and asked one of the maids about Wolfgang¡¯s whereabouts, it seemed that Wolfgang had already returned, from the reply.

    ¡°Father, do you have a minute? Shin-dono seems to have something to talk about.¡±

    ¡°Pleasee in.¡±

    When Cuore knocked on the office door and stated the matter, a reply came in a sh.

    Cuore opened the door, and Shin and the others entered the room. The office desk, chairs, bookshelves and so on, stress the simple, practicality look. Above the big desk, that was ced directly in front of the door, there were documents which Wolfgang had just finished signing. Mountains of paperworks which were not yet finished was also seen on the edge of the desk.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing your work.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, this is also the job of the king. Leaving that aside, what can I help you with?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry for being abrupt, but I have to go to Bayreuth for a moment. Because I¡¯m in a hurry, I have to depart immediately. So, I intend to hand over this before going.¡±

    ¡°Huh!? T-This is!!?¡±

    Shin handed a card over, that he took out from the Item Box, to Wolfgang.

    Wolfgang, who received it, had a shocked expression when he saw the drawing on the card, as a blurred voice leaked out.

    ¡°It¡¯s Girard¡¯s ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». I already finished changing its owner, and it¡¯s transferable for Wolfgang to use.¡±

    ¡°But I heard it was broken in the duel¡­¡±

    ¡°Who do you think made the ¡ºCrushing Moon¡»? Of course it¡¯s possible for me to remake it. Besides, I was asked to hand it over, when the duel was over, by Girard originally. Because if it¡¯s Ulu, he won¡¯t misuse it, was what he said.¡±

    ¡°The founder¡­to me¡­¡±

    Wolfgang stared at the card in his hand, as he was deeply moved.

    ¡ºCrushing Moon¡»was a legendary weapon for the beasts of Falnido. He might be feeling the significance of having it in his hand.

    ¡°Next, I am giving you this one too.¡±

    And, there was another piece.

    What Shin passed to Wolfgang, was ¡ºSwift Fang¡», which was said to be a simr weapon type as the arm guard, ¡ºCrushing Moon¡». It was one of the weapons which Shin had entrusted to Girard, for 500 years, until their reunion the other day.

    ording to what he heard, the sessive Beast Kings that were permitted to use ¡ºSwift Fang¡» by Girard, seemed to be recognized as the true King. If said in the reverse, a king who was not permitted to use ¡ºSwift Fang¡», even if they had strong power, meant that they were not recognized by neither the people nor the retainers.

    Girard apparently didn¡¯t let anyone, who he deemed not suitable, even if it the person was his rtive, to touch ¡ºSwift Fang¡». All of the sessive kings had been a good rulers, which was definite proof that Girard had good eyes for judging character.

    ¡°Just in case, try to equip it, see if whether there are any defects.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative¡­¡±

    Wolfgang nodded slightly and materialized the cards, then he equipped ¡ºSwift Fang¡»on both arms.

    Because it also features an automatic adjustment of the size, there was no sense of difort either. Instead, Wolfgang was surprised that the power¡ºSwift Fang¡» transmitted was stronger than thest time he previously equipped them.

    ¡°This is¡­How do I say¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been upgraded. This is possible thanks to Girard.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    After ¡ºSwift Fang¡», ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» was equipped.

    Wolfgang involuntarily shivered, as he felt power that couldn¡¯t bepared to ¡ºSwift Fang¡».

    ¡°Ulu will have to choose the following sessor on your own.¡±

    After all, Girard was no longer there to see it through.

    From now on, people who inherit ¡ºCrushing Moon¡», have that responsibility. Again, this was also one of the king¡¯s responsibilities.

    ¡°That obligation, I ept it firmly.¡±

    Wolfgang bowed properly, with his fists clenching tight, in order to focus his mind.

    Shin thought, that with that straightforward look it would be all right if this was the case. When Shin conveyed that it was a summon from the guild and he had to leave at this time, Wolfgang presented a ne made of animal fangs, probably shaped after a wolf¡¯s fangs, to Shin. At the center of the fang, there were drawings of a wolf in a crest style.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°That is the item which is treated as our family crest. Whenever you need me, if you shown this to a person in the residence, you will be able to contact me immediately.¡±

    It goes without saying that exploitation was strictly prohibited. The ne was epted, thanked, and stored in the Item Box.

    And then, Shin and his party appeared outside of Falnido though the underground tunnel which they used when they came in for the first time.

    They advanced for about ten minutes, after being seen leaving by Cuore, then the wagon was put back into a card after making sure there was no one around.

    ¡°Well, shall we hurry up and return?¡±

    ¡°We are going there by Metastasis, right? Is the location the site where Tsuki no Hokora was before?¡±

    To Schnee, who noticed it when getting off from the wagon, Shin nodded and took out a crystal stone.

    ¡°Indeed, I don¡¯t know about other ces, but there is no problem over there I think. It takes time toe back from here, too.¡±

    ¡°What a luxury¡­¡±

    The reproachful remark from Tiera was ignored.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡±

    After confirming that all members were ready, mana was transmitted to the crystal stone.

    In the next moment, the surroundingndscape changed, and three people and two animals were in the site where Tsuki no Hokora was set up before.

    Immediately after the transfer, Shin sensed that there were multiple responses in the neighborhood.

    However, they didn¡¯t seem to have noticed Shin and the others because of the hiding skills which were used beforehand.

    (¡°There are lots of people here?¡±)

    (¡°Yeah, they¡¯re still monitoring after all. Moreover, it doesn¡¯t seem to be only one force.¡±)

    While having a Mind Chat with Yuzuha, Shin probed into the appearances of the distributed people who were monitoring.

    When thinking about the deployment, there were 2 or 3 separated groups.

    ¡°Because Tsuki no Hokora disappeared suddenly, they may think that it might appear again. It¡¯s likely that they have forgotten about the possibility that it can be carried.¡±

    If it was the old generation, that lived before the Dusk of the Majesty, they would know about such a thing. However, because the owner of Tsuki no Hokora, Shin, a High Human was thought to have gone extinct, they haven¡¯t thought about that possibility yet.

    ¡°How did you answer when you were asked at themission before, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°I only said I don¡¯t know. Though I understood only Shin could wipe out Tsuki no Hokora, it felt like Shin had disappeared together with the store. To be honest, I was really anxious at that time.¡±

    However, it was only a needless anxiety. Schnee continued, while smiling, and began to walk towards the gate.

    The atmosphere that almost became solemn, was erased by the smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna leave you behind~¡±

    Tiera called out and overtook Shin who quieted down at the answer.

    ¡°Ah, sorr¡­wait, it¡¯s me that was called by Barlux!?¡±

    ¡°What are you being absentminded for?¡±

    ¡°Well, if I wait for the partner to return without knowing how long, I can¡¯t imagine it in any way.¡±

    Not even Shin understood Schnee¡¯s word of anxious.

    It¡¯s not easy to forget their loved ones. But, Shin¡¯s view of life was at most just a little over 20 years, so he couldn¡¯t imagine it for 500 years.

    In response to Schnee¡¯s words, he carelessly thought about what would he do, if he was in that situation.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it impossible to do?¡±

    ¡°What an immediate remark!?¡±

    Shin retorted.

    The answer that came back without pause from Tiera, was indeed simple.

    ¡°The sense of time is very different for elves and humans, considering how long the life span differs. Because master is a High Elf, it was more cruel than me in that situation.¡±

    While walking next to Shin who has caught up, Tiera spoke in an admonishing way.

    Elves have a long life span, next to pixies. Therefore, for a short-lived kind, such as humans and beasts who could only live for around 100 years, even the sense of ¡®waiting¡¯ was greatly different.

    It was only natural, ten years for human was a long time, but ten years for elf feels like less than one year for a human when thinking of their life span. It was also the cause for why long-lived species are known as easygoing fellows.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice? I¡¯ll wait if you want me to, you know?¡±

    ¡°Is that how it works?¡±

    ¡°It is. To lose a reason to live, is the beginning of hell for the long-lived kind like us.¡±

    Perpetual youth and longevity; Though people continue pursuing this, it¡¯s reflected differently in the eyes of a person who has it.

    ¡°When I think of it seriously, it is a very terrible situation, huh?¡±

    Shin spoke in a serious tone.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. When I think about it, I want to pretend a bit longer. But when Shin became serious suddenly, the mood felt a bit off.¡±

    ¡°Can you stop always giving out those, ¡°Live life properly¡± remarks that you always do?!!?¡±

    The serious tone from Shin changed, with a single phrase from Tiera.

    A little bit ahead, Schnee stopped and was waiting. Shin and Tiera quickened their pace and caught up to Schnee.

    ¡°Shin is the same as usual, serious in unexpected ces.¡±

    ¡°Shut it!¡±

    Apparently the conversation was heard by Schnee. Shin sulked and replied to Schnee who said it in a teasing way.

 Vol 4 Chapter 2: Chapter 2

    Without taking too much time, Shin and the others reached the south gate of Bayreuth.

    There was a long line to the gate, as usual, but it seemed to be better than before. Shin showed his adventurer card as the identification paper to the guard, and passed through the gate.

    Though it was unknown until now, Schnee surprisingly had an adventurer card, too. It seemed like a C rank, because the color of the card was red.

    ¡°Schnee, did you enter the guild?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for identification purposes only.¡±

    It seemed like she could ask for anything from Barlux, to have the card issued. Its function was for nothing more than identification purposes, instead of not being able to take requests, she also said she did not have any obligation to respond to any emergency requests and the likes.

    It¡¯s like a special measure because of Schnee¡¯s position.

    ¡°And it¡¯s because they were indebted to me for many things.¡±

    Schnee spoke with a grin on her face, and Shin felt sympathy toward all of the members of the adventurers guild.

    As they entered the ramparts, without making any side trips, they headed toward the guild.

    When the door was opened and they entered inside, simr with Falnido, Schnee and Tiera became the main focus.

    Schnee with the dog ears, tail equipment, and active attire, which she showed in Falnido, made the male¡¯s eyes present be glued onto her. Somehow it felt like the passionate eyes of some women were mixed in it, too.

    Because it was routine for hooligans to pick on beautiful women, Shin quickly headed to the reception before someone came near.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯ve received the report about the summons from the guild.¡±

    ¡°Shin-sama, it¡¯s been a long time. Please wait a minute as we convey the message. Cilica, please.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes~¡±

    It was the sisters, Celica and Cilica that were at the reception desk. When Cilica was called out by Celica, she disappeared out to the back at a quick pace. Though they were twins, their actions and personalities were not simr at all.

    ¡°Do you know what kind of business they have with me?¡±

    ¡°No, we were not told about the details. Though it¡¯s different for Els who has a high position.¡±

    ¡°Ah well, I just wanted to ask, please don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°Actually, if it¡¯s Shin-sama, I think you¡¯ll be summoned before long though.¡±

    ¡°Eh, why is that?¡±

    ¡°Because Shin-sama is not an ordinary adventurer.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see.¡±

    It was said because suddenly subduing a high-rank monster alone was an unthinkable thing to do, ording to people in this world. So Shin beingmon was out of question.

    ¡°Looks like yourpanions are all beautifuldies.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, is that so? Though I can¡¯t deny it¡­Hey, but Yuzuha is a monster. It¡¯s just my adventurer¡¯s acquaintances that are women¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Ara, I never saw you talk with a man before though.¡±

    ¡°There is no such.. thing? Umm, yes, Wilhelm, I received a request together with Wilhelm before.¡±

    ¡°Eh!¡­¡±

    For some reason, from Shin¡¯s one word, the hall fell silent.

    ¡°Shin-sama, is what you spoke just now true?¡±

    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t a regr request, more or less. Wait, why did everyone go silent?¡±

    While being conscious that eyes were focusing on him, Shin questioned Celica whom had an expression of someone who had just heard an unbelievable thing.

    ¡°That man rarely joins a party with another person. Even though his fighting power is said to be S-rank, there are many rumors flying around. He seems unapproachable to everyone, too.¡±

    But rumors are unreliable, Celica continued with a small sigh. The authenticity of the rumors might be understood, because she was a part of the guild staff.

    ¡°Well, that guy is misunderstood easily I guess.¡±

    The biggest problem would be his character. Wilhelm was not the type that wore a friendly atmosphere. Because the person himself behaved like that, if he didn¡¯t make any effort to solve someone¡¯s misunderstanding, the rumors would not disappear.

    Though Shin heard that Wilhelm always kept in touch with other adventurers, who graduated from the orphanage, listening to Celica¡¯s story, it was very likely that he only epted solo requests.

    ¡°Wilhelm-sama is very excellent person himself though.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    To solo, unlike a party, one could only rely on oneself, when in case of an emergency. Thus, his sense of danger and techniques to measure the opponent¡¯s abilities became higher than an adventurer of a simr rank.

    Moreover, Wilhelm was a Chosen One, there was no need to state how excellent that is.

    ¡°Shin-sama, preparations are done, pleasee now.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Then lead the way.¡±

    When Cilica returned, they stopped talking and went to Barlux¡¯s office.

    Schnee and Tiera would be waiting in the hall. Yuzuha, who rode on Shin¡¯s head before, was entrusted to Schnee.

    When Shin entered the office, Barlux and an old man whom he didn¡¯t recognize, sat down on a sofa.

    ¡°First of all, have a seat. It was faster than I expected.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I originally was going this direction.¡±

    Shin answered Barlux while sitting on a sofa.

    Of course, this was a lie. If he had heard the message near Beirun, then it fit it well timewise, so he decided to say so.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for rushing it. Ah, this mage, who is in charge of jewel appraisal in our guild, is Arad. It¡¯s him that appraised the jewel of the Skull Face which you brought in before.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Arad Royl, pleased to meet you.¡±

    Without doubting Shin¡¯s words, Barlux introduced Arad. (T/N: To refresh back who is Arad, refer Vol. 1 Ch 4 ¨C Part 1)

    No matter how many branch offices there were in each country, they could not check where the adventurer received the message at one by one. Unless, the person was on the ck list and under surveince. Shin, under the present conditions, didn¡¯t have the guilds distrust towards him when that investigation was conducted. For Shin¡¯s high prowess inbat, this also could be exined as a Chosen One category.

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. I hope to get along with you as well.¡±

    Shin also replied to the old man as politely as possible.

    Since the story of the Skull Face already came out, he thought ¡®It is this after all, huh?¡¯ while putting up his guard.

    ¡°Though you already heard it from the message, Shin, you are being summoned by the royal pce.¡±

    ¡°For the time being, can I hear the reason?¡±

    ¡°For that, I will exin it to you.¡±

    When the reason was asked from Barlux, Arad took over the talks.

    ¡°Before that, do you know the story, about where a sword flew into the king¡¯s castle?¡±

    ¡°Something flew in¡­Only to that degree.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. It was actually a greatsword with a white de.¡±

    ¡°A Greatsword, huh?¡±

    I know, was what Shin wanted to answer but endured it somehow. He happened to know too much after all.

    ¡°Moreover, the greatsword pierced and stuck into the wall of the second princess Bayreuth kingdom¡¯s bedroom. It also caused a lot of mour in the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help thinking, ¡®Are you serious?¡¯. It was only natural that it became an uproar.

    ¡°Fortunately, no one was hurt when it pierced the wall. The question is the greatsword. It¡¯s bestowed with a good attribute and the material used is excellent, in short; It is a very good sword. It seems to even rival the country¡¯s treasured sword when put side by side, if I have to say so as an appraiser.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s amazing.¡±

    It¡¯s exposed! Who did it, that was definitelying to light. While thinking about that, Shin inwardly arrived at the stage of resignation.

    Perhaps after this, Shin might be questioned about the connection between his ability and the Skull Face.

    Without hearing it to the end, Shin understood. Rather, he should know by the flow of the conversation. It was amon pattern. He didn¡¯t read all of those fantasy novels just for mere fun.

    ¡°By the way, the jewel of the Skull Face you defeated, it was d in a very strong magic power. It was quite a high-level one.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I think.¡±

    ¡°ording to what I heard, it¡¯s level was 359. It¡¯s at the level where average adventurers would be killed during an encounter. However, for someone who was still at G rank at the time they were facing it, and far from escaping, rather it was actually defeated by¡­you, are you a Chosen One?¡±

    The calm air changed sharply, as Arad asked.

    ¡°¡­ That is correct.¡±

    There is no answer besides that, Shin thought while nodded.

    When Shin answered obediently, Arad dissipated the dangerous air, and returned to his original calm mood.

    ¡°You even know the words ¡®Chosen One¡¯, huh?¡­Well if it¡¯s you, the Skull Face that held therge sword would be defeated. Perhaps, when the skill was used at the end of the battle, the greatsword was blown off to the ce in question.¡±

    ¡°How do you know it ended up to there?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t lived a long time just for show. I also heard your weapon was shattered at that time.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it was shattered. Only the hilt remained¨D¨DBy the way, why is it that you think I was involved? I understand wanting to associate that greatsword to the Skull Face situation, but I don¡¯t think you are suddenly convinced from the evidence though.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t think that the people of the royal pce would make a move just by that reasoning.

    ¡°Of course, there was someone investigating the person behind it. Also, the Skull Face was examined immediately. The matter of the jewel was found out, and the investigation requests came out to examine that together with the greatsword. In the aforementioned greatsword, though there is only a little, there are the remnants of magic power left on the sword. Furthermore, it was matched with the magic power of the jewel. It didn¡¯t reveal how you did it though.¡±

    ¡°I see, so there is such method, huh?¡±

    It seemed to be a fantasy technique simr to our version of DNA analysis. The quality of magic power might be different in individuals.

    ¡°That¡¯s why once it was understood up to there, one thing after another was revealed. When the fact that you brought in the jewel came to light, the summons appeared.¡±

    ¡°Even for a guild, this kind of thing can¡¯t simply be revealed, right?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no way to deceive when it¡¯s been exposed to that extent.¡±

    There was no reason for the guild to protect Shin. If seen from the guild, Shin was only a G rank novice adventurer at that time.

    Of course the story was different when it was about a chosen one, there was a possibility that the royal family would be exposed to danger.

    However, because Shin held the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora, that situation ended without turning worse. Moreover, since Barlux had reported about the time when they had met, he had judged that Shin would not be the type of person who held hostility, at least toward the kingdom.

    To begin with, to have malicious intentions toward the princess, who was in the upper rank of Chosen Ones, was way too careless.

    ¡°Somehow, it was useful for the first time.¡±

    After hearing that story, Shin felt grateful for the letter of introduction for the first time.

    ¡°And here¡¯s the main problem. Shin, the one that summoned you was none other than the second princess.¡±

    ¡°The second princess?¡±

    ¡°She seems to be interested in you; Shin, who knocked down the Skull Face which held the greatsword. Because she is a Chosen One, too.¡±

    ¡°So, is that it? She wants to fight against me?¡±

    ¡°It would be nice if it could be settled with only that.¡±

    From Barlux¡¯s remark, it indicated that it wouldn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°Then what¡¯s beside it? Don¡¯t tell me, she wants me to take responsibility because I almost inflicted injuries to the royal family?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. To tell you the truth, simr Skull Faces had appeared in the vicinity of the Wraith ins. The princess also participated in its subjugation, but from that experience, she knows that even she couldn¡¯t afford to go easy if she¡¯s fighting solo, so she seems to want to persuade you into being one of her people.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saved if its going this direction, but¡­what¡¯s next?¡±

    Besides, what came to Shin¡¯s mind was something like government service recruitment. Since there were people serving the country among the chosen ones, it might not be impossible.

    ¡°Well, for that, I don¡¯t know it either.¡±

    ¡°Politicians, are only but the *evil spirits residing in the mountains and rivers.¡± (T/N: This idiomatic expression[÷Î÷È÷Íôu], literally means evil spirits of rivers and mountains)

    It was a story that was notughable on Shin¡¯s side.

    ¡°Okay, I understand the story for the time being. I can only keep going. Is there no specific time for the summon?¡±

    Shin asked Barlux.

    ¡°For that, we will contact them from here. That¡¯s right, how about 9¡¯s bells tomorrow, good?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like it. Ah, then what clothes should I wear? Because I didn¡¯t expect to meet the royal family.¡±

    Though Girard was also considered as royalty, they had the familiarity as friends, and because Shin was treated like a guest in Falnido, he didn¡¯t mind his clothes in particr. Because everyone around dressed in clothes that emphasized ease of movement, he couldn¡¯t use it as a reference in the opinion of a royal castle such as Bayreuth.

    ¡°Dress code is not demanded, for an adventurer who is not a noble. You should keep your appearance neat though.¡±

    ¡°To begin with, the armed state can be said to be the uniform of an adventurer. And there¡¯s hardly a guy that possesses clothes simr to a noble.¡±

    Hearing Barlux and Arad talking, there seemed to be no regtions on that subject.

    ¡°Is there anything else you want to ask? I think I can advise a little.¡±

    Arad asked Shin.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have anything on my mind in particr. You might say, because it¡¯s my first time like this.¡±

    ¡°It might not meet with your expectations. The next thing that we are able to say is, do not make amitment due to such a ce. Depending on the other party, because they might bring up again about your fault persistently for a moment, it might be depressing for you.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll be careful.¡±

    Somehow a genuine feeling could be sensed from Arad¡¯s words. He might have experienced it himself.

    ¡°Old man Royl dislikes nobles. Though it doesn¡¯t apply to all nobles, well because there are such people too, you should really be careful.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Shin replied to Barlux with a wry smile.

    Actualy, like in novels and anime he had seen, he expected the existence of corrupt nobles that were only skillful at faultfinding.

    Shin has not yet met a noble in this world. However, people raised in the privileged ss who were only good at looking down at others, often existed.

    Afterwards, Shin learnt about some etiquettes and left the office.

    When he returned to the hall, there was a crowd in the corner of the hall.

    ¡°Yeah, indeed, it¡¯s as I expected.¡±

    Needless to say, at the center of the crowd was Schnee and Tiera.

    Shin consented because he expected it to turn this way if the two people were left alone.

    ¡°Hiss!!¡±

    Yuzuha was heard to be threatening.

    The surrounding men that enclosed them, probably didn¡¯t know that they would be minced meat the moment that Yuzuha got involved.

    Still, because it would be unpleasant to have casualties inside the guild, Shin approached the crowd before Yuzuha exploded.

    ¡°Excuse me. Tiera, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±

    Schnee, who perceived Shin approaching, began to walk out with Tiera.

    Additionally, at the same time, a slightly intimidating air was given out by Schnee. Defeated by that pressure, the men that encircled them backed off for several steps. Schnee and the others weaved their way out through the space resulting from that, and escaped from the crowd.

    Shin realized that the men who were following the two people with their eyes, were also paying attention to him. Shin felt the pressure that he had never felt in real life.

    (The day I receive this kind of stare finallyes.)

    If he was very thick-headed, he might of not been aware of those envious eyes. While feeling depressed, Shin had an indescribable mood.

    ¡°Did they invite you two to a party?¡±

    ¡°Half of it was for a party invitation, the other half was a tea break invitation.¡±

    ¡°So did you ept any of it?¡±

    ¡°There are none.¡±

    That evaluation from Schnee, spoken while having a perfect smile, was indeed sharp.

    Her eyes stated that it¡¯s not even worth considering.

    ¡°To have such a good matching level with Master, there are virtually none.¡±

    Tiera said in an amazed way.

    From the start, Schnee never thought of joining others except Shin.

    ¡°It¡¯s only natural. Leaving that aside, how was the talk?¡±

    Schnee asked.

    ¡°For the time being, I¡¯ve heard about the subject. Before I exin, let¡¯s move to another ce. Here is a bit¡­¡±

    It was not the kind of conversation done in an attracting attention situation.

    Their moving destination was Bear Point Pavillion. When Shin stayed therest time, he had confirmed that the soundproofing was reliable.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Wee! Ara, Shin-san. Long time no see.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. Are there 2 rooms avable?¡±

    ¡°We do have vacant rooms, but¡­before that,e here for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Ah, what¡¯s the matter?¡±

    The ¡®poster girl¡¯, Tsugumi, pulled Shin until they were near the counter.

    With a suspicious face, Tsugumi started talking in a lower volume.

    ¡°Hey hey, who are those beautiful woman?! There are many beautiful people among the elves, but the beast people next to you, they belong on a different level!! What kind of magic did you use!?¡±

    While skillfully shouting in low voice, Tsugumi kept on talking without pause.

    Tsugumi, without any adverse effects, was called a beautiful girl herself. However, Schnee and Tiera, seen from Tsugumi¡¯s point of view, were on another whole different level.

    ¡°Various things happened and I can¡¯t say the details.¡±

    ¡°Eh~¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Eh¡¯ me. You shouldn¡¯t pry into customers¡¯ affairs.¡±

    ¡°But, you just became an adventurer no more than a month ago, how did you get entangled with such two beautiful women? I¡¯m not worried or anything, but something is wrong.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Hey! Though I understand your feelings, this is no good, you know?¡±

    ¡°Che©`¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sulk!¡±

    Was it because of ack of entertainment? She seemed to have a fancy about this sort of story.

    Were Shin and the othersmon adventurers, he could talk about story that they came across each other by chance. However, there were circumstances for Shin and Schnee, so he couldn¡¯t reveal the detailed contents.

    ¡°Sigh, I thought I could listen to interesting stories again after such a long time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around.¡±

    Contrary to his way of talking, Shin was amazed at her state, which didn¡¯t seem to be very disappointed.

    Did she not have the motivation to ask about it persistently? After Tsugumi returned to the counter, she waited on customers normally.

    Shin rented a single room for himself, and a twin room for Schnee and Tiera. Because he didn¡¯t know how much time it would take due to tomorrow, he handed each one Jul gold coin for the time being. He also had Tsugumi to speak up if it started to run out.

    It was just at the right time so they had a lunch, and then, they gathered in Schnee and Tiera¡¯s room afterward.

    ¡°¨D¨Dand well, that¡¯s what I was told. I probably have to fight and so on, I think.¡±

    When he spoke about the discussion he had with Barlux and Arad, Schnee nodded as she consented.

    ¡°I see. There was such a thing happening before our reunion, huh?¡±

    ¡°A sword that flew into the royal castle, what have you done¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it because I like it, okay.¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Shin is amazing~¡±

    Tiera was astonished and Yuzuha, who might not understand it well, tilted its head.

    ¡°ording to Shin¡¯s words, it¡¯s possible for the country to invite you, whether or not you enter the government service. Or, it¡¯s possible that it¡¯s rmended that you set up a marriage with a high nobility to some extent.¡±

    ¡°I understand about the government service, but marriage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if the second princess in question grasped the Skull Faces¡¯ fighting power urately, she should be convinced that Shin¡¯s ability is among the upper ss of Chosen Ones. Because the power of a country is said to be proportional to the number of Chosen Ones, I expect she will actively try to win you over.¡±

    ¡°After the story about the princess, may I refrain from the marriage meeting? I don¡¯t mean for things to go like this right away.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t have the intention to enter government service or being tied with marriage.

    And he didn¡¯t have the motivation to talk about how to decline such a n and so on from the beginning.

    ¡°I think there¡¯s no problem if you decline to enter the government service. There are not many people who be knights from adventurers.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°There are many people who hate being bound by rules. Also, viewing from the party members, because the recruitment is a loss for them, they refrain from doing it.¡±

    The types that entered the government service, from adventurers, were the people who were solo and people who didn¡¯t join a party as a fixed member.

    ¡°And now, Shin is in a party with us, so if you put that as a reason, it would be difficult to reject it.¡±

    ¡°Then, the problem now is the marriage, huh? It¡¯s obvious that if I decline this without a good reason, then troublesome things wille about.¡±

    ¡°Regarding that, should I pretend to be your fiance?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I can be that guy who is already engaged to his partner, huh?¡±

    Schnee expected that a new fiance wouldn¡¯t be pushed onto a person who was already engaged.

    It was certainly not bad as an excuse. Though, it wouldn¡¯t be assured that a noble would give up so easily.

    ¡°It¡¯s unreasonable to force it too much, so it¡¯s their loss if they continue to offend you. In some cases, Tiera too, if she pretended, they at least won¡¯t even think of tempting her as your woman.¡±

    ¡°Uhm, me?¡±

    Tiera asked.

    ¡°Ara, you don¡¯t like it?¡±

    ¡°No, if it¡¯s about pretending, I¡¯m good but¡­¡±

    If it is only pretending, Tiera was also okay with it.

    ¡°Kuu! Then Yuzuha and Shin can be a couple too!!¡±

    ¡°Wait, Yuzuha, it¡¯s not like that! I¡¯ll be killed by society!!¡±

    However, when Yuzuha announced its candidacy, to an extent that it even transformed into its female human form, because of a you-know-what misunderstanding, Shin hurriedly put a stop to it.

    Anyway, Yuzuha could only turn into the little girl mode after all, rather than the figure of the voluptuous beautiful woman from the game era. To dabble with a little girl could be considered to be on the path to bing a pervert at full speed.

    ¡°This time it is just pretending, only pretending. It¡¯s not real, okay?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? You are not mating with Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Hey! You must not say such a thing with that appearance!!¡±

    ¡°Mattiiinnn¡­!?¡±

    To the unexpected word that came out from Yuzuha¡¯s mouth, Shin was at his wits¡¯ end and Schnee had stiffened.

    Though Yuzuha¡¯s original knowledge was sealed, it was not strange even if it knew. However, it was different when it was in its young fox mode, when such a word was spoken in the little girl mode, he strongly felt that there were problems in various ways.

    For the ¡®mating¡¯ word, it might be due to its strong animal¡¯s sense from its nature.

    And, other than Shin, who was denying it with all his might, Schnee¡¯s face was dyed in red.

    ¡°For the time being, let¡¯s calm down.¡±

    Though Tiera was the one who spoke out, she was the calmest in that situation.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Dawn of the next day.

    Letter from Barlux and all kinds of permits were received at the inn, and Shin finished preparing for his summons at the castle.

    As a result of a discussion between Shin, Schnee and Tiera, for the time being, Shin would go to the royal castle to see the other party¡¯s attitude. If he conveyed that he had both a party and a fianc¨¦e, the other side should not consider it unusual; However, he couldn¡¯t be careless.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯m going. I¡¯ll leave Yuzuha with you.¡±

    ¡°See you soon. If there is anything, contact me with Mind Talk.¡±

    ¡°You have to hold back when you fight, because it¡¯ll be terrible if you hurt the princess.¡±

    ¡°It will be fine¡­probably.¡±

    ¡°Seriously, you really have to watch out, okay?¡±

    After such an exchange with Schnee and Tiera, Shin left the Bear Point Pavilion.

    Since the other party was said to be royalty, Shin¡¯s attire was one of the originals from the game era, ceremonial attire from Kalkia which was currently called a ¡®Sacred ce¡¯.

    You might say it looked like a ceremonial military uniform thatbines practicality and mour; it was a wonderful item. The essories¡¯ rank was not too expensive and it was treated as a set equipment.

    Partly because Kalkia was originally the first base, after starting an adventure, one could buy it in the arms shop for beginners. Naturally, its performance was also low.

    What Shin put on was a formal dress that was a red associated with captains. Besides that, there was also a piece of clothing that was colored a blue specific to vice-captains and other low rank clothing which had slightly less performance than that of an ordinary soldier and so on. When these items came together, it was referred to as a set.

    ¡°Now then, what will happen now?¡±

    While checking the map disyed at the edge of his view, Shin faced the gate in the inner wall.

    The King¡¯s castle was located in the center of the Bayreuth kingdom and it was surrounded by the houses of the rich, such as nobles, wealthy merchants and the like. Though it seemed to be a general residential area originally, a wall around it was erected as the poption rose, and the living area was segregated off except for those of higher social status.

    The boundary that separated the living district between nobles and ordinary people was the inner wall Shin headed towards. Because it was originally an outer wall, it was reinforced sturdily. Was there a powerful magic user? The degree of reinforcement was top ss.

    As for Shin, he only prayed that the day when the inner wall was invaded would nevere.

    ¡°Well, I think it won¡¯t fail here though.¡±

    As he walked for a while, a gate smaller than the one on the outside wall came into view.

    Like the outside wall, the inner wall also had south, north, east and west gates. And theings and goings were checked.

    There were a lot of people with high status who lived there and a person with a clear position, to a certain extent, could pass through without an identity check.

    Although that was the case, there was a suspicious looking D rank adventurer there now, and if not for the request he received, he would have been turned away at the gate. In the letter that had arrived from Barlux this morning, there had been a permit to enter the inner wall attached to it.

    ¡°¡­Good, enter.¡±

    Spoke the soldier who was guarding the gate after hepared the permit alternately with another document.

    When the permit was epted, Shin stepped inside the inner wall.

    ¡°¡­This is a quiet upper-ss residential area, huh?¡±

    There were almost no pedestrians, unlike the outside. The only people walking appeared to be servants from their clothes. Most people traveled on horse-drawn carriages. Of course, there were no stalls and so on. It was so quiet that it felt like he was in apletely different country.

    (3, 4, 5,¡­8 people, huh?)

    On his way to the royal castle, Shin felt the nces directed to him.

    ¡¾Hiding¡¿skills of both martial arts and magic were used, surrounding Shin as he moved while his observers maintained a certain distance. The colors disyed on his map were green, so they didn¡¯t seem to be hostile for the moment.

    ¡°There¡¯s no sign of them making a move, huh? From what I¡¯ve heard of the princess, I have a feeling that she wouldn¡¯t think of doing something like this.¡±

    From Barlux¡¯s story, he had the impression that the princess was likely toe over directly rather than hiding and watching.

    Though it was just his assumption, there might be other forces that were moving.

    ¡°¡­Ah, I want to go back¡­¡±

    They were certainly Shin¡¯s true feelings.

    Though he couldn¡¯t return now since he hade this far, he disliked unpleasant things. With that state of mind, Shin stepped forward to the royal castle.

    ¡°Excuse me, I received a summons from the second princess and so, came here. Can you pass that on?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the news. Please present your permit.¡±

    Shin talked to the pce guard, that was defending the castle gate, to obtain permission to enter.

    As for the story, it seems to have been well circted. The pce guard checked the permit Shin received from Barlux again and then put him in the guard¡¯s office which was located beside the gate. It seemed that the pce guard didn¡¯t intend to open the gate for Shin alone.

    ¡°I will call your escort now. Please wait for a while.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±

    Because he had nothing to do, he looked around to kill time.

    The maintained road extended to the inside of the castle. One could get off from a wagon that entered inside without getting wet even in the rain.

    After waiting for a while, he saw a mounted figureing in his direction. A person in red armor was taking the reins. The person stopped the horse in front of Shin and dismounted.

    ¡°Excuse me. You are the adventurer Shin, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am, and you are¡­¡±

    ¡°I am Gadras Jarre. I have been ordered by princess Rionne to greet you. I¡¯ll be your escort, so follow me.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Shin nodded and followed after Gadras.

    Shin, while walking, checked Gadras¡¯s stats.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºGadras Jarre   Level 188   Dark Knight¡»

    Level 188. Shin remembered that numerical value. He heard it when the first time he met Barlux, the ¡®leader of the knights¡¯ might be him.

    As for Gadras¡¯ main job, Dark Knight was one of the advanced level jobs that derived from a knight. Moreover, the armor he wore was a lower end ¡¶Unique¡· grade Scale Horn Armor. It was upational equipment that required suitable stats and level, and a tiny presence of sharpened valor was emitted from it.

    No matter how much Shin was regarded as an upper ss Chosen One, he kept thinking about how someone who was considered a part of the kingdom¡¯s strongest force came to pick him up expressly.

    Did they want to indirectly convey that he was worthy of it?

    Or, was it because an ordinary soldier couldn¡¯t hold him down if he acted out violently?

    It was impossible for Shin who was not familiar with this ss of people to read into the thoughts of these royal nobles.

    Shin followed Gadras obediently, but somehow they hardly passed by anyone.

    ¡°You, are you actually of a noble family lineage somewhere?¡±

    Gadras asked out of the blue.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just amoner you can find anywhere¡­¡±

    If Schnee and the others were to hear that from Shin, ¡®Are you in any position to say that?¡¯, would probably be the reply he would get.

    ¡°Is that so? Ah, just call me Gadras. I became a knight from an adventurer, so to be humble myself doesn¡¯t match with my nature.¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll call you Gadras-san.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine I guess. Let¡¯s return to the topic at hand. When I was summoned to the castle for the first time, they were shocked by my armor. As an adventurer raised as amoner, you should also pay attention to your attire properly. There are many ignorant people, so your clothes can be easily misinterpreted.¡±

    It seemed like it wasn¡¯t necessary toe dressed in formal attire.

    ¡®Did I make a mistake?¡¯ Shin thought, but decided to heed Barlux¡¯s advice for the time being.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I heard that you should maintain a neat appearance from the guild master. Actually, I was worried if this was fine.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a bad thing to choose clothes ording to the destination. And I think it¡¯s rather nice.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s my first timeing to a castle, I prepared it in a hurry.¡±

    As they walked while having such exchanges, Gadras stopped in front of a door. As Shin looked at the door, he noticed that the grade of ornaments was different from the others.

    ¡°Princess Rionne is in here. You don¡¯t need to be so tense too, because the second princess is not the kind of person who demands formalities from an adventurer.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    Gadras knocked on the door, and reported that Shin had arrived.

    Before long, the door was opened from inside. When Gadras and Shin entered inside, the door was closed immediately.

    Shin wondered whether there was a female maid, but it was a male knight who opened and closed the door.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºFeyzel Adith   Level 172   Pdin¡»

    As for his appearance, he had the look of a mild-tempered man with blond hair and blue eyes. His main job was a Pdin. This man might be a Chosen One too.

    On that subject, Wilhelm also said there were more Chosen Ones than the ones publicly announced.

    Since he couldn¡¯t stare at the man too much, he turned his attention to the front right away.

    There was an elegant table and a fancy chair in the center of the room. A beautiful woman was sitting on the chair. Fine golden hair was tied at the back of her head, but it still reached all the way down her back. Her deep crimson eyes, which looked like rubies, stared at Shin. Her figure was pleasant too, even a certain ¡®part¡¯ of her seemed to rival Tiera.

    Only her clothes were far from the image of a princess. For the upper half of her body, a leather type armor covered from her chest to her abdomen. In addition, a white jacket was worn above it. And for her lower half, there were red hot pants and boots that went up to her knees with a simr color.

    Speaking of the jacket, because it wasn¡¯t buttoned, Shin could clearly see her cleavage pushed up by the leather armor from his location. This was totally different from the princess he imagined.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºRionne Strail Bayreuth   Level 230   Magic Swordswoman¡»(T/N: I may have stated her main job as Dark Knight before.)

    Although her name and level were disyed, Shin understood that excluding him, she was the strongest in that room simply from the presence she emitted.

    Shin guessed that she probably wore those clothes forbat. Apparently, a match seemed inevitable.

    ¡°Thanks foring. I¡¯m Rionne Strail Bayreuth, this country¡¯s second princess. My best regards.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the adventurer, Shin. Thank you for inviting me here today.¡±

    He bowed his head while introducing himself.

    ¡°Oh my! This is turning into a serious talk. I don¡¯t really care for etiquette, so you don¡¯t need to worry about manners. Feel free to call me Rionne.¡±

    ¡°¡­Then, Rionne-sama it is¡­¡±

    Though Shin thought ¡®isn¡¯t it bad?¡¯ for the princess to not care about courtesy, but still, Shin avoided pointing it out.

    As she frequently appeared in the downtown area, her activities as a princess would put adventurers to shame. ¡®There¡¯s also such a thing¡¯, Shin convinced himself.

    Her beautiful appearance was princess caliber, but she didn¡¯t exude the dignity of someone from a royal family. Was this a positive or negative for the royal family? It seemed opinions could differ on this matter.

    ¡°Princess, I wouldn¡¯t do that in the first meeting. It will cause a misunderstanding.¡± (T/N: Having a boy call a girl by her first name is typically done only by those in a rtionship.)

    ¡°He is a person who we may soon fight together with as apanion. Wouldn¡¯t this be better than creating a strange barrier between us because I¡¯m from the royal family?¡±

    ¡°¡­Shin, it¡¯s unfortunate, but this is how the princess is. Please don¡¯t worry about your social status and act casually.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I, will do my best¡­I guess?¡±

    Shin thought ¡®rather than a princess, she should be called a sociable adventurer.¡¯

    Gadras¡¯s tone too, for some reason, became less formal. Apparently, this seemed to be their usual way of exchange between lord and retainer.

    When Shin fleetingly nced at Feyzel, while feeling at a loss, he saw that the man stood upright like one of the room¡¯s furnishings as if saying ¡®it¡¯s of no concern to me¡¯.

    ¡°Um, for now, I want to ask you the reason why I was summoned¡­¡±

    ¡°Muu! You don¡¯t have to use formal words, you know?¡±

    ¡°Well, for some reason, that¡¯s kind of..¡±

    Just because the person in question permits it, it didn¡¯t mean that the surrounding people would ept it in the same way.

    Even if the princess has no bad intentions, since there was an observer there as well, it would be troublesome for him if someer said he acted too familiar.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no helping it if Shin said so. Now then, the reason why I invited you today, I think you may already heard it from Barlux, but it¡¯s the matter of the Skull Face. It was the one that was level 359 and wielded this.¡±

    As she said that, Rionne opened a huge case that was located under her feet.

    ¡®Wasn¡¯t that a job for a maid?¡¯ was what Shin thought, but unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t a single maid in that room. Incidentally, there wasn¡¯t even any tea prepared.

    What Rionne took out was the greatsword, which had belonged to the Skull Face that Shin had previously defeated. It should be too heavy for a woman, but Rionne lifted it with one hand like it was nothing.

    ¡°¡­That is certainly the one the Skull Face had at that time. I remember the decoration and the aura covering the de.¡±

    Because it was a pretty memorable opponent, he also remembered its weapon well. Secretly, he activated his ?¡¾Appraisal¡¿? skill, which he forgot to do so during the battle. For the first time in here, Shin found out that it was a ¡¶Legend¡· grade greatsword. There was an inscription on it too which seemed to say ¡®Muspelm¡¯.

    ¡°Yea, the Skull Face had considerable skill, I believe?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. If my weapon was a bit more fragile, I think I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything but run away.¡±

    ¡°It was able to rally with this greatsword that¡¯s equivalent to our country¡¯s treasured sword, ¡ºWazamono¡», huh?¡±

    She may have heard the story about how the sword¡ºSeveral Stroke¡», which Shin had equipped at that time, had be only a hilt.

    As for ¡ºMuspelm¡», it was a 2 mels sword with a thick de. If the other sword was not as good as ¡ºWazamono¡», it would be unthinkable for it to be able to exchange blows directly.

    ¡°I obtained that katana by chance in the middle of my journey. I think its performance was at least ¡¶Rare¡· grade though.¡±

    Actually, it was only a reinforced ¡¶Normal¡· grade katana, but Shin lied because he didn¡¯t know what the value of a maximum reinforced weapon was in this world.

    As for the matter of whether or not it was possible for a ¡¶Rare¡· grade to exchange blows with ¡ºMuspelm¡», it should be believable since it ended up getting broken from the excessive force.

    ¡°So now you¡¯re just using an ordinary weapon, Shin?¡±

    ¡°No, I received an escort request towards Beirun earlier and we exterminated some bandits on the way. Since one of the bandits was using a Magic Sword as a weapon, I¡¯m using that now.¡±

    As for the bandits¡¯ belongings, the property rights basically moved to whoever subdued them.

    Since it¡¯s possible that his current weapon would be examined, he used that excuse to add credibility to his story.

    ¡°I see. If it¡¯s a Magic Sword, then it may be a good fit for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good if that¡¯s the case. But I¡¯ve almost never used it after I obtained it, so I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±

    ¡°You can get used to it, right?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    Right, this is the flow of events that usually precedes a fight.

    Shin exchanged words with Rionne while thinking that. The weapon from the monster, in addition, the monster¡¯s skills¡ªthough it took the flow of a natural conversation, ifbat-rted talk continued in this way, it was obvious that the final result would be ¡°Let¡¯s have a match.¡±

    ¡°Fumu¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­?¡±

    Against his expectations, Rionne who nodded once, fell silent.

    As for Shin, he had the hesitant reaction of a ¡®What should I do?¡¯ decision.

    ¡°Well, is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, well, you are different after all, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Different?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t figure out the flow of the conversation, so the question was reiterated.

    ¡°Adventurers that suddenly stand out like you, are usually Chosen Ones. Though Gadras was like that too, when it was judged that his ability ranked in the upper ss, it was customary for him to be invited to the royal pce.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s understandable.¡±

    ¡°However, there are groups who use Chosen Ones to attempt assassinations from the inside.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s also dangerous, right?¡±

    ¡®Then, is it fine to suddenly let me meet the princess?¡¯ Shin wanted to ask.

    But, he didn¡¯t interject because she wasn¡¯t finished with her story.

    ¡°Though I had my suspicions about you, I thought it would probably be fine.¡±

    ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t remember having said anything that would clear myself from doubt though.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because of my intuition.¡±

    ¡°Ehh©`¡±

    A monotone sound came out unintentionally.

    That too, seemed like it couldn¡¯t be helped. Shin had never heard of someone determining whether an opponent might bring harm to the country by relying solely on intuition. What would she do if it hadn¡¯t worked out?

    ¡°Ah, a monotone sound came out!¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped. Moreover, if it¡¯s like this, people won¡¯t be convinced by such things since there is no concrete evidence.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I have ?the ¡¾Intuition¡¿? skill. I was born with it and my intuition never misses a thing. Besides, even though I may appear this way, I am one of this country¡¯s princesses. I¡¯ve developed my ability to judge character!¡±

    With a smile, Rionne¡¯s words were heard by Shin and he tried to recall the effect for ¡¾Intuition¡¿.

    It should only be a battle support skill. If anything, he had a feeling that it was suitable to say it was just a woman¡¯s intuition.

    (¡­Could¡¾Intuition¡¿possibly enhance a woman¡¯s intuition?)

    Shin unconsciously wondered about such a thing.

    ¡°You might say the biggest deciding factor is that you hold a letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡±

    Under the current situation, it was the strongest piece of identification.

    ¡°That letter of introduction is impossible to replicate and Schnee-dono would never hand it over to a group plotting an assassination. As for a letter of introduction carrier, it¡¯s almost certain that their theft countermeasures are not ordinary. Therefore, a story of someone stealing a letter of introduction is unheard of until this very day. In fact, this acted as something like a final confirmation.¡±

    ¡°I see, then the main question is?¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯se to this. Let me say it without beating about the bush. I want you to fight with me!¡±

    ¡°Not that, princess! You¡¯re supposed to tell him about government service!¡±

    Gadras promptly interrupted Rionne who had challenged Shin for a match.

    Somehow, this turned out differently from their briefing session.

    ¡°What are you talking about, Gadras? Either way, for his true ability, how can I judge it urately if we don¡¯t cross swords?¡±

    ¡°Even if you yearn for it, you could wait a bit longer before saying it. What kind of ce is it for a princess to challenge an adventurer with something like, ¡®Fight with me!¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Ady-like princess is the elder sister¡¯s responsibility!¡±

    ¡°R-Responsibility¡­¡±

    Gadras seemed to have it hard with one thing or another.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s the wish of the princess, I don¡¯t want to decline, but if possible I would like to ask for a weapon used for training purposes.¡±

    Though Shin¡¯s weapon was notcking, still, it was unclear as to how long it would be able to keep up a rally directly with a ¡¶Legend¡· grade weapon.

    ¡°Okay, I understand. I¡¯ll lend you a weapon used by our knights. It doesn¡¯t matter if you destroy it.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. Though, I want you to forgive me if that sword breaks in the middle of the fight.¡±

    While saying that, Shin kept secret about the even more dangerous items thaty in his Item Box.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s head toward the training ground immediately.¡±

    The princess began to walk triumphantly.

    Contrary to her personality, she walked elegantly without pause. If one only saw her movement, everyone would think that she had a graceful character.

    Without taking the huge case, she held the¡ºMuspelm¡»in one hand.

    ¡°Princess¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s tough, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You understand?¡±

    Shin felt sorry for Gadras who dropped his shoulders.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shortly after Shin and the others left the room.

    Feyzel, who had remained in the room, let the tension out of his shoulders as he felt the presence of Shin and the others go away.

    He seemed to be tense and before he noticed it, he felt that his muscles had be quite stiff. He took a deep breath and felt somewhat better after taking a short break.

    ¡°I¡¯m so tired.¡±

    Other than Feyzel, a male¡¯s voice suddenly echoed through the room that should contain nobody else.

    ¡°Yeah, indeed.¡±

    Feyzel, who began to talk, replied without any surprise. The owner of the voice was Feyzel¡¯s co-worker.

    ¡°Are you feeling nervous about the other party as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, as expected from a letter of introduction carrier.¡±

    A slightly tired smile appeared as Feyzel answered.

    Feyzel¡¯s role was to obtain the other party¡¯s information with his own skills.

    ¡°You saw it, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I saw it. But perhaps, his stats might be falsified.¡±

    That person was the most abnormal among all of the people who hade in so far. Feyzel continued, and waited for a response from the owner of the voice.

    ¡°To that extent?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure about it. That person, named Shin, has a level of 200. Job of samurai. However, if I were to really say my impressions of when we faced each other, I would have rewritten the information.¡±

    Feyzel was a Chosen One that specialized in uncovering the ability of the other party, therefore he was sure of it.

    Rionne and Gadras didn¡¯t notice the abilities of Shin, but Feyzel felt exactly a fragment of the power leaking out from his body. In fact, the right answer was beyond the level he stated.

    ¡°Though I failed to obtain any sufficient information, I can only say this. He is strong! Even more so than we imagined.¡±

    ¡°Since you say it to that extent, I should report this matter to the King.¡±

    ¡°Please do so if possible, I¡¯d be saved the trouble if you convey it. Also, don¡¯t make any needless trouble, I guess? Like what you did to Wilhelm, if you make a foolish move, it will be terrible. At least, I don¡¯t want to fight him.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I must not make an enemy of an upper ss Chosen One.¡±

    By the end of those words, the voice was already inaudible.

    Apparently, it seemed to have gone to report.

    ¡°Good grief! I want to go home today already!¡±

    I feel like I am dead instead of living.

    Muttering so, Feyzel left the room.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin, Rionne and Gadras visited the training grounds that the knights used.

    ¡°I want to confirm something. For the time being, we¡¯re not going to fight next to soldiers that are training, are we?¡±

    ¡°No, it won¡¯t go well if we were to fight there. Today, half of the soldiers are out for practice and the rest have other work that¡¯s not in the training ground. Though some may sneak a peek, it can¡¯t helped with so many people. Or, is Shin the type that does not want to be seen by people when he fights?¡±

    ¡°To tell you the truth, I want to refrain from exposing my abilities expressly. At the guild, we fought in an empty training center.¡±

    ¡°I see, you¡¯re a cautious one, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that how an adventurer should be?¡±

    Unlike knights, adventurers often traveled alone. And in case of emergencies, they would have one or two trump cards prepared, Shin thought.

    ¡°Well, if I had to say it, most adventurers try to show off their power to gain fame. If their talent is recognized, then they can also enter government service like me.¡±

    Gadras, who was a former adventurer, answered Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is, huh?¡±

    ¡°Of course there are also guys like you who don¡¯t reveal their hand and hide their trump cards.¡±

    Although it didn¡¯t seem to be unusual, somehow people like Shin appeared to be in the minority.

    ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t prefer the types like Shin. People who think that they can act that way, even if they¡¯re powerful, I don¡¯t like them for some reason. By simply having power, you must think about how to properly use it.¡±

    ¡°The obligations of a person with power, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the duty of the strong. When I notice a strong person with power, I often think, ¡®What kind of influence does their power have on themselves and their surroundings?¡¯ Even though what I hope to see doesn¡¯t always happen.¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯m from the royal family, I¡¯d say that I tend to think that way¡±, Rionne continued and smiled wryly.

    From the beginning, for royalty, their existence would significantly affect people with their actions. In some ways it could even be said that both royalty and chosen ones were somewhat simr.

    That was why Rionne was taught by the royal family to live the ideal life of a person with power. At the same time, she also noticed the existence of the unreachable status known as a princess.

    She felt obligated to fight and swung her sword day and night, to control her power. She learned more about military knowledge than etiquette or her studies. Looking at her hand, which held the sword, no one would ever think that that was the hand of the country¡¯s princess.

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Though I¡¯m telling you about someone else¡¯s problems, I guess even you canmiserate, huh, Shin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t serve the country, isn¡¯t it? Again, I have my own way of doing things as an adventurer. Besides, it¡¯s tiring to think about such things around the clock, so I do everything moderately. If not, then you won¡¯t feel rxed, right?¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t mean to deny Rionne¡¯s thoughts.

    In fact, it was important to act with such thinking in mind. However, different people have their own viewpoints and capabilities. If there was a person who had their own way, without noticing it existed, there would also be a person who acted their own way and yet noticed it existed.

    As for what would happen as a result, only God may know. Of course, it was unreasonable for Shin to entrust everything to the heavens, so he moved and thought ordingly. Whether or not it went smoothly, it was hard to say.

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit jealous, for you to be able to say that.¡±

    ¡°Well, when something bad happens, the troublesome ones usually don¡¯t change though¡±

    ¡°If you enter the military, you may be able to decrease the troublesome things a little, you know? Though I can¡¯t say it will be as a General, I can promise you a reasonably high position.¡±

    ¡°An additional bonuses along in various other ways instead, huh? I¡¯m terribly sorry, but I¡¯ll still have to decline.¡±

    Shin evaded the casual invitation from the second princess smoothly.

    He didn¡¯t have any intention to enter a military which would restrict his movements. For Shin, who lived in a world without a ss system such as nobles and royal families, their ideas were beyond his understanding.

    Although he was familiar with the meaning of a fantasy system in games and manga, he didn¡¯t understand it in this world.

    ¡°That¡¯s too bad. It¡¯s not easy to encounter an upper grade Chosen One. So, it seems like we¡¯ve arrived?¡±

    Rionne shrugged while stating her disappointment, she probably thought that Shin would have agreed.

    And then, she stopped in front of a somewhat ordinary door.

    ¡°Here?¡±

    ¡°This is because you requested a fight that no one will see. So we will borrow this ce.¡±

    Saying that, Rionne pushed the door open.

    Inside, there was a transition point simr to what Shin saw in the adventurers¡¯ guild. (T/N: metastasis point had been changed to transition point)

    ¡°So we are going to teleport?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t you also do so in the guild?¡±

    Their destination, after transferring right away, was a round open space about 100 mels in radius. It was different from the ce where Shin fought against Barlux.

    ¡°It¡¯s constructed differently from the guild¡¯s training ground, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been said to be made with a battle between Chosen Ones in mind. Besides, there¡¯s no one here so we can fight as much as we want. Actually, even if you didn¡¯t say anything, I was nning to fight you here anyway, Shin.¡±

    Although it was a test of strength, even if a chosen one used only a ¡®tiny¡¯ portion of their power, there was no guarantee that this ¡®tiny¡¯ amount would be the same amount as that of an ordinary soldier. But, it seemed this ce would be alright, if that was the case.

    ¡°It was decided, huh?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find any other ce for our purpose, except this. The transition point is a technique from before the Dusk of the Majesty, and we haven¡¯t been able topletely solve it yet. What was it made for? To tell you the truth, it¡¯s not known yet. But it¡¯s pretty sturdy, so it¡¯s thought to have been a training ground in the past.¡±

    I see, Shin thought.

    He thought it was strange because he was told that transposing magic was lost, but a transition point had been set up here like it was perfectly normal. To manufacture a transition point, the technique of transposing was needed.

    (Hmm¡­I wonder if this ce was for some guild house originally.)

    If one said guild in this world, it would usually refer to an adventurers¡¯ guild.

    However, there were many yers guilds and their corresponding guild houses that existed during the game era. The structures and styles varied ording to the guild. Some made castle, while others used a shop. There were no simr guild houses.

    And, a transition point was standard equipment for a guild house. As for the royal magic library that Shin had visited before, the unusually high level barrier skill was understandable, if it too was installed by a guild. Perhaps, that was also just equipment repurposed from a guild.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin now. First, you should choose a weapon of your liking. Do you need a change of clothes?¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re fine as is.¡±

    Just like the match with Barlux, they didn¡¯t battle immediately.

    Several mels ahead of Shin, there were swords and spears that were previously prepared. It could be said that they were used for training because they were made from iron and had edgeless des. However, if it was swung with the strength of a chosen one, the damage inflicted may not be small.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take this.¡±

    Shin chose a standard one-handed sword from among the weapons.

    It was maintained properly, but its quality was not so good because it was for training. As for Rionne, she chose a thick-ded greatsword. The de was almost 2 mels in length, simr to ¡ºMuspelm¡»,  and she swung it around like a branch from a tree.

    ¡°When I see that in person, something feels out of ce.¡±

    Such a thing would never happen if it was in the game.

    It was different if it was a monster, but the scene of a sword that was about the height of a body, being swung by a woman¡¯s slender arm was very strange to see in reality.

    Speaking of the person in question, it seemed like she intended to warm-up. Shin heard the sound of air being cut through every time the greatsword was brandished. Since it¡¯s no use to keep watching forever, Shin too, lightly swung his sword and rxed his body. With their preparationspleted, they got ready with their weapons in the center of the training ground.

    ¡°This is a fight to check your ability, so I¡¯ll let out some of my power to an extent!¡±

    ¡°Please go easy on me.¡±

    Shin replied with a wry smile, to Rionne who was fully motivated.

    Gadras yed the role of referee. Points would be given to each of them, and if he judged the blow would cause a fatal injury he would end the match.

    Of course, even if it was said to be a fatal injury, they would stop just before the blownded. After all, with the ability of these two people, doing that would be a piece of cake.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin!¡±

    Rionne stepped forward when Gadras shouted.

    With her greatsword on her right shoulder, she approached Shin using the most direct path, with Shin doing the same. Facing against the greatswording from a diagonal direction, Shin prepared to swing his sword from his waist. If he rallied directly, there¡¯s no doubt that Shin¡¯s sword, which was inferior in strength, would break. Thus, he aimed to strike at the t part of the greatsword.

    Ting! A high-pitched sound was made when Rionne¡¯s greatsword veered away from Shin. Furthermore, in one step, Shin leaped toward Rionne¡¯s chest. However, in the next moment, the heel of Rionne¡¯s boot appeared in front of Shin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    Shin bent down right away to dodge the unleashed kick.

    Her released fist was also evaded as she continued the attack before taking a distance once more. Then, her hand, which had parted with the intercepted greatsword, started to counterattack with martial arts. As for the greatsword, the downward force may have been great, as it pierced the ground diagonally.

    ¡°You avoided my attacks without being flustered, huh? I thought I could somewhat surprise you with that though¡±

    ¡°Well, I am surprised. I didn¡¯t expect you would suddenly throw away your weapon and start to fight hand-to-hand.¡±

    He didn¡¯t say that parting with one¡¯s own weapon has never happened during battle, but it was not usually done immediately after a battle started.

    If an ordinary adventurer did something like that, they would be cut down in no time. There was a limit to making unorthodox decisions.

    ¡°You can still say that even though you dodged it like it was nothing. However, the next one will not be so easy!¡±

    The greatsword was pulled from the ground, and Rionne took her stance again.

    That stance was indeed magnificent. It was the posture of someone who had been training without depending too much on their ability as a Chosen One.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go from here!¡±

    Saying so, Shin faced Rionne and shortened their distance.

    As for the current Shin, some restrictions were put on his stats based on information from Girard. Because of the restriction ability ¡¾Limit¡¿, his STR and AGI were about 500. If he rallied with Rionne who was an upper ss Chosen One, it should be fine.

    Shin, with the momentum from hurling himself, plunged into and pushed Rionne¡¯s greatsword with his sword¡¯s brim.

    ¡°Going topete with me in strength, huh, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m confident in my strength!¡±

    As the weapons made a grinding sound, Shin and Rionne exchanged words.

    And then, Rionne stopped pushing Shin¡¯s sword. Apparently, in response to Shin¡¯s words, Rionne decided to ept his strength challenge with a contest.

    Rionne put power in her slender arm, and the locking of sword to sword started. If she took her time, she may be able to ovee the resistance, but it was obvious that Rionne would take measures before that.

    (She is on par with 500 STR, huh? As expected of Girard, he guessed correctly.)

    As for the stats of an upper ss Chosen One, Girard had talked about it being around 500.

    ¡°I wonder if our strength is equal?¡±

    ¡°It seems like it.¡±

    They made some distance between them by stepping back together.

    Shin had his sword in an aiming-at-the-eyes stance, and Rionne was in an overhead sword posture.

    ¡°You may use skills too. No need to be reserved, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you insist.¡±

    Rionne and Shin, both used the support system martial arts skill ¡¾Spirit Maniption ? Katsusen¡¿.

    Shin moved his sword to the left side of his waist from his previous posture, took his stance with his left hand on the sword¡¯s de near the hilt and lowered his posture. It was a quick draw stance, but without the sheath.

    Rionne on the other hand, stayed there without changing her posture. From Shin¡¯s point of view, he saw the aura that covered Rionne¡¯s body sharpen.

    The strengthening effect from the support system martial arts skill was calcted based on the stats during its usage, so there was almost no difference of strengthening ability between Rionne and Shin under the current conditions. If there was, it was simply the difference between ability.

    Swish!

    Shin moved first.

    The distance between them was shortened by his sliding feet. And then, just one step from Rionne, Shin jumped into her territory by sliding on the ground.

    Though it could not be said that it was his normal form, the sword that was charging towards Rionne was at a speed difficult to see by an ordinary person.

    Without turning her eyes to that attack, Rionne also swung the greatsword downward. Due to the explosion of her sharpened spirit, it elerated instantaneously. And that speed exceeded Shin¡¯s attack.

    Shin would likely die if he received that blow directly, so as the greatsword approached from above his head, by putting his strength into his left foot, he bent himself backward and evaded it.

    Rionne, who had just swung down her greatsword, couldn¡¯t move right away because of the weight of her weapon.

    From there, Shin did a horizontal kick, but Rionne crouched down and evaded it.

    Shoom!

    With her body twisted as she tripped, although she had just evaded Shin¡¯s kick and stood only on one foot, she still didn¡¯t stop attacking.

    Without losing any centrifugal force from pulling out the greatsword from the ground, she turned once more. The force of her tripping was converted into power for swinging her greatsword.

    With the sound of air being cut, she returned the favor and aimed at Shin who just drew a horizontal kick. Shin, who was just slightly above the ground, kicked the ground again to escape from the greatsword.

    Rionne suddenly stopped the greatsword, which was gaining momentum, as soon as she thought the blow woulde out of ce. Even though the centrifugal force was strong, Rionne didn¡¯t break her posture. It seemed her being a closebat type Chosen One was not just for show.

    (Somehow just now, I felt like I was gonna die if I didn¡¯t avoid it.)

    Though there was no killing intent, Shin didn¡¯t think he would escaped unharmed if he received Rionne¡¯s greatsword to his head. When he saw Rionne¡¯s movement just now, he understood that she stopped the blow just before that. However, when he saw the greatsword pierce and stick into the ground, he couldn¡¯t get rid of his anxiety.

    In his current condition, Shin didn¡¯t want to risk restricting his defence-rted stats. When the world was still a game, not even a scratch would be there if he received a blow from a greatsword. However, Shin didn¡¯t have the courage to try it now with his own flesh.

    ¡°Apparently, it seems our types are simr, Shin. Our reaction speed is about the same too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. This is getting hard to settle, how about we call it an end it here?¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I want to fight a little longer though.¡±

    Rionne was like a deted balloon.

    ¡°Since it was a sword for training purposes, it¡¯s hard to know how far I can put my strength into it. Besides, Rionne-sama¡¯s sword has also bent.¡±

    ¡°Muu! This one couldn¡¯tst either.¡±

    The swords for training purpose couldn¡¯t endure Shin and Rionne¡¯s power.

    As proof, about 30 cemels from the sword guard of Rionne¡¯s greatsword was bent almost into the shape of the character ¡®¤Ø¡¯. It was pretty admirable that it didn¡¯t break.

    Shin¡¯s sword had also deformed, a part of it had cracked when it had rallied with the greatsword.

    ¡°At least we were able to properly understand each other¡¯s strength, Rionne-sama.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good? His strength is even equal to yours, Princess. Moreover, that speedy reaction. It¡¯s plenty enough for me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not good to force the subject too much, huh? All right. Let¡¯s stop the match here. You have my gratitude for going along with my selfishness.¡±

    Gadras, who saw the their battle situation unfolding, gave some timely support to help end the match.Gadras realized by intuition that it would be bad if he let them ¡®heat up¡¯ as it was. Although Gadras was also a Chosen One who was near the upper ss and therefore was able to follow the two people offense and defense with his eyes, he still couldn¡¯t be sure that he would be able to react in time if he entered their ranges.

    Not much time had passed since the match began, so he urged them to stop fighting. He had already decided that Shin was not an average Chosen One when Shin could keep up with Rionne¡¯s movement. It was not difficult to even judge him to be an upper ss Chosen One.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s return. You should put the sword back where it originally was.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Shin put back the one-handed sword which was already unusable.

    He thought the sword wascking before the fight began. It was already fortunate that it didn¡¯t break on the first rally. Perhaps the angle in which they rallied was good, he guessed.

    ¡°By the way, I want to ask something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why did you bring the Skull Face¡¯s sword?¡±

    Because she brought it to the training ground like it was natural, Shin thought it was strange since it was decided they would use a training sword.

    ¡°Though this is apletely different matter, when a man proposes to a woman in Bayreuth kingdom, it¡¯s customary to present a sword.¡±

    ¡°¡­Again, isn¡¯t that¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨Ddangerous!¡±

    Shin muttered in a way that was not heard by Rionne.

    Is that what it¡¯s for? It¡¯s the thing used to cut ¡°it¡± off one has an affair? Shin suspected without any reason.

    ¡°The reason is, in case they are caught cheating, they will be cut by the sword. It¡¯s only a formality for now though.¡±

    ¡°¡­Are you for real?¡±

    It seemed his suspicion was right.

    Will the cheating mistress get punished too? Trivial questions appeared in Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Because of that, to be honest, although the sword pierced and was stuck in the wall of my bedroom, I¡¯ve considered it as a present for me.¡±

    ¡°T-That, isn¡¯t that too unreasonable?!¡±

    ¡°Not a problem. If I did that, the sword would be mine legally.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see thating! What a scheme!?¡±

    Rionne showed her yfulness, but as a matter of fact, since there was no weapon that could match Rionne¡¯s strength, it seems her primary focus was on the matter of the greatsword.

    A weapon that could endure the power of an upper ss Chosen One was not easy to find in this world. Even if it was found, it was most likely owned by skilled adventurers or famous knights.

    Only the treasured sword that symbolizes the country was able to endure all of the energy from Rionne in Bayreuth kingdom. However, Rionne couldn¡¯t take out the treasured sword every time, so she seemed to have been racking her brain on how to remedy the situation.

    Because the Skull Face¡¯s greatsword was notcking in durability, didn¡¯t have curses and so on, it seemed to have been secretly prepared for her given her circumstances.

    At the same time, she had been thinking of various scenarios just in case someone came forward iming it as the owner.

    ¡°Just to confirm, by any chance, am I supposed to propose to Rionne-sama?¡±

    ¡°Yea, you¡¯re supposed to because you gave me the sword.¡±

    ¡°About the blown off greatsword matter, it really was just idental¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. I don¡¯t mean to push the matter either. Although it would be reassuring if Shin serves the country, I get absolutely nothing out of offending you so badly that you moved to another country. It¡¯s promising if an upper ss Chosen One bes an ally, but it¡¯s extremely troublesome if they be an enemy. If possible, I would like you to refrain from entering government service at another country, but this is up to your discretion.¡±

    ¡°For the moment, I don¡¯t have any such ns.¡±

    ¡°However, a person that¡¯s not affiliated with any ce can be scary. Because, what they will do is unpredictable. And there are many people who dislike that sort of person, you know?¡±

    Although an upper ss Chosen One was an individual, one of them wasparable to an army.

    For this reason, they were terrifying when they were unaffiliated.

    ¡°For the time being, I belong to the adventurers¡¯ guild.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of the penalty, I can withdraw you from there immediately. Well, ever since the guild has revealed that Shin has a ¡®letter of introduction¡¯, people with impertinent thoughts have been suppressed.¡±

    ¡°Really? Since I showed it to the guard at the gate, I thought that was how I was exposed and that¡¯s how it reached the guild.¡±

    ¡°Of course, the information was obtained from there. Only, when showing it to the guard, the possibility of it being an imitation is not zero. However, the story is different when the master of an adventurers¡¯ guild acknowledges it. Because he has the method to distinguish the real thing. If Shin has been acknowledged, additional confirmation of his status is preferable for those people, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I think so too. Or rather, what are those people who have impertinent ideas trying to do?¡±

    Though he had some idea of what to expect, Shin asked anyway.

    ¡°They want to arrest you as a criminal because of the sword that pierced my bedroom, and make you serve the country, little by little, as restitution.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, even though I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if someone had died when I misstepped, right?¡±

    Having it only pierce a wall was entirely the result of good luck.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I guess the Skull Face which caused it may have been a unique individual? If it is, then it¡¯s not a situation where you could ease up. I don¡¯t know how much harm it would have caused if you had let it go as it was. At that time, most adventurers would not be able to take on a unique individual, so the damage would have kept on umting until the information was gathered. Therefore I¡¯d like to thank you instead.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, for the time being, it¡¯s good that I¡¯m not considered a criminal since it would make it difficult to move around.¡±

    ¡°Fufufu, is this really okay? You can ask me for a favor you know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the courage to ask for a favor from the royal family. And so, how¡¯s this story connected to the greatsword in the end?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because this has been formally handed over to me.¡±

    As she said that, Rionne lifted the case that contained Muspelm.

    ¡°Umm, in regards to the matter Rionne-sama mentioned just now,  is it because the greatsword already belongs to you?¡±

    ¡°Because the owner had appeared in this way, thus I thought about a different method if I could not be engaged. In the first ce, to forcibly ce a present under my control, even though I also wanted to make the sword mine, the main reason is to prevent it from falling into the hands of the aforementioned impertinent guys.¡±

    ¡°Doing something like that ispletely useless.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that.¡±

    The higher-ups didn¡¯t seem to be monolithic too.

    When looking closely at the privileged ss called the nobles, there may be a rotten part that exists.

    ¡°So in other words, having decided the greatsword was a present, without an engagement, Rionne-sama formally obtained a powerful weapon, and I can avoid any meddling from the country, huh?¡±

    ¡°Naturally, I¡¯ll fully take out from my personal assets topensate for the price of the sword. And I also understand perfectly that this one is worth more than I can afford. But, please, sell it to me!¡±

    Thest sentence was an entreaty.

    She may have been depressed because she had never had a weapon that could bring out her potential. Was how Shin thought, and desperation could be felt from Rionne.

    True power couldn¡¯t be demonstrated if there was no weapon that corresponded to their ability. Rionne seemed to understand that.

    ¡°I only want to continue being an adventurer in the same manner as before, so if there is no further meddling from the country, that would be good as a condition. However, if possible, I want to enter the restricted zone in the royal magic library though.¡±

    ¡°Is that really all? You don¡¯t have to hold yourself back.¡±

    ording to themon sense of this world, it could be said that it was impossible to have dealings for a weapon of ¡¶Legend¡· grade.

    ¡°For now, it¡¯s information that I want, not money. Unlike a weapon, I can¡¯t get information, somehow or other, even if I take out money.¡±

    ¡°Though I also understand that¡­Fumu, how should I say this, you have no greed, Shin.¡±

    Rionne said as she was a little astounded.

    Certainly, information was sometimes worth more than gold. However, information that was equal to a ¡¶Legend¡· grade weapon was notmon. Even though Rionne has visited the zone that required reading permission, what kind of information does Shin seek? She had no idea at all.

    ¡°The one that defeated the Skull Face is Shin. Though it becameplicated due to the ce where it pierced, the property rights are originally Shin¡¯s. With one of these, you could probably obtain arge sum of money to live the rest of your life without having to work.  On the other hand, this sword is something that I don¡¯t know if I could obtain even if I piled up money. If you hand it over without any reservations, I¡¯ll be suspicious that you have ulterior motives.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just how much I value information.¡±

    Rionne conjectured that there was some kind of special meaning in Shin¡¯s words.

    However, she didn¡¯t voice her guess, because she didn¡¯t want to pursue it there.

    ¡°Then, Rionne-sama, it¡¯s a deal?¡±

    ¡°Of course. To tell you the truth, I have used this greatsword several times already and I have grown ustomed to having it in my hand.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The only thought in your head is of obtaining that sword after all, was what Shin didn¡¯t say.

    She didn¡¯t know that she could have requisitioned it even without informing Shin, so he was able to maintain a good impression of her since it was properly negotiated for.

    If Shin could get through this without any meddlesome discussions, then a greatsword of ¡¶Legend¡· grade was a cheap price to pay.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have your library permit deliveredter, where are you staying?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an inn called Bear Point Pavilion, in the west district.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Gadras, make the arrangements.¡±

    ¡°Roger that¡±

    When Rionne talked, Gadras, who had remained silent until now, answered.

    ¡°Shin-dono. For this matter, please ept my thanks. It seems like the princess will finally be able to fight without reservation now.¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for thanks. It was a mutually beneficial deal. Next, I want to confirm something, it¡¯s about those people with overzealous ideas. In case I have any problems in the future, may I repel them?¡±

    ¡°In regards to that, just act without any reservations, but also please be careful. I would like to think that there aren¡¯t any more fools who would try to threaten an upper ss Chosen One, but guys like that, will usually not heed any inconveniences that their actions would cause to themselves.¡±

    Gadras strongly agreed.

    The reason being if anyone did so, they would most likely be punished.

    ¡°It¡¯s happened before?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There is a powerful person that had been acknowledged as an upper ss Chosen One before, like Shin, but some fools held that person¡¯s rtive as hostage and tried to make him obey them.¡±

    ¡°¡­Can I speak my thoughts freely?¡±

    ¡°Please speak without reservation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s stupid.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d think so? By the way, as for the nobles, all of them were killed, from the main culprit to the perpetrators. Their mansion waspletely destroyed too. No mercy for those meddling guys. However, there is no evidence that the person in question did it himself.¡±

    ¡°Oh my god!¡±

    They seemed to have received a suitable retribution.

    By the way, it appeared to the public that the kingdom¡¯s army had subdued the nobles who were going to start a revolt.

    ¡°Well, well, I¡¯m fine with acting how I normally do, so I¡¯d like to request your help if it happens.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m no princess, but I¡¯ll exert my power too.¡±

    Gadras firmly nodded again.

    Next to him, Rionne too seemed to say, ¡°Leave it to me¡±, as she nodded. Though some people may prefer to handle things themselves, having a royal family member as an ally was still great. Shin had decided to just report if there was a bad noble.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t return home too soon, because those overbearing guys are noisy. Let¡¯s have a tea break. Can you tell me about the story of the Skull Face in question?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s that much, it¡¯s fine I guess.¡±

    Shin replied to Rionne with a nod.

    When Shin and the rest returned to the castle using the transition point, someone was already in the room.

    It was a petite man, a little over middle-aged, who approached them.  If one looked at the cassock of the priest, it was mainly white and blue, and he had the air of someone who was a high-rank.

    If something peculiar could be stated about that man, it was that he was fiddling with the control panel of the transition point without taking notice of Rionne.

    As there were a lot of exit destinations for a transition point, the destination could be specified with the control panel. There was no such action when Shin fought against Barlux before in the adventurers¡¯ guild, and the training ground couldn¡¯t be entered without the guild master¡¯s authority, because the destination had been already fixed.

    By the way, in a normal situation, when the guild master¡¯s authority wasn¡¯t invoked, it was only a training ground open to the public, so it was not made just for a Chosen One.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Cardinal Greyl? What is he doing?¡±

    Rionne voiced her question.

    Was he a mediator with the church? Shin looked at the man called cardinal. However, in the next moment, Shin¡¯s face stiffened due to the status disy from Analyze.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºGreyl Dulles   Level 161   Priest¡»

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D Endowment:¡¾Charm ? IV¡¿  ¡¾Confusion ? III¡¿

    Those troublesome abnormal statuses couldn¡¯t be felt for real in the game era, but anyone would understand the real danger they would pose in this world that became reality.

    And the person who was under two such abnormal statuses, was fiddling with the control panel of the transition point.

    ¡°He is affected by Charm and Confusion! Stop that person!¡±

    Shin started running at the same time as he shouted.

    However, Shin waste by just one step, as Greyl finished messing with the controls.

    ¡°Ugh!?¡±

    Shin¡¯s view effortlessly distorted.

    When the difort that was not felt during a normal transition was over, the scene around Shin hadpletely changed.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­Is this for real?¡±

    What extended throughout his surroundings was, in a word, ruins.

    The crumbling houses and scattered remains denied the existence of dwellers. Shin tried to collect his surroundings for information through the support system skill¡¾irvoyance¡¿, but because of a thin haze that faint magic could be felt from, his vision was obstructed from seeing far away.

    There were many buildings that had avoidedpletely copsing, but most had big holes in their walls, or their second floor was gone, which was unlikely due to any evidence of weathering.

    Within the range of his view, there was the wreckage of broken ss and wagons. And, he was able to ascertain footprints that were clearly not from humans or horses.

    ¡°uu¡­What is happening?¡±

    When Shin turned around, Rionne was standing nearby.

    Gadras and Greyl were nowhere to be seen. Was it only Shin and Rionne that were transferred, or were the other two transferred to a different location? It couldn¡¯t be determined by Shin currently.

    ¡°Apparently, we have been transferred somewhere. Does Rionne-sama know anything?¡±

    ¡°Transferred, huh¡­From that transition point, transferring to a ce with ruins in this condition¡­Perhaps, no, it¡¯s certainly the Sacred ce, Kalkia.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s the ce that is said to be rampant with dangerous monsters?¡±

    ¡°Yes it is. They may have thought to get rid of us with the monsters here.¡±

    Inside the Sacred ce, Rionne heard that strong monsters with levels higher than 500 roamed around. No matter how much Rionne was an upper ss Chosen One, there was no guarantee that she would survive when she was thrown in without any kind of preparations. But, that would only be the case, if Shin was not beside her.

    ¡°Shin, are we the only ones here?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There is no one near us at least.¡±

    ¡°Then, it seems that only we have been transferred here. It¡¯s not possible for one transition to transfer to multiple ces.¡±

    ¡°In others words, Gadras-san remains on the other side, huh?¡±

    It was good that not all of the members who were there in that room transposed.

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s move out from Kalkia. Can you use Mind Chat?¡±

    ¡°No, unfortunately I don¡¯t have an adventurer card. How about you, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I have apanion who I can use it with. Just in case, besides Gadras-san, even if I tried to exin the present situation, will anyone believe it? To begin with, I don¡¯t know if they would be able to convey a message for us.¡±

    Though Shin didn¡¯t want to announce that he could use Mind Chat, it was currently an emergency, so he told Rionne the truth.

    If amoner went to the castle, they would definitely be restricted at the gate. It was different if Schnee revealed her identity, but he didn¡¯t intend to go that far.

    If it was known that Shin was able tomunicate directly with Schnee, he was certain that his treatment as an ordinary upper ss Chosen One would be gone. He had the luxury of worring about these kinds of things, because as long as Shin was there, Rionne¡¯s safety was secure.

    ¡°I want to know what happened on the other side. However, it¡¯s hopeless if they couldn¡¯t make it to the castle, huh? I guess Gadras will arrest Cardinal Greyl, so Shin doesn¡¯t need to be troubled by it, I think.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised too. I didn¡¯t expect that a priest would have such dangerous abnormal statuses.¡±

    If it was still a game, it would be impossible to manipte an avatar¡¯s behavior with abnormal status effects, but it seems like that wasn¡¯t the case in this world.

    At least, it was impossible for those who were affected by such status effects to maintain a proper mental condition. In addition, the timing. It was likely that they nned to target Shin and Rionne when they returned from their transposing.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­¡±

    Shin muttered as he sighed lightly.

    ¡°I want to tell mypanion a rendezvous point, do you know of any towns nearby?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, there is the fort city Balmel. It¡¯s necessary to pass through that ce, even if they head here or we head in the direction of Bayreuth.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll tell mypanion to meet us at Balmel.¡±

    Shin thanked Rionne and he connected to Schnee via Mind Chat.

    Within a few seconds, the nostalgic ringtone stopped, and Shin was aware of the sense being connected.

    ¡°(Ah, Schn¨D¨D)¡±

    ¡°(SHIN! Where are you now!?)¡±

    ¡°(Uooo!?)¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were interrupted by Schnee¡¯s loud voice, making him let out a strange sound. Furthermore, his body was hit with a jolt.

    Speaking of Schnee, she noticed very quickly when Shin was transposed. Her voice didn¡¯t seem like her usual tone, and her panicked state could be felt by Shin.

    ¡°(Are you alright!? Please answer me!)¡±

    ¡°(Wait, Schnee, calm down a little, I¡¯m alright. I¡¯ll exin what happened now. Again, I repeat, I¡¯m okay.)¡±

    Shin began to talk as calmly as possible.

    After saying he was fine several times, Schnee finally showed signs of settling down.

    ¡°(I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m fine now.)¡±

    ¡°(Then that¡¯s good. Somehow panicking doesn¡¯t seem like Schnee.)¡±

    ¡°(That is, again¡­that. I thought Shin had disappeared.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­My bad. I heard too much.)¡±

    Even though Schnee seemed calm, her insecurity remained.

    Maybe it¡¯s because she was just recently reunited with Shin again that her insecurities were inly visible. No matter how high-level she was, even if her body was strong, Schnee was a woman, too. Even if her stats were high, it didn¡¯t mean that her heart was strong to that extent.

    ¡°(And so, where in the world are you? You don¡¯t seem to be within my perception range either.)¡±

    ¡°(Ah yes, I was in a training ground having a match with the second princess, but was forced to transpose when we returned to the castle.)¡±

    ¡°(Transposed? That exins why your presence disappeared suddenly.)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m with the second princess right now. ording to her, the ce where we are is called Sacred ce Kalkia.)¡±

    ¡°(The Sacred ce can only be transitioned to from the royal castle, right?¡­However, if I¡¯m not mistaken, the transition to there should be impossible without permission.)¡±

    Schnee seemed to be aware about the transition point in the royal castle.

    ¡°(It was the old man called Cardinal Greyl that transposed us. Though the rank was low, he was suffering from the abnormal states of Charm and Confusion.)¡±

    ¡°(I see. If it¡¯s Cardinal Greyl, then choosing the Sacred ce to transpose to is possible. Still, Charm and Confusion, huh?)¡±

    ording to Schnee¡¯s story, Cardinal Greyl devoted himself to studying in the church in the Bayreuth kingdom, he seemed to be a person of deep faith so he rose to the position of cardinal.

    As Shin expected, Cardinal Greyl served as the church¡¯s mediator and had been stationed in the king¡¯s castle for some time now. Worthy of someone who acquired ¡¾Purification¡¿ on his own, it could be said that his fighting power was quite good for an ordinary person.

    From the short story that Shin heard, he understood well that it was unrted to Charm and Confusion.

    ¡°(Was he asked to purify a cursed item but failed or something?)¡±

    ¡°(His actions were too precise for that. It¡¯d be more logical to think that he was manipted by someone, don¡¯t you agree?)¡±

    When Shin gave one of the possibilities, Schnee denied itpletely.

    ¡°(Then, do you have any ideas, Schnee?)¡±

    ¡°(As far as I know, nothing in particr that I remember. To begin with, the Skills of the mental interference group, like Charm and Confusion, are considered to be taboo. Just for having learnt it, one will be executed when caught, even if it¡¯s someone from the royal family.)¡±

    ¡°(Ah, so it¡¯s like that, huh?)¡±

    Shin agreed with Schnee¡¯s words.

    After all, a skill that maniptes a person¡¯s heart would be regarded as dangerous. Even the royal family was not immune to the punishment, as thorough enforcement was carried out without exception.

    It was hard to believe that the user of such a skill or item would be serving the castle.

    If that was the case, then¨D¨D.

    ¡°(There is a hidden one.)¡±

    ¡°(Yes, I think so too.)¡±

    Simr words appeared in the minds of Shin and Schnee.

    It was the given name of an antagonist who differs from the original 7 races in this world.

    ¡°(I cannot return at once. It may be bad, but I¡¯ll leave it to you, okay?)¡±

    He had a skill to use transposing. However, if it was known that he could use magic that was said to be lost, Rionne would not let him get away, no matter what happens.

    ¡°(No problem. It¡¯s a good opportunity to teach Tiera too.)¡±

    ¡°(Thank you.)¡±

    ¡°(Please leave it to me. I¡¯ll tell the matter about the princess to the King.)¡±

    If it was Schnee, it would be easy toe into contact with the King without being noticed by anyone.

    If she somehow conveyed that the princess was safe, the confusion would be settled. In that situation, the person lying hidden in the castle should find it difficult to move.

    ¡°(Then, I¡¯ll contact you about the resultster. What about the meeting ce?)¡±

    ¡°(Balmel will do. It seems you need to go through there, so let¡¯s meet there.)¡±

    ¡°(Affirmative.)¡±

    After detailed decisions were made, the Mind Chat was cut.

    Shin decided to leave the Bayreuth matter to Schnee, and turned around toward Rionne again.

 Vol 4 Chapter 3: Chapter 3

    Schnee, who cut off the Mind Chat with Shin, went into action immediately.

    She seemed to be very anxious when Shin¡¯s presence disappeared half a day after going into the castle, but she regained her usualposure right away.

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yuzuha asked, and the situation was briefly exined.

    ¡°Kuu! Yuzuha hates that!¡±

    Precisely because Yuzuha¡¯s partner got involved, and because it personally had been affected by miasma before, Yuzuha wouldn¡¯t allow the existence of the enemy*. (T/N: This will be exinedter.)

    With Yuzuha perched on her shoulder, Schnee went into town from the inn. Though passersby stopped walking, being fascinated by Schnee¡¯s pretty face, nobody recognized her because she was disguised by a magic skill.

    Avoiding those who didn¡¯t know their ces gracefully, Schnee arrived at the ce where Tiera was in no time. When she opened the door to the entrance, fragrances that she never smelled in daily life lingered in the air. Apparently, it was a shop that dealt with alchemy-rted products. Items, which would be special catalysts, like leaves with poisonous-looking colors or some kind of dried things, were side-by-side.

    Tiera was in the corner where various types of paper lined up, and she was eagerlyparing them.

    ¡°Tiera. Tiera?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Apparently, Tiera was quite focused on it.

    Even when Schnee called out to her, Tiera didn¡¯t respond at all. Because it couldn¡¯t be helped, Schnee lightly tapped her shoulder and called out her name close to her ear.

    ¡°¡­Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Hyaaa!!?¡±

    Tiera was probably surprised, suddenly hearing a voice so close to her ear.

    She jumped in response.

    ¡°M-Master. Please don¡¯t startle me like that.¡±

    ¡°Though it¡¯s good to concentrate, pay attention to your surroundings. You didn¡¯t even notice when I was calling you earlier.¡±

    ¡°Uhh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Tiera apologized while hanging her head.

    Somehow, her long ears also seemed to face the ground.

    ¡°Never mind. Tiera, although this may be difficult for you, there has been an urgent business that hase up and you need to apany me from now on.¡±

    ¡°Urgent business?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s about the King¡¯s castle.¡±

    The King¡¯s castle, Tiera understood it, was not a ce she could go.

    If she was still at Tsuki no Hokora, she certainly would have retorted in a loud voice. However, because of Shin and his actions, she was not surprised by a thing of such degree.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m starting to get used to these situations that happen while apanying Master.¡±

    ¡®As expected from Master, you and Shin are certainly the same¡¯, agreed Tiera as she thought to herself.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a story to exin in here. Let¡¯s go outside.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Tiera obediently followed Schnee who turned back towards the street.

    It wasn¡¯t a problem for Tiera, since she had no intention of buying anything in particr.

    While walking on the road that lead to the King¡¯s castle, Schnee exined the situation.

    ¡°¡­So in other words, I will have to defeat ¡®it¡¯ from now on?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it appears. Because you have reached the point where you can go outside, there¡¯s no guarantee that you wouldn¡¯t get involved with ¡®it¡¯. There are no documents or rumours about ¡®it¡¯, and it¡¯s better if you understand ¡®it¡¯ by yourself.¡±

    ¡®It¡¯ was different from the monsters that attack people for food or to protect their territory. ¡®It¡¯ was different from the thief who steals items and money. ¡®It¡¯ was the antagonist who afflicts and entraps people.

    ¡°It¡¯s a perfect chance for Tiera to learn about the existence of demons.¡±

    ¨D¨DDemon.

    Was a monster said to be born from miasma.

    It was greatly different from other monsters, because it was not subjected to ability restriction at the ce where miasma umted; instead it was strengthened. Again, in the demon¡¯s area, the transmogrification of monsters were also elerated by miasma and in the areas affected by it; the presence of demons increased the degree of difficulty.

    Normally, when a monster was affected by the miasma, it was difficult for them to keep their sanity.

    It may be possible for a high-level monster, but low-level monsters are hardly able to resist transmogrification. Monsters that change appearance have the word ¡®Invade¡¯ added to their names. Then, it bes an existence that attacks surrounding living beings indiscriminately.

    The change of the appearance was assumed to happen when the body of the monster, which was born from demon essence, was reced by miasma. Thus, the monster¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t revert back to its original form even if the miasma was cleared away. Was it because the monsters, which couldn¡¯t distinguish between ally and enemy, were affected by miasma? There were a lot of them that followed the demon.

    Also the miasma, besides affecting monsters, inflicted effects to the seven races who existed in this world. There was no transmogrification in the game¡¯s setting; however, inside the miasma, one would have received bad statuses such as ability restriction, abnormal states, and so on. Though it depends on the density of the miasma, level and race of the person in question, it was a troublesome hindrance to fight against the enhanced demons.

    The miasma appeared in quests against a boss, and it lead to monsters attacking a town; it appeared in various ces.

    When ites to a high-ranking demon which had the appearance that was close to human anatomy, high intelligence, high fighting power, and was apanied by low-ranking demon. It was a monster that always appeared in a difficult dungeon and quest.

    Ranks usually depended on strength, and were ssified into Grand Duke ss, Duke ss, Marquis ss, Count ss, Viscount ss, Baron ss, and Knight ss. By the way, this was the index that existed as a setting in the game; it roughly expressed the fighting power of the demon.

    ¡°The enemy is probably a Count ss.¡±

    ¡°How does Master know?¡±

    Tiera asked Schnee who conjectured the enemy¡¯s rank.

    Even if Tiera knew the existence of demons as knowledge, she couldn¡¯t predict like Schnee did.

    ¡°It¡¯s a simple method of elimination. In case of Marquis ss and above, it¡¯s plenty enough to destroy the country in a surprise attack, without even the need to transpose the second princess. When ites to Baron ss and below, there is no intelligence to think about that far ahead in time. Its level is high to some extent, but it¡¯s reasonable to think it¡¯s a Count ss.¡±

    ¡°I see. By the way, what is the level estimation?¡±

    ¡°Right, I guess it¡¯s about low 300s , to high 400s.¡±

    ¡®If the Princess dies at the Sacred ce, then it¡¯s beneficial for them. Even if she doesn¡¯t, they achieve their purpose by taking advantage of the confusion.¡¯ Tiera thought, while receiving such an exnation from Schnee.

    ¡°The level of that ss is somewhere in the middle¡­I mean, um, Master? I¡¯m still no good to fight against it, even if it¡¯s half of the lowest level.¡±

    Unlike chosen ones with high fighting power, it was impossible for her. Except to get killed by fighting an opponent whose level difference was more than 200. Even if Kagerou was with her, it didn¡¯t mean her fighting power increased.

    ¡°No problem, because we¡¯ll only observe this time.¡±

    ¡°Observe¡­¡±

    ¡®Should I be pleased that there¡¯s no need to fight? Or should I be amazed with Master who says such a thing?¡¯

    ¡®Something was strange either way¡¯, Tiera thought, as her eyebrows furrowed.

    Aloof from Tiera¡¯s worries, Schnee continued walking towards the castle.

    Because Tiera heard that the Princess was forced to transpose, she thought that the castle would be in confusion. However, the guards didn¡¯t have the appearance of a panicked state.

    ¡°Master, we don¡¯t have permits, will we be all right?¡±

    ¡°No problem, because we won¡¯t use the gate to begin with.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    A question mark floated from Tiera at Schnee¡¯s words.

    Schnee then advanced towards the direction where it was different from the gate.

    Though Tiera didn¡¯t understand Schnee¡¯s intention either, she followed her for the time being. Schnee, who walked along the wall for a while, the moment there were no people in the area, she activated a magic skill.

    ¡°¡¾Hiding¡¿¡±

    The figures of the two people disappeared with the effect.

    Coupled with the bonus effect of Kunoichi, which was Schnee¡¯s main job, they would only be discovered in extreme circumstances.

    ¡°My appearance is concealed¡­Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡±

    ¡°You are correct. Hold on a little, because we are going to jump.¡±

    Saying so, Schnee held Tiera in her arms and kicked-off the ground.

    ¡°Eek!¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    Without crushing the ground, Schnee and Tiera appeared to fly up gently.

    However, Tiera¡¯s scream was forcibly halted from the sudden wind pressure. Though no one would hear it even if she screamed due to the effect of ¡¾Hiding¡¿, if possible she wanted some time to be prepared.

    ¡°One step is not enough after all, huh?¡±

    Besides Tiera who thought about these kind of things, Schnee calmly calcted the distance to the top of the wall.

    Because she jumped while holding Tiera, she wouldn¡¯t have arrived at the top if she kept going as is. Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, she put her feet on the wall and kicked with her strength.

    Movement system martial arts skill ¡¾Wall Run¡¿. With a fixed number of steps, it was a skill that let one run vertically on a wall temporarily when invoked and maintain the foothold.

    From that one step, Schnee soundlessly ran up the wall.

    ¡°Master, didn¡¯t you make a strange jump just now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a skill that can make foothold on a wall. It¡¯s very convenient.¡±

    ¡°I-I see¡­¡±

    From Tiera¡¯s point of view, who often hadbat training, she wondered ¡®will there ever be an opportunity to use a wall as a foothold like that?¡¯ She expected that it was rted to a job.

    When Tiera asked about Schnee¡¯s job before, she received a single phrase: ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± instead.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go down. It¡¯s dangerous if you don¡¯t hang on.¡±

    Regardless of what Tiera thought, Schnee jumped into the air without faltering.

    ¡°Ah, ye-AAAAH!¡±

    Tiera screamed from the sudden fall, but Schnee didn¡¯t mind for the time being. Schnee often did this type of fall together with Shin.

    Though she jumped off from about the height of an average building, Schneended soundlessly, just like when she got on the wall. After she lowered Tiera, Schnee began to walk with silent footsteps right away.

    To Tiera who was kneeling on the ground, holding her chest, and was out of breath, the next words that came out from Schnee mercilessly pierced her.

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to sneak into the castle.¡±

    ¡°Ye-Yes¡­¡±

    While recalling her past days of Spartan training, Tiera obediently followed after Schnee.

    (Even if Shin returned, Master is still Master¡­)

    Schnee waspletely ignorant of Tiera who thought about such a thing.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Now, Schnee and Tiera stepped inside the castle. However, their appearances were not to move sneakily like someone suspicious. In fact, they acted in a very bold way.

    They entered the castle¡¯s front gate after a little walking from the wall, and advanced through the passage where the knights and civil officers were going back and forth. They were moving as if they were in a totally open in.

    ¡°Um, where are we going, Master?¡±

    ¡°To the prison cell. I¡¯m going to remove the abnormal statuses on Cardinal Greyl.¡±

    ¡°Well, um, don¡¯t we need to defeat the said demon before?¡±

    ¡°No problem. I already caught it.¡±

    ¡°Master is too amazing¡­¡±

    While talking with Schnee who answered indifferently, Tiera thought, ¡®Demon, it¡¯s over for you.¡¯

    There were certainly soldiers who were on patrol and on guard duty. However, there was no one powerful enough that could see through Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Hiding¡¿, and Schnee assumed that there was no need to patrol inside a castle in broad daylight.

    ¡®It was too easy,¡¯ thought Tiera who knew of Schnee¡¯s capabilities, but she held back her question about whether if it was all right to have advanced so easily like this.

    Even the demon wouldn¡¯t expect this kind of development.

    And then¨D¨D.

    ¡°We have arrived¡­¡±

    After a several minutes, they arrived at the front door that lead to the prison cell without any incident.

    Guarding the sturdy door were two muscr knights. However, when Schnee approached, they leaned their backs against the wall and sat down, as if they lost their strength.

    It was the non-chanting magic skill, Sleep. After taking the key from the guards who havepletely fallen asleep, Schnee opened the door that led to the prison cell.

    You couldn¡¯t say that the prison cell was clean. Even though it was in the royal castle, it had the appearance close to a cave. Each one of the jails were spacious, it was possible to amodate about ten humans brought together.

    Schnee had detected 2 presences within her perceptive range. One of them was the demon and the other belonged to Cardinal Greyl. She headed straight towards the cell because that was where the demon¡¯s presence was.

    In the prison cell, except Schnee andpany, there were only two presences. Even though the room was quite spacious, only the Cardinal was amodated there.

    After leaving Yuzuha to Tiera and put her on standby, Schnee approached the Cardinal and showed herself. Then, a loud voice from Cardinal Greyl asked for her identity.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Cardinal Greyl.¡±

    ¡°!? T-That voice, perhaps you are Raizar-dono? Why are you here?¡±

    Perplexity was mixed in with Cardinal Greyl¡¯s voice.

    Even the Cardinal heard about the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°You are affected by Charm and Confusion, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­You know?¡±

    ¡°I heard you transposed the person who was regarded as an upper ss Chosen One and the Second Princess to the Sacred ce.¡±

    ¡°As expected from Raizar-dono, you have quick ears. When did it begin? I have little memory of it. I was arrested by Gadras when I recovered my consciousness, and came to be this state. Even if I try to remember it, no matter how many times, only fragmented and vague memories appear.¡±

    Cardinal Greyl frowned in a regretful way; Schnee felt he was a size smaller than the time when he was part of the Armed Struggle Faction. It was likely he felt responsible for the events that urred.

    ¡°That¡¯s the harmful effect when you get two of the mind interference, you know? I came here to remove Charm and Confusion from youpletely. Please be at ease. The two people who were transposed are safe.¡±

    The Cardinal suddenly lifted his head.

    ¡°What! Is that the truth!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s trustworthy information.¡±

    ¡°I thank you for your concern. Having driven people indispensable to the country, the royal family and a Chosen One, to death, you could say I was very worried.¡±

    ¡°It probably won¡¯t take long until they return. Now, since your worries have disappeared, shall I remove the abnormal states?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s frightening that I don¡¯t know when I will lose my sanity. Please do so.¡±

    The truth was it¡¯s already dispelled, but Schnee told him so to make him feel relieved.

    When mind interference group magic skills became a taboo, the knowledge of the recovery method was also lost.

    Schnee was going to use an abnormality state recovery magic skill on the weakened Cardinal Greyl.

    However, before she could activated the skill, a shadow came flying towards Schnee.

    ¡°You finally came out, huh?¡±

    Schnee quickly took out a ninja katana,¡ºLazuline me¡», and turned her gaze toward the shadow that flew in.

    Before her, there was a monster which had a strange appearance.

    The lower half of its body had two different legs: one leg resembled that of a cow and the other was human. An exoskeleton simr to insects covered the being from its chest to its buttocks. The left arm had a pair of crab pincers and a mantis sickle. The right arm on the other hand, had five tentacles, all of which had thorns protruding the tips. Its head was probably an anglerfish. With a fish face that extended horizontally, the demon seemed to hadpound eyes.

    It was like a chimera created with evil intention. That figure, which could only be called revolting, were characteristic traits of the Count ss.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºCount ss Demon   Magunumuku   Level  423¡»

    With Schnee¡¯s¡¾Analyze¡¿, the enemy¡¯s information was disclosed. The rank was what she expected. The only difference was it had ¡°Magunumuku¡± as an individual name.

    ¡°It has a name. I see, so that¡¯s why it possesses such intelligence, huh?¡±

    Some demons, apart from the rank, have their own name.

    It could be said that there were the demon¡¯s version of unique monsters. It wasmonly known to be strong, simr to other unique monsters. In an indirect way, its high intelligence seemed toe from it being unique monster.

    ¡°Silver hair. Blue eyes. Elf. You are Schneee¡­Raizaa¡­huh?¡±

    Did it have a problem with its vocal chords? It seemed to have a distorted out of pitch voice that echoed in the basement.

    ¡°It¡¯s been about 500 years since I¡¯ve met your kind. Though I haven¡¯t seen a figure since the natural disaster, it¡¯s still a weird appearance as always.¡±

    ¡°You all are annoying. You fellows are always a nuisance.¡±

    ¡°Naturally, swish!!¡±

    The voice of Magunumuku was erased by a Ting sound that reverberated underground, and blue sparks lit up the dark prison cell momentarily.

    As it weaved through the darkness, the thorn that lengthened from the tip of the tentacles wereunched at Schnee, but she knocked it down in time. The iron bars of the prison cell were already in pieces by Schnee¡¯s movement.

    Whoosh

    Pincers and a sickle attacked Schnee who moved to protect Cardinal Greyl.

    Schnee caught the 3 lethal weapons that concentrated an attack on her ¡ºLazuline me¡». With the katana de pushed by the Count ss, which featured high muscr strength, blue sparks scattered from the ¡ºLazuline me¡».

    Tentacles approached from Schnee¡¯s right side, which couldn¡¯t move. There were five of them and Schnee¡¯s ¡ºLazuline me¡» was suppressed by the pincers and sickle from Magunumuku.

    ¡®Caught you¡¯, Magunumuku thought, but just then a blue trace ran through the base of its tentacles.

    Gaaahh!?

    The screaming Magunumuku took distance from Schnee.

    Thepound eyes of Magunumuku caught the dagger, ¡ºScarlet me¡», in its view in Schnee¡¯s left hand, and confirmed that it had stopped the ¡ºLazuline me¡» with its pincers and sickle.

    Magunumuku couldn¡¯t prevent its tentacles from being freely cut by ¡ºLazuline me¡», as it was not possible to react to Schnee¡¯s simple but quick movements. Even if the tentacles were able to withstand blows from a greatsword, it couldn¡¯t endure the de which carried a mysterious shine.

    ¡°Guu! Annoying! Why are you protecting a human!?¡±

    ¡°He is an innocent person, I cannot let him die with such a false usation. Besides, I cannot let you guys do whatever you please. To do so would tarnish Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s record.¡±

    ¡°Tsuki no Hokora. The ce of the High Human, huh?¡±

    Mugunumuku, who heard the name Tsuki no Hokora, withdrew back one step and straightened its posture.

    Its cut off tentacles regenerated from the part of its base.

    ¡°High Human, these fellows also killed many of myrades. However, that¡¯s alreadyover.¡±

    ¡°Over?¡±

    ¡°They have abandoned this world, and many of the warriors left. Humans that remained, degraded as they progressed.¡±

    ¡°Well, I never thought to be told such a story by a demon.¡±

    Though Count ss demons were not smart to that extent, when it came to those owning a name, it seemed able to understand the society of the human race.

    ¡°Human era is facing the end. Schneee Raizaa. Be ourrade.¡±

    ¡°Is this the lead in to said story? When I think about whatever you said¨D¨D¨D¨D It¡¯s impossible.¡±

    Magunumuku¡¯s invitation was declined by Schnee without any hesitation. Such a thing was not worthy to be considered.

    Magunumuku, which heard Schnee¡¯s answer, bent its without-a-neck-body skillfully, and had a posture that looked puzzled. It appeared to not understand the reason Schnee refused.

    ¡°Schneee Raizaa. You were left by your master, why did you refuse us?¡±

    ¡°¡­Wait.¡±

    In the middle of a trifling conversation, Schnee had to estimate the timing of attack, and her pretty eyebrows twitched to the words originating from Magunumuku.

    ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    The air had frozen. Everyone in that room felt the illusion that the temperature inside the prison cell fell below freezing.

    At this time, only Tiera felt the furs of Yuzuha and Kagerou suddenly bristling up.

    ¡°Your master has left you behind. These fellows have gone long ago. They will no longer return.¡±

    As for Magunumuku, did it not feel the severe cold given off by Schnee? It wouldn¡¯t stop talking.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it hateful? I won¡¯t abandon you. Isn¡¯t it annoying? Just rely on that power.¡±

    Magunumuku kept stacking up words in a crooked voice to Schnee, who was silent.

    The distorted sound, which was simr to the noise from the abyss, invaded and surged toward Schnee¡¯s ears.

    That was the skillset of Charm and Confusion that had manipted Cardinal Greyl. The double mind contamination extended its evil hand towards Schnee.

    However¨D¨D

    ¡°Indeed, you all are still not aware of it after all.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice had somewhat a translucent feeling in it, filling the dark wet prison cell and purifying it.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°If it was the former me, I would surely be angry. I may have relied on feelings and fought.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s expression changedpletely into a calm one from some time ago.

    Magunumuku couldn¡¯t understand why it didn¡¯t feel negative emotions.

    ¡°The timing was bad for you.¡±

    Schnee, in the next moment after saying so, moved both of her hands that they became blurry, and her weapons¡ºLazuline me¡»and ¡ºScarlet me¡»became shes that prated through Magunumuku.

    Gaahhh!?

    Magunumuku couldn¡¯t even react to the overwhelming speed of Schnee.

    The des pierced through the demon¡¯s right chest and left side belly; its power and sharpness caused Magunumuku to be sewn on the wall of the prison cell.

    There, Schnee approached him in a rxed manner. Her movement was not in the least fast.

    ¡°This degree of¨D¨D¡±

    Its words didn¡¯t continue to the end.

    With its view declining diagonally, the figure that projected there, especially the blue shining line, made a strong impression in Magunumuku¡¯s mind.

    Magunumuku had its head severed. However, it didn¡¯t cease breathing immediately because of its tough vitality. Therefore, it was able to recognize the ninja katana that gave off a bizarre air that Schnee held in her hand.

    (That weapon, don¡¯t tell me, ¡ºBlue Moon¡»? Absurd, that impossi¡­)

    Its thought also broke off there.

    Magunumuku¡¯s view turned blue for an instant, and this time, it ceased breathing after recognizing the ninja katana.

    ¡°If now, I don¡¯t feel like losing to an Element Tail.¡±

    Schnee muttered, while feeling the power flow from ¡ºBlue Moon¡».

    ¡°Raizar-dono. What in the world was that monster just now¡­?¡±

    Cardinal Greyl confirmed that the demon had vanished, and turned toward Schnee.

    Before his eyes, an expression of astonishment appeared on his face.

    ¡°The one I defeated just now was the monster called a demon. The one that was manipting you. Though you should be able to understand what you saw, there is not much known about it because it was a unique monster.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a demon¡­I have read the Church¡¯s documents. It¡¯s humanity¡¯s enemy and is born from miasma.¡±

    The demon, which hadn¡¯t appeared for a very long time, started making its move.

    This, may be an advanced warning that something different from the current would happen.

    ¡°The abnormal state that affected you has been dispelled. Because I have to tell the King, let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ¡°Ah, what should I say to express my gratitude? I will repay this kindness by all means.¡±

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t get worked up too much. Now, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Schnee winked at Tiera and the rest who were hiding, and began to walk.

    Tiera, who was under a ¡¾Hiding¡¿ state, was holding Yuzuha, followed the two people. By the way, Kagerou was hidden inside her shadow the whole time.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Schnee and Cardinal Greyl headed straight to the King¡¯s room. Because Schnee stopped hiding her appearance, people who passed her gave a surprised expression and lowered their heads, which looked impressive to Tiera.

    Was the story transmitted to the top brass? A guide came from the King¡¯s bodyguard unit in the midway and led them. It was boisterous inside the castle, probably because the information rted to the series of events were not transmitted urately. As for the guide being dispatched, it was because some of the capable leaders had no choice but to make a move.

    ¡°This is the office of the King. Please wait for a little bit.¡±

    Saying so, the guide¡¯s soldier knocked on the door, and conveyed Schnee¡¯s visit.

    Schnee already grasped who was inside the room, and when the door opened, she calmly entered. Cardinal Greyl was urged to go inside, too. Tiera and the rest secretly slipped into the room.

    There were three people in the office.

    King of the Bayreuth Kingdom, Jeon Courtade Bayreuth.

    First princess of Bayreuth Kingdom, Efilia Lou Bayreuth.

    Knight¡¯s leader of Bayreuth Kingdom, Gadras Jarre.

    The color of tension could be perceived on the three people¡¯s expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time. I need to talk with all of you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Raizar-dono. I¡¯m sorry for meeting you like this. I heard that Tsuki no Hokora had disappeared, and my mind became dismayed, you know?¡±

    ¡°I seemed to have caused you worry. However, Tsuki no Hokora and I are safe. Please rest assured.¡±

    Jeon had heard the report of Schnee being alive and well. However, having met her, moreover obtained the information of Tsuki no Hokora was safe from her directly, he felt relieved.

    ¡°Raizar-sama. That is Cardinal Greyl, shouldn¡¯t he have been put into the prison cell?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I would like to talk regarding that.¡±

    To Efilia¡¯s question, Schnee exined to them about the existence of demons and how they were behind the scenes of controlling the cardinal.

    ¡°Demons¡­It¡¯s written in the history book. The enemy of mankind. For such a thing to make a move¡­¡±

    ¡°They have mind interference skills, which are considered a taboo. What a troublesome bunch.¡±

    Listening to Schnee¡¯s story, Jeon and Gadras groaned with a grave expression.

    Because they knew Cardinal Greyl was a person who didn¡¯t neglect self-training, they seemed to fully realize the nuisances of the mind interference system skills that manipted him.

    Efilia anxiously looked at Schnee.

    ¡°With my magic skills, can I oppose them?¡±

    ¡°Even without magic system skills, there are skills that weakens the mind interference. I will hand you the Secret Book, please spread it around as much as possible.¡±

    Up until now, such a skill was hardly needed.

    However, when the thought of enemies that relied heavily on mind interference skills, like demons, increased, Schnee handed over the¡ºSecret Book¡»of support system magic skill to Efilia. Though it was a useless item depending on level differences, she thought it was better than doing nothing.

    ¡°Also, the two people who were transposed are also safe.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that the truth?!¡±

    ¡°What a relief¡­¡±

    ¡°Though princess and Shin-dono are said to be upper ss Chosen Ones, I thought they wouldn¡¯t die easily, no, I¡¯m d, very d.¡±

    Jeon, Efilia and Gadras looked like they were relieved to hear the safety of Rionne and Shin.

    ¡°As for Cardinal Greyl, he has not been affected by mind interference either. Therefore, I came with him to go here.¡±

    ¡°This time I have troubled you all.¡±

    ¡°No, as Raizar-dono said, it was because you received mind interference; it would be the same if it was us. I would like Cardinal Greyl to serve as a mediator with the church as always.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir, I promise to give more effort.¡±

    The cardinal bowed his head to the King.

    Because he was not the cause of the event, there was no significant punishment.

    ¡°First of all, we need to manage the information. When people of the castle are confused, they be uneasy.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Raizar-dono, what will you do after this?¡±

    ¡°There is a ce I must go. Excuse me.¡±

    Schnee bowed and turned back.

    Though it was extremely rude toward a King, no one said anything because it was Schnee.

    Jeon, as usual, already turned his head and gave instructions to Gadras.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°What will we do from now on, Master?¡±

    ¡°We are heading toward the fort city Balmel. Because when Shin and Rionne escape from the Sacred ce, they will be going there.¡±

    After buying food in town, Schnee and Tiera appeared outside the ramparts.

    Since Shin had the wagon, they were going to head on foot from here. Schnee and Yuzuha moved by themselves, but Tiera rode on Kagerou¡¯s back, which transformed to just the right size.

    Like the blowing winds, Schnee and the rest ran through the road.

    With¡¾Hiding¡¿still in effect, and due to the running speed that was iparable with horses, the merchants and adventurers passing by were gued with the sudden gust¨D¨D¨D.

    ¡°Master~! It¡¯s fast! Too fast!¡±

    ¡°G-Gruu¡­¡±

    asionally, they heard such voices too.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Going back in time, immediately after Shin and Rionne were transferred to Sacred ce Kalkia.

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°I was able to contact and convey the message to mypanions. They will meet us at Balmel and will contact me if somethinges up. I asked them to inform the king that the princess is safe for now, but please don¡¯t expect too much.¡±

    Shin thought about what to do next, while telling Rionne; although it was quite different from his actual conversation with Schnee.

    Though he wanted to explore the Sacred ce, it would certainly be bad if he took Rionne with him, so he decided to make escaping a top priority and exploration as a bonus.

    Even though Rionne was said to be an upper ss Chosen One, if the rumored monsters¡¯ information were correct, she would be in danger if Shin didn¡¯t guard her.

    ¡°Rionne-sama, do you know anything about the Sacred ce?¡±

    ¡°No, this is also my first time inside, but I have heard stories about the monsters that woulde out, and that it would take several upper ss Chosen Ones¡¯ everything to deal with them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s simr to the information I know. In any case, I will need a weapon, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s impossible without a weapon. Is it a blessing in disguise that I have this?¡±

    Rionne said and took out ¡ºMuspelm¡»from the case she held in hand.

    Was this because Rionne had a weapon that could bear all of her energy? Though she was transposed to the danger zone, there was no grim facial expression from her.

    Since the case became useless baggage under the current situation, she decided to leave it behind. Because ¡ºMuspelm¡» was currently sheathed in what was thought to be a custom-designed scabbard, she didn¡¯t need to carry it exposed.

    ¡°I am good, but what about you, Shin? There may be no handy weapons lying around¡­¡±

    Rionne, who was equipped with ¡ºMuspelm¡», muttered as she looked at Shin.

    However, Shin didn¡¯t panic. If what he needed was a weapon, he had more than he could possibly use and had exnations for having them prepared.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, because I have this.¡±

    Shin said and took out a piece of a card from his chest pocket and materialized it.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­?!¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t I said it before? I have one or two trumps card concealed.¡±

    Shinughed a bit proudly towards the surprised Rionne.

    What Shin was holding was something that could be misinterpreted as a weak, elliptic-shaped, ttened bar. The katana without-brim had a thickened portion part of the de, which also best describes its shape.

    Its length was about one and a half mel and was fully ck in color. Designs like Sanskrit characters were drawn in red on its t part. Though it had the appearance of a sword, because the weapon was of the heavyweight ss like a mace or a long staff, it was mainly for smashing, not cutting, duringbat.

    This weapon, which seemed to havepletely opposite attributespared to ¡ºMuspelm¡», was an average ¡¶Mythology¡· grade, named ¡ºKakura¡». The reason why it had a ck appearance was because most of it was made of adamantine. There was a little amount of orichalcum in its core, and mithril was used for the Sanskrit characters; as a result, it could deal with the opponent¡¯s magical and physical attacks.

    ¡°Even though I thought that you were no ordinary person, when you concealed such a thing¡­¡±

    ¡°I went through many hardships to obtain it, so please keep it a secret if possible.¡±

    Shin confirmed his senses by taking a swing of ¡ºKakura¡», which was enveloped by a red aura.

    By contrast with its thin appearance, because the material was adamantine, its weight was as heavy as Rionne¡¯s ¡ºMuspelm¡». The gust of wind conveyed the weight of a single swing.

    ¡°I just wanted to ask one thing, where do the Sacred ce investigation teams enter? I have a feeling that they exit over there.¡±

    ¡°Among the gates are four cardinal directions, they enter through the southern gate; of course, it won¡¯t be so easy to pass by.¡±

    ¡°Is it difficult to climb the surrounding walls?¡±

    ¡°Ah, there was one person who tried it once. It¡¯s fine to do it from the outside, but when you try from the inside, monsters seem to only target you. Evasion is also difficult once noticed.¡±

    From the ce where Shin and Rionne were, walls that surrounded Kalkia were seen.

    Even if one climbed the wall which, by the way, was higher than Bayreuth¡¯s, and did so without any hindrances, it would probably still take a considerable amount of time.

    It would take even more time while on the lookout for monsters.

    (But if I get serious, it¡¯s possible to do it¡­)

    Though Shin could do it, his ability may be known to Rionne, and it was a simple matter to escape for the two people.

    The technique ofbining martial arts and magic skills to run up the wall quickly was a rtively popr technique in a battle between yers. If he forcibly used the technique little by little, he may be able to do it with just either one of the skills alone. However, ording to what he heard from Rionne¡¯s story, that technique must have been lost too.

    ¡°Well then, Shin, let¡¯s advance cautiously.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The two people moved toward the south gate while observing their surroundings for presences.

    Because Kalkia was a city from the game era, Shin thought he could restore the map; however, against his expectations, when he tried there were no significant changes. Still, the map seemed to have been drawn from scratch again.

    While watching the presences of monsters, they moved along and jumped onto a roof, and Shin felt his view was distorted.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shin found himself standing on the ground before he knew it.

    He intended to jump onto the roof above, but the sensation that transmitted to his feet certainly came through the ground.

    ¡°Shin, you felt the same thing too?¡±

    When Shin turned around, Rionne stood there with a simr perplexed expression.

    ¡°Wait a minute. Let me try it again just to make sure.¡±

    Saying so, Shin kicked-off the ground a little stronger.

    As usual, he only put enough strength so that he could just jump over the roof of the building. However, nothing happened.

    ¡°Is this a transition point?¡±

    It was possible to jump to a certain extent. However, when one reached above the height of a certain level, the body that should be jumping upnded on the ground.

    ¡°Rionne-sama, how did I look to you?¡±

    For confirmation, Shin asked Rionne.

    ¡°You certainly jumped, there¡¯s no doubt about it. However, there, when you reached the height just above the roof of the 1st floor, your figure, which should have been heading up, disappeared, and you appeared on the ground in the next moment.¡±

    While Rionne pointed at the roof of a certain building in front of Shin, she exined how she saw him.

    ¡°I see¡­If we assume that that will happen every time we try to ascend above a certain height, it means that it is blocked.¡±

    Shin concluded.

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a phenomenon. Shin, do you know anything?¡±

    ¡°I think that I have some idea of what¡¯s going on. Can we move continue along the road as is to confirm my hypothesis?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, so I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    Shin moved through the readjusted boundary of the main street.

    In the middle of the street, they finally stopped in front of a narrow alley that could barely fit two people.

    ¡°Rionne-sama, I will enter the alleyway now, please wait here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    After saying a few words to Rionne, Shin walked into the alley.

    In the following moment, when Shin¡¯s whole body entered the passage, his vision became distorted, and a different scene of the alley came into view.

    In Rionne¡¯s eyes, just like what happened to Shin a while ago, Shin seemed to return from the alley unnaturally.

    ¡°What on earth is this¡­?¡±

    Rionne looked at Shin with a puzzled expression.

    Although it happened in front of her eyes, she seemingly couldn¡¯t make any sense of it.

    ¡°This one too, huh?¡±

    ¡°Shin, can you please exin what is going on? Something is strange with today¡¯s events.¡±

    Rionne asked Shin, who looked like he understood what was going on.

    ¡°Sorry, I just want to confirm onest time, because I think I can be sure after this one, could you please wait a little?¡±

    ¡°Muu! If you have to, then it can¡¯t be helped. Also, what is it that you want to confirm?¡±

    Rionne asked as she pressed Shin ahead.

    ¡°When we get on this road, there should be a glowing sphere floating. Because you can¡¯t move forward if you go off the road, please take note of it.¡±

    Shin told Rionne the details and began to walk.

    Rionne too followed him, while looking closely at her surroundings.

    ¡°Rionne-sama, I saw it. It¡¯s there.¡±

    ¡°¡­Indeed, it¡¯s as you say, a sphere of light.¡±

    The way ahead, also in the center of the road, was a floating sphere with a diameter of about 30 cemels, which emitted a white light.

    The brightness was not very strong; one would not be blinded even if they looked straight at it.

    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no mistake about it. Somehow this whole city seems to have be a dungeon.¡±

    ¡°WAIT, WHAT?!¡±

    Rionne heard Shin¡¯s exnation, but raised her voice in surprise.

    Though the features for the city were lost because of the roaming monsters, it was once a ce known to be full of prosperity. When she heard that it be a dungeon, it couldn¡¯t be helped that she was surprised.

    ¡°But, what should we do now? I¡¯ve never heard of a town bing a dungeon before.¡±

    ¡°Even though I say ¡®dungeon¡¯, please don¡¯t worry, because it¡¯s different from a general one.¡±

    Shin talked calmly to Rionne who frowned and pondered.

    Shin actually knew this whole dungeon-making thing well.

    ¡°Please exin it to me, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Sure. What I¡¯m saying is, In the current situation, we can only reach the exit if we go along a specific route.¡±

    ¡°Specific route? Then, the reason for us not being able to move above the roof and the alley¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s because it deviates from the specific route. If you try taking shortcuts that greatly deviate from the route, you return to your original location. In order to escape, we must advance following this shining sphere as a marker.¡±

    Shin had remembered that immediately after a massive update, a time-attack race was held using the entire city.

    In the city that newly appeared in the update, there were no yers¡¯ shops, guild bases and so on. So, in the case of an event using a whole city which was thought to be impossible, was implemented at this opportunity; a time-attack race.

    With the center of the city as the entrance, yerspeted in a time trial to escape from there. The yers and parties with the shortest time got a limited edition rare item distributed from the event; therefore, Shin had seen this sphere before.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember registering in this race though.¡±

    Shin continued talking in a small mutter that was not audible to Rionne.

    ¡°Because there are no traps installed on the route, if we find the sphere while killing monsters, we should be able to escape without any trouble.¡±

    Monsters would emerge and would match the stats of the yers.

    ¡¾Limit¡¿ couldn¡¯t be released during an event, and decreased stats were applied. In addition, the course became longer if the stats were high; it was the overview of the time-attack race that Shin knew.

    Instead of the race deciding on stats or learned techniques, the race was decided upon the escape routes that were randomly generated and differed in length.

    (It¡¯s possible to release ¡¾Limit¡¿ now, but will it be different from the event in the game? No¡­, to begin with, there is a possibility I cannot interfere with the stats because the game became a reality, right?)

    Because this world itself was mysterious, Shin couldn¡¯t be certain, but then, not everything should act ording to the game scenarios.

    ¡°I see, is there a time limit? When exploring the ancient ruins and the dungeon, I heard that there were such things.¡±

    ¡°No, there should not be.¡±

    It was an event which one could clear even if one took their time.

    The goal was topete for the quickest time to escape. ording to Shin¡¯s knowledge, there was no particr penalty in the case of being slow.

    ¡°Shin, though it may seem bad when I say it this way, I feel lucky to be teleported with you. Thanks to you, I did not have to make any effort in trying to solve this riddle.¡±

    Rionne said while smiling wryly.

    If Rionne was actually alone, it was certain that she would waste time before she understood the situation.

    ¡°Then, Shin, let¡¯s go look for the lightsphere. Tell me if there¡¯s a ce that differs from your knowledge. This is a Sacred ce, I don¡¯t know what can happen.¡±

    ¡°Understood. As for this sphere, it bes the transition point to the next route. First, I will be transposed ahead. I will return immediately if there is nothing, so please standby.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Hearing Rionne¡¯s answer, Shin touched the sphere.

    His surrounding scenery suddenly changed in an instant, and Shin was in a different ce than a moment ago. When he checked the map, the distance between him and Rionne was not that far. It was the distance of less than five minutes if walking normally.

    ¡°This is the part of the race where it gets unpleasant.¡±

    Shin sighed, as he recalled the race that he had experienced before. He returned to Rionne right away.

    ¡°It¡¯s safe for transposing. Now then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to leave you in a dangerous position.¡±

    ¡°I cannot afford to let you, the princess, to be in my position. Besides, there are groups of monsters ahead at the transposing point. If it were just me, I could only run away.¡±

    Shin, on the contrary, could easily crush the enemies ahead.

    If he was in a ce where he wouldn¡¯t be seen, Shin would instantly kill any monster that was there without hesitating.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for etiquette here. Let¡¯s both survive and leave together.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    In response to Rionne¡¯s words, which were full of determination, Shin returned a big nod.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    With Shin as the lead, the two people walked down the street.

    During the time-attack race, it was basically impossible to move forward except through the main street. There were exceptions, such as hidden passage-like alleys and shortcuts, but it dependedpletely on luck whether or not they were found.

    Unless they were in a very desperate situation and aimed for reversal, it only cost time to look for such a thing. Rionne was also looking for such alleys at first, but with Shin¡¯s advice, she went ahead through the main street obediently.

    In a ce where they approached a crossroad, Shin looked back at Rionne.

    ¡°Rionne-sama, let¡¯s go straight from here.¡±

    ¡°Did you find something?¡±

    ¡°There are three monsters on the left, one on the right. Because there is nothing up front, we should go there first. If it¡¯s no good, we go to the right. Even if the left is the correct path, there will be a series of battles. I think we should avoid battle as much as possible.¡±

    In Shin¡¯s perception range, there were already several presences of monsters.

    Because he could narrow down the range to value uracy, he was able to see their names and levels.

    On the left side, there was a level 602 wolf type monster ¡°Blue-Mist Hound¡±, a scorpion type monster level 544, ¡°Spoerk¡±, and three level 588 slime type monsters, ¡°Gily¡±.

    He could see that it was a three-way battle from the movement of the markers. It would probably be hard for Rionne to jump in there.

    In the opposite direction, there was a ghost type monster level 531, Ghillie Wize.

    It was a troublesome monster that uses some advanced level magic skills, but with Shin¡¯s ¡ºKakura¡» and Rionne¡¯s ¡ºMuspelm¡», they had more than enough to deal effective damage to it. Even with Rionne¡¯s fighting ability alone, going right was the easiest fight. There was no problem even if she were to be directly hit by magic skills if Shin became her shield.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, there are only two of us. We should avoid the fights that are likely to be disadvantageous.¡±

    Rionne seemed to believe Shin¡¯s story, and stepped straight forward.

    However, the view for the two people became distorted after they walked for about five minutes. It was iprehensible because it was in the middle of the main street, and the left and right shops changed simrly to a moment ago.

    ¡°It seems to be no good here.¡±

    ¡°It looks like it. No choice but to return.¡±

    Since they could not proceed forward, as they agreed beforehand, they returned and instead turned left.

    Shin caught the monster¡¯s appearance in his view after moving for a while.

    ¡°It¡¯s here. It¡¯s still the only monster, and there¡¯s no other presences of monsters nearby.¡±

    Before the two people was a figure of a mummy, which wore a mist-like ck robe and had a twisted, warped-shaped staff.

    Only the head and arms resembled the figure of a mummy, neither the legs nor upper body were there. It was a monster that fell into heresy; its own body had turned into mist. Its name was Ghillie Wize.

    In fact, by looking at it alone, the mummy that appeared had no physical substances for its head and arms either. It could be said that normal weapons couldn¡¯t deal proper damage; it was a mage type monster which could resist physical attacks.

    ¡°What¡­ is that?!¡±

    ¡°A ghost type monster, Ghillie Wize. It can use earth and wind magic. Though it seems to hold a staff, because the staff is floating, it¡¯s movements are irregr. Please be careful.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the advice!¡±

    Shin gave important info to Rionne while running.

    If a person saw this creature for the first time, they may have thought that it was holding a staff, and they would have received severe damage from the flying stick, as they would not be able to perceive any movement from the monster.

    ¡°Suuuooooooooooooonyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!¡±

    Its voice reverberated, not knowing where it came from.

    It was the magic chants of Ghillie Wize.

    ¡°It¡¯sing!¡±

    Almost at the same time as the Ghillie Wize finished chanting, Shin shouted.

    What it released was a wind system magic skill, ¡¾Air Barret¡¿ and ¡¾Air Cutter¡¿. Bullets ofpressed wind and des of sharp wind swooped down on Rionne and Shin. Though both magics were elementary level, the number of attacks were no match for an ordinary mage.

    ¡°This degree!!!¡±

    Rionne closed the distance while lightly evading the barrage of winds from Ghillie Wize.

    Sparing no effort to disy her strengthened physical ability by the support system martial arts skill ¡¾Spirit Maniption ? Katsusen¡¿, she continued dodging the wind magic which should be difficult to see.

    Shin too, closed the gap in the same manner as Rionne, approaching the Ghillie Wize. However, if one looked closely, the magic shots actually vanished when they neared Shin. With the magic resistance from the said High Human¡¯s abnormality, the magic couldn¡¯t maintain its form. Judging from mage types such as Ghillie Wize, the existence of Shin had a thoroughly badpatibility.

    ¡°Ziiii!!?¡±

    That surprised voice originated from the Ghillie Wize.

    Apparently it had noticed that the magic around Shin had disappeared.

    While moving with a speed matching Rionne¡¯s, Shin had a grin andugh that could only be seen by the Ghillie Wize.

    ¡°Uhh!!?¡±

    The word that came out, did it mean, ¡°Crap!!?¡± if it was said by a human?

    It may have realized that its magic didn¡¯t work. The mummy¡¯s face, which should have had no expression, appeared to twitch.

    The approaching figure of Shin, who was a little behind than Rionne, must have appeared as the devil in the Ghillie Wize¡¯s eyes. It¡¯s being more cautious toward Shin rather than Rionne who was holding a holy sword that should be its weakness, was the best evidence of it.

    ¡°BeeeeJaaaaaaaaaa!!¡±

    With a cry, arge mass of magic power developed around the Ghillie Wize.

    It was charging the wind system magic skill ¡¾Storm st¡¿ and earth system magic skill¡¾Dragoon Bite¡¿. With a tornado that exceeded the height of the Ghillie Wize, and a huge y jaw modeled from a dragon, the skill ¡¾Air Barret¡¿ flew wildly, pushing the two attackers.

    ¡°Damn it! Is this the power of a monster in the Sacred ce?¡±

    Even Rionne seemed to be rmed by this.

    Putting strength into the hand holding ¡ºMuspelm¡», she was going to activate some kind of skill. However, Shin interrupted there.

    ¡°Leave it to me here! Rionne-sama, you deal blows on that fellow!¡±

    ¡°Okay, you can count on me!¡±

    Rionne canceled the skill she was going to invoke, and umted more power into her arm.

    Though it was quite dangerous if Shin failed, Rionne didn¡¯t think that Shin would make a mistake. Even if she only knew a little about his ability, she didn¡¯t doubt Shin¡¯s so called trump card, ¡ºKakura¡».

    Shin stepped forth strongly by one step while a pair of advanced level magics drew nearer. These magic skills were unleashed with the Ghillie Wize¡¯s whole power. However, the magic already lost its power due to Shin¡¯s magic resistance; in fact, the magic was on the verge of dispersing.

    ¡°Here I go~!!¡±

    Shin used a side sweep towards the magic, which would disappear if blown apart.

    Contradictory with its appearance, in front of ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s brandish, which carried a considerable amount of mass, was able to erase the magic that approached the two people so easily that it was basically disappointing. The Ghillie Wize too, never thought that it would be easily broken there.

    Seeing Shin and Rionne charging through unscathed, the Ghillie Wize¡¯s movement already stoppedpletely. Rionne, who never overlooked such opportunities quickly took advantage.

    ¡°Got you!!¡±

    Rionne mightily jumped up from behind Shin and rotated once in the air.

    Releasing the umted power, she invoked the fencing technique system martial arts¡¾Full Moon Edge¡¿. With centrifugal force added to the mass of ¡ºMuspelm¡», she struck the increasingly white radiant de against the Ghillie Wize.

    ¡°Dyyyyyyyyyyyyyy©`©`?!!¡±

    The shing attack pierced the robe diagonally and blew off one-third of what the Ghillie Wize wasposed of, and cut off the arm that held the staff.

    The cut off arm then vanished into thin air. Even though it was said to be disembodied, it couldn¡¯t avoid damage if so much of its body got blown off. All the more was true since the attack had a light attribute to it, which was its weak point.

    The staff that should have been floating around was also lying on the ground now. The Ghillie Wize screamed at the substantial damage it received, but its suffering hadn¡¯t ended yet. This is because, charging towards the Ghillie Wize that had received so much damage and had started to retreat; was Shin.

    Shin was grinning andughing again.

    It¡¯s needless to say that the Ghillie Wize saw Shin, who had a brutal smile, as the devil.

    ¡°Hiiiii!?¡±

    Did it have intelligence? The Ghillie Wize started to desperately take distance, as it no longer raised the ¡°Hiiii!?¡± voice.

    However, it was not possible to escape from Shin¡¯s pursuit.

    ¡°Time to put an end to this fellow!!¡±

    Shin jumped and swung downwards, on the Ghillie Wize which fell due to damage.

    It was the mallet technique system martial arts skill ¡¾Fission¡¿ that enveloped ¡ºKakura¡». Because of the very few martial arts skills that could cause damage to disembodied monsters, the already strong ¡ºKakura¡» was powered up even more.

    ¡°orz¡­¡±

    Ghillie Wize uttered at its final moment as a single blow came from sky; although, what it muttered was a meaning even itself didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°It¡¯s unexpectedly an easy win.¡±

    Rionne seemed to feel satisfied, for the battle that ended after only a few minutes.

    ¡°It may be because its weak point is the light attribute bestowed on ¡ºMuspelm¡». Added with its high quality, somehow even with only us, two upper ss Chosen Ones, we were able to defeat it. It¡¯s usually not so easy.¡±

    Because Shin was troubled that it was strange to be thinking optimistically, he gave a firm reminder.

    Perhaps, if his weapon was an iron bar or sword borrowed from the ruins, it hardly would have gone in this direction. Though Ghillie Wize was brought down very easily, if its opponents were ordinary soldiers, it had the ability to destroy approximately a small country on its own. It just had a bad matchup this time.

    ¡°I get it. Anyway, my level didn¡¯t go up even when I defeated a unique Skull Face, but this time it did. While it may be true that the battle was easy, I never thought it was weak.¡±

    Apparently, Rionne¡¯s level had gone up.

    The opponent was close to her rank in this case. For such, she earned enough experience points to level up.

    ¡°Moreover, I also acquired some kind of title.¡±

    ¡°Title?¡±

    ¡®Titles are obtained through battles and leveling up¡¯, Shin thought as he recalled the things that corresponded to the current battle.

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s disyed as ¡®Natural Enemy of Magic Users¡¯.¡±

    ¡®Natural Enemy of Magic Users¡¯ was a title that was obtained by defeating a monster without using magic, and without receiving any magic damage when fighting against an opponent who uses advanced level magic skills. There was an effect of decreasing the damage of magic skills by 2 percent.

    ¡°Oh, I see¡­but is it okay to tell me that? This kind of thing should be kept a secret, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to you that I obtained this, Shin. Besides, you will not spread such a thing around, will you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Before he knew it, Rionne¡¯s reliability on Shin seemed to have risen.

    Was it because they both fought together?

    ¡°Still, from your appearance, you seem to know the effect of the title, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Well, what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°A while ago, you said ¡°I see¡±, didn¡¯t you?¡¯

    He seemed to have been exposed from his answer.

    Because he had a hunch that it would be bad if he knew in detail, he didn¡¯t answer affirmatively. On that subject, Shin recalled that ¡®titles are rarer than skills¡¯.

    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t remember it.¡±

    ¡°Are you a noble?¡­¡±

    Rionne gave out a little disgusted feeling; the nobles in this world seemed to have said simr things, too.

    When rted to politics, these types of lines seemed to bemon anywhere.

    ¡°Fufu, but I¡¯m more interested in you suddenly. However, it¡¯s an emergency now. I will question youter on. Then, I will go ahead.¡±

    Did something tug on Rionne¡¯s heartstrings? She began to run away with a smallugh.

    Her eyes felt like a hunter who found their prey.

    ¡°¡­Roger that.¡±

    ¡®I would be rather thankful if you forgot that,¡¯ Shin thought while following Rionne.

    When he escaped from the Sacred ce, Shin had a premonition that a troublesome thing like this woulde back when he returned.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Shin, how many monsters are within your perception range?¡±

    ¡°Besides the other three that I mentioned earlier, there are more than 20 in total. From what I know, most of them supposedly don¡¯t make big movements, but we can¡¯t be careless because some of them tend to disregard this trend too.¡±

    Shin answered to Rionne, while searching for the white sphere to make sure that this was the correct route.

    ¡°It would be nice if the rest of the way goes as smoothly as it has been so far.¡±

    ¡°That, I agree with you.¡±

    It was his honest, true feeling.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    While repeatedly being transposed for several times, Shin noticed something.

    After the battle against Ghillie Wize, the route was gradually approaching the center of Kalkia.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is something funny?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I think we are moving away from the gate.¡±

    The route waspletely random. There was a behavioral pattern in which a person could transition near the gate in one go.

    Were there any requirements that had to be fulfilled during the race to reach the gate? Or was it that the race¡¯s goal was to reach the center? Shin didn¡¯t know, but since it was a one-way route, they would eventually return to the gate even if they came close to the center.

    ¡°Indeed. Well, this area in the Sacred ce is uncharted territory, so it¡¯s a good chance to unravel such a ce¡­¡±

    ¡°Although life is more important than information,¡± Rionne continued and as she followed behind Shin.

    When they passed through the street after being transposed some time ago, they used the shade of a wall and the tree that grew in the garden of a residential building to conceal themselves from the wandering monsters.

    Such a small technique was possible; although the alleyway couldn¡¯t be used.

    Fortunately, they were notcking hiding ces thanks to a house that hadn¡¯t yet copsed.

    The monsters¡¯ blind spots were exploited, as they went behind buildings, garden fences, and asionally went against the direction of the route.

    However, there were some monsters that noticed them because some of the monsters had a perception ability that didn¡¯t rely on sight, but instead sound or heat.

    (It¡¯s hard not being able to use skills thoughtlessly¡­Hiding!)

    Shin activated the skill, without Rionne noticing. It was a non-system skill which fell under magic skills, ¡¾Hiding¡¿.

    Though its effect was lower than the ¡¾Hiding¡¿ of support system martial arts skills, it could conceal presences, sound, etc. to a number of people like a party within a fixed range. It was useful using this skill too, as they wouldn¡¯t be discovered by snake or bat type monsters.

    ¡®However, it is difficult as I can¡¯t use the skill with all of my strength,¡¯ Shin thought once again.

    Even for an upper ss Chosen One, dozens of them didn¡¯t have the skill either when he asked Schnee about it.

    He didn¡¯t worry about it at that time, but when being with a person like Rionne, it was not done easily.

    Even under normal circumstances, she was interested in him because he was knowledgeable in weapons and titles. If various skills of martial arts or magic that he was able to use were discovered, what kind of questioning would await?

    (Why is it whening to a different world, I have limited y?)

    ¡®If the members Schnee, Tiera, and Wilhelm were here, it wouldn¡¯t be a pain in the ass like this,¡¯ Shin thought while running.

    It was a considerably high pace, but as expected from a Chosen One, Rionne didn¡¯t have a shortness of breath and so on. Then, after transposing repeatedly several times; just when Shin thought, ¡®can we reach the gate without any troubles?¡¯ a formidable enemy appeared.

    ¡°¡­Is that Gily?¡±

    It was a different individual thatposed 3-way battles some time ago.

    With a level of 684, that Gily was the highest level among what he saw in Kalkia. It was not a good opponent to be in conflict with as it had random movement and had no regrity.

    Weren¡¯t the small-fry enemies that came out in the beginning of the game slimes? This was a monster that could be ssified as a formidable boss character.

    The most troublesome thing about this Gily was that the monster had exceptionally high fighting power for a slime.

    Was it because its gel-like shape was irregr? Almost all physical attacks were ineffective. Furthermore, its body stretched out like a tentacle and struck in the same way as a whip. It thrust like a spear, wrapping around to capture its target, and did so until the attacks broke the opponent¡¯s battle formation.

    In addition to the body fluids that secreted from Gily¡¯s body, it also had an effect of reducing the durability of weapons and armor. It was known to be a typical time-consuming monster, so the battle was prolonged even longer.

    Even if its appearance was about 4 mels of semi-transparent water and steamed bun-like, one should never be careless.

    ¡°Slime, huh? But if it¡¯s only huge then there¡¯s no problem. Let¡¯s not stand still, but breakthrough in one go.¡±

    ¡°Ahh!? Hey hey, Rionne, don¡¯t go there!!?¡±

    However, apparently Rionne recognized that the said slime was a small-fry and didn¡¯t stay still.

    Did she not hear Shin¡¯s panicky voice that said to restrain herself? She went for the endgame as she closed the distance in one breath by using her strength as an upper ss Chosen One.

    ¡°*Hmph*!! ¨D¨DGuah!? What on earth is this?!¡±

    Rionne, who swung down ¡ºMuspelm¡» at Gily, stopped moving when the bizarre reaction urred.

    If Gily was simr to any ordinary slime, it definitely would be defeated if she could destroy its core. However, it couldn¡¯t be easily done as Shin examined the situation. The opponent was a monster whose level exceeded 600. It was not so naive as to overlook the chance of Rionne stopping.

    Gily immediately moved to counterattack. Did it think that she was not a strong opponent? Rionne¡¯s limbs were restrained by the body that stretched out like tentacles.

    Moreover, Rionne was not able to react to the unexpected speed.

    ¡°Good grief, I told you so!¡±

    The sounds of Rionne¡¯s protective gears dissolving by the Gily¡¯s body fluid was heard.

    Since he couldn¡¯t just leave her as she was now, Shin approached the slime brandishing his ¡ºKakura¡».

    ¡ºKakura¡» had a d in mallet technique system martial arts skill ¡¾Sandstorm Burst¡¿¨D¨DA single blow of ¡ºKakura¡» was dyed in a brown aura, and blew away the tentacles that had caught Rionne.

    Shin¡¯s current stats were quite restricted, but he somehow managed to deal damage to Gily.

    Nevertheless, Gily didn¡¯t appear to have the physical resistance of its main body as the tentacles became thinner. ¡¾Sandstorm Burst¡¿ was effective against opponents who had high physical defense, so it may have been a good idea to use it.

    ¡°We will fall back so don¡¯t move for a moment!¡±

    The liberated Rionne was held with one hand by Shin, who jumped back.

    With Shin¡¯s leg power, they were able to escape from Gily¡¯s attack range in one jump. Tentacles of Gily pierced the ce where Shin was before just one breathter.

    The road they were on used a orichalchum mixture for the pavement. Only the strength of a rampaging middle ss Dragon could crack it.

    Even so, the tentacles of Gily had easily pierced the pavement.

    ¡°It prated through the orichalcum pavement¡­¡±

    If it¡¯s Shin¡¯s armor strength, there was no problem receiving any number of attacks, even on his own body. However, knowing the hardness of the pavement, his face was stiff instinctively.

    Even though there was no damage, Shin unleashed a single blow and blew out the tentacles. Did the Giy judge him as a threat? Unlike when it was against Rionne, the Gily didn¡¯t go easy.

    ¡°Shin, what is that? Is it really a slime?!¡±

    ¡°Calm down first, I¡¯ll exin it to you. That is Gily, a monster that is strong at resisting physical attacks. Never confuse that with small-fry slimes from the grassy ins.¡±

    Because it would be a problem if Gily charged again, Shin exined briefly what kind of opponent it was to Rionne.

    It was indeed troublesome if he plunged into the enemy who didn¡¯t match his power.

    ¡°¡­Sorry, it was careless of me. Even though we are in the Sacred ce.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s inevitable if you only know about ordinary slimes. Gily has a gentle-looking appearance; however, be it shing or striking, it¡¯s a troublesome opponent since half-hearted attacks are reduced to nothing and have no effect.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it pierced through its body. For my weapon to really be repelled.¡±

    Even though it was a sh without any skill, the attack of ¡ºMuspelm¡»was repelled.

    Looking at Rionne, who nodded seriously, Shin, who for now felt relieved, thought ¡®Is this alright?¡¯.

    While Rionne was ring at Gily and preparing ¡ºMuspelm¡», Shin thought about the n. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to separate from Gily, as it was a high defense but low agility opponent.

    If there was a problem, it lied in its tracking ability.

    The monsters who didn¡¯t rely on their five senses could perceive many things such as the opponent¡¯s magic or presence and could pursue them.

    Among them, slimes were especially good with this ability. Even if they thought they seeded in escaping, there were many cases where it actually followed them.

    In many ces, leaving it alone would lead to more danger. It seemed better to defeat it, Shin concluded.

    ¡°This fellow has a considerably high sensing ability. Because we¡¯ve already been targeted, it will chase us for a long time even if we escape. I think I¡¯ll defeat it here, how¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t object for my future¡¯s sake, but can you break through that defense, Shin?¡±

    Rionne, who had experienced the firmness of the slime firsthand, had her eyes seem doubtful toward Shin.

    The story would have been different if the attribute bestowed upon ¡ºMuspelm¡»was me or thunder, but it couldn¡¯t be helped that she said that. Light attributes tended to be very effective against monsters such as undead and ghosts, but it were not very effective towards other monsters.

    In other words, since Rionne¡¯s attack was only a physical attack with light attribute, it was ineffective towards Gily.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got few tricks up my sleeve. I can clear the way to the core, so please destroy the core with your strongest skill. Since the core itself is quite fragile, it should be good to go.¡±

    Generally, monsters with cores were vulnerable to direct attacks on it. It was especially noticeable on the slime group.

    It was said that it was the result of bnce adjustments for having high defensive power except for the core. So, if given the chance, Shin judged that there would be no problem if it was Rionne¡¯s skill and her weapon¡¯s ability to break the core.

    ¡°Shin¡¯s trump card huh? All right then. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    As if there was no uneasiness, Rionne faced towards the Gily.

    ¡ºMuspelm¡»was carried on her shoulder and was ready to step up at any time. Rionne would¡¯ve been knocked down by Gily if Shin wasn¡¯t there¨D¨DNo, she would have been devoured. The binding force of the tentacles seemed tough at Rionne, who resisted desperately. It was frightening just remembering it.

    However, with such a strong binding, Shin blew it away with only a single blow, which was why she said she would leave it to Shin.

    ¡®It would be a disgrace as a woman if I didn¡¯t go,¡¯ Rionne thought and let her entire body be filled with power; at the same time, she got rid of idle thoughts from her consciousness.

    This world¡¯s mental improvement enhances precision and the power of skills. The original power increased a little, regardless of skills and arts.

    Rionne, while waiting for Shin¡¯s signal, prepared the skill that she would unleash.

    ¡°I have to meet his expectations.¡±

    Shin took out a card. A blue me-like pattern was drawn on the surface.

    ¡°¡¾re Burst¡¿ release!¡±

    Simultaneously with the shout, Shin pointed the card toward Gily.

    Then as the card tore itself apart, a sphere with a diameter of about 30 cemels appeared.

    In the following moment, a heat ray around 1 mel was discharged from the sphere.

    The sphere was blue on the outside and white in the center, and charged through the air aiming at Gily¡¯s core.

    Did it determine that it couldn¡¯t dodge the attack? The Gily expand its volume size as the ¡¾re Burst¡¿ hit it directly.

    There, the heat ray pierced through while scorching the air.

    ¡°¨D¨D!!? ¨D¨D!!!¡±

    Though the Gily desperately withstood it, its body had low resistance to magic by nature from the start. Even if the strengthening by level was taken into ount, it wasn¡¯t able to endure the ¡¾re Burst¡¿.

    When the bluish-white heat ray went off, the figure of Gily could be seen with a portion of its body vaporized in the line of fire.

    The heat ray didn¡¯t destroy the core, but it was left half exposed.

    It may be because a quarter or more of its original volume vanished at once, and the Gily didn¡¯t move immediately after receiving the heat ray.

    ¡°Now!¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!!¡±

    Without missing the opportunity, Rionne, who reacted to Shin¡¯s voice, prepared to use ¡ºMuspelm¡» and dashed toward Gily right away.

    Rionne was surprised of the ¡¾re Burst¡¿¡¯s power, but since she had to focus on defeating the enemy, she left that thought in the corner of her mind.

    With the increased concentration, Rionne¡¯s ability was perfectly demonstrated.

    As of now, she arrived at the front of Gily quickly, leaving her afterimage as she swung down the ¡ºMuspelm¡», and the core was cut in two with little resistance.

    ¡°!!?¡±

    Once the weak point of Gily was cut right in half, its gel body shook, and its life was ended.

    Afterwards, the jewels broke into two and dropped on the ground along with a gel substance.

    ¡°Let¡¯s collect the jewels and leave quickly. Other monsters are approaching as they noticed the battle noises.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Please lead the way.¡±

    The jewels, which rolled over the ground, were picked up while running. The two people ran at full speed on the supposed correct route.

    ¡°By the way Shin, yournguage has seemed quite friendly since a while ago.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Rionne pointed out as if she just remembered and Shin looked at her with a distorted expression.

    His face had ¡°Oops!¡± clearly written there. Ever since he warned Rionne, who had jumped out recklessly in the spur of the moment towards Gily, he had been talking like that without change.

    ¡°I wonder if the wall between us disappeared a little, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Ah no, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just, when in battle, my wording bes rough.¡±

    ¡°Mu! I don¡¯t mind it as is. This is a situation where we must entrust each other¡¯s lives. It¡¯s difficult to cooperate if you¡¯re strangely humbled.¡±

    ¡°Even if you say so, I can¡¯t just talk like this after all¡­¡±

    In Shin¡¯s mind, in a society where a privileged ss such as the royal family and nobles exist, amoner and the like shouldn¡¯t be talking to them over-familiarly.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. This is the Sacred ce, you know? Anything trivial can cause death. From being modest some time ago, the consequences of it may dy me a bit. If I am killed by my own mistake, then that¡¯s what I deserve. However, if you are put in danger because of my mistake, I¡¯ll not be able to live with it, so dying is not an option. At this time, let¡¯s leave out the strange modesty from each other. You can drop the formalities and just call me Rionne.¡±

    ¡°Well, um¡­¡±

    Though it was about the problem of wording, before he knew it, it became a serious matter between life or death.

    As for the matter of Gily, Shin didn¡¯t mean to be especially reserved toward Rionne, but she seemed to interpret so. Still, when ites to the matter of life or death, he couldn¡¯t decline it without special reason. Before he was aware, it was difficult to continue keeping a distance in that type of atmosphere.

    ¡°¡­Got it. However, I think we should give priority to the royal family in this case, no?¡±

    ¡°Though what you said is also a fair argument, even if only I was left alone, the probability of safely escaping is not high. It¡¯s more meaningful for both of us to be alive. Again, don¡¯t be reserved from now on.¡±

    Words of reluctance didn¡¯te to Shin¡¯s mind; he epted Rionne¡¯s condition unwillingly.

    The frowned Shin and the joyfully smiling Rionne were indeed opposite.

    ¡°This is only temporary until we escape.¡±

    ¡°Mu! Well, there¡¯s no other way.¡±

    He also didn¡¯t forget to make it clear, ¡°I¡¯ll do it since there¡¯s no one here¡±.

    ¡°¡­Then let me say this while I have the opportunity.¡±

    Because she was slightly annoying, Shin decided tounch a little counterattack.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them. In various ways.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Did she not understand what Shin was talking about? Rionne looked puzzled.

    ¡°Have you look at yourself after being caught by Gily?¡±

    ¡°Caught? ¨D¨DKyaAH!!¡±

    Rionne, who checked her own appearance after Shin¡¯s words, raised a cute voice and crouched down on the spot.

    In addition to the equipment that was caught by Gily, she finally noticed that it melted her clothes too. Frankly speaking, there were almost no safe ces.

    Most of her arms and legs were bared, hotpants and so on in a very dangerous state. Only a portion of her body was safe. It was probably thanks to the double equipment of armor that consisted of dragon¡¯s leather and a jacket. It seemed to have prevented her clothes from meltingpletely.

    Although there were holes here and there, given that Rionne was a woman, she had hardly shown it to other people.

    The body fluids of Gily, which had durability reduction effects, seemed to aplish its duty well to thest minute.

    Was it because it was the body fluids of some fantasy creature? It may be a fortunate blessing in disguise that the skin had no injury. However, Shin was worried about the voice Rionne raised.

    ¡°Kyaah?¡±

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t look at me.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, sorry¡­for the time being, put this on.¡±

    The figure of Rionne, which may have been visible and invisible, was very tempting for eyes.

    This was embarrassing for Rionne too it seemed, as she was blushing and huddling herself up. Because it couldn¡¯t be helped, Shin let Rionne put on the jacket he wore.

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s enter the house over there. It¡¯s bad to stay still here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    While Rionne, who was out of order and suddenly became meek, Shin pointed at a rtively decent abandoned house nearby.

    Though there were no monsters around, it was better than being outside. Even though it was in the middle of a time-attack race, they were able to enter the isted house.

    Just in case, Shin activated ¡¾Barrier¡¿ without Rionne noticing. Then, an item card was taken out from his chest pocket. Of course, it was actually from the Item Box.

    ¡°First of all, change into this. It should be better than what you currently have on.¡±

    The item card was materialized, and presented out to Rionne.

    It was the equipment items which had been stored in the Item Box. Because he couldn¡¯t hand over powerful things, the equipment¡¯s rank was low, but since it was strengthened by Shin, it was several times more powerful than those of which were sold in the market, without exception.

    What he handed over was a shirt made of rockworm thread, a  jacket that used the skin of a ck buffalo, and a pair of pants that was made of orb-weaving spider string. As for the appearance, it was a simple in white shirt, a light brown jacket, and ck pants.

    ¡°Thank you, do you always have this with you, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much. There¡¯s a saying, save for a rainy day, save for a time of need, at the ce where I¡¯m from.¡±

    Shin said.  Just in case Rionne didn¡¯t understand the saying, he made sure to say his hometown.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good expression. Still, to possess so many item cards¡­¡±

    ¡°Acquaintances¡­Wait, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t mean to tell you any information about this. It¡¯s sort of an agreement.¡±

    Instead of taking all the responsibility, Shin hinted it as if he obtained it from a personal connection.

    ¡°I got it. Not all Chosen Ones are Item Box carriers. I don¡¯t think of trying to pry into you thoughtlessly. It¡¯s just enviable, I think.¡±

    Every item skill were no matchpared to the usefulness of an Item Box.

    Its carrying capacity was very useful in many fields such as business and military affairs. Rionne was in a preferable direction, since she wasn¡¯t persistent.

    ¡°By the way, Shin, though it¡¯s a little rude to ask, I wonder if there are a bit morefortable clothes that I can borrow?¡±

    ¡°Oh, was it torn anywhere?¡±

    ¡°Well, no? It¡¯s a bit tight.¡±

    ¡°Tight? ¡­Ah.¡±

    When Shin pondered over Rionne¡¯s words, he noticed the meaning behind those words.

    The size of the equipment which Shin handed to Rionne was fitted to Shin¡¯s physique. Because a size adjustment function was not included in low-grade equipment, he deliberately disabled the function so he wasn¡¯t suspected.

    However, a problem appeared as the result. Mainly on the chest measurement.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, what are you looking at?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing.¡±

    Shin had nced at Rionne¡¯s chest, which seemed to be able to burst out of her shirt at any moment because she buttoned up forcibly.

    Furthermore, the bottom half of her chest was pushed up. The top half was left open, so now there was a deep cleavage to look down into. In the case of general mass production of clothes, it may be in the right size until there. However, this time, what Rionne wore was equipment that matched with Shin¡¯s physique.

    The size adjustment function was adjusted along the line of the body, so Shin, who was ssified as a thin man, had no need for room at the chest at all.

    The shirt may have been no problem if it was an average sized shirt, but when a pair of hills that were bigger than the average like Rionne¡¯s, there was not enough to hold it in various ways. Additionally, the length of the sleeves were too long; even the joints of her fingers were covered. Her appearance was sensational, in a different meaning than from a while ago. Rather than it bing shabby equipment, it became cool to see, but only the fingers were outside the long sleeve.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but the sizes of the clothes are helpless.¡±

    ¡°Muu! There¡¯s no choice, huh?¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t have the intention to tell the truth at the moment, so he decided to say it was helpless.

    The reason was by no means a delight for his eyes if she stayed as is.

    ¡°Putting that aside, what was that a while ago?¡±

    ¡°That?¡±

    ¡°When you suddenly went ¡°KyaAH!?¡± before.¡±

    ¡°Wha!? Such a shameless appearance has been seen! I guess it¡¯s not possible to stay dignified.

    Rionne protested, but there was no intimidating feeling while her face was dyed in red.

    ¡°Is being shy is amon thing?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a way of speaking when I got mixed up in something.¡±

    Rionne, who heard Shin¡¯s remark, scowled at him lightly.

    ¡°Well, because there¡¯s an image that ady¡¯s maid helps to change the clothes of royal families and nobles, I thought you were fine even if you are seen.¡±

    Because there were such scenes in manga and novels he read before, Shin thought that Rionne would also be so.

    ¡°Having ady¡¯s maid to help change my clothes and having been seen by a man in an improper appearance¨C there¡¯s no way that it¡¯s the same!¡±

    ¡°You say so but don¡¯t you usually notice when your clothes are in tatters that much? I thought it was certainly so, because you were so dignified to that extent.¡±

    ¡°I was focusing on the fight!¡±

    From the slime¡¯s strength to the power of Shin¡¯s card ¡¾re Burst¡¿, she should have had enough to be surprised at; even if her clothes came offpletely, it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    ¡°Also, I am a woman. I can scream too.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that, what I want to say is that you are not feminine. Until now, you had a different image. Look, you don¡¯t feel scared when you fought against Ghillie Wize, right? Therefore you are not really simr to my impression of you.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know Rionne that much. However, from her attitude until now, the impression of her was dignified was strong.

    ¡°¡­I have no need to keep up appearances. This tone is my personality. I¡¯m aware that it¡¯s hard to say it¡¯s charming as a woman. I¡¯m a woman whose job is to fight.¡±

    ¡°No wait! Why are you being so down for? If you said you¡¯re not attractive, you will make all the women in the world your enemy!¡±

    Because the story deviated towards a strange direction, in order to change the mood, Shin spoke the lines he heard somewhere.

    Of course, that was reality.

    Though Shin has seen a lot of beautiful girls, it didn¡¯t feel unnatural to put Rionne along with beauties like Schnee and Tiera.

    Rionne was more than beautiful enough, though she didn¡¯t seem aware of it. From Shin¡¯s point of view, he couldn¡¯t understand why she became so servile.

    ¡°The ability as a warrior and being of royal lineage. There¡¯s not much I can boast about. Not only am I useless in political marriage, I¡¯m also powerless against enemy monsters.¡±

    ¡°You know, you have looked very down for a while now. What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    After they entered the house to take a rest, her thoughts were too negative.

    Shin understood that it was not the type of atmosphere tough or make fun of, as he tightened his expression himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s the fight just now. I couldn¡¯t even put a scratch.¡±

    Even though it could be said that she was the one that gave the final blow, it seemed to be caused by the fact that she wasn¡¯t able to do almost anything to Gily.

    ¡°I would say a while ago is the question ofpatibility. If you had known the physical attacks didn¡¯t work, it would have been a different battle.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly so. However, if a simr opponent appeared, there¡¯s nothing I could do. If it was only me alone, this time is¡­¡±

    Shin was worried about how to speak to Rionne, who was now discouraged.

    The problem that resulted in having the power of an upper ss Chosen One was that it was likely that she had never fought against such a difficult opponent. However, since they have to act together from now on, he couldn¡¯t leave her as is.

    ¡°¡­Hey Rionne, can¡¯t you use a magic skill? If you can use it, you can fight without being repelled.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not at my elder sister¡¯s level, but I can use several magic skills of elementary level. However, can that affect the enemy in some way or another?¡±

    ¡°Only the elementary levels are usable, huh? Well then¡­¡±

    It didn¡¯t mean there was nothing she could do about it. If physical attacks didn¡¯t work, one should go with the bestowed attribute instead of the physical attribute as the weapon.

    Magic and martial arts. If Rionne could use both skills, abination skill may be usable, and even if she couldn¡¯t use them, there was a little loophole path too.

    The problem was whether he should tell her or not.

    While Shin has encountered some things in this world, the people who could usebination skills were limited. Because of that, he didn¡¯t know howbination skills were treated in this world.

    Even a mere skill was valuable. Abination skill was unleashed using two or more skills, and it didn¡¯t appear to bemon.

    On this asion, he decided to ask it from Schnee.

    ¡°(Schnee, is it alright to talk now?)¡±

    ¡°(No problem. Is there anything you need?)¡±

    ¡°(I want to confirm something; nowadays, how arebination skills treated?)¡±

    ¡°(Combination skill, huh? I would say it¡¯s valuable, but it¡¯s not strange for a Chosen One to be able to use it. However, the number of people who can use it are quite limited.)¡±

    Shin briefly talked about the current situation, because he didn¡¯t have much time.

    Schnee, who guessed the situation, shared her knowledge about the skills. Living more than 500 years in this world, she covered all of the information to this degree.

    ¡°(If I¡¯m a Chosen One, is it alright to teach it?)¡±

    ¡°(I think it¡¯s alright. If you are an upper ss Chosen One, it isn¡¯t strange to have multiplebination skills.)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m saved)¡±

    Apparently, there was no problem.

    He had no doubt if it was information from Schnee, and decided to give advice to Rionne about the skills.

    Rionne herself was not a bad person, and she couldn¡¯t protect the country if she was left alone in this condition.

    ¡°Hey Rionne, may I ask which magic skills you can use?¡±

    ¡°Magic skills? I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    As a person who seemed to already know, they just started to get acquainted with each other.

    So to add one thing to another, Rionne gave away the skills¡¯ names. As for Shin, he explored thebination of Rionne¡¯s martial arts skills and the magic skills she had told him.

    However, as expected, she didn¡¯t have a clue about her skill, ¡¾Full Moon Edge¡¿, which was ssified as abination of elementary level magic skills and Ouden rank martial arts skills.

    Not only was its bnce bad, but also,bination skills that used elementary level magic were few in numbers.

    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it. I guess we¡¯re going with an imitation, huh?¡±

    ¡°Imitation?¡±

    Shin, who was lost in thought for a while, decided to teach a method of giving an attribute to a physical attack, although it wasn¡¯t abination skill.

    If he found out the information of other martial arts skills that Rionne could use, there might be some goodbinations too. However, he¡¯d like to stop the act of uncovering everything of the other party¡¯s skills.

    ¡°Just checking, but Rionne, you can¡¯t usebination skills¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, my magic skills haven¡¯t reached the level where they can¡¯t be used asbination skills. I tried many different ways though.¡±

    ¡°Then, have you tried this method?¡±

    Shin exined the method to bestow a false attribute.

    It was not a legitimate way, so its power was inevitably diminishedpared to the real thing, but it was still powerful enough.

    ¡°Can I really be able to go with that?¡±

    ¡°You will know once you try it. I also only knew about this by chance.¡±

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try it.¡±

    Rionne then activated the basis of me technique system magic skill ¡¾Fire¡¿.

    Thereupon, near the poised ¡ºMuspelm¡», a me about 30 cemels appeared. When she maintained the state as described by Shin, the me was gradually absorbed by ¡ºMuspelm¡», and its de turned red.

    ¡°Look!¡±

    The foot of the chair which Shin suddenly threw was cut off by¡ºMuspelm¡» without any resistance; it was like cutting tofu.

    The cut surface scorched; it was clearly understood that heat was added to the de. Although the proper support magic skill ¡¾Enchant Fire¡¿ somewhatcked thermal power whenpared tobination skills with me techniques, the effect of the bestowed attribute was still obvious. At least with this, it would be much better than the light attribute.

    ¡°What kind of state is this?¡±

    For Rionne, who couldn¡¯t use support andbination skills, she seemed unable toprehend the current phenomenon just yet.

    Since it was ced as an underhanded trick in the game era too, it was no wonder she didn¡¯t understand it.

    ¡°Well this, if I have to say, is ¡¾Imitation-type Fire¡¿. I don¡¯t know its formal name either. Please keep in mind it¡¯ll break low-grade weapons when it¡¯s applied there. At least ¡¶Legend¡· grade weapons are still needed, and overuse of this is strictly prohibited. Even without the application of personal skills, there are a lot of things that can be done with that.¡±

    ¡°¡­I understand it vaguely, but was it okay to teach me? This is an undiscovered technique, you know?¡±

    ¡°In this world, the strength of monsters exceeds humans. If such a technique spreads out, there will be fewer victims too. Are you unhappy or something?¡±

    ¡°Very unhappy. You¡¯re only giving it to me, aren¡¯t you Shin?¡±

    Rionne wasn¡¯t convinced at the immature soteriology.

    The application and the diversity of the technique that Shin taught, she probably had understood it urately.

    ¡°I tried and understood it, Shin. This can be applied to arts too. You may even use a low durability weapon if it¡¯s an arts, there are many usages besides battle as well. The value of this information is higher than a Geyl gold coin, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I understand it even without you making such a scary face, Rionne. Isn¡¯t it fine? You obtained so much valuable information. Shouldn¡¯t you be pleased as a royal family?¡±

    While calming Rionne who approached seriously, Shin told the reason.

    ¡°But, that is¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not convincing, huh? Then¨D¨D¡±

    Let¡¯s give her a good reason.

    ¡°Protect. I want to protect all the countries, people, and myself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the equivalent price,¡± Shin finished it while staring at Rionne.

    ¡°Shin, you¡­¡±

    Rionne thought there was a secret in Shin¡¯s speech, but she was at a loss for words.

    Rionne felt as if Shin waspletely making up excuses.

    ¨D¨DTherefore.

    (Crap! I said it like that to deceive her, but in fact, it wasn¡¯t so useful and was treated as a joke. When such a look of respect was directed at me, the sense of guilt is incredible!)

    Rionne wasn¡¯t aware of the things going on in Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°I¡¯ve epted your reasons, Shin. I¡¯ll put it to good use without fail!¡±

    Rionne, who didn¡¯t know the truth, firmly clenched her fists and expressed her determination.

    Something like eyes on fire could be felt from her.

    ¡°First of all, have you recovered?¡±

    ¡°You can count on me. The me a while ago is already gone!¡±

    ¡°Though this is a bad ce to disy your motivation as we will be avoiding battle, you know?¡±

    ¡°I will bear that in mind, whatever the circumstances may be. Please take care of me.¡±

    Though Shin was worried whether the revived Rionne would want to rush the race or not, as expected it didn¡¯t go to that extent.

    However, should one say ¡®as expected?¡¯ Her spirit was quite high.

    ¡°When I¡¯m together with Shin, it makes me think various stuff. I have thought that the talk about engagement is not bad either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve a fiancee. Give me a break!¡±

    He had a feeling that the distance between each other was gradually diminishing, and Shin couldn¡¯t settle down in the difficult situation.

    Though Rionne was a little surprised about how he had a fiancee, she didn¡¯t have the intention to uselessly talk further, and their travel went smoothly.

    On the way, when they reached the closest point to the heart of the city, Shin saw something like haze spread out in the center of the Sacred ce.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    The anxious Shin informed Rionne in a few words to see if it was possible to move to a better ce on the street and observe the central part using a skill.

    Since the central part of the city was slightly higher than the surroundings, they could see it without even without getting on a roof.

    Though there were ruins everywhere in the Sacred ce, only the building in the center remained intact. Shin also remembered it faintly because he often came there when the game had just begun.

    When he looked back at the haze again, for an instant, something seemed to move inside it.

    ¡°What? There¡¯s something there?¡±

    In order to ascertain its identity, Shin stared at it motionlessly.

    In several seconds, the moment when something began moving in the haze again, and Shin was assaulted by a sense that seemed to pull him into the haze.

    ¡°Uwah!?¡±

    He lost his bnce in the abrupt situation, but recovered quickly.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You suddenly raised your voice.¡±

    ¡°No, I had the feeling of being sucked in, but it¡¯s alright now.¡±

    At the moment he lost his bnce, when he looked again in the haze, he felt nothing in particr.

    If he said that it was because he was leaning forward too much and nearly fell because he was staring at one point for a long time, she would have been convinced.

    ¡°Shin, I don¡¯t feel anything though?¡±

    ¡°Just what on earth was that?¡±

    Will a simr thing happen? Although Shin watched the haze for a while, the sense he felt in the beginning didn¡¯te back in the end.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you wait. Now, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Is it alright? Aren¡¯t you interested, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯lle by again even if I don¡¯t go now. In this situation, I don¡¯t have any intentions to say anything more selfish.¡±

    With the princess, he couldn¡¯t investigate the dangerous Sacred ce thoughtlessly.

    Shin reaffirmed his priority, and both of them resumed their travel.

    Then, in the ce where they had transposed for more than three times, Shin and Rionne finally reached at the za that existed inside the southern gate.

    While being alert of their surroundings just in case, they moved to an alley path to leave the gate and there was nothing stopping them like the teleporting fiasco from before.

    ¡°Somehow we have reached the goal. There¡¯s no need to worry about the route anymore.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, with this we escaped atst.¡±

    If Rionne¡¯s story was true, the southern gate seemed to be the gate which was used when Sacred ce was investigated, so they decided to go toward it right away.

    ¡°That¡¯s the ce.¡±

    Before long, in front of Shin and Rionne, the southern gate of Kalkia revealed itself.

    A portion of it was hidden by buildings from the za space, but its appearance didn¡¯t change since the game era. It was a solid gate which had defense magic bestowed upon it.

    ¡°Wait a minute!¡­¡±

    Nevertheless, what leaked from Shin¡¯s mouth was a voice of disappointment.

    Because the side entrance was for pce guard usage, the door Rionne meant to go through was crushed and buried. The side entrance was more fragile than the main wall, so it was not strange for it to break. However, it was clear that it didn¡¯t copse naturally.

    ¡°I wonder if this is an idental attack to the side entrance by a fight between monsters?¡±

    ¡°There are some scars in addition to the side entrance, but it¡¯s still unknown with only this.¡±

    Visually on the surface of the side entrance, it was in a state like a cement was poured and hardened.

    Even if Shin gently tapped on it, only a feeling of a rigidness was returned. The surface was easy to blow off, but if it was firmly filled in on the inside; it would be the same for the walls. One could see it was hardened in a simr way, as the cement, which fortified the side entrance, was widely used in the surroundings.

    ¡°Now that it hase to this, we must climb up the gate; also¡­what is that?¡±

    When Shin just thought about climbing the gate forcibly as thest resort, he saw a strange thinge into view from the ordinary sky and spread out on the wall which enclosed the Sacred ce.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about this either.¡±

    Simrly, Rionne turned her attention to the sky muttered.

    ¡°Is it a barrier?¡±

    When Shin looked around, a dome shape covered the town, and a semi-transparent thin coat was being developed.

    Because it resembled the state when ¡¾Wall¡¿ and ¡¾Barrier¡¿were being erected, Shin predicted that it was some kind of barrier.

    In the game era, except during events, flying-type monsters couldn¡¯t enter the town. So in this world, it could be said that there was protection developed before their eyes.

    ¡°Shall I try a little experiment?¡±

    When Shin picked up a pebble which dropped at his feet, he threw it with all his might toward the sky.

    The stone, which was shot by the physical strength of an upper ss Chosen One, flew to the top of the wall without losing power and hit the thin coat. The result was slightly different from Shin¡¯s expectations when the electricity made a noise that sounded like a short-circuiting, *Crackle*, and the stone crumbled in an instant.

    While the stone was falling, it lost to air resistance and disintegrated in midair; it became sand and blew with the wind.

    ¡°Leaving from the top of the wall will be difficult.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not possible to touch that carelessly.¡±

    Rionne also agreed with Shin¡¯s opinion.

    Though it was uncertain how much electrical output the erected barrier had, there¡¯s no doubt it wouldn¡¯t end without someone getting burned.

    If Shin used all of his power, he may be able to break the barrier, but he couldn¡¯t do so in front of Rionne, so he decided to keep that as ast resort under the current situation.

    ¡°Can¡¯t we use other gates?¡±

    ¡°Only this ce was secured in case of an invasion. There are dangerous monsters, so I cannot afford to open the gate leisurely. Thinking about the unlikely event, this is the only ce. Besides, the side entrances from the other gates have probably copsed from the beginning due to the impact of natural disasters. It¡¯s a different story for a small animal, but there¡¯s no gap for a person to pass.¡±

    The findings of Sacred ces seemed to be shared among the countries; Rionne knew in details.

    ¡°Then, do I need to break through the site gate forcibly? Is there no other choice but to open the very gate itself?¡±

    The gate¡¯s opening and shutting mechanism was located inside the wall and the entrance was through the side entrance; it was said that the methods to open a gate were amon everywhere.

    Even if the part which leads to the outside has been destroyed, there was a possibility that the room with the opening and shutting mechanism was safe. Because they couldn¡¯t move in the southern gate because of the current state it was in, both of them decided to leave for the eastern gate.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­Strange.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? What it is?¡±

    Rionne asked about the words that she happened to overhear during their travel.

    ¡°Most of the monsters¡¯ presences have disappeared. I was going to choose the route with the fewest monsters if possible, but no matter how I look at it, there are no presences at all.¡±

    When Shin felt ufortable, he turned his attention to the map; there were already several monsters dwelling in the Sacred ce. That number was greatly reduced than the ones he had perceived when they were heading toward the southern gate and were being transposed.

    Although Ghillie Wize was defeated by Shin and Rionne, it should be no more than a ¡®pouring water on a hot stone¡¯ level.

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly strange, but it has be easier to travel in this way, so isn¡¯t it fine?¡±

    ¡°I hope so too, but because of the difference of information in various ways, I can¡¯t help but foretell something dangerous will happen after this.¡±

    Even if the side entrance of the southern gate was crushed as an ident, the top of the wall had a barrier to prevent anyone from escaping.

    The contact waspletely cut off from the outside world; it seemed to be trying to confine those who were inside.

    ¡°Then, all the more reason to escape quickly. Hurry up!¡±

    ¡°An enemy may appear suddenly. Don¡¯t let your guard down, Rionne.¡±

    It was only an unpleasant premonition, but there was no reason to waste time either; Shin and Rionne raised their running pace.

    As a better alternative to the shortcut of going on the roof, due to the dangers of being found by monsters and risks of  houses copsing, they advanced through the way along the wall obediently. In the process, Shin noticed certain things.

    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t the wall somewhat shining?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s seems so. I¡¯ve never seen such a phenomenon before.¡±

    At first he thought it was just his imagination, but now it was clearly shining; it was emitted from the wall which stood towering over the surroundings of their nk.

    Two colors, ice blue and emerald-green, flowed to the front of Shin and Rionne as they blended together.

    ¡°Hey¡­at this rate, I have a bad feeling about going straight.¡±

    ¡°I agree. However, there¡¯s no ce for us to escape to, right? If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s better to check what¡¯s going on, and then think of a way to countermeasure from there.

    ¡°The exit has been blocked. Even if we avoid danger here, there¡¯s no point,¡± Rionne said.

    ¡°It seems so, but I think most humans would want to avoid trouble, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Shin joked, as he failed to remember any information about the phenomenon that urred in front of them.

    If there was such a shy event, it should be caught somewhere in his memory. If there wasn¡¯t, it became a situation which was unknown during the game era.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, not. Well, look Shin!¡±

    Coming into the wryly smiling Rionne¡¯s view and Shin who was talking jokingly, the eastern gate was visible.

    Apparently, a torrent of light seemed to flow to the eastern gate from the north side.

    ¡°Did it gather in the gate? ¡­If it gets slightly nearer, it¡¯s better to hide ourselves and observe.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know whether the same thing happened in all gates and decided to stay here for safety.

    In front of the gate, the road where they ran along the wall and the main road merged and became a small za.

    Shin and Rionne entered an inn that was facing the street, and observed the gate from a window on the top floor.

    ¡°There¡¯s something like a huge ball.¡±

    A huge blue sphere appeared in front of the gate.

    By a rough estimate of 5 mels in diameter, luminous green asionally ran through on its surface. The mana that moved along the wall could also confirm that it was flowing into the sphere.

    ¡°Shin, is this change caused by that?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯ve never seen something like this, but it feels like the time when a monster is born, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    A monster spawned from mana in this world. Shin thought Rionne may have seen it, so he asked.

    ¡°No, when a monster is born from umting mana power, the scene is warped and takes the monster¡¯s form. Then, it appears by breaking out of the shell. As for a sphere like that, I¡¯ve never seen one.¡±

    ¡°If so, does it mean it¡¯s not an ordinary monster? Or is it not a monster to begin with?¡±

    While looking at the sphere, which was stationary, Shin thought, ¡®what is that sphere?¡¯

    On Shin¡¯s map, the sphere was disyed with a green marker. This represented neutrality.

    However, even if a marker was usually green, there were monsters which turned to red when a yer approached, which represented an enemy, so he couldn¡¯t rx his guard.

    ¡°For now, I should change to my original equipment. Rionne, here.¡±

    Shin changed his equipment with a shortcut function. It was the Dark King series which he wore during the duel against Girard.

    ck coat and trousers, red arm guards and leg guards, and a muffler with a red line like lightning bolt; Shin wore so much protective gear that not a scratch could be dealt if hit by a half-assed attack.

    Apart from that, Shin materialized a pair of gauntlets and handed it over to Rionne.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®Gauntlets of Moribito¡¯, it raises the resistance to magic and abnormality statuses for the equipped person. Its best effect is when the equipped person is about to receive a fatal blow, it¡¯ll be a sacrifice, but only once. I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future, so please equip it just in case.¡±

    ¡°Is this alright? It seems quite a valuable thing to me.¡±

    Rionne, while listening to Shin, turned her attention to the gauntlets.

    As for its appearance, the material used was orichalcum, although it was mostly silver in color and close to iron gauntlets. The red pattern on its surface was drawn with paint of mithril and scarletite ingot, which was dissolved by a special method. Self-repair was also possible if not destroyedpletely.

    Even though the gauntlets were ¡¶Legend¡· grade, it had been reinforced by Shin, so its strength was close to ¡¶Mythology¡· grade. High defensive powerbined with a sacrifice effect was demonstrated when the gauntlets were used as a shield during a critical moment.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright because I have these arm guards. Though, even my clothes are far sturdier than armor, I tend to be a puzzle a lot this time. I said it a while ago, ¡®save for a rainy day, save for a time of need¡¯.¡±

    Shin raised his crimson red arm guard equipment with both arms himself, and spoke to Rionne.

    That so-called Dark King¡¯s Arm Guards have the effect of preventing the skill with an effect such as trap and theft. Also, there is even the effect of reflecting back a portion of the damage; Gauntlets of Moribito¡¯s performance was not on a par with the arm guards.

    ¡°¡­Understood. I¡¯ll use it gratefully.¡±

    When Rionne put on the gauntlets, it shone slightly and its size changed to fit her hands.

    ¡°I was worried about the size, but this is really cool!¡±

    ¡°This is my treasured item, so return itter.¡±

    ¡°Got it. However, I feel like I¡¯m being protected by you somehow, Shin.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re joking¨D¨D and as we continue talking, there is movement within the sphere.¡±

    ¡°Are those cracks?¡±

    Urged by Shin, Rionne also turned her eyes to the sphere.

    The cracks on the surface of the sphere were spreading gradually, reminding the scene of an egg hatching.

    ¡°Indeed, I have a feeling that something will be born after this, Shin.¡±

    ¡°It looks like it. Besides, the wall that shone until a while ago is restored now. Maybe its duty has been finished.¡±

    Shin looked up at the wall.

    Was it a ce for the mana to pour into the sphere? The possible cause that he could think of was that the wall or the entire city was bing some kind of device.

    Shin didn¡¯t know of any existences that could do so such a feat. If this was in the game, it would be management and the GM, but if they still existed now, ¡°Return me to the original world quickly,¡± was what he would likely say.

    What was the meaning of this phenomenon in this case? When he thought about it, Shin suddenly felt the sense of being dragged into the center of the Sacred ce simrly to a while ago. Shin thought that this might be rted.

    ¡°¨D¨DShin, it came out!¡±

    ¡°It came, huh?¡­¡±

    There was movement in the sphere before his thoughts were being settled.

    When Shin returned his view towards the sphere, the cracks that were spreading little by little already had its whole surface covered. Light began to emit from several ces, and flickering ominous light informed them that some kind of existence was moving inside.

 Vol 4 Chapter 4.1: Chapter 4 Part 1

    Shin and Rionne shifted their gazes toward the sphere. About a minuteter, the globe finally reached its limit.

    ¡°KyuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡±

    A huge cry was raised together with the sound of something simr to ss cracking, and something broke out of the sphere.

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    Rionne appeared to have never seen the emerging monster.

    ¡°¡­Looks like a Gryphon.¡±

    ¡°Gryphon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a monster that usually inhabits the forest or hignds.¡±

    While Shin exined, he activated ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºGuardian of rbh%t&   Lv$%&¡»

    ¡°It has garbled letters, huh?¡­ A Guardian?¡±

    Barely readable portions of the name were disyed, and Shin looked puzzled while tilting his head.

    There was a monster with a ¡®Guardian¡¯ prefix attached to their name. However, it was a huge golem with full body armor that would appear in the city and be the base of the yers. On top of that, it didn¡¯te out unless there was a special event.

    The current Gryphon before them had crystal wings. Because the wings were made of transparent blue ice and had an angr-shape, it had a solid feeling that living things didn¡¯t have.

    ¡°Is that ice?¡±

    Shin judged that those wings wereposed of ice crystals, as he saw the cold wave of air released by the wing of the Gryphon, who was generating white mist around it.

    When observed carefully, ice also covered its talons up to its foreleg and the horn that had grown from its forehead. Though they were the same base color as its wings, there was also green blended into several ces.

    A portion of the ground near the Gryphon was already frozen. Was it due to the influence of the ice on its forelegs?

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin, is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°¡­No, it certainly resembles a monster I know, but it¡¯s slightly different.¡±

    The monster was simr to ¡®ss-Blue Gryphon¡¯. It was a monster that appeared in ice and snow zones.

    However, a ss-Blue Gryphon had its whole body made of crystal-like ss, which was different than the Gryphon that had just appeared. To begin with, Shin didn¡¯t know of any kind of Gryphon that exceeded 5 mels in body height.

    ¡°It¡¯s looking this way!¡±

    The Gryphon, which raised a roar, turned its gaze to the direction where Shin and Rionne were.

    Since their eyes met perfectly, it¡¯s not possible to say it was just their imagination.

    ¡°Kyuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!¡±

    ¡°Mu! Is it up to something?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s bad to stay here, so I¡¯ll break the wall!¡±

    At the same time as the shout, Shin broke through the wall in the room and jumped outside.

    Rionne followed soon after, and the breath of ice which the Gryphon released hit the building directly. The building was frozen in an instant.

    The Gryphon seemed to have seen that Shin and Rionne escaped, as it turned its neck while breathing out ice in order to put them in the line of fire.

    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous! We¡¯re gonna jump!¡±

    ¡°Kyaa, what!?¡±

    Shin carried Rionne and kicked through the air against the looming breath of ice.

    He dodged the breath mid-air by a movement system martial arts skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, and jumped into the shadow of another building.

    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡®mowing down¡¯ breath, huh? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no such attack used by gryphons¡­¡±

    ¡°I-Is that so? Rather, Shin, I want you to lower me down now.¡±

    Rionne said, while stuttering in Shin¡¯s arm.

    The current body pose of Rionne wasmonly referred to as ¡®holding the princess in one¡¯s arms¡¯ state.

    ¡°Ah sorry. It was emergency, so it was either this or I carry you under my arm.¡±

    When Shin pulled Rionne¡¯s arm and evaded the breath, he was able to hold her under his arm, but as expected that may be inappropriate for a princess, so he changed it.

    ¡°You really¡­so what would you do? We cannot go near it since it attacked as soon as we showed up.¡±

    ¡°That kind of attack is a breathing spell or magic power charge; there will be a cooldown-time when the attack is used somewhere, so we have no choice but to attack at once. I will take charge of the front, so aim for its back while hiding in the building, Rionne.¡±

    Though it was a surprise attack, Shin knew the capture method of a Gryphon himself.

    Even if he was directly hit with the breath, he shouldn¡¯t be killed on the spot.

    ¡°Will you be alright?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me. I don¡¯t want to be hit, but I¡¯ve a way even if I¡¯m hit.¡±

    The worrying Rionne nodded, and Shin stood up.

    After seeing Rionne off, who was moving away from him, he jumped outside the building.

    ¡°KyuAAAA!!¡±

    The Gryphon promptly shot its breath.

    As if it knew Shin was there, its aim was urate.

    Shin bent over and evaded the breathing straight at him, then started to run.

    Though the Gryphon made a mowing down motion with its breath like it was natural, a simr attack wouldn¡¯t be a threat to Shin.

    Using both movement system martial arts skills ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ and ¡¾Shukuchi¡¿, Shin sometimes jumped over and dove under as he closed in upon the Gryphon without slowing down.

    ¡°Hey, hey I¡¯m here. Where are you aiming at!?¡±

    While exercising one of the taunt skills, ¡¾Clown Noise¡¿, Shin stirred up the Gryphon aloud.

    Did the Gryphon determine that its breath wouldn¡¯t hit as it saw Shin¡¯s movements? The Gryphon aimed at Shin with its left foreleg. Shin then intercepted the talons made of ice with his¡ºKakura¡». Taking advantage of his strength, from the lower position he hammered onto the lowered foreleg to reach a conclusion.

    ¡°Kyui!!¡±

    ¡°Whoa!!¡±

    The Gryphon and Shin rallied each other, and were both surprised at the weight of the opponent¡¯s blow.

    When¡ºKakura¡»was pressured by the talons of ice, Shin jumped back at once.

    ¡°This is not the physical strength of a Gryphon¡­¡±

    The Gryphon in the game era was not such a strong monster to that degree.

    Though it also depended on the kind, level 600 was the highest; it was an opponent with insufficient power to be considered a formidable enemy.

    Yet, the current opponent didn¡¯t appear so.

    Shin¡¯s STR was more than 500, although it was being controlled by ¡¾Limit¡¿. If he added the weaponpensation of ¡ºKakura¡», his STR would be close to 600.

    With that being easily overwhelmed, Shin concluded that the Gryphon¡¯s STR was more than 700.

    ¡°Did I underestimate it? Its power is also strong. I can¡¯t talk to Rionne either, huh?¡±

    Shin lowered the ¡¾Limit¡¿ to II, as he muttered and scolded himself for being deceived by the Gryphon¡¯s appearance. (T/N: The lower the Limit is, the stronger Shin gets. Currently his stats was divided by 2(II) from his original stats)

    Though it was not aplete release, his stats still exceeded 999 in the time of the game. Unless it was a powerful boss monster, nothing could ovee the current Shin¡¯s attacks. As for why he didn¡¯t release the limitpletely, it was because he couldn¡¯t estimate the power when attacking.

    Unlike Schnee, right after Rionne was involved, neither evasion nor defense were possible. Simrly to the battle of the Lord Skull Face, this wasn¡¯t a situation where he could attack without thinking about the damage to the surroundings.

    ¡°If I can¡¯t defeat it with this, it is no joke.¡±

    Shin, in the same way as a while ago, started to attack the Gryphon.

    The Gryphon, in response to that, raised its ice talons and was about to swoop down on Shin.

    ¡°*Hyaah!*¡±

    ¡°KyuAA!?¡±

    Their yell sparked.

    ¡ºKakura¡» and the ice talons struck each other directly¨D¨Dthis time, the winner was ¡ºKakura¡».

    It couldn¡¯t endure Shin¡¯s overwhelming physical strength; the ice that covered the Gryphon¡¯s left foreleg burst and scattered. Still, did the ice be a cushion? The Gryphon¡¯s leg itself was safe. However, the Gryphon couldn¡¯t escape the impact, as it had its leg lifted and stumbled back a step or two.

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Nevertheless, the moment the ice covered leg was smashed, Shin was surprised to see that the scattered ice that flew transformed into spears, and Shin missed the opportunity to continue the attack.

    ¡°The ice covering its legs is not an ordinary ice¨D¨Dtto!¡±

    Shin, who witnessed the unexpected ability, dodged the extra ice spears that flew toward him.

    The origin of the current ice spears were the Gryphon¡¯s wings. From therge wings, which were unfolded, various small andrge ice spears colored blue and green were scattered around to block Shin¡¯s escape route.

    Gryphon¡¯s movement became sluggish, as there seemed to be damage to some extent.

    ¡°KyI!¡±

    When the Gryphon made a cry sound, ice covered its left foreleg again.

    The awkward movement of its left foot was restored ordingly. Apparently, its fighting power didn¡¯t seem to fall at the ce where he smashed it.

    ¡°Next is a barrage of breaths, huh?¡±

    While crushing the ice spears with ¡ºKakura¡», Shin attracted the Gryphon¡¯s attention again.

    On the edge of his view, he confirmed the figure of Rionne creeping up the back of the Gryphon. As Shin changed his standing position, he examined the attack range of the Gryphon.

    The range of the Gryphon¡¯s neck movements limited the breath attack¡¯s direction. Also, it could only shoot the ice spears forward, and when Shin went around to its side, he wasn¡¯t attacked. Though ice talons were equipped on both front and back legs, Rionne should have seen the situation where Shin destroyed the talons.

    She should be able to take the Gryphon by surprise now.

    ¡°I should have its attention just in case.¡±

    Shin exercised a taunt skill¡¾Shura Rush¡¿ when he confirmed that Rionne was ready with her ¡ºMuspelm¡» behind the Gryphon.

    Even though there weren¡¯t any other monsters around, he didn¡¯t know when they would appear. Therefore, using a taunt skill to attract the attention of a wide-ranging enemy would overwrite the ¡¾Clown Noise¡¿, which collected only a single opponent¡¯s hate; he decided to thwart the possibility of Rionne receiving a surprise attack reversely.

    ¡°KyuA!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, look here!¡±

    While adding sporadic attacks, Shin fixed the position of the Gryphon.

    Then, the moment the Gryphon spread its wings in order to release ice spears, Rionne started her move.

    ¡°¨D¨DHyaah!¡±

    ¡ºMuspelm¡», which gave off a vivid orange effect, hit directly on the joint of the right wing.

    However, the wing seemed to have more strength than it appeared, for even with one or two katanas used to cut it, the wing was hardly damaged.

    ¡°HyaAAAAA!!¡±

    A yell that contained a noticeable fighting spirit apanied by a striking blow, she somehow seeded in giving the Gryphon¡¯s wing a small wound.

    However, it didn¡¯t restrict the Gryphon¡¯s movement. Rionne continued as it was, attacking the back of the raging Gryphon. Arcs were drawn continuously, as the orange-colored effect covered¡ºMuspelm¡».

    The rate of Rionne swinging ¡ºMuspelm¡» was faster than usual, and the power also increased proportionally to the speed.

    Its fur also seemed to have high defensive power, as the Gryphon received almost no damage. However, if its back was attacked, which was the blind spot taken by Rionne, who was a melee-type Chosen One, even the Gryphon couldn¡¯t move properly. Though it tried to shake her off, it wasn¡¯t very sessful.

    The reason why Rionne could one-sidedly attack the Gryphon was because, besides it being caught off guard, she invoked fencing technique system martial arts skill ¡¾Tyrant Beat¡¿.

    While she couldn¡¯t use magic skills during the invocation, she raised her offensive ability and attack speed up to 1.4 times aspensation; it was a skill that dealt a stun effect for a very short time to the opponent every time the attack hit.

    Even if the effect period was very short, when the condition was met, one-sidedly crushing down the opponent was possible. It was often used in the game era by yers whose upation emphasised physical attacks.

    ¡°Ugh, my skill ended! Sorry, but I¡¯ll leave it to you now!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    The Gryphon¡¯s behind and the back of its neck, which were hacked at recklessly, were leaking little-amounts of blue mist from its wounds.

    When looked at closely, it was like a blue spray that spewed out from the wounds. It didn¡¯t appear to be a liquid, as it faded and disappeared in the air when it rose 30 cemels like steam.

    ¡°Is something leaking!? No, does the body fluid evaporate?¡±

    Shin, who looked at the Gryphon¡¯s state made inferences on the phenomenon he had never seen.

    ¡°GRUUUUU!!¡±

    With Rionne separated away, the Gryphon pped its wings in a big way and turned toward Shin.

    Its four legs had firmly stepped on the ground. Its HP was almost recovered when he looked at the Gryphon with ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    Because the level disyed was garbled, it was difficult to determine what level the monster was, but he expected level 800 or more from the amount of damage received. Though animal-type monsters typically didn¡¯t have high defensive power, it seemed that this didn¡¯t apply to the Gryphon in front of him.

    ¡°This guy is a nuisance.¡±

    While provoking it so Rionne wasn¡¯t targeted, Shin resumed his attacks on the Gryphon.

    He aimed at the parts which weren¡¯t covered in ice. As Shin passed through the ice spears unleashed from the Gryphon, he swung ¡ºKakura¡» vigorously at its body. What was returned was a heavy feeling like beating arge mass of rubber.

    ¡°KyII!!?¡±

    The Gryphon¡¯s body recoiled sideways, and the ce where ¡ºKakura¡»stroked was hollowed out greatly.

    While the Gryphon was hit by ¡ºKakura¡», which unleashed its shing attack power as if to cut up the enemy, it wasn¡¯t the end for the Gryphon.

    ¡°GRUUU¡­¡±

    Even if a normal living thing who had received that blow would have their internal organs destroyed, the Gryphon only raised a menacing growl.

    Rather than the sounde from receiving damage, it was a cry that one could feel an annoying vexation from.

    ¡°Shin! Are you okay?!¡±

    Rionne shouted from the rear of the Gryphon.

    ¡°No problem here! Don¡¯te to the front because of the heavy barrage!¡±

    Shin shouted back.

    The strength of the ice spears released by its wings was higher than what a half-baked weapon could produce. Even though the intensity had declined over time, the ice spears still pierced through the orichalcum paved road like the tentacles of Gily. In some cases, there was also a possibility that they could not be defended against with ¡ºMuspelm¡».

    ¡°If the main body is made of ice, then how about this?¡±

    Shin, who was dodging the Gryphon¡¯s attack, took out a card and tossed it to the sky while shouting,

    ¡°Release ¡¾re Burst¡¿!¡±

    The card was torn and a bluish-white sphere was summoned in response to Shin¡¯s shout.

    What he threw to the sky was a shot from the front, because the possibility of it being dodged was high.

    ¡°KyUAA!?¡±

    Did it feel the magic power in the sphere? The Gryphon raised a voice of caution. Ice spears which came flying toward the sphere were repelled, and the sign of breath forming could be seen in its mouth.

    In the short time after it wasunched, heat rays were fired from the sphere. Although Shin could also attack the Gryphon himself at the same time as he tossed the sphere, the effect of the magic may have weakened when Shin approached.

    Therefore, Shin materialized 4 one-handed knives made of orichalcum, gripped them between his fingers and threw them.

    If it was a synchronized attack from the top and the front, lowering the possibility of either being evaded.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Rionne was watching Shin¡¯s movements, but expressed her doubt.

    It was mostly because the knives Shin threw were greatly off the mark.

    ¡°KyUIII!!¡±

    The Gryphon probably also thought he missed the mark. It repelled only two of them which came flying by its wings, and a breath was fired toward the approaching heat ray from the sky.

    The snow-white breath collided with the bluish-white heat rays, offsetting each other. The power of the attacks were almost equal, neither one of them overwhelmed the other one-sidedly.

    However, that state was only for an instant. The knives which were thrown in the wrong direction changed trajectory and pierced the stomach and the wing of the Gryphon.

    ¡°GyUA!¡±

    The power of its breath diminished along with the scream.

    Then, the heat ray overcame the breath and hit the Gryphon directly.

    ¡°GIIIIIIIIIIII!?¡±

    The Gryphon¡¯s squeal reverberated through the sky of Kalkia.

    Its left wing which it had promptly used as a shield was almost evaporated, and the left side of the Gryphon¡¯s face was also burned hideously.

    From the wing, which was mostly missing, and from the burnt skin, blue steam spouted out.

    ¡°What on earth was that just now¡­¡±

    Rionne, who saw the knives whose trajectory changed at almost a right angle to pierce the Gryphon, muttered in a dumbfound state.

    What Shin had done was called a throwing technique and windbination skill ¡¾Trick Throw¡¿; it was a skill that made the trajectory of the thrown weapon go toward the target.

    In this world where skills were extremely scarce, it may have been unusual for her.

    ¡°In that timing, there¡¯s no way I could miss!¡±

    In that single chance, Shin attacked the Gryphon which received damage and lost its bnce.

    As the breath was not usable as a result of half of its face being burnt, a barrage of ice spears came from its single wing; it was the ideal situation toe close.

    ¡°This time it won¡¯t go like a while ago!¡±

    Shin put up¡ºKakura¡» against a blow by the right forefoot of the Gryphon.

    The Gryphon¡¯s ice talons burst open together with a roaring sound. The flying ice spears which changed into ice debris were easy to deal with if one knew how to handle them.

    As the attack of the forefoot was flicked away, if he turned around to the right side of the copsed Gryphon¡¯s face, the ice spears didn¡¯t show any effect.

    There, Shin brandished his ¡ºKakura¡».

    ¡°¡¾Enchant Fire¡¿¡±

    Along with Shin¡¯s mutter, ¡ºKakura¡» was enveloped in mes.

    Leaving a red trace in the air, ¡ºKakura¡» struck on the Gryphon¡¯s body directly.

    With a thunderous sound that resembled an explosion, the Gryphon slid sideways for about 5 mels. The Gryphon¡¯s talons scraped off the orichalcum pavement, and w marks were carved on the ground. Though the talons seemed to break easily due to Shin¡¯s attack, the strength of the ice talons were higher than a thinyer of orichalcum.

    On the body where Shin hit, some kind of burnt traces remained. Blue steam also grandly leaked from there, as the wound had not burntpletely.

    ¡°Its HP condition decreased decently. That steam, is it different from bleeding and magic leakage?¡±

    Shin thought while seeing the HP gauge of the Gryphon.

    In case of the bleeding state, it should be the same as a poison; the HP should decrease intermittently. However, the Gryphon had not received any more damage than what Shin had dealt.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it an abnormal state?¡±

    Some of the monsters at boss ss often had special attack methods.

    In case of the golem group it was hand throwing, in the spector group it was summoning followers, the ability that reflected each of their characteristics were typical. Of course, there were exceptions among them, too.

    What he could imagine from the steam gushing out from the wound was an ability of the type that takes time, and changes the environment to one where the boss could fight more easily. This was like a ck Spirit*; many of the monsters which mainlyposed of magic attacks had it. (T/N1: ck Spirit is as it sounds like, an RPG monster which is a Spirit)(T/N2: When it says ¡®it¡¯, it talks about the ability to change the environment)

    ¡°*Shoom*!¡±

    The state of Shin and the Gryphon ring at each other was probably to determine for a good opportunity.

    From the blind spot of the Gryphon, Rionne again prepared with ¡ºMuspelm¡» and jumped out.

    ¡°KyUI?¡±

    The attention of the Gryphon seemed topletely point toward Shin, it wasn¡¯t able to cope with the surprise attack.

    Rionne jumped onto the back of the Gryphon again, and exercised ¡¾Tyrant Beat¡¿. Leaving a trail of orange color, ¡ºMuspelm¡» was mmed against the Gryphon.

    ¡°GyII!¡±

    The Gryphon which couldn¡¯t bear it, screamed at Rionne who attacked mainly on the left half of its body which was badly burned.

    Shin drew the attention of the Gryphon from the front without interfering with Rionne.

    ¡°Rionne! I don¡¯t know whether there¡¯s any effect from the steaming out from the wound! Don¡¯t let it touch you!¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Rionne utilized the length of ¡ºMuspelm¡»¡¯s de, wielding the sword skillfully so as to not touch the steam.

    However, as time passed by, Rionne¡¯s movement became too dull to keep up. If one looked closely, the blue steam was clinging to Rionne¡¯s body before she was aware of it.

    There was an indication of speed drop when he checked Rionne¡¯s status.

    ¡°It¡¯s a debuff system, huh?¡±

    Shin, who had a bad hunch, immediately released cancetion of the weakening magic.

    ¡°¡¾Cure All¡¿!¡±

    Though ¡¾Cure¡¿ was sufficient if it¡¯s a single abnormal state, Shin chose the most effective skill he had just in case.

    The ability of the enemy whose effect he couldn¡¯t identify, he knew it from experience that it was good to be extra wary. The moment when Rionne had her movement back, she jumped off from the back of the Gryphon. Then the Gryphon waved its wing toward Rionne who was mid-air.

    Rionne prevented a direct hit by using ¡ºMuspelm¡» as a shield. However, it was impossible for her topletely block the power in the air, and she was sent flying.

    Rionne forcibly fixed her posture while mid-air and as shended the ground was whittled down. Sparks scattered on the paved road and on ¡ºMuspelm¡».

    ¡°Such power from only being hit by a wing, huh?¡­¡±

    A muffled voice leaked from Rionne¡¯s mouth.

    Even though ¡ºMuspelm¡» became a shield, she was sent flying for about 10 mels by the Gryphon. Even if there was almost no damage, the burden on her body was immeasurable.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get its attention! Go into a building for a moment!¡±

    Shin shouted and invoked me system magic skill ¡¾Smoke Bomb¡¿.

    A ck globe appeared in the air and rushed toward the Gryphon.

    ¡°KyUA!¡±

    Though the Gryphon only had a single wing, it still intercepted the ck globe well.

    When the widely scattered ice spears touched the globe, the ck smoke was dispersed grandly with a ¡°Puff¡± sound.

    ¡°GRURURU¡­¡±

    Did it get cautious over the ck smoke covering its surroundings? The Gryphon raised its voice and growled. Without a slight break, a strong wind swept along with a wind noise.

    From Shin¡¯s point of view, it seemed that the Gryphon had spread its wing and caused the wind. However, the ck smoke generated by the smoke bomb was not affected by the wind. So no matter how much the Gryphon pped its wing, the ck smoke didn¡¯t clear up.

    ¡°KyUIII!¡±

    The Gryphon cried as it got irritated.

    The ck smoke of ¡¾Smoke Bomb¡¿ could obstruct both the sense of smell and sight. So it seemed both were effective. It obviously lost sight of Shin and Rionne as the ice spears were shot in the wrong directions.

    Shin fended off the flying ice spears asionally, and joined with Rionne in the shade of a building. After making sure the wall wouldn¡¯t easily be broken thanks to its thickness, he checked on Rionne¡¯s condition.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my hands are a bit numb, but I¡¯m all right. But I¡¯m sorry, my attacks don¡¯t seem to deal effective damage to that guy.¡±

    During neither the first nor the second time, Rionne¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯t deal proper damage to the Gryphon.

    Power was achieved with skill, so the Gryphon probably had greater defensive power than thebination of Rionne¡¯s STR and ¡ºMuspelm¡»¡¯s attack power.

    ¡°Since I came here, I haven¡¯t been anything other than a burden.¡±

    Rionne put power in her hands gripping the hilt of ¡ºMuspelm¡», which touched the ground and made a ttering sound.

    Shin then revealed one of his cards to Rionne whose face distorted in frustration.

    ¡°It¡¯s also possible to increase the physical ability by ¡¾Enchant¡¿, but what will you do?¡±

    ¡°¡­Please do. When I¡¯m aimed at by that guy, I¡¯d like to make sure that it won¡¯t interfere with you, Shin.¡±

    Rionne hesitated slightly, but rxed her shoulders and lowered her head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll raise your physical strength and robustness. Please be careful as sensation rted to muscle strength can change significantly. Here I go, ¡¾Enchant ? Double Strike¡¿ !¡±

    After adding a cautionary note concerning the rise in ability, Shin activated ¡¾Enchant¡¿.

    A silver light shone over Rionne¡¯s head, and faded out after it covered her body for a moment. This was the effect when an ability is more than doubled.

    ¡°¡­I feel light¡±

    In the state resulting from¡¾Enchant¡¿, Rionne lifted ¡ºMuspelm¡» and said so.

    The enormous metal ¡ºMuspelm¡» felt like a twig.

    ¡°I think you should have realized it, but you cannot treat a weapon the usual way when in a strengthened state. The swing speed is too fast and causes a gap in self-image and senses. Therefore, when trying to strike down a long-distance attack of an enemy, swinging to the sky happens quite often.¡±

    ¡¾Enchant¡¿ was very excellent in battle. However, it was a type of skill that only applied to the yer, and not the weapon, such that there was an adverse effect.

    In the game era, there were two things which caused numerous idents.

    First was as Shin said; because of a shift in timing, neither attack nor defense could be performed satisfactorily. Second, one couldn¡¯t stop at the ce they thought when their AGI raised, and self-destruct by crashing into a monster.

    Also in the game era, if ¡¾Enchant¡¿ was applied in an unfamiliar state, it was said that it was better not to apply anything when it came to fighting power.

    The reason why Shin hadn¡¯t suggested this when they came to Kalkia, was because such risks were taken into ount.

    Though the rate of increase of the stats depended on the value of the conjurer¡¯s INT, it was Shin who applied ¡¾Enchant¡¿ to Rionne. The effect wasn¡¯t ordinary.

    Nevertheless, Shin has yet to acquire the ability which let him adjust ¡¾Enchant¡¿¡¯s rate of increase, Naturally he didn¡¯t have the time to train and master it in Kalkia.

    ¡°Now you can dodge the ice spears as much as possible, probably using ¡ºMuspelm¡» as a shield. Don¡¯t try to strike it down unskillfully.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t forget to remind her a couple more times, so she wouldn¡¯t do anything ipetent.

    If she focused only on defense, there would be fewer odd mistakes, too.

    ¡°Indeed, this is great. It¡¯s like holding ¡ºMuspelm¡» like a wooden sword. I may get intoxicated with this feeling of omnipotence.¡±

    While swinging ¡ºMuspelm¡» up and down, Rionne said with an eager expression.

    Even Shin understood that she would charge recklessly if he didn¡¯t give her a warning.

 Vol 4 Chapter 4.2: Chapter 4 Part 2

    ¡°KyUAAAAAA!¡±

    At the same time as Rionne muttered, the Gryphon¡¯s cry echoed.

    Shin was ¡®waiting and watching¡¯ in the shadow of a building when the Gryphon released its breath in every direction, trying to cover its surroundings with ice.

    ¡°Oi oi, it¡¯s recovering.¡±

    Other than the buildings covered with ice, Shin also saw the left half of the Gryphon¡¯s body.

    The left half of its body, which was previously burnt by the ¡¾re Burst¡¿that Shin had thrown, was already considerably recovered. Though it was not fully healed yet, its wing had almost restored to about 70% of its former shape.

    The HP that Shin had greatly reduced was mostly restored, too. The current Gryphon¡¯s HP was about 90% ofplete recovery.

    ¡°It¡¯s too fast, even for self-recovery!¡±

    Hearing Rionne¡¯s words, Shin looked closely at the wing.

    ¡°That¡¯s regeneration rather than recovery. The melted wing is sucking in the blue steam and is restoring to how it was previously!¡±

    The steam, without leaking out of the Gryphon¡¯s wounds, had gathered on the tip of the wing that hadn¡¯t finish regenerating.

    Was it regenerating by gathering the steam? Though it wasn¡¯t conclusive whether it hastened the regeneration speed, it was certain that the Gryphon would restorepletely over time.

    ¡°It seems that the steam will disappear soon. Rather than dealing arge amount of damage all at once, it seems better to shave it down little by little.¡±

    Shin had no conclusive evidence, but as far as he could tell, the steam that didn¡¯t vanish was used for the regeneration of its wing and had gushed out inrge amounts from its gaping wound.

    Since the wound on the front leg and the body had already recovered, there was no way to tell how those ces had regenerated.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the front. Rionne, you observe the Gryphon¡¯s state; if there¡¯s any change, tell me. Because there¡¯s a possibility that it¡¯s still hiding something, don¡¯t let your guard down. Just be careful.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there still may be something like the abnormal state from a little while ago. But, Shin, will you be alright alone?¡±

    ¡°You can count on me. It¡¯s not my first time fighting like this.¡±

    They confirmed their course of action and Shin jumped out from the building first.

    The effect of the ck smoke still remained, as the Gryphon didn¡¯t turn towards Shin.

    ¡°Going near it seems bad. I¡¯ll do it from a long distance.¡±

    Shin went around to face its right side where the damage was still being restored, and shot the wind system magic skill ¡¾Air Cutter¡¿.

    A de of wind flew and cut through the ck smoke, and shed the body of the Gryphon. It wasn¡¯t a deep wound. He had deliberately dropped the power, and intended to make a lot of cuts on the surface of its body.

    As for the length of the wound, it was about 20 cemels long. The steam, which spouted out, vanished when it rose by approximately 30 cemels. This state wasn¡¯t really different from the one he saw in the early stages of battle.

    ¡°The damage dealt is small. Though the wound itself appears to have steaming out, its state doesn¡¯t seem to have additional decreases to its HP. I need to pay attention to the changes in its body movements and its attacks, huh?¡±

    Shin thought about the countermeasure while observing the state of the Gryphon.

    For caution¡¯s sake, he didn¡¯t forget to prepare the cure, so that it was usable anytime.

    ¡°Next, I¡¯ll go head on.¡±

    The Gryphon spread its wings and released the ice spears.

    Even though the wing had not fully recovered, it was not inferior even whenpared with the time it was in a perfect state. Among the widely scattered ice spears, Shin urately struck down only on those whose trajectory pointed toward himself while advancing.

    ¡°KyUAAAAAA!¡±

    Then, a breath of ice approached.

    However, as the ice breath had a small range and slower speed than the ice spears, it couldn¡¯t catch up to Shin¡¯s speed. The ice spears that were shot in order to not interfere with the ice breath, were no longer functioned as the primary artillery barrage, and for Shin, it wasn¡¯t difficult to break through the barrage of ice which had be weak.

    ¡°Yo, how¡¯s the condition of your body?¡±

    The Gryphon, which concluded that there was no effect from the breath, answered Shin¡¯s remark with a blow of ice talons.

    If one looked closely, the ice talons which extended from the Gryphon¡¯s foreleg became one size bigger than before.

    ¡°It is reinforced each time it regenerate, huh?¡±

    The ice talons which crashed onto ¡ºKakura¡», shattered like thest time.

    However Shin felt that even the size of the shattered ice seemed to have increased. It was likely that its strength went up, too. Though it was natural, the ice spears which transformed from the shattered pieces were just as big as the huge pieces.

    By going around to the back, Shin made the Gryphon¡¯s huge figure a shield, causing the ice spears to fly over him.

    ¡°Kyiiiiiiiiii!!¡±

    However, the Gryphon also kicked the ground with its hind legs and tried to maintain the line of fire by hovering with its wings.

    ¡°That¡¯s a poor move.¡±

    Though the Gryphon disyed a nimbleness which didn¡¯t match its gigantic figure, it was  in the line of fire of its own ice spears. Guaranteed to hit the Gryphon, it received a huge damage.

    In addition, when considering their physical differences, it was like showing its belly to Shin as the Gryphon flew and floated in the air. It could be said to be a heaven-sent opportunity to drive in a single blow, although there was no guarantee that the belly was soft like an ordinary creature¡¯s.

    ¡°Hoo¨D¨D¡±

    Without overlooking the little opening, Shin, who wielded ¡ºKakura¡», jumped at the bosom without holding back.

    From ¡ºKakura¡» that cut up the air, a purple me burst out.

    ¡°¨D¨DraAAA!!!¡±

    The feathers of the Gryphon were blown away and scattered at the nk of the swung down ¡ºKakura¡», and sank into the skin and inside the meat.

    Just like that, the Gryphon¡¯s belly caved in and it mmed against the ground with its whole body.

    ¡°GIE!!?¡±

    With a giant body more than 5 mels long falling to the ground, an earthquake traveled through the ground.

    The sound of buildings, which were about to crumble, copsed, and arrived at Shin¡¯s ears along with the Gryphon¡¯s groan.

    ¡°Was that about 10% just now?¡±

    Shin confirmed the Gryphon¡¯s remaining HP whilending.

    Although his stats were restrained and although his weapon was not ¡¶Ancient¡· grade, a single blow directly from Shin had only dealt damage equal to about 10% of its total health. It was an exceptional defensive power for a monster he came across in this world.

    The Gryphon didn¡¯t continue to expose the gap while lying on the ground. A gaze of precaution was directed at Shin as it immediately kicked the ground and stood up.

    ¡°G-GIIII¡­¡±

    However, there was no power in that gaze. It was because the purple mes were still spreading in the part where Shin struck the single blow.

    At this moment, the Gryphon¡¯s HP gauge was decreasing little by little. What Shin used was the mallet technique and me techniquebination skill ¡¾Wicked me Fall¡¿; it generated a me which dealt additional damage for a certain period of time when an attack hit.

    Was it because the Gryphon was d in ice that it was weak to the fire? The Gryphon made a groan like sound. It was going to let the me induced wound freeze, but the power of the me was strong and continued to burn its body.

    ¡°That one blow is effective, huh?¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem to be able to recover the internal damage, as there was no steam gushing out that it could suck into its belly. It didn¡¯t recover the HP which continued to decrease.

    As for Shin, who judged that dealing damage by blows was more appealing, he once again thrust from the front.

    Though the Gryphon came to intercept him immediately, the uracy of its attack had declined, probably because of the mes burning in its stomach.

    Shin slipped through the weakly aimed barrage, eluded the talons, and hammered ¡ºKakura¡» on the ces where it wasn¡¯t covered in ice, such as the Gryphon¡¯s body or its neck, etc. Along with its decreased HP, the movements of the Gryphon became duller.

    Then, that moment came around. The umted damage had reached its feet. The Gryphon had raised its ice talons toward Shin, but its hind leg that was on the ground suddenly lost power.

    The Gryphon which swung up its foreleg, couldn¡¯t recover from its copsing posture. Shin didn¡¯t miss that fatal opening.

    ¡°Sorry but I can¡¯t afford to miss here.¡±

    The one who got attacked was the Gryphon. The one who tried to hunt was being hunted, it was the way of the world.

    Shin kicked the ground and jumped up, a bluish-white sphere appearing on his right palm. This was the me technique system magic skill which had burnt half of the Gryphon¡¯s body;¡¾re Burst¡¿¡¯s sphere, before the heat ray was discharged.

    Shin then pushed the sphere onto the falling Gryphon¡¯s head.

    ¡°Can you withstand this at zero distance?¡±

    As soon as Shin finished speaking, a heat ray was discharged from the sphere.

    Against the mighty amount of heat emitted from point nk, the Gryphon had no way to defend. The heat ray which charged straight, melted the Gryphon¡¯s head as it went through the body in the line of fire, and melted the ground.

    The body of the Gryphon, whose head had vanished, fell down to the ground as it lost power. The HP which was disyed was 0 without a doubt.

    From its body where the heat ray prated its head, and other wounds as well, a mix of blue and green liquid flowed out.

    ¡°Is it over?¡±

    As Shinnded on the ground, he was wary of the surroundings next to the Gryphon¡¯s corpse.

    He felt only Rionne¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Shin! You did it!¡±

    Rionne, who had been hiding, came running up. She called out to Shin, after confirming the Gryphon had ceased to breathe.

    ¡°It¡¯s possible to go outside now with this, huh?¡±

    ¡°Worst case, even if we can¡¯t go out from the side entrance, we can use the means to open the gate.¡±

    ¡°Will that be alright? It¡¯s possible for the outside monsters toe in.¡±

    ¡°The side entrance here is somehow connected to the room with the gate opening and shutting device. Besides, it has a width to the extent where a carriage can pass through when the gate is open, and it also closes after several minutes. Even if there are monsters outside, if it¡¯s you and I, it¡¯s possible to escape as soon as we defeat them.¡±

    After verifying the detailed operation and time taken, etc, when it seemed to be no problem, Shin also agreed with Rionne¡¯s opinion.

    However, at that time when the two people began to walk, a change happened.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°What?¡±

    It was Shin who noticed it first. When he turned around, on the periphery of the body, fluid was flowing out of the Gryphon, blue steam was generated.

    ¡°The monster¡¯s body fluid?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s the steaming out from the wounds simultaneously with the body fluids¡­although I have a bad feeling.¡±

    Almost at the same time when Shin said that, the steam converged mid-air and a familiar silhouette was formed.

    In just a few seconds, there was a figure of Gryphon which was exactly the same as several minutes before in front of Shin and Rionne.

    ¡°KyuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡±

    A roar together apanied by ice spears assaulted the two people.

    Shin and Rionne resisted it, and escaped to shelter for a moment.

    ¡°¡­Now then, what will you do? It has resurrected!¡±

    ¡°Yeah. What I think is, it has a separate main body, and the rest was created by magic.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°There is another main body, it means that the Gryphon is a puppet or something, and another monster or conjurer maniptes it. As the monster is created by magic, it¡¯s the technique to engrave on something, but it feel like the revival and the reconstruction of the monster was done automatically. It¡¯s good if the main body is defeated. Also, in case it was engraved with magic, it¡¯s settled when the magic formation or the catalyst is destroyed. Given the circumstances that emerged, I think it¡¯s thetter, but¡­¡±

    As far as Shin knew, there were several skills to summon a monster.

    However, in this case, it was different from the monster partner of tamer and monster summon of summoner. It was also not the doll summons of exorcist¡¯s magic and puppeteering.

    The monster was created by magic ¨D¨D it appeared to be the closest method he could think of. Normally it was often used as a trap in dungeons.

    ¡°Then, there is a magic form that became the key somewhere in this Sacred ce?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Because it is usually close to the emerging monster, finding it should not be so difficult . It¡¯s suspicious¡­it¡¯s over there as I thought.¡±

    While Shin slightly peeked out from under cover, he pointed toward the wall.

    ¡°The side entrance? Near the ce where the opening and shutting device for the gate is, could there be something that would make such a monster appear, Shin?¡±

    ¡°That Gryphon, I think it prevents us from going outside Sacred ce. Because it holds a position in front of the gate, we cannot get close to the side entrance either. But it doesn¡¯t mean there is no other choice, it¡¯s the most suspicious at the moment.¡±

    Given that the Gryphon had attacked regardless of the ce, there shouldn¡¯t be such a thing in a building where it would mistakenly bombard the surrounding area.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be a decoy again. Rionne, you enter the side entrance in the meantime and use this item to inspect things. It reacts when there is a magic formation nearby. Here, this is for defensive use when you¡¯re in a pinch.¡±

    Shin said while materializing 2 items in his pocket, and handed them over to Rionne.

    Both items were ne-shaped items, so it would never get in the way of action.

    ¡°I have a feeling that these are superb items again¡­I¡¯ll not ask about it now. I don¡¯t worry because it¡¯s you, Shin. Just don¡¯t act too recklessly.¡±

    Shin nodded at Rionne¡¯s words, and jumped out ahead into the Gryphon¡¯s line of sight.

    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡±

    He raised his voice on purpose to notify his presence.

    The ice spears came flying instantaneously, but they were brushed off by ¡ºKakura¡» as he approached the Gryphon.

    After confirming that the Gryphon¡¯s attention was directed at Shin, Rionne also started to run.

    ¡°It could stand a blow of Limit II. Unless I go further, it¡¯s unlikely for me to beat it down.¡±

    After seeing that Rionne went into the side entrance, Shin released the limit.

    He couldn¡¯t predict the impact on the surroundings due to having the biggest offensive power. However, in front of the Gryphon, he couldn¡¯t do an instant kill, at least not with his former stats.

    Then at this chance, he decided to use it as a subject for an experiment.

    *Swish!*

    Shin jumped off the ground and shortened the distance to the Gryphon.

    To Shin, who wasing at a speed that couldn¡¯t bepared to up until now, the Gryphon was not able to react.

    Since he was faster than the ice spears that were shot, the¡ºKakura¡» wielded by Shin reached the Gryphon¡¯s neck. Previously, the strike was obstructed by the Gryphon¡¯s feathers and skin, and even if ¡ºKakura¡» only dealt the damage due to a blow, it was different this time.

    The de part of ¡ºKakura¡» broke through the defensive power of the Gryphon and gouged out the meat while the de creaked under the power exerted.

    Right after Shin passed by next to the Gryphon, the neck of the Gryphon rolled onto the ground after a gap of several seconds.

    It was so quick that less than a second had passed from the moment he closed the distance while wielding ¡ºKakura¡» until the Gryphon¡¯s neck was sliced. If there was an expression on the Gryphon, it would have said ¡°I don¡¯t understand what happened¡±.

    However, the body which fell down and the neck which rolled onto the ground turned into blue and green steam before long, furthermore, it was revived in a perfect state in several seconds.

    ¡°Until Rionne finds something, shall we have test of who can hold out the longest?¡±

    The distance between Shin and the Gryphon was almost 0.

    He knew that it had restored. There was no way he didn¡¯t anticipate such a presage.

    Shin mercilessly beat the resurrected Gryphon with ¡ºKakura¡». Once again, its neck dropped, its body was cut in two, and burnt down with magic.

    The Gryphon was simply a target to the current Shin. Like a carp on top of a cutting board, it was merely in food preparation.

    ¡°GhuI!!¡±

    ¡°Too bad¡±

    The Gryphon¡¯s struggle was futile, as its ice spears were dodged, smashed, and ¡ºKakura¡» was swung down in return. The kill count exceeded 10, 20, and piled up to 30, but the Gryphon hadn¡¯t weakened.

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal with it?¡±

    The result was the same either magic or physical.

    Shin couldn¡¯t think of anything but to confine it afterward.

    ¡°KYUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡±

    The Gryphon cried, it was conspicuously high.

    Soon after that, the dragged sense Shin felt at the central part of the Sacred ce enveloped his whole body.

    ¡°What again!?¡±

    Come to think of it, it was likely that this Gryphon was connected to the haze at the central part. It didn¡¯t seem to be his imagination after all.

    Shin unleashed a magic skill while going against the drawing force, but all too soon, he was drawn in by a white sphere which appeared on the joint part of the Gryphon¡¯s neck. Though it was possible to shatter it with ¡ºKakura¡», the force bes irresistible when approached and disappears in the same way of approaching magic. (T/N: He basically can¡¯t destroy the sphere, as it won¡¯t let him. It disappear when one get close and there is force of attraction towards it.)

    The suction force gradually became stronger, and Shin¡¯s shoes began to scrape the ground.

    Shin made up his mind to attack the sphere, whether he had choice or not. For better or for worse, that happened.

    ¡°What the heck is this¡­¡±

    A golden shine began to escape from Shin¡¯s body.

    That light reminded him of thest boss in the death game, Origin¡¯s ¡¾Golden Wave¡¿.

    ¡°KYUUUII!!¡±

    In response to the golden lights appearance, the Gryphon groaned. As if it was cautious of the light.

    ¡°The drawn feeling faded away, huh?¡±

    Before he knew it, the sense that pulled him toward the center was gone.

    While Shin carefully observed the Gryphon, he also devoted some of his attention to the light leaking from his own body. When he attempted to move it using same way he handled magic power, the light surprisingly obeyed Shin¡¯s intention without a hitch.

    The golden light gathered at ¡ºKakura¡», and it turned into a golden de.

    ¡°¡­Shall I try it?¡±

    Shin muttered while he ran.

    He was at point-nk range to begin with, so the distance with the Gryphon was closed in an instant, and the swung ¡ºKakura¡» left a golden trace.

    ¡°KyuA!?¡±

    The Gryphon also tried to avoid with its very best effort, but its left foreleg flew without it being able to evade.

    ¡°KYIIIIIII!!?¡±

    ¡°This is, it went well, huh?¡±

    From the joint of the foot which Shin blew away, the blue steam didn¡¯te out.

    As for the left foreleg which was blown off, it had disappeared as it dissolved in mid-air.

    The Gryphon fired ice spears aiming at Shin, and tried to keep distance. It was not possible to read its facial expression, but that was indeed the flustered expression of the Gryphon.

    If the advantage of overwhelming regenerative ability was lost, it was a natural reaction to have, because the difference between theirbat strength was obvious.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it well, but I¡¯m grateful!¡±

    Shin corrected his posture with ¡ºKakura¡», and took aim at the Gryphon.

    ¡°KYUU¡­KYUA!¡±

    In an instant when the Gryphon was aware of Shin who had the shining ¡ºKakura¡», it donned an armor of ice on its whole body.

    As for the lost left foreleg, it waspensated with an artificial limb made of ice. Its talons were erged further, each one seemed to be a sharp sword. Its body also became one size bigger by having ice enveloped to its whole body, and a feeling of coercion increased too. A thin blue aura emitted from the armor of ice.

    ¡°KYUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!¡±

    ¡°Is that your full power? Bring it on!!¡±

    Shin also screamed back at the roar filled with thirst for blood.

    It was the Gryphon that took the first move. Its flying speed, formation speed, and ice spears which was shot by its wings became remarkably fast.

    In the barrage of ice which tried to bury the surroundings, Shin answered by waving ¡ºKakura¡».

    With enhanced dynamic vision, Shin firmly perceived the ice spearsing toward him. His arm which wielded ¡ºKakura¡», responded to Shin¡¯s consciousness without any dy.

    A golden blur intercepted the blue and green barrage. More than 10 of the ice spears were shattered by one swing of ¡ºKakura¡».

    A storm of raining ice spears and hail was not allowed to advance before the impregnable defence formed by the golden blur.

    ¡°KyUA!¡±

    However, the ice spears were only for stalling. The enemy¡¯s favorite was the breath which cameter.

    The breath unleashed from the Gryphon¡¯s mouth went directly toward Shin. Its thickness was twice the previous; it became approximately 80 cemels thick. The breath sped straight through the air like a blueser, and Shin caught it head-on.

    ¡ºKakura¡»which swung downward straight from the upper position, thrust into the center of the breath. The breath then split into 2 directions with the contact portion of¡ºKakura¡» as the base point. And then the breath ran along Shin¡¯s left and right, and the swallowed up nearby ice spears were frozen over. In the twinkling of an eye, anything that wasn¡¯t behind Shin was covered in ice.

    ¡°I was preupied by the front that I¡¯ve be negligent of other things.¡±

    ¡°GHUA!?¡±

    That Gryphon screamed almost at the same time as Shin¡¯s remark.

    Several explosions were heard; the force of the breath weakened, and the number of ice spears decreased too. Emerging from the opening  ¡ºKakura¡» made by scattering the breath, the figure of the Gryphon with the back part of its ice armor split open.

    Shin, who had activated flying magic skill while facing the breath, had attacked from the Gryphon¡¯s overhead. The explosive sounds were the result of using a skill of the me technique system. It seemed that the damage reached not only the armor but also the inside, as the breath ceased after a few second as well.

    With less ice spears, there would no longer be any obstacle for Shin. Against Shin who closed the distance instantaneously, the Gryphon answered with talons of its foreleg.

    The fact that it couldn¡¯t even react some time ago was hard to believe, as its eyes managed to track Shin¡¯s movements. Earlier at the beginning, its left talons were swung out a beatte.

    The shining talons which basked under the sun, appeared to unt their sharpness.

    *Swish!*

    To match the right talons, Shin raised ¡ºKakura¡».

    The moment they struck each other, the repelled right foreleg of the Gryphon flew into the air. With the momentum of the raised¡ºKakura¡»just now, Shin rotated sideways on the spot. The raised ¡ºKakura¡»struck against the left ice foreleg which approached toote.

    In front of the Gryphon, ¡ºKakura¡» drew a golden arc. Its left ice foot, which couldn¡¯t withstand the power of ¡ºKakura¡», flew into the air like its right foreleg.

    ¡°I got y¨D¨Dhuh!?¡±

    Just as Shin went directly to take its neck, a strike entered from the upper left sky.

    He immediately repelled it with ¡ºKakura¡», and nced at the things that attacked him.

    ¡°That a Gryphon¡¯s tail huh? But I suppose it should be quieter¡­¡±

    What was swaying from side to side in the air was the Gryphon¡¯s tail which didn¡¯t have a presence until now.

    It was covered in ice and had its length extended, it had be like a whip.

    With an armor worn on its whole body, the number of weapons seemed to have increased too.

    ¡°But it¡¯s futile!¡±

    If the secret was broken, coping was possible.

    It was said that the tip of amon whip could surpass the speed of sound, but the Gryphon¡¯s tail was even faster. However, it was not a speed that Shin couldn¡¯t react to.

    He was only surprised to see an attack from an unexpected direction upon receiving it. The trajectory of the tail flying on a wall, along with the huge figure of the Gryphon, had been supplemented by his ¡¾Mind¡¯s Eyes¡¿.

    Shin matched its timing, and flung ¡ºKakura¡» against the flying ice tail. As the strength of the tail was low, it was easily cut.

    ¡°¡­It has quick recovery, huh?¡±

    Shin expressed his discouraged grumble.

    Because in front of Shin, the tail was restored in but a moment. It was probably because the part he sliced off was not a living body.

    And then both of its forelegs were reconstructed with ice too.

    ¡°As expected, I have no choice but to slice its neck.¡±

    As soon as Shin said so, he invoked a magic skill.

    The golden light which covered ¡ºKakura¡», fused with a crimson red light. At the same time, above the sky, a me technique system magic skill¡¾Red Tomahawk¡¿ was fired onto the Gryphon¡¯s rear. An arc was drawn in the sky, as Shin began to aim the me bullets to rain at the Gryphon.

    While attacking Shin with its tail, the Gryphon back stepped with an agility that belied its gigantic figure. It spread its wings and fired ice spears at the sky, while sending forth a breath.

    ¡°What a clever guy!¡±

    The Gryphon which dealt with simultaneous attacks from the sky and thend, was praised by Shin. That was simply because it was theposure of the strong.

    In reality, the Gryphon was not able topletely prevent his attack. The me bullets plowed through while erasing the storm of ice spears. Though several blew up on the way, the remainder were rained down on the Gryphon.

    ¡°GHUII!?¡±

    A scream leak from the Gryphon¡¯s mouth. Its tail strike and breath were interrupted.

    ¡°This time I won¡¯t miss!!¡±

    The ground was crushed as Shin stepped on it.

    ¡ºKakura¡» which went into motion, cast more light.

    A mallet technique and me techniquebination skill ¡¾me Net Charge¡¿.

    ¡ºKakura¡»was struck against the base of the Gryphon¡¯s neck.

    The armor of ice evaporated after touching ¡ºKakura¡», and the Gryphon¡¯s body along its trajectory was burnt off.

    Along the shing mark, a red line was carved on the Gryphon¡¯s body.

    ¡°See you¡±

    After leaving a parting word, Shin distanced himself immediately.

    In the next moment, intense light emitted from the red line carved on the Gryphon, and exploded.

    ¡¾me Net Charge¡¿ was originally used for blunt weapons such as hammers and so on to crush the opponent, it was a skill to blow up the opponent as well as the ground.

    Since ¡ºKakura¡»was thin this time, it resulted in an explosion along the line.

    ¡°Was it done?¡±

    Shin confirmed that the golden light was also mixed in the explosion.

    When that was considered, the effect of the golden light should have been carried on with the effect of the skill. When the explosive me cleared up, the figure of the Gryphon was nowhere to be seen.

    The remains of the Gryphon which turned into pieces, were scattered everywhere.

    When he looked at the state for a while, the remains copsed and vanished like sand. There was nothing left behind. Even the light emitted from Shin¡¯s body disappeared after the Gryphon exploded.

 Vol 4 Chapter 4.3: Chapter 4 Part 3

    ¡°What the heck was that?¡­¡±

    When Shin breathed out a sigh of fatigue, he heard a *Ga-thunk* sound from the gate.

    When he turned his gaze toward the sound, a heavy gate was slowly opening.

    ¡°Shin! Are you alright!?¡±

    From the direction of the voice, Rionne was running from the side entrance.

    It seemed like she managed to open the gate safely.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Rionne. I defeated the Gryphon somehow. What was that?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I heard an explosive sound, so I thought you had used a trump card. I was thinking about trying to escape as soon as the Gryphon was temporarily incapacitated.¡±

    The monsters in the Sacred ce didn¡¯t go outside. She seemed to have intended to utilize that rule.

    Since the Gryphon was an unknown monster, it may have chased themter on, but she judged that it was possible to push it back with 2 people. There was also a possibility that the Gryphon couldn¡¯t pass through the slightly opened gate with its gigantic body.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s you, Shin, although I also felt that you could defeat it¡­It seem I was right.¡±

    ¡°More than anything, I seem to be able to live up to expectations. Now, let¡¯s hurry up before the gate closes.¡±

    Shin urged Rionne and moved to the outside of the gate.

    Thereupon, Shin and Rionne went outside and walked on the road a little, and exactly as Rionne said, the gate closed automatically. When Shin shifted his eyes toward the sky, the magic barrier which enveloped the Sacred ce also deactivated.

    What had happened? Shin didn¡¯t understand it.

    However, he made up his mind to remember this event well, and looked back at Rionne. He smiled with an expression as gentle as possible. Because she may be worried if he still had a serious face.

    ¡°It was a sessful escape.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, for the time being, rather than being inside, it should be much safer.¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While being cautious of the surroundings, the two people were still not as tense as they were inside Kalkia.

    ¡°Let¡¯s run from here on out. Both of us are upper ss Chosen Ones. Rather than looking for a vige to procure a horse, running by ourselves is better and we can arrive faster.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I have no objection. Balmel is at the eastside of the Melt Mountains, so if we run while making the mountains intondmarks, we should be fine.¡±

    Balmel was a fort city that was built in order to respond when the monsters overflowed from Kalkia. It faced both the sea and mountains, and seemed to be a convenient ce to live if only there was no mass monster outbreak.

    Since there was also the promise with Schnee, he decided to go toward Balmel as Rionne said. They ran at a speed that would leave horses behind.

    After 15 minutes of running while ignoring the monsters which were seen asionally, Shin perceived an abnormal number of monsters¡¯ presences in his sensing range.

    ¡°¡­Hey Rionne, is Balmel further ahead?¡±

    ¡°Yes, is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°There arerge amount of monsters ahead, is that alright?¡±

    Rionne, who heard the information which Shin perceived, made a stiffened expression all of a sudden.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, the ¡®Flood¡¯ is happening!?¡±

    ¡°¡®Flood¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Around the Sacred ce, the demon essence umtes, which overflows from the Sacred ce. Though it doesn¡¯t have influence on the human body, when the demon essence gathers to a certain amount, all of it manifests into monsters and is unleashed into the surroundings. We call that the ¡®Flood¡¯.¡±

    Shin, by chance, had previously read about the description of the phenomenon in the library of Bayreuth.

    In the content written in the book, it was a story of emergence of the low-level monsters. However no matter how much he looked, the number of monsters would cause numerous resources to be destroyed.

    ¡°If the end of the monster line is still here, the front may not arrive at Balmel immediately. I¡¯ll overtake it and support Balmel.¡±

    ¡°Roger. As expected, in this situation, you won¡¯t just leave them alone, Shin.¡±

    Amoner would have simply run away, but unfortunately, these two people were far frommoners.

    Balmel wouldn¡¯t fall easily; there would be enough countermeasures as it was the only purpose of the town. However the scale of the ¡®Flood¡¯ was not fixed, ¡®there¡¯s no knowing what may happen¡¯, was also written.

    It was not a thing he could ignore when he heard about it; that¡¯s the character of the man called Shin.

    ¡°It seems going home will take longer.¡±

    The running Rionne, who took a detour to chase after the group of monsters, Shin also raised his pace of running.

    After a little while, a huge group of monsters were confirmed by sight.

    In every ¡®Flood¡¯, there seemed to be a trend in the emerging monsters. This time it was humanoid monsters, such as goblins and orcs that became the majority.

    Was it a blessing of God? Compared to the high physical ability beast type and the tirelessly golem type, their pace was considerably slow. However, therge crowd of monsters was certainly headed to Balmel.

    ¡°Hmm? Hey Rionne, there¡¯s smoke rising over there, do you know what it is?¡±

    At the right front of the running Shin, a big cloud of smoke that appeared suddenly was visible.

    When he listened carefully, explosive sounds were audible, too. Apparently, there was something going on in the vicinity of the boundary between the forest in the in and the Melt Mountains.

    ¡°Perhaps, the Mist Garuda have descended the mountains. Melt Mountains is in the territory of the Mist Garuda after all. When the monsters that were born, in the ¡®Flood¡¯, were about to enter the mountains, I heard they were reduced to ashes. That¡¯s why the monsters have no choice but to advance toward Balmel.¡±

    The Mist Garuda may not have had the intention, but they seemed to have be the figure that guided the monsters toward Balmel in a good way.

    On top of that, since it killed the monsters which trespassed on the mountains, it had reduced the numbers that reached Balmel. Therefore, it was said that the act of trying to hunt the Mist Garuda in Melt Mountains was prohibited in a treaty. Because it reduced the damage of the ¡®Flood¡¯, it was outrageous to fight against each other.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Mist Garuda, huh?¡±

    A big shadow flying in the sky was reflected in Shin¡¯s eyes as he ran while watching the mountains.

    The Mist Garuda was flying leisurely while leaving an arc like a vapour trail. The mist was shaped like a bird, as shown in its name, and its level was high, ranged between 700 ¨C 800. It had a lot of special attacks, and was a very powerful monster.

    ¡°Oh, that is..¡±

    From the Mist Garuda which was dancing in the sky, a red mist was sprayed.

    The goblins and ogres started to roll over with their whole bodies covered in mes the moment the mist touched them.

    It was one of the special attacks of the Mist Garuda, ¡®Fog of re¡¯.

    If you didn¡¯t have resistance to a certain level of me attribute, you could receive an abnormal status where your HP decreased by 10% per second and die in 10 seconds. It was even said that the setting in the game may be wrong, as it was the fog of death that burnt many yers to death, although it was the monsters being roasted this time.

    ¡°Anyway, why is it that the monsters still go in even though they know they are going to be burned?¡±

    Shin thought of such things, looking at the monsters which kept on diving into their own death.

    ¡°The monsters that emerge from the ¡®Flood¡¯ tend to have significantly lower intelligence. That¡¯s why they charge until thest one standing.¡±

    Indeed. The monsters which were born from the ¡®Flood¡¯, seemed to be different from ordinary monsters.

    While wishing that the Mist Garuda burned the monsters as much as possible, Shin and Rionne decided to leave from that ce.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin and Rionne ran on the in as they overtook the group of monsters which were previously ahead of them and became a ck wave.

    The map which was projected onto Shin¡¯s view when he passed the group of monsters, disyed only a bright red marker without any gap where the monsters were. It was too crowded, and the distinction of the individual was difficult, too.

    ¡°Is it always such arge crowd?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. I think there are various kinds of scales in the ¡®Flood¡¯, but I don¡¯t remember it. The number of monsters were a bit more than when I participated in the battle once. It would be nice if there were fewer to be considered¡­¡±

    Rionne probed into her memories while remembering the scene from that time.

    What Rionne talked about for a while was the story where she merely drove a sword into the emerged monsters, and repeatedly killed them. This ¡®Flood¡¯ feltrger in scale than the one at that time, Rionne added at the end.

    Even if Rionne knew strong soldiers were there to protect Balmel, her feet naturally increased the speed.

    ¡°I understand your feelings, but you¡¯re pushing too much, Rionne.¡±

    Seeing Rionne who had shortness of breath, Shin called for a break.

    No matter how much an upper ss Chosen One Rionne was, her stamina was not unlimited. Before arriving at Balmel, there¡¯s no meaning if she gotpletely exhausted and couldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break for a moment on top of that hill. We already passed the leading group of the monster too. Rest for a little bit.¡±

    ¡°But! ¡­Well, sorry, you¡¯re right, Shin.¡±

    Rionne was probably trying to say that she still can go on, but she noticed her own state as well.

    If this goes on as it is, she would run out of energy in the middle of the way. Since they kept running at a high speed, the monsters¡¯ group was already quite far behind. Even if Shin and Rionne arrived at Balmel, several days could be expected to pass before the monsters reached them.

    Considering their pace, it was reasonable to rest here, because there was still a distance to cover to get to Balmel.

    ¡°It¡¯s called a fort city so haven¡¯t they already repelled the enemy many times over?¡±

    While they were on break, Shin asked about Balmel.

    If it¡¯s a city built for ¡®Flood¡¯ control, a military unit with reasonable equipment should exist.

    ¡°It is indeed, but it won¡¯t finish without a small number of sacrifices. Moreover now, among 3 upper ss Chosen Ones who should protect Balmel, one is absent.¡±

    ¡°Is it okay to be absent as the main part of defense?¡±

    ¡°It seemed there was something at the church, that he had to guard a certain person. Geez, what is the church thinking about?¡±

    Rionne frowned as she couldn¡¯t understand it.

    The fort city ording to Rionne, apart from being the ¡®Flood¡¯ breakwater, had received a dispatched upper-ss Chosen Ones from the church and the neighboring countries. Because the fort city was inferior in terms of numbers, it was a strategy topensate with quality.

    However this time, since the church has stimted a talk about pulling out a Chosen One at their own discretion, objections flooded from various countries.

    (The church, huh?¡­Is it by any chance, that guy?)

    Hearing ¡°Church¡± and ¡°A certain person¡±, a figure of a knight who damaged his wagon during the journey to Falnido came to Shin¡¯s mind.

    In this world, it was quitemon that the actual status differ from the height of a level. However, a high-leveled person was still limited. The knights at that time, especially the man who destroyed the wheels of the wagon was level 239. It was higher than the present Rionne.

    It was no more than a possible story, but if it¡¯s the truth, it would be necessary to add restraints to the priest who threatened the knights.

    ¡°What about the other two? Will they able to pull through somehow?¡±

    ¡°Thebination is not bad. The other two are a magic swordsman like me and a mage. If they cooperate with the high-leveled adventurers who are in Balmel, they would never lose as long as there is no ident. The problem is the number of victims.¡±

    ¡°How far could the enemy be reduced by magic skills of the mage, was the key¡±, Rionne murmured, and drank water.

    Even though how much the mage was called a Chosen One, a skill couldn¡¯t be released forever.

    Though it depended on ability and skill, there was also a limit in range a person could cover.

    ¡°How is the fighting force of Balmel? There are Chosen Ones from the adventurers¡¯ guild, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed apart from the dispatched people, there are powerful people who are close to an upper-ss Chosen Ones. But most of them are melee type. Only few people who can attack a wide area.¡±

    It was alright if the monsters were in small number, but when ites to several hundreds of thousands, defeat would happen in the long run. Since the monsters appearing in the ¡®Flood¡¯ were low-level, even with a general soldier it can help to keep it upied.

    Though the course to go over there was changed, Shin decided to contact Schnee just in case.

    (¡°This is Shin, is it alright to talk now?¡±)

    (¡°Yes, did something something?¡±)

    After making sure there was no problem tomunicate, Shin told the ¡®Flood¡¯ things to Schnee.

    (¡°I can¡¯t say anything about the scale unless I see them myself. It it¡¯s the normal scale, we don¡¯t have to worry about Balmel at least.¡±)

    Schnee judged calmly after she listened to Shin¡¯s story.

    However, there was an irregr this time.

    (¡°Have you taken that 1 Chosen One¡¯s absence into ount?¡±)

    (¡°If the Chosen One who is not there is not a mage, it would be all right. Since the monster itself can be dealt with just Balmel¡¯s forces.¡±)

    ¡°Although I have not considered the victims¡±, Schnee continued.

    (¡°I got it. I¡¯m going to rush up to Balmel from here, you should hurry as much as possible there, too.¡±)

    (¡°Understood.¡±)

    With Schnee there, it should not be a problem without the Chosen One and so forth.

    Though Tiera was not able to move so quickly, she would not bete if Kagerou¡¯s with her.

    ¡°¡­Now then, we¡¯ve had enough rest. Let¡¯s move soon, Shin.¡±

    Thanks to having rested for a while, Rionne seemed to have recovered, as she stood up swiftly.

    The talk with Schnee had just ended too, so Shin also stood up at the same time.

    ¡°Okay, but I¡¯ll carry that.¡±

    Saying so, Shin carried ¡ºMuspelm¡» which was ced on the ground to his back.

    It wasn¡¯t much burden to Shin due to the height of his physical strength, he determined that it would be hard for Rionne to carry it and run for a long time.

    ¡°Mu! I can carry my own weapon¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Rather than fussing over that now, it¡¯s more important to move quickly. You were worn out halfway, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ugh, when that¡¯s said, I cannot talk back¡­¡±

    Since that was the reason they took a break, Rionne couldn¡¯t argue.

    The top priority here was to proceed ahead, and the ¡ºMuspelm¡»was entrusted to Shin.

    ¡°Mumumu!¡±

    ¡°Why are you groaning?¡±

    ¡°We have to hurry up, must to but¡­damn, I¡¯m ashamed to be tired out at this amount.¡±

    ¡°You unexpectedly hate to lose, huh¡±

    Although they were talking, their running speed has not dropped.

    Rionne¡¯s burden of ¡ºMuspelm¡» has diminished a lot, she can afford to talk as a result.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    They kept running most of the day, and finished preparation for camping before the sun set.

    As one would expect, to keep running for days without sleeping was difficult no matter how much the stamina, so they decided to get enough sleep in a simple tent they set together and stood watch by turn.

    After finishing a quick meal, and Shin cleaning up, Rionne began to speak. She casually approached Shin and sent a flirtatious nce.

    ¡°You really have a lot of stuff thates up. Even if I am prepared, isn¡¯t this thoroughly prepared?¡±

    ¡°I was prepared for a journey to begin with. Because I was summoned there, these are the only things I have. Once you convert them into cards, it¡¯s not very bulky.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because you can use item cards, huh? I wish my country had a person with that ability.¡±

    In the story Shin asked Wilhelm, there should be a possibility that Rionne and other countries¡¯ Chosen Ones possessed an Item Box if they had items.

    ¡°I will not talk about cooperation.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know the detailed information, and either way he wouldn¡¯t do it.

    ¡°No good?¡±

    ¡°No good.¡±

    ¡°No matter what?¡±

    ¡°Never. Hey! don¡¯te closer!¡±

    He distanced himself from the leaning forward Rionne who approached him.

    Around the area that emphasized her chest, ¡®She¡¯s actually aware of her own charm, isn¡¯t she?¡¯, Shin thought. How did the princess¡¯s manners and so forth have fallen? He wanted to ask.

    In the darkness of night, Rionne who was illuminated by the bonfire, the lively state she had during the day quieted down, and wore an atmosphere that seemed to be slightly strange.

    ¡°For you to be somewhat flustered, is this body even attractive?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I understand what you have been doing. I mean I should say, is this the kind of thing you should be doing in this situation?¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say ¡®It¡¯s useless to even be flustered¡¯, Shin! If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll make good use of the time when I don¡¯t have anything to do.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the effective use of time? Where?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time effective at least for me. In this way, I can speak to you without reserve.¡±

    While smiling somewhat lonely, Rionne corrected her sitting posture.

    ¡°Without reserve, huh? Rionne, well, there will be such a partner, like when you talked with Gadras, I think that was pretty frank though.¡±

    ¡°Gadras is my sword¡¯s mentor. I¡¯m morefortable with him than other people. Although, there is still something like a wall to royal family. In that respect, you really have no constraint, Shin.¡±

    ¡°That, in other words, am I just being rude?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I also want to talk with such a partner, who humbles himself all the time, but it doesn¡¯t suit me personally; although I¡¯m ustomed to such things.¡±

    Rionne often went out to towns, but due to bad publicity, even the adventurers who wasn¡¯t particr much about social status seemed to humble themselves.

    ¡°How about your family? Ah well, you don¡¯t have to say it if you don¡¯t want to. There seems to be a lot of discord in some ces.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the things I conceal particrly. You¡¯re right, our family¡¯s interpersonal connections had¡­been long gone. Although we¡¯re not on a bad terms, I don¡¯t know whether I want a substitute family.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that kind of royal family, huh? Well, in case you need someone to talk, I¡¯ll be yourpanion. ¨D¨DHey! Why are you getting clingy!¡±

    ¡°Sometimes even a princess will want to depend on someone. You may hear my selfishness a little while hearing my story.¡±

    ¡®Was she teasing me?¡¯, Shin thought, but Rionne never did anything more than cling to Shin¡¯s arm.

    ¡°I can¡¯t show this to the people in the castle.¡±

    ¡°Nobody is around. It¡¯s been a long time not being monitored everywhere other than in the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°Good grief, this princess¡­only this time.¡±

    After a sigh, Shin tossed a branch to the bonfire with his free arm.

    It was easy to pull away if he intended to. However, the unhappy speech he listened to was making his intention fade away.

    A family was something very important to Shin. Though before the death game, his parents were in good health, and his rtionship with his elder brother and younger sister were also good. It was noisy fun, and the ce where he should have returned. As he thought to himself, he couldn¡¯t help but to feel something in Rionne¡¯s circumstances.

    The serene expression of Rionne relieving her burden, Shin would like to see it a little longer. Speaking furthermore, there was none of the monitoring that Rionne spoke of. It¡¯s mean that Rionne was constantly monitored.

    ¡®You probably have time to rx now¡¯, Shin thought.

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re warm.¡±

    ¡°Is it cold?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that.¡±

    ¡®I know¡¯, he muttered in his mind, and threw another branch on the fire.

    *Pop* sounds and the noise of branches split open were heard. Shin was not that thickheaded to be mistaken on the meaning of this situation.

    Was this the original Rionne? Shin couldn¡¯t arrive to a conclusion. Where was her usual spirited mood?

    ¡°Sleep soon, we will keep on running tomorrow. Don¡¯t reserve the fatigue.¡±

    ¡°Muu, it can¡¯t be helped. Or I have to wait for the next opportunity?¡±

    ¡°Vacate such thinking until we pull throughpletely over the ¡®Flood¡¯.¡±

    Shin who put out a mantle, wrapped up Rionne, and warned her for formality¡¯s sake.

    Rionne probably would understand that. Somehow, she took a rest well.

    The transition to Sacred ce, the defeat against monsters, and the impatience due to the ¡®Flood¡¯. When such various factors were put together, the manner until now was expressed, Shin thought.

    The deep darkness of the moonless night.

    Groups of monsters from behind.

    What can be relied upon by fellow travellers, was only a small bonfire.

    Regardless of the strength of capabilities, it was no wonder that a feeling to seek one who can be relied upon was sought, Shin thought.

    Speaking of why he understood it, it was because Shin had experienced simr things.

    Shin and Rionne, Schnee and Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou were heading toward Balmel.

    A great army of monsters exceeding 1000, approaching moment by moment.

    In order to fight against the looming threat, everyone would meet at Balmel.

    *For your reference

 Vol 5 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    ¡°I saw it!¡±

    It was the third day since Shin and the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom, Rionne, had been transposed to the Sacred ce Kalkia. The rampart of the stronghold city, Balmel, was visible to the two people who continued going south.

    Normally it was impossible to arrive in three days, but they were upper ss Chosen Ones. It could be said that their speed surpassed that of a flying dragon.

    Simrly from the Sacred ce to Balmel, there was quite a distance from therge crowd of monsters. Since the Goblins and other monsters were the main constituent for their slow movements, they still had probably nearly a week to spare.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go meet the feudal lord. Shin, please report to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±

    ¡°Understood. What will you do afterwards?¡±

    ¡°When ites to the intercepting therge-scale of ¡®Flood¡¯ monsters¡¯ invasion, cooperation of the guild and the army is essential. It means that the Chosen Ones will assemble immediately.¡±

    ¡°I see. Roger that.¡±

    The current time was just past noon. Since it was not early in the morning orte at night, he didn¡¯t have to wait at the reception desk.

    Rionne told the circumstances to the guard who was in the guardroom of the gate, and was guided to the feudal lord¡¯s castle.

    Shin also asked the guard about the ce and headed toward the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.

    ¡°Is it in between Bayreuth and Falnido?¡±

    What Shin spoke about was the race of people he came across. There were a lot more beasts here than in Bayreuth, and more humans than in Falnido. He also saw some elves and dragnils.

    The key point of defending was to keep the overflowing monsters in check from the Sacred ce. In addition, because the city was next to the sea and an abundance of mountains, this might have resulted in various races gathering.

    ¡°It¡¯s lively.¡±

    Shin briskly walked for a while, and soon saw a familiar signboard.

    He opened the door, entered inside, and made his way to the counter.

    ¡°Excuse me, could you ry something to the guild master?¡±

    ¡°Sorry for being so for asking, but what kind of business do you have with Guild Master?¡±

    The elf receptionist girl, who gave off the impression of a working woman with sses on, asked him with a dubious look.

    It was the first time Shin hade to Balmel, so he didn¡¯t know any acquaintances. When an adventurer without acquaintances asked to call the guild master, you probably would think it was suspicious, too.

    ¡°There is information on the ¡®Flood¡¯. In addition to the Guild Card, I also pledge with my social position.¡±

    ¡°¡­Please wait a moment.¡±

    The receptionist contemted for a moment before lightly bowing and drawing back to an inside room.

    It was likely that she couldn¡¯t ignore it when she heard it was about the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    ¡°This way, please.¡±

    The receptionist, who returned after a few minutes, prompted Shin to the back room.

    It seemed that the guild interior¡¯s design was almost the same in every town. They walked a short distance and a big door could be seen, and the reception girl knocked on it.

    ¡°It¡¯s Eliza. I brought you the adventurer in question.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s open. Have him enter.¡±

    The reply, which came from the other side of the door, was a male voice.

    Also, this reception girl seemed to be called Eliza.

    Shin passed through the door which had been opened by Eliza, and entered the room.

    ¡°Wee to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I am the guild master, Baren Lakt. I¡¯m told that you brought information on the ¡®Flood¡¯; could you tell me more about it?¡±

    When he was invited to sit on the sofa, Shin felt that he was being observed.

    Baren¡¯s appearance was that of a man just past his 60¡¯s. Most of his hair was white; wrinkles also stood out on his face.

    However, even if he looked gentle, that glint in eyes held a sharpness that wasn¡¯t inferior to Barlux¡¯s.

    ¡°I am Shin. The ¡®Flood¡¯ urred around Sacred ce Kalkia. It consists mainly of Goblins, Orcs and others humanoid monsters. Judging from the speed of their progression, I think it will take them about one week until they arrive here.¡±

    ¡°¡­Your expression looks like you¡¯ve seen it happen; may I ask for your information sources?¡±

    ¡°As you said, I saw it. I can¡¯t say in detail, but I can confirm that a mass of monsters was heading toward Balmel when I went to the vicinity of the Sacred ce. Mypanion has already gone to contact the feudal lord here.¡±

    ¡°To the feudal lord? Does the person apanying you have a high social rank?¡±

    Baren asked, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

    If one could have an audience with the feudal lord immediately, it must be a person with a high position to some degree. As expected from the guild master of the city near the Sacred ce, he was quick to catch on.

    ¡°You will know about mypanion¡¯s status. The information should be passed on to you soon. Leaving that aside, do you believe in my information?¡±

    ¡°Hrm, I can not remain silent when hearing ¡®Flood¡¯. But under the present situation, there¡¯s no proof to back up what you¡¯re saying¨D¨D¡±

    Baren said, while putting his hand on his chin.

    However, it seemed he already sent a messenger to confirm the information contrary to his words.

    There were people leaving the guild hurriedly; Shin could sense it.

    ¡°If you say that you are an A rank adventurer, the story would be different.¡±

    For Baren, he should be able to get into action quickly. However, since he was the head of the organization, he couldn¡¯t ept Shin¡¯s information that easily.

    ¡°Then, how about this?¡±

    Receiving a probing-like gaze, Shin took out the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora from his Item Box.

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    Eliza expressed words when she saw the letter of introduction.

    ¡°I already have official guarantee that it¡¯s genuine by Guild Master of Bayreuth.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, I have no choice but to believe you since this is shown.¡±

    The gaze containing doubt from Baren was erased.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to verify it?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have a letter of introduction. But as you said, I can contact Barlux-dono. Even if you tell a lie, I¡¯ll know it immediately.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Uh huh, from here on I officially announce the deration of a state of emergency. If thepanion whom you said has brought the story to the feudal lord, the army would move immediately. As soon as the reportes, we¡¯ll begin the preparation for the residents¡¯ evacuation. Eliza, please contact the representatives of each guild.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Eliza who received the order left the room afterward.

    Organization of the army and units, procurement of supplies, and the evacuation of the residents; there were many things that needed to be done from now on.

    ¡°What are you going to do hereafter? I guess you¡¯re an upper ss Chosen One, right? Please cooperate as I¡¯d like to ask regardless, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask. As an upper ss Chosen One as you say, you can expect me to help to some extent.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring. Then, it would be nice if you have a meeting together with the other Chosen Ones in this city.¡±

    In Baren¡¯s talk, the Chosen Ones that became the main force, because upper ss Chosen Ones were not the same as ordinary adventurers or knights, it was said that they would unite in a party between fellow Chosen Ones and fight.

    Since they themselves often had weapons for their exclusive use, they didn¡¯t take much time with preparationpared to amon adventurer.

    ¡°Now the Chosen Ones protect Balmel, but I¡¯ve heard there is one short..¡±

    ¡°You had known? I¡¯m also concerned about this, but the force increased once you joined. It became somewhat better, is what I¡¯d like to think.¡±

    ¡°Mypanion is a Chosen One too, so you can count on us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a blessing.¡±

    After inquiring about the location of the shop which the Chosen One ran, Shin left the adventurer¡¯s guild. Even if everyone of them were a Chosen One, it didn¡¯t mean they would be adventurers or knights.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°That¡¯s the ce, huh? I¡¯ve seen that signboard somewhere before.¡±

    He said as he went ahead along the street, and found the signboard of thendmark.

    At the sole of a paw and small fish which were drawn on the signboard, Shin tilted his head.

    ¡°Paw, small fish¡­Wait, those are, dried small sardines?¡±

    A paw and dried small sardines. To thatbination, something shed inside Shin¡¯s mind.

    ¡°The shop¡¯s name is ¡®Nyan Da Land¡¯¡­you say? D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­.¡±

    While remembering the person who shouldn¡¯t be here, Shin opened the shop¡¯s door.

    A bell rang and he entered the shop, there, it was a bar with a calm atmosphere. Shin was familiar, no, he was at a loss for a moment how he should move in the interior which he was so familiar with.

    ¡°Hm? Customer-san, I am very sorry, but we haven¡¯t opened yet. You can have delicious sake after the sun goes down a little more, okay?¡±

    Shin stiffened at that very moment, a deep voice of a man from the inner part of the store was heard.

    Shin was also familiar with this voice, and he turned toward the direction of the voice.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­Hibineko-san?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, I was called that by a close friend, but¡­Nyaa Nyaa Nyaa!?¡±

    That person, expressed his surprise with his whole body when he confirmed Shin¡¯s face.

    His race was High Beast of cat. As for the appearance, there was no way of expressing it other than a cat walking on two legs and wearing clothes.

    His face was mostly white but only the ears were ck. A part of the fur on his face had be gray for some reason; it looked like a crack on a split tile.

    The reason why Shin called him ¡°Hibineko¡± was because of the grey patch. His avatar name in-game was ¡®Nekomata@Rising¡¯. (T/N: Hibineko literally means crack cat)

    If only his voice was heard, one would imagined a refined man of middle age, but due to his short stature and his cartoonish costume, he looked like a mascot character of a deformed animal in an amusement park.

    Add a exmation mark floating above the head, and he would be the gag character of a manga.

    ¡°Are you a d-double?¡±

    ¡°Who is! Ah, no, but why? Hibineko-san, you were in the death game¡­¡±

    You should have died.

    Though Shin didn¡¯t voice it, he knew he wasn¡¯t mistaken. However, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ certainly disyed ¡®Nekomata@Rising¡¯.

    ¡°Really, you¡¯re Shin-nyaa¡­.?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­you¡¯re indeed Hibineko-san¡­first of all should I stop calling you that name?¡±

    Shin felt that tension dispersed, as ¡°-nyaa¡± attached to the end of names which was a peculiar way of calling from Hibineko. Even if he thought back to when it was a regr game, he was a yer who could change the mood of the area unintentionally.

    ¡°*Sigh*, even though I don¡¯t understand it well, it¡¯s been a long time, Hibineko-san. No, is it better to call you Nekomata@Rising-san?¡±

    ¡°Mugu! To know my sealed true name, you¡¯re really Shin-nyaa!¡±

    ¡°I only saw it from ¡¾Analyze¡¿. Or perhaps I should say, please stop calling me as Shin-nyaa, seriously.¡±

    Whilemunicating like they did in the past, Shin sighed.

    ¡°Fumu, it¡¯s truly you, Shin¡­ Hey, Shin. I want to confirm only this, have you died?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t, supposedly.¡±

    Shin spoke briefly about what happened to himself after he defeated ¡®Origin¡¯. He couldn¡¯t be dead at least.

    ¡°No no, such things¡­¡±

    ¡°For me, I am concerned why Hibineko-san is here though.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it either. Having lost my life in death game, when I came to myself, I was asleep on a grassy in. Level, stats, and items. Nothing changed from prior to dying, so I didn¡¯t have a hard time while living.¡±

    Balmel seemed to be the first ce he arrived, it was said that he was active as an adventurer based in here.

    ¡°Then, what is this shop?¡±

    ¡°Besides being active as an adventurer, this is matched with my character.¡±

    ¡®Nyan Da Land¡¯ bar was the name of the shop which Hibineko opened during the game era.

    Half of the menu being cat food hadn¡¯t changed either.

    ¡°And, I became the mark when other yers also came.¡±

    ¡°Besides you, there are others?!¡±

    Apparently, the situation was on arger scale than Shin thought.

    The yers who should have died in the death game or something; it was much more than expected.

    ¡°As far as I know it, Shadow-nyaa, Ho-nyaa, Masa-nyaa, Hira-nyaa have certainlye into this world. But¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°There are PK among the people thate as well.¡±

    ¡°PK?!¡±

    The yers havee. Hearing that, Shin thought even if they died in the original world, they could at least live in this world, but his expression changed when he heard the following words by Hibineko.

    PK or abbreviated of yer Killer; it referred to the act where a yer killed another yer, or the yer who did such an act. This time, it was thetter meaning.

    Also, speaking of the PK in the death game era, the majority prefered to kill the viinous people.

    ¡°Do you know who hase?¡±

    ¡°I still cannot grasp everything. But it¡¯s no doubt that Hameln hase.¡±

    ¡°That guy hase? It¡¯s going to be troublesome¡­¡±

    Hameln, Shin who heard that name had his expression stiffen.

    The yer who was known as a habitual offender of PK-MPK(Monster yer Kill) in the death game era, that¡¯s Hameln.

    As a High Pixie, he had morebat power than any upper ss Chosen One in this world, though not as much as Schnee.

    ¡°Even in this world, he has already been ced on the wanted list in many countries.¡±

    ¡°What did he do?¡±

    Though he was able to expect it without hearing, Shin still asked.

    ¡°He brought arge amount of monsters, and attacked a town. It doesn¡¯t seem to be a big town, but it was said that it was a total destruction.¡±

    ¡°That bastard. Even here, he¡¯s doing the same things, huh?¡±

    As Shin, who had a connection as he put an end to Hameln during the death game, he wondered why there was such a yer in this world.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s useless even if we think now. Anyway, why did youe to this shop, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Ah, though I think you will be contacted soon, the ¡®Flood¡¯ happened. So, it would be nice if you have meeting together with the other Chosen Ones, was what the guild master said.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s the case, huh? Then, I¡¯ll call out Shadow-nyaa and the others too.¡±

    Hibineko paused for a short while, and fell silent.

    Partly because he was a yer too, Shin understood that Hibineko used Mind Chat.

    ¡°When I spoke about you, Shin, he said he woulde at once.¡±

    ¡°Are they nearby?¡±

    ¡°They are my next-door neighbours. Didn¡¯t you see the signboard?¡±

    ¡°That is, I was paying more attention to the paw signboard..¡±

    ¡°To miss the cafe ¡®B&W¡¯, you still have a long way to go, Shin.¡±

    ¡°¡®B&W¡¯? That¡¯s the Shadow-san and Holly-san¡¯s shop?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. By the way, they have a daughter too.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?!¡±

    ¡°They have a daughter¡±, Shin was surprised at that use.

    Even a former yer seemed to able to make a child in this world. Just when he tried to ask for a detailed story, the shop¡¯s door was opened forcefully.

    ¡°Is it true that Shin-chan is here?!¡±

    ¡°Hey Holly, calm down a bit.¡±

    Entering by kicking the door open were two people, a High Elf and a High Lord.

    Having raised a loud yell was the High Elf woman, her white hair waved loosely and her blue transparent eyes were impressive.

    What reprimanded her was a High Lord man, having the same ck hair and iris as Shin.

    The words handsome man and beautiful woman, matched the two people really well.

    ¡°Um¡­Holly-san¡­if possible, please stop attaching -chan to my name.¡±

    It was Holly¡¯s habit to put up ¡°-chan¡± to someone, because Shin had the same nickname as some kindergartener, he requested her to correct it whenever being called.

    Though she attached ¡°-kun¡± to his name during theirst meeting, she seemed to havepletely forgotten it, probably because she was being surprised.

    ¡°¡­Hibineko-san. They look like they¡¯re somewhat misunderstanding though..¡±

    ¡°U-Umu, they should hear the story in general about you, Shin.¡±

    They seemed to think that Shin probably died and hade to this world. From the tears umting in their eyes, there¡¯s no mistake about it.

    ¡°Hey Holly, Shin has not died. You¡¯ve heard Hibineko¡¯s chat.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Is that so?¡±

    To begin with, she had a character that was quickly jumping to wrong conclusions, and that didn¡¯t seem to have changed even after she came here.

    It was also amon thing for Shadow to rebuke her.

    ¡°It¡¯s true. At least, I¡¯m certain that my HP didn¡¯t be 0 when I came here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d. I certainly thought¡­but, then why are you here?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ve said he doesn¡¯t know. Anyway, it¡¯s been a long time, Shin. I¡¯m happy to see you again, but I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s nice to say..¡±

    While answering Holly¡¯s question, Shadow called out to Shin.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m d to meet you too¡­Meeting again, it was possible, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it after I died..¡±

    Shin and Shadow, they had known each other for the longest inside that group. At one time, they made a party together.

    Shin was d to see Shadow and Holly together, and became jealous at the same time.

    Even in the real world, Shadow and Holly were a married couple, their good rtionship was famous amongpanions. Despite dying and ending up in a another world, they could still be here together, Shin was a little jealous.

    (Well, his circumstances are slightly different than mine.)

    Shin almost hoped for a reunion like those two, and shrugged his shoulders a little to restrain himself.

    ¡°First of all, I am delighted with our reunion here, but the situation at the moment is a little..¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. When I heard the ¡®Flood¡¯ took ce, I couldn¡¯t calm down either.¡±

    Shadow also changed his expression.

    ¡°Has the adventurer¡¯s guild made their move?¡±

    ¡°Yes, mypanion has also told the feudal lord, too. Each guild should be contacted soon.¡±

    ¡°As expected, you¡¯re quick to respond. But Shin-kun, did Guild Master believe in your story?¡±

    ¡°As for that, I showed him this.¡±

    Shin took out the letter of introduction of Tsuki no Hokora in front of Holly.

    When that was seen, everyone nodded as having consented.

    ¡°I see. You already went to your ¡®home¡¯.¡±

    ¡°It was near the ce where I woke up, so I went there first. I also have met Schnee already.¡±

    All three of them seemed to know the situation of Tsuki no Hokora; Holly and the others wanted to hear the detailed story from Shin.

    However, because it was not a time to be carefree, Shin ignored Holly¡¯s gaze and returned to the conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told this to the guild master, but the majority of the monsters were humanoids such as Goblins and Ogres. Anyway, you should be careful of their number. It was a number that wasn¡¯t seen even in an event of the game.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the feature of the ¡®Flood¡¯ which breeds arge amount of low-level monsters. Though we, the melee-type, would have a difficult time corresponding to the attack, it seems we don¡¯t have to worry with Shin here.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you destroyed them when you came across them?¡±

    Shadow said in neither joking nor in a serious tone.

    ¡°No, actually, mypanion in question is the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom. To use my power in front of such person is still..¡±

    ¡°Will she be afraid or praise it? Either way, it will be mayhem. High Humans here seem to be treated like half Gods. Shin-kun¡¯s support character, Schnee-chan, is very famous, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, besides, even now she still held full interest toward me. As Shadow-san says, I intend to prevent war sacrifices too, but I don¡¯t want to be discovered.¡±

    It was said, no matter how much the number were, most of them were small fry which didn¡¯t reach level 100. He could burn them down using a wide range magic skill.

    As why that wasn¡¯t done earlier, it was because Rionne was nearby.

    ¡°A man with power, is difficult in every ages. For the matter of the second princess, I heard she isn¡¯t that corrupted to that extent though..¡±

    Following Shadow, Hibineko began to talk.

    ¡°Well, the cement probably will be different from us when ites to a royal family. I dare say, we ought to be together as the dispatch group.¡±

    The group of dispatch were the Chosen Ones assigned to various ces by turns. The mage and the magic swordsman which Rionne mentioned before fell under that.

    ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡±

    ¡°If I say that we¡¯re acquaintances, it¡¯s almost settled with the princess bing separated. A hastily made party and a party with cooperation, the battle results are greatly different. The guild master also understands that situation.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if we would be a hindrance instead¡­Didn¡¯t Schnee-chane?¡±

    ¡°She is in Bayreuth now. It¡¯s also why I¡¯m here, it seems like a demon was in the royal pce.¡±

    ¡°Demon?¡±

    Shadow reacted to Shin¡¯s remark.

    Neither Hibineko nor Holly spoke, but they seemed to be surprised simrly.

    ¡°I heard in Schnee¡¯s story, 500 years from the natural disaster, she didn¡¯te across it at all.¡±

    ¡°Hm, we haven¡¯t heard of it either.¡±

    In addition to Hibineko¡¯s words, Shadow and Holly nodded too.

    Though they didn¡¯t understand what was happening, demons having begun to move again was not a good premonition. Just to make sure, he also informed them of what was in the royal pce.

    ¡°A Count ss, huh? If that¡¯s the case, we should able to handle it.¡±

    ¡°Although anything higher than that, we¡¯ve only ever fought in dungeons or for quests.¡±

    ¡°The terrain has changed now, we don¡¯t know the reason. In all the dungeons that we have visited in this world, there never been something like this.¡±

    Three people looked at each other and frowned.

    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s better than not knowing, but please put it in the corner of your mind for the time being. You may have to give priority even more soon.¡±

    Since he couldn¡¯t find solution even if he thought, the demon matter was put on hold for the time being.

    ¡°For now, let me take charge of strengthening your weapons and armor which you¡¯re using now.¡±

    ¡°Is it fine?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here this time, but I don¡¯t know what will happen hereafter. I think there¡¯s no loss to reinforce them. Of course, you can expect it to be good as I will do it seriously.¡±

    Shin was there this time. Though the preparation made by the guild and the feudal lord were wasted, he didn¡¯t intend to increase the victims and the like from the start.

    Shin¡¯s attention was already focused on the ¡®Flood¡¯ which would eventually happen again.

    ¡°F-Fumu¡­Shin is serious huh? A fearful weapons will probably bepleted, although it¡¯s reliable.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid to hand over my weapon.¡±

    Hibineko and Shadow said in a slightly restless voice.

    Because they didn¡¯t know Shin¡¯s abilitypletely, what kind of magic remodeling would Shin subject their favorite weapons to? Such uneasiness shed across their head.

    ¡°Please take care of my weapon! Even if Shin-kun is not here, we will defend this ce!¡±

    Unlike the men who were sweating from their foreheads, Holly with an expression full of motivation, handed over a weapon which was still in card state to Shin immediately.

    There was not any trace of anxiety towards the magic remodeling seen.

    ¡°You can count on me.¡±

    Shin also received the cards from Shadow and Hibineko, and put them away in his Item Box at once.

    He intended to make Tsuki no Hokora appear, to work in the night as he sneaked out from Balmel.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll introduce you my partnerter.¡±

    ¡°Partner? If it¡¯s Schnyaa-san, I know her.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible for monster to be tamed if you have the job Tamer? It¡¯s that.¡±

    Shin told Hibineko, who heard ¡®partner¡¯ and imagined Schnee, that he tamed a monster.

    ¡°Hoho, I didn¡¯t think there is a monster could catch Shin¡¯s eyes.¡±

    While ying with his mustache, Hibineko smiled with great interest.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a very strong monster, right?.¡±

    ¡°Fumu, is it the Mist Garuda around here?¡±

    They being immensely curious also didn¡¯t change here, Holly and Shadow voiced their ideas too.

    ¡°Please wait a moment, I¡¯ll call it now.¡±

    Saying so, Shin connected via telepathy between partners to Yuzuha.

    ¡°(This is Shin. Yuzuha, can you hear me?)¡±

    ¡°(Ku? Wha?)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯ll introduce you to my acquaintances, and I want to summon you here, is it okay?)¡±

    ¡°(Wait a minute¡­*clonk*, Schnee-oneechan, Tiera-oneechan, see youter)¡±

    For a short while, Yuzuha seemed to get confirmation from Schnee and Tiera.

    ¡°Then, here ites. Contract beast summon!¡±

    When Shin chanted the incantation, a summoning formation with aplicated pattern was drawn at his feet.

    Normally, Yuzuha should have appear at Shin¡¯s feet, but¨D¨D

    ¡°Kyaah!!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!?¡±

    ¡°Ha? ¨D¨DWhoa!¡±

    Just as Shin thought he heard a short scream, his face was wrapped in something soft, and his view became dark.

    His posture broke and he fell onto the ground. Besides the sound of Shin falling, the sound of something dropping resounded inside the shop.

    ¡°Ouch¡­What¡­on earth¡­Master!! What happened?¡±

    When Tiera looked up while her eyes moistened because of pain, there was the figure of Schnee whose breasts enveloped Shin¡¯s head.

    ¡°¡­Tsui¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡°Tsui¡± me, ah, geez! Please release Shin, he seems to be in pain!¡±

    He likely couldn¡¯t breath. Shin tapped Schnee¡¯s back repeatedly.

    ¡°Mm mmm! Mm mmm!¡± voice omitted from her chest, ¡°Give up! I give up!¡± was also heard.

    ¡°T-This is, I only hear it from the rumor, is this heaven or hell?¡±

    Shin who was freed from Schnee¡¯s embrace, murmured while gasping for breath.

    Because it was the timing when he just breathed out, he was about to be suffocated seriously.

    The beginning was heaven, and the end was hell. As a matter of fact, if he had wanted to avoid it, he could have, but it was a secret only for Shin.

    ¡°¡­Um, what kind of situation is this?¡±

    Shadow, Holly and Hibineko who had stiffened by Schnee and the other¡¯s sudden appearance, among them, the first one to reboot was Holly.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t have a clue either.¡±

    While fixing his disordered breathing, Shin answered.

    Indeed, he didn¡¯t expect Schnee and Tiera to appear together with Yuzuha.

    ¡°About that, I..¡±

    Schnee started to exin as if nothing had happened.

    ording to her, Tiera and her seemed to have been pulled into the summoning formation around Yuzuha. Normally only the partner bes the target for transition, and it appeared that the two people were recognized as existences simr to Yuzuha for some reason.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess, but isn¡¯t it because of them being inside the summoning formation?¡±

    ¡°They were swallowed by the summoning formation, huh?¡±

    ¡°The summoning formation had a one mel diameter, so Tiera and I were indeed inside the summoning formation.¡±

    ¡°¡­Come to think of it, Cashmere talked about such a thing.¡±

    Shin recalled the words of the summoner and tamer of Rokuten, Cashmere.

    ¡°When calling your partner, if there are other partners in the summoning formation, they may appear together sometimes. Although it doesn¡¯t seem to be a bug.¡±

    The contents should be like this, and Shin confirmed that his memory was not mistaken.

    Perhaps, it was meant to be in THE NEW GATE from the start.

    ¡°Oh dear! I¡¯m not bored when Shin is around.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    Hibineko and Shadow who came to their senses, said in an amazed way.

    ¡°Everyone, I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Schnyaa-san too, hasn¡¯t changed a bit.¡±

    ¡°Next time, tell me about when you met with Shin-kun again, okay?¡±

    To see Schnee exchange voice casually, Shin had a sudden thought.

    ¡°Hey Schnee, did you know that Hibineko and the others hade to this ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Concerning Shin¡¯s friend, I heard a lot of stories.¡±

    ¡°Then I wished you said it a little earlier. Well, it can¡¯t be helped since there was Girard¡¯s matter, too.¡±

    If he knew that there were yers other than himself, Shin would have taken a different course of actions.

    However, because he had no choice but to meet Girard whose death was approaching, he didn¡¯t intend to scold her.

    ¡°I am very sorry. I had no intention of covering it up, but I couldn¡¯t get an opportunity to tell you¡­¡±

    ¡°Now now, a man shouldn¡¯t worry about a trifling thing. Leaving that aside, I want you to introduce that little fox-chan and elf-chan quickly to me.¡±

    Was she aware of what¡¯s inside Schnee¡¯s mind? Holly requested for Tiera¡¯s and Yuzuha¡¯s introduction.

    ¡°I get it. I assume you already know Schnee, so I will omit her, this young fox is Yuzuha, and this elf is Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°I am Tiera Lucent.¡±

    Yuzuha barked cheerfully, and Tiera bowed politely.

    ¡°Then next is this one. The one who looks like he has a crack on his head is Nekomata-san, we call him Hibineko-san. That is the High Elf Holly-san, and next to her is the High Lord Shadow-san.¡±

    ¡°I am Nekomata, I¡¯m also called Hibineko by everyone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Holly, I hope to get along with you, Tiera-chan.¡±

    ¡°Shadow. Come to my house if you¡¯re hungry.¡±

    Then, Tiera dropped her sight, looking at her own feet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce my partner too. Kagerou,e out.¡±

    Answering the call, Kagerou in puppy mode appeared from Tiera¡¯s shadow.

    ¡°This puppy is Kagerou, although he¡¯s small now. His original form is very enormous.¡±

    ¡°Gruu!¡±

    Kagerou barked, and made sure it matched Tiera¡¯s introduction.

    ¡°His monster name is Gruefago.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°WHAT!?¡±

    ¡°Nyaan!?¡±

    To the content which Shin told as an addition, the three former yers raised a voice of astonishment.

    Even the advanced yers would be on their guard against the divine beast; it was a strange scene when it was being held by a beautiful elf girl like a puppy, but the three people¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed Kagerou¡¯s name and level without an error.

    ¡°Oh, oh dear my my, such a cute pup is that Gruefago?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think he can change his body size at will.¡±

    ¡°Tiera-san is a Chosen One too?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just an ordinary elf unlike Shin.¡±

    ¡°She is not a Chosen One, so how could she tame a Gruefago?¡±

    ¡°Okay okay, that¡¯s it! Please ask the questions afterwards!¡±

    Shin forced his way through in front of Holly, Hibineko and Shadow who were pressing for answers.

    He was certain that Tiera would be barraged with questions if he left them alone. It was only natural that only Holly kept shifting the contents of the questions.

    ¡°The number of people increased somehow, let¡¯s sit down and talk at least.¡±

    When Shin said that, Shadow and Holly nodded.

    ¡°Thene to my shop. It¡¯s a special reunion, so I will show my skill.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, since the shop is closed today, we can talk a little bit. There¡¯s still time until the monsterse, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­If you said there is still time, then I will ept your offer here.¡±

    There was a dy of at least four or five days before the group of monsters arrived at Balmel.

    Before one knew it, Rionne¡¯s impatience seemed have moved to Shin, too.

    ¡°The summon of the adventurers, the formation of the armies, the amodation of the supplies, all of this takes time to deal with, but it probably will be all right today at least.¡±

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Following Shadow and Holly, the party entered ¡®B&W¡¯ cafe. Different from the ¡®Nyan Da Land¡¯, it was a coffee shop with a rxed atmosphere. The wall that faced the street was ss-sided, though the inside of the shop could be seen, the curtain was closed now.

    A  ¡°Closed¡± sign was hung up when the door was opened and they entered the shop; it was also a scene which Shin knew very well. The shop had a clean impression with white as the base, and hadn¡¯t changed at all since the game era.

    Even if it was said that the shop was just brought as it was, there was almost no strange feeling.

    ¡°¡­You have reproduced it well here.¡±

    ¡°I think it was well-bnced even if I say so myself. But this is all in favor of Rokuten before Shin-kun arrived here.¡±

    ¡°Rokuten?¡±

    Shin had no idea at all, and couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head for Holly¡¯s words.

    ¡°The ¡®Golden Company¡¯ exist because Reed of Rokuten built it, right? These various amodations were thanks to Shin and his acquaintances.¡±

    ¡°¡®Golden Company¡¯, huh?¡­That reminds me, what are the other guys¡¯ support characters doing?¡±

    Hearing the story from Shadow and Hibineko, Shin remembered the other support characters of Rokuten now.

    ¡°Schnee, do you know something?¡±

    He asked Schnee while sitting down on a chair.

    ¡°Reed-sama¡¯s follower, Berett, remain with ¡®Golden Company¡¯, Cook-sama¡¯s  follower, Keritori and Zaji run a restaurant ¡®Shigure Shop¡¯. The others, Cashmere-sama¡¯s follower, Busy and Cain-sama¡¯s follower, Raster, were maintaining the monsters¡¯ nurture at Rashugum. That is all I know. As for the information about Shin, I think Berett knows the whole content, since we had an arrangement to share through the ¡®Golden Company¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­Hey, I heard Rashugum just now, does that ce remain too?¡±

    In the middle of the talk, Shin voiced his question.

    ¡°Yes, because it was originally floating in the sky, it didn¡¯t receive the influence of the crustal movement. It has a wide area, so Busy evacuated the monsters that lost their breeding ranch there. As a result, it is called a Dragon Nest now.¡±

    ¡°Oi oi¡­ well, it¡¯s a fitting name for the ce.¡±

    The Rashugum Schnee talked about, was one of the guild houses of Rokuten.

    In the game era, there was no limit on the number of guild houses. So, having multiple guild houses to certain scale, one guild house could be expanded endlessly and was divided up into the guild which continued to be strengthened.

    In Rokuten, six bases were especially arranged, it became one person would manage one base.

    And, the Rashugum, the sixth guild house, was ¡®Silver Summoner¡¯ Cashmere¡¯s responsibility, the official name was ¡°Type 6 Sky Castle Rashugum¡±. It was called ¡°Castle¡± amongpanions, as it was literally a flying castle.

    ¡°Since half of the raised monsters are from the dragon species, saying it is a nest isn¡¯t wrong either.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Then Schnee, if that¡¯s the case, is my ¡®Studio¡¯ somewhere, too?¡±

    About the ¡®Studio¡¯, it was ¡°Type 1 Mysterious Studio Demi Eden¡± which Shin being in charge of.

    ¡°I looked for it, but it has not been found yet. We cannot transition to the guild house alone.¡±

    Originally, the guild house was exclusive for yers¡¯ use. If the support character was together with the yer, transfer was possible, but it was not possible to be used by a single support character unlike a general transition point.

    Anyway, if it was a game, one could be deployed to some ces, just by operating menu.

    ¡°If it¡¯s the ¡®Shrine¡¯, it should have be the headquarter of the church now.¡±

    ¡°The church!?¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression changed from the Hibineko¡¯s remark.

    From the priest who was running from the Golems they encountered the other day or Rashia who he got to know through a request and so on, Shin was strangely connected to the church people, he was not quite convinced that one of their guild houses was being used without permission.

    ¡®Shrine¡¯ was an alias, the official name was ¡°Type 4 Forest Pce Palm Luck¡±. It was the fourth guild house, and a shrine type. It was the facility which the ¡°Blue Magician¡± Cain was in charge of.

    ¡°Hibineko-san, do you know to what extent the facilities are being used?¡±

    ¡°They haven¡¯t grasped control of the central area at least. I heard most of the rooms are sealed.¡±

    ¡°Do you know anything, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°No, because I kept my distance from the church, so..¡±

    Though it was heard that they had trouble in the past, it seemed she hadn¡¯t gone to their headquarters yet.

    ¡°About that, I know it.¡±

    Holly raised her small hand in ce of Hibineko and Schnee.

    ¡°When I came to this world, what was the closest to me was the church headquarter city, Sigurd. Since I lived there for a while, I had the chance to go to the Shrine.¡±

    When she helped with the distribution of food after an emergency that the church performed, she seemed to have been invited by a priest she knew.

    The invitation was also due to Holly¡¯s race as a High Elf, which was known to be a good-natured race, and also served as a variety of solicitation, she exined.

    ¡°In a story I heard, and when I think about matching what I saw from a visit, the building itself was seen as important. Looks likes only parts of the gate and hall seem to be useable for everyone.¡±

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be entire building¡±, Holly added and sipped the coffee prepared by Shadow.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much that building was influenced by the natural disaster, but as far as I can tell after hearing Holly¡¯s story, I think the Shrine¡¯s functions haven¡¯t stopped even if it isn¡¯tplete.¡±

    ¡°May I ask why?¡±

    ¡°It was famous among some yers, so I don¡¯t mind. The building that Cain built maintains the functions in the facilities using a core, and when the core is destroyed or breaks down, the building would start self-destructing.¡±

    To Hibineko¡¯s question, Shin answered without pausing in between lines.

    Cain¡¯s reason was, ¡°Such things cannot be made in reality, so I decided to build in THE NEW GATE!¡± was what he said.

    His real life architect¡¯s blood seemed to tingle with excitement to a strange direction. In case of an invasion, the Shrine together with the enemy would copse, was what he seemed to have wanted to try.

    In the end, there was no opportunity for that to happen.

    ¡°That¡¯s why, the core of the building is safe for now. Only the members of Rokuten or their support characters should be able to use the important facilities, so I think it is locked. Perhaps, as Holly says, only parts of it can be used, huh?¡­Were the unique items sold?¡±

    If the whole facilities were avable, it would be unimaginable ording to this world¡¯smon sense when various stuff revealed.

    ¡°Yes, I have investigated it a little, but there wasn¡¯t anything strange was sold. Only things such as the standard potion of this world and also antidotes.¡±

    ¡°I think my guess is correct if that¡¯s the case then.¡±

    ¡°In the first ce, I don¡¯t think the dwellers of this world able to do anything to the Rokuten¡¯s guild houses.¡±

    Shadow who brought foods suddenly spoke a few words, and everyone in that ce gave a bitter smile.

    It might be possible that the residents of this world were able to operate it by ident, but there¡¯s no way such a thing would happen. Even that was difficult for former yers, but even more for the residents of this world.

    ¡°Dishes have arrived, shall we eat?¡±

    ¡°Though it couldn¡¯t bepared to Schnee-san¡¯s, it¡¯s my best ability.¡±

    The dishes were arranged on a table, and Shin gulped his saliva.

    During the three days leaving Kalkia, he only had simple meals like an ordinary traveler. Though dishes could be made into a card too, he couldn¡¯t put it out because Rionne was there.

    ¡°Well then, itadaki¨D¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m home!¡±

    Just when he about to eat the dishes, the shop¡¯s door was flunged open in a big way.

    It was an elf girl around 15 years old that raised a cheerful voice. White hair, ck pupils, and pointed ears, and not one freckle on that fair skin; she had the features of a general elf in THE NEW GATE.

    ¡°Oh? Customer-san?¡±

    The elf girl looked puzzled at Shin who was going to sp his hands for prayer.

    Her white hair which was tied behind her head swayed like a puppy¡¯s tail.

    ¡°Ara, you¡¯re early.¡±

    ¡°Mother, is the shop closed today?¡±

    ¡°They are my friends. We would eat together because we haven¡¯t met for a long time. This is Shin. And the young elven woman is Tiera.¡±

    There was no introduction of Schnee. It seemed they already knew each other.

    ¡°This child is our daughter, Kaede¡±

    ¡°I am Kaede Kurosawa. Nice to meet you!¡±

    Kaede introduced herself in a lively tone.

    What could be called a positive mood seemed to overflow from her whole body.

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. I¡¯m a close friend to Holly-san and the others.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Tiera Lucent. Hope to get along with you.¡±

    To the Kaede who was brimming with energy, Shin and Tiera naturally smiled.

    She appeared to be the type that lightened the surroundings in a sense unlike Holly.

    ¡°Schnee-san too, long time no see.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you have grown taller again.¡±

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t grown that much taller. I envy Schnee-san.¡±

    Said Kaede as she look at Schnee¡¯s chest.

    As expected, it probably caught her eyes even as a member of the same sex. Therefore, it shouldn¡¯t because Kaede¡¯s chest size was below standard.

    ¡°You are still in your growing period, it will be in the future.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s good.¡±

    After such an exchange, Kaede also joined them for meal.

    ¡°That reminds me, herst name is Kurosawa, right?¡±

    ¡°Using only character names is dull, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Mitomi was also fine though.¡±

    ¡°Rejected.¡±

    Holly instantly rejected Shadow¡¯s opinion.

    Kurosawa was Shadow¡¯s and Mitomi was Holly¡¯sst name in the real world.

    Though it was possible to give one¡¯s name as the real name, since the character name appeared by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ in this world, it seemed to attach Kurosawa when the name was spoken.

    When the meal was over, Kaede went to her room, and Shin and the others also began to prepare for the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    He nned to upgrade the weapons at night, so he decided to do something other than that.

    ¡°For now, I think I¡¯ll go to the ¡®Golden Company¡¯. Schnee, please tell the feudal lord and the guild master that you will be participates in the war. If Schnee is here, the soldiers¡¯ morale would be raised too and the residents should feel relieved.¡±

    ¡°Understood. What would you do afterwards?¡±

    ¡°How should an adventurer like me move? I¡¯ll ask in the guild. If there is a past document incidentally, I¡¯ll go check it.¡±

    What role did an adventurer y in the ¡®Flood¡¯, Shin didn¡¯t know it.

    Was it reserve force in the case of an emergency or search and destroy missions? Because he couldn¡¯t expect an organized movement like from the army, it shouldn¡¯t be so far off the mark.

    Chosen Ones may have a different possibility, but there¡¯s no loss in knowing it.

    ¡°What will Hibineko-san do?¡±

    ¡°We will work on converting materials into cards. I wish the opportunity to use them never arises though.¡±

    Shadow added.

    ¡°If you say materials, they¡¯re boulders and oil to drop from the top of the rampart, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah, indeed.¡±

    At the time of the attack to drop something from the top of the wall, if they were defeated in the war at the in, and had to retreat to the castle due to an unfavorable situation.

    Therefore, when there was an opportunity to use it, they would be in trouble. However, because any measures had been taken care of, the preparations seemed solid.

    Also, because of they were already considerably stocked up, it didn¡¯t take much time.

    ¡°Has it been attacked to the point of using it so far?¡±

    ¡°One time in the past, I heard it was a battle to the very limit. The story goes that they could not cope with the numerous groups.¡±

    ¡°Is is a pattern like that this time too?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it. Well, we won¡¯t be cornered this time probably.¡±

    The others were also in agreement with Hibineko who smiled wryly.

    Shin, Hibineko and the others were former yers. In addition to Schnee, there was Gruefago, a divine beast. They wouldn¡¯t lose.

    ¡°By the way, should we decide the next meeting time?¡±

    ¡°No, there will be no problem to act respectively. When there is a special summon from the guild, the guild card will emit a magic power. At that time, you should go to the guild.¡±

    What Hibineko was saying was that it was the call function which informed of the state of emergency.

    ¡°When there is an urgent business, I¡¯ll use the message card. You have some of them left, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, certainly.¡±

    Shadow and the others were yers after all, they seemed to notice the usefulness of the message card as well as Shin.

    ¡°What will Tiera do?¡±

    ¡°I would like to do something if possible. I wonder if I should tend to my weapon afterward.¡±

    ¡°May I ask you to pick an inn?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind since I¡¯m the most free here.¡±

    When they confirmed what to do, their own course of action started.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 5 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    Shin asked Hibineko the location of the Golden Company, and he went there without getting sidetracked.

    When he went along the road as instructed, a really shiny signboard caught his attention.

    ¡°What a conspicuous sign.¡±

    On the signboard, which was painted entirely ck and had a golden border, the words ¡®Golden Company¡¯ were also written in gold.

    Because the letters were shining excessively, it stood out the most; it was rather dazzling.

    Yuzuha, who was on top of Shin¡¯s head, was also overwhelmed by this, closing its eyes trying not to look at the signboard.

    ¡°(My eyes are starting to sting~)¡±

    ¡°(When I stare at it for a while, my eyes also start to itch¨D¨Dhm?)¡±

    Next to the shop, he saw that a box with goods was loaded onto a wagon in a hurry.

    They were probably informed by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and they were getting ready to transport the supplies.

    What interested Shin was the person who was issuing the instructions next to the wagon.

    The merchant, who had put on a robe with golden embroidery attached, looked familiar to Shin.

    ¡°¨D¨Dthese to the port; after it arrives at the other side, do as you were instructed. I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    When Shin approached him, he seemed to just finish issuing instructions and turning toward Shin conveniently.

    The information that was shown by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was already disyed in Shin¡¯s view.

    Name: Berett Kilmar  Level: 255

    With a chubby look and a charming smile, if he were not a merchant, he would have had the impression that he was a gourmet reporter. It was impossible to tell by his appearance, but Shin knew his race was High Elf.

    Though his main job was merchant, he was actually a character a little off from the usual practice, as his sub job was dark knight.

    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯d like to ask a little but..¡±

    ¡°Yes, what!!? ¡­ Well well, long time no see.¡±

    When he tried to answer Shin¡¯s greeting, Berett paused for a moment. However, he was the Golden Company¡¯s assistant manager. His expression immediately changed into a smile and bowed to Shin.

    ¡°The day when we are able to meet again, I was looking forward to it. Now now, we can¡¯t talk at ease in this ce. This way, please, and take yourpanion with you too.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, understood.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shin avoided using overly familiar words partly because it was their first meeting in this world, but Berett guided Shin to the reception room personally without breaking his humble attitude.

    There were no shy things like the signboard appearance inside the room; theyout was harmonious.

    When the two people entered the room, the door was knocked on almost immediately.

    ¡°Excuse me. I have brought a drink.¡±

    ¡°Enter.¡±

    Hearing Berett¡¯s voice, ady wearing employee¡¯s clothes entered the room.

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, her name was Pyuri. Judging from her pointy ears, she was probably an elf or a High Elf.

    After Pyuri put out tea and cake, which were loaded into the wagon, she left the room quietly.

    ¡°From the viewpoint of everyone in Rokuten, this would be cheap tea.¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need for such a thing.¡±

    Saying so, Shin tilted the cup. When he took a sip of that reddish liquid, faint sweetness and bitterness spread inside his mouth.

    ¡°This is spectacr.¡±

    ¡°I use the best tea leaves in the area. Above all, I¡¯m d that you like it. Leaving that aside, Shin-sama, it¡¯s unnecessary to be so formal. Honorifics don¡¯t apply to other people.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s morefortable, but..¡±

    ¡°Then, I ask you to be like that. If honorifics are spoken by the people of Rokuten, myself included, everyone would be ashamed.

    Berett seemed to be thorough on the position where one stands, such as master and servant. Would it be different between Shin and Reed?

    ¡°So, how may I help you today?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I wanted you to tell me the current state of Rokuten¡¯s support characters besides mine. I have heard the things about the ¡®Shigure Shop¡¯, Busy, and Rasta from Schnee.¡±

    ¡°All right, but we don¡¯t know anything except the one just came in. Oxygen and Hydro should be in ¡®Garden¡¯, but it¡¯s currently being treated as a danger zone. We couldn¡¯te close to the ¡®Garden¡¯ to confirm it, so we don¡¯t have enough evidence to verify the information. ¡®Studio¡¯, ¡®Ship¡¯, and ¡®Base¡¯s¡¯ whereabouts are unknown. Though I can confirm the existence of ¡®Shrine and ¡®Castle¡¯ under the current state, only ¡®Castle¡¯ can be secured.¡±

    The guild houses were as big as there was. If it wasn¡¯t found, it was probably buried underground or had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

    ¡°I see. I will keep searching for the ¡®Studio¡¯. As for the ¡®Garden¡¯, what makes it dangerous?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because a harmful gas is generated around the ¡®Garden¡¯. All are above VII abnormal state. The center is expected to be the maximum X. If I considered the fighting power and the resistance force, Schnee may be able to break through, but she still cannot stay long. For sure, if it¡¯s the resistance force of High Human ss like Shin-sama, it would be different¡­¡±

    The gases were generated by the surroundings, and seemed to have a quite powerful effect.

    If Berett¡¯s story was true, it was indeed not possible to break through unless it was Shin.

    ¡°Since there are also food production facilities inside, they, at the very least, won¡¯t starve to death¡­I¡¯m sorry for not being able to help much.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m satisfied, it¡¯s enough just to have heard about ¡®Garden¡¯.¡±

    ¡®Garden¡¯ was originally for the guild war use, traps were prepared around it.

    Perhaps, it had malfunctioned. Because the inside is air-tight, they wouldn¡¯t be hurt by the gas.

    The detailed location of ¡®Garden¡¯ was given and he kept note.

    ¡°Being able to listen to a lot of stuff saved us a lot of trouble. If something happens, please send me a message card.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will prepare it for you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll rely on you. That reminds me, do youe here often? I didn¡¯t expect to encounter you so abruptly.¡±

    ¡°I just had toe here for some business. At that time, I was informed by the merchant guild that the ¡®Flood¡¯ happened, so I was issuing instructions in order to cope.¡±

    Because precious fish could be caught at this time, he always came over personally. If he kept scuffling through the documents in the head office, his intuition as a merchant would dull or something like that.

    ¡°It is an opportunity, but it is also because it¡¯s something I was asked to do by Schnee.¡±

    ¡°Something she asked?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this should be reported to Shin-sama, too.¡±

    When he said so, Berett rung the bell which was ce on the edge of the table. Then, the door was knocked on in less than one minute.

    ¡°Excuse me for being rude. What can I do for you?¡±

    The one entered was Pyuri who brought the tea.

    ¡°Bring me ¡®that¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Right away.¡±

    Replying promptly to Berett¡¯s words, Pyuri left the room.

    He didn¡¯t say anything about what he wanted her to bring specifically, but as long as there was no mimunication between the two, there was no need to be worried.

    A few minutester, the door was knocked on again and Pyuri enter the room. She held a small envelope in her hand.

    ¡°Thank you. You may leave.¡±

    When he made Pyuri leave, Berett opened the envelope and took out the contents inside, and he presented it to Shin.

    ¡°This is a list of yers who came to this world.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression changed when he heard ¡°yers¡±.

    He read the list he received from Berett slowly from top to the bottom.

    ¡°¡­Is that all?¡±

    Shin finished reading the list, but asked Berett with a face that was perplexed.

    ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable question. If I have to say honestly, we¡¯re at a loss, too. The deceased in the event which yers called the death game ended with 100 or 200 people. If that¡¯s the case, the yers that havee here are just a really small fraction of it. Of course, not everyone was mentioned in the list.¡±

    Shin recognized every yer on the list that he held. Though he was surprised that only former yers were there, what was the list aiming for?

    (Have those guys, who were involved with me in the game era,e here?)

    Though Berett said it wasn¡¯t everything, as expected, Shin, too, couldn¡¯t hide his agitation.

    ¡°Also, please check this.¡±

    To Shin, who had a serious look on his face, Berett held out another paper. Though there were fewer names written down than that of the first list, a horizontal line was drawn for several names.

    ¡°This is?¡±

    ¡°It should be clear by now; this list is for what Shin-sama and yers call PK.¡±

    ¡°PK you say!?¡±

    Shin looked through the list while being surprised. There was Hameln at the top of the list, and several names Shin knew were on the list.

    ¡°(Shin, what is a Pi Kay?)¡±

    ¡°(¡­Guys who murdered others and enjoyed it.)¡±

    Shin replied to Yuzuha¡¯s question briefly. The words were a little hard for Yuzuha to say, and its vocal tone seemed to change even in the Mind Chat.

    Did it understand the atmosphere? Yuzuha barked a small ¡°Kuu¡­¡± and be quiet.

    ¡°Have you checked this individually?¡±

    ¡°Yes. In fact, when the first yer was found, it was Schnee who insisted that I should look for PKs first.¡±

    ¡°Schnee did?¡±

    Though Schnee said that there were no opportunities, no matter how much Shin looked at it, she was not ipetent enough to not convey such an important story as yers or PKs forever. If she said that she didn¡¯t have an opportunity or something, she should have had plenty of them.

    As expected, there may have been something.

    ¡°From your appearance, I guess Schnee hasn¡¯t told Shin-sama about this, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I only knew about the dead yers living by chance.¡±

    Then, Berett erased his smile.

    ¡°¡­If I say as a fellow follower of Rokuten, not conveying such important information intentionally is clear evidence of disloyalty to her own master, as such a thing shouldn¡¯t happen. Even though she is Shin-sama¡¯s follower, it doesn¡¯t mean she is clear from being punished.¡±

    Berett said in a solemn tone.

    Shin was troubled. He had a conjecture that Schnee was hiding something, but he didn¡¯t know how other followers of Rokuten felt.

    ¡°What is Shin-sama thinking?¡±

    ¡°¡­Schnee wouldn¡¯t do such a thing without any reason is what I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    Anyway, it would not be strange when that information came to light.

    The guild usually included portraits of wanted criminals such as Hameln. Even without Schnee telling him, Shin before long would find out.

    When Shin spoke about what he thought, Berett¡®s expression changedpletely from the moments ago when he said Schnee should be punished, and it became more gentle.

    ¡°Certainly, judging from Schnee¡¯s nature, I also think she would not conceal information to harm Shin-sama.¡±

    It seemed that there was no objection.

    ¡°¡­Hey Berett, do you know anything?¡±

    Shin, who felt something was wrong in Berett¡¯s manner, asked directly. Berett, who was questioned, nodded without change in his expression.

    ¡°Yes, I think I know.¡±

    ¡°Do I punish her after knowing the circumstances?¡±

    ¡°As a Rokuten¡¯s follower, I think that¡¯s proper.¡±

    ¡°Then, how about you as an individual?¡±

    ¡°I also understand her.¡±

    It seemed it depended on the ce where Berett stood. At least, it didn¡¯t seem to be the reason why he couldn¡¯t sympathize at all.

    ¡°If I was in the same situation as Schnee, I cannot assert that I would not do the same thing.¡±

    ¡°She is unqualified as a follower, is what you¡¯re saying as a friend, huh?¡±

    ¡°Rather than being unqualified, I think it¡¯s because she is a follower under your direct control. Shin-sama, the list in your hand, don¡¯t you remember those people, especially the ones with names crossed?¡±

    Shin, again, looked at the names which were crossed.

    Kagemaru.

    Jay Son

    Telfon.

    Evenpared to the other names, Shin remembered them.

    ¡°Shin-sama, do you remember once being called ¡®The God of Death¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It was way back when I wasst called like that¡­Yes, I see. These guys are¡­¡±

    Shin recalled those days, and noticed.

    ¡°The people whom I killed?¡±

    Though it was a vague memory, they were all PKs or otherwise members of PK guilds who fought again Shin.

    ¡°Forgive me if I say something rude, but Shin-sama¡¯s appearance at that time waspletely different from your usual self.

    If Berett had an ego like he did currently, he would have wanted to run away quickly even as a support character, Shin at that time seemed to be enveloped in a dangerous atmosphere.

    ¡°Schnee knows what causes Shin-sama¡¯s appearance to be so. Besides, even now she still regrets it that she was not able to do anything, despite being the closest to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    It couldn¡¯t be helped.

    No one would argue against that, but it¡¯s probably not at all eptable from her point of view.

    ¡°To Schnee, the days when Shin-sama met with these people, she was afraid that you¡¯d return to be like another person. Thus, she was likely trying to handle it herself without telling Shin-sama.¡±

    Berett said, tasting the drink and putting it down in one beat.

    ¡°¡­Seeing for myself, Schnee¡¯s feelings to Shin-sama were something that couldn¡¯t be concluded with the single word of loyalty. As she knows of the state you had changed into, she couldn¡¯t ignore the people who had caused such changes and tell it to Shin-sama.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me at that time, huh? ¡­Well, looking at it objectively, isn¡¯t it a dangerous story?¡±

    As for Schnee trying not to get Shin involved, it was understandable when hearing the reason.

    Shin, at that time, believed that defeating PKs was more important than clearing the game ¨D¨D No, he moved for the purpose of killing.

    He had not a fragment of morals, taboo, or such ideas; he had no hesitation, killing without pardon.

    ¡°There were yers with Shin-sama who acted together at that time too.¡±

    Yes, PKK(yer Killer Killer) ¨D¨D Shin alone was the yer who killed PKs, but he didn¡¯t do everything alone. Shadow, whom he met again at Balmel, was also one of the yers who cooperated with Shin.

    There was always a person who sought revenge butcked the power, or a person whocked information, even with sufficient power. The person who held grudges against PKs became frantic and cooperated in PK killings.

    There was no system for thew to judge, or the police to catch the criminals in the game. Therefore, some victims went for severe retaliatory actions.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    When there was such a reason, one wouldn¡¯t think speaking about yers and PKs proactively.

    Shin wasn¡¯t able to bring himself to punish Schnee at least.

    ¡°Even if Schnee normally should have disclosed it to you directly, I told you because a fact is a fact.¡±

    ¡°You, taking this opportunity or something, actually intended to say this from the beginning, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Oh?! What do you mean?¡±

    Berett feigned ignorance with a friendly grin on his face. However, the smile that Shin should have recognized was slightly suspicious now.

    ¡°What if I listened to that sort of crazy talk? I understand that Schnee didn¡¯t think this through.¡±

    ¡°Shin-sama was well-known for taking good care of your followers. Above all, Schnee is the longest-serving member.¡±

    ¡°Ku, that smile on your face irritates me.¡±

    It was a smile that should have formed a sense of closeness, as it was expressed on Berett as always, but it made Shin somewhat irritated to the appearance that seemed to want to say ¡°I understand¡±.

    ¡°To that extent, it¡¯ll be the evidence that Shin-sama is loved.¡±

    ¡°Keep saying that!¡±

    Shin replied Berett¡¯s words curtly.

    ¡°By the way, is Shin-sama participating in this ¡®Flood¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Yes, I intend to intervene but..¡±

    Berett, who was able to change the topic abruptly, had a contemtive look.

    ¡°Then, could you leave a part to the army without hunting everything?¡±

    Berett kept silent for a while, and mentioned that kind of thing.

    Because he knew Shin¡¯s true nature, he understood that Shin¡¯s remark of intervening meant annihtion.

    ¡°What is your reason?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be military training because only few ¡®Floods¡¯ were used to raise the levels of the soldiers.¡±

    Though Shin thought Balmel would be in danger if one wrong move was made, there were upper ss Chosen Ones keeping watch so that wouldn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°It would be hard leveling, you know?¡±

    ¡°In the Melt Mountains, which is the domain of a divine beast, not a group of monsters could trespass, such as the ¡®Flood¡¯. Balmel is one of the most important borders with the Sacred ce to many countries. So, geographically, Balmel bes an important defensive position between the Sacred ce and to each country. However, in recent years, the scale of the ¡®Flood¡¯, which can be used for training, hasn¡¯t urred, and it means that the skill level of soldiers showed a slight drop. The star of the battles are the Chosen Ones, but it¡¯s themon soldiers that upy most of the battlefield. There¡¯s no loss to raise the strength of the whole battle force, no matter how little. It¡¯s rare, so let¡¯s put it to good use. Schnee wille too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she should have gone to meet the feudal lord now.¡±

    ¡°Then please contact Schnee too. I¡¯ll take care of the small necessary arrangements.¡±

    ¡°Do you make the arrangements with the guild and the army?¡±

    ¡°Yes, since I am the assistant manager of Golden Company. In addition, the feared ¡®worst case scenario¡¯ won¡¯t happen now since Shin-sama is here.

    He seemed to have connections with the top brass of the army and the guild. Shin also knew that Golden Company was of arge-scale, so he was not surprised that that was the case.

    ¡°Would it be okay for you to make such a decision on your own for apany?¡±

    ¡°The merchant sometimes has stronger power than a king. Because Golden Company has a different status from tradingpanies, which can be found here and there, my own decision too, is not treated as the decision of amon merchant. I also have experience participating in a defensive war; that will y a part in this decision. When there were too many peaceful days, it cks off in various ways. That may be fatal to Balmel. Fortunately, I get along well with the personmanding the army, and added to the fact that Schnee will join there, the preparation won¡¯t be so necessary too¨D¨DIf this city falls though, there is also the trouble regarding the cirction of goods..¡±

    ¡°Oi, your true intentions just leaked out a little..¡±

    If one thought of stories with persuasive power, this was one of them.

    To Berett, who leaked lines that were significant to merchants, it made Shin lose strength.

    ¡°It¡¯s because a vast quantity of material will arrive after the ¡®Flood¡¯. It¡¯s an opportunity to replenish stock cheaply.¡±

    ¡°To discover this as soon as the safety of Balmel is ensured, huh?¡­¡±

    Where did the elf who lived in the forest go to? Berett was a money loving character; at the same time, Shin recalled that now.

    ¡°Hearing profit talk anywhere, that¡¯s called a merchant. I had a novel idea in various ways with yers this way. In thest decade of doing that in the shadows, sales are skyrocketing.¡±

    ¡°Heh, what kind is it, for instance?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the featured product ¡®Toilet Set¡¯ of course. I had a hard time reproducing the inner shape and the flow of the water. Though the function necessary to make it a ¡®wasslet¡¯ cannot be reproduced yet, I¡¯ll make ite true someday.¡±

    ¡°The name is slightly different though. Or rather, was it you who made that?¡±

    Shin was often surprised when he came to this world, but he was most surprised by the toilet in a sense of unlikelihood. He thought it was a thing that very close to the real world, but it appeared to have been made in the image of the real thing.

    ¡°That reminds me, it was also in Tsuki no Hokora. I havepletely forgotten because it was something I used ordinarily.¡±

    There was a toilet in his home. It was a natural thing to have in the real world.

    And, even if this world looked like a game, it was real.

    Therefore, in the situation where Shin did his business normally in Tsuki no Hokora, he hardly remembered any sense of difort.

    ¡°I mean when was that toilet ced in there? Though it is there now, Tsuki no Hokora never had such a thing.¡±

    ¡°I got permission from Schnee. Because it can be said to be a necessity when ites to living in real life.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. It was also in the inn where I stayed, is it fairly widespread now?¡±

    ¡°Though we haven¡¯t yet reached one in every household, it¡¯s not strange to find one in some big inn or so. The first regr customers are the royal family and the nobles. They have to show off in a variety of trivial ces after all. Because our toilet also has the practicality, we have received a considerable sum from the optional charges.¡±

    They also seemed to sell custom-made toilets. It was clever salesmanship.

    ¡°Now that I¡¯m aware of that, I cannot return to the same life in the past anymore.¡±

    ¡°Uwaa, your smile is evil, Berett.¡±

    When only the words were heard, he seemed to be in the ¡®sell some dangerous medicine¡¯ mood. Was the situation before the ¡®Toilet Set¡¯ instation severe to that extent?

    ¡°Will the other followers be so dark too?¡±

    To Berett¡¯s appearance, Shin became worried a little.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me. I¡¯m looking forward to our next business.¡±

    Turning his back on Berett who neatly bowed, Shin went to the guild.

    Schnee had been contacted and asked to cooperate with Berett. The rest also asked for a little request.

    When he arrived at the guild with the help of the map, a lot of adventurers had already gathered.

    There were various people who were recruiting for impromptu parties, people who were not absorbed in information gathering, and people who withdrew money that had been deposited in the guild to maintain their weapons.

    Shin, who ced the young fox on his head, appeared to attract the attention of the surrounding adventurers for a moment, but returned to work as if having lost interest before long. Looking at the circumstances, Shin expected that the information that ¡®Flood¡¯ was happening had been announced.

    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯d like to ask a few questions.¡±

    ¡°Yes, may I help you?¡±

    At the timing he aimed for when there were fewer people, Shin headed toward the receptionist.

    The one at the receptionist desk was Eliza who had called the guild masterst time.

    At the other side of the rectangr lens, light blue eyes stared at Shin. She was a professional at her job, as she didn¡¯t direct her gaze at Yuzuha either.

    ¡°Are there any records of the past ¡®Flood¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Past ¡®Flood¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Yes, since it is my first experience, I want to gather more information. Also, may I hear what kind of role of the adventurers have in the ¡®Flood¡¯?¡±

    There seemed to be very few people examining the past records of the ¡®Flood¡¯, he was permitted immediately on the condition that he had to examine them inside the library.

    Shin stood next to Eliza who guided him through the guild. Yuzuha was Shin¡¯s contract beast, so it was fine for it to apany him.

    ¡°You were talking about the role of adventurers a short while ago, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Personally, I was thinking that they were ced like a reserve force of the army or for search and destroy missions.¡±

    Shin talked about his expectations to Eliza who seemed to be going to exin along the way.

    ¡°You are not wrong with that, it¡¯s reckless to tell the adventurers to take organized actions such as the army. Though it¡¯s possible if several parties gathered and work together, it couldn¡¯t bepared with the army. Therefore, their main job is to crush the enemy who runs out of the protruding groups.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s appropriate.¡±

    A standard adventurer¡¯s party consisted of six people. However, it didn¡¯t mean there was an upper limit to the amount of members.

    An irregr party such as a duo or a group of three was not unusual, there were many of those who increased their members only when on arge-scale like this time. There would be a significant differentbination of skill level, and they couldn¡¯t be incorporated into the army.

    The contents of which Eliza spoke, it was natural to say it was appropriate.

    ¡°But upper ss Chosen Ones like Shin-sama and the others are different.¡±

    Eliza said, as they arrived at the reference library, even though the door was closed.

    No one was in the reference library. Because it was only limited to humans among the adventurers who knew about the Chosen Ones, it was probably taken into consideration.

    ¡°A little while ago, the report from feudal lord-sama has arrived. The person who apanied you is from the royal family of Bayreuth Kingdom, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. As for why we came to such a ce, please don¡¯t ask me. The one who saw the ¡®Flood¡¯, and told me to hurry up was her.¡±

    ¡°We do not intend to inquire any further. But let¡¯s get back to the story, the Chosen Ones are the vanguards that cut through the ¡®Flood¡¯. Although to be exact, it is the magic skills of the Chosen Ones.¡±

    It was probably the Chosen Ones who could use wide area magic that he heard about from Rionne¡¯s talk.

    ¡°As for the group distribution, the first group will consist of the four people Shin-sama, Hibineko-sama, Holly-sama, and Shadow-sama. The second group will be Schnee-sama, Rionne-sama, Guile-sama, and Liege-sama. The number of the enemies is reduced by the magic of Schnee-sama and Guile-sama, and at the same time as the battle starts, the army will annihte the remaining enemies. But it¡¯s said that the number of the enemies is quiterge, so the first group will charge at the enemy which is outside the scope of the magic, and have to hold this ce down. After the use of the magic, Schnee-sama thins it out by killing the big boss, and Rionne-sama together with Liege-sama be the guards for Guile-sama. After the first group also has reduced the number moderately, they will retreat and have the army take the front over.¡±

    Eliza exined the strategy inly. It seemed a detailed n had already been made.

    Guile and Liege were probably the names of the other Chosen Ones.

    ¡°There is a fairlyrge battle force this time, but how has it always been done?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the Chosen Ones whoe at that time. When there is a person who can use wide area magic, it bes a pattern simr to this time. But, there is almost no difference because it is included in an agreement that one person is always there.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Because reducing the number was required, a magic skill user would be useful.

    In case of the Chosen One¡¯s magic skill, the wider the range of a spell, the lower the power bes, but it could be covered with the height of the stats. It should be enough if the opponents were low-level monsters.

    ¡°By the way Eliza-san, will it be okay for you to leave the reception desk?¡±

    ¡°No problem. The staff and the residents should know what to do. Beside the inexperienced person being in a hurry, we have surprisingly little work.¡±

    As expected, the city continued standing off against the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    Then, once the talk was over, Shin reached out his hand to a document.

    While reading the documents of the past ¡®Flood¡¯, he asked Eliza about the strategy taken and the movement of the enemy at that time, and thought over whether there was any regrity.

    ¡°asionally, strong individuals seem to appear, right?¡±

    Shin who looked at the document, suddenly spoke out what was on his mind.

    Low-level monsters spawned inrge amounts during the ¡®Flood¡¯, but it seemed that individuals who reached level 300 were confirmed several times.

    He understood that the appearance rate was higher in the ¡®Flood¡¯ of arger scale.

    Because the number were two or three at most, ordinary level soldiers were able to deal with it if their concentration level was raised on a long-distance attack.

    ¡°The monsters of the ¡®Flood¡¯ are too crowded, there seems to be the possibility of them killing each other by mistake. As a result, some of them levelled up and evolved.¡±

    There were also rtionships of friend and foe, as well as allies between monsters in THE NEW GATE.

    Depending on the situation, the case of a yer getting caught up in the battle between monsters had happened. Though it didn¡¯t happen frequently, because many items and experience point were obtained with less damage if one acted skillfully, many yers utilized it.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it may happen this time, can it not?¡±

    ¡°The possibility is high. Speaking of this time, I think it¡¯s unnecessary to worry.¡±

    Was this because the news of Schnee had circted? There was no uneasiness on Eliza¡¯s face.

    ¡°Now then, shall we return soon?¡±

    ¡°You have enough already?¡±

    ¡°I have read most of the noticeable ones, and I have ns for the evening.¡±

    When Shin and Eliza returned to the hall of the guild, the amount of people had decreased considerably. Was it because the time was approaching evening? They were probably having a meal.

    He thanked Eliza and exited the guild. He intended to help with the preparations if he had time, but reading the documents had unexpectedly taken time.

    ¡°¡­This message is, Tiera huh?¡±

    Because a message had arrived, he looked around and opened it while walking slowly on the edge of the street.

    The contents were about tonight¡¯s inn. With the name of the inn, such things as whereabout, which area were written. Though it was simple, a map was also drawn, if Shin used that map, he wouldn¡¯t get lost.

    ¡°(I¡¯m hungry¡­)¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Shall we go to the inn and have a meal?¡±

    After he replied like he was speaking to himself, Shin then headed to the inn.

    After about 20 minutes of walking, a signboard, upon which a red tailed fox was drawn, was seen.

    The name of the inn was ¡°Red Tail¡±. By the way, it was also the name of an existing monster, and Yuzuha¡¯s follower.

    When he opened the door of the shop, a bell rang ¡°ng ng¡±.

    ¡°Wee! Will it be one person?¡±

    ¡°I think mypanions will alsoe.¡±

    Onedy came out from the counter hearing the bell sound.

    With ears above her head, and from the tail seen behind the long skirt, she was a beast without a doubt. They were vivid red as the name of the shop suggested. Though it was simple, she was probably a Type Fox beast.

    ¡°May I ask for your name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin. This is my partner, Yuzuha.¡±

    Thedy with the appearance of a beautiful woman at blooming age, seemed to remember something when hearing the wordpanions from Shin. She nodded as having convinced that Shin¡¯s name was heard, and opened the register inside the counter.

    ¡°The name of yourpanion, please.¡±

    ¡°Tiera Lucent.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Yourpanion is already rested in her room. This is customer-sama¡¯s room key. The location of the room is go up the stair and go right side of room 205. Yourpanion is in room 206 right next to that. Breakfast is until 9 bell sounds in the morning, as for dinner, I¡¯ll serve until it¡¯s 9 o¡¯clock on that clock there.¡±

    Shin looked at the direction where thedy pointed out. A clock with a diameter of about 50 cemels was installed there, and was ticking away quietly.

    ¡°There are clocks, huh?¡±

    Clocks weren¡¯t widely used in this world. The church bell was in the area where nobles live. People acted using that as a guideline. The ones who worried about time, were merchants and government officials who had the motto ¡°time is money¡±.

    ¡°Does it ring at fixed times?¡±

    ¡°Customer-sama is pretty knowledgeable. That clock produces a ringing sound once every hour.¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem to be the style where it rang one time at 1 o¡¯clock, and two times at 2 o¡¯clock.

    The needle on the clock already pointed at nearly 6 o¡¯clock.

    ¡°For the time being, I think I¡¯m going to eat after I go to my room.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    As Shin was seen off by thedy, he went up to the second floor.

    The room 205 was a single person room. The area was about 7 tatami mats and there were a desk and a chair by the window, there was also a bathroom at the entrance sideway. A white clean sheet wasid out on the bed, and lookedfortable too.

    ¡°Tiera, you there?¡±

    Shin who checked the room briefly went out to the corridor at once, and knocked the door of the next room where Tiera was at.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    After a short while, a voice was heard from the other side of the door.

    ¡°Yeah, have you had dinner?¡±

    ¡°No, not yet.¡±

    ¡°Then, shall we eat together? Yuzuha also looks hungry.¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s terrible, isn¡¯t it? Wait a minute, I¡¯ll go out soon.¡±

    To Yuzuha who raised a cry for feeling hungry, the voice of a bitter smile returned from Tiera.

    They waited for a couple dozen seconds. Tiera joined Shin to order dinner in the dining room on the first floor.

    Was the stew a standard? An exquisite dish with proper ingredients was served.

    Also for some reason, Yuzuha¡¯s was a thick steak which had been grilled carefully. Though Kagerou¡¯s was a steak too, Shin saw that the two steaks were not the same.

    Shin had learned the basic ¡¾Cooking¡¿ from Cook. The ¡¾Cooking¡¿ skill rose until VI. In this world, it was a level that couldn¡¯t be reached easily.

    Therefore, he understood the value of the steak put before Yuzuha. The food grade of the steak was obviously above the ones before Shin and Kagerou, Yuzuha repeatedly revealed its joy through telepathy since a while ago.

    ¡°Um, this is?¡±

    ¡°Somehow, we feel like we must serve to customer¡¯s contract beast our finest cuisine of our shop. Naturally, the price stays as it is.¡±

    Thedy also had a look that said ¡®I don¡¯t know why I feel such a way¡¯ on her face.

    (This is because Yuzuha is an Element Tail, right?)

    Element Tail was not only a fox type monster, it should be worshiped by the people of Type Fox beasts as well, Shin remembered. For them, it was possible to say it was an existence on same level as a God. Even if the true identity of Yuzuha was not understood, it may have had an effect on her somewhere.

    Since there was no reason to refuse, they decided to receive it gratefully.

    Did Kagerou also realize that Yuzuha had a higher rank too? He seemed to have noints.

    ¡°I wonder what it was.¡±

    ¡°Free of charge she said, isn¡¯t it good? This stew is delicious!¡±

    ¡°I have noints since I prefer this rather than meat.¡±

    While watching the meat juices of the steak Yuzuha had dripping, Tiera also slowly put the stew into her mouth.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s delicious!¡±

    After they finished eating, Shin left Yuzuha to Tiera and left the inn for a moment.

    He crossed over the rampart while hiding himself with a skill, and entered the woods where the trees were dense. When he neared the center, he cut down trees with wind magic, and created an open space.

    ¡°Release!¡±

    A pendant shone, and Tsuki no Hokora appeared.

    This luminous phenomenon had already been concealed with magic too.

    He then entered the shop and went straight to the forge.

    ¡°Well, shall I do this?¡±

    Fire was ignited in the furnace, and he materialized the equipment he took from Shadow and the others.

    By looking at the weapons which he lined up, he contemted for a short while in what way to strengthen them. While making a list of the materials in his brain, first, he picked up Shadow¡¯s dagger from the weapons. The hilt was removed and he poured magic into the de.

    ¡°The durability value has somewhat dropped, but it is well matched to its owner¡¯s magic. It¡¯s as I expected.¡±

    When he confirmed the state of the dagger, Shin took out an orichalcum and a scarletite ingot each from Item Box, and threw them into the furnace.

    It didn¡¯t take much time, a metal was produced from the mix of silver and red. The metal formed was called chimeradite. Because it was a synthesis of two kinds, its performance became a low-ss among chimeradite. However, the quality of the metal was higher than orichalcum and scarletite alone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    While Shin poured magic into the chimeradite, he thrusted the dagger¡¯s de into the ingot. The chimeradite like y swallowed the de, and when the de waspletely buried inside the ingot, Shin ced that on the anvil.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    He focused his mind, and hammered the ingot with a mallet to distribute the magic power. Each time the ingot changed shape, it became smaller as it waspressed. If there were other cksmiths in this ce, the view would make their eyes widen in amazement.

    After a few minutes, the ck ded knife with silver and red mixed in waspleted on the anvil. The hilt and the sp which were taken apart were reattached again. Though the length and the weight of the dagger hadn¡¯t changed, the high-density red aura which enveloped the whole dagger proved that it was not a normal item.

    Its inscription was ¡°Night Kill¡¯s Dagger¡± when appraised. As for its grade, the weapon ranked up to ¡¶Mythology¡· grade. Its performance also increased by 80%. In the event when supported by ¡¾Enchant¡¿, its performance would be far above the equipment avable.

    ¡°Well, I guess this is alright.¡±

    He nodded once at the result of the dagger, and then Shin picked up the next weapon.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°This is thest one!¡±

    Finally with a yell, Shin lowered the mallet. As for Hibineko and Holly¡¯s weapons, ¡ºMisty Hound¡» and ¡ºShort Stick of the Dawn¡», they had been ranked up respectively. The dragon¡¯s armor was also reinforced.

    About an hour and a half had passed since he began his work. Shin, who felt thirsty, converted thest equipment into a card, put those back into his Item Box and went to the kitchen.

    Thereupon, for the first time, he noticed that Schnee was in the living room. He was so focused on cksmithing, he hadn¡¯t noticed hering in.

    When Shin arrived in the living room, Schnee offered the drink which she prepared for Shin. Shin thanked her and epted it, drinking it in one go.

    ¡°Phew, I feel revived.¡±

    ¡°Good work for today.¡±

    ¡°When did youe?¡±

    ¡°I arrived about 20 minutes ago. Because I can¡¯t help you with smithing, I was waiting here.¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t train the cksmithing skill as Shin did. Even in the game era, her skill level was almost at IV.

    ¡°How about the feudal lord?¡±

    ¡°Regarding my participating in the war, Berett¡¯s n was adopted. We will reduce the number of monsters, and leave the rest for the training of the army.¡±

    ¡°It is just as I heard it.¡±

    As he expected, Schnee participation in the war seemed effective.

    ¡°¡­Um, Shin¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    When Shin intended to return to the inn because he finished his business, Schnee called out to him with a hesitant voice.

    ¡°Did you hear about ¡®that¡¯¡­from Berett?¡±

    ¡°The story of PKs and yers where you were silent?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­yes¡±

    To Shin¡¯s words, Schnee answered in a small voice.

    Schnee herself probably felt a great sense of guilt for not telling him. His acquaintances who died in the game, if the person close to us is alive, normally we would like to know about that information.

    That was concealed intentionally until it came to light by chance. Berett was right, Schnee¡¯s behaviour couldn¡¯t be praised if seen as a support character.

    ¡°I heard the circumstances. About your matter, I guess you would mention it after everything had ended, right?¡±

    Shin said in a light tone, so it didn¡¯t be too serious an atmosphere.

    After Schnee finished subjugating the PKs, she was supposed to talk about everything to Shin, and wait for the verdict. At the very least, the Schnee whom Shin knew of, was such a character.

    ¡°¡­yes.¡±

    For a support character, to the yer that should be called the creator, the thoughts to disobey shouldn¡¯t exist. That also included Schnee. Even though the binding in the game era had disappeared by the fact that it became reality, her defying him was unthinkable.

    ¡°Berett said that what you did, was for me. I think I have caused you worry.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s face turned down.

    It was not normal. However, Schnee moved on her own. She carried it out against Shin¡¯s intention.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s different.¡±

    ¡°Different?¡±

    Schnee said it¡¯s different. But Shin couldn¡¯t think of a good reason other than that.

    ¡°It is true, that I don¡¯t want Shin to change, by concerning yourself with PKs. But it¡­it is more of a personal reason for me.¡±

    Though it was an action with Shin as the primary concern, it was also for her own sake at the same time.

    Her voice gradually began to tremble. The words and thoughts which she had kept held in, were asking for the way out.

    ¡°I hated it! To see that kind of Shin, and being looked at with the same eyes that saw me as a tool! I was able to endure it when my ego was weak at that time. But, the me now, undoubtedly can¡¯t stand it!¡±

    In a calm and yet strong tone, Schnee vented her feelings.

    If thepanion was not Shin but someone else, she wouldn¡¯t have done this. Otherwise, if only pure loyalty to serve Shin existed inside her heart, she certainly wouldn¡¯t have suffered like this.

    But that would not happen in reality. Once again, just the thought ¡®He may be like that¡¯, had Schnee unbearably frightened.

    ¡°I cannot rece Marino-san. If, if Shin bes like at that time once more, I cannot stop you, Shin!¡±

    The source of why Shin had changed, and also the reason why he had to return, everything was caused by his girlfriend. In her ce, there was no room for anyone else.

    Now that Marino wasn¡¯t here, he would be beyond cure if he changed. If that was the case, Schnee had no choice but to remove the cause. Even if she understood it was hasty thinking, doing nothing and so on, Schnee was unable to do it.

    ¡°Schnee¡­¡±

    ¡°I am a cowardly woman. Even though I did something like this, I am somewhat d that Marino isn¡¯t here.¡±

    Schnee stepped back as she said this.

    His girlfriend ¨D¨D If Marino, who was Shin¡¯s only lover, was there, it may be all right for Shin to change. Marino was an important person to that extent for Shin. If put into a ranking, she would finish first by arge margin.

    Thus Schnee believed, if the first, Marino, was not there, she herself may be able to be the number one.

    ¡°I¡­.I¡­..¡±

    She suppressed it in front of Shin.

    So far, she was able to suppress it. She stopped the thoughts in her mind, and pretended not to see it.

    However, once she put it into words, she couldn¡¯t control her feelings anymore. It couldn¡¯t stop overflowing.

    Because former yers hade to this world, Marino may also havee, too.

    If it was Marino, she could probably stop Shin.

    However, to look for only one person in this world, how difficult was it? Schnee also understood that much. Even if Marino came here, they wouldn¡¯t meet each other conveniently quickly. In fact, even with Berett and the others from Golden Company¡¯s power, the searchable range and so on were limited.

    But it couldn¡¯t be asserted that there was nothing as it was.

    This was because he was reunited with manyrades such as former yers, Shibaid, Girard, and Schnee, who werepletely drawn to Shin. It was possible that even the irregrs where he appeared near Tsuki no Hokora, or the appearance of Demons, and the reencounter with the former yers were orchestrated.

    It wouldn¡¯t be too long before he met Marino. There was something that made her think so.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Seeing Schnee shed tears, Shin was troubled at what to do.

    He never thought Schnee would lose herposure like this.

    He came to this world and often saw new things, still Shin¡¯s image of Schnee was always calm, graceful, and a little airheaded; she was such a woman.

    Even if they had spent time together, his impression didn¡¯t change greatly.

    However, that was merely Shin¡¯s presumption. As for Schnee, the impression of this guy from the game was repeating many times over in her heart. When the foundation was the same, he wasn¡¯t able to perceive her heart.

    Shin didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with what Schnee had said.

    What Schnee said about Shin had changed at that time, he had no way of arguing even if he said he was not sane.

    Shin himself knew well how he was in a dangerous state at that time now. It was natural for Schnee to be uneasy.

    That she didn¡¯t want him to reunite with Marino, also could be understood vaguely.

    If you came to like someone, of course you would like to be that person¡¯s number one, it was a natural feeling. And, like Schnee, being in dilemma because of her consciences, it was to be expected if she had a heart.

    While noticing that Schnee had a liking toward him, it was natural to ept it as ¡®what goes around,es around¡¯.

    ¡°¡­Sorry¡±

    ¡°Please do not apologize, Shin. I am, the bad one.¡±

    He hated himself for only such a word toe out.

    Shin was sorry, when he should have talked properly earlier.

    When he met Hibineko and the others again, and heard about the yers that hade to this world, Shin also thought about Marino¡¯s being.

    However, Shin didn¡¯t think that Marino would be in this world. Hibineko and the others had their HP be 0 in the game, and died. And, though the reason was unclear, they were transferred to this world with state as is after they died.

    As for Marino, her HP certainly became 0 too. However, there was no direct cause of death. Marino¡¯s avatar, didn¡¯t disappear.

    ¡°Schnee¡­Don¡¯t me yourself too much¡±

    ¡°!!? Eh, um, !¡­.¡±

    Schnee, who was quietly shedding tears, had no time to react, Shin embraced Schnee tightly.

    To Shin¡¯s abrupt action, Schnee¡¯s body stiffened without a sound.

    The ugly part of herself had been revealed. For Schnee, who was filled with anxiety, Shin¡¯s action was too unexpected.

    Even though she was in such a situation, she was ashamed as she was delighted for being embraced tightly, the cheek of the flustered Schnee turned rosy.

    ¡°Schnee, I don¡¯t think your behaviour was wrong. Even me, if I knew that you would be like the me of that time, I¡¯m likely to think of doing something and act.¡±

    ¡°But I, to Marino-san¡­¡±

    ¡°That, I guess there¡¯s no helping it.¡±

    ¡°Such a thing is¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°It is. When ites to liking someone, I¡¯d like to be the number one of that person; everyone is the same. That, even if it¡¯s to wish for someone else¡¯s misfortune, surely I cannot help think. Being really in love, it is likely because of that.¡±

    Because he was experienced, he understood it.

    There was no reason. Be it Shin, or Schnee, or someone else, there would be no difference.

    ¡°To be honest, I was really happy to be able to meet you, Schnee¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    To Shin¡¯s confession, Schnee¡¯s body trembled a little.

    ¡°Just when I thought it was over after I finally beat the boss, I was transferred here. Without any acquaintances, and on top of that, it felt like another person¡¯s house even when I found my home. As a result, I had a strange disposition in herb collection. Therefore, when you said wee back at that time, I was so relieved. That you still remembered me, Schnee.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Though Berett mentioned about you being an unworthy follower or something, I don¡¯t have the intention of punishing you if I have nothing to me you for.¡±

    ¡°But that¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything. I¡¯ve already decided, a high decision. Objection is uneptable.¡±

    Shin forcibly shut up Schnee who still tried to say something.

    Nothing good would result in dragging out and prolonging such a thing.

    ¡°And no more secrets.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes¡±

    The hug was released. Shin was inwardly relieved as there was no gloom on Schnee¡¯s face until some time ago.

    ¡°Um, Shin. May I ask you one question?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°About Marino-san, do you¡­still love her?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, I love her. This feeling hasn¡¯t changed even now.¡±

    ¡°I..see. I understand.¡±

    Hearing Shin¡¯s answer, Schnee has an expression like she had made up her mind.

    The next moment, when Shin had a question regarding that change, Schnee jumped forward lightly without spare movement.

    ¡°!!?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s lips touched Shin¡¯s lips for a moment.

    Schnee took action as if it was the revenge for a little while ago, and Shin wasn¡¯t able to react this time.

    Even if he understood what happened, he didn¡¯t know why it had be so.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not giving up.¡±

    With a bright red face, Schnee said so.

    ¡°I-I love you, Shin. I understand that there is a reason for you to return to your former world, but still, these are my true feelings!!¡±

    She was quite embarrassed. With the momentum like being somewhat desperate, Schnee spoke of what she felt.

    At those direct words, Shin also felt his face flushing.

    ¡°¡­I-I will leave first.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t have the time to stop her, as Schnee rushed outside in the blink of an eye.

    Speaking of Shin who was left hanging, he could only freeze while stretching out his arm.

    ¡°That¡­that wasn¡¯t expected¡­¡±

    What kind of face should he make when they met after this? Shin racked his brain.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 5 Chapter 1.3: Chapter 1 Part 3

    Soon after Schnee had left, since he couldn¡¯t just remain there forever, Shin left and stored Tsuki no Hokora .

    The night wind chilled the small traces of passion that still lingered .

    ¡°¡­First, should I head back?¡±

    After climbing the rampart with ¡¾Hiding¡¿, he went back inside the castle without being noticed by anyone .

    As he went back to the inn, he bought a light snack at a street stall and sat on an empty bench .

    Information regarding the ¡®Flood¡¯ seemed to have spread well already, as he noticed people that appeared to be preparing for the war here and there . There was no sense of urgency . Was it because they had experienced the ¡®Flood¡¯ several times before?

    ¡°Ara? Shin-kun?¡±

    While he was watching the pedestrian traffic, he was suddenly called out to . When Shin turned around, Holly was walking toward him with Shadow right behind her .

    ¡°Are you heading back now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m going shopping while I¡¯m at it . What are you doing in a ce like this, Shin-kun?¡±

    ¡°I finished the weapon reinforcement, and I¡¯m a bit hungry now . ¡±

    Shin had met them at just the right time, and since he had already finished, he gave the two back the weapons he had strengthened .

    Holly was pleased with the result, while Shadow stiffened in surprise .

    ¡°Reinforcement can¡¯t result in this kind of level . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about trivial things . Shin-kun did his best, so I¡¯ve also decided to *whack* in the battle . ¡±

    ¡°¡­Right . I¡¯ll use them gratefully . ¡±

    Shadow nodded in agreement to Holly, who was positive wherever she went .

    As there was still time to spare before the war, they also had enough time to practice with their weapons .

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you something, is it okay?¡±

    ¡°What do you want to ask?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about your daughter . ¡±

    When he had used ¡¾Analyze¡¿ on Kaede, there had been a small static interference running through the race indication .

    ording to what he had heard from Schnee, it was likely that the interference urred when the child was a person of mixed parentage .

    ¡°Do-Don¡¯t tell me Shin-kun, that you would even take a beautiful child away, even though it¡¯s our Kaede?!¡±

    ¡°WHAT?!¡±

    ¡°Wait a- what is with that manga-like reaction? Shadow-san, please don¡¯t take Holly¡¯s joke seriously!¡±

    While Holly¡¯s joke could be called clich¨¦d, Shadow emitted a dangerous aura .

    Shin had intended to have a serious talk, but it had lost its tension almost immediately .

    ¡°Good grief, please keep the joking within bounds¡­¡±

    ¡°But you brought up Kaede so suddenly . I don¡¯t think I should be saying something like this as a parent, but it¡¯s popr phrase, is it not?¡±

    ¡°Indeed . ¡±

    Shadow agreed with Holly¡¯s remark . They seemed to have acquired the title of ¡°doting parents¡± after having a daughter .

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s leave the joking aside . What I want to ask is, what¡­is Kaede-chan??¡±

    When Shin said this, the two changedpletely from their yful mood immediately .

    ¡°If possible, let¡¯s talk about this at a ce with no one around . ¡±

    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t a story that I would like to tell people much . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind . That was my intention from the beginning . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t intend to keep talking there, so they moved to a better ce like the two had suggested .

    They went to the bar ¡®Nyan Da Land,¡¯ which was located next to the cafe ¡®B&W¡¯ .

    ¡°For the three of you to gather at a time like this, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°I want to borrow the back room¡­it¡¯s about our daughter . ¡±

    Shadow said a few words to Hibineko and borrowed a private room in the back . With thatst remark, Hibineko had understood what Shadow wanted to talk about .

    ¡°What do you want to drink?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever you rmend . ¡±

    When they entered the private room, Shadow and Holly sat across from Shin with a serious posture .

    Naturally, Shin too corrected his posture .

    ¡°Getting straight to the point, Shin, how much do you know about Halfs?¡±

    ¡°Based on what I heard from Schnee, it¡¯s a child that has either inherited the special characteristics of both parents, or inherited neither of them . There¡¯s also the kind that has almost no changes from one parent . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no mistake in what you know . Also, if anything, the first one is often calledcritical, and the second one is called fumble . ¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t those gambling terms?¡±

    ¡°Once, there was a group of people who tried to give birth to Halfs intentionally . The names they used back then seem to have remained . It isn¡¯t just the names that are from gambling, the probability involving it should be called gambling too . ¡±

    The probability of a person with mixed parentage being born was extremely low . The ones that were called critical had even lower chances .

    Almost all of the ones born were born as ordinary children that were ¡°Halfs¡± in name only . It¡¯s something that no one was able to predict the oue of .

    ¡°It¡¯s a fact that a critical is quite superior in terms of fighting power, you know?¡±

    ¡°What happens specifically?¡±

    ¡°Fumu, though there are a lot of individual variations, the child can use the two different race¡¯s native skills and bonuses . There is a famous beast that can remain in¡¾Beast Form¡¿ while using the dragnil¡¯s¡¾Breath¡¿, and a lord that can use both ¡¾Devil Eyes¡¿ and the elves¡¯ ¡¾Soul Technique¡¿simultaneously . ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with that cheat?¡±

    Shin, after hearing about the ability of the criticals, said unintentionally .

    Each of the seven races that existed in this world had their own abilities which could be called unique skills and bonuses .

    Things like the humans¡¯ high magic resistance, the beasts¡¯ bestial form, and the elves¡¯ soul techniques were examples of the unique skills that each race had .

    How was it not a cheat to have more than one of them?

    Shin wasn¡¯t in a position to say anything, but even he couldn¡¯t use the unique skills and bonuses of other races .

    In this world in which the existence of individuals became reality, there would be individuals who is Halfs .

    ¡°By the way, our Kaede-chan is a critical, you know?¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°She can use both ¡¾Soul Technique¡¿ and ¡¾Devil Eyes¡¿ . I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because she¡¯s a critical, but her stats also average out at around 400 . ¡±

    ¡°I thought so . Isn¡¯t that just a natural cheat?¡±

    From the viewpoint of amoner, a critical was an existence that could make fun of even the upper ss Chosen Ones .

    ¡°So please don¡¯t spread it in the public, okay?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t . Come to think of it, if she is that strong, why wasn¡¯t she chosen as one of the front-line members?¡±

    ¡°Theing of age for elves is 20 years old . I can¡¯t send a minor off to the battlefield . Because it¡¯s certain that she will be part of the battle force, she will be ced in the reserves in case of an emergency . ¡±

    This time, since Shin was around, Kaede didn¡¯t have to participate in the war and could remain on standby in the castle .

    The reason for this was because she was too young and inexperienced in controlling her power on the battlefield during thest ¡®Flood¡¯ . But, as a result of Shadow and Holly¡¯s continued training, there would no longer be any problem even if she was counted as part of the fighting power now .

    ¡°By the way, Shin, I have a question, is it okay with you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind . What do you want to ask?¡±

    ¡°What did you do after ¡®that¡¯, Shin?¡±

    To Shin, who was thinking about what kind of question wasing, Shadow¡¯s question was quite unexpected .

    Certainly, because time had been limited earlier, he didn¡¯t get to tell Shadow and the others .

    ¡°Right, not much changed as for what I did . I was hunting PKs every day . But, after ¡®that,¡¯ there was a small incident . I was going to return to dungeon capturing, but¨D¨D¡±

    As for that incident, it was also something that was rted to Marino .

    Without it, Shin wouldn¡¯t be here today .

    Shadow listened to Shin¡¯s story without saying anything . His expression was somewhat mncholic .

    ¡°¨D¨Dthat¡¯s why I crushed the big PK guilds first, before setting out on a quest and dungeon assault . Because thest boss was a solo-type, I somehow managed to defeat it . ¡±

    ¡°I see . No matter how powerful it is, if it¡¯s a solo-type, you can defeat it . ¡±

    Shadow, who had finished hearing the story looked amazed .

    The fact that Shin had defeated thest monster Origin all by himself, even if it wasn¡¯t reckless, it was absurd .

    You could say the premise of MMOs was to cooperate with other people . Though there were also active solo yers, most gained the social disposition of either forming a party with somebody or entering a guild .

    Above all, party cooperation was essential, as the real thrill of adventure was in killing the boss . Basically, a boss monster wasn¡¯t an opponent that could be challenged solo .

    Parties formed, cooperated, and backed each other up to win against monsters that couldn¡¯t be defeated by a single person .

    Among the high-level boss monsters in THE NEW GATE, bosses who could be defeated by a single person were called solo-type, and bosses who could only be defeated by a party were called raid-type .

    Though Origin, which Shin fought at the end, was a solo-type, it had originally been a raid-type boss .

    ¡°That¡¯s because I did every kind of reinforcement I could think of: foods, items, equipment and so forth . One might say that if the opponent was a raid-type, I would normally lose . ¡±

    Even if it was Shin, if the opponent monster was impossible to be conquered without a party, he wouldn¡¯t think of challenging it solo . He would only challenge it if he knew that the opponent was a solo-type .

    As for a solo-type, even if it was a boss, from the size and the attack method and so on, defeating it was possible depending on the luck, equipment, skills, and level of the yer alone . Of course, it goes without saying that normally, even if a yer was defeated, they still had the choice to return .

    The winning rate wasn¡¯t always 100% even if Shin fought against a monster of the same solo-type more than once .

    On the other hand, raid-types were different from solo-types . Their bodies were enormous, and they had many ces that had to be attacked at the same time .

    Shin¡¯s partner Yuzuha, also known as an ¡®Element Tail¡¯, was a raid-type boss . Though it was different for Shin now, he didn¡¯t know whether he could have won once in 100 rounds against one as a solo yer or not in the game era . Even then, it would have taken an extreme amount of luck .

    If you only thought about hunting down a raid-type ¡®Element Tail¡¯ regardless of the resulting sacrifices, you could understand just how strong it was just by saying that you would have needed at least three members of Rokuten, who were of the stat-capped ss .

    ¡°I wonder why was it a solo-type . ¡±

    Shin said after remembering his fight with Origin . He thought that a raid-type of the highest difficulty would be waiting as the final boss . If the monster was at least ¡®Element Tail¡¯-level, it would have been almost impossible to clear .

    Shadow shook his head calmly .

    ¡°Maybe it was intended to be cleared, or was deemed sufficient? Either way, if many people were saved, that would be fine, I suppose . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right . That reminds me, I also wanted to ask you something else . How did Shadow-sane here? From Holly-san¡¯s story, you don¡¯t seem to have initially arrived here together . ¡±

    Though it was unimaginable for the present Shadow, the Shadow, when he and Shin had acted together, had been an assassin through and through .

    Shin remembered Shadow crying while he disappeared after he and Holly¡¯s enemy had killed each other at the same time .

    ¡°Oh well, as foring here, I seem to have arrived earlier . I was surprised when I met Shadow again . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my line!¡±

    One couldn¡¯t imagine the ghastly figure he had been in the past after seeing the Shadow who talked with Holly while smiling .

    ¡°I found this man in a vige I was dispatched to at the request of the guild . I heard him fighting the group of monsters that had attacked the vige, so I chased after him in a hurry . ¡±

    ¡°I am indebted to that vige in a lot of ways . Because the monsters had no special features aside from their numbers, I was able to stop them . ¡±

    ¡°NO! You weren¡¯t able to stop them . The people of the vige were panicking . ¡±

    ¡°Now, now, Holly-san . Shadow-san wouldn¡¯t go without knowing the probability of sess either . ¡±

    Shin calmed down Holly, who began to get angry after remembering those times .

    Shadow was an assassin of a higher job ss, a ¡®Shinobu¡¯ . Moreover, his average stats were more than 600 . Though he didn¡¯t remodel his equipment randomly like Shin had, if he used the equipment he possessed, which were above the ¡¶Legend¡· grade, he could wipe out some of the tougher monsters instantly .

    ¡°Sigh, so I was looking for Shadow in a hurry, and when I found him, he was turning mountains of monster corpses into cards . The other adventurers were stunned . Because they were A ranked, they were somehow convinced of the exnation that he was a Chosen One . ¡±

    ¡°After that, I went to visit several ces together with Holly . Along the way, I received a report from Gold Company, and met Hibineko again here . ¡±

    Berett¡¯s messenger, who was searching for former yers, seemed to have had contacted him .

    As Shadow and Holly had been associated with Shin in the game, they seemed to have judged that there would be no danger even if they came into contact . If it was only Shadow, they may have had chosen to wait .

    ¡°After this and that, I decided to open a shop here . ¡±

    Both of them had their cooking skill at level VII, so their business seemed to be thriving .

    They also seemed to partnering up with Hibineko¡¯s shop, and both issued coupons that could be used at each other¡¯s shops .

    ¡°Come to think of it, how much time has passed since Holly-san came here? You said a while ago that there was a difference between when the two of you arrived . ¡±

    Shin suddenly spoke what came to his mind .

    There was a timeg of approximately one month between Holly and Shadow¡¯s deaths . Shin thought about in what way it influenced the time they arrived here .

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here for 30 years as of this year¡±

    ¡°As for me, I came here about 10 years after Holly . ¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, is it about 10 years per month?¡±

    ¡°But the person who had almost the same time of death as me came here more than a decade before me . This seems to be different for each individual . Some came here more than 100 years ago, and there are people who have already reached the end of their life span, too . ¡±

    Though Shin had calcted the approximate conversion from their story, his hypothesis was denied by Holly . By the way, it had been about 40 years since Hibineko had arrived here .

    ¡°Shin, do you think Marino-chan wille here?¡±

    ¡°Holly!¡±

    Shin stopped Shadow, who tried to scold Holly .

    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­To be honest, it¡¯s a fifty-fifty; I feel like I want her to be here, but I also feel like I don¡¯t . Of course, I want to meet her again, but then I wouldpletely lose my intention to return to the former world . ¡±

    There were many things that Shin had left behind in the real world .

    His parents who had raised him, his brother and sister, his close friends; the list could go on forever .

    Even though he had no rtives in this world, he wasn¡¯t terribly unhappy .

    Still, although he hade to this world that looked just like the game, the real world was not something so unimportant for Shin that he could discard it easily .

    Therefore, if there was a scale between the choices of ¡®Stay¡¯ or ¡®Return¡¯, he still inclined toward ¡®Return¡¯ for now .

    He must pass on the messages entrusted to him by the people who had died in the death game to their bereaved families; it was a promise he must fulfil if he returned to the real world .

    But, as he spent time in this world, the scales in Shin slowly, but surely, moved . They were slowly moving away from the choice to ¡°Return¡± .

    There were so many charms in this world . He had overwhelming power that separated him from others, Schnee, who loved him, and former Rokuten followers who still showed him loyalty .

    Even if the dangerous living conditions were extremely different from the real world, it was not a great threat to Shin .

    He desired to travel freely around the world that had undergone a great change; it would be a lie if he denied that .

    In addition, it was possible to reunite with the yers who had died¨D¨D the more he spent time in this world, the number the bonds he had with its inhabitants increased .

    If he found out that Marino was here, the scale would probably sway greatly to one side .

    ¡°Well, in the first ce, there¡¯s also the problem of whether I can return or not . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right . But you were able toe here, so there must be a method, no?¡±

    ¡°As I expected, the gate of the dungeon is the matter of concern . Although it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that you¡¯ll have to pass through it again, it¡¯s possible that you¡¯d be able to return if you find yourself in a simr scenario . ¡±

    The two people replied seriously to Shin¡¯s words .

    From the contents of their discussion, they seemed to agree that Shin should return to the original world .

    ¡°There are stories that the Ley Lines may be rted to it, but it¡¯s still not enough information . From now on, I¡¯ll go around looking up more information here and there . ¡± (T/N: changed Earth Pulse to Ley Line)

    ¡°Let us help when possible . ¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be reserved then . ¡±

    Shadow and Holly expressed a gentle smile .

    Afterwards, Shin left the shop after hearing the tales about the two, the countries they had been to, and so forth .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Shin has left . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, though we met again, Shin haspletely returned to his former self . ¡±

    After Shin left the shop, Shadow answered Hibineko, who put away the sses as he spoke, with a look that seemed somehow relieved .

    ¡°Was he that terrible?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though it¡¯s not my ce to say, all I can say is that he has changed . It¡¯s because in the past he had no hesitation to cut down a person . ¡±

    ¡°I also heard the stories¡­he didn¡¯t seem like someone who would do something like that . ¡±

    Among the three people, only Shadow had known the deste Shin . Hibineko and Holly, on the other hand, could not imagine that Shin wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to murder like Shadow had said .

    ¡°Honestly speaking, I¡¯m surprised, too . Thest time I saw Shin, he would never haveughed with such an expression . ¡±

    When he didn¡¯t show his power, Shin currently looked like an ordinary young man who could be found anywhere .

    He had retorted to Hibineko¡¯s and Holly¡¯s way of calling him, and was surprised when he had heard that Shadow and Holly had a child .

    That was a natural reaction .

    However, he didn¡¯t have such a natural reaction before . The Shin whom Shadow had seen at that time had hardly ever changed his expression . Even when he had killed PKs, even if he had eaten delicious food, even if the yer who had assisted him had died in front of him .

    He had searched and killed PKs just like an assembly-line operation . If one were to say that he was a machine of that kind of purpose, one might understand how dangerous he truly had been .

    Had this person changed beforeing here only by chance? This was merely what Shadow believed .

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but there something certainly might have . Something that pulled Shin here . ¡±

    The three people could only guess . However, it was a good thing, or at least, they understood it to be a good thing . It also concerned the woman whom Shin loved .

    ¡°¡­Marino-chan, will youe here?¡±

    ¡°I wonder . ording to the story we heard from Shin, her circumstances seemed slightly different from ours . ¡±

    The two people didn¡¯t know the main reason behind why they had arrived here, except that it had to do with their death in the game, so their question couldn¡¯t be concluded .

    ¡°¡­If Mari-nyaa-san isn¡¯t here, what would the two of you want Shin to do?¡±

    Hibineko asked Shadow and Holly while skillfully wiping the table with his short paw .

    ¡°I guess he should return . ¡±

    ¡°Agreed, I think so too . ¡±

    The two people answered the casual question with the same response .

    To the reply without hesitation, Hibineko stopped wiping the table . Because there were only three people in the shop at the moment, they could afford to talk a little .

    ¡°Fumu, from our viewpoint, I think he should return if possible . ¡±

    ¡°Why the hurry?¡±

    ¡°For now, Shin still wants to return to the other side . But, will he be able to make the same choice after he has spent a long time here?¡±

    If Hibineko had came to this world without muchpany, he would probably have been able to return without hesitation .

    However, Hibineko had already spent more than 40 years in this world . Even if he could return to the original world with Shin, he would no longer choose too .

    ¡°If he didn¡¯t have much longer to live in real world like we do, then the choice to spend the rest of his time here is not bad even if it possible for him to return . But Shin is still young . I don¡¯t think I want him to remain in this world where the end is unknown . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right . If he had been here for a long time, he would likely not want to go home . ¡±

    ¡°But unlike us, Shin is not dead . There should be something he left behind, right?¡±

    ¡°Still, you can also say that, unlike us, Shin is the strongest in this world . Besides, I wonder if he¡¯ll be able to turn down the love of a woman as beautiful as Schnee . ¡±

    The current age was called the ¡®stress society¡¯ . People wanted to be bound by no one, and do whatever they wanted . But at the same time, as people who lived in the real world, they also had to consider everyone else¡¯s feelings . There were many people who wished to live while doing the things they liked and forgetting the unpleasant things .

    ¡°This world is indeed really convenient for Shin . ¡±

    Shadow and Holly couldn¡¯t deny Hibineko¡¯s words because what he had said also applied to themselves .

    ¡°In the end, it depends on Shin, huh?¡±

    ¡°Indeed . Personally, I want his parents to feel relieved . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because he carried everyone¡¯s expectations all by himself . I wonder how things will turn out if Mari-nyaa isn¡¯t here . ¡±

    Since the beginning of the death game, the three knew that various unreasonable things had been forced upon Shin; they recalled Shin had suppressed himself because of that power at that time . His stats had been high by chance, but because of that, he had been forced to clear the game . It couldn¡¯t be helped that Shin hadughed with a tired look on his face .

    It might have ended up differently if everyone had begun from the same starting line . However, with the exception of Shin, the best stats of the advanced yers had only just began to exceed 800 in those days . Shin¡¯s stats was about 200 points above theirs .

    200 ability differences in THE NEW GATE would only cause other yers to be a hindrance to Shin, even if he made a party . The difference in damage dealt, movement speed, defense, and so on was obvious . Only a small number of yers reached advanced levels in the first ce .

    The story was different when he fought against big armies of monsters and cooperated with multiple parties, but there was not enough space for many yers to fight together in dungeons . This had especially been true in thest dungeon .

    In addition, in the situation where it wasn¡¯t possible to revive after death, it would take over a year to train other yers to Shin¡¯s level . The yers who had wanted to log out as soon as possible had ganged up and demanded that Shin quickly cleared the game .

    ¡°I hope we can be of help to him in the case of an emergency . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s frustrating, right?¡±

    They couldn¡¯t do anything for the young man who had fought the death game in solitude .

    The adults were worried .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Now then, shall I return to the inn soon?¡±

    Shin, who had left ¡®Nyan Da Land¡¯, muttered and headed toward the inn .

    Although his talk with Shadow and the others had diverted his mind to some extent, he still didn¡¯t know what he would do when he met Schnee .

    He opened the door of the ¡®Red Tail¡¯ while feeling a little depressed, received the key, went to his room without meeting anyone on the way, and arrived at his room .

    A short timeter, someone knocked on his room door . When he had received the key earlier, he had also asked for water . He then received a bucket of water from a woman . The bucket looked heavy, but the woman had carried it with ease .

    He soaked a towel after using magic to warm the water, and wiped down his body . Toilets were bing popr, but baths still seemed to be difficult to reproduce . Shin, who didn¡¯t understand the technical side of things, couldn¡¯t do anything but hope it was built quickly .

    ¡°¡­I should sleep . ¡±

    He had nothing else to do in particr, so he decided to go to sleep .

    Did the matter with Schnee have asting effect on him? He wasn¡¯t able to bring himself to do anything .

    He crawled into the futon . Shin¡¯s consciousness faded into sleep unexpectedly smoothly .

 Vol 5 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    The next day at dawn.

    After Shin had finished preparing by outfitting himself, someone knocked on the door. Schnee, who was in disguise, Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou were waiting outside. It seemed like they wanted to have breakfast together.

    Shin went downstairs with Yuzuha on his head. Though he casually looked in Schnee¡¯s direction, he didn¡¯t see anything unusual about her appearance.

    ¡°What will you do today?¡±

    Tiera asked while eating breakfast.

    It seemed that the ¡®Flood¡¯ had already been widely announced, as the residents¡¯ evacuation had started.

    Although adventurers had been recruited to help out at ces where help was needed, there was not much work left to be done.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the feudal lord¡¯s castle. Because I have said that I¡¯d bring you there, pleasee with me today, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Ah-Yeah, I understand.¡±

    Had she forgotten to tell him yesterday? Since Shin hadn¡¯t thought about his ns for today either, he agreed.

    When he looked at Schnee, whose attitude hadn¡¯t changed, Shin thought, ¡®Am I strange for worrying about what happened?¡¯.

    What did a man often worry about at such times? He thought about trivial things.

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go to the training center. I can¡¯t go to the frontlines, but you never know what will happen.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that would be nice. If I have time, shall we spar again?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, thank you in advance.¡±

    While hearing the answer from Tiera, who paused at the delicate situation, Shin prayed for her in his mind.

    Shin had seen the two training when they had been travelling together, but from what he had seen, Schnee¡¯s training was very hard. It was at the level where, without the remodeled wagon and the bed specially made by Shin, Tiera wouldn¡¯t have been able to move due to the fatigue umted from training. It seemed that she couldn¡¯t help but answer obediently.

    She could fight adequately if she wanted to go to the frontline because she would be apanied by Kagerou, but that didn¡¯t mean that her own fighting power had increased. Thus, the training was unexpectedly effective.

    When one only stuck to gaining levels, they couldn¡¯t get really strong.

    They entrusted their key to the innkeeper after they had finished their meal and departed.

    Though Schnee and Tiera always attracted people¡¯s eyes, with the ¡®Flood¡¯ monsters approaching, no one catcalled them.

    Tiera and Kagerou headed to the guild on the way back, separating from Shin, Schnee, and Yuzuha who walked toward the castle.

    ¡°What will we be doing today?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be discussing cooperation and meeting with the Chosen Ones who will be dispatched. Actually, it¡¯s also to see how much we can cooperate.¡±

    Though he had already met Hibineko and the others, Shin had not yet met the rest of the dispatch group. Perhaps Rionne would be introduced too. Even though Chosen Ones had excellent individual ability, it was absurd to cooperate without preparing.

    Because the fate of the city depended on them, it could be said it was only natural to do so.

    ¡°If I remember correctly, are we meeting Guile and Liege?¡±

    ¡°You already knew about them?¡±

    ¡°I heard about them in the guild. I heard we¡¯ll attack with Guile¡¯s magic skills, is he a mage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, his full name is Guile Serget. He is a mage who excels in me system magic skills. The other one is Liege Latreia, who is a magic swordswoman like Rionne-sama.¡±

    It appeared that Guile was a Lord, and Liege was a Dragnil. Schnee seemed to have had the opportunity to fight together with both of them several times before, as she seemed to know their personalities well.

    While Shin was listening to Schnee talk about Guile and Liege¡¯sbat styles and abilities, they arrived at the feudal lord¡¯s castle.

    Just before they entered the castle, Schnee canceled her disguise and walked to the gate with her original appearance. Though the change had been sudden, no one noticed the magic skill.

    ¡°Schnee Raizar-sama! Thank you foring here!¡±

    The gatekeeper who noticed them approaching saluted perfectly.

    With the gatekeeper¡¯s eyes fixed on Schnee, Shin¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t even noticed.

    ¡°Um, we would like to enter inside¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?! Pardon me! Please show your permit!¡±

    The gatekeeper really seemed to be unaware of Shin. The gatekeeper said in a hurry when Shin called out.

    Schnee handed over a permit to the too enthusiastic gatekeeper. She seemed to have had received it beforehand.

    Two people and an animal passed through the door opened by the gatekeeper, who confirmed their permit, and entered the castle.

    One of the gatekeepers guided them with a happy expression. However, if one looked at the despairing faces of the other remaining gatekeepers, who continued working, it was obvious that a fierce fight had unfolded over this role.

    (It seems excessive.)

    When they walked inside the castle, it was inevitable that they would pass by a lot of people. Most of them stopped walking; was it because they were fascinated by Schnee? They bowed politely.

    The feeling that a number of people were following them increased as time passed; it was probably not just Shin¡¯s imagination.

    ¡°(Is Schnee popr?)¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, she is a strong and beautiful woman of a superior race. It¡¯s a given that she¡¯s popr.)¡±

    While answering Yuzuha¡¯s telepathy, Shin felt depressed as he looked at himself.

    The people who passed by mostly noticed Shin and Yuzuha after they had looked at Schnee. Also, about 90% of them had a ¡°Who is that guy walking along with Schnee-sama?!¡± look on their face.

    Though only a few of them had directed hostility at him, it didn¡¯t change that it was a pain in the ass.

    Shin regretted underestimating Schnee¡¯s poprity. Had no one call out to her because everyone knew why she hade here?

    Shin felt relieved that as no one could openly ask who Schnee¡¯spanion was.

    After a few minutes, the gatekeeper stopped in the front of a certain room. Apparently this was the location of the meeting.

    ¡°Raizar-sama. I wish to express my gratitude for youring here.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Are wete?¡±

    ¡°No, there is a person who has yet toe.¡±

    When the two entered the room, someone who was wearing the clothes of the highest quality among the people seated at the table stood up and gave Schnee words of gratitude.

    Taul Yaxfell.

    The figure with eyes that conveyed a strong sense of purpose and hair that was trimmed short was probably in his mid-40s. The body without bbiness reflected his character.

    ¡°Shin-dono, your participation in defending our city together with Rionne-sama is indeed reassuring.¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±

    When he had exchanged light greetings with Schnee, Taul also called out to Shin promptly. Though his speech was polite, his sharp eyes seemed to see through the character called Shin; perhaps this was what one would expect of the feudal lord of Balmel.

    ¡°There is still a little time before the discussion begins. I¡¯ll ask someone to prepare drinks, so please make yourself at home.¡±

    Taul said, and left his seat to step outside. Neither the dispatch group nor Rionne hade yet.

    As they spoke to Hibineko and the others while waiting for a while, in addition to Taul and Rionne, two men and one woman entered.

    ¡°Then, now that all the members are present, I¡¯d like to start the meeting by introducing the new members. As it¡¯s their first meeting, let¡¯s us all introduce ourselves briefly.¡±

    Once he saw that everyone had been seated, Taul began to speak.

    Starting from Shin and Rionne, who were participating on the spur of the moment, the self-introduction advanced in an orderly fashion.

    ¡°I¡¯m Guile Serget. Mage. I¡¯m in charge of first strike together with Raizar-dono this time. Nice to meet you.¡±

    Although Guile had said he was a mage, due to his appearance, it would have been convincing if he had said he was a warrior. He had a refreshing visage of dark pupils and moderately long brown hair. His height was almost the same as Shin¡¯s, but Guile had more muscle mass. Although he was a lord, his appearance was no different from a human¡¯s. Perhaps it was because they would be testing their cooperation, but he had also brought a staff and a cloak.

    ¡°I¡¯m Liege Latreia. I¡¯m a magic swordswoman. This time I¡¯ll be assisting this guy with Rionne-sama. Let¡¯s get along well.¡±

    Liege was a woman who had a red hair like a burning wave and crimson eyes. She talked like a man, possibly due to her warrior ss, but she was a curvaceous, well-proportioned woman who was 170 cemels tall.

    Except for the small scales on the area around her eyes, she had no other characteristics of a dragnil. Unlike Shibaid, whom Shin had met before, her appearance seemed almost like a human¡¯s.

    ¡°So there are actually people who wear that here.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Is there something wrong?¡±

    Liege asked. She seemed to have heard Shin muttering.

    ¡°Ah, no, I was thinking, is that a magic armor that Liege-san is wearing?¡±

    Like Guile, Liege had also put on equipment meant for actualbat. However, what she was wearing wasmonly called bikini armor. It had appeared in a part of the game, and was equipment that had questionable functionality as armor.

    Shin, of course, knew what kind of equipment it was. Its official name was the ¡®Magic Armor of Dragon Ball,¡¯ and was medium rank ¡¶Legend¡· grade armor that used the jewel removed from a monster of dragon lineage.

    As for why the armor was red in color, was because the jewel of a Red Dragon had been used. It nullified damage received under certain value, had an effect that further reduced damage, and couldn¡¯t be equipped with VIT less than 500. The part where skin was exposed had the damage decrease effect, so it was possible to say that she could catch a knife with her bare arm depending on her stats.

    However, though its performance was high, it was not a very popr equipment in the game era. Because the game had been a VRMMO, where avatars acted as the yers¡¯ actual bodies, not many women had wanted to wear it.

    ¡°Oh my, were you that fascinated by my armor? I felt your eyes on my chest.¡±

    Liege emphasized her chest after she said that. Although it was true that Shin had nced at her chest, which was fully covered by her armor, he hadn¡¯t done so with ill intentions.

    ¡°Please pardon me¡­¡±

    While thinking, ¡®don¡¯t tease me¡¯, Shin also wondered whether she was wearing that armor because of her character.

    ¡°Liege, leave the teasing behind. I¡¯ll continue introducing myself, I¡¯m Elgin Scfer. I¡¯m the leader of knights of Balmel. This time, I¡¯ll takemand of the army. I don¡¯t have the intention to rx because Raizar-dono is here. I hope to get along with you.¡±

    As a way of interrupting the banter between Shin and Liege, the next man introduced himself.

    Perhaps it was because his work required him to shout often, but his voice resounded well. Since Shin had been troubled on how to respond to Liege, he thanked Elgin in his heart.

    Elgin was arge man about 2 mels tall. His arms and legs doubled the thickness of Shin¡¯s. His figure was encased in a custom-designed armor which dominated the surroundings just by standing up. Shin didn¡¯t know if he was a Chosen One or not, but Elgin had a high level of 212. Was he in histe 30s or early 40s? There was a sharp glint toward Shin, also in a different sense from Taul.

    Without stopping, Schnee, Hibineko, and the others also introduced themselves.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s discuss the ¡®Flood¡¯ at once. Though you may have already heard, I¡¯d like you to hear this again for confirmation.¡±

    After the self-introductions were over, Taul began to talk.

    Taulid out a map on the table once he had everyone¡¯s attention. It was a rough map that showed both Balmel and Kalkia.

    ¡°As a result of examining the information brought by Rionne-sama and Shin-dono, it was confirmed thatrge hordes of monsters areing here. Judging from their travelling speed, they are expected to arrive at Balmel in approximately 4 days. The core of the horde isprised of humanoid monsters, such as goblins, orcs, ogres and so forth.¡±

    While presenting the information, Taul ced a troop marker down on the map to represent the group of monsters. In addition, he ced two markers in Balmel and four big markers behind them.

    ¡°Here are Shin-dono, Shadow-dono, Holly-dono, and Nekomata-dono of the first group. Schnee-sama, Rionne-sama, Guile-dono, and Liege-dono of the second group are here. You¡¯ll wait 5 kemels in front of Balmel, while the knight squadron will spread out in the rear. After attracting the monsters to some extent, Schnee-sama and Guile-dono will attack with wide area magic. Meanwhile, because a lot of monsters are expected to remain near the the first group side, they will intercept them. While reducing their numbers, please also let some monsters pass to the rear in moderation.¡±

    Taul re-exined his strategy verbally with the markers afterwards.

    Defeating high-leveled individuals took first priority, defense was a primary concern and training was an additional bonus, Taul told them as he finished exining.

    ¡°So, the first group will form a party and have cooperation training. Because the main duty of second group is to guard Guile-dono, you will train against Schnee-sama.¡±

    ¡°Eh!¡±

    ¡°Come again?!¡±

    Guile stiffened at what Elgin had said, and Liege raised her voice almost to the point of screaming.

    ¡°Schn-nya-san is famous for her harsh training, you know?¡±

    Hibineko whispered to Shin, who was looking dubiously at their reactions..

    Apparently, hard mode was the standard even if the people Schnee trained weren¡¯t her friends.

    Only Rionne looked like she was looking forward to Schnee¡¯s training; was it because she didn¡¯t know how severe it would be? Or was it because she felt honored to be trained by Schnee?

    ¡°Don¡¯t die!¡±

    They would have time to recover even if they became exhausted. Schnee would surely work them to their very limits. Shin thought as he cheered them on.

    ¡°Then, we will go train as well.¡±

    Following Schnee¡¯s second group, Shin and his group also start moving.

    Unlike the second group where Schnee acted as the opponent, Shin and his group went outside the ramparts of Balmel. They would train against the monsters that roamed outside during times of peace that were unrted to the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    Although the difference in abilities between Shin¡¯s group and the monsters was toorge to be a proper fight, there was no problem since they were simply practicing their cooperation.

    ¡°Shin, it¡¯s been a long time since you and I formed a party.¡±

    Shadow muttered a few words.

    ¡°Yeah. But in my case, perhaps I should say it¡¯s been a long time since I joined a party.¡±

    This was also the result of an excessive difference in ability. Shin rejected the party system because it was more efficient for him to challenge an enemy alone than it was for him to join a party and adjust to their level.

    ¡°There was no other way. It would have been too time consuming for you to train other yers, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be very happy if it was that easy for others to catch up to me¡±

    Shin just said few words in response to Shadow¡¯s remark.

    While it was a good thing for other yers to be stronger, Shin could not be honestly pleased with the prospect because he had already sacrificed so much to be strong himself.

    Then Hibineko interjected.

    ¡°Leave the idle talk forter. We need to deal with these monsters seriously, even if they¡¯re low ranked. You have to be on your guard!¡±

    ¡°¡­Right. Sorry, I was a little too excited.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Shadow and Shin obediently apologized for being too excited about forming a party. Frankly speaking, they would remain unhurt even if they received a critical hit from the monsters to the face.

    Hibineko also understood, so he wasn¡¯t offended.

    Then, Holly smiled wryly and began to talk.

    ¡°Hibineko-san is just as high-spirited, though.¡±

    ¡°An adult must have self-control.¡±

    ¡°So why is your tail moving more than usual?¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s to keep my b-bnce!¡±

    When walking on two legs, the tail has almost no effect in keeping bnce. In the end, Hibineko was just as excited as Shin and Shadow.

    Holly watched Hibineko with heartwarming eyes.

    ¡°By the way, we¡¯re at the ce where the monsters will appear.¡±

    ¡°As for me being in high spirits¡­Well, you¡¯re right about that. A lot of wolf-type monsters should have appeared around here.¡±

    Holly was making fun of Hibineko, but she didn¡¯t forget to search for enemies in their surroundings.

    While everyone had been having a yful conversation and moving at a high speed befitting of their status as Chosen Ones, they had already set foot in the area where monsters spawned.

    However, not a shadow of monsters could be seen, even if they looked around.

    ¡°That strange. Not one monster in my perception range.¡±

    ¡°Not even one, you say?¡±

    Shin¡¯s perception range had been greatly expanded through multiple skills such as ¡¾Search¡¿ and ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿. Therefore, he could perceive ces where Shadow and Hibineko couldn¡¯t reach, but he still couldn¡¯t find a single monster.

    Shadow and the others, who knew of his perception range, had puzzled expressions on their face.

    ¡°Does something like this usually ur during the ¡®Flood¡¯?¡±

    ¡°No. Though I have experienced the ¡®Flood¡¯ several times, even if the number of monsters may decrease a little, they didn¡¯t disappearpletely.¡±

    ¡°The number of monster decreased?¡±

    ¡°The monsters spawned in the ¡®Flood¡¯ indiscriminately attack other monsters. It is known that monsters will leave their territory when they sense danger.¡±

    ¡°I see. But something seems different this time.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, in the first ce, even if I said their numbers decreased, it didn¡¯t suddenly decrease like this. This is clearly abnormal.¡±

    Shin and the other¡¯s expressions sharpened at Hibineko¡¯s remarks.

    They had no problem dealing with the ¡®Flood¡¯, but now the monsters were mysteriously disappearing too. Everyone unanimously agreed that it was dangerous to be too optimistic.

    ¡°It¡¯s not the time to train leisurely. Let¡¯s return at once.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We don¡¯t know the cause, so it would be better to report it.¡±

    Holly agreed with Shadow¡¯s suggestion. Shin and Hibineko had no objections either, so they ran back to Balmel making full use of the speed of the Chosen Ones.

    They searched for the presence of monsters all the the way back, but still didn¡¯t detect anything.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin? You¡¯ve been silent for a while, do you have any ideas?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a few.¡±

    Shin replied to Shadow¡¯s question with a bitter face. There was something that shed in Shin¡¯s memory.

    There had been a war event in the game where hordes of monsters would attack a city. It had not been a particrly unusual event.

    However, the sheer number of monsters had been a problem. The monsters in the surrounding area would temporarily stop spawning and arge swarm of monsters would close in on the city simultaneously like ck waves.

    Of course, the yers stood up to it and seeded in defending the city. Most of the monsters had been blown away by the magic skills of advanced level yers like Shin. However, due to the monsters that invaded the city from underground, the damage caused during the event was not small either.

    Monsters had disappeared before the event had begun. If this was supposedly the same indication, would the same thing happen in the ¡®Flood¡¯? If so, the new surging wave of monsters would exceed the normal scale of the ¡®Flood¡¯.

    ¡°Supposing it¡¯s the same as a war event, we need to report it.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I think I¡¯ll ask Schnee to do that.¡±

    Shin answered Hibineko¡¯s words while nodding.

    Schnee could exin the story as an event from the past. If she did that, Shin didn¡¯t have to stand out.

    ¡°There¡¯s no sign of monsters, you say?¡±

    The four people who returned to the feudal lord¡¯s castle got in contact with Taul immediately, and reported about the monsters. Everyone in the second group, Schnee and the others, also came to the reception room.

    Taul who had listened to the report for a while, contemted as he searched through his memory. However, he let out a small sigh, possibly because he could not think of anything.

    Elgin and the others who were sitting together also shook their heads.

    ¡°As far as I know, there should be no records of this kind of battle. An investigation is needed.¡±

    ¡°The monsters sensed danger and ran away, then it couldn¡¯t be exined with that.¡±

    Judging from their attitude, they were very cautious about this matter circting.

    ¡°Does anybody have any ideas?¡±

    All members except Schnee shook their head at Taul¡¯s words.

    ¡°Schnee-sama, do you have any ideas?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I recall something simr happened in the past.¡±

    Schnee nodded at Taul¡¯s question. The story had already been conveyed to Schnee by Mind Chat.

    It was only a story of the game from Shin¡¯s memory, but it wasn¡¯t strange to think that it could have urred in this world.

    ¡°Could you tell me? Even the smallest amount of information is necessary.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Though it happened quite a while before¨D¨D¡±

    Schnee exined while smudging the facts here and there.

    ¡°That¡­is¡­¡±

    Everyone who heard the story had stiffened their expressions.

    When they heard that level of monsters that would be attacking would also be high, Taul and Elgin¡¯s expressions became heavy.

    The current defense called for a specialized forceposed of Chosen Ones and ordinary soldiers to kill off the enemies as they came because there were simply too many of them.

    If the monsters hordes became too much for ordinary soldiers to handle, they could expect that total coteral damage would be astronomical.

    ¡°Because the situation is only simr to what I know from the past, it¡¯s not clear whether it will turn out that way or not.¡±

    ¡°No, it would be better to assume that it will. Now is not the time to talk about training and such.¡±

    Elgin replied to Schnee¡¯s remark with a serious expression. It would be too dangerous if Schnee¡¯s prediction was on the mark.

    ¡°I thought it would be an easy win this time.¡±

    ¡°Good grief. Things have never gone smoothly.¡±

    Guile and Liege shrugged their shoulders as if they were saying ¡°Give me a break!¡±.

    Though they had non-serious attitudes, it was hard to say that they had bright expressions, either.

    ¡°However, there¡¯s no need to be so pessimistic. We have Schnee Raizar and two additional Chosen Ones with us as reinforcements. We should be able to survive these critical times as long as we don¡¯t make any mistakes.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we don¡¯t know how many monsters there will be, but we are blessed with allies this time around. The battle may end unexpectedly quickly.¡±

    Hibineko and Shadow called out to Taul and the others who were only thinking about the enemy.

    Their eager voices lightened the mood which was about to sink. They wereposed because Shin and Schnee were there. In a sense, Shin and Schnee were far more dangerous than the approaching monsters.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help.¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡¯s right, I should be thankful you¡¯re here. Let¡¯s change the strategy, then. Schnee-sama, do you know which direction that the monsters will be attacking from?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know to that extent¡­¡±

    It was obviously dangerous to think the monsters would all attack from the same direction, so Schnee answered honestly.

    Additionally, because they didn¡¯t know when the monsters would attack, they settled the discussion by agreeing to send scouts in the directions that were most likely to be attacked.

    Each station was contacted when the discussion was over. This was done so the soldiers would be prepared in case the monsters from the war event spawned at any time.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Hey, Schnee, I¡¯m asking just to make sure, but have you ever used therge-scale magic for any anti-guild wars while I was gone?¡±

    ¡°No, I have never fought against such arge army before, since most enemies can be handled with a normal wide area magic.¡±

    Shin and the others who had left the castle had separated briefly before meeting up again.

    Currently, they were heading toward the guild to meet Tiera. Though they could not fight against monsters for cooperation practice, they had tested their cooperation with a training dummy at the training grounds in the castle.

    Because they had to fight against a considerable number of monsters this time, Shin wanted to confirm the power of anti-guild war magic skills with Schnee. But Schnee had not fought against a battalion since the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, so she didn¡¯t know how strong they were, either.

    ¡°Then, would it be bad to use them thoughtlessly? Will you try to use one during the first strike?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if I was to use it, that timing would be my only chance.¡±

    Depending on the numbers of the enemy and the scale of the magic, it was possible for everything to end with just that one hit. Because it was not a bad thing in its own right, he decided to take the opportunity to confirm the power ofrge-scale magic.

    ¡°Schnee-chan¡¯srge-scale magic, huh?~. I wonder if we¡¯ll get a turn.¡±

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t cause any additional damage, then there would be nothing better than that.¡±

    ¡°Yea¡±

    Shadow gave his opinion and agreed with Holly¡¯s words. Hibineko did the same. Shin was neither optimistic nor excited about it.

    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t know what happens until the timees, right? I have to be prepared just in case.¡±

    ¡°Did you do something?¡±

    ¡°There was perfect equipment to fight against numerous enemies, wasn¡¯t there? I intend to upgrade it before it¡¯s toote. There shouldn¡¯t be any problem if I go on a rampage since my face will be covered.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question with a slightly wicked smile on his face.

    Apparently, his cksmith¡¯s blood was excited.

    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t have any problem even if multiple enemiese at me the same time.¡±

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    Shadow and Holly watched the exchange between Shin and Schnee while smiling wryly.

    Hibineko didn¡¯t say a word, but nodded in agreement.

    When they had arrived at the guild, the party went to visit the training grounds after receiving permission from the receptionist.

    The training grounds had various spaces designated for different activities, such as space where one could practice with the bow or with throwing knives, or space where one could receivebat instruction.

    Shin had entered an empty training ground back in Bayreuth when he had fought Barlux the Guild Master, so this was the first time he saw others inside it.

    Apart from that, Shin looked for Tiera.

    ¡°Oh, there she is.¡±

    At a corner of the za where a lot of adventurers did cooperation and individual training, was Tiera. She was doing one on onebat training with someone.

    ¡°Is that Kaede-chan?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s seems so.¡±

    Holly and the others also noticed Kaede and Tiera exchanging blows after Shin had spoken.

    Both of their weapons were daggers. They seemed to be using weapons rented from the training grounds. Kagerou was on standby as he sat down next to a nearby wall.

    ¡°It¡¯s one-sided, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rather amendable thing for Tiera to keep up with her.¡±

    Ahead of Shin¡¯s line of sight, Tiera was on the defensive even though it appeared as if she were exchanging blows with Kaede.

    If you thought about the difference between Kaede and Tiera¡¯s stats, it was amendable thing for Tiera to be able to defend against Kaede, just as Schnee had said.

    Though Kaede probably wasn¡¯t being serious, Tiera shouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up with her for so long. Schnee¡¯s training seemed to have properly increased Tiera¡¯sbat ability.

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s dagger was repelled before Shin could call out to her. Looking at the dagger pointed at the scruff of her neck, Tiera stopped moving.

    ¡°Having a match, huh?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Shin-san, Sch, no, Yuki-san is here too.¡±

    ¡°S-Shin¡­?¡±

    Kaede, who noticed Shin and the others, raised her voice. Tiera, too, turned her face toward the direction of Kaede¡¯s voice, but she couldn¡¯t move immediately because she was out of breath.

    By the way, Yuki was Schnee¡¯s name when disguised. Her guild card was also registered under the name Yuki.

    ¡°Did you guys train together?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though we met by chance.¡±

    At first, Kaede had restricted her stats to train Tiera, but they decided to spar with their stat differences in the end. Then, Shin and the others had arrived.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I¡¯m¡­okay..¡±

    Shin called out to Tiera, who waspletely drenched in sweat, while handing her a towel.

    He waited for a while until Tiera¡¯s breathing settled down.

    ¡°Your training seems to have paid off.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to cry if this was all for naught.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? For the time being, good work.¡±

    Kagerou also came near and showed Tiera some appreciation. Tieraughed as Kagerou licked her face.

 Vol 5 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    Shin and his group left the guild, taking Tiera and Kaede with them.

    Shadow and the others were apparently famous among the people living in Balmel, because they were called out to from everywhere.

    ¡°You guys get called out a lot around here, huh?¡±

    ¡°Even though there isn¡¯t a lot around the castle, a lot of regr customers are in this neighborhood.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­by the way, is it the food or Kaede-chan that draws in more customers?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s 50% the food, 30% Kaede, and 20% Holly.¡±

    Shin had asked it as a joke, but Shadow unexpectedly replied seriously.

    The poprity of cafe ¡®B&W¡¯, seemed to be split between the food and the female duo.

    ¡°There are people aiming for Holly-san, too?¡±

    ¡°What? Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°N-No, no! No problem at all. But since Holly-san is Shadow-san¡¯s wife, I only thought that the customers would go for Kaede-chan.¡±

    Shin made excuses hurriedly to Holly whose eyes did not match the smile on her face.

    ¡°(She is happy to be treated as a young wife.)¡±

    ¡°(I-I see.)¡±

    Kaede whispered to his ear in a small voice as Shin had a fakeugh. Evening to another world didn¡¯t change that a woman wanted to appear younger than their years.

    In terms of the appearance, Holly was a High Elf in her early twenties. Though the same thing could be said about Shadow, generally speaking, she looked quite young. In addition, Holly was a beautiful woman. Side by side with Kaede, they seemed more like sisters than parent and child. Even though she was a married woman, it was not strange that she had be popr.

    To begin with, from the perspective of a High Elf and a High Lord, Holly and Shadow were still an age that could be called children. Though they thought of themselves as old from the perspective of the real world, that didn¡¯t apply in this world.

    ¡°Come to think of it, does an ex-yer who came here have the same life span of their character¡¯s race? When I look at at Shadow-san that seems to be the case.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not certain, but I believe I may have the same lifespan as my character¡¯s race. Not enough time has passed yet in this world to know for sure.

    ¡°Then, that¡¯s tremendous life span for the people with high race of the long-lived kind.¡±

    In the characters lore, High Elves and High Pixies were said to live for thousands of years. If that¡¯s the case, yers would probably feel as if they had been given eternal youth, especially whenpared to their prior human existence.

    ¡°You may have noticed, Shin-kun, but don¡¯t you also have a simr ¨C or rather, an even longer lifespan than we do?¡±

    ¡°Going by character lore, I¡¯m the one with the longest lifespan, was it?¡±

    ¡°A spirit, or something close to it was what had been written, I believe. I wonder how much of that was carried over?¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡­Although I don¡¯t particrly feel any different. What about you, Holly-san?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­It¡¯s not something I can really exin, but I feel like I¡¯ve be proficient at harvesting nts.¡±

    Elves were dwellers of the forest. Their character lore described them as being able tomunicate with nts on a simple level, so it might be the effect of that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any change in particr. Maybe because I don¡¯t have the inherent abilities of the elves and pixies.¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t feel such changes either. I guess it also depends on the individual.¡±

    It seemed like Hibineko and Shadow could not feel any changes. In the past, when Schnee and Tiera held nt in their hands, they could see its life force aura. However those kind of things weren¡¯t in the game either.

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in worrying so much. Isn¡¯t it nice that those kinds of things also exist?¡±

    ¡°Well, I was only a little interested, I don¡¯t intend to think about it so deeply.¡±

    As Holly had said, they could not find an answer no matter how hard they thought about it, so there was no point in worrying over it.

    After arriving at the inn where Shin and the others were staying, they parted ways for the day.

    When he entered the inn, Shizu just came out from the kitchen.

    ¡°Wee back! Shall I prepare a meal?¡±

    ¡°No thanks, we will eatter.¡±

    She was the female beast andndy they had met on the first day.

    Shin and the others went to their own rooms for awhile, and waited for Tiera.

    After training, Shin and Schnee used the bath in feudal lord Taul¡¯s residence. They had to wait for Tiera to change her clothes because they were all sweaty.

    ¡°I¡¯m hungry~¡±

    ¡°You moved around a lot after all.¡±

    Was it due to fatigue? Tiera put her face on the table exhausted.

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved that the results from your special training have shown.¡±

    ¡°If I was made to do so much¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing at all!¡±

    Schnee reacted as soon as Tiera muttered absentmindedly.

    Tiera didn¡¯t think that Schnee had heard her because she had said it in a low voice. She straightened up quickly, and shook her head.

    What would have happened if the results hadn¡¯t shown? That was what Shin had worried about.

    ¡°Now then, should I head out?¡±

    When he had finished his meal, Shin left the shop alone and began running towards the rampart.

    Because there was a possibility that monsters would attack during the night, he intended to stand guard.

    With his figure camouged by ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to match the rampart, he jumped to the top of the ramparts in one leap.

    There was not a simple light outside the rampart. Visibility would fall down to zero if the clouds covered the moon.

    Even in the dark, Shin¡¯s night vision skill would normally allow him to see the shadows of any monsters. Yet, he still couldn¡¯t see any. There were no reactions to his detection system skills either.

    ¡°It¡¯s really weird that there¡¯s nothing out there.¡±

    Shin muttered alone, and then activated the earth technique windbination skill ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿.

    It was a skill which would notify a yer when a monster invaded a fixed area. It worked not only on the ground but also detected monstersing from underground.

    He didn¡¯t neglect the underground because he¡¯d heard that monsters hade from underground in the past war.

    ¡°I guess this is alright. If only the boss who leads the monsters could be found, it would be over quickly.¡±

    Though Taul and the others had already been informed, what Shin and his group had really worried about was the opponent what should be said to be the principal offender of the war event: a monster called ¡®Raid Vice¡¯. Raid Vice itself wasn¡¯t a strong enemy. However, because it controlled the other races and moved them like its hands and feet, it was extremely troublesome.

    In addition to having a military-like chain ofmand, it was amander-like existence which controlled the ¡®Leaders¡¯ of every monster race. The monsters under its control had bonuses added to their abilities as well.

    If the Raid Vice was defeated, its control would be dissolved. If it could be defeated before the real fight, the resultingck of leadership meant there would be no need to be cautious of a surprise attack. In reality, though, it wouldn¡¯t be discovered so easily.

    Though they didn¡¯t know whether or not Raid Vice would be the principal offender this time, the defenders were told to report immediately if it was found.

    Since ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿didn¡¯t require Shin to stay on the ramparts, he left the area and headed toward the forest where he had materialized Tsuki no Hokora the day before.

    He then recalled the sensation of Schnee¡¯s lips at the ce where he took out Tsuki no Hokora, he almost writhed in agony but endured it somehow.

    Shin shook off this feelings and reinforced the equipment, stored Tsuki no Hokora, and then went back inside the city. When he arrived at the inn, he went straight to bed.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    A few dayster, the scouts reported iing monster hordes.

    Shin and his party of upper ss Chosen Ones, the first group of Balmel knight squadron, and the second war group were deployed in front of the city gate.

    ¡°No surprise attack in the end, huh?¡±

    ¡°Shin, you needn¡¯t worry too much about the uing fight. We, the party behind you will support you in case of emergency. Fight at the front with confidence!¡±

    Standing next to him, Rionne tried to re-assure Shin while answering his monologue. Her equipment was the same as when she had fought in Kalkia. She carried¡ºMuspelm¡» across her back. Her gear was the same as before because it was currently the best equipment she could equip.

    ¡°It¡¯s a war of extermination, you know? Don¡¯t cut corners. They will probablye. Although it¡¯s just my intuition.¡±

    ¡°Do you think so too, Shin? I wonder why, but I get that feeling too.¡±

    When asked, Liege and Guile said they also felt the same way. It appeared that their senses had be sharper as therge-scale war got closer. It was probably a feeling shared by those experienced in fighting wars.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡±

    Rionne did not look excited even though she had previous experience in warfare.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave my back to you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, go!¡±

    In response to Rionne¡¯s parting words, Shin joined Hibineko and the others. When he passed Schnee, they nodded to each other.

    ¡°(The rm system has been set up. Please be cautious just in case.)¡±

    ¡°(Certainly.)¡±

    Because Berett and his subordinates were keeping a close watch inside the city, he didn¡¯t have to worry too much.

    However, there was a possibility that monsters could pass through the barrier like the previous Skull Faces had on the Wraith ins. He didn¡¯t think that there was a monster that could infiltrate without being detected by ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿, but no one know what would happen so he couldn¡¯t be too careful.

    When Shin arrived at the ce where Hibineko and the rest were, they had already gathered and prepared for battle.

    ¡°You came? How¡¯s the situation over there?¡±

    ¡°No problem in particr. However, everyone seems to feel a little uneasy.¡±

    ¡°As expected, huh? When ites to that, leave this ce to us. In case the previous war event should happen, you should move to the rear, Shin. All the more so if you use the equipment in question.¡±

    Hibineko who knew about the equipment, said while smiling. Hibineko carried the weapon which Shin had reinforced in his hand.

    Hibineko was able to maintain hisposure because, no matter the number of monsters, even if Shin was required to pull back from the front lines, Shin¡¯s weapons reinforcements would be more than enough to counter them.

    In addition thebination of, Hibineko, Shadow and Holly, in a party would represent a powerful fighting force on the front lines.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you at that time. That equipment is hard to use when there are people around.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to be powerful, but there is a big disadvantage. Although against opponents like this time, it will be terribly effective when Shin uses it.¡±

    ¡°The disadvantage was reduced a little with my smithing ability, so it became better than before. Well, even if it became easy to use, the risks of using it, however, may have increased.¡±

    The equipment Shin was talking about was the kind of equipment that wouldn¡¯t be equipped by a normal yer during the game era.

    Though it was different if one person fought against weak opponents, at least the equipment couldn¡¯t be used in the situation where one joined a party.

    Shin wouldn¡¯t use it if the opponent was a divine beast and a strong boss. It was effective simply because the enemies were small fry for Shin.

    ¡°For the time being, I¡¯ll go wild with this guy.¡±

    ¡°¡ºKakura¡», huh? It seems you had used it when you escaped from Kalkia with the princess, but will everything be alright?¡±

    Hibineko asked, after Shin materialized ¡ºKakura¡» from a card.

    ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡±

    Shin was puzzled. He didn¡¯t understand the point of the question.

    ¡°That kind of equipment is very rare now. I think the princess may have her eyes on it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s already toote though. I had said I had found it in the ruins but, other than that, I think she was somewhat interested in me.¡±

    ¡°I thought of it by chance when I heard that both of you had worked together, but as I¡¯d expected, she had her eyes on you, huh? It¡¯s probably a good idea to have many connections that can collect information for you for the sake of returning to the original world. But you have to use it depending on the other party. That¡¯s something you need to be careful of.¡±

    ¡°I know. I don¡¯t intend to seek assistance from the royal family, not yet anyway. I don¡¯t know what kind of coteral they will demand in return.¡±

    Setting Rionne¡¯s interest aside, he was already marked as an individual with powerful war potential, so he didn¡¯t want to incur any debts.

    Shadow checked his watch as he walked up to them.

    ¡°Sorry to be in the way of your talk, but it¡¯s about time.¡±

    He informed the two that the fight was about to begin. Right at that moment, monster hordes began invading Shin¡¯s perception range.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Well then, shall we go?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Let them clear up the very front first.¡±

    The preparations were alreadyplete. Schnee and Guile¡¯s magic attacks were the signal for the nned assault.

    ¡°Here ites!¡±

    When the iing monsters were close enough to see without even using ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, Shin felt two magic power sources rise behind the military unit. Schnee¡¯s power had noticeablyrger presence, so the smaller one was probably Guile¡¯s. Schnee¡¯s presence was sorge that it overshadowed Guile¡¯s.

    In a short amount of time, their magic power ascended and ran through the air. Guile¡¯s magic impacted the front of the monster hordes, while Schnee¡¯s magic kept rising high in the sky.

    The first one to show effect was Guile¡¯s magic. From the height about 20 mels in mid-air, fireballs of approximately 5 mels in diameter poured down like rain. Each fireball crushed several of the goblins. Furthermore, nearby monsters were blown away due to the resulting explosion. The many fireballs and their explosive aftermaths, poured down constantly. The ones exposed to the attacks were helpless to escape.

    What Guile used was the me technique system magic skill¡¾Meteor Fall¡¿. It was a highly useful magic that was rtively popr in the me technique system magic because it caused area damage. There were also many countermeasures for it because it was famous. But, it wasn¡¯t a concern when used against low level monsters.

    ¡°So, herees the real deal.¡±

    As if answering Shin¡¯s muttering, a jet ck cloud appeared in the clear sky. It had strange motion like a recorded video being fast-forwarded.

    Then, bolts of blue lightning struck the ground as the cloud began to expand.

    ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D!? ¨D¨D¨D¨D!¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!!¡±

    The deafening roar, loud enough to drown out the explosive sounds of ¡¾Meteor Fall¡¿, reverberated through the surroundings. The monsters, who seemed somewhat able to react to the fireballs, were dumbfounded by this and couldn¡¯t grasp what was happening. The attacked hordes quickly fell into a state of chaos.

    However, their nightmare had just begun. That was only the initial salvo from Schnee¡¯srge-scale magic skill.

    As the afterglow of the initial blue lightning bolts had faded, dozens of additional lightning strikes pierced the monster hordes. The lightning itself started 10 mels above the ground. When it struck the ground, it spread and became snake-like chains of lightning that devoured everything within a radius of 3 mels.

    Unlike the explosion of the fireballs which could be defended against with a shield, the lightning was impossible to block with simple protective gear. The monsters couldn¡¯t evade properly because it was too crowded. They didn¡¯t have any choice but to wait for their bodies to be burnt alive.

    ¡°¡¾Blue Judge¡¿huh? In any case, this is again¡­¡±

    Schnee seemed to have chosen the magic skill that she was familiar with to deal with the monsters.

    Lightning technique system magic skill ¡¾Blue Judge¡¿ was a skill which was difficult to fend off, just like light technique system magic skills. In addition, when the enemy wore metal-based protective gear, it had an increased damage effect. This damage included the monsters that had simple equipment, like most goblins and orcs.

    Shin and his group, who knew the power and the attack range of the magic skill, were unfazed by this disy of Schnee¡¯s power. However, the soldiers who watching this scene at the rear grew pale.

    The soldiers gazed in awe as the blue snakes devoured the ck waves of monsters. The sight had shocked them beyond their expectations. Even Elgin, the leader of the knight squadron, was shocked by this disy.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    No one made a sound as they waited for the magic to end. Because the skill itself didn¡¯t continue for a long time, it wouldn¡¯t take long before the attack stopped.

    As thest bolt of lightning struck the ground, the cloud which covered the sky cleared up and the afterglow disappeared.

    As the sun came back out, countless craters and the charred remains of what once were monsters became visible.

    There were no survivors within the range of effect, too.

    Total devastation.

    Those were the only words that could describe the result.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    There was a different kind of silenceing from the soldiers than during the time the magic skill had been invoked.

    Was it awe or fear?

    It was unknown how much magic power Schnee used. But judging from the soldiers¡¯ reaction, it was clear that usingrge scale magic for anti-guild wars should be avoided unless it was against arge army. That power was tremendous, Shin thought.

    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s hard to believe I¡¯m the same kind of High Elf.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s powerful, but that magic really makes an impact, too.¡±

    Shin replied to Holly, who was amazed.

    However, it was still a tense situation.

    Because¨D¨D

    ¡°After having killed so many, there are still this many left?¡±

    Outside of the area of the magic skill¡¯s effect, the number of monsters still exceeded the number that had been incinerated. They were still heading toward Balmel.

    There had been a gap after the first wave, could this possibly be the second wave?

    Schnee had killed well over 5000 monsters with her magic. To have reduced their number that much and still leave an equal or more amount of monsters than that, there was only one documented event that matched this.

    ¡°Hibineko-san, isn¡¯t this the ¡®Large Flood¡¯?¡±

    ¡°It looks like it. I heard the probability of it happening was only about once in every 100 years. I guess this is it.¡±

    The ¡®Large Flood¡¯ was a higher version of the ¡®Flood¡¯ which was said to have happened no more than 3 times in Balmel¡¯s history.

    Though the quality of the monster didn¡¯t change, it was not unusual for their numbers to reach 10 times more than normal. The conditions for the outbreak were unclear, but when it had happened before, Balmel had been forced to keep fighting for several days, and only were able to pull through because their neighboring countries had provided them with reinforcements.

    ¡°(Schnee, can you make another shot?)¡±

    ¡°(No, it appears that I can¡¯t use that magic again. Even if I try to invoke it, there¡¯s no response.)¡±

    As expected, it was not the situation to hold back; Shin had wanted her to attack again, but it didn¡¯t seem that it was possible.

    Then, when Shin tried to invokerge-scale magic, his magic power kept flowing out but there¡¯s no change in his surroundings.

    (What is this? My mana is flowing out, but the magic skill isn¡¯t activating.)

    He didn¡¯t know why, but it had taken time to reuse arge-scale magic during the game as well.

    As they charged forward, the surviving monsters trampled over the incinerated remains of their fellow monsters. They were undaunted by the destructive magic that had been unleashed. Unlike normal monsters, the monsters that spawned from the ¡®Flood¡¯ had almost no rationality or emotions. It was as if they were only programmed to attack.

    For this reason, they didn¡¯t react to the magic exploding in front of them.

    ¡°It appears that they will keep fighting to thest monster.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because they won¡¯t withdraw even if they can¡¯t win. A ¡®Flood¡¯ is basically a war of extermination.¡±

    The monsters would kill until thest one of them was defeated. ording to Shadow, that seems to be how the monsters fought in the ¡®Flood¡¯. As Rionne had said as she wielded her sword earnestly, Shin was able to understand that too.

    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t remain one sided, we¡¯ll get our turn soon.¡±

    ¡°So a power like that wasn¡¯t able to make the battle one-sided, right?¡±

    Shadow was right, the amount of monsters seen were equal everywhere. To begin with, the magic that Schnee shot almost annihted the first wave of the monsters, unlike the moments earlier the present state didn¡¯t stay one-sided against the monsters. Even if you were to assess the calction error, given that only the number that did not remain was from the Second Wave, it was not possible to say that it was very noticeable even if they were to be collectively joined.

    ¡°It¡¯s slightly different from the n, but I¡¯ll lead the monsters towards the front of the firstyer of heavy knights. Both of you, please be careful not to lead too many to them, so they don¡¯t get overwhelmed.¡±

    Shin and Shadow nodded at Holly¡¯s warning. Hibineko acknowledged her wordlessly by raising his chin while tossing small dried sardines into his mouth. Though it was an item with stats strengthening effect just in case, his had the impression that seemed to say he was probably acting yfully if he was not an upper ss Chosen One.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡±

    As soon as Shin finishedmenting, four people kick the earth and began to mobilize. Though they had to match Holly¡¯s slower speed, with the aid of their equipment, they were still much faster than riding a horse.

    At that speed, they approached the hordes of monsters in a sh. While moving, Holly buffed each party member.

    From the start, their offensive, defensive, and even their magic defensive power were thoroughly reinforced. On top of that, their powers were further increased by the additional effect of the reinforcement of their weapons.

    ¡°I¡¯ll attack first!¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Fumu, your blood rages, huh?¡±

    Shin, Shadow, and Hibineko as the three vanguards, plunged into the hordes of monsters while smirking.

    It was a battle formation with Shin at the center, Hibineko on the left, Shadow on the right, and Holly in the back.

    Of course, the first one to make a move was Shin. With¡ºKakura¡» ready on his shoulder, he stepped on and crushed the ground. By invoking the skill of instantaneous eleration he moved instantly to the front head of the pack.

    ¡°Here¡¯s a greeting from me!!¡±

    While riding the force of the eleration, Shin swung down ¡ºKakura¡». His first victims were a group of orcs.

    Shin had invoked a weapon skill which included a mallet technique and wind techniquebination skill called ¡¾Amber Wave Strike¡¿. This caused a high-density wind to coil around ¡ºKakura¡». He swung it down while aiming at the orcs at the very front. A thick ¡°DOOM!¡± sounded, and aided by thepressed wind, a single blow of ¡ºKakura¡» crushed the orcs in front and the approaching group behind them. A radial crater appeared in the ground where ¡ºKakura¡» struck. Small monsters like goblins vanished from just the shock wave of the blow.

    ¡¾Amber Wave Strike¡¿ had the effect of strengthening the range and power of the strike of the wind technique; it was an effective skill to suppress the front of a pack.

    More fissures in the ground that were about 10 mels wide and 50 mels long formed from the radial crater Shin had created. All of the monsters within range had been reduced to nothing more than smears on the ground.

    Shin lifted ¡ºKakura¡»from the crater, and took a stance. The wind technique from ¡¾Amber Wave Strike¡¿ no longer covered ¡ºKakura¡». The next skill he activated was a mallet technique and me techniquebination skill ¡¾Scarlet Phoenix Wizard¡¿. A crimson light enveloped the surface of ¡ºKakura¡»with the flow of mana. When he waved it horizontally, the me of the Crimson Lotus projected toward the monsters.

    It was a skill with an orthodox effect that was said to increase attack range and bestow me attribute. The only limitation was that the effect would disappear after the first long distance attack was performed.

    Normally, the long range attack was saved till the skill was nearly exhausted. This time, because it was highly effective and there was plenty of time left, Shin used the long distance attack immediately.

    Following the trajectory of ¡ºKakura¡», a crescent shaped me was formed. The me, which rapidly increased in volume as it shot away from Shin, charged forward and turned all the monsters in its way to ashes. In front of Shin was a 30 mel wide corridor of mes, in which most of the monsters were roasted. Even if the crowd of monsters tried to close the gap, the remaining mes swelled up quickly and exploded. The individual monsters who were near that heat and shock burst open, turning their swords and armor into shrapnel which, pierced the monsters gathered near the explosion.

    ¡°Here I am!!¡±

    Shin activated the taunt skill ¡¾Shura Rush¡¿to attract the the monster¡¯s attention. Among the provocation skills that attract the monster¡¯s attack target to the user, ¡¾Shura Rush¡¿ was known for its wide area of effect.

    Shin prepared ¡ºKakura¡»as he cast a sharp nce toward the iing monsters.

    If he listened closely, he could hear simr explosions from not too far away. It looked like Hibineko and Shadow hadmenced battle too.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 5 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    The fist fighter, Hibineko, engaged the enemy shortly after Shin .

    The usually casual Hibineko¡¯s eyes had changed into those of a hunter¡¯s, with the prey already determined .

    Without losing momentum or speed, he took a step and elerated even more . He glided through the air with a jump kick .

    Emerald green light was emitted from the greaves equipped on his legs, which were enhanced by Shin . Hibineko used the barehanded-wind techniquebination skill ¡¾Autobahn Kick¡¿ and plowed through, crushing the monsters he collided with .

    It was a convenient skill for hitting arge group of monsters, with a cannonball-like kick, and also for movement . Hibineko had used the skill on the frontlines of the monster hordes .

    Although Hibineko was short for a man, the aftermath of his kick, which was d in the wind technique and received the blessings of the enhancement skill via his equipment, destroyed even the monsters that were outside its effective range .

    Hibineko challenged the hordes head-on as they were scattered around by that kick¡¯s power .

    If Shin, who had ess to the map function, looked at the map, he would see a clear line cut straight through a sea of red enemy markers .

    ¡°I can¡¯t fall behind Shin and the others!¡±

    Hibineko who dove into the crowd using the barehanded and me techniquebination skill ¡¾Echo st¡¿, mightily flung his right leg against the ground . The crack on the ground where Hibineko stamped spread like a spiderweb, and after a few moments, bluish-white mes burst from those cracks .

    The tremors that spread from Hibineko, who was at the epicenter of the skill, monsters nearby lose their bnce while mes erupted from the ground and roasted them . Though it was a skill that dealt damage regardless of friend or foe, it wasn¡¯t a problem since he was only surrounded by enemies .

    Due to the synergy between the reinforced weapon and the support magic cast on it, its skill and range of effect had risen tremendously and could not bepared to its previous state . When the skill ended and the mes died down, Hibineko was left in a bubble devoid of monsters with a radius of 100 mels .

    More monsters then approached him in order to reupy the empty space .

    As for Hibineko, he wore the smile of a carnivorous animal . He kept on attacking the monster hordes .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Across from Shin on the other side of Hibineko, Shadow was silently carrying out a massacre .

    A ck shadowy figure ran, slicing through the monsters leaving only cut lines lingering in the air . For a short time, the monsters seemed unaffected .

    Then, when the they moved a little, they fell apart along the slice lines .

    ¡°As expected, a weapon made by Shin is on another level . ¡±

    Shadow muttered unintentionally, admiring the dagger he held in his right hand .

    The dagger was lighterpared to before Shin had reinforced it, and yet it drew a stronger killing blow . As if being buffed by the weapon¡¯s newfound power, he felt even his body control had increased .

    As a matter of fact, his physical strength had went up too . If one had to say, the way it had risen up was different; there were no stats that had been improved . It had been adjusted for the owner from the beginning . It was the case for Hibineko and Shadow . So, it was natural that the state of reinforcement was varied as well . It became smoother and closer to the ideal image in their minds . With his body moving as he imagined, Shadow felt happier while being on the battlefield .

    ¡°*Sigh* I don¡¯t remember feeling this in the game . ¡±

    As Shadow ran, his excitement was charged into his weapon .

    It was totally different from Shin and Hibineko¡¯s fighting style; there was only long and silent movements .

    Only the screams or roars of the monsters, and the sounds made by monsters¡¯ equipment could be heard . There were no explosions or shock waves, but the number of the monsters decreased steadily .

    ¡°¡­*Swish*!¡±

    A voice like a sigh leaked out . During that short pause, 8 to 10 slice lines were made . However, no less than 10 monsters had fallen .

    Using the fencing and water techniquebination skill ¡¾de Stream¡¿ the cutting lines were exerted in the air every time the dagger was wielded . The de of water generated by the water technique shone under the light of the sun . Though there was something called waterjet cutter that could even cut through steel in the real world, the power of this skill greatly exceeded that .

    Water based magic could be prolonged by making the water thin and long, like hairs . The monsters called goblin knights, which had the skin harder than iron, and ogres, which had muscles like bundled steel, didn¡¯t stand a chance .

    The des of water that extended from the dagger were almost as sharp as the dagger itself due to the skill . In other words, be it the muscle mass or the skin, there was no other result than to be cut down in one stroke .

    The radius of the Shadow¡¯s attack was about 20 mels . While normally the dagger was considered a short-ranged weapon, Shadow¡¯s range of attack was like a different weapon altogether .

    Even if it was not as shy, the speed with which Shadow exterminated monsters wasn¡¯t inferior to Shin or Hibineko¡¯s .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Holly was observing the enemy¡¯s movement while focusing on the fight in front of her .

    Even though Shin and the others were separated from each other by some distance so that they didn¡¯t get caught up in each other¡¯s attacks, to the monsters, it was no different than if they were fighting together . The shocks and the sounds Shin and the others made gradually started to draw the entire crowd toward them .

    ¡°(The crowd on the front right has begun to flow to this side . The feint operation seems to be going well . )¡±

    The three acknowledged Holly¡¯s Mind Chat with a few words and increased their extermination speed .

    If it ended early, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about a surprise attack .

    Schnee and Guile attacked the hordes that were not heading straight for Shin and the others with long-ranged magic . Thoughrge-scale magic for anti-guild war was not useable yet, normal magic skills could be used without a problem . Due to Schnee¡¯s specialty, lighting and water techniques, and the me technique from Guile, they killed more monsters than Shin and his partybined .

    ¡°Now, I need to do my work too . ¡±

    Holly said as a great number of me bullets appeared in midair .

    She targeted behind Shin and the others . Even if the three used skills that attacked on all directions and extend its ranges, they could still face unexpected defeat . As the monster hordes numbered several thousands, it was impossible to keep fighting without running out of energy under the present conditions . Therefore, Holly shut down the possibilities of unexpected defeat .

    ¡°Please go . ¡±

    Under Holly¡¯smand, the me bullets which remained in midair started to move . The me bullets scattered in the ratio of 2:4:4 toward the directions of Shin, Hibineko, and Shadow . They flew to the monster hordes which were rtivelyrge, moved to close the gap of their attack, and hit the center of the group .

    With an explosion, the weapons that the monsters carried and parts of their bodies were scattered in all directions .

    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡±

    After she finished firing the me bullets, Holly raised her stick above her head .

    ¡°Come fall!¡±

    The skies above the monster hordes changed as she spoke .

    A portion of the sky warped as if it had been covered by a giant ss lens . Then, it fell little by little toward the monsters on the ground within the spell¡¯s range of effect .

    The monster hordes this time were mostlyposed of humanoid monsters but naturally, there were many other monsters too .

    What Holly had aimed at were the flying-type monsters which would be troublesome if left unattended, even though there were only a few of them . What could be seen were ¡®Head Eagles¡¯ which looked just like erged eagles, and small pterosaur ¡®Airnodons¡¯ which had membranous wings like the Pteranodon .

    Both were about level 180, and their physical strengths were low but their hit & run strategy of swooping down and flying away was a bad match for knights who couldn¡¯t use magic skills . Though some of the knights could shoot them down with throwing spears or kill them when they were swooping down, it would take at least half of the soldiers to achieve that .

    Because Holly had knocked them down to the ground, the knights were able to deliver the decisive blows . While it¡¯s true that high-level monsters didn¡¯t weaken at all when they were dropped onto the ground, the knights easily dealt with the flight-type monsters that Holly had cast down because the monsters were low-level and an easy target after they had fallen .

    ¡°Still, there¡¯s a lot as expected . ¡±

    Holly grumbled unintentionally, while she fired additional me bullets at a speed that would shock a mage simr to Guile if seen . It was not Holly¡¯s first time dealing with the ¡®Flood¡¯, but even Holly would get tired by the sheer number of monsters in this ¡®Large Flood¡¯ . Even with the assistance of the strengthened equipment by Shin, she couldn¡¯t cover all the three vanguards¡¯ leftovers .

    Naturally, Holly didn¡¯t think she could deal with all the monsters which were moving independently too . The individual monsters who passed through the three vanguards and Holly¡¯s attacks were dealt with by the first and the second war groups of Balmel¡¯s defense knight squadrons .

    Berett had said that the experience in war against the monsters was low, but that had only been based on Rokuten¡¯s standards in the game era . Compared to other soldiers in other cities, Balmel¡¯s knights were rather capable . The levels of the soldiers surpassed 150 on average . Their captain¡¯s levels were in the 180 range . Elgin¡¯s, the leader of the knights, level exceeded 200 .

    Since soldiers were not Chosen Ones, when they were up against mutant monsters with levels close to 300, they normally would take damage to some degree . However, with their skills and cooperation, Elgin and his corps could defeat mutated monsters without making any sacrifices . In the game era, these kinds of courageous warriors were known as ¡®cheats¡¯ in a different sense of the word from Shin and the others .

    ¡°Be careful of your surroundings so as to not obstruct others! Don¡¯t ck off until you make sure it¡¯s dead!¡±

    Elgin¡¯s voice resounded as he tookmand . It reached the knights without being drowned out by the explosions and roars of the monsters .

    Even if their opponents were low-level monsters like goblins, they fought seriously . At the rear, there was Schnee and her party, and the third and the fourth war groups were also standing by . They didn¡¯t overlook details in the defense arrangements .

    Up to now, much of the burden had been borne by thedies . Because this was a blot on the knight squadron¡¯s chivalry, the first and the second war group of knights were roused to a new high . Although they were inferior in individual ability, their teamwork more thanpensated for this, allowing the number of monsters to be reduced quickly and reliably .

    While the number of monsters shrank at an increasing rate, a change was felt in the monster hordes which were heading toward Shin and the others .

    ¡°It¡¯s covered with ¡®Worker Ants¡¯ . The ones jumping, are ¡®Little Hoppers¡¯, huh?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re mainly insect-types?¡±

    ¡°Fumu, this will be a little troublesome . ¡±

    While the three were physically separated, their words were delivered as if they were right next to each other .

    Shin who confirmed the name of the monsters with ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, Shadow who looking at the battle field as a whole and saw the monster mix change from humanoid type to insect type, and Hibineko who was concerned because the insect types were hard to kill, had said respectively .

    The main group of humanoid monsters, mainly goblins and orcs, spread out and created a path 200 mels wide . Into this path came the insect type monsters . Just as their names suggested, the Worker Ants and the Little Hoppers which Shin spoke a while ago were monsters who were giant versions of ants and grasshoppers . They were about 1 mel high . They were low-level monsters who didn¡¯t have prominent abilities . On the other hand, they had the abilities that the smaller versions of these insects had . The Worker Ants had powerful mandibles, and the little hoppers had the jump ability of the grasshoppers .

    A majority of the monsters were Worker Ants . The Little Hoppers and other insect type monsters jumped up and down to close the few gaps .

    ¡°(Schnee, can you check the monster hordes from over there?)¡±

    ¡°(No, I still cannot see far enough into the inner groups of monsters yet . Did something happen?)¡±

    ¡°(The mix of the monsters has changed . Worker Ants have be the main attackers and other insect type monster are heading this way . )¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s just the way the records document, right? Got it, I¡¯ll contact the personmanding at the rear here . )¡±

    Shin and his party were closer to Elgin whomanded all the knight squadrons . Schnee was closer to the adjutant who wasmanding the third and the fourth war groups which were waiting at the rear so, it was decided she would notify him .

    ¡°(Holly-san, can you contact Elgin-san?)¡±

    ¡°(I am close . Leave it to me . )¡±

    After asking Holly to pass the message to Elgin, Shin plunged into the group of monsters again .

    Shin was 300 mels in a straight line from the first group of Worker Ants . Because there were about 100 mels space between the groups, if the monsters were defeated, there would be about 200 mels distance before he contacted the third wave .

    In order to keep misses to a minimum, Shin used a skill that increased the range of his weapon . Shin let the aura that had enveloped and extended from the tip of ¡ºKakura¡» to lengthen to just under 10 mels . A single sideways blow sent masses of goblins flying . The orcs who tried to engage with swords were turned into minced meat including their armors .

    Among the monsters, several ¡®Ogre Commanders¡¯ were seen . These were monsters of mutation ss that were also described in the documents of the guild . However, they were only high-leveled in rtion to rest of the horde of monsters . With levels of at best 300, they were no different than a regr goblin to Shin and his party .

    An Ogre Commander swung down arge 3 mel long sword, which it probably acquired when evolving, with all its might . It attempted to bisect Shin along with its allies . Shin counterattacked, and struck against the sword¡¯s side with ¡ºKakura¡» . The sound of metals shing reverberated with a ¡°Gin!¡±, Two thirds of the big sword that had approached Shin flew into the air .

    Therge sword was actuallyrger than ¡ºKakura¡»; on the other hand, for mass and quality, ¡ºKakura¡» was overwhelmingly superior . Since Shin struck with his physical strength at the side of the sword which was also its weak point, it was inevitable for the sword to either break or bend .

    ¡°Gi¡­?¡±

    The Ogre Commander who saw his sword snapped to nearly ? size, cried out in a stupid voice . In its mind, it had been certain that Shin had been cut in half .

    The Ogre Commander was slow to react and left a small opening . Shin, who couldn¡¯t overlook that chance, hammered ¡ºKakura¡» into its head as a gift in return .

    The de with a dark red aura formed by the effect of the skill, nearly bisected the Ogre Commander . It split him from its head to its inseam in a stroke .

    A momentter a huge amount of blood spurted over the surroundings .

    ¡°Next is the bugs, huh?¡±

    After the group of humanoid monsters were cleaned up, Shin turned his gaze toward the insect types who were approaching . There were signs of Shadow and the others in the distance too . Apparently, most of them had already finished . The monsters which didn¡¯te toward Shin and his party, had already been turned to ash by Schnee and Guile .

    ¡°(Everyone listen, there¡¯s no change to the strategy . We exterminate them without stopping!)¡±

    ¡°(Roger!!)¡±

    To Holly¡¯s voice, Shin and the rest replied in unison .

    Then suddenly, a thought came to Shin .

    ¡°(Shadow-san, Hibineko-san, do you have a moment?)¡±

    ¡°(What was it?)¡±

    ¡°(If everyone uses ¡¾Scarlet Explosion Palm¡¿, we can wipe out the majority of our opponents . Should we take the initiative and lead everyone to victory using abined attack from the three of us?)¡±

    ¡°(I see, that one, huh?)¡±

    Hibineko remembered another party situation like this where two or more yers were up against a vast number of monsters and they decided to use the skill called ¡¾Scarlet Explosion Palm¡¿ .

    Shadow also seems to have remembered a simr situation, as he returned with a voice of agreement when he heard Shin¡¯s suggestion .

    ¡°(If we do it with three of us, wiping out a vast area of monsters will not be a problem with this skill . )¡±

    ¡°(Interesting . I¡¯m in)¡±

    ¡°(Me too . )¡±

    Hibineko and Shadow quickly agreed to Shin¡¯s idea . In the meantime, the group of monsters had already approached to within 50 mels .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!!¡±

    The three didn¡¯t worry about the approaching monster hordes . They didn¡¯t bother, because soon, the hordes would be taken care of by this attack .

    The three clenched their fists, and focused their power on their right hands . Boosted by the reinforced equipment, even before they could invoke the skill,rge craters formed just from the power of their fists . The three of them took a simr stance of shooting from the hip .

    There was to be no signal . The three people¡¯s senses had be sharp on the battlefield . They wouldn¡¯t miss the timing .

    ¡°¨D!!¡±

    The moment when the distance to the monster hordes closed to 30 mels, the three simultaneously thrust out their fists without any prior notice .

    Their fists focused on one ce around Shin; The power umted in each respective fist was released . After a momentary dy, the direction and the attributes were given; the power which had been focused into a single spot, was then shot into the approaching enemy .

    The released mass of energy from the three people rapidly swelled up . The chosen attribute was me . The cluster of me zing up transparently because of the overwhelmingly high temperature, then rushed towards the approaching monster hordes .

    As it reached them, the monsters bodies were scorched, and then reduced to ashes in the next moment .

    If one was to observe the strange ce, in spite of the fact that their bodies were burned, there was no fire visible . The me was so hot, it had bepletely transparent . Boosted by the upgraded equipment, only the heat waves were visible as the invisible fire roasted the enemy .

    The fire didn¡¯t just stay around Shin and the others, it spread out into the monster hordes . The mes spread the same way water spread when it flowed on the ground . As for its range, it already vastly exceeded the range of wide area magic that had been shot by Guile .

    The Worker Ants had be a mountain of ashes . Something that hopped like Little Hoppers fell to the ground . Though there were superior individuals like the Ogre Commanders, they too, turned to ashes without evening in contact with the enemy .

    Cooperative mode ¡¾Complete Destruction Palm¡¿ skill .

    It was a skill that could be invoked when 2 or more yersbined the barehanded and me techniquebination skill ¡¾Scarlet Explosion Palm¡¿ . Its power and effect range increases as the number of people who use it increases . Since the stats of the yer and the power of the yer¡¯s equipment governed the ultimate power level, ¡¾Complete Destruction Palm¡¿ that Shin and his group invoked was far above the expected power of three people .

    ¡°¡­Though I expected the power to increase, that was overwhelming!¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting this either . ¡±

    ¡°Ah~¡­me is really effective against insect types . It was really powerful because of that, right?¡±

    They were all surprised by the overwhelming power .

    ¡°Now¡¯s our chance, let¡¯s clean up as much as possible . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know how many monsters are left either . But there¡¯s no reason not to be efficient about this . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right . There¡¯s no need to defeat everything individually . ¡±

    When they finished the discussion, Holly warned the knight squadron . The three then quickly fired ¡¾Complete Destruction Palm¡¿ again, at a range that didn¡¯t threaten their allies . 20% of the right wing of the hordes disappeared in the next shot, and the remainder were melted away by 4 additional shots .

    The monster hordes had been like a ck wave that covered the earth . Some soldiers were simply aghast at the spectacle where nearly half of the hordes were destroyed in such a short amount of time . However, since the monster hordes were destroyed by allies and because it reduced the danger, the soldiers didn¡¯t think too deeply about it .

    Even though people knew that Shadow and Hibineko were strong, nobody could have guessed how powerful they really were .

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s animal types next . ¡±

    Without being aware of the soldiers¡¯ shock, the three intently fixed their eyes on the enemy .

    Behind the third wave, Shin saw a number of animal types . There were groups of animal type monsters such as wild boars, wolves and bears . He was able to confirm both ¡®Tetra Grizzly¡¯s and ¡®me Boar¡¯s which he had fought before .

    ¡°Is it the fourth wave?¡±

    ¡°What the heck! How many waves are there?¡±

    Shadow and Hibineko looked at the monsters while sighing . The ¡®Large Flood¡¯ was a phenomenon that generated multiple times more monsters than a normal ¡®Flood¡¯ . From the change of the monster types, it was likely that it had already generated four times more monsters than normal .

    The ¡®Large Flood¡¯ mentioned in the records, was described as being like an average ¡®Flood¡¯ repeated three times over . The currentrge flood had already surpassed the documented one . At this point, nobody knew how much longer it would continue .

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna jump a little to see how deep it is . ¡±

    Saying this, Shin jumped with his full strength which caused the ground to copse from the power of the jump . He gained altitude with the help of martial arts movement skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ .

    When he reached an altitude where he could look over the fourth wave, Shin used ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ to gaze deeper .

    ¡°Beast rider warriors huh?¡±

    Behind the animal type groups, he saw thest group moving with a 300 mels gap between them and the fourth wave . Thest group was a mixture of humanoid types and animal types . The size of this wave was almost double what they had faced so far . There were small species types like goblins and kobolds, but Shin was also able to confirm riding animal types of monsters .

    Monsters such as goblins and kobolds were individually weak so they may have learned how to ride and handle animal type monsters topensate . These were called beast rider warriors or otherwise ¡®~Rider¡¯ . Not only did their mobility increase, but it was known that theirbat ability was also greatly enhanced .

    Unusually, the increased mobility of the beast riders allowed them to reduce the gap between the fourth and fifth wave .

    ¡°The fifth wave is closing the gap between groups . Because most of thest group are beast rider warriors . Their number also twice as many . ¡±

    Shin who hadnded, conveyed the things he saw to Shadow and the rest . Though they didn¡¯t have any problems with the enemy¡¯s fighting power, it was the enemy¡¯s mobility which could make things difficult if they dispersed .

    Since they were on a in, it was advantageous for a mobile enemy . It was different than when in the forest or inplicated terrain . For cavalrymen on a in, especially with beast rider enemies like this time, the ordinary soldiers at the rear would be forced into a hard fight . It was particrly difficult because the monsters could jump over closely held line of spears .

    Though there were also cavalrymen in the knight squadrons of Balmel, it would be difficult to follow the monsters¡¯ nimble movements even with trained warhorses . How they sealed the mobility of the enemy would be the decisive factor .

    ¡°Coping with them is possible if they don¡¯t scatter haphazardly . Just to be sure, I¡¯ll tell Holly to prepare to use soul technique . ¡±

    ¡°Holly-san¡¯s soul technique? Oh,e to think of it, Holly-san¡¯s soul technique is ideal for a situation like this . ¡±

    Soul technique was a skill exclusive to elves . Though each yer or support character was assigned one attribute, they could use techniques that gave a different effect from their baseline attributes with magic skills .

    The attribute of Holly¡¯s soul technique was earth . It was suitable for sealing the opponent¡¯s movements and installing obstructions rather than for attacking . It was a very effective way to reduce the mobility of the beast rider warriors .

    ¡°Then, for the rest of them agai¨D¨D!!¡±

    A loud rm sound reached Shin¡¯s ears when he started to say cleanup of the remaining monsters . That sound, which only Shin could hear, was from the ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿ which he had set around Balmel . It was a warning that sounded when a preset number of hostile presences were detected .

    ¡°Shin, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Apparently, they havee atst . There was a reaction in ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿ . ¡±

    ¡°They havee at this time huh? Do you know their direction?¡±

    ¡°They are at the north gate, near the third war group . ¡±

    Shadow asked, after Shin broke off in the middle of speaking . The distance from the ¡¾Silent Whisper¡¿ to Balmel was approximately one kemel . There was a possibility that the third war group was already moving .

    As for why hadn¡¯t Shin and his party been notified, had nobody seen the enemy yet? Or was it because there was no one who could use Mind Chat? It seemed likely to be the former .

    Soon after that thought, an indication of a message appeared on Shin¡¯s view . The contents were about the monsters approaching Balmel and the third war group¡¯s movements .

    ¡°It¡¯s a message came from Tiera . The third war group has already moved to intercept . The monsters¡¯ levels are high, and they seem to be moving in a direction which avoids contact with the frontlines . ¡±

    The monsters of the ¡®Flood normally have levels that don¡¯t reach 100 on average . However, the monsters approaching Balmel were a mix of creatures level 200 and greater .

    Kaede seemed to be together with Tiera . She seems to have been the one who confirmed the information as it was written in the message .

    ¡°It¡¯s more dangerous there, as we expected . We will take charge here . Shin, follow the n and go over there . ¡±

    ¡°Roger that . I¡¯ll leave this ce to you . ¡±

    Shin entrusted that ce to Hibineko and the others . He started running, while concealing himself with ¡¾Hiding¡¿, he also released his power ¡¾Limit¡¿ .

    With a bang sound, he crushed the ground as he sped up . At the same time, he put on the equipment he had prepared for a time like this .

    Covering his whole body was a full ted armor of deep crimson which closely resembled samurai armor .

    He held a deformed death scythe in his hand decorated with eye-like patterns on the base of the hilt and the de .

    The mood waspletely different than a moment ago, as Shin ran at full speed .

    As if rejoicing that its turn hade, the death scythe on Shin¡¯s shoulder made a *Gisiri* sound .

 Vol 5 Chapter 2.4: Chapter 2 Part 4

    ¡°I heard the story, but they really came huh?¡±

    ¡°Many people with a lot ofbat experience, like my mother and father, are able to read the flow of battle with just their intuition . It¡¯s a sense that I don¡¯t understand yet . ¡±

    Before their eyes, they saw the monster hordes advancing while mowing down trees in the forest . The number of monsters were so great, that they dyed the earth ck . By all rights, these monsters would normally be hostile to each other . Seeing that, Tiera talked about the things that Shin had spoken of and felt that they hade true .

    ¡°Kaede-chan, do you know what type of monsters they are and what their levels are?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but even if I disclose it, I am confused by all the various monsters mixed together, and to be frank, there¡¯s no type . Even their lowest exceeds level 200 . There are individuals whose levels are 350, which I believe are probably leaders . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you . I¡¯m going to contact Shin and Master, so please tell me if there are any changes . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Tiera entrusted Kaede to be the lookout and opened a message card . The third war group started to move as they spread out in front of the rampart . Tiera quickly wrote down the information regarding the monsters that she had heard from Kaede and sent it to Shin and Schnee .

    In the case that Shin and the others might not be near Tiera and her group, she was told to make contact immediately when the monsters came .

    ¡°This will do . Now, I will have to create a diversion until Shin and mastere here . ¡±

    ¡°I will help you . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you . Though even if I say that, Kaede-chan is stronger than me . ¡±

    ¡°No, I was taught that power is not everything, and because I also believe that myself, please issue instructions without reservation . ¡±

    Was it the influence of Shadow and Holly¡¯s education? Kaede did not have an arrogant attitude although her stats were superior . It was said that strength is justice, or something like that, but she was free from the arrogance that was asionally seen in Chosen Ones . On the other hand, Kaede was rather impressed with Tiera¡¯s ability to keep up with her with the stats of a normal person . Although Tiera hadn¡¯t realized it .

    Even though Tiera¡¯s stats were low, her abilities, because she had undergone training from Schnee for over 100 years, had already reached the level of an expert . During the escort job, when she had killed a bandit with an arrow, only her elven perception ability and her skill with a bow were required for the task . She had also fought against monsters above level 100 while traveling . Though she herself wasn¡¯t aware of it, she had enough power to fight against the captain ss of Balmel¡¯s knight squadron on equal terms if she made a serious effort . Moreover, she was apanied by a divine beast .

    She was originally an alchemist and now a tamer . Tamers did not excel in physical abilities, and their worth was decided together with their monster partner as a set . Following that logic, Tiera could have been said to be stronger than Kaede .

    Kaede was not so foolish as to take such a haughty attitude toward a partner like Tiera .

    ¡°When theye a little closer, I¡¯ll shoot the individuals who seem to be the leaders with my bow . After that, I can do nothing but to continue shooting earnestly . ¡±

    ¡°Can you aim from here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be able to, somehow, with my weapon and Kagerou¡¯s assistance . This time Yuzuha-chan is here too . Even if I have the ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ skill, I don¡¯t feel like I am really needed . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true, someone who is apanied by a divine beast like you is not bad at all! Tiera-san is also better at handling the bow than the instructor at the training school . ¡±

    Another person would probably say ¡°What are you talking about?¡± to Tiera who was not aware of her own ability . Normally when a person¡¯s own ability was low, no matter how much assistance they received, the results would still be low . Since she only started realbat training since leaving Tsuki no Hokora and being around Schnee so much, Tiera had lost anymon sense for measuring people¡¯s strength . This gave her a false impression about her own strength .

    Moreover, the fact that Gaien and Tsubaki, who hade together during the escort request the other day, also had abilities that didn¡¯t match their levels and ranks, had also contributed to that impression . To make matters worse, for the past several days she had trained on the training grounds, which were only intended for low-rank adventurers who tried to distract themselves from their own anxiety . Because of these strange turns of fate, Tiera was not yet able to properly recognize her own ability .

    ¡°Anyone can do this given 100 years, you know?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, it must be so if you say so . ¡±

    Tiera Lucent .

    A woman who was the personification of the phrase ¡®What doesn¡¯t kill you makes you stronger¡¯ .

    ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to go!¡±

    Seeing Tiera ready her bow, Kaede also prepared to use her soul technique .

    Answering Kaede¡¯s chant, an emerald-green sphere of light appeared . The attribute of her soul technique was wind . It was an attribute that rivaled many water and earth users among the elves that used soul technique . An emerald-green light sphere was something that visualized the wind¡¯s spirit . A spirit in sphere of light form was the result of a low-leveled soul technique . When the skill level of the soul technique rose, it would take on various figures ordingly .

    Kaede had asked for the divine protection of the wind spirit . Because it raised the hit-rate of their long-distance attacks and lowered the hit-rate of the enemy¡¯s long-distance attacks, the divine protection was said to be necessary to employ when one is using a bow .

    ¡°Divine protection has been applied . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡±

    Tiera, who concentrated on drawing the bow, thanked in a low voice .

    The bow that Tiera was using was not the purely wooden bow that she had been using up until now, and was instead an obviously superior bow with metal incorporated all throughout it . It had been made using a branch of a magical tree that had been said to be over a thousand years old and with mithril, which had a good affinity for magic . The bow itself was charged with a dense magical power . Had the arrows she was using been processed as well? To Kaede, the arrows seemed to absorb the magical power of the bow .

    Kagerou and Yuzuha growled next to Tiera, who pulled the bow . At the same time, Tiera herself began to shine as she was d in purple lighting .

    ¡°¨D¨D! ¨D¨D¨D¨D!¡±

    Was she concentrating? Tiera didn¡¯t seemed to notice her own state . She held her breath while drawing the bow so her aim didn¡¯t shift due to breathing .

    And, at the same timing as the long-distance attacks by the archers and mages, Tiera released all the power charged in the bow .

    ¡°Kya!¡±

    The moment the arrow had been released, strong winds violently circled around Tiera, causing Kaede to raise a small scream . It was the recoil from the magic power that had been focused into one point and then released .

    The people who couldn¡¯t attack from afar and could only watch Tiera and the others, lost their bnce and fell down from the sudden gust . Many of the people who had fallen down hadn¡¯t fallen simply because of the wind .

    It was because they had seen the spectacle when the bow was released .

    ¡°What is that¡­¡±

    Someone said, but everyone was thinking the same thing .

    What had been shot from Tiera¡¯s bow, was it really an ¡®arrow¡¯? The disy caused them to doubt something even as basic as that .

    The arrow shot from the bow had been enveloped in magic power, and it flew several kemels toward the monsters in an instant, leaving a band of light and a sh of purplish lighting .

    If Shin had seen this, he would probably say, ¡°it¡¯s a beam¡± . The arrow was ridiculously fast, as if a light technique system magic skill had been evoked . It went in a straight line,pletely disregarding arc trajectory, which was a characteristic of archery, towards the ¡®Ogre Leader,¡¯ one of the monster leaders . When it struck, it scraped the leader and its surrounding off as the purplish lighting spread for several mels around the ce where the arrow pierced the ground . Though only one arrow had been shot, the damaged area contained up to a dozen of bodies including the leader .

    Monsters like the Ogre Leader that had been hit directly by Tiera¡¯s attack were annihted, leaving behind only their forearms and lower legs as if the space containing their torsos had been erased . The monsters who were the subordinates of the leader saw this and seemed to be terribly confused by the sudden situation .

    ¡°Um¡­Tiera-san, is that bow¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin lent it to me since I seem able to use it now¡­but I didn¡¯t hear that so much power woulde forth when I shot seriously!¡±

    Judging from Tiera¡¯s tone, it did not seem to have released as much power while she had been practicing . While looking at the bow she held in her hand, her face stiffened .

    ¡°F-For the time being, let¡¯s prioritize killing monsters! I think you shouldn¡¯t think too deeply about it!¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s right! I¡¯ll question Shin closely about thister; now is the time to suppress the monsters in front of us, right!¡±

    Although Tiera¡¯s shooting had decreased the monsters¡¯ morale with its bombardment, the number of monsters had hardly changed . When they had settled down, Tiera and Kaede decided to resume attacking .

    The surrounding people also pulled themselves together as they saw the two get ready to resume . They started moving to do things they thought they could do .

    ¡°Here¡¯s another one¡±

    A single blow like a sh of light was again shot from the bow Tiera held . Likest time, a leader was rent asunder, and unrest ran through the subordinate monsters .

    However, even with that much power, if one considered the amount of magic and time needed to concentrate and charge up for the attack, she was not able to rapidly discharge arrows . As a whole, the damage was insignificant whenpared to the total number of monsters .

    In addition, after several shots, the remaining monsters learned to predict Tiera¡¯s attacks and the leaders began to withdraw outside the bow¡¯s range . They then directed only the subordinate monsters toward Balmel .

    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m sorry, I need to rest for a while . ¡±

    After about 10 arrows, Tiera lowered her bow and sat down .

    In terms of power, it was natural that the higher the output, the higher the magic consumption rate would be . Even though it was possible to shoot without using magic, it would be better to wait for her magic to recover when considering efficiency .

    While patting Kagerou, who looked at her anxiously, Tiera took out a magic medicine ¡®ether¡¯ and put it in her mouth . Tiera swallowed the odorless and faintly sweet liquid, and shifted her eyes toward the battlefield .

    Ahead of her gaze, she saw the cavalry unit of Balmel¡¯s third war group cut off the monster hordes while receiving support from the mage unit .

    The knight squadron charged into the areas where the monsters were still in turmoil from Tiera¡¯s bombardment . The monsters were unable to resist the assault .

    The ones who attacked were the elite of the third war group . During their attack, the monsters were trampled repeatedly without a single loss . If you looked closely, something like a film of light could be seen enveloping the knights and the horses .

    Divine magic art ¡¾Light of Mercy¡¿ . This was one art that Tiera had memorized . It was a personal barrier that absorbed damage from the monsters . Mages and the like often used it topensate for their low defense . It was learned as a preparation against surprise attack . It was originally a priest¡¯s field of expertise, but it was an art that many people learned regardless of their job . Many of the cavalrymen who returned had lost the film of light . The mage unit cast it again . After all, arts were not as powerful as skills .

    ¡°If they get here, then I¡¯ll fight too!¡±

    When they got closer, Kaede invoked the soul technique again . Spirits of various sizes flew in the air, and bullets of air that were approximately the size of a ser ball scattered over the monster hordes .

    When these multi-colored balls of air hit their targets, arge amount of smoke was released into the area . Then, the monsters in that area suddenly stopped moving and started to act strange as they began to attack their allies .

    ¡°I see, the effect of ¡¾Wind of Interference¡¿ is amplified by soul technique, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, though I don¡¯t expect it to do any damage, it¡¯s ideal for disrupting the enemy . ¡±

    ¡¾Wind of Interference¡¿ was a magic belonging to the middle rank wind technique magic skills . The magic skill involved firing wind bullets that randomly debuffed their targets; it had a high probability of causing an abnormal status, but the damage it dealt was almost zero .

    As for why Kaede had chosen to do that, it was because Shadow and Holly, who had experiencedrge-scale battles in addition to the ¡®Flood,¡¯ had taught her to do so . More than direct attacks were needed to be effective when facing numerous opponents at once . Using skills such as poison, paralyze, and confuse was one of the strategies that prevented the other party from demonstrating their strength as a group .

    There was a big difference in strength between organized groups who acted together in a systematic way and groups that either were never organized or became disorganized . ¡¾Wind of Interference¡¿ was used to prevent that from happening .

    The monsters, which had been rushing closer, had been disturbed by the chaos urring inside their group . The monsters that had been paralyzed fell over and were trampled by the monsters behind them . The monsters that had been confused were attacking their allies from the rear . The frontline, which had stood in one straight line, began to shift greatly, forming a gap between the monsters that were still advancing forward and the monsters that were falling behind .

    The cavalry unit of Balmel didn¡¯t miss this opportunity, and killed the monsters that had protruded away from the rest of the line in smaller groups .

    ¡°That¡¯s the elite of Balmel for you . But¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, at this rate, it would be bad . ¡±

    The knights¡¯ movements had certainly proven their skill . However in the long run, there was an upper limit in number of enemies that the cavalry unit, the mages unit, and the long-distance attack of the archery unit could defeat . As for not sending the infantry, it was because they knew it was only a matter of time before they would get swallowed by the huge number of monsters .

    ¡°Now is the time!¡±

    ¡°Grue!¡±

    Kagerou answered Tiera with a bark . Tiera and Kagerou were standing away from the direction that the monsters that had spawned from the ¡®Flood¡¯ wereing from . Tiera had been posted here to prepare for when the monsters moved into the area where no Chosen Ones had been deployed .

    Kagerou was expected to support her if push came to shove .

    ¡°Kuu! Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha-chan?¡±

    Beside Kagerou, who fixed his eyes on the enemy valiantly, Yuzuha raised its foot and barked . That look seemed to say, ¡°Yuzuha too! Yuzuha too!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m counting on Yuzuha-chan too . ¡±

    ¡°Ku!¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± was what Yuzuha seemed to say with a cheerful bark .

    Even though Yuzuha was far from its full strength, Yuzuha¡¯s level surpassed 400, and because its tail had split into three, it was able to use me technique and lightning technique in addition to divine magic . Itsbat power was already by no means inferior to an upper ss Chosen One . Yuzuha was more than enough as a battle force .

    Kagerou and Yuzuha¡¯s backup ounted for nearly half of the power of Tiera¡¯s prior bombardment . Even if Tiera possessed many Shin-made items, she was only able to use weapons that were avable to themoner ss with her stats, and it would have been a serious problem if she attacked inurately with a superior weapon . Her low uracy would have been the result of her low affinity with both the weapons and the support she was given . To digress, despite her low DEX, she could aim and hit at a target with a bow of high power like the one she held; In general, Tiera¡¯s ability didn¡¯t depended on her stats .

    ¡°Alright! My magic power has been restored, too . I¡¯ll reduce the number of enemies a little more . ¡±

    After her magic power had been sufficiently restored, Tiera aimed her bow at the leaders and began to shoot again .

    Her bow¡¯s shots, which were impossible to counterattack against because they came from the highest point on the rampart, had a small but steady impact on the groups she attacked .

    Meanwhile, an individual clearly different from the other monsters appeared before Tiera¡¯s eyes .

    Its body was two times bigger than a normal ogre . It had blue skin that was almost ck, two crystal-like horns that grew from its head, and grasped a huge ax that was enveloped in dark red aura in its hand .

    ¡°That one¡¯s kinda big . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a leader individual . Its name appears to be ¡®Berserks¡¯ . Its level is¡­I can¡¯t see it?!¡±

    Kaede spoke out loud as ¡º???¡» was disyed at the column of its level .

    If Kaede, who was a critical who could fight against a Chosen One, couldn¡¯t see its level, then its level probably exceeded 500 .

    Away from Kaede, who was shocked, arge amount of magic arts and arrows poured down on Berserks . Even from a distance, the knight squadrons were not as ipetent as to miss the strange atmosphere that Berserks emitted .

    The attacks had been strong enough to crush ordinary ogres and Ogre Commanders, but before they could hit, Berserks swung its ax with a tremendous force .

    The ax created a windstorm in its wake as it was swung . The wind it generated blew away not only the magic and the arrows, but the monsters nearby as well . Though the attacks, which had been aimed at it had dealt damage to the monsters around it, not even one arrow had reached Berserks¡¯ vitals .

    While the magic and the arrows had killed many other monsters, Berserks, who had been at the center of the attacks, remainedpletely unharmed . It walked forward towards Balmel without anything slowing it down .

    ¡°What is that!¡±

    ¡°That weapon, I believe it may have the performance close to a magic sword . That Berserks didn¡¯t even flinch from the attack and was able to use the weapon like that . ¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be surprised . Kagerou, Yuzuha-chan, lend me your power!¡±

    They had likely sensed that it was not an average opponent . Kagerou and Yuzuha answered by granting their power to Tiera¡¯s bow .

    (How about this!!)

    The blow, which was charged with more power than previously seen, was then shot towards Berserks .

    However, the single arrow that had been heading straight toward the enemy and leaving a trail of light and sundering the air in its wake was, of all the things, intercepted by Berserks¡¯ ax .

    While letting the aura rise from the axe, Berserks drew a red arc in the air . The swing of the axe, which couldn¡¯t bepared with physical strength of the surrounding ogres and the like, flung aside the arrow which flew toward Berserks .

    ¡°Jal!!!¡±

    Berserks raised its voice to psych itself up .

    After a moment of resistance, the arrow was deflected from its original trajectory and pierced the ground . Because its trajectory had been diverted almost 90 degrees from its original path, there was no damage due to impact when the shock and the purplish lightingnded .

    ¡°No way¡­¡±

    Tiera was speechless from shock, because the blow that was so fast it hadn¡¯t permitted the monsters to react up until now, had beenpletely repelled . She hadn¡¯t expected to defeat it, but she had expected to at least wound it .

    There were no other individuals like it within the whole crowd of monsters . It was possibly the strongest individual among the approaching monster hordes . Judging from the fact that it had appeared only moments ago, it probably had been either kept away from the frontline or had missed the chance to make a surprise attack .

    ¡°Kaede-chan, can you do a stronger attack than the one just now?¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t do anything stronger than what you just did Tiera-san¡­¡±

    Tiera had asked Kaede a slight hope, but thetter¡¯s answer was not favorable . Even if shebined her magic with Kaede¡¯s soul technique, that seemed problematic .

    Now that it hade to this, there was nothing that the knight squadron could do any more .

    ¡°!! Tiera-san!! Look!!¡±

    ¡°Wha, that!!¡±

    Tiera, who had thought she had no choice but to depend on Kagerou, returned her gaze toward the battlefield at Kaede¡¯s prompting . She could see the figures of the cavalry unit as they charged toward Berserks .

    The monsters around Berserks had been driven back by the rain of magic and arrows . This had temporarily created an open area around Berserks . A small number of the cavalry unit had advanced straight into that area .

    ¡°Maybe, they intend to try something with their highest-level people?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just suicide? Kagerou!! Get ready now!! ¡­Kagerou?¡±

    In order to support them immediately, Tiera called out Kagerou . But there was no response .

    When Tiera shifted her gaze from the battlefield and looked at Kagerou, he had turned toward a different battlefield . If one looked closely, Yuzuha also looking in the same direction .

    ¡°What¡¯s over¨D¨D!!¡±

    Tiera was going to say ¡°there?¡±, but before she finished her sentence, she felt a strange sensation that prevented her from speaking .

    Something wasing .

    Tiera, who had not learned the perception system either as a skill or art, still clearly felt some presence approaching .

    ¡°Tiera-san, that¡­¡±

    Ahead where Kaede was pointing, there was a silhouette charging forward through the crowd of monsters .

    It was fast .

    At a speed far faster than a horse or a riding beast monster type, that silhouette drew near to the battlefield .

    In no time, the silhouette reached the edge of the group, then jumped without pausing . The cloud of dust billowing up, indicated the power of its leap .

    ¡°Is that¡­a knight?¡±

    It was Kaede who muttered, but ack of confidence could be perceived in those words . It was no wonder . A person jumping over 100 mels while wearing full body armor, was not normal .

    However, that was not the only things that surprised her .

    Considering the direction of the jump, that person probably intended to face Berserks . Even if one had a marvelous jumping power, they could never reach Berserks who was close to the center of the battlefield . However, that figure of a person jumped even further while in midair .

    As expected, the monsters were also astonished by this . Their faces seemed to express bewilderment while the silhouette passed over them as they watched .

    Seeing that insane movement, a person¡¯s face shed in Tiera¡¯s mind .

    A person who was able to do the things that had happened before her eyes .

    In fact, there were three people as far as Tiera knew .

    Among them, there was only one person who seemed to do these kinds of things, so she tried to call out Yuzuha for confirmation .

    ¡°Hey, Yuzuha-chan . Is that by any chance¡­Shin?¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    A bark seemed to say, ¡°that¡¯s right¡± was returned .

    ¡°Ahh¡­I see . That¡¯s why Kagerou didn¡¯t move . ¡±

    If she looked at Kagerou¡¯s reaction, Kagerou would probably have noticed Shin approaching earlier than Tiera .

    It seemed silly that she had be flustered . Though this was not the time to rx, Tiera somehow felt exhausted . It was too bad for the soldiers on top of the rampart, but they would probably have nothing to do anymore .

    ¡°Wow, hended between Berserks and the knights . ¡±

    While hearing what seemed like a little excitement from Kaede¡¯s voice, Tiera thought,

    (I hope you don¡¯t overdo it¡­)

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 5 Chapter 2.5: Chapter 2 Part 5

    While moving into a crowd of monsters, a young soldier had a thought.

    He would die here.

    Chosen Ones, like Schnee Raizar, could exterminate a crowd of monsters all by themselves.

    However, if the mutation ss ogre was left unattended, it would reach Balmel before the reinforcements could arrive. Even the tremendously powerful shoots, which had originated from the top of the rampart, had been repelled. Because the defenses inside the castle were weaker than the defenses outside, he didn¡¯t know how much damage it would cause if the gate broke.

    Therefore, a suicide squad consisting of especially high-levelled troops from the cavalry unit were going in to buy some time.

    He was afraid of dying. No matter how long he trained, that was one fear he couldn¡¯t ovee. And yet, the young man and the knights riding around him had chosen to fight. Even if they could only dy the monster a little, they believed that it would protect Balmel.

    ¡°50 mels until contact with the enemy¨D¨D!!¡±

    Thanks to their training, they also knew the approximate distance to the target. It was the distance between the young man and death.

    Due to the attacks that were released just earlier, there were hardly any monsters between them and the mutation ss. Were they afraid of the cavalry¡¯s charge? Or were they afraid that the mutation ss would attack them? The young man thought it might be thetter.

    ¡°20 mels distance!!¡±

    ¡°Those guys around it seem to be looking at something!! Just pay attention to the mutation ss!!¡±

    The captain of the suicide squad raised his voice. Because the mutation ss looked different from a distance, the moment their eyes drew nearer the knights became intimidated.

    Huge.

    It was described in just one word.

    That body seemed like a giant type monster, such as a Gigantes or a Cyclops, which were only heard of in fairy tales. It was unthinkable that anything could lift it up, but the mutation ss lifted the ax high while it was still a distance from them.

    ¡°Shit!! Stay clear!! Everyone spread out!!¡±

    The knights responded in unison without anyone falling behind as the captain, who had predicted the danger, shouted.

    The young man who was riding a horse also evaded the trajectory of the ax that the mutation ss had swung down.

    He thought he had dodged it.

    ¡°Gu!!¡±

    He had avoided a direct hit. However, the young man fell from his horse because of the aftereffects. He was thrown hard to the ground, and he was about to lose his consciousness from the impact in an instant. But his life would be over if he fainted now, so he desperately held on to his consciousness.

    ¡°Kua¡­¡±

    What entered his dazed sight was the figure of another knight who fell from a horse the same way he had. When he put strength into his body in an effort to stand up, he noticed that his left leg wouldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Oh shit¡­¡±

    He¡¯d probably been blown over together with his favorite horse. When he looked, he saw his leg was caught between the horse and the ground. Though he twisted his leg to pull it out, it didn¡¯te out.

    Then, a shadow fell onto the knight.

    ¡°ah¡­¡±

    When he looked up, there was the mutation ss.

    There was no sign of intelligence behind its corrupted red eyes. Only the thirst that emitted from its body felt real. It raised its ax using its bulging muscles. There was no time to pull his leg free.

    ¡°¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D!!¡±

    He would die in another few seconds.

    Even though he understood this, the trembling young man still drew his sword from his waist, and prepared to fight the mutation ss.

    From the beginning, he was already a dead man. As he endured without raising a scream, he swallowed the dread that filled his heart and red at the mutation ss

    The movement of the mutation ss was slow.

    Actually, there were no changes in the mutation ss¡¯ movement. Facing death, the young man¡¯s sense of time had elerated somehow in order to evade the attack.

    But, no matter how much his sense of time had hastened, there was nothing he could do anymore. He could only stare at the ax as it slowly approached.

    In a few blinks, his favorite horse would be bisected by the mutation ss¡¯ ax.

    Or so the young man had thought,

    Then, he would be next.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨DHe was bound to be.

    ¡°Owa!!¡±

    It had been too sudden.

    Something had descended between the mutation ss and the young man.

    No, it had fallen.

    The impact of the fall caused the ground to shake.

    As the cloud of dust cleared, what appeared before the eyes of the stunned young man was a person standing there with full body armor and carrying a distorted-shapedrge scythe.

    The full-body armor¡¯s design was different from the designs he knew. The color it reflected in the sunlight was red ¨Cdeep, thick cardinal, vivid scarlet, and bright coral. Colored using these different shades of red coupled with a brilliant reflection, the armor looked like a furiously burning me that had taken the form of a human.

    It was ornate with decorations that were ced in various ces. By that alone, he understood at a nce that it was made by a skilled craftsman. The more he looked at it, the more he felt the difference of status.

    He could perceive unevenness in the scythe which rested on the figure¡¯s shoulder from theck of uniformity of its de and shaft. An eye-like pattern had been drawn where the de met the shaft; it seemed more like a ceremonial weapon rather than one meant for the battlefield. Even so, it looked strangely nice when paired together with the armor.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    As he was entranced by that figure, the young man didn¡¯t say anything. Exposed to the overwhelming power emitted from the figure¡¯s whole body, his body wouldn¡¯t listen to what he desired it to do. Although he also did so when that figure had appeared.

    Even though that person¡¯s back was turned, the young man felt the pressure of the overpowering intimidation he received from the mutation ss fading.

    When he looked at the mutation ss as they stood directly opposite and facing each other, its movement had stopped while the ax was raised.

    Its eyes spread wide open, even though it was corrupted, the eyes clearly showed the color of fear.

    (For such a monster, to be overwhelmed!!)

    How much power was needed to be able to do that?

    Among the Chosen Ones, there were none with that presence, like that of the person in armor before his eyes.

    Because he was on the brink of death, the intuition of the young man had sharpened to the utmost limit and made him realize something.

    The person before him has power equal to Schnee Raizar. And, that person was on his side.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­.Eh?¡±

    He hadn¡¯t gone senile, but momentarily the young man couldn¡¯tprehend the words directed at him. Judging from the voice, it was likely the man inside the armor.

    As he watched, the person who had been facing away from him until just now, moved the fainted and immobile horse, and pulled out the young man¡¯s leg.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m saved¡­hey, b-behind you!!¡±

    Flustered, he got up in a hurry, and when he looked up, the mutation ss continued raising the ax.

    Now wasn¡¯t the time to help others. The young man cried while pointing to the back. His tone was coarse probably because he was in hurry.

    ¡°Hm? Ah, that¡¯s right.¡±

    It was a casual reply.

    In the next moment, the man in armor, who should have been in front of him, vanished. Sounds of violence reached the young man¡¯s ear at approximately the same time.

    If he were to express it in words, it would probably ¡°BAM!¡±. Because of the excessive sound, the young man stiffened his body.

    It was by luck that he didn¡¯t shut his eyes. Because of that, he saw the source of the sounds.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    He was silent for a different reason from awhile ago.

    In front of him, where moments before the mutation ss ogre had been, was the man in armor with his fist extended out.

    The mutation ss monster was nowhere to be seen. Not because it went away though.

    In front of the swung fist, only the elbow and the ax which the mutation ss had earlier raised over its head remained, as the arm dropped.

    ¡°Ha, haha¡­¡±

    The spectacr scene which urred in front of the young man¡¯s eyes, made him lose it.

    One blow.

    No weapons were used, only pure physical strength.

    The body of the mutation ss that received the blow burst open and into pieces, some monsters which were bathed in the sttered blood screamed.

    Even more than that mass of power the man in armor revealed his thrusted arm, which was covered by a gauntlet, did not even have a scratch.

    Now, he couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    ¡°You, what are you¡­.¡±

    ¡°Me? Let see¡­because of the color of my armor, call me Red.¡±

    ¨D¨DRed, the man who defeated the mutation ss and came back without a single drop of blood on him, gave an obviously fake name.

    ¡°Well, my name doesn¡¯t matter. More than that, you can leave this ce to me, and you all must join the main force.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, I thank you for your help. But we are the rag-tag remains of the knights, fighting together with you¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°No, that won¡¯t do. I¡¯d be rather worried if you stayed close.¡±

    ¡°Worried?¡±

    ¡°When someone is around me, I can¡¯t fully utilize my ability. If possible, withdraw your whole team including the group that used magic back to the rampart.¡±

    ¡°But that is¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but this is not a suggestion. Besides, anyone of you that draws near untactfully will be killed, you know? This is that kind of weapon.¡±

    ¡°Do you understand?¡± Red lifted the scythe on his shoulder to demonstrate.

    Close up it was easy to see the scythe¡¯s size. Just half of its length alone was more than 3 mels, and the de itself was more than 2 mels. The de was wide, and something like a zigzag line ran down the center.

    The young man felt that the line seemed to be a ¡®mouth¡¯. He had a premonition that at any moment, the ¡®mouth¡¯ could open and that it would nibble at him.

    The young man now understood why Red wanted the entire army to fall back.

    That thing was dangerous. It was impossible to fight alongside it. He would be killed by the de before he could approach Red.

    That powerful weapon was built for killing allies as well as enemies.

    ¡°That is a cursed weapon¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡±

    Red replied in a casual voice. Considering the situation, that made him stand out as being a bit odd.

    For the residents in this world, there were different kinds of cursed weapons, they were all the same in that they invited destruction. There was a price for using the power of these devilish arms, they led their owners towards death.

    Even though this wasmon knowledge, there was no sign of it seen on Red. Though he had a cursed weapon, that are said to gnaw at sanity and life, both his tone and gestures were very natural.

    ¡°Why¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but no more questions. There¡¯s no time to waste. Someone ising to pick you up too.¡±

    Behind the young man, the knights who escaped falling from their horses came to retrieve their friends.

    ¡°You are?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Red. I¡¯ve said it to this knight, but I¡¯m taking charge here. You all have to withdraw.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    The one who called out to Red was the knight entrusted as the captain of the suicide squad. Unlike the young man, the knight didn¡¯t ask any questions, and only sent a sharp nce toward Red.

    ¡°¡­Understood. We¡¯ll leave it to you. Everyone withdraw at once!! We will join the rear guard unit!!¡±

    After contemting for several seconds, the knight decided to withdraw. As the only captain in charge, he also quickly to made a decision.

    ¡°Captain!?¡±

    ¡°You too, get on the horse quickly! We are withdrawing!¡±

    ¡°Well, but¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll entrust this ce to that person¡­.We¡¯ll only get in his way.¡±

    The knight bowed to Red.

    ¡°You helped myrade, we wish to express our gratitude.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this to be thanked. More than that..¡±

    ¡°Yea, we¡¯ll withdraw immediately¡­I just want to ask one question. Are you, by any chance, Schnee-dono¡¯s..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the letter of introduction holder.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. I¡¯m convinced.¡±

    The young man who heard the conversation between the two was surprised at it too. But he understood it at the same time. It was well known, thatmon sense didn¡¯t apply to many letter of introduction holders.

    The young man mounted the horse which his knight¡¯srade rode. They left the ce together with the captain. Strangely, there were no attacks from the surrounding monsters either. Their gazes were all directed toward Red, as if the monsters didn¡¯t see the young man and his group at all.

    After they got about 50 mels away from there, something like an explosion was heard towards the rear.

    ¡°!!¡±

    The young man looked back toward that sound, he saw a spectacr scene where monsters came apart and pieces were blown off into the sky.

    Neither sparks nor explosion mes were seen, so it probably wasn¡¯t caused by fire magic. Yet, he could understand that the center part of the explosion like sounds would be dreadful.

    50 mels. Yes, they were 50 mels away. Still the distance from the young man to thebat wasn¡¯t far enough. The aftereffects of the attack was still approaching.

    The horse was already running as fast as it could. His knightrades probably also felt the danger. He didn¡¯t even look back.

    ¡°How beautiful¡­¡±

    That young man could not take his eyes off the scene.

    Because his line of sight was higher as he was mounted on a horse, he managed to keep an eye on the center of the attack.

    That ghastliness was fully visible.

    ¡°Ku!!¡±

    In an instant, a wall of monsters was demolished. It was Red¡¯s attack.

    Though they should have been moving farther away, the pressure from the attack felt closer.

    The explosions didn¡¯t stop and the area where the monsters¡¯ remains and blood flew to the sky kept getting bigger.

    Red, who was barely visible, hadn¡¯t moved at all from the ce where he parted from the young man. The armor¡¯s radiance which was bathed in monsters¡¯ blood hadn¡¯t lost its shine. In fact, it seemed to get more fired up in order to unt its existence.

    Just how many monsters were facing against Red, who was only one person? The young man didn¡¯t know. Numbers were power. No matter how strong one was, they would get crushed sooner orter by the enemy which approaching endlessly.

    That didn¡¯t change with the Chosen Ones. However, as if the young man¡¯s thoughts were nonsense, Red demonstrated a fierce attack.

    Each time the scythe was wielded, it generated a red de. When the de passed through the monsters, the monster corpses were torn asunder and blown into pieces. Before the power of that single blow, the monsters¡¯ level, race and physique were insignificant.

    The mountain of corpses that should have piled up and be a hindrance were instead blown away by the storm that blew in addition to the generated red des.

    To the young man¡¯s eye¡¯s there was little doubt that Red was a cmity.

    He didn¡¯t seem to care about the approaching monsters, everything was swallowed by a raging tempest.

    Number and such, were not a problem.

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    The young man noticed that inside the tempest that pummeled the battlefield, there was an especially crooked shadow.

    His eyes were barely able to distinguish the shape of the scythe that Red had.

    The first time the young man saw it, he was certain there was only one de. But now, the number of that de has increased to two.

    No, it was always two des. The young man remembered the ¡®mouth¡¯, a line that ran through the de. It seemed that the de had split in two along the line, from top to bottom, and had taken on the appearance of a huge mandible.

    ¡°Did it, eat them?¡±

    The spread des ate the monsters¡¯ flesh and blood. The mysterious way it appeared to seek blood added to the strangeness and haunted the young man¡¯s mind.

    Earlier the young man had observed the eye like drawing at the base of the de. Now, the eye was shining brilliantly while emitting a dark purple color. It seemed to give the impression of something alive with a will of its own. He was certain that there was nothing holy or pure about that will.

    A person observing that shine which seemed to asionally blink, would feel that the scythe was rejoicing in the ughter.

    It was immediately obvious that this was a cursed weapon.

    However, though normally bizarre equipment tended to attract the most attention, the most abnormal thing wasn¡¯t the equipment but the one who used it.

    The fact that Red himself could continue fighting calmly while utilizing that equipment was the most abnormal part.

    While the destruction spread in what could only be described as a massacre, no aspect of the attacks were wasteful or inefficient.

    He wasn¡¯t just using the power of the weapon. His swings perfectly matched its performance. His technique allowed a single powerful blow to fall on the monsters and then without dy, lead into the next blow. The recoil from the first blow wasn¡¯t wasted but was instead used to connect with and initiate the next blow.

    Though great martial arts sometimes felt like a dance, Red¡¯s movement have something close to that. As for the monster hordes, they looked like prearranged harmony as they were seen being knocked down.

    It was a performance by the zing red armor and the distorted scythe.

    It was like Red was in the eye of the storm and outside of the storm area, a fixed space extended around him.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    A distance from the monster hordes, the knights who had watched from the beginning were dumbstruck and simply stared in amazement as they forgot to guard. Unlike the young man who saw it up close, they simply didn¡¯t know how to react to the absurd and unbelievable disy.

    The change that happened as Red swung the scythe was dramatic.

    Some of the monsters who should have been heading for Balmel suddenly turned around and began to return. In addition, the monsters in the surrounding areas also turned around one after another.

    It was the captain of the third war group, who noticed the way the monsters changed direction and were heading toward the red dyed storm which was blowing violently in the same direction.

    The range of effect had surpassed 100 mels and gradually continued to expand.

    Won¡¯t we also get swallowed by that at this rate? He was anxious as it was a vast range.

    The number of monsters were decreasing at a frightening rate. The storm of destruction kept widening.

    It was as if the monsters were voluntarily jumping into the burning me.

    Consuming the life of the monsters, the ferocity of that power keep increasing.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Standing at the top of the rampart, Tiera and Kaede realized that almost all of the monsters in the battlefield were gathering around Shin.

    Was it the effect of the armor, or the scythe? When seen from above, the monsters facing Shin seemed to be following something that was lit dimly red. It seemed to draw the monsters.

    The effective range of the effect was wide. There was no way to say it other than that.

    The number of monsters could still be called a ck wave. The range of the effect was sorge that even monsters far enough away that mel units would be too small to measure the distance, were all affected by it.

    ¡°¡­What is that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the enemy, so it¡¯s all right. Well, even if I say that I feel relieved to see that, though it may not sound convincing.¡±

    ¡°Well, um, is that an ally?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. It¡¯s no surprise that he¡¯sing here.¡±

    Having Tiera reassure her, Kaede too rxed her hands which were tightly clenched to her staff.

    Though Tiera knew its true identity, judging from Kaede¡¯s reaction to that mystery person, she would probably be frightened of it. Though that person still fought against the monsters, there was no guarantee that that de wouldn¡¯t be pointed at them.

    The power that was disyed before Kaede¡¯s eyes far surpassed the limits of the upper ss Chosen Ones in this world.

    It was certain that it fell within the domain of the ¡®Special Beings¡¯ like Schnee and Girard.

    ¡°Not half of the monsters remain.¡±

    Though Kaede didn¡¯t notice because she was only focus on Shin¡¯s existence, the number of the monsters remained were already about one-third from the original. It was visible from the top of the rampart, the view that was only covered by monsters was no longer there.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    In the Kaede¡¯s field of vision, as she able to see the whole view, something strange was disyed.

    In a few words, it was a floating sphere.

    Byparing it to the surrounding monsters, the size could be calcted to be two mels in diameter.

    Brown and purple were mixed on its surface, and various eyes were attached.

    There were eyes just like a human¡¯s eye, pupils like a cat¡¯s eye with vertical slits,pound eyes like an insect and full ck eyeballs under an eyelid.

    Those various eye sizes ranged from one cemel to dozens of cemels, and it observed the surroundings.

    And then, suddenly some of that eyes directed their gaze towards Kaede.

    ¡°Uhh!¡±

    Surprised, Kaede tried to look away. A sharp and throbbing pain struck her head. It was a pain like she had never experienced before. She couldn¡¯t endure it and was forced to her knees.

    Her view turned dark in an instant, nevertheless, her consciousness didn¡¯t fade away.

    Despite having almost no feeling in her body, she had a horrify sense that something was trying to enter inside her. Only pain could be felt clearly though.

    ¡°a¡­Ug¡­.¡±

    ¡°Eh! what¡¯s wrong!?¡±

    Tiera was surprised by the change. It was looking like it was only a matter of time before the monsters were defeated but, Kaede had suddenly began to groan in pain.

    ¡°Kaede-chan! Kaede-chan!¡±

    Kaede looked like she was about to copse at any moment, Tiera immediately hugged her closely and supported her

    Thereupon, the groaning Kaede entrusted her body to Tiera as she lost her strength. Visiblyrge drops of sweats appeared on her forehead.

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Kaede-chan? Can you hear me?¡±

    She was likely to have lost consciousness momentarily. Tiera muttered while wondering what happened and looking after Kaede. Without knowing why, Tiera felt weak as if her strength slipped out from her body.

    (This feeling, what it is I wonder¡­)

    Kaede¡¯s mind was free in the midst of the present war. There was a big fight until here. While her physical condition may be unusual, she regained consciousness.

    After Kaede wiped her sweat, she thanked Tiera and stood up.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m already fine. There is a strange monster in the battlefield,e to think of it, it had some eyes and I suddenly got headache.¡±

    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s an attack using the mind system? Anyway, I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t acquire an abnormal state.¡±

    Though Tiera couldn¡¯t read most of the information on Kaede¡¯s stats due to the differences in their levels, she could see any indications of a bad status.

    After confirming that there were no such indications, Tiera let Kaede rest and directed her eyes toward the battlefield.

    What Tiera¡¯s saw was a scene where the monster which exactly imitated a sphere, was cut in two by the red scythe.

    During that time, Tiera was being observed by Yuzuha.

    Yuzuha witnessed Tiera¡¯s body radiate a faint light while holding Kaede whichpletely dispelled the ck haze that had coiled around her.

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    Yuzuha barked in a volume where no one heard except itself.

    Afterward, Yuzuha stared at Tiera until the war ended, trying to see through the existence named Tiera.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While attracting many people, Shin, also known as Red, swung the scythe he held in his hand.

    After his speech, he waited for the knights to withdraw. Afterwards, he simply ran wild.

    Once he beat Berserks, the strongest monster so far, to death the job became a simple routine as he expected.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    A smallint leaked out.

    Because things that he didn¡¯t expect were taking ce.

    ¡°Good grief, a real cursed weapon can¡¯t help but to be noisy can it?¡±

    It wasn¡¯t that noisy when he started to fight, but as he utilized the ability of the scythe and killed monsters, voices began to echoing in Shin¡¯s head.

    The exnation note for the scythe hinted that it affected the mind. This was likely because it kept repeating the word ¡°KILL, KILL¡±.

    The scythe that Shin was using was called ¡ºScythe of Soul Eating¡».

    One of its abilities was to concentrate the hatred of the monsters solely towards the user. The more monsters it killed, the more damage it caused and therger the effective range became. Furthermore, a portion of the damage generated was returned to the user. However, while cursed equipment did enhance ability, this was always in exchange for more risk.

    And as cursed weapons go, the ¡ºScythe of Soul Eating¡» surpassed the risk of other cursed equipment

    The area within the range to collect the hate, the attack range rose together with the high increased rate of damage. A reason a portion of the damage was converted into HP was that it made it possible for a solo yer to battle against groups. In city defense events against monsters, nearly half of the monsters would be attracted to and attacked by the yer who was equipped with this weapon.

    The downside was that the user¡¯s stats were constantly decreasing by 65%, magic couldn¡¯t be used, and it was impossible to recover HP excluding the scythe¡¯s ability. In addition, it seemed to attract magical attacks by allies. It had more disadvantages than advantages. Furthermore, cursed equipment always include bad status effects for the mind system.

    Needless to say within range of the weapon, there was no distinction between friend or foe. It was the kind of equipment that would consume 100% of any allies who fought near it.

    Because the rate of decline was only reduced to 50% even if the equipment was strengthened, death was still inevitable. All the yers using it died in the event.

    Sinceing to this world, Shin had strengthened it using his technique and made it usable by reducing the stat reduction rate to 30%.

    Moreover, since Shin¡¯s entire body was covered in an armor called the ¡ºHoly me Series¡», this weakened the effect of the cursed equipment. He could even use magic and recover HP to some extent.

    When ites down to it, he didn¡¯t have to worry about the disadvantages. He should be able to fight without a problem.

    However, when the number of monsters killed reached around 500, the aforementioned voice began to affect Shin¡¯s mind.

    Even an upper ss Chosen One hearing that voice, would have had to battle to maintain sanity. The voice that assaulted the mind was making progress on Shin.

    ¡°Ahh, this is bothersome¡±

    Though he said that, Shin was far from falling insane. The effect was only enough to hinder his mood.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice when I tried it out, but there is endless flowing voice in this subtly audible volume. It¡¯s ANNOYING!!¡±

    Was it because he raised his voice? The monsters were blown away by an extra 20 percent.

    At this point the cursed equipment could do no more than annoy Shin.

    The people observing, could never have dreamed that Shin would be saying things like that from within the center of the storm.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for you toe out¡­¡±

    After deciding to ignore the cursed voice, Shin directed his gaze to the surroundings again.

    Because he was now encountering strengthened monsters, he determined that amander type monster like the Raid Vice was nearby. Knowing that, soon it would be caught in his.

    Using the ¡ºScythe of Soul Eating¡» was an efficient way to reduce the number of enemies, other than the inherent problems with using cursed weapons.

    Unlike with normal attacks, because the enemy hatred was focused on the user, it was literally impossible to miss the enemy.

    It was even possible to make the monsters that had already headed toward Balmel return.

    As the range of the scythe expanded, it was even possible to draw the monstermander towards him.

    Themander was lurking in the shadows of another monster. Because it took awhile to see the opponent clearly, Shin didn¡¯t know where it was. Therefore, he used a strategy that would draw it out forcibly.

    ¡°¡­Found you!¡±

    In an area where monsters were crowded together and the individuals couldn¡¯t be distinguished, there was a reaction that was different from the others in Shin¡¯s perception range. Due to the monsters being pulled toward Shin, that area seemed to be less crowded.

    Before the eyes of the murmuring Shin, there appeared a monster with globe-like appearance which had arge number of eyes.

    It was a monster which Shin was familiar with. A Viscount ss demon which were often seen at events where monsters attacked cities. Apparently, demons had resumed full-scale activities.

    However, they were unlucky this time. It was ssified as low-ss demon, so it couldn¡¯t stand a single blow from Shin.

    Was there ast-ditch effort? Its eyes, which faced towards Shin, shed all at once. This was normally used to induce an abnormal mental state, but had no effect on Shin.

    ¡°That will never work on me!!¡±

    With a single blow that contained all the piled up stress, Shin cut the demon in two. The demon disappeared leaving something like a gem and jewel.

    Was it because the demon had been the leader? Though the monsters came at Shin until theirst, when they were finally exterminated not a single additional blow hadnded on Shin.

    When he contacted Schnee, she said there were a few more on the other side.

    While disappearing with Hiding, Shin returned to his original position to be with Hibineko and the rest.

    Without any incidents from there on, the ¡®Large Flood¡¯ came to the end.

    Severely wounded people appeared among the knights who fought against the monsters. It was a bit far in the future, but the residents were excited over the fact that it was the first time in Balmel history of the ¡®Flood¡¯ that no one had died.

 Vol 5 Chapter 3: Chapter 3

    ¡°Ahh, I want to return¡­¡±

    In the carriage that was heading toward Lord Taul¡¯s castle, Shin sighed .

    It has been several days since the ¡®Large Flood¡¯ . The investigation of the periphery, the monsters¡¯ raw material extraction and their corpses removal and so on, were mostly over . Shin and the others received an invitation .

    Apparently after each ¡®Flood¡¯, A party was held and the person who had the most distinguished achievements would be awarded . It was said that they wanted all the Chosen Ones toe too .

    After the war ended, Shin was asked to stay for awhile . He agreed because he intended to help with the removal work . Their idea of ¡°stay¡± though seemed to be different from what Shin envisioned .

    ¡°That¡¯s my line . ¡±

    Next to Shin was a gloomy looking Tiera . She was not a Chosen One, but many soldiers had witnessed her figure shooting the monsters from the top of the rampart . So it was natural that she was asked to attend as well .

    Though they tried to refuse because they imed to be too busy with work, the people who they were working with shot down the excuses by saying ¡°We¡¯re good here, so go¡±

    For the residents of Balmel, it was unthinkable that someone who had achieved so much for them and who deserved a medal of honor for their service would go without receiving proper thanks, or so they said .

    ¡°Because everyone who told me to go ahead had great smiles, I couldn¡¯t decline . ¡±

    ¡°You too?¡±

    Since they all said it with such good will, she found it impossible to refuse . Shin was in the same boat so he understood what she meant .

    ¡°Shin¡¯s achievements were reported by the knight squadron, right? The people living here, do that without fail . ¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that this is going to be a formal ceremony . If you worry about it too much, you¡¯ll just tire yourself out . ¡±

    ¡°Think about being able to eat food for free . Just like a noble¡¯s party, no suspicious envious guys should approach you . ¡±

    Schnee, Shadow and Holly, who had experienced this kind of party before, tried to reassure them . Hibineko didn¡¯t express it in words but he also wanted to say the same thing .

    ¡°I¡¯ve just never been to a ceremony like this before, you know?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no time like the present to get used to this then . We have been through this a few times . It¡¯s better if you get used to this now while you¡¯re still young . It might prove useful in the future . ¡±

    Though Hibineko said that, there would hardly be a ceremony like this in real life, Shin thought . On the other hand, he was alreadymitted and could no longer back out since he¡¯de this far already . He decided to just ept his fate . Just in case, he lightly re-checked his attire to make sure he wasn¡¯t looking scruffy .

    As for what Shin wore, it was a Kalkia¡¯s formal suit, the same clothes he wore when he went to Bayreuth¡¯s royal castle . After removing the dirt, it was in mint condition .

    As for Tiera sitting next to him, she wore a bright green dress . Her ck hair was gathered together at the back of her head and she had put on light make-up . Thebination made her beauty look even more polished . For her one-piece dress, a section from her shoulder to her upper arms was cut out and the skirt was longer on the right side than on the left . It was an asymmetrical type dress . It fit tightly around her waist, which entuated the thinness of Tiera¡¯s waist . The only thing wrong with the outfit was the person wearing it, because she had drooping shoulders and a depressed expression .

    Even though she seemed distressed, she still looked amazing . If someone had announced that she was the princess of a country, nobody would doubt it .

    Holly and Shadow who were sitting in front of them, wore a white dress and a ck suit . It was indeed the proper attire for a ceremony . Holly¡¯s dress was a long type skirt that was called a mermaid type dress . A strap on her left shoulder held a gem that emitted a blue glow which emphasize its presence . With a dress that is showing more body lines than Tiera¡¯s, Holly¡¯s good sense of style stood out . Shadow who was perfectly dressed in his suit, didn¡¯t stand a chance .

    Though Hibineko also wore a suit, he gave off a slightlyical impression due to the nature of his physique . However, it was clear, that he was used to wearing a suit . Like Shin, he typically didn¡¯t feel the need to dress up in clothes like this, but in such a ce, at such a time, his experience meant that he wasfortable dressed up .

    That said, the most radiant one there was Schnee . Since it was widely known that Schnee Raizar rarely participated in events like this, she was attending as Yuki, Shin¡¯s fianc¨¦e .

    As part of her disguise, her hair had been changed from silver to gold and her eyes had been changed from blue to red . Because the skill she used prevented her from being noticed when she used it on herself, that level of disguise was sufficient .

    Her hair which was lightly tied behind her head was held in ce by an ornamental hairpin . The hairpin included a red jewel to match her new eye color . The white dress she wore boldly exposed her back from her shoulders to her waist .

    Since the dress was designed to tighten the cloth under her arms, her chest was strongly emphasized . Because Schnee¡¯s breasts were already naturallyrge this attracted the gaze of groups of males even though it was not a low-cut dress .

    However, the color of the dressbined with Schnee¡¯s natural demeanor didn¡¯t reflect a feeling of excessive sex appeal . The neat look inbination with her allure, instead made her an enchanting figure who exuded charm .

    Schnee was already a beautiful woman to begin with, but her beauty rose by one more rank when she dressed-up . Seeing her like this for the first time, Shin was charmed by her .

    ¡°Both Tiera-san and Schnee-san are wearing dresses . The dresses that you two are wearing, are they traditional dress for elves or something?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Oh, I just borrowed this dress . Is the design unusual?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re pretty rare . I¡¯ve studied clothing a lot on my own because I think I¡¯d like to do clothes-rted work . Most of them are very simr designs for some reason . ¡±

    Kaede was an elf brought up in Balmel . She didn¡¯t know what clothing styles might be normal at the elves¡¯ garden well .

    Though Holly was a High Elf too, she might not have such knowledges due to her being a former yer .

    What Holly owned was made by yers, but Kaede seeing the dresses of various designs seemed to be fascinated by them . Kaede herself was wearing a simple yellow one-piece dress . It matched Kaede¡¯s character and created a good atmosphere as well .

    While they were talking, the carriage passed through the gate . They were near the destination . Inside the carriage, was Shin, Schnee, Tiera, the Kurosawa family and the two animals, Yuzuha and Kagerou . Kagerou was as usual inside Tiera¡¯s shadow . Yuzuha was also at its usual position, on top of Shin¡¯s head .

    Because there would be many adventurers attending the party too, the dress code seemed fairly flexible, with many different kinds of attire as evidence . There were also many who seemed to recognize that Shin was an upper ss Chosen One too .

    Before long, the carriage stopped .

    If one looked at the front near Holly and Shadow, Hibineko could be seen taking Kaede¡¯s hand . Mimicking Hibineko, Shin also held out his hand to help Schnee get off the carriage . Though he¡¯d often seen things like this in movies, no one was aware of how very embarrassed Shin was to do it for real .

    ¡°Youngdy, please give me your hand . Or something like that . . ¡±

    ¡°Fufu, thank you very much . ¡±

    Did Schnee want to y along? She took Shin¡¯s hand while smiling wryly .

    Was it because simr scenes were unfolded around them? Shin seemed to be able to speak the lines smoothly now .

    ¡°Now the next youngdy as well . ¡±

    ¡°How should I say this, it doesn¡¯t seem to suit you . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡±

    Unlike Schnee, Tiera¡¯s held her mouth to keep herself fromughing .

    When everyone had descended, they went to the assembly hall .

    ¡°Will you escort me too?¡±

    ¡°If you are fine with me . ¡±

    Schnee causally linked her arm with Shin . Then the other arm was also being pulled .

    Of course, it was Tiera .

    ¡°Are you really going to make me go alone? Since your other arm is avable too, let me use it as well, okay?¡±

    ¡°Is it alright?¡±

    ¡°Because Tiera and I are both pretending to be your fianc¨¦e today, isn¡¯t it fine?¡±

    ¡°You are blessed by two beautiful women, you know? Might as well enjoy it . ¡±

    Because both Schnee and Tiera were in unusually good moods, Shin stopped talking about it . There was no need to be a downer .

 Vol 5 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    ¡°Ahh, I want to return¡­¡±

    In the carriage that was heading toward Lord Taul¡¯s castle, Shin sighed .

    It has been several days since the ¡®Large Flood¡¯ . The investigation of the periphery, the monsters¡¯ raw material extraction and their corpses removal and so on, were mostly over . Shin and the others received an invitation .

    Apparently after each ¡®Flood¡¯, A party was held and the person who had the most distinguished achievements would be awarded . It was said that they wanted all the Chosen Ones toe too .

    After the war ended, Shin was asked to stay for awhile . He agreed because he intended to help with the removal work . Their idea of ¡°stay¡± though seemed to be different from what Shin envisioned .

    ¡°That¡¯s my line . ¡±

    Next to Shin was a gloomy looking Tiera . She was not a Chosen One, but many soldiers had witnessed her figure shooting the monsters from the top of the rampart . So it was natural that she was asked to attend as well .

    Though they tried to refuse because they imed to be too busy with work, the people who they were working with shot down the excuses by saying ¡°We¡¯re good here, so go¡±

    For the residents of Balmel, it was unthinkable that someone who had achieved so much for them and who deserved a medal of honor for their service would go without receiving proper thanks, or so they said .

    ¡°Because everyone who told me to go ahead had great smiles, I couldn¡¯t decline . ¡±

    ¡°You too?¡±

    Since they all said it with such good will, she found it impossible to refuse . Shin was in the same boat so he understood what she meant .

    ¡°Shin¡¯s achievements were reported by the knight squadron, right? The people living here, do that without fail . ¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that this is going to be a formal ceremony . If you worry about it too much, you¡¯ll just tire yourself out . ¡±

    ¡°Think about being able to eat food for free . Just like a noble¡¯s party, no suspicious envious guys should approach you . ¡±

    Schnee, Shadow and Holly, who had experienced this kind of party before, tried to reassure them . Hibineko didn¡¯t express it in words but he also wanted to say the same thing .

    ¡°I¡¯ve just never been to a ceremony like this before, you know?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no time like the present to get used to this then . We have been through this a few times . It¡¯s better if you get used to this now while you¡¯re still young . It might prove useful in the future . ¡±

    Though Hibineko said that, there would hardly be a ceremony like this in real life, Shin thought . On the other hand, he was alreadymitted and could no longer back out since he¡¯de this far already . He decided to just ept his fate . Just in case, he lightly re-checked his attire to make sure he wasn¡¯t looking scruffy .

    As for what Shin wore, it was a Kalkia¡¯s formal suit, the same clothes he wore when he went to Bayreuth¡¯s royal castle . After removing the dirt, it was in mint condition .

    As for Tiera sitting next to him, she wore a bright green dress . Her ck hair was gathered together at the back of her head and she had put on light make-up . Thebination made her beauty look even more polished . For her one-piece dress, a section from her shoulder to her upper arms was cut out and the skirt was longer on the right side than on the left . It was an asymmetrical type dress . It fit tightly around her waist, which entuated the thinness of Tiera¡¯s waist . The only thing wrong with the outfit was the person wearing it, because she had drooping shoulders and a depressed expression .

    Even though she seemed distressed, she still looked amazing . If someone had announced that she was the princess of a country, nobody would doubt it .

    Holly and Shadow who were sitting in front of them, wore a white dress and a ck suit . It was indeed the proper attire for a ceremony . Holly¡¯s dress was a long type skirt that was called a mermaid type dress . A strap on her left shoulder held a gem that emitted a blue glow which emphasize its presence . With a dress that is showing more body lines than Tiera¡¯s, Holly¡¯s good sense of style stood out . Shadow who was perfectly dressed in his suit, didn¡¯t stand a chance .

    Though Hibineko also wore a suit, he gave off a slightlyical impression due to the nature of his physique . However, it was clear, that he was used to wearing a suit . Like Shin, he typically didn¡¯t feel the need to dress up in clothes like this, but in such a ce, at such a time, his experience meant that he wasfortable dressed up .

    That said, the most radiant one there was Schnee . Since it was widely known that Schnee Raizar rarely participated in events like this, she was attending as Yuki, Shin¡¯s fianc¨¦e .

    As part of her disguise, her hair had been changed from silver to gold and her eyes had been changed from blue to red . Because the skill she used prevented her from being noticed when she used it on herself, that level of disguise was sufficient .

    Her hair which was lightly tied behind her head was held in ce by an ornamental hairpin . The hairpin included a red jewel to match her new eye color . The white dress she wore boldly exposed her back from her shoulders to her waist .

    Since the dress was designed to tighten the cloth under her arms, her chest was strongly emphasized . Because Schnee¡¯s breasts were already naturallyrge this attracted the gaze of groups of males even though it was not a low-cut dress .

    However, the color of the dressbined with Schnee¡¯s natural demeanor didn¡¯t reflect a feeling of excessive sex appeal . The neat look inbination with her allure, instead made her an enchanting figure who exuded charm .

    Schnee was already a beautiful woman to begin with, but her beauty rose by one more rank when she dressed-up . Seeing her like this for the first time, Shin was charmed by her .

    ¡°Both Tiera-san and Schnee-san are wearing dresses . The dresses that you two are wearing, are they traditional dress for elves or something?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Oh, I just borrowed this dress . Is the design unusual?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re pretty rare . I¡¯ve studied clothing a lot on my own because I think I¡¯d like to do clothes-rted work . Most of them are very simr designs for some reason . ¡±

    Kaede was an elf brought up in Balmel . She didn¡¯t know what clothing styles might be normal at the elves¡¯ garden well .

    Though Holly was a High Elf too, she might not have such knowledges due to her being a former yer .

    What Holly owned was made by yers, but Kaede seeing the dresses of various designs seemed to be fascinated by them . Kaede herself was wearing a simple yellow one-piece dress . It matched Kaede¡¯s character and created a good atmosphere as well .

    While they were talking, the carriage passed through the gate . They were near the destination . Inside the carriage, was Shin, Schnee, Tiera, the Kurosawa family and the two animals, Yuzuha and Kagerou . Kagerou was as usual inside Tiera¡¯s shadow . Yuzuha was also at its usual position, on top of Shin¡¯s head .

    Because there would be many adventurers attending the party too, the dress code seemed fairly flexible, with many different kinds of attire as evidence . There were also many who seemed to recognize that Shin was an upper ss Chosen One too .

    Before long, the carriage stopped .

    If one looked at the front near Holly and Shadow, Hibineko could be seen taking Kaede¡¯s hand . Mimicking Hibineko, Shin also held out his hand to help Schnee get off the carriage . Though he¡¯d often seen things like this in movies, no one was aware of how very embarrassed Shin was to do it for real .

    ¡°Youngdy, please give me your hand . Or something like that . . ¡±

    ¡°Fufu, thank you very much . ¡±

    Did Schnee want to y along? She took Shin¡¯s hand while smiling wryly .

    Was it because simr scenes were unfolded around them? Shin seemed to be able to speak the lines smoothly now .

    ¡°Now the next youngdy as well . ¡±

    ¡°How should I say this, it doesn¡¯t seem to suit you . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡±

    Unlike Schnee, Tiera¡¯s held her mouth to keep herself fromughing .

    When everyone had descended, they went to the assembly hall .

    ¡°Will you escort me too?¡±

    ¡°If you are fine with me . ¡±

    Schnee causally linked her arm with Shin . Then the other arm was also being pulled .

    Of course, it was Tiera .

    ¡°Are you really going to make me go alone? Since your other arm is avable too, let me use it as well, okay?¡±

    ¡°Is it alright?¡±

    ¡°Because Tiera and I are both pretending to be your fianc¨¦e today, isn¡¯t it fine?¡±

    ¡°You are blessed by two beautiful women, you know? Might as well enjoy it . ¡±

    Because both Schnee and Tiera were in unusually good moods, Shin stopped talking about it . There was no need to be a downer .

 Vol 5 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    ¡°Amazing!¡±

    ¡°As expected, it¡¯s different when actually seeing it . ¡±

    Many participants had already arrived at the party hall . Though everyone had dressed up, it was interesting to be able to know who was an adventurer and who was not .

    ¡°There are various impressions at the party held by nobles . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it is, huh?¡±

    Though he only knew about noble¡¯s parties and such from movies and anime, Schnee seemed to be used to it, perhaps that¡¯s to be expected .

    There were many people who paid attention to new arrivals as they appeared one after the other . When Shadow and Holly appeared, the watchers focused their attention on the two . Hibineko and Kaede got simr treatment when they appeared following them .

    ¡°¡­Uu, they¡¯re watching us!!¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess so . ¡±

    ¡°Shin is the center of attention, right?¡±

    ¡°While you say that, I feel that most of the attention went to Schnee and Tiera though . . ¡±

    The ratio of attention was 50% on Schnee, 30% on Tiera, 10% on Shin and 10% on Yuzuha . Furthermore, the eyes ring at Shin were mostly the envious eyes of the men .

    (The mood was darker than the time in the guild . )

    Shin had experienced what was called the ¡°I ENVY this bastard!¡± stare in the guild, in some respects it was a neat feeling . He was feeling arge amount of the same kind of feeling again coiling around him .

    Besides the eyes of jealousy, though it was not much, he was able to feel the eyes of respect and observation . His achievements in the battlefield would be helpful proof for the time being .

    It was only natural that most of the attention was directed towards Schnee . If Shin had been in their shoes, it was certain that he would have reacted the same way .

    While leaving her left arm entwined with Shin¡¯s right arm, she swayed in a way that matched her walking; It seemed to be like a mother leading a child or something to that effect . Compared to the somewhat awkward Shin, she didn¡¯t mind the gazes at all and behaved gracefully .

    Unlike Schnee, it seemed that all the attention was difficult for Tiera . Tiera clung to Shin¡¯s arm, as she shrank away from the crowd¡¯s gaze . The situation wasn¡¯tfortable for her because she was still not very good with crowds of people . At first, her eyes sparkled as she showed great interest in the new surroundings when they were initially entering the hall, but now her eyes had be dull with difort .

    While trying to ignore the happy sensation touching his arm, Shin walked in a way that shielded Tiera from the eyes of male group observers . Schnee too cooperated with Shadow and Holly by making a wall, as they walked toward to the hall .

    Then, they noticed amotion which seemed to be happening at the entrance of the hall .

    From the discussions they heard around them, they learned that Rionne had entered the party hall .

    Even though the party had arge attendance and many invited guests, due to the hall  being wide enough, from where they were standing  they could just about identify Rionne¡¯s presence through the gap in the crowd . Rionne was dressed in a crimson dress with her hair tied up in a knot at the back of her head leaving a free length of her hair hanging down . She advanced through the hall with the dignified pace of royalty .

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Shin watching Rionne, had a feeling that she had nced over at him for a moment . Having an unpleasant premonition, he pulled Schnee and Tiera¡¯s arm and began to move away .

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°Eh, what¡¯s the matter, Shin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the second princess of Bayreuth . You know, the one who was transferred with me . . ¡±

    ¡°So? You don¡¯t need to run away . ¡±

    ¡°¡­Shin, did something happen between you and her?¡±

    Tiera wasn¡¯t feeling any need to move replied to Shin¡¯s words, and Schnee paused for a moment before asking Shin a question .

    ¡°Ahh¡­well, she was very interested in things like ¡ºKakura¡» and my magic and other things . The talk of engagement in order to make me attached to the country seeming very¡­possible . Because of that, the ¡®approach¡¯ which I wasn¡¯t sure was serious or joking¡­happened . ¡±

    Schnee still seemed to be smiling but, Shin felt a slightly overpowering feeling from her . Eye¡¯s swimming, without any hesitation, he confessed all things that happened during their journey . His arm was then pulled as if she wouldn¡¯t ever let it go, and a very happy sensation surged on his right arm .

    He was absolutely baffled about what kind of expression he should be making right then .

    ¡°She had ¡®approached¡¯ you, right?¡±

    ¡°No, of course I refuse her, for real!?¡±

    And then, Rionne¡¯s presence approached while they having such an exchange . Shin¡¯s vain struggle seemed only up to here .

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Shin . Why did you run away after making eye contact?¡±

    When Shin turned around to look at the source of the voice, he saw Rionne standing there with a nice smile on her face .

    Rionne talked to Shin casually . In the same manner as during their journey from Kalkia . Since she had put aside her royal behavior, her friendliness had increased as well .

    Shin hadn¡¯t seen her clearly from the glimpse through the crowd . A close up view though, revealed that Rionne¡¯s dress exposed more bare skin than Schnee and Tiera . Her back and shoulders werepletely exposed, while in the front she showed a deep cleavage, there was also a deep slit in her skirt . Was she aware of the change? The gant and somewhat manly appearance she wore while on the battlefield waspletely gone . Instead she was now disying the feminine appeal of a woman .

    ¡°Mypanion isn¡¯t very good with crowds . Being around Rionne-sama would simply attract too much attention . ¡±

    ¡°Muu! Why are you talking to me like a stranger, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re being watched from all sides after all . ¡±

    While having a hard time not to stare at her cleavage and the slit in her skirt, Shin looked at Rionne¡¯s eyes when he spoke .

    ¡®Can a princess be over-familiar in a public ce?¡¯ He also included the meaning when he said so .

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind it . ¡±

    ¡°y along . ¡±

    ¡®Forgive me¡¯ should be written on Shin¡¯s face .

    Did she read that? Rionne shrugged her shoulders as if to say it couldn¡¯t be helped .

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine . We can only have empty conversations out here anyway . Putting that aside, shouldn¡¯t you introduce the two flowers on both of your arms? Oh, as you¡¯ve probably heard from Shin, I¡¯m Rionne Strail Bayreuth . I¡¯m the second princess of Bayreuth Kingdom . ¡±

    Rionne seemed to be interested in Schnee and Tiera who were on Shin¡¯s right and left side, because her gaze kept shifting left to right .

    ¡°Pardon my rudeness . These are my fianc¨¦e¡¯s, on my right is Yuki and on my left is Tiera . ¡±

    To forestall any awkward questions, because it would have seemed odd if only Schnee was called fianc¨¦e but both women were hanging off his arms, they decided earlier that both of them would be identified as fianc¨¦es .

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time meeting you . I am called Yuki . ¡±

    ¡°Um, a-and I¡¯m Tiera Lucent¡±

    Schnee introduce herself gracefully, but Tiera¡¯s tone was strained due to her nervousness . When the word fianc¨¦e was spoken, Rionne narrowed her eyes a little .

    ¡°I¡¯d heard that you had a fianc¨¦e, but I didn¡¯t expect that she¡¯s an elf . Well, if it¡¯s a man like Shin, it¡¯s natural isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Well, a lot of things happened . ¡±

    While Rionne had been surprised that they were elves, she quickly returned to normal . She nodded as if she understood immediately .

    (In this world, is polygamy considered normal for an upper ss Chosen One?)

    Even if Rionne had been surprised that his fianc¨¦es were elves, she didn¡¯t seem surprised at the fact he had two fianc¨¦es . As far as Shin knew, none of his acquaintances had multiple wives . Still, his knowledge of the world was still too small to be of much use as a reference .

    ¡°They made it here pretty quickly . They had originally been in Bayreuth, weren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go into details but there are methods to travel quickly . ¡±

    ¡°Ho, Shin surely surrounds himself with interesting people . I want Shin to be my country¡¯s exclusive asset after all . Of course, I¡¯ll be willing to pay . ¡±

    Rionne change her posture in order to make Shin more conscious of her own assets .

    ¡°Well, that¨D¨D¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be possible . Rionne-sama . ¡±

    Shin who saw in Rionne, the eyes of the hunter aimed for their prey, looked for some way to decline without being rude or impolite . However, Shin was interrupted by Schnee who stepped forward .

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°If Rionne-sama saw a portion of Shin¡¯s power, I think you can understand why it¡¯s impossible without me having to express it in words, right?¡±

    Though Schnee and Rionne were smiling at each other, Shin thought he saw sparks flying between them .

    As the abrupt situation unfolded, Shin was barely able to keep his poker face .

    ¡°Well er, Yuki . . san?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve seen his power, I think you would want it more, right?¡±

    ¡°But, that is for Shin to decide . Besides, did you hear the strange story that happened between us?¡±

    Shin¡¯sment was ignored .

    Apparently, neither one was willing to give up when the topic was rted to engagement .

    Shin could only watch the exchange between Schnee and Rionne . He didn¡¯t know what he was supposed to do in this situation .

    ¡°Yuki-san and Rionne-sama, how about we shelve this for now? Because this is a party to celebrate victory, it¡¯s not really a suitable ce for this kind of discussion . ¡±

    While ring at each other with smiling faces, the one who skillfully separated the two was Tiera .

    Where did the cowering Tiera go? With her back straight and a faint smile, she seemedpletely unlike the normal Tiera .

    ¡°Yes . Tiera is right . I am sorry, Rionne-sama . ¡±

    ¡°No, I was also being impolite in front of the fianc¨¦es . Please forgive me . ¡±

    At Tiera¡¯s words, which carried a sense of authority, the two pulled back the dangerous air they were emitting .

    ¡°Well then, there are people here I still need to greet . I have to do it before it¡¯s toote . Let¡¯s meet againter¡±

    Though the party hadn¡¯t really started yet, there seemed to be lots of people she still had to say hello to as her royal duty . In addition to the adventurers who had achieved victory in the war, many of Balmel¡¯s nobility and wealthy merchants like Berett were also attending . There were many other people running around trying to make connections like Rionne .

    ¡°Um, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°No well¡­ because your moods were somewhat different from usual . Well that¡¯s good . I¡¯m at fault, but you save me the trouble . ¡±

    ¡°Not really, it¡¯s not a big deal . Now, let¡¯s go eat a lot of delicious food!¡±

    ¡°You are . . right . Enjoy yourself huh?¡±

    Tiera who had a vague lonely expression on her face, gave out a small sigh in order to get over something . However, that was immediately dismissed with cheerfulness as she turned her attention to the lined up foods .

    Though Shin was worried about her state, he hesitated to mention it here . He replied to her as natural as possible .

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the appearance of the organizer, huh?¡±

    In a timely manner, Taul appeared .

    After the speech where he mentioned how d he was that there were few casualties and that the war ended safely, voices for a toast echoed .

    After that, the party hall became filled with sound and tumult . Everyone seemed to enjoy the party in their own way .

    Elgin and other captains who participated in the war came over to where Shin and his party were gathered to greet them . Though they had invited them over to the knight squadron, they seemed to think it was natural that the invitation was declined . The invitation was simply a formality they had to make as a matter of course .

    When the busy Elgin left for a round of courtesy calls, Guile came over next .

    ¡°Yo! You also co¡­Shin,e here for a bit¡±

    Contrary to the Shin¡¯s expectation that this should have been a casual greeting, Guile beckoned with his hand and took him aside . Since the two adventurers had both trained together, they were already on quite friendly terms .

    ¡°Oioi! Who are those two beauties? They are clearly on another level from the other women around here . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, how should I say this, they¡¯re my wife candidates?¡±

    ¡°What¡­do¡­you¡­say? Uh, Shin, how on earth did you get two elven beauties?! Teach me! No, please teach me!!¡±

    Guile asked for a guidance after having stiffened with ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it¡± expression . His expression changedpletely . Thest part was a little strange for his tone .

    ¡°Well¡­ First you make a party together . After you¡¯ve proven that you¡¯re a reliable partner, you can then give her nice presents . It¡¯s also effective if you devote yourself wholeheartedly to protect her in a pinch . ¡±

    While worrying that Guile was about to have a nervous breakdown, Shin enumerated the methods to raised favorability from the support characters in the game . Because he wasn¡¯t particrly confident that the methods he used in the game would be effective here, he didn¡¯t emphasize it too strongly .

    ¡°I understand about helping her in a pinch but that would be a problem if there¡¯s no pinch at the very beginning . Then, it will be the presents, huh? Do they have to be expensive?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got it . I think it¡¯s alright if the present is something nt rted for now . Then, she would probably be pleased with a precious stone which sometimes falls near the big tree . Wait, do you like elves that much?¡±

    Shin asked Guile . Since he was so curious about elf-rted information, Shin thought that perhaps there was already a woman he was aiming for .

    ¡°Yea, to tell you the truth, there is an elf woman I¡¯ve wanted to get closer to for some time . The problem is that elvesing out from the garden are very wary . Even though I¡¯m a Chosen One, I¡¯ve only been able to watch her from afar . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well, good luck . ¡±

    ¡°Yea . I¡¯ll introduce you sometime . ¡±

    ¡°I look forward it¡­ . Hey, where are you going?¡±

    Guile had a look of determination on his face as he moved to leave the party hall . Was he going to search for a present right away?

    Shin thought this might be a bad idea, so he stopped him . Leaving less than 30 minutes after the special victory celebration started, wouldn¡¯t be good, even for a Chosen One .

    ¡°Geez, this guy is always the same, when he finds something he¡¯s interested in, his characterpletely changes . ¡±

    Careless of his hairstyle, Liege gripped Guile¡¯s head and pulled it towards her . Though Guile resisted, he was just a mage and wasn¡¯t a match for a magic swordswoman like Liege .

    ¡°Really? I guess I¡¯ve changed too . Did you make the round of courtesy calls over there as well?¡±

    ¡°More or less, you know I don¡¯t like all this formal stuff . ¡±

    What Liege disyed was a splendid iron w, such an action was unbefitting of the figure that dressed in a deep red dress that attracted the neighboring eyes . More than Rionne, Liege¡¯s strength was her voluptuousness .

    ¡°Even so, Shin is apanied by some wonderful beauties too isn¡¯t he? It made me lose some self-confidence as a woman¡±

    ¡°Well, anyone who see¡¯s them say the same things, because it¡¯s the truth!¡±

    After they were called beautiful, Shin agreed without a hint of modesty .

    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty refreshing feeling, when you put it that way . ¡±

    ¡°I agree with that . But let me go!¡±

    Guile escaped from Liege¡¯s grasp and stood up . Because his head had been tightly gripped, his hairstyle was ruined .

    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t grabbed you, you¡¯d have tried to go home . There are still more ces we have to go and people we need to greet . Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Damn this animal strength! Let me go!¡±

    While having an exchange like that between siblings, Liege waved her hand lightly and disappeared together with Guile in the crowd .

    After that, many people continued to meet Shin . When the time was right, he moved to the terrace together with Schnee and Tiera . Though there were still many who wanted to meet them, they excused themselves and took a break .

    ¡°*Sigh* I¡¯m tired . And this is only for being a Chosen One . ¡±

    ¡°If it bes known that you¡¯re also a letter of introduction holder, there will be many more as well . ¡±

    ¡°If ites to that, I¡¯ll escape . ¡±

    ¡°Though as a Chosen One, you exposed the letter of introduction by yourself . Things will still be fine even if you don¡¯t reveal the letter of introduction, right?¡±

    ¡°Argh, I-It is certainly better to just be a Chosen One¡­but I didn¡¯t think that the guild would notify everyone so quickly . ¡±

    Besides the problems on how to prove himself, his knowledge about the term Chosen One were limited . After a long time, Shin thought whether or not revealing himself as a letter of introduction holder was hasty, but the damage has been done .

    ¡°Well it¡¯s fine I guess . Since they¡¯re Barlux-san¡¯s acquaintances, it¡¯s unlikely that they¡¯ll leak the information easily . For the time being everything is good, because the city is safe once more . ¡±

    Even Shin wasn¡¯t perfect .

    They put aside the difficult discussion and decided to enjoy the rest of the party .

 Vol 6 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    Several days passed after the party, in which they celebrated the victory over the annihtion of the monster hordes that marched toward the fort city Balmel .

    Shin and others were still in Balmel to help with matters after the ¡®Great Flood¡¯ .

    Besides the other remains that had been scattered around the ins, Schnee¡¯s magic skill ¡¾Blue Judge¡¿ and Shin and the others¡¯ ¡¾Complete Destruction Palm¡¿ caused many monsters to be turned to charcoal .

    Cleaning up the bodies had started before the celebration party, but it has been taking time because of its unusual number .

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s amazing . The monsters¡¯ bodies around here were killed by a guy whose name is Red, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I could see it very well as I was on the city wall . There are many who saw it as well . He killed the monster hordes that looked like a ck wave all by himself . Whoever he was, he was really amazing . ¡±

    These conversations reached Shin¡¯s ears .

    Some people in the crowd who were heading to the gate after cleaning up bodies were talking about the mysterious person ¡°Red¡± .

    Even in the castle, various rumors were spreading and people were exchanging their opinion about the identity . Some opinions were reasonable but others were far from the truth .

    For example, he probably served under a High Human, or he probably was one of the heroes who remained in this world, or he might be the incarnation of the god of fire Iira Suura and so on .

    In fact, because Schnee or Shibaid, who were Shin¡¯s support characters, could do it, the ¡°Serving under a High Human¡± theory was the most dominant .

    As for the third theory, it seems like people thought the god of fire Iira Suura who appears in myths joined the battle, as the armor¡¯s color was red . It was one of the gods of war and people somehow believe it .

    (So a God joined in huh? In the game world, Iira Suura was a boss monster¡­)

    In the game, they could fight against the incarnation as part of a trial . Perhaps because of it, Iira Suura was known by people in this world as well .

    Additionally, the boss monster ¡¯s appearance was a human form holding a long fire sword .

    It might be close to the scythe that Shin, or Red in this matter, used .

    ¡°But, why is his name Red?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because his body is red, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too simple . Don¡¯t you think there should be a better nickname?¡±

    Ouch!

    Shin was quietly hurt . It was just made up on the spot, but was it really that weird?

    ¡°(Is the name ¡°Red¡± that strange?)¡±

    Yuzuha asked from overhead .

    ¡°(I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s a strange name . )¡±

    It should not be strange, though there was no objection against the people who had said it was simple .

    By the way, there was a n to invite Red to the party but there was no way to make contact with him, of course . Schnee had been inquired regarding Red, but Shin asked her to answer that she didn¡¯t know where Red was .

    Shin was chatting with the middle age adventurer Rahl Ratt whom he got along with through working together everyday .

    ¡°Nevertheless, it¡¯s harder to clean up than to fight . ¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a first world problem . There were no people killed in that tough battle . If wein more than that, we would be punished . ¡±

    ¡°I understand it, but I feel depressed if the number is that big . Besides, you didn¡¯t fight that much . Some guys said they didn¡¯t know why you were there . ¡±

    ¡°Oh no, they found out . Hahaha!!¡±

    Shin was talking with him using polite speech but started talking casually after he heard Rahl didn¡¯t like to use polite speech .

    Rahl was a rank B adventurer, so he didn¡¯t know the word ¡°Chosen One¡± . It seemed like he thought the adventurers who were fighting in the front line were from higher ranks .

    As Shin said, there were no opportunities to join the fight for the adventurers of the raid .

    Because they didn¡¯t have coordination simr to the knights, they couldn¡¯t charge into the monster hordes just like that .

    Besides that, their position at the battlefield was right in front where monsters were rounded up by the magic of Schnee and Guile . If they had assaulted, they would just get mixed in and vanish .

    It seemed like they guarded Guile and others to some extent, but it was hardly a battle .

    ¡°At any rate, Schnee Raizar is really amazing . No matter how hard we try, we would never be like her . ¡±

    ¡°She is a monster to the general people . If she tried, she could erase a country . Are you scared of her?¡±

    ¡°Of course Shin! I don¡¯t want to deal with her, though I think it¡¯s okay to be killed by such a beauty!¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, I can understand your feelings . ¡±

    ¡°See? I used to think it was just an exaggeration from those who said Schnee is a goddess or a holy woman, but once I saw her in the flesh, I couldn¡¯t help but agree with them . Young people who saw her looked soulless . Although seeing the massive magic right after the start of battle, we lost our soul in another sense . ¡±

    Rahlughed while talking about how epic it was . Even the knights lost themselves, so it was no wonder that younger adventurers were lost for words as well .

    Also, Schnee has gained more fans without Shin¡¯s knowledge .

    If it was about a big guy with an aggressive appearance, people would fear him, but as it was about Schnee, strength was just one of her charms .

    ¡°Moreover, we can¡¯t measure the value of the person by their strength . I have seen so many people up till now, someone can be a hero or bullshit depending on their ability and character . Understanding what kind of person they are, can¡¯t be judged from their strengths or weaknesses . Besides I know that having power isn¡¯t always a good thing . ¡±

    Rahl has probably had many experiences going by his age .

    What he said was a cliche, but it carried weight at the same time .

    ¡°Do you know somebody like that person since you asked me about it Shin?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, something like that . ¡±

    ¡°I see . If so, you should not be scared too much . I failed because of it . ¡±

    Rahl said mournfully which was unusual for his cheerful character .

    ¡°I will keep that in mind . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, you should . Well, we¡¯ll arrive at the gate soon . ¡±

    They parked the carriage that carries the monsters¡¯ bodies at the side of the gate, then headed toward the guild to receive the reward .

    In order to make the cleaning work smoother, guilds offered the job to the adventurers .

    After Shin received the reward, he parted with Rahl who was meeting up with his friends, and looked around lightly .

    Schnee and Tiera oversaw another workce, but as their shifts were about the same, they were nning on meeting up here .

    Shin was drinking a fruit juice to kill time at the corner of the bar in the guild when Eliza, the guild¡¯s receptionist, talked to him .

    ¡°Excuse me, Shin-sama . Do you have a moment?¡±

    ¡°Yes? Well, I¡¯m good till my friendse . Is it okay to bring Yuzuha too?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Because in these past few days, I know Yuzuha wouldn¡¯t cause trouble . ¡±

    The ¡®Flood¡¯ was over and Balmel returned to its peaceful state . Shin had no idea why he was called .

    ¡°I am sorry for asking you too much . Our staff will take care of your friends once they arrive here . ¡±

    Shin followed Eliza who led the way .

    They gathered attention but he decided not to mind about it now . As he was fighting in the front line as a Chosen One, Shin¡¯s name was widely known among a group of adventurers .

    The ce where Eliza led him was the room of the head of this guild . When they entered the room, they found the guild master, Baren, and the princess of Bayreuth, Rionne, waiting .

    ¡°I am sorry that we asked you toe so suddenly . A request designated for you hase, but we can¡¯t talk about it in public . ¡±

    Shin could predict the content as Rionne was standing next to Baren .

    ¡°¡­Is it perhaps, to be Rionne-sama¡¯s bodyguard?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right . By the way, you are close to Rionne-sama, aren¡¯t you? The content of the request is to guard Rionne-sama until Bayreuth . ¡±

    There were no opportunities to see her after the party and since the ¡®Flood¡¯ was over at that time, he thought Rionne-sama had left Balmel already . However, his expectations fell short .

    ¡°You helped me a lot since I was transferred to Kalkia . You will also receive a reward for that . ¡±

    It sounds like she will give a reward to him for the other day as well .

    At this point, there were a few things Rionne had to give to Shin, so the reward for guarding was included in it .

    ¡°Well¡­ I am sorry but I can¡¯t ept this offer . ¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you refuse the request from the royal family?¡±

    ¡°ording to thew of the guild, it depends on the adventurer¡¯s decision whether they ept the offer or not, am I wrong?¡±

    There was a designation system that let the chosen adventurer receive the request in guild .

    But the adventurers who were called had a right whether to ept or not . Of course, there was no penalty from the guild when the adventurer refuses .

    In the past, the designation request was partlypulsory . But there was an incident where somebody took advantage of it and trapped a certain adventurer . It was a malicious trap where somebody requested an adventurer and made an assassin hide at the requested destination to kill the adventurer as if they were attacked by a monster . But the incident came to light after the adventurer turned the tables on the assassin and reported to the guild .

    It was found out that there were simr incidents in the past by investigation, and then it became that the adventurers could refuse the requests . However, when the adventurers were having trouble refusing the requests from the nobles and wealthy merchants, the guild was supposed to be a mediator .

    ¡°Can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve said so, I have something to do . ¡±

    ¡°Even though I am asking you?¡±

    ¡°Who taught you that upturned eyes and pose¡­

    ¡°It didn¡¯t match with Rionne¡¯s character,¡± said Shin in disgust .

    Then Baren asked for confirmation .

    ¡°You can certainly refuse the offer, but is it really fine with you? Usually only the adventurers who belong to a high rank are called by the royal family . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind . Actually, if I were to get too close to her carelessly, I would be scared of others¡¯ jealousy . Besides, we are going to Kilmont for now . It¡¯s the opposite direction and I am already prepared for it . ¡±

    ¡°I wanted Shin to meet with my father though¡±

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t . I feel he would tell me to serve for his country, so I won¡¯t¡±

    ¡°Muu!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t change my mind even if you get sulky . ¡±

    Shin was regarded as an upper ss Chosen One from Bayreuth¡¯s top brass, but it didn¡¯t mean that everybody would wee him .

    Rionne was a royal family member and was surrounded by the nobles . Sometimes people from the privileged sses act to keep their position more than considering the national interests .

    ¡­Though it was a selfish idea of Shin, he wanted to go to Kilmont to meet Shibaid as soon as possible and start researching the sacred ce Kalkia .

    Besides, even if Shin refused guarding her, somebody will pick her up from Bayreuth or she could request for other adventurers . They would never let the princess go home alone . In addition, Shin honestly couldn¡¯t think that Rionne needed a guard .

    ¡°Well, how should I say this¡­ it looks like you two are really close . ¡±

    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s Shin and me!

    ¡°I am afraid of what other people might think¡­¡±

    Shin repeated it while turning away from Baren¡¯s eyes who was putting a wry smile on his face .

    ¡°What a pity, but it can¡¯t be helped . I don¡¯t want to force this on you . But when youe to Bayreuth next time, you shoulde visit me . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I will try . ¡±

    Considering Rionne¡¯s attitude, it seems like she was thinking if Shin epted the offer, it would be lucky or something .

    Shin was relieved that they didn¡¯t persistently press him . He had no intentions to treat her badly, but he has his priority .

    ¡°That¡¯s all . Sorry for taking your time . ¡±

    ¡°No problem . I was free at this time too . Then, please excuse me . ¡±

    He left with Eliza who was waiting for him at the corner of the room, they then left from the guild master¡¯s room .

    When Shin arrived at the hall, there was a crowd at the corner of the bar like he had seen before .

    ¡°Again¡­¡±

    The center of the crowd was of course Schnee in disguise¡­In other words, Yuki and Tiera . He could sense the mood .

    It happened often, so Shin kept his cool . He already heard the reason from Eliza about why so many peoplee around . Naturally, most of the adventurers were men . There were female adventurers, but there were very few who were beautiful, good figured, and capable like Schnee .

    Even if there were that kind of women, they just stay with other women mostly, or they were employed by the nobles and there wouldn¡¯t be any opportunity to get to know them .

    Because of these reasons the adventurers were trying to invite Schnee and Tiera, whom often stay together, to join their party as well as the servants of the nobles, who were trying to invite them to the noble¡¯s houses, were swarming around them .

    ¡°Today there are a lot more people around them . ¡±

    ¡°Their name and appearance are well-known in Balmel . It can¡¯t be helped . ¡±

    ¡°So as I¡¯m their malepanion, the murderous intent and jealousy are focused on me, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­It can¡¯t be helped . ¡±

    Eliza as she was, had no way of responding .

    ¡°By the way, wasn¡¯t there a n to clear those people?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I informed the staff to be ready for it, but¡­¡±

    Eliza looked around but there weren¡¯t any staff even at the reception desk .

    ¡°It¡¯s strange . There is a rule to have at least one person at the reception desk . ¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, it seems like they tried to do their job though . ¡±

    With a sigh, Shin went towards the crowd . Though it was crowded with men, he could find another woman besides Schnee and Tiera .

    The men who noticed Shin¡¯s approach all showed negative feelings in their eyes . But because Shin had gotten used to it, he ignored those eyes and called out both of them .

    ¡°Hey Yuki! Tiera! It¡¯s almost time to go!¡±

    After a little pause, the crowd split . Tiera was behind Schnee, who has blond hair and red eyes, and a woman who wore the guild¡¯s uniform was behind Tiera .

    ¡°I am sorry to keep you waiting . ¡±

    ¡°No, I am the one who kept you waiting . I arrived here earlier, but just a little . I will talk about the details while walking . So who is this person?¡±

    Some people were fascinated by Schnee¡¯s smile toward Shin, and others were showing jealousy . Shin ignored those men and asked the woman who was standing behind Schnee and Tiera .

    ¡°Um, I-I am Fran, b-b-belong to the branch of the adventurer guild Balmel!!¡±

    She was flustered and stuttered .

    She was a petitedy and her height was around 150 cemels . Her brown bobbed hair and big round eyes were charming .

    She looked like a junior high school student, or maybe even looked like an elementary school student .

    ¡°Fran, where are the other staff? They shouldn¡¯t leave a new staff member alone at the reception . ¡±

    ¡°M-My senpai is dealing with the high ranked adventurer who came a while ago . Others are also busy, so I have been trying to do my best, but¡­¡±

    ¡°The size of the crowd was so big that she could not deal with them by herself . ¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right . ¡±

    Fran agreed with Schnee¡¯s words with sagging shoulders .

    Surely, it was tough for new staff to deal with all those men around Schnee and Tiera .

    If Shin were in the same position, he honestly wouldn¡¯t want to get closer to that crowd .

    Maybe the staff who have more experience would be able to handle it better, but it was still unavoidable .

    ¡°I am sorry . We caused trouble for you . Please ept my apology and if you have any requests, please tell me . I will help as much as I can . ¡±

    ¡°I-I am sorry!¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, I think that¡¯s okay, right, Yuki?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was just bad timing and nothing happened to us, so please don¡¯t worry about it . ¡±

    Schnee answered Shin while nodding .

    She gave up halfway as people oftene around her . That¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t bring herself to me Fran .

    ¡°We appreciate your understanding . ¡±

    Still, Eliza and Fran have an apologetic look on their face .

    Since it was their duty, it would affect their confidence if they epted the responsibility and could notplete it . No matter how many times Schnee said it¡¯s okay, they seemed to be ashamed . Shin and hispanions left the guild saying ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it¡± to Eliza and Fran who bowed down .

    ¡°Sorry about that . If I hade to you immediately, we could have avoided that situation . ¡±

    ¡°You had some business, didn¡¯t you? It looked like you were called on . ¡±

    ¡°Right . What happened?¡±

    Somehow the two sensed something, so Shin exined about the request .

    Schnee who listened to the story had a smile on her face and Tiera seemed to understand .

    ¡°It¡¯s natural that they want to have Shin for their country . Rionne is a member of the royal family and although she doesn¡¯t know about your background, she knows a little bit about your power, don¡¯t you agree Shin?¡±

    ¡°A little . If I were in her position, I also would have thought to secure me . But what can I say, I understand it but it¡¯s also different from my way of thinking . ¡±

    Though he said that, Shin kept a note in his mind that Rionne might be different from other royal family members . ¡°If it weren¡¯t for an unusual situation like this time, she would not favor me as much¡±, said Shin . Then Schnee said,

    ¡°Do you really think so?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°The way you think and your attitude are rare in this world Shin . The royal families are heavenly people to themoners, but not to yers . Considering Rionne-sama¡¯s character, she would be attracted to the person who casually talks to her and has power that she can rely on . Shin meets both of them, so even though there weren¡¯t any incidents like this time, it¡¯s possible that Rionne-sama likes you . ¡±

    ¡°Well, if it is not Rionne-sama, others might say you are rude!¡±

    ¡°Well, how should I say it¡­ I think Rionne-sama¡¯s thought-process is closer to that of themoner¡¯s, not the royal family¡¯s . ¡±

    ¡°I agree with that . ¡±

    ording to Rionne, the education that she had was focused on being a soldier more than being a member of the royal family, so it might be natural that she was different from other royalty .

    ¡°However, I don¡¯t intend to be engaged with Rionne, so she has no choice but to give up on me . ¡±

    ¡°If you say you are actually a High Human, she woulde to you though . ¡±

    ¡°From her past statements, I can¡¯t deny that . ¡±

    Shin thought that Rionne might forcefullye saying it was for the sake of friendship . If they could have a High Human on their side, the king would happily give the princess .

    ¡°At any rate, our current priority is meeting up with Shibaid and others . If I follow Rionne, I would have to meet with the king . I am sorry for Baren-san, but I have to leave the country matter to the guild . ¡±

    He was not sure how far the guild would go, but Shin who was a Chosen One was different from amoner . So he decided to think that the guild would have to do their best to deal with such a matter .

    Partly because he had talked to Rionne, he couldn¡¯t help but to wish that others won¡¯t ask him unreasonable demands anymore .

    There was the letter of introduction from Tsuki no Hokora¡­When Shin thought about it, he realized that he didn¡¯t know much about the letter .

    He had stored the letter in his Item Box and almost forgot about it until he used it in Balmel .

    Because various events happened due to Shin showing the letter in Bayreuth, he hesitated to use it without thinking . Though it was a clue to meet with Schnee, he could meet with her without using it . Shin didn¡¯t know all the items in THE NEW GATE, and he also thought whether there was this kind of item . Anyhow, depending on the yer, making the item that worked effectively under a certain condition was possible . Frankly speaking, without a strong name value like ¡°Tsuki no Hokora¡±, it was just a shiny piece of paper .

    ¡°Hey Schnee, it¡¯s a bitte to ask you, but how do you make the letter of introduction?¡±

    As far as Shin knew, the function that makes items that gave the effect like the letter of introduction didn¡¯t exist in Tsuki no Hokora .

    So that means that it was an original item from Schnee .

    ¡°The letter of introduction? I use the paper thates out from the manufacturing machine that was used in Tsuki no Hokora . Also alchemy is applied . It was the enchantment of the luminescence . ¡±

    ¡°Was there such a strong durability for the paper thates out from that machine? It shouldn¡¯t be a special paper that can be used for enchantments though . ¡±

    ¡°I noticed it a long time after Shin left, so I don¡¯t know the details¡­Surely it was just paper in the game era, but its quality is the best one as this world changed, so I think that magical power dwelled in it . Of course, I already checked it, and it wasn¡¯t a bad one . ¡±

    Manufacturing machine in Tsuki no Hokora . It was like a home that produced various kind of materials, or one of the facility for the guild . There were some machines that could create items such as raw materials and metals, in addition to the paper in Tsuki no Hokora .

    But the one currently works is only the machine that makes papers . In the death game period, when Shin left Tsuki no Hokora for thest time, he closed the door to the room for the manufacturing machines .

    The reason was that the machine for the paper was ced in a different room from other machines, and he just forgot it was there .

    ¡°Let¡¯s check it . ¡±

    It was better to quickly leave for Kilmont, and meet with Shibaid, but it was also important to check out his own home and his guild house which he oversaw .

    ¡°In that case, that forest is quiet and doesn¡¯t stand out . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Shall we go?¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 6 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    At nightfall, Shin secretly left the town with Schnee, Tiera, and Yuzaha and headed for the forest he had cleared up before. Shin deployed and entered Tsuki no Hokora, where he then checked the manufacturing machines first.

    Inside of the manufacturing machine room, the machines were organized into categories such as ore, ingredients, and materials that were obtained from monsters.

    The manufacturing machines looked like boxes measuring 30 cemels on each side. They were worth almost as much as ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapons in this world.

    Materials that couldn¡¯t be obtained or required great troubles to obtain could be produced without limitation, so long as time permitted. The ¡®machine¡¯ was especially amazing since this world was now reality and certain materials could no longer be farmed.

    Generated items would be changed into cards that were stored in an Item Box within the machine.

    ¡°What is this¡­?¡±

    Shin checked the ore and materials first.

    When he opened the list inside of the Item Box, a considerable number of items were listed. It wasn¡¯t like 100 or 200. It varied depending on the type but even the smallest stacks exceeded 1000, and most of them were more than hundreds of thousands.

    The Item Box should only be able to store 999 of the same type of item, but the maximum stack number must have changed.

    ¡°There¡¯s lots of items¡­Kuu¡±

    ¡°Indeed. There are lumps of orichalcum, mithril, adamantine and even refined Scarletite. The tusks and ws of Bahamut and even the liver of a Behemoth¡­ Wow, the amount of ¡®Drop of Erathem¡¯ is amazing! It¡¯s like you could make as many ¡¶Ancient¡· grade weapons as you want.¡±

    Nodding at Yuzuha, he scrolled down the item list.

    Even rare items that were likely produced only twice a year in real time, a poor management system which Shin hadined about during the gaming era, were present in incredible numbers.

    Though it was understandable that the items had umted for the past 500 years, Shin¡¯s pride as a gamer was hurt as he felt his efforts in mining were in vain.

    ¡°The ingredients also seem the same. Though, there is an astounding amount of the highest rank ingredients.¡±

    Schnee who checked the list of ingredients in one of the manufacturing machines was also surprised at its contents. It was so shocking that they could easily stay indoors for at least 100 years.

    ¡°These items are something I have never seen nor heard of. What are they?¡±

    Due to herck of knowledge, Tiera was surprised at the number not the item itself.

    Since it was a rare opportunity, Shin moved a portion of the items into his own Item Box.

    Shin was nning to inspect whether there were any differences between the items in his own Item Box and the items in the manufacturing machines.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to forge for a bit. I¡¯ll see whether the materials are usable or not.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll prepare dinner.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I could make some simple recovery potions.¡±

    ¡°Please do so.¡±

    After he passed over the basic alchemy set to Tiera, Shin headed to the smithing area with Yuzuha.

    He started a fire in the furnace and took out the orichalcum ore card from the manufacturing machine.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    When he was about to materialize the card, Shin noticed an auraing from it.

    He stared at what looked like a heat haze, then it became clear, like an image focusing in a camera.

    ¡°That¡¯s magical power, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s sparkling!¡±

    There was a light silver color simr to the aura from a magic sword.

    For the sake ofparison, Shin took out the orichalcum ore card from his own Item Box and saw that it radiated a light purple. However, the color didn¡¯t stay the same as it changed to a dark grey then a light blue.

    He hadn¡¯t noticed this when he upgraded the equipment of Shadow and the others, or when he repaired Girard¡¯s equipment.

    ¡°Fumu. I don¡¯t understand it. Should I strike it for now? Yuzuha, please stay back.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    He put aside the trivial things for a moment, and materialized the two cards.

    At present, there was no difference except their aura¡¯s colors. Though the amount of ore was somewhat different, there wasn¡¯t a problem since it wasn¡¯t fixed to begin with.

    Shin put the orichalcum into the furnace and refined it. The refined orichalcum that had its impurities removed radiated a stronger aura.

    Then, he ced it on the anvil and swung the hammer down.

    The two swords, made with the same procedure, were both at medium ¡¶Legend¡· grade. They looked almost the same except for the aura that enveloped the swords.

    When hepared the sharpness of the edges, the difference became clear.

    The sword made of orichalcum from Shin¡¯s Item box, covered in an aura of multiple colors, was sharper than the one made of orichalcum from the manufacturing machine, covered in an aura with a single color.

    ¡°Kuu? It¡¯s different, though they¡¯re simr?¡±

    ¡°Even if the materials are the same, the power is different, huh? Is it rted to the magic color? ¡­Come to think of it, Tiera did say my magical power is strange or something like that.¡±

    He remembered the time when he first met Tiera, she said she could feel multiple races¡¯ magical powers.

    ¡°Is Shin¡¯s magic power different from others¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I wonder. Though I still can¡¯t perfectly control my power, so I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    Shin moved to the main building where Tiera was, thinking that there might be some hint.

    After Tiera had set up the alchemy equipment and materials on the table, she began making the recovery potions. Shin didn¡¯t disturb her, as she seemed to be concentrating. After several minutes, she finished brewing the potions.

    ¡°Whew¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you finish it?¡±

    ¡°Hiiu!!??¡±

    Shin chose to wait for Tiera to finish her work before speaking up.

    But, since Tiera didn¡¯t notice him, she was surprised and gave a small cry of rm.

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to surprise you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sneak up on me like that! I was so surprised.¡±

    Tiera red at him while putting her hand on her chest. Perhaps she felt shy as she was seen the moment that she was surprised. Her cheeks turned red.

    Shin didn¡¯t intend to hide his presence, but it seemed like he did so unconsciously.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I wasn¡¯t trying to distract you since you seemed to be focused.¡±

    ¡°*Sigh* Be careful next time. I nearly dropped the potion.¡±

    When Shin bowed, Tiera¡¯s anger seemed to settle down.

    ¡°At any rate, I tried to make the recovery potion ording to instructions using these materials. I don¡¯t have the appraisal skill, so I¡¯m not sure of the difference. Can you check them?¡±

    After Tiera calmed down, she handed the recovery potions over to Shin.

    They looked the same, but when he saw the analysis, Shin found that the potion made of materials from his Item Box were more effective.

    However, the one that used the materials from the manufacturing machine was twenty percent more effective than a conventional potion.

    It seemed like using materials that possess magical power raised the effectiveness of the items made from them.

    ¡°I see. I was expecting an increased effect, but it¡¯s really amazing.¡±

    ¡°Were you expecting it?¡±

    Shin asked about the reason for what Tiera said after she heard the result of the appraisal.

    ¡°Well, it seems like Shin doesn¡¯t know this, but when an object stores magical power, it shares its owner¡¯s spirit and characteristics. It was said that was a condition of something like power without definition. I¡¯ve only seen these objects a few times though. Since only Elves and Pixies can see this power, you may not understand it, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Interesting¡­By the way, I wanted to ask you something.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Well, when we first met, you said various races¡¯ magical power or something after you looked at me, right? I wanted to ask about it.¡±

    ¡°Eh? D-Did I say something like that?¡±

    Tiera answered evasively. Her face that turned her eyes to the wrong direction expressed exactly someone who was trying to hide something.

    ¡°? ¡­Well, if you don¡¯t want to tell me, that¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t force you to tell me. I¡¯ll ask Schnee if there is anything that seems strange in her ingredients. You can keep the potions.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Wa, wait!!¡±

    Everybody has something that they don¡¯t want to share. Even though Shin was concerned about the magical power, somehow he could guess the reason.

    Since he thought it was a bad idea to ask forcefully, Shin decided to go to Schnee¡¯s ce first, but surprisingly Tiera pulled him back.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You look so confused.¡±

    ¡°B-Because¡­ aren¡¯t you going to ask about it? Though I¡¯m here with you, I¡¯m clearly hiding something from you.¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t want to tell me, right? Of course I can¡¯t leave it alone if it¡¯s about a life-threatening situation, or something simr. But I can somehow guess that it¡¯s not like that, and I don¡¯t want to forcefully ask you to tell me. When I look at you, I can just tell that there are some things you don¡¯t want to tell me. So I think it¡¯s not right to share everything just because we are together. In fact, I also have something that I haven¡¯t shared with everybody.¡±

    ¡°I understand, but¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine with me to wait until you think you are ready to tell me. When the timees then¨D¨D¡±

    Then Shin¡¯s stomach rumbled ¡°Grruuu¡±. It was so loud that they could hear it clearly.

    ¡°¡­I, I¡¯ll also tell you what I haven¡¯t shared with you?¡±

    Because of the stomach rumbling, the serious mood vanished, but Shin said everything that he wanted to say.

    ¡°Shin, are you hungry?¡±

    Right after that, Yuzuha, who was just observing, quietly said explosive words.

    ¡°Hey! I was saying something serious!¡±

    ¡°But you said ¡®When the timees then Gruuu.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Nooo! Why did it happened in this timing?¡±

    ¡°¡­Pfff.¡±

    Maybe that hit the spot. Tiera held herughter in until her ears turned bright red.

    Because she lowered her head, he couldn¡¯t see her face. However, he guessed that it wasn¡¯t as serious as before.

    It was a pleasant situation for Shin as he wanted to change the atmosphere, but it couldn¡¯t be helped if he thought there might have been a better way.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Even though we¡¯re talking seriously, b-but, pfffahaha¡±

    ¡°Well, I made my point, but, it¡¯s fine I guess. Though you have something you can¡¯t tell me, don¡¯t worry about it. And don¡¯t tell anyone about my stomach rumbling! Never! Yuzuha, you too!¡±

    After the parting remark, Shin went to the kitchen.

    Tiera looked at his back with tears in her eyes. Shin didn¡¯t know her tears weren¡¯t only fromughing. ¡°I am sorry.¡± What Tiera whispered didn¡¯t reach anyone.

    When Shin entered the kitchen, there were already several dishes. He could smell them while he was talking to Tiera, so he couldn¡¯t help thinking what would happened if he had not smelled these dishes.

    ¡°Kuu~, smells good!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it does¡­ what a great smell.¡±

    ¡°Shin? You look troubled. Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing. Yeah, nothing happened. By the way, it smells delicious. How were the ingredients?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see any problems. The freshness was satisfactory too.¡±

    Schnee answered while wiping a knife.

    It seemed like she hadn¡¯t noticed any differences in the process of cooking.

    Considering the swords and the recovery potions, the differences would probably be seen in its vor.

    ¡°The results of Tiera and my experiments showed that the ones from my Item Box were more effective. However, the quality of the things made using materials from the manufacturing machines were better than normal.¡±

    ¡°I see. I have just finished cleaning up, so we should test them. How¡¯s Tiera doing?¡±

    ¡°Oh, she finished making the recovery potions, so I¡¯ll bring her here.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡±

    When Shin turned around to go to call Tiera, Tiera showed up.

    Since she had a little time to calm herself down, herplexion returned to normal. Her eyes seemed bloodshot, but Shin just felt awkward wondering if she had beenughing till she cried.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. The dishes are ready, so let¡¯spare the tastes.¡±

    They put all dishes on the table and sat down. Yuzuha was also in human form at this time.

    Everyone said ¡°Itadakimasu¡± together and then started tasting.

    What Shin ate first was the dish made using ingredients from the manufacturing machine.

    He put the foods he used to eat in reality, such as stuffed cabbage, pot©\au©\feu, pf, and so on, in his mouth.

    ¡°This is far better than a family restaurant.¡±

    ¡°This is better than what Master usually makes.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, delicious!¡±

    Because these foods were something they often ate, they could tell how much better it was. It didn¡¯t mean that the foods they had been eating were low quality, but still these were delicious enough to tell the difference.

    Because there were other dishes to taste, they used all their willpower to stop themselves from finishing the dish.

    ¡°Then, the next one.¡±

    The next dishes were the made using the ingredients from Shin¡¯s Item Box. Since it was forparison, the menu and cooking processes were the same.

    They cut the stuffed cabbage in two using chopsticks, then ate it.

    ¡°!?¡±

    In that moment, Shin and Tiera stopped moving.

    Their first thought was ¡®Is this really a stuffed cabbage?¡¯.

    ¡°What is this? To be frank, I can¡¯t think of anything besides how delicious this is. But if I were asked the difference, I can¡¯t exin it.¡±

    ¡°I agree. I don¡¯t know what to say besides delicious.¡±

    ¡°Kuu, delicious, delicious~¡±

    Yuzuha was the only one eating like normal. With dishes made of materials from either source, Yuzuha stuffed her mouth happily while smiling.

    In a sense, this might be the correct reaction toward the dishes.

    Shin had tried dishes using ingredients his Item Box the night he met Schnee again, but there wasn¡¯t any magical power leaking from the cards then.

    Was it because it was used with the regr ingredients? He wasn¡¯t as shocked as with this stuffed cabbage.

    ¡°Anyway, we have to be cautious when using the items in my Item Box. I don¡¯t think they were like this before though.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Even the items from the manufacturing machines are more than enough. Did you notice any differences in the items recently added to your Item Box?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t see any change among those items. But as times goes on, they might change, so I¡¯ll check those to make sure.¡±

    The number of the items in Shin¡¯s Item Box was huge. It would be impossible to test everything, so he would have to choose a small number of items and check them.

    After they finished their meals, Shin and the others came to the teleportation device room that was located next to the manufacturing machines¡¯ room. They intended to check on the guild houses¡¯ conditions.

    ¡°As far as I can tell, none of the devices are broken.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just in case, I asked Raster to check it, but I heard that there were no problems.¡±

    Raster was the support character who served under Cain, a member of Rokuten who was the architect. Because Cain helped build Tsuki no Hokora, Raster, as his follower, did the maintenance.

    If Raster said so, it would work without any problems.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s open the option menu¡­Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±

    Schnee approached Shin who voiced his doubt. Shin shifted the disy sideway to show Schnee the selection screen for teleport destinations.

    It disyed the names of the 1st through 6th guild houses. But if he tried to pick a destination, it made a muffled ¡°Beep¡± sound.

    This sound usually came out when one tried to use an item that was not avable or choose a ce that was impossible to transfer.

    It seemed like they couldn¡¯t transfer to any guild houses at their present state.

    ¡°What does it mean?¡±

    ¡°The equipment here is working, so something might have happened at the other guild houses?¡±

    ¡°No, what I am concerned about is that I¡¯m unable to choose Rashugum. I don¡¯t know about the others, but I can¡¯t imagine any problems in Rashugum, where Raster is doing maintenance.¡±

    ¡°But, it¡¯s hard to determine the cause of the problem. Please wait a moment. I will send a message to Raster.¡±

    ¡°Yes, please. I¡¯ll fiddle a little too.¡±

    Besides specifying a destination from the option menu, there were times when it was possible by using the terminal. For the time being, he decided to check which ones were working.

    ¡°There is no problem in Tsuki no Hokora. No error from the transferring devices. So, there might be some problems at the destinations or¡­¡±

    While operating the terminal, Shin formed a hypothesis. If one had never been to the destination in this world, one wouldn¡¯t be able to use the items, skills, and equipment rted to teleporting.

    Since he came to this world, he hadn¡¯t been able to use message cards and lists as these were reset.

    If the reason he could transfer to Tsuki no Hokora was because he had visited before, everything would make sense.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I have no choice but to go there.¡±

    ¡°If Shin¡¯s hypothesis is correct, there¡¯s no other way but to do that. Though Raster has been here, he can¡¯t use the transferring devices.¡±

    Schnee agreed with Shin. That was the only thing they could do now.

    In the game era, the support characters including Schnee, didn¡¯t have the crystal stones that granted teleportation ability. Therefore, Schnee hadn¡¯t registered the teleportation points at Rashugum even though she had been there.

    ¡°Our conversation is based on the fact that it is natural to use teleportation. I¡¯m scared as I¡¯m getting used to it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how we are steeped in.¡±

    Tiera had a distant look and Shin responded to her with a big smile and a thumb up.

    ¡°Stop it, I almost nodded.¡±

    ¡°Your body is honest.¡±

    ¡°Uu, I can¡¯t deny it¡­¡±

    Tiera felt that if she was not steeped in this situation, she would not be able to rx.

    After that, they checked some more devices and items. As they got into it, they realized it was alreadyte, so they decided to stay the night in Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­Sigh¡±

    While the moon was up high in the sky, Shin was sitting on the verandah at the back of Tsuki no Hokora. He held ¡ºTrue Moon¡», that had been broken from the battle with his support character, Girard.

    ¡°Well, what should I do¡­ hmm?¡±

    As he watched the moon, he sensed someone he knew very welling closer.

    ¡°You can¡¯t sleep?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Yeah, I was just thinking of repairing ¡ºTrue Moon¡».¡±

    Shin stopped thinking for a moment as he was fascinated by Schnee in her nightwear, but he still managed to answer her somehow.

    Shin lifted up ¡ºTrue Moon¡» to show Schnee as she naturally sat down next to him.

    ¡°This is from the battle with Girard, isn¡¯t it? It looks the same as it was though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought of repairing it several times.. But, how do I say it, I feel like something iscking. I could fix it right away, but my intuition as a cksmith tells me not to¡­ though, I don¡¯t know if my intuition is reliable or not.¡±

    Shin said to Schnee while putting a bitter smile on his face.

    It was about time to fix it, so he tried out during his free time today, but it didn¡¯t work out very well.

    All materials were prepared and Shin¡¯s skills weren¡¯tcking, since he was a master cksmith. Perhaps there was something else missing besides these.

    ¡°May I borrow it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Sure.¡±

    When Shin handed over ¡ºTrue Moon¡», Schnee held it in front of her chest.

    While Shin was wondering what she would do, he saw that ¡ºTrue Moon¡» gradually began glowing in Schnee¡¯s both hands.

    ¡°Wow!!¡±

    ¡ºTrue Moon¡» emitted light as if it were soaking in the moonlight. Shin was wide-eyed with surprise because of the light, but after a while, it stopped emitting a light.

    Itsted for only a moment, but Shin felt that it was much more longer than that.

    ¡°Here you go.¡±

    ¡°Ah, y-yes. Hey Schnee, what was that?¡±

    ¡°I poured my magical power into ¡ºTrue Moon¡». I felt I should do it. I don¡¯t know why, but I hope it¡¯ll help you, even just a little bit, Shin.¡±

    ¡°No, I have to thank you instead. I am sure that something missing was filled with this.¡±

    Shin said while looking at ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    Shin knew by intuition that what Schnee did wasn¡¯t anything wrong.

    At the same time, he understood three more things.

    ¡°It¡¯s notplete yet, but I know what I should do. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°I am d to hear that.¡±

    Schnee looked very beautiful with a gentle smile on her face.

    Shin gasped at her beautiful smile. Her beauty attracted people, but it made her untouchable. Her beauty was something that couldn¡¯t be described with words.

    ¡°Well, what will you do after this, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°If it is fine with you, I¡¯d like to watch the moon with you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, of course. ¡°

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°huh!¡±

    Schnee answered to Shin, and leaned her body against him.

    Shin felt a weight on his shoulder as Schnee rested her head while clinging to him.

    ¡°¡­Ah, Schnee-san? This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Please let me be like this for a moment.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±

    When Shin epted it, the weight on his shoulder increased.

    Maybe it was because Schnee leaned her whole body on Shin. The reason she didn¡¯t do so from the beginning was perhaps she was afraid of being denied or maybe she felt shy.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    They looked up moon in silence for a while.

    In the moonlit night, two shadows fell on the verandah.

    These two shadows cuddled together and remained together until they returned to their rooms.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 6 Chapter 1.3: Chapter 1 Part 3

    The following morning, Shin and the rest headed towards Kilmont . They took some time to say their farewells and give thanks to Hibineko and the others who fought in the battle of Balmel . That made them startter than the other adventurers and merchants . It also meant that their carriage ride was more spacious .

    ¡°It feels so slow now . ¡±

    Tiera muttered while looking out the window .

    ¡°It¡¯d be inappropriate for us to go flying out of the city . ¡±

    Kagerou, as a horse, pulled the carriage just as fast as the other carriages on the road . Tiera felt like they were traveling even slower, especially after their rushed ride to Falnido .

    ¡°You know this is normal, right?¡±

    ¡°I feel like everything is different now after meeting Shin . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words sank in, and Tiera didn¡¯t know how to take them .

    ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not normal . ¡±

    Tiera nced over towards Shin, feeling a little dumbfounded . It was silly to think that a carriage going at such a ridiculous speed was normal . Shin nodded in agreement, holding tightly onto reins which was only decorative .

    They were heading towards Kilmont . Shin andpany¡¯s journey to meet Shibaid had only just begun .

    ¡°I guess there isn¡¯t much traffic . Maybe we can speed up just a little¡­ wait? A message from Wilhelm!¡±

    A message had arrived for Shin, amidst everyone¡¯s convoluted thoughts .

    Shin knew that Wilhelm wouldn¡¯t send him a message over nothing . Something dire must have happened .

    He immediately opened the message .

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°Shin? What is it?¡±

    Ignoring Schnee¡¯s concerned voice, Shin quickly took out an item card and attached it to the message card .

    He merely wrote ¡°Use it,¡± and immediately sent his response to Wilhelm .

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    With Shin in a daze, Tiera and Yuzuha were also pressing him .

    With his brows furrowed, Shin told them what Wilhelm¡¯s message said .

    ¨DRashia had been stabbed .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It happened on a beautiful day .

    Sister Rashia had woken up, starting the day as usual; she made her bed, prayed, and went to wake the children . There was much work to be done in the church .

    ¡°I¡¯m off now . Please look after yourselves . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am . ¡±

    It was not unusual for a ceremonial asion to be held in the church . Thoria was supposed to be at the church to make funeral arrangements for the recently deceased .

    Rashia had nothing to worry about . It was just an ordinary day .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to begin the treatment . Please rx . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you as always . ¡±

    ¡°Please, it¡¯s nothing . It¡¯s part of my duty to serve themunity . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe how much you¡¯ve grown Rashia . I¡¯m happy for the church that you¡¯re here . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . I owe much to Thoria, but I can only hope that I can repay my debts . ¡±

    Rashia smiled towards an elderly woman from the neighborhood .

    She had gained considerable experience at the Wraith ins and her healing ability also rose greatly . She was also quite skilled in giving medical attention to those in need . Sometimes, she was even able to cure those who had given up .

    The issue with who would take over the responsibilities of the church was settled now . Everything was back to quiet . Or so she thought¨D¨D .

    ¡°May Ie in?¡±

    ¡°¡­Father Bulk . ¡±

    The man stood at the entrance of the church . He and Rashia had argued heatedly over who would lead the church .

    Father Bulk took a handkerchief to his oily face, wiping off the sweat and revealing a crooked smile .

    ¡°Hello my child . I beg your pardon, but we¡¯ve got some matters of the church to discuss . Do you think you could excuse us?¡±

    The words that came out of his mouth were polite, but the elderly woman was clearly left without a choice .

    There was too much of a status difference between them; the father of the church and an elderly viger .

    The woman left the church and closed the doors behind her . Rashia blurted out .

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with ¡®Hello,¡¯ shall we? Of course, I¡¯m here to continue our little chat from before . ¡±

    Father Bulk feigned shock . His entire demeanor was condescending . This made Rashia uneasy and bitter .

    ¡°I¡¯m certain that I will be leading the church . ¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too soon to call the shots . Besides, there hasn¡¯t been a legitimate decree yet . Did you really think that you were in control? Well, that¡¯s just hasty and careless . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve already received word from the other Fathers, that it¡¯s not an issue . Of course, since there¡¯s quite distance from headquarter, the official documents will being in any day now . ¡±

    ¡°¡®Any day now¡¯? What is that, tomorrow? Or the next day? I don¡¯t find it very reassuring that you don¡¯t have these details all in order . ¡±

    His voice lingered in Rashia¡¯s ears, giving her shivers .

    What does he want? He¡¯s far too confident .

    ¡°Father . Is that why you¡¯re here? To tell me all of this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, heavens no child . This church will be mine eventually . I¡¯ve merelye to see that things are still as they should be . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand what you mean . Why would you say such a thing?¡±

    Father Bulk made it seem as if he knew something she did not .

    ¡°Your sheer arrogance . This is why we really need to stop letting things slide just because of hereditary reasons . You know absolutely nothing . ¡±

    This time, Father Bulk became slightly more aggressive .

    ¡°Answer me . I¡¯ve obtained ¡¾Purification¡¿ so I should be the leader of this church ording to the rule . ¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t raise your voice . Why don¡¯t you show a little modesty? The Sisters in the headquarter are gentle you know?¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    The conversation was going nowhere .

    Rashia was ring at Father Bulk, when suddenly the door opened .

    ¡°Am Ite?¡±

    ¡°Yes you are, Eline! Because of your tardiness, I¡¯ve been through quite an ordeal . I encountered a golem during my trip, and¡­¡±

    ¡°Bulk-san, that¡¯s your fault . You are the one who said that you wanted to visit some ancient sites . I had my own matters to attend to, so please, do not yammer on about that anymore . ¡±

    The man who stepped in wore a suit of armor .

    It wasn¡¯t unusual to see someone with blonde hair blue eyes from Bayreuth . His hair that came slightly below his shoulders was neatly tied back . He smiled, and looked like a picturesque knight in shining armor .

    However, Rashia saw him as anything but that . He was an intruder, for all she knew .

    ¡°Anyways . You know what to do, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the men outside filled me in . Is she the one we¡¯re taking?¡±

    ¡°No . We¡¯re taking the child of the beast . I understand the child¡¯s name is Mily, or something like that . I¡¯m sure she¡¯s in the orphanage . Bring her to me . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir . ¡±

    Father Bulkmanded with no hesitation .

    The man named Eline was headed towards the orphanage .

    ¡°Wait! What are you going to do with Millie!!¡±

    Rashia stood in his way, but Eline did not budge .

    ¡°Bulk-san . What should I do with her?¡±

    ¡°Do as you wish . The area is surrounded . ¡±

    ¡°Then¡±

    It was a matter of seconds . Eline tilted his left hand, unsheathed his weapon and took the short sword .

    The speed was clearly not the capability of amoner . If this had worked, Rashia would have gone down in the blink of an eye .

    ¡°Kya!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Except, it didn¡¯t . A clear barrier generated between Rashia and the short sword . A spark could be seen where the forces met, and Rashia was thrown back .

    The short sword fell to the ground with a ng .

    ¡°How interesting . You seem to have equipped a shield item of some sort . Even my sword couldn¡¯t stand against it . It¡¯ll be even more interesting to find out, if you made this item yourself, or if you received it as a gift . ¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    Eline looked intrigued, but Rashia could only stare back with fear .

    She had no idea what had happened .

    Rashia was at level 151 . She was quite strong as amon woman . Her kic vision was far from average .

    Yet, she could not have dodged Eline¡¯s attack on her own .

    After fighting alongside Shin and Wilhelm, she had grown ustomed to sensing murderous intent . Everyone -no matter how strong- should be emitting some sort of will . It could be murderous or violent . Either way, it was a guide for Rashia to use when dodging and defending herself .

    Yet here was this man, with neither murderous intent or animosity . To kill must be as natural as breathing for him . He showed no hesitation towards the act of killing . Here was true terror, in the form of a man .

    ¡°Won¡¯t you answer me?¡±

    ¡°N¡­ . no . ¡±

    ¡°Oh well . I guess I¡¯ll just have to find! Out!¡±

    Before he had finished his thought, he drew his other sword and ran towards Rashia . Yet again, Rashia¡¯s barrier stood against his force .

    However, unlike thest time with the short sword, sparks were flying more dramatically and the sword was struck deep in the air .

    ¡°It¡¯s much tougher than I had anticipated . What would happen if I hit repeatedly?¡±

    Eline couldn¡¯t hide his excitement . He was thrilled to have found a worthy opponent . He drew his sword again and again .

    With every strike, Rashia¡¯s barrier shrunk .

    ¡°Eline, stop horsing around . ¡±

    ¡°But sir, I think I¡¯m close . ¡±

    ¡°Just use that other thing . Hurry up . ¡±

    ¡°You leave me no choice . I¡¯ve already tested it on a monster . Let¡¯s see how you fare . ¡±

    Eline turned his sword into a card . He reached in his pockets for a different one . It materialized into a 2 meter long giant knife .

    A single edge had to be longer than 15 cemels . The de shone bright red . The brim had the emblem of wings, and a giant fist sized jewel fit neatly .

    The onyx jewel was a stark contrast to the blood-red de .

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she a beauty? I¡¯m afraid all I know is that her name is ¡ºExvaine¡» . ¡±

    Eline looked proudly at his possession .

    ¡°It¡¯s more than just a pretty face . Just look at this!¡±

    He seemed satisfied that Rashia couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of his weapon, as he grinned and thrust it upon her .

    You could hear the swish of the de cutting through the air as it left a red afterimage . It was almost a shriek as the sound of shattering ss pierced through the ears of those in the vicinity . The knife cut through the barrier like butter, shing Rashia¡¯s cheek . The de stopped at her neck .

    Rashia peered over at the deadly tool . Should Eline gesture his hand even the slightest bit, her head would be chopped off . Blood dripped down her face, and Rashia sat there shaking .

    ¡°So . Do you feel like answering my question now?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    She put all of her might into not screaming . She had lost all words .

    Eline looked smug . It wasn¡¯t a very pleasant expression . It was the face of a violent child . One that enjoyed picking off the legs and wings of a bug .

    ¡°No . Please . Leave us alone . ¡±

    ¡®I will probably die . ¡¯ Rashia was filled with sorrow at the thought .

    She stared into Eline¡¯s eyes . She knew that no matter what she had said, it was all up to his whim . That is why she felt resolute to not share  any information .

    ¡°That¡¯s a pity . It¡¯s fine though . I¡¯m here on a mission anyways . ¡±

    Millie and the other children were indeed in the orphanage . No matter what happens, Rashia must warn them of the dangers . She was about 10 steps away from an item that would heed them .

    Rashia was about to run for it, when the worst case scenario had unfolded . Luck was on Father Bulk¡¯s side .

    ¡°Shia-nee, I¡¯m done cleaning . ¡±

    It was none other than Millie, who hade into the church building . She was alone . She must have finished her chores before the other children .

    ¡°Well what do we have here . She seems to be Millie-san . How convenient that the target came to us . Is this because I behave well everyday? ¡±

    ¡°Yes, it must be God smiling down on us . Eline, you know what to do . ¡±

    ¡°Of course, my lord . ¡±

    Eline and Father Bulk shifted their attention to Millie . At that chance, Rashia attempted to run to the organ, to activate the item hidden between the keys .

    However, Eline did not miss a beat .

    ¡°Are you going to do something? That¡¯s no good at all . ¡±

    Eline stood between Rashia and the organ .

    ¡°Hurry up Eline . ¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t rush me, Father!¡± Eline blocked Rashia and inched towards Millie . It was then that a strong barrier burst between Millie and Eline .

    Eline could sense that this force was much more powerful than that of Rashia . He swung down his precious ¡ºExvaine¡» .

    Except it was different this time . ¡ºExvaine¡» bounced off of the barrier with a jolt .

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Eline¡¯s eyes were slits of rage . He took his weapon andshed out towards Millie . The barrier held up .

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Eline put more might into his vicious attacks .

    Millie was crouched to the ground, and only a little crack appeared in her barrier .

    ¡°¡­Well what do you know . My High Human weapon doesn¡¯t seem to be doing its job . ¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    ¡°Eline!¡±

    ¡°Oops . Just a slip of the tongue . ¡±

    Rashia could not hide her surprise . A High Human weapon- one forged by the likes of God . It wasn¡¯t just that though . It was the fact that the little Millie even stood a chance . The item from Shin seemed like a simple ne . It was truly a God-given gift .

    ¡°This is a waste of time . Let¡¯s try this . ¡±

    ¡°Agh!?¡±

    Eline took the ¡ºExvaine¡» and destroyed Rashia¡¯s barrier . She was thrown to the ground as the de was ced right at Rashia¡¯s neck .

    ¡°No!!¡±

    ¡°Millie, Millie, Millie . If you don¡¯t want her to die, please discard your barrier item . ¡±

    ¡°No! Millie don¡¯t! Gah!¡±

    Eline shut Rashia up . She could no longer produce any words .

    ¡°S-Shia-nee¡­¡±

    Millie didn¡¯t know what to do . She stood helplessly, uttering Rashia¡¯s name .

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to believe me . Then, how about this?¡±

    Eline briefly released Rashia from the holds of ¡ºExvaine¡», and effortlessly slid the red de into Rashia¡¯s right rib area .

    ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±

    Rashia didn¡¯t know what had happened, until the blood starteding out of her mouth .

    ¡°Shia-nee!!¡±

    Millie ran towards her .

    However, her barrier stopped her, because it knew how dangerous Eline was .

    ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done Millie . You can stop all of this right now, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­no¡­ Don¡¯¡­t¡­¡±

    The pain was excruciating, but Rashia didn¡¯t want Millie in the wrong hands . All that came out of her mouth though were shallow breaths and sounds .

    ¡°No! Release Shia-nee!!¡±

    ¡°All you have to do is unequip your barrier item . The more you resist, the more pain she will be in¡­ . like this . ¡±

    His tone was gentle, as Eline chanted spells into the ¡ºExvaine¡» still inside Rashia .

    The de turned red-hot .

    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!¡±

    The burning sensation made Rashia cry out .

    Her scream was too much for Millie .

    ¡°Stop! Stop it¡­¡±

    ¡°Look . All you have to do is take off your item . Put it on the ground . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Tears dripping down her chin, Millie ced her ne on the floor . The moment her hand and the ne weren¡¯t touching, the barrier was released .

    ¡°That just took far too long . Off we go . Come . ¡±

    Father Bulk shook his head .

    ¡°Please . Please help S-Shia-nee¡­¡±

    ¡°If youe quietly, she won¡¯t die . If you even let out a peep, who knows what will happen to your precious sister . ¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°This is why I hate children . Eline . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, Father . ¡±

    Eline hit Millie¡¯s gut . She fell noiselessly . They had knocked her unconscious .

    ¡°We¡¯re done here . Let¡¯s go . ¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we clean up?¡±

    ¡°Leave it . But don¡¯t leave any traces . ¡±

    ¡°As you wish . ¡±

    Bulk carried off Millie, while Eline activated his clearing skills . He took ¡ºExvaine¡» out of Rashia .

    ¡°!?¡±

    She was in so much pain that all she could do wasy there quivering .

    Eline looked up towards the beautiful stained ss .

    ¡°¡­By the way . Another question: an adventureres here often, carrying a magic spear . What ss is this man¡¯s weapon in?¡±

    Eline was thinking of Wilhelm of course . He looked over at Rashia .

    There was no response . This was only natural . Even if she could, she had no will to respond to him . Her wounds were deep and painful .

    ¡°Ah . My apologies . I really ought to have asked beforehand . What a pity . Until next time . ¡±

    Eline lowered his gaze .

    Father Bulk had already left with his men .

    ¨D¨DExcept, another presence had filled the room .

    ¡°What a lucky day indeed . ¡±

    ¡°Whose blood is that on your sword?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s voice was cold .

    His hand squeezed ¡ºVenom¡» even tighter .

    ¡°I mean . I was having a friendly conversation with the sister . It really didn¡¯t pan out the way I wanted it to though . By the way, how did you get here? I thought I had activated my clearing skill here . ¡±

    ¡°What did you do to her?¡±

    ¡°Why do people never answer my questions?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s got questions to answer . ¡±

    ¡°My my . So hostile . Fine . I stabbed her . She doesn¡¯t have very long to¡­!¡±

    Wilhelm charged before Eline was finished .

    ¡ºVenom¡» had released a bright red light into the air .

    It was a single shot with all his might . But Eline took his ¡ºExvaine¡» and cut the ze . The two weapons¡¯ forces caused somerge sparks .

    ¡°What did I ever do to you?¡±

    ¡°A whole lot!!¡±

 Vol 6 Chapter 1.4: Chapter 1 Part 4

    Eline dodged the repeated attacks.

    Wilhelm was an upper ss Chosen One. It seemed impossible, but it was as if Eline knew what his next moves were. Eline¡¯s face remained calm andposed.

    ¡°I believe your spear is ¡¶Legend¡· grade, possibly ¡¶Mythology¡· grade. I¡¯d love to have it in my collection.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!!¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s attacks became more heated. He didn¡¯t skip a beat with his repeated strikes. You¡¯d think that one hit would be able to pulverize a king ss Skull Face.

    Yet it was no match against Eline¡¯s ¡ºExvaine¡», or Eline himself. The fighter and the weapon that Wilhelm faced were the real deal.

    ¡°You¡¯re as good as I¡¯d heard. I wish that I had a little more speed on me. That¡¯s the one weakness when ites to equipping ¡ºExvaine¡».¡±

    ¡°Why, you little¡­!!¡±

    It was frustrating how Eline wasn¡¯t fully invested in thebat.

    Wilhelm had to switch tactics. Rather than waste energy on the repeated blows, he had to take a single shot. He stepped back to squeeze more power into his hands that held ¡ºVenom¡». However, this caused him to stop moving momentarily.

    Eline did not miss this chance.

    He went from defense mode to attack mode, thrusting ¡ºExvaine¡».

    ¡°Gah!!¡±

    Wilhelm brought ¡ºVenom¡» in front of him to take the red de on.

    The sheer mass of it took Wilhelm by surprise. He had not anticipated its weight, having seen Eline lift it so easily. Regardless of what Eline had said about his own speed, he was faster and more agile than Wilhelm.

    Wilhelm took some damage.

    He was blown back and mmed against the wall. He could feel the air being forced out of his lungs, as he let out a yelp.

    ¡ºVenom¡» had saved Wilhelm by intercepting the thrust of his savage opponent. Still, the damage was sufficient to make Wilhelm drop ¡ºVenom¡».

    ¡ºVenom¡»y there, with a crack in the center after shing with the mighty ¡ºExvaine¡».

    ¡°Oh dear. After looking around, I thought I¡¯d finally found something that I liked. Now it¡¯s damaged goods. I should have known it with a strong opponent like you.¡±

    Eline looked down at the item and shook his head after heaving a sigh.

    Maybe he was preupied with the weapon, but he didn¡¯t seem to have a care in the world for Wilhelm, who was pushing the rubble off of himself.

    ¡°Grr.¡±

    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re fine the way you were. This spear is no good to me.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­are you here?¡±

    ¡°My client was looking for someone.¡±

    ¡°Looking for¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But we found the child. Oh, was this off record? My bad. It¡¯s fine though, my role here is done.¡±

    Eline answered Wilhelm cheerfully.

    Wilhelm wondered if there was something wrong with the man standing there.

    ¡°I have to go now or I could get into trouble. I¡¯d be happy if you could get your spear fixed, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me where you¡¯re going too.¡±

    ¡°Sure. We¡¯re headed to the church headquarter. Pleasee if you want. My name is Eline Sperizer. You should remember that.¡±

    Then Eline turned and left.

    No one could ever forget his grin of pure evil.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°F-FUck!¡±

    Eline disappeared, and Wilhelm groaned as he clutched his left abdomen in pain.

    He knew that he had cracked a few ribs. On top of that, the fight had taken a tremendous toll on his body.

    Wilhelm had fought quite a few battles until now, and he was in shock. He had only taken one hit, yet, he was in considerable agony.

    Perhaps Eline was that skilled of a fighter, or his weapon was truly that potent. Regardless, that weapon was not normal.

    ¡°Rashia¡­¡±

    He forced himself to step foot in the church.

    Thoria should not be here today. Then it had to be Rashia who faced Eline.

    ¡°!?¡±

    He could smell the damp iron of blood. It was an eerie feeling for the scent to be wafting inside a house of God.

    Wilhelm looked about frantically, before his eyes rested on Rashia on the floor, her back in a pool of blood.

    This was enough to make him forget his own wounds.

    ¡°Rashia!! No, Rashia!! Wake up!!¡±

    ¡°Wi¡­¡±

    Rashia was barely conscious, as she feebly called his name.

    ¡°Please! Take this!!¡±

    He took out a card from his Item Box.

    It was a ss 5 Potion ¨C the highest-ss antidote that Wilhelm had ever possessed. This should do the trick, even for wound like hers.

    ¡°No! Why?!¡±

    He had given the potion to her. Yet, the wound was not healing itself.

    Wilhelm had not known. There was a restriction depending on the potion ss. A ss 5 Potion was only as effective as the healing abilities of the person in need of healing. Only at a ss 4 Potion or higher could an item heal a wound and enhance a person¡¯s vitality.

    That level of recovery item was not avable in any of the nearby markets. It was rare to even see a ss 5 Potion; the recovery item Wilhelm had.

    ¡°Damn it!!¡±

    Wilhelm could see that it was of no use. He immediately reached for the message card in his Item Box. There wasn¡¯t enough time to spare ¨C not even to write to another for help.

    He wrote to Shin that Rashia was stabbed.

    She had very little time left in this world.

    Wilhelm couldn¡¯t help her. All he could do was pray to God that he¡¯d get a response, and to try to stop the bleeding.

    ¡°Wil¡­¡±

    ¡°I asked Shin for help. Just hold out a little longer.¡±

    Rashia didn¡¯t respond. She squeezed his hand and could barely get the words out.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Why.¡±

    ¡°I¡­could¡­n¡¯t¡­save¡­Mi¡­llie¡±

    I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t save Millie.

    She was losing consciousness as she repeated this over and over.

    Wilhelm bit his lips.

    He shouldn¡¯t have lost hisposure. He should have focused. He knew what he was up against. It didn¡¯t help at all that he was hot in the head.

    And he was even more helpless now.

    ¡°!¡±

    A message appeared in front of Wilhelm. All that was written was ¡°Use it.¡± Several item cards were also attached.

    Every card had the same image. Wilhelm took one in his hand.

    A long, thin ss jar appeared with a clear gold liquid inside.

    Wilhelm had no idea what it was, but there was no time. He trusted Shin, and gave it to Rashia.

    ¡°Mm¡­ah¡­¡±

    The results were astonishing.

    The bleeding had stopped and the wound was closing in on itself. Her pale skin regained color. Her face had been the picture of agony. Now it was calm and soothed.

    No one would have believed that she had been dying only a second ago. The only proof of the event was her torn clothes and the pool of drying blood.

    ¡°Eh? What¡­I..¡±

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    Rashia was fully recovered. She seemed dazed, as she looked around.

    ¡°How did I¡­!? Oh Wil! Where¡¯s Millie!? Where is she!¡±

    She frantically questioned Wilhelm. Even if the stab wound was gone, it didn¡¯t mean that she had recovered her stamina. She couldn¡¯t muster any strength in her arms.

    ¡°She was gone by the time I got here.¡±

    Rashia was losing her mind, and Wilhelm could only tell her the truth.

    He was familiar with the presence of every orphan in the church. He could not feel that of Millie anywhere nearby.

    ¡°No¡­Millie¡­¡±

    ¡°Stop crying and tell me what happened.¡±

    Wilhelm was losing his patience, and Rashia looked up towards him.

    ¡°She can¡¯t be dead. We have to get her back! Tell me!¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. ¡­she¡¯ll be alright, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, they said they¡¯re headed back to the church headquarter. I doubt they¡¯ll get right to the killing. I also told Shin.¡±

    She nodded, as tears fell down her cheeks.

    Millie was taken. But Wilhelm was right. Millie was still alive.

    Neither Rashia nor Wilhelm knew Father Bulk¡¯s motives. It didn¡¯t matter anyways.

    Millie was a friend. She was family.

    If she needed help, they would help her.

    ¡°Wilhelm!¡±

    A loud shout was heard from the steps of the church.

    Wilhelm had managed to help Rashia sit in a chair. He turned to the source of the voice.

    ¡°About time.¡±

    It was Shin. He had Yuzuha on his shoulders. Schnee and Tiera followed behind.

    Shin also held ¡ºVenom¡» in his hand.

    ¡°I saw your message and sent you some items. Is Rashia¡­what is that blood?¡±

    He was bewildered by therge, dark red spot by the alter. It had to be at least a mel in diameter.

    He had only read the word ¡®stabbed¡¯. He had not anticipated that much blood loss from the message alone.

    ¡°You made it sound like she was just a little hurt. What in the world happened?¡±

    Shin looked to see that Rashia was okay. Then he asked Wilhelm.

    ¡°You have to ask her for the details. All I know is this.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Millie was taken and Rashia was stabbed by an upper ss Chosen One. He had an unusual weapon too.¡±

    ¡°Is that why ¡ºVenom¡» is like this?¡±

    Shin held up ¡ºVenom¡», with a chip in it. The item¡¯s durability was reduced by a third.

    ¡°It was just one hit.¡±

    ¡°One hit?¡±

    ¡°One strike did this.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. That means that this is no simple kidnapping.¡±

    Shin thought about it. The weapon that was used against Wilhelm must be at least ¡¶Mythology¡· grade. It could also be ¡¶Ancient¡·. Otherwise, ¡ºVenom¡» wouldn¡¯t have be like this.

    ¡°Wil. Did you fight the blonde swordsman with the red sword?¡±

    Rashia had been listening to the conversation.

    ¡°Yes. I know you¡¯ve only just gotten up, but tell us what happened.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Rashia tried her hardest to tell them without getting emotional.

    ¡°I see. Then Millie shouldn¡¯t be in immediate danger. Father Bulk didn¡¯t care about this church at all. He was after Millie the whole time.¡±

    ¡°They must be after Millie¡¯s gift.¡±

    They agreed.

    Millie was a ¡®Hoshiyomi¡¯. She could predict the future. (T/N: Hoshiyomi or Star Reader)

    ¡°I know you already talked about this. This ¡®Eline¡¯¡­are you sure he called his weapon ¡ºExvaine¡», and are you sure he said it was a ¡®High Human¡¯ weapon?¡±

    Shin was more concerned with this than Millie after hearing Rashia finish telling them what had happened.

    ¡°Yes. The bracelet that I had received from you held him off until he used the red sword against me and the bracelet shattered. I believe Millie¡¯s item only had a crack in it towards the end, but¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin repeated her words in his mind. If he was right about his hunch, then Rashia¡¯s item couldn¡¯t have bought them any time at all.

    Even Millie¡¯s item would have broken eventually.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about Millie. Rashia, you need to rest now.¡±

    Shin brushed off Rashia¡¯s question, but she knew something was wrong.

    It wasn¡¯t possible for Rashia to understand, because she didn¡¯t know he was a High Human.

    Rashia looked dejected, but Wilhelm tried to reassure her.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take over from now on. You have the other children here to protect. Tell Thoria to also be careful.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    ¡°It really wasn¡¯t your fault. You were up against some scary things. How could you have gone up against an opponent that even I couldn¡¯t handle?¡±

    Rashia had leveled up, but she was far from an upper ss Chosen One. Even if she had fought normally, she couldn¡¯t even have posed a threat against her foes.

    Perhaps there was some saving grace to her leveling up though. Because of that, her blood loss was minimized. It wasn¡¯t all hopeless.

    If Rashia had died, Millie would have been devastated.

    ¡°You need to get better. For Millie.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words managed to get Rashia to return to the orphanage.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 6 Chapter 1.5: Chapter 1 Part 5

    ¡°What is it? Do you know about the weapon that guy used?¡±

    Wilhelm asked after they had cleaned up the bloody mess.

    He didn¡¯t bother to hide his anger anymore.

    Perhaps something snapped after Rashia had left the room.

    ¡°Calm down Wilhelm¡­I thought I had an idea of what we were up against, but now it¡¯s certain. What do you think Schnee?¡±

    ¡°The odds are stacked. I think we¡¯re both on the same page.¡±

    Schnee seemed to be thinking the same thing. While Shin didn¡¯t spell it out, she agreed with him.

    ¡°What is it then?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s hard for us when you¡¯re both in the know and we¡¯re not.¡±

    Wilhelm was impatient. Tiera also red at Shin, for leaving her out.

    ¡°Sorry. ¡ºExvaine¡» used to belong to a friend of mine. It¡¯s actual name is ¡ºRed Crystal Sword Exvaine¡». It¡¯s ancient grade¡­and it¡¯s a sword that I forged myself.¡±

    Shin sighed. If what Rashia heard was right, that a High Human made the weapon, then that must be the case.

    What made Shin even more sure was how he had never sold it to other yers.

    ¡°Wilhelm, I believe that you struggled due to one of the sword¡¯s abilities.¡± Shin began to exin.

    One. It increases damage against humans. Two. The de can decrease magic damage against it.

    While it doesn¡¯t have very many abilities as far as a high-ss weapon goes, originally it was meant to be ast resort weapon. Since ¡ºExvaine¡» itself has tremendous damage potential, Shin had figured that it didn¡¯t require any more abilities.

    ¡°Well of course I didn¡¯t stand a chance. It was forged by the ¡®Dark cksmith¡¯.¡±

    He must have remembered the battle earlier. Wilhelm furrowed his brow.

    ¡°I see. Eh? I thought the weapons forge can¡¯t be used other than the intended user?¡±

    Tiera blurted out after thinking about what Shin had said about Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡». While the circumstances were slightly different, she had the right idea.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. ¡ºExvaine¡» was handed to my friend Filma. Only she should be able to use it. Even if she were to give it away willingly, I doubt that she would be the kind of person that¡¯d attack a church. Schnee, when was thest time you spoke to Filma?¡±

    Filma is one of Shin¡¯s support characters.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t spoken since the cataclysm. That should be some 450 years or so.¡±

    ¡°¡­and you didn¡¯t think to tell me or look for her after all that time?¡±

    Shin was aghast at how calm Schnee was.

    ¡°Well, we live such long lives¡­ and when we¡¯re at the top of our respective races, time is just¡­our sense of time is so different and¡­ Other than looking for Shin, I had assumed that Filma was the type that wanted to live peacefully and live alone. I¡¯m terribly sorry, we never were heavily in touch either, and¡­¡±

    It¡¯s one thing if it¡¯s an important character like Girard or Shibaid. For other characters though, particrly those that were isted and not in a party, it was a different matter.

    Of course, if Filma hade across a clue about Shin, she would have contacted Schnee.

    Filma was an upper-ss lord, aka a High Lord. Since Schnee and Filma were simr beings with long lives, not hearing from each other for centuries was not unusual.

    ¡°Shin, I know I said this before, but for High Elves like master, 500 years is nothing. There are High Elves who nap for that long.¡±

    Tiera was the one that came to help Schnee who was under scrutiny. Tiera was quite young as an elf, so her sense of the surroundings ¨C or theck thereof ¨C was not as extreme as Schnee¡¯s.

    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m at fault too.¡±

    When your lifetimests for thousands of years, there¡¯s no point keeping track of events. While there are those who live a very purposeful and meaningful 500 years, most do not.

    Either way, Shin has only been around for 20 years. He couldn¡¯t possibly fathom that sort of mentality.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave it at that. Do you know where Filma was headedst then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She was headed to the north. At least I think so. It¡¯s been such a long time though. Again, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t be. It¡¯s impressive that you even remember that detail.¡±

    Shin thought to himself ¨C ¡®I bet I wouldn¡¯t have.¡¯

    ¡°North though, huh. We don¡¯t have a decent map, so it¡¯s hard to say where.¡±

    ¡°I have a map.¡±

    Schnee reached into her Item Box and pulled out a map from her inventory. She ced it on the stool.

    You could see how vast the ocean was in the middle of the continent. This always gave an illusion that there were two continents. ording to Schnee, the north was called Est and the south was called Kern. Shin and his party were in Bayreuth. It was close to the southern end of Kern.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never actually seen a map of our continent that¡¯s so precise.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen maps at the market, but never this good.¡±

    Wilhelm also couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. Shin also recalled the map he had bought in a shop.

    ¡°When you sell urate maps, other countries can use it to their advantage. It¡¯s difficult to make these too. This one was created by looking down from the Sky Castle.¡±

    ¡°I can see how looking down would allow such uracy.¡±

    Shin nodded. Using a guild house castle in such a way almost seemed like cheating.

    ¡°Does this mean that we have to go even further north in Est?¡±

    ¡°We might even end up in the north of Kern. Some truly believe that Est and Kern are two separate entities. Back when Filma had mentioned her journey, there was no such thing as Kern or Est.¡±

    People started calling the areas by those names almost 400 years ago.

    The map was made after Filma¡¯s disappearance. It¡¯s hard to tell how Filma understood the continental divide.

    ¡°So. Why did that bastard have your friend¡¯s sword?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s no way to know unless we ask Filma or the sword¡¯s current owner. We can¡¯t let it be this way for long though.¡±

    Shin¡¯s attitude had sharply changed over the course of this discussion. His tone was more aggressive.

    He clenched hard at the stool that the map wasid upon. You could hear a faint crushing noiseing from within his hand. Wilhelm was more obvious with his emotions, but Shin was boiling up inside, although he appeared calm.

    ording to Rashia¡¯s story, it was unlikely that Father Bulk would kill Millie instantly.

    That didn¡¯t mean that Millie was safe though. In the worst-case scenario, Millie would be put through unbearable pain and suffering in order to make her cooperate.

    What¡¯s more, Eline was clearly abnormal. It pissed off Shin beyond anything, that someone could have the nerve to equip another person¡¯s weapon.

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure that he could let a person breathe, if they had taken another¡¯s weapon by virtue of murder.

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°Please. Please calm down.¡±

    Tiera gently touched Shin¡¯s left arm. Her voice quivered, and Schnee ced her hand over Shin¡¯s right hand.

    Yuzuha could also feel the tension in the air. She said nothing, and rubbed Shin¡¯s cheek slowly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the only one upset then.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡±

    Shin tried to breathe in deeply in order to slow his nerves.

    ¡°Sorry¡­we have to talk about how to get Millie back. Wilhelm, when you fought Eline, did he say anything about where they were headed?¡±

    Shin apologized and thanked the three, then asked Wilhelm.

    ¡°They¡¯re going to the Church headquarter. He told me to bring back ¡ºVenom¡» after fixing it. That bastard.¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s bad mood worsened.

    ¡°Which means, that even if we can¡¯t catch up with them, an encounter is unavoidable at the Church.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not possible to catch up.¡±

    Wilhelm shut Shin down.

    ¡°What do you mean? I think it¡¯s entirely possible at our journey speed.¡±

    ¡°Eline disappeared after our battle. He didn¡¯t just disappear out of sight. I think¡­he ¡®teleported¡¯.¡±

    Wilhelm had actually witnessed Eline fade away. He would have recognized a magic skill ¡¾Hiding¡¿. It was nothing of the sort.

    ¡°¡¾Teleportation¡¿¡­really?¡±

    ¡°I think so. It didn¡¯t feel like he wanted to hide himself.¡±

    Shin mulled it over, as Schnee interrupted.

    ¡°It must be the difference in the magical current.¡±

    ¡°Magical current?¡±

    Shin nced over at Schnee over a concept he¡¯d never heard of.

    ¡°¡¾Teleportation¡¿ and ¡¾Hiding¡¿ rely on different magical currents. Wilhelm knows what ¡¾Hiding¡¿ feels like in the surrounding area. It must have been an unfamiliar feeling.¡±

    ¡°I had no idea. How does it feel different?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the person. There are those who are sensitive to magical currents and others who can¡¯t sense it too.¡±

    It was a different setting from the game. It must be simr to the concept of the arts ¨C something that only really exists in this universe alone.

    ¡°Then we have to head directly to the Church headquarter. Where is it?¡±

    ¡°Around here.¡±

    Schnee pointed at the map with her thin finger. It was in the center of Est.

    This meant that they¡¯d have to cross through Kern and stop somewhere in the middle of Est.

    ¡°This is going to take some time.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we can reach out to Vizzy. We could borrow a dragon. That would dramatically decrease our travel time.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Please do that.¡±

    Vizzy was a summoner and tamer, as well as a supporting character of Cashmere. (T/N: Changed Busy to Vizzy)

    Rumor had it that there were several dragons being trained at the castle. It could be their chance to save time.

    Thest message sent to Raster had no reply. They could also check in on that front.

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s so busy that he just forgot?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    Shin knew Raster well enough. He could picture that. Raster had that personality of often forgetting his environment when focused too much on a single task.

    In the real world, someone like him would be called a ¡®mechanic nerd¡¯.

    ¡°I knew this already but¡­he really is crazy isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t think about anything too hard.¡±

    Riding a dragon was the kind of thought that a yer would have. People who lived in this universe would never consider it as a transportation means.

    Aside from a few warriors in the Kilmont Sky Dragoon, it was a rare skill for anyone to possess. Riding a dragon was tremendously difficult.

    Wilhelm knew that Shin was an abnormal being.

    Still, as someone native, these weren¡¯t instinctive or natural thoughts. Tiera looked over at Wilhelm, dumbfounded, as she once used to be because of her culture shock from Shin.

    ¡°Our destination is set. Who knows what¡¯ll happen, but we have to prepare now. We have to get Millie back.¡±

    ¡°No need to say that twice.¡±

    Wilhelm headed towards Rashia to update her on their next moves.

    In the meantime, Schnee and Tiera went to go find food. Shin took the broken ¡ºVenom¡» and headed outside of the capital.

    ¡°Alright then.¡±

    He was in the middle of a field, not too far from civilization, and made Tsuki no Hokora materialize. He had ced a hiding spell on it, to keep it out of people¡¯s sight.

    The furnace was already roaring. The necessary metals to enhance ¡ºVenom¡» were prepared.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­which one¡­¡±

    Shin looked over ¡ºVenom¡».

    Enhancing ¡ºVenom¡» was different from the kinds of actions to take with Schnee¡¯s weapon, for instance. ¡ºVenom¡» required a higher status from its user. Certain conditions needed to be met for the spear to grow stronger.

    While the conditions weren¡¯t exactly clear, Shin knew that Wilhelm and ¡ºVenom¡» together satisfied anybination of terms.

    ¡ºVenom¡» was interesting, in that it had two possible paths ¨C ¡®holy¡¯ or ¡®demonic¡¯. It was a surprise how it¡¯d turn out.

    Shin instructed Yuzuha to step aside and got to work.

    Shin took the refined orichalcum and mithril ingot and ced it close by. He threw ¡ºVenom¡» into the fire.

    Even ancient grade metal stood no chance in this fire. ¡ºVenom¡» melted within seconds, bing a block of ingot.

    Shin thrust his hammer down.

    ¡°!!!!¡±

    With each heavy hammering, ¡ºVenom¡»¡¯s magic was being swerved left and right by Shin¡¯s overpowering magic. The entire workshop was full of sparks.

    When rebuilding a weapon from the ground up, all of the magic in a weapon needed to be exhausted.

    It all depended on the cksmith, how much magic could be drained and how much could be poured back in.

    The ingot that was once ¡ºVenom¡» would make any normal person fall with a single touch. Weapons that were heavily used were even more difficult to mold.

    ¡°!¡±

    After a few dozen hammers , the ingot began to change shape. Its red hue was fading as a silver gleam started to be more prominent.

    Shin smiled at the sight. The silver meant that the spear would be holy.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good news.¡±

    He chuckled, and began to put more power into his arms.

    A high pitched banging of metal to metal echoed throughout the shrine. The ingot was turning brighter and brighter, and Shin¡¯s hammer was thrusting heavier and heavier.

    With thest hammer in, a final blow of force rippled from the metal to the surrounding area.

    Any normal cksmith would have had his arm explode from the might.

    It was but a breeze to a seasoned Shin, as he looked deeply into the ingot.

    All of its original magic was gone, as it started to emit a stronger radiance.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Shin was satisfied with his work, and reached over for the orichalcum and mithril. He ced them over the ingot and continued to hammer down.

    A different note could be heard with each bang. At first the metals made more of a grunting noise, but as they meshed into one, the tone became a clear ng and ringing tter.

    Shin was also more patient, more intentional with each thrust. The ingot was resistant at first and you could almost hear it. Eventually, it made no noise. It shook but seemed resigned and epting its own fate.

    ¡°!¡±

    Shin let out a sigh with the final blow.

    He lifted his hammer and looked down to see a single spear.

    The entire spear, up until the tip of the de, shimmered silver.

    A small cross shaved clear crystal was ced between the spearhead, embellished with a red marking here and there. This must be the remains of ¡ºVenom¡».

    Shin took the spear in hand and began to appraise.

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°Holy spear ¡ºBeinot¡»¡± Total score SS¡±

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D ¡°All bonus conditions met. Warrior equipped will be given the title ¡®Smiling Guardian¡¯.¡±

    Looking at the minute details, Shin¡¯s eyes stopped.

    The weapon in his hand should have been an upper mythology grade weapon. In fact, it had upgraded to a lower ancient grade weapon.

    He expected as much as far as the bonuses would go, but¡­

    ¡°I see. So this method also upgrades the weapon ss.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡» and Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºMoon Destroyer¡», Wolfgang¡¯s ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» were all at their highest sses. There was no way to upgrade beyond higher ancient.

    Plus, ¡ºSwift Fang¡» was only welded for an ability upgrade. There was no way that it could also ss upgrade.

    ¡°Now it¡¯ll be a fair match with ¡ºExvaine¡».¡±

    Comparing weapons alone, ¡ºBeinot¡» was superior.

    Who knows how the battle will unfold, but Wilhelm and ¡ºBeinot¡» should be able to meet eye to eye with Eline and ¡ºExvaine¡».

    Shin quickly turned ¡ºBeinot¡» into a card and returned to the capital.

    Schnee was already done with her errands. Everyone was back at the church orphanage.

    ¡°Vizzy got back to me. The capital will draw too much attention. We have to meet somewhere a little more remote.¡±

    ¡°How long will we have to wait?¡±

    ¡°About an hour.¡±

    ¡°Then we can head there and wait.¡±

    Vizzy had things to do too. Even if Shin was the same rank with Vizzy¡¯s master, Cashmere, he couldn¡¯t get upset.

    Besides, riding a dragon would reduce their overall travel time by more than an hour.

    Wilhelm was thest one to join them. Shin and the party left the capital.

    They went out for some 20 minutes to the middle of a field with nothing in the way. They would wait for Vizzy there, and they had already checked that no one would bother them.

    Wilhelm had already received the ¡ºBeinot¡» card.

    ¡°¡­There.¡±

    Shin looked over. In the clouds, a small shadow appeared.

    He counted 5. They waited a bit longer as the shadows became clearer.

    ¡°Hey. Shin. The red one in the front¡­ that¡¯s an elder red dragon.¡±

    ¡°Yes. But it doesn¡¯t look full-grown.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really not the point.¡±

    Shin thought that he was remarking on how small the dragon is.

    The elder red dragons that Wilhelm said were upper ss monsters in the dragon family. Inparison to normal red dragons, they had considerably higher battle specs.

    They grew to be about 20 mels, but the dragon in the front looked to be half of that.

    There were two dragons on each side of the red dragon, all with elder titles: a blue dragon and green dragon to its left and a white dragon and ck dragon to its right.

    They must also see Shin and his party.

    They gradually decreased in altitude,nding some 10 mels away from them.

    A woman wearing a robe swooped down from the elder red dragon.

    ¡°Hi~ long time no see~. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d reallye back~.¡±

    A woman walked towards Shin, speaking slowly.

    She was Vizzy Laurette, a tamer under Cashmere.

    Her semi-long golden hair had a slight tint of pink in them, and she looked into Shin¡¯s face with trademark High Pixie clear blue eyes. She couldn¡¯t be taller than 150 cemels.

    She appeared to be a beautiful little girl.

    ¡°You still talk like that?¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed really.¡±

    One of Vizzy¡¯s settings was to talk slowly.

    ording to Schnee, her personality had not digressed one bit.

    ¡°I heard that you needed some dragons~, so I brought you~ there babies~. They¡¯re small but~ very good at flying~.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Vizzy smiled, unlike her counterpart supporting character Berett, who was shy and reserved. Shin¡¯s memory did not fail him.

    They didn¡¯t have time to chit-chat, so each character began to maneuver a dragon.

    Vizzy rode on her elder red, as Schnee took the blue, Tiera and Kagerou took the green, Shin and Yuzuha took the ck and Wilhelm took the white dragon. Kagerou hid in Tiera¡¯s shadow, while Yuzuha dug deeper into Shin¡¯s jacket, peeking out just the face.

    With Vizzy leading, Shin and Schnee took her nks. Wilhelm and Tiera were behind Shin and Schnee, respectively.

    While they were all novices at riding dragons except for Shin and Schnee, each dragon understood words clearly. It was not possible for the dragons to fly in the wrong direction.

    Wilhelm and Tiera were reluctant, and ced all of their faith in their dragons.

    ¡°It¡¯s high¡­and it¡¯s cold¡­¡±

    Tiera, who had never had any experience with even the idea of flying, was shocked by the height and the ambient temperature.

    Magic only helped a little in terms of the wind or the cold air. She wasn¡¯t equipping very much either, and shivered.

    Kagerou didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the temperature, and peered anxiously at Tiera¡¯s face.

    ¡°Now I understand why Vizzy wears a robe¡­ Hm?¡±

    A message card appeared in front of Tiera.

    She opened it to see a fur robe card.

    ¡°USE IT!¡±

    Shin shouted back at her. It was hard to hear with the wind in her ears, but she waved back at him.

    She moved slowly in order not to lose her bnce, as a warm, thick, green outer garment appeared. She managed to pull it over herself despite the wind getting in her way.

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    It was no ordinary outer garment. All of the cold difort vanished, and the icy wind was transformed into softness.

    Shin and Schnee didn¡¯t seem bothered by the cold either.

    Tiera nced over at Wilhelm, who had already taken the initiative to use his own cloak.

    Tiera had heard from Shin earlier, that they were meeting Shibaid at the dragon kingdom Kilmont. She recalled the power and aura of the High Dragnil.

    ¡°I don¡¯t belong here.¡±

    Every person that the party had encountered until now has been abnormally strong and powerful. Tiera understood her ce in the world, and felt discouraged.

    ¡°Gruu.¡±

    ¡°I know, I know. We have to save Millie. I have to stop thinking about myself.¡±

    Tiera pat Kagerou on the head, and took in a deep breath to encourage herself.

    She had tamed Kagerou after all, and they had bonded in a way that they both knew exactly how the other felt. This was not an easy feat, even for extremely advanced trainers. Tiera didn¡¯t know that though.

 Vol 6 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    The party cut through the wind and continued to fly .

    It had been a few hours since they left Bayreuth . They took breaks and continued their journey, making it past the Melt mountains before sunset

    They had to go around the mountains, and it took longer than if they had just gone straight through it . It was inevitable, since the dragons were not full grown and the party did not want to anger the Melt mountains¡¯ guardian, the Mist Garuda .

    The elder dragons that Vizzy brought had yet to reach adulthood .

    She had intended to bring adult elder dragons, but it was breeding season . It was not possible to remove them from Rashugum .

    That was why she had brought the younger ones, who weren¡¯t ready for breeding yet .

    Aside from their sizes, they weren¡¯t that different from the adults . However, their smaller stature made an impact on their flying abilities .

    They weren¡¯t as fast as the adults, nor could they fly very high .

    If the elder dragons were adults, it would have been possible to fly over the Melt mountains easily .

    There was a variation in the pack¡¯s colors, because there weren¡¯t enough green elder dragons ¨C the fastest ones . Aside from that, having a set of dragons with different specialties was better for an emergency .

    ¡°We should set camp here tonight . ¡±

    ¡°Just in case, I¡¯ll set up a ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Wall¡¿ . ¡±

    ¡°Right . I¡¯ll pitch a tent . ¡±

    Shin took out a tent for camping from his Item Box .

    It wasn¡¯t a personal-sized tent, but for a party or a group . Since the tentes out fully assembled, there¡¯s no need for extra work .

    Still, some yers enjoy assembling tents during game y .

    The tent wasrge enough for a party of 6, the party limit, to the extent that they could all huddle up and sleep together . However, in this case the tent was divided into two sections . Men and Women .

    There was simple bedding provided inside, with adequate temperature control . Obviously magic was involved .

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s from Berett . ¡±

    A message arrived from Berett, as Shin set up camp . He had asked for more information about the church from the Golden Company that Berett managed .

    Shin looked over the information .

    The firm had a branch in the city of Sigurd, where the church¡¯s headquarter was based . Berett had ordered his workers to spy on the church¡¯s movements . So far nothing was out of the ordinary .

    The church had gained support from several different regions, after being involved in revival movements post ¨C ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡± .

    There were many religions across Eltnia, like those who worshipped indigenous gods and heroes . Still, church followers made up the majority of the poption .

    The Pope was at the top, with several cardinals and priests below him, dispatched across Eltnia and its many smaller countries . Due to the volume of followers and the expansion of the church organization, Sigurd alone felt like its own city state .

    Of course, other countries did not approve of this way .

    That was why the church¡¯s knights acted like a standing army, clearing out the monsters in the area as a way of keeping bnce with the surrounding countries . Rumor has it, that there was even a special military forceposed of only Chosen Ones .

    Some individuals also possessed their own Chosen Ones .

    Perhaps Bulk and Eline¡¯s rtionship was just another form of that .

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that they¡¯re already there . Who knows what they¡¯re doing . ¡±

    It was hard for Shin to decide whether Millie¡¯s abduction was Bulk acting out rashly, or the will of the church .

    He felt like it was probably the former, but when he also considered Millie¡¯s abilities, it was entirely likely that the church¡¯s upper echelon had their own personal agenda .

    Berett had already been notified that a child with special abilities had been abducted by a father of the church . It would take some time though for the details to be clear .

    They were up against the church though . It would be irresponsible to drag in those who were not involved to begin with .

    Was Bulk alone? Were there others? It was necessary to make it clear .

    Regardless of who was responsible ¨C whether it was just Bulk or a few others ¨C it had to be stopped . And it had to be stopped at all costs .

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to know how Millie¡¯s doing, or how much the church really knows . ¡±

    ¡°The inside of the church has more intense security than castles around here . Besides, on this continent, the church definitely has the most Chosen Ones . Even if we have friends in the Golden Company, it¡¯s not going to be easy . ¡±

    If it were just a numbers game, the adventure guild had an advantage . However, the church had more Chosen Ones under itsmand that were free to do as they pleased .

    This force was quite potent, especially since the extent of each individual¡¯s abilities were unknown . The church could easily take over any of the countries in the vicinity .

    ¡°If all of the church is in on it, it means that we have to take everyone down¡­ that¡¯s annoying . Should we take them down all in one sweep?¡±

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be too many of them . Perhaps that would be easier for us to maneuver . ¡±

    Shin was talking to himself, and Schnee responded while cooking .

    This was if the church was in on it, or if the upper echelon of the church had been a part of it . If this were the case though, the church would have to go down .

    ¡°Wait, wait, wait! Shin, I mean you guys, are starting to sound a little crazy!¡±

    Tiera had to intervene .

    Of course Tiera was upset about Millie .

    However, it was worrisome hearing Shin and Schnee practically dering war on the entire church .

    But of course, it wasn¡¯t as if Shin and Schnee were going to attack the church right now, at this instant . Still, it was nothing to joke about .

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure that it¡¯d be easy for the two of you . ¡±

    Unlike Tiera, Wilhelm couldn¡¯t hide the astonishment in the tone of his voice .

    Of course he was still bitter, but time had cooled down his temper . Inparison to before they had taken off, he had controlled his emotions much more .

    ¡°You too Wilhelm-san, please refrain from saying absurd things¡­¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped . If we¡¯re getting Millie back, the end result will be the same for anyone who gets in the way . ¡±

    Wilhelm red towards Sigurd .

    Shin agreed .

    The only two that he knew would be a handful, were Father Bulk and his loyal pet Eline . Aside from those two,  Shin andpany did not know; what other war potentials they had, why they were after Millie, and why they possessed Exvaine .

    One thing was for certain, and that was Shin and his party¡¯s purpose .

    They had to get Millie back . That was it .

    The enemy could be the whole church, or part of the church . It didn¡¯t matter . They knew what they had to do, and they had the strength to do it .

    Shin heaved a sigh like he was letting out all of the heat in his body . He loosened his shoulders .

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like we need to make decisions right now . We should eat . Sorry Tiera . ¡±

    He hadn¡¯t lost his cool, but he was aware that he was more aggressive than usual .

    He apologized to a concerned-looking Tiera and tried to focus on something else .

    ¡°But when master and Shin say such things, it¡¯s never to be taken lightly . Besides, dinner is served . Master, how did you do that . ¡±

    Schnee had never stopped working throughout the conversation .

    Shin looked over at what Tiera was talking about . The table was set and the food was ready .

    ¡°Oh, this is nothing . Vizzy! Dinner¡¯s ready . ¡±

    Schnee called on Vizzy who was tending to the elder dragons .

    Vizzy fed the 5 different colored elder dragons, and Shin and his party couldn¡¯t help her .

    The dragons each bit into their own pile of meat, that would havee from at least one cattle .

    ¡°Sorry for the wait~ . Wow~ . What a feast~ . It doesn¡¯t feel like we¡¯re camping out~ . ¡±

    Vizzy walked towards Shin and the party, and smiled at the meal .

    ¡°Aw Schnee~ this is impressive . I¡¯m d that you¡¯re finally able to show off after all that practice while Shin was gone~ . ¡±

    She had known about Schnee leveling up at cooking .

    ¡°Vizzy, did you see Schnee often during that time?¡±

    ¡°Yes~ . We cooked~ we¡¯d knit too~ . By the way~ did she give it to you yet~?¡±

    ¡°Give what?¡±

    ¡°What do you mea~n!¡±

    Vizzy was cut off abruptly .

    Schnee had stopped her from finishing her thought by blocking her mouth .

    It was out of the blue, and Vizzy tried to get out of Schnee¡¯s hold . after all, she works for Cashmere in the Rokuten . She¡¯s much more adept than most upper ss Chosen Ones .

    Schnee however had been born and raised forbat . Vizzy¡¯s resistance was useless, given the ss difference .

    ¡°Mmmmm! Mmmmmm! Mmmm¡­ . ¡± Vizzy was growing weaker . She was out of breath .

    ¡°Um¡­Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Vizzy was about to say, but can you let her go now? She¡¯s starting to look a little limp . ¡±

    Vizzy didn¡¯t look ¡®a little limp¡¯ . The moment Schnee let go of her, she gasped for air .

    ¡°Ah, haaaa, Schnee that was heartless~ . ¡±

    ¡°You really should keep your mouth shut . ¡±

    ¡°Really~? But you worked so hard¡ª Okayyy~ . I won¡¯t say anything anymore~ . ¡±

    Schnee was raising her right arm with a gritty smile on her face, and Vizzy raised both hands as a gesture of surrender . Schnee was smiling, except she wasn¡¯t .

    Not only did this exchange ease the tension, but it left Shin aghast .

    Perhaps Vizzy understood what was at stake, and she was trying to lighten the mood in her own way¡­perhaps¡­

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, but let¡¯s eat . ¡±

    Once they were finished eating, they prepared for the journey ahead and went to bed . No one was on guard duty . They had set up both ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Wall¡¿ spells, and no one stood a chance against this party .

    At the rate that they traveled, it was possible for Shibaid to join them and for the party to arrive in Sigurd by the end of tomorrow .

    Contact had been made with Berett already . If any new information were obtained through the Golden Company in Sigurd, it¡¯d be ryed to Shin promptly . While he doubted that anything new woulde up overnight, he still had the investigation continue .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The dawn came and the party was heading toward Kilmont .

    They had left early in the morning, so before noon, they were a field away from the royal capital of Kilmont .

    ¡°(I can see the capital . We can get off our ride soon . How about you?)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m ready . I¡¯ll leave the capital now . Where should we meet?)¡±

    Shin and Shibaid weremunicating via Mind Chat, and had a meeting ce set . They would head back to Kilmont after getting Millie back .

    The elder dragonsnded a few kemels away from Kilmont .

    In the direction from Kilmont, a shadow was approaching .

    ¡°Someone¡¯sing . ¡±

    Tiera noticed the presence, and she tried to see more closely .

    ¡°It¡¯s Shibaid . I got in touch with him beforehand . ¡±

    Shin told his party not to worry . They waited .

    Within 5 minutes, the shadow emerged .

    It was Shin¡¯s support character no . 4, Shibaid Etraku, covered in ck scales and kicking up the dirt as he trekked to meet Shin .

    His luggage must be in an Item Box . He wasn¡¯t as fast as Shin or Schnee, but he sped towards them at well past the speed of an upper ss Chosen One .

    He wore protective gear which was different to the full body armor he originally wore . Only parts of his body such as the hands, feet and waist were protected with armor .

    ¡°Am Ite?¡±

    ¡°No, we flew . It¡¯s no surprise that we couldn¡¯t meet at the same time . Sorry that we hurried you . ¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize . I could never stay still, hearing that those with a holy upation would bring harm to a small child . ¡±

    Shibaid let out a fiery breath . In contrast to Vizzy, he scowled and showed his disdain clearly .

    Shibaid showed more enthusiasm than Shin and the party . It could be the mix of his personality and his upation ¨C a simr field ¨C as a holy knight .

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve met~ . We should leave~ . Oh, Shibaid is heavy~, so Schnee should ride with Shin~ . Shibaid should~ride the dragon that Schnee¡¯s riding~ . ¡±

    For some reason Vizzy gave a thumb¡¯s up while giving out orders .

    ¡°I get it . Sorry Schnee . ¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not a problem . ¡±

    ¡°Okay . ¡±

    There was nothing to disagree with, so Shin epted it .

    Shibaid was heavy . It made sense to switch riders .

    If there was any confusion, it was the fact that Schnee should ride with Tiera, since they were the two lightest characters .

    ¡°¡­Excuse me . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine, but you should grab on tight . ¡±

    Schnee wrapped her arms around Shin¡¯s waist, and held on tightly . Shin made sure that they were secure, and ordered his elder dragon to rise .

    If it weren¡¯t for the dire situation, the ride should have been enjoyable . Unfortunately, that was not the case .

    The 5 dragons leapt into the air . Shin and his party was now headed straight for Sigurd .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Meanwhile, the church had no idea that the world¡¯s most powerful ability holders were on their tail . Father Bulk had returned, and he was headed to one location .

    Eline followed behind him carrying Millie .

    The two were walking along a block that was not known to the public . Only powerful men within the church knew of its existence, such as a cardinal or an even higher status .

    It was an undisclosed location within the guild house Palmirack, used as a safe house or an experiment room .

    The building itself was sturdy and the walls and floors gave off heat .

    Doors would open on their own just from sensing a presence .

    Magic was abundant, authenticating individuals across several species .

    Spells were active in these chambers that were impossible to recast from before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty,¡± and the leaders of the church held their offices and slept in these halls .

    A portion of the equipment in Palmirack was functional, and in a way that people could utilize it .

    Father Bulk was walking through corridors that were divided into even smaller sections, where several clearances passes were necessary . Unlike the other areas with several rooms, they stopped at one room the size of an entire area . Beautiful decorations adorned the room where Father Bulk stopped .

    It was the room of the ¡®Holy Woman¡¯ .

    ¡°Pardon us . ¡±

    Father Bulk opened the door without knocking .

    For a personal room, it appeared very sparse . One look and you¡¯d think that it was a prayer room .

    It was about 25 mels by 40 mels . The ceiling was 10 mels high . The room was enormous .

    The floor in the center was a step higher than the rest of the room, giving off an even greater impression that this was a room for prayer .

    Except that there was a bed there . A thin cloth draped from above, surrounding this bed .

    You could see the shadow of a petite woman .

    ¡°Sorry, did we disturb you? How are you my dearest Saint?¡±

    ¡°¡­Your sarcasm is ill taken . Stop it . ¡±

    Bulk bowed borately, and this was only making the Holy Woman more disgusted .

    Most people would have fallen in love with such a soothing voice, but the disdain was palpable .

    ¡°Well, well . It seems that I am truly hated . I figured you were lonely, so I brought you your own kind . ¡±

    ¡°My own? ¡­! No!¡±

    The Holy Woman held her breath as she processed Bulk¡¯s words .

    Of course, she knew that he didn¡¯t mean her own species, when he had said her ¡®own kind¡¯ .

    As a holy man, Father Bulk has swayed far from the righteous path . But he would never bring an outsider to a Holy Woman¡¯s room, just because they¡¯re the ¡®same species¡¯ .

    Which meant one thing with regards to her special title .

    ¡°You guess it right . ¡±

    The Saint¡¯s expression became grim as Father Bulk¡¯s words sank in .

    ¡°Eline . ¡±

    ¡°Yes sir . ¡±

    Eline responded promptly .

    He calmly stepped forward towards the Saint and ced Millie on the floor, lifting her from his shoulders .

    ¡°Where did you take her from?¡±

    ¡°She was being kept at some church . They knew how special she is though, so it was a bit of a struggle . ¡±

    Father Bulk spoke as if it were a matter of fact .

    However, the Saint knew that he was lying .

    ¡°You¡¯re in the same boat . Please be kind to her . You know how it goes ¨C unless she can control her powers, she will have horrid nightmares right? Besides, maybe if all goes well she can be your recement . ¡±

    ¡°You monster!¡±

    The word recement triggered something in the Saint .

    Of course, she wanted out . But that didn¡¯t mean that she would sacrifice a small child for her own sake .

    ¡°If you do nothing, we¡¯d be forced to educate her . Who knows what will happen?¡±

    ¡°¡­Fine . I¡¯ll take her . ¡±

    The Saint had to bite her tongue to stop herself from all the profanities she wanted to spit at Father Bulk .

    ¡°Thank you . I¡¯ll be going now . Please hurry so that she¡¯s useful soon . ¡±

    Father Bulk thanked her half heartedly and left the Saint¡¯s room .

    Eline followed Bulk, leaving behind Millie and the Saint .

    ¡°¡®Useful¡¯!?¡±

    The Holy Woman squeezed her fist, fuming at the way Bulk had handled Millie like some sort of tool .

    She stood from the edge of the bed where she was sitting, and lifted the thin cloth to inch closer towards the unconscious Millie .

    She was no longer hidden by the cloth, and her physicality became more present .

    She was beautiful ¨C as beautiful as you¡¯d imagine any saint .

    Her marble skin, her silky white hair, her clear blue eyes .

    The face staring down at Millie was as beautiful as a doll, while radiating the warmth that a doll could not .

    This made the ck cor around her neck stand out even more .

    She was perhaps 16 years old . Maybe it was too soon to call her a ¡®woman,¡¯ but she was beyond the maturity of a little girl .

    She held the sleeping Millie into her arm . Millie¡¯s eyes opened, after feeling a warm body pressing against hers .

    ¡°Mmmm¡­?¡±

    ¡°Are you awake?¡±

    Her voice was so close, she realized that she was being held .

    It might have been due to her beastly instincts ¨C Millie twisted herself out of the Holy Woman¡¯s embrace . She looked around the room and realized that she was no longer at the church .

    ¡°Where am I?¡±

    ¡°You are in the church of the fortress city Sigurd . This is a room that only Saints can be in . ¡±

    ¡°This is a church too? Saints?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Saints . Those that have been approved by the church to aid in the works of miracles . However, I¡¯m a Saint only in name . ¡±

    Millie looked around everywhere, trying to find an escape route . The Holy Woman was calm .

    She was so calm that it made Millie rx a bit .

    ¡°My name is Hermie Schultz . And you are?¡±

    ¡°¡­Millie . ¡±

    ¡°Millie . Aren¡¯t you hurt? I understand that you were brought here against your will . ¡±

    ¡°!? Shia¡­Oh no! Shia¡¯s going to die!¡±

    Hermie¡¯s words remind Millie of the circumstances by which she was brought here . Thest thing she remembers is Rashia in a pool of her own blood .

    ¡°Calm down . You can¡¯t do anything right now . ¡±

    ¡°But¡­they were after me . Shia got hurt because I was¡­¡±

    Millie had heard Bulk speak, and she had pieced it together that she was to me for Rashia¡¯s injuries .

    Rashia had been there for her when Millie had no family . She had smiled at her .

    Millie couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Rashia¡¯s face, contorted in pain and sinking into a pool of blood .

    ¡°Was she special to you?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes . ¡±

    ¡°Then think about her very strongly . ¡±

    As Hermie said that, she held Millie . Hermie¡¯s warmth made Millie forget her fears for a second .

    Millie closed her eyes tightly, and saw the image of Rashia, smiling and patting Millie¡¯s head .

    ¡°¡­Yes . You don¡¯t have to worry . Your special person is safe . ¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Hermie patted Millie¡¯s head, trying tofort her .

    When Millie looked up, she couldn¡¯t help but mistake Hermie for Rashia .

    ¡°I know you might not believe me, but your special someone is very safe . Yes¡­she¡¯s been helped by those with strong capabilities . ¡±

    ¡°¡­Wil-nii and Shin-nii¡­¡±

    Upon hearing Hermie¡¯s words, Millie immediately thought of Wilhelm and Shin .

    Millie¡¯s chest was bursting with relief .

    Those two could save Rashia, Millie sincerely believed .

    ¡°Millie-chan? ¡­My, you must trust those people very much . ¡±

    Millie had fallen asleep again . She had loosened up after beingforted . Hermie carried Millie to the bed, and stared at a point in the wall .

    It may have been a coincidence . Or she knew . She was staring in the direction that Shin and his party wereing from .

    She patted Millie¡¯s headed and heaved a sigh .

    Her eyes cast doubt and fear .

    ¡°If she trusts them, they must not be bad people . ¡±

    Hermie knew that Rashia was safe, because of her title of ¡®Star Reader¡¯ .

    While under normal circumstances, ¡®Star Readers¡¯ could only see very little of the future and randomly, Hermie had trained to target and specify what she wants to know .

    As a result, Hermie had seen a woman being treated for her injuries . She had linked her senses with that of Millie, so that she knew that the woman was Rashia . There were also two men there- Wilhelm and Shin .

    Hermie understood that Millie poured all of her faith into these two figures .

    Unlike Millie, Hermie only harbored fear towards these two strangers .

    The reason being that, both Wilhelm and Shin housed many species within themselves .

    An abnormal, unique kind of strength . Hermie had been subjected to and known so many strong men, that she was not quick to trust any anymore .

    She was particrly frightened of Shin .

    ¡°Is that really even a person?¡±

    She blurted out the question that no one could answer . Her words were absorbed into the memories of the wall . That was just how much power Hermie had gauged within Shin . With one nce towards Shin, Hermie had almost lost her consciousness .

    From observing Eline, who could even make light of upper ss Chosen Ones¡¯ strength, she was able to grasp an understanding of Shin¡¯s mighty strength .

    ¡°Maybe they can¡­¡±

    It was frightening . But an overwhelming sense of wind of changepelled her .

    They will definitelye to take Millie back .

    Then, something else will happen . Hermie knew .

    She didn¡¯t have to read the stars . It was an intuition ¨C something even more unreliable . But she felt more sure about it .

    As she scratched at the cor around her neck, Hermie prayed .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°We¡¯re here . ¡±

    Shin and his partynded on solid ground after hours of flying .

    Their gazes were towards something far away ¨C the fortress city of Sigurd . With their abilities, they should be inside the citypounds within an hour .

    ¡°Should I wait here~?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know . If we were to look into the church and also look for Millie, how much time would that take¡­?¡±

    Since their ¡®map¡¯ abilities had been reduced to initial stage levels, it¡¯s hard for Shin to get a grasp of what Palmirack is like on the inside .

    It would be best to have options avable, but it¡¯d be cruel to have her wait forever .

    While Vizzy works for Cashmere as a member of the Rokuten, that didn¡¯t mean that she had to follow Shin¡¯s orders . Unlike Schnee and Shibaid, there¡¯s some inconsistencies with her loyalty .

    ¡°I want to finish them off here . That might mean that we¡¯ll need you . I don¡¯t want it to take that long, but I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be needing you . Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine~ . It¡¯s not like there¡¯s much to do in Rashugum anyways~ . Besides~, I don¡¯t think I can keep my nose out of this one~ . ¡±

    She might have a different master, but Vizzy¡¯s still good at heart . That¡¯s why she must have disagreements with Father Bulk and the church .

    The other issue was that Eline could probably ¡¾Teleport¡¿ outside of the church too . It was necessary to secure an exit n just in case .

    ¡°I see . I¡¯m sorry, but wait for us here . ¡±

    They left Vizzy behind to care for the dragons, while Shin and the party headed towards Sigurd .

    Kagerou pulled on the wagon, and they zipped past the field . In the middle of the journey, the wagon slowed down a little to blend in with the other wagons lined up heading towards the city .

    A giant fortress wall surrounded Sigurd . The city surrounded Palmirack and built itself around it .

    Due to the geography, Palmirack was built on a slightly higher elevation than the surrounding buildings . It was considered to be an icon of the city .

    ¡°This is a lively city . ¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s stupid enough to cause trouble at the foot of the church . I¡¯m sure it¡¯s considered one of the safest ces in the continent . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also in the center of Est . People from all sorts of background gather from various ces . If it¡¯s a busy ce with little crime, of course it¡¯ll turn out lively . ¡±

    Wilhelm and Schnee discussed the city, while Shin covered his face with his cloak and stared at Palmirack from beneath his hood .

    Palmirack was within Shin¡¯s radar, but he couldn¡¯t see inside .

    With his introductory map abilities, it was not possible to see the insides of Palmirack from the outside .

    The Rokuten¡¯s guild houses were always protected against internal scanner skills . That kind of defense mechanism could have inspired something here too .

    ¡°At the very least, we should head to the gold trade¡¯s branch . It¡¯s only been a day, but maybe they have some new information . ¡±

    ¡°Right . Either way we need an info . ¡±

    They asked for directions and headed towards the Golden Company . It was expected, but the firm was quite famous within Sigurd . The familiar gold sign from Balmel could also be found here .

    They called on the staff, showed them the seal and paperwork included in Berett¡¯s message card, and were weed inside . They left their wagon outside, and headed into the building .

    Once they were led into the branch¡¯s head office, one young elf waited for them .

    ¡°I was expecting you . ¡±

    The youth bowed his head politely and introduced himself as Ertol Maik . Supposedly he worked directly for Berett .

    ¡°I¡¯ve been instructed by Berett-sama . I hear that you want more information about the church . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, it can be anything you know . ¡±

    ¡°Let me begin then . ¡±

    It was not disclosed that Shin was a High Human .

    ording to Ertol, a saint called the ¡°Soothsaying Holy Woman¡± was sick and being treated by the church . While it might not be a direct cause, the upper echelon of the church was quite active here .

    Furthermore, within the church confines there was an area that only those appointed could walk freely . Security was quite extreme, so it was impossible to see the insides . It was a safe bet that anything hidden would be within this exclusive area .

    ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot of misinformation floating about regarding the church . Many outsiders have attempted to infiltrate it, so the rumor mill must be generated by those who work for the church . We¡¯ve had a branch here for quite some time now, but the church is still a great mystery¡­¡±

    Anything fishy regarding the church could basically be traced back to a drunk bbering on about it, or another, even less credible source .

    ¡°Do you know anything about who¡¯s going to take over the Bayreuth churches?¡±

    ¡°No, we have no information on that . I¡¯m terribly sorry, but I¡¯m afraid that this is it . ¡±

    There were probably 10, maybe even 20 upper ss Chosen Ones working with the church . Even if you wanted to break in, several upper ss Chosen Ones guarded the church at different locations . They needed to be careful .

    It was tricky to attack this fortress .

    Despite the Golden Company that had been built by the ¡°Golden Merchant¡± Reed, it wasn¡¯t as if it housed only upper ss Chosen Ones . It¡¯s a matter of what¡¯s more valuable: quantity or quality .

    (We¡¯re on our own, huh?)

    There was only so much action you could take in stealth as an upper ss Chosen Ones .

    However, that wasn¡¯t necessarily the case for Shin or his party . If Shin and Schnee in particr were to move stealthily, very few could catch them in this universe .

    ¡°I understand . We¡¯ll be on our own then . ¡±

    ¡°Again, I¡¯m terribly sorry for my inadequacies . ¡±

    ¡°¡±No . Everything you¡¯re saying alludes to how this is a difficult task, even if we had time . With so many upper ss Chosen Ones guarding, it¡¯s not simple . ¡±

    There was no point in ming Ertol over this matter . What little information he provided was useful . Shin continued to ask more general questions about the church .

    They would require further assistance from the Golden Company . For now, they headed towards the inn .

    The party looked for an inn that would also take their wagon . They walked around the city for 20 or so minutes and found a promising one .

    ¡°Wee! Wee to the Silver Desert!¡±

    They were certainly enthusiastic .

    Since Sigurd is a city where travelerse and go, many of the inns were restaurants on the first floor and rooms on the second .

    The one that Shin and the party stepped into fit the stereotype . Waitresses wearing frilly uniforms bustled in between busy tables .

    Of the many waitresses, one with semi-long hair approached Shin and the party .

    ¡°Wee . Will you be dining or spending the night?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be staying . We also have a wagon in the front . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone tend to it . How many are in your party?¡±

    ¡°Five . We also have a few contract beasts . Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Several of our guests are travelers with contract beasts . However, there¡¯ll be a separate fee for them . Is that alright?¡±

    They agreed, and took a room . The room was one big one for the whole party .

    They held a brief meeting in the room and left the inn .

    ¡°Alright . Like we nned, we¡¯ll be back before the sun sets . If anything happens, send a message card . ¡±

    Shin, Schnee and Yuzuha went to see the church . Tiera, Kagerou and Shibaid went around the church to get more information . Wilhelm was on his own, doing his own bid .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go Schnee . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Shin, Schnee and Yuzuha disappeared into a crowd .

    ¡°Tiera, shall we then?¡±

    ¡°S¡­sure . ¡±

    Shibaid headed in the opposite direction from Shin . However, his unique appearance was well-known . He needed to change the color of his scales to red, and wear a fake horn .

    Tiera was a bit nervous, following Shibaid . Kagerou was as usual, hidden inside Tiera¡¯s shadows .

    ¡°I should be off then . ¡±

    Wilhelm didn¡¯t even see the four of them off and went solo . He was cautious as to not walk too fast, and dipped into an alleyway .

 Vol 6 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    Shin and Schnee decided to go in head on .

    Palmirack was a guild house that emted a temple . Supposedly several travelers gathered there as a destination to train .

    The facilities were still around to do that, and regardless of being old or young, male or female, people came . Travelers and merchants also came to gossip, so the training grounds were always bustling .

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it looks that different from before . ¡±

    ¡°I agree . ¡±

    Even though the number of people there was different, it was simr to how Shin remembered the ce . The main difference was that there was someone collecting money from those who wanted to enter the training ground .

    ¡°But the map hasn¡¯t updated itself . ¡±

    ¡°In order to know the interior, we¡¯d have to sneak in . ¡±

    Shin had assumed that the map would change once they were closer to Palmirack . The map didn¡¯t budge . They were still able to ¡®map out¡¯ the area though, so it was possible to explore .

    While they wanted to barge in, Palmirack was a Rokuten guild house . You couldn¡¯t tell how functional its facilities were, and it was not prudent to try to break-in in broad daylight .

    Even Shin didn¡¯t know all that the building was capable of .

    On top of that, Palmirack was Cain¡¯s base ¨C he had several architecture-rted bonuses . Of the 6 guild houses, it was supposedly the most dangerous one . Shin had to be careful .

    Shin, Schnee, and Yuzuha pretended to admire the building like tourists, as they circled and marked on the map the ces that looked easy to get in through .

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a high-level person there . She might be a high-ranking priest . ¡±

    From straight ahead where Shin and Schnee were, a priest that looked different from the others headed towards them .

    It was a woman, with light green hair and brown eyes . Given her beautiful physical appearance and the thin pointy ears just barely visible through her long hair, one could assume that she was an elf . Her movements were graceful and at level 206, she was different from the average priest .

    ¡°Hello . ¡±

    ¡°Oh . Hello . ¡±

    The elf priest approached Shin, unlike the other priests who ignored them .

    ¡°Are you sightseeing?¡±

    ¡°Yes . This is our first time in Sigurd . We had been talking about stopping by here . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful . My name is Lilish . If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to me or any of the other priests . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin . This is Yuki and Yuzuha . Thank you for your kind words . But, why are you talking to us? We¡¯re surrounded by other tourists . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you are with a High Elf . ¡±

    Lilish¡¯s words surprise Shin .

    There¡¯s no way to tell the difference between an elf and a High Elf just from looking . Yet, Lilish had correctly assumed that Schnee was a High Elf .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I rmed you . I¡¯m able to tell the difference between an elf and a High Elf . It¡¯s hard to exin ¨C it¡¯s quite instinctive . ¡±

    ¡°I see . I couldn¡¯t tell you the difference between those two, so I had thought that there might be some kind of distinction . ¡±

    It¡¯s quite an impressive skill .

    He asked Schnee via Mind Chat, but even Schnee says that telling the difference just from looking is incredibly difficult . It¡¯s not as if you could tell the difference based on status or level, or aura .

    ¡°I have yet to meet anyone else who can do this . ¡±

    Though elves were said to be quite sensitive, perhaps her sensitivities are unique .

    ¡°If there¡¯s anywhere you haven¡¯t seen yet, I¡¯d love to be your guide . ¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Aren¡¯t we in your way of work?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say that it¡¯s part of the job description to show the church to those who haven¡¯t seen it before . Besides, I love conversing with those who visit here . ¡±

    Shin would have preferred to see around on their own, but he considered the idea of gaining new insight by talking to a priest .

    He asks about the church¡¯s history and other things, and ventures onto other topics of interest .

    ¡°Lilish, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, are you perhaps trained in the martial arts?¡±

    ¡°Yes . In case the civilians need protection . That¡¯s also part of the job description . However, the church also has their own guards . Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°I also have some training . I could tell that you don¡¯t make any unnecessary movements . ¡±

    ¡°I see . But of course, it¡¯s expected of those who had fought alongside the Balmel guards . ¡±

    ¡°¡­did you know about us?¡±

    Shin was taken aback and stopped .

    ¡°Yes . I¡¯m terribly sorry . Truth be told, I approached the two of you because you are you . ¡±

    Lilish bowed down . She didn¡¯t seem to be dangerous .

    ¡°News travels fast . ¡±

    ¡°But of course, it is known that if a Chosen One canmunicate through Mind Chat, distance is not an issue . Balmel is one of the important cities that protects the Sacred Land . We too, make efforts in order to gain new knowledge . Besides, as an adventurer who fought together with Princess Rionne to defend Balmel, Shin-sama is quite well-known . Regardless of being able to hear through Mind Chat, it would have reached my ears eventually . ¡±

    Schnee nodded proudly .

    They had made some efforts to hide their faces when entering Sigurd, but they weren¡¯t using¡¾Hiding¡¿per se . Perhaps someone had seen them?

    ¡°I see . So then . What is your purpose? I don¡¯t want to waste your time if you¡¯re trying to convert us . ¡±

    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case, but it had to be said .

    ¡°No not at all . But of course, I would wee you into the church with all of my heart . This is a different matter . It¡¯s really not appropriate here . I¡¯d love to wee you to my chambers . ¡±

    ¡°Alright . ¡±

    Shin decided that they¡¯d get more useful information if they followed Lilish, rather than saying no .

    This was the kind of action that could only be afforded by those with unbelievable status and skills . He knew that no matter what they¡¯d be able to get out of a sticky situation . After all, Palmirack was just a ¡®very strong building¡¯ that could easily be destroyed, if necessary .

    Schnee didn¡¯t argue either . She trailed one step behind Shin .

    Behind Lilish, they stepped through several doors and climbed down several flights of stairs . They were eventually at a corridor full of doors .

    ¡°Living quarters . ¡±

    ¡°It seems that the priests sleep here . ¡±

    While walking, Shin verifies lights and all of the utility functions were functioning .

    Lilish opened one of two doors that were side by side, and invited the two in .

    It was arge space . The size of a 2DK apartment .

    The kitchen was quite expansive, and this space was built with one bathroom and two smaller rooms .

    Shin and Schnee sat down after being asked to sit .

    Lilish brought out tea .

    ¡°Here . ¡±

    He took a sip after saying ¡°Thanks . ¡±

    It must have been harp tea . It had a soothing taste and scent .

    ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to discuss a certain priest belonging to the church . I believe that when the ¡®Flood¡¯ in Balmel urred, a Chosen One of the church was separated . You must know of this by now . ¡±

    Shin was reminded of what Rionne had told him .

    ¡°That¡¯s right, if I¡¯m not mistaken, he left to escort someone . I also understand that the church overall frowns upon this matter . ¡±

    ¡°Absolutely . That should never be the case to begin with . But of course, we also had not anticipated such acts of barbarity . ¡±

    It became clear that the incident at Balmel was beyond the imagination of Lilish and the church as well .

    ¡°Do you know who¡¯s the mastermind?¡±

    ¡°Yes . I understand that he¡¯s trying to ce the me on the others, but the person behind it all is Father Bulk Elbach . He¡¯s a member of the church here . ¡±

    Lilish answers Schnee¡¯s question . But it was not as though Bulk had given the orders directly . He seemed to have prepared an escape route for himself .

    ¡°Bulk¡­I¡¯m sorry to interrupt you . Isn¡¯t this Father also involved at Bayreuth¡¯s church?¡±

    Shin was connecting the dots .

    ¡°Yes . I understand that Father Bulk¡¯s quite involved in a church in Bayreuth . Not just that, I believe that it¡¯s a church formoners, and not the elite . Why, do you know something?¡±

    ¡°No . I just wanted to make sure of something¡­ I¡¯ll exinter . Please continue . ¡±

    ¡°Sure . Shin-sama . Yuki-sama . I have a favor to ask of you . I need your help in capturing Bulk . I can reward you with anything within my capability . ¡±

    ¡°Is this a personal request?¡±

    ¡°Under normal circumstances, I would be asking as a member of the church . However, there¡¯s a reason that I cannot do that . ¡±

    Shin had assumed at first that she was asking on behalf of the church . He was wrong . This must have also been a reason they were invited to her private quarters .

    Schnee nodded .

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you have very good reasons . However, what will you do if we said no? There¡¯s also a chance that we will give you away . ¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I must ask you to stay in here for some time . ¡±

    As Lilish said that, knights in armor came around Shin . There were three of them, armed, and ready forbat .

    He knew they were there, yet it was disheartening to know that this was why .

    ¡°That¡¯s quite violent . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry . Ruining my name is a risk that I must take . ¡±

    It seemed that there was trouble within the church as well . Shin could sense a certain desperation in Lilish .

    ¡°Let us tell you our side of the story . This is about Father Bulk, and the church in Bayreuth . ¡±

    ¡°¡­Please continue . ¡±

    Lilish¡¯s expression hardened at the mention of Father Bulk .

    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple . Father Bulk has kidnapped an orphan that the church was sheltering . One of the sisters got in his way and he had almost fatally wounded her . If she weren¡¯t treated on time, she would not be alive . ¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Lilish didn¡¯t know what she was expecting, but even this exceeded her wildest imagination .

    The knights in the back were also stunned .

    ¡°It seems like you didn¡¯t know . Not much time had past between the orphan¡¯s kidnapping and now . She should be here; I should be frank . We are here to retrieve her . If you doubt us, then go find out the truth on your own . ¡±

    ¡°No¡­ but wait, I have to ask . ¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The orphan¡­does she have some sort of special title?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Few knew about Millie as a ¡®Star Reader¡¯ . Yet, Lilish acted as if she knew about it .

    ¡°We want to take Father Bulk down because we are also trying to save someone . She also holds a special title . ¡±

    ¡°Lilish-sama! That¡¯s too much information!¡±

    The knights raised their voices .

    Shin must not be an appropriate audience for this kind of confidential information .

    ¡°Please . Don¡¯t worry . We have no qualms with you . We both want something from Father Bulk . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . If you¡¯d be so kind . Please, lower your swords everyone . ¡±

    Hearing Lilish¡¯s words, the knights put their swords away .

    While not all of them look pleased, they seem to have rxed at least a little after hearing Shin¡¯s story .

    ¡°Either way, even if you need our help so desperately, isn¡¯t this a bit extreme?¡±

    ¡°I know . But we¡¯re running out of time . We need to save her, or her life is in grave danger . ¡±

    ¡°Her life?¡±

    Given Father Bulk¡¯s past performances, it didn¡¯t seem too far-fetched . She wouldn¡¯t say anymore, but it felt like a big advantage for Shin and his party to have an insider in the church .

    ¡°Few people know this, but he is also a member of the Shiten(4 gods/4th god) cult . No . I suppose his heart is truly aligned to their cause . He uses his status as a church member and has secretly been wreaking havoc . Soon, he will participate in a ritual, in which the ones we want to protect will be sacrificed . We have no choice but to take matters into our own hands . That is why we are calling on you . ¡±

    Father Bulk seemed to be participating in far worse deeds, behind a secret dark society .

    Shin wasn¡¯t too surprised . Even in the real world, there were those who believed in satanic rituals . But the thought of a living sacrifice definitely made him furrow his brows .

    ¡°A sacrifice seems especially violent . But what is this Shiten cult exactly?¡¯

    It was an unfamiliar word, and had a certain menacing ring to it .

    ¡°The Shiten cult is a cult that worships High Humans ¨C those that once ruled this continent . ¡±

    ¡°High Humans, you say?¡±

    Shiten is written out as ¡®those that exist on this in¡¯ .

    ¡°The Shiten are not bad on their own . There are six factions of High Humans . They merely train day and night, and sometimes they reveal the magic that they¡¯ve been able to create for the public . ¡±

    ording to Lilish, the 6 factions of high humans were inspired by the actual high humans¡¯ second names ¨C Dark, Golden, White, Red, Blue and Silver . People trained in the arts of the faction that they were most likely to thrive in .

    To be specific, there were those that worshipped the ¡®Dark cksmith,¡¯ who trained in forging swords and others who practiced alchemy or magic, just as the ¡®Red Alchemist¡¯ would have, and so on and so forth .

    By training themselves in these ancient rituals, the Shiten would try to revitalize the lost arts and be the top of their faction on the continent .

    ¡°The problem is that in the past 100 or so years, a seventh faction has been invented . They have be indoctrinated, so that they truly and faithfully believe, that in order to be a High Human they must shed more blood . Perhaps the records of the High Humans¡¯ battles and sagas inspired them . Therefore, all over the continent, there have been violent deeds done and horrible, vicious attacks . ¡±

    The 7th High Human faction was allegedly called the ¡°summit faction¡± .

    Even if the goal was to achieve something and be at the top, what they were doing was terrorism .

    The fact that he was being worshipped was disconcerting enough . The idea that there were those acting violently in his name made Shin seethe .

    ¡°The other factions deny any part of the 7th faction¡¯s activities . Yet they associate themselves as part of the Shiten, since they are a branch of it . The world views them all the same . ¡±

    It¡¯s hard to get rid of any negative image . People seem to mix them up all the time .

    ¡°I think I understand . You had mentioned a living sacrifice earlier . How does that y in?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know enough about the details . However, the seventh faction takes those with special titles and abilities, thenpletes a sacrificial ritual . The more rare and unique the ability is, the more that these Shiten followers¡¯ status rank increase . ¡±

    ¡°But this is the status within a cult . Is it really worth it to give up the advantages of being a part of the church?¡±

    The Church was quite influential on this continent . If word of this got out, Father Bulk would lose everything .

    He had gone through all the trouble to be a Father of the church . What could be so important, as to give it all up?

    ¡°We really don¡¯t know enough . However, if we wait any longer to find out, it could be toote . ¡±

    ¡°Perhaps . Then enough chit-chat . We don¡¯t care what happens to Bulk anyways . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t care about the ritual . The takeaway point was how there were more people in need of their help .

    The moment Father Bulk was involved, it was likely that Millie would also be sacrificed next to Lilish¡¯spanion . Shin couldn¡¯t let that happen either .

    ¡°We need to discuss our n to save them . I need to understand how ¡®alive¡¯ Palmirack¡¯s functions are . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s functions? This is no secret that I¡¯m allowed to share with outsiders . However, this is a rare asion . Still, its functions are mostly dysfunctional as of now . ¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Some of its item creation functions are still in ce, as well as detoxification and recovery, equivalence of ss 5 . There¡¯s also a barrier to protect the building from surrounding monsters . ¡±

    If Lilish¡¯s information was reliable, then Shin¡¯s concerns were included .

    The important sites had some security measures in ce, but it wasn¡¯t fortified . That, and upper ss Chosen Ones acted as security .

    ¡°I see . This is helpful ¨C thank you . Just to be sure though ¨C aren¡¯t there functions that only higher priests would know of?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m actually a Cardinal, believe it or not . The Pope is above me . There are no others . ¡±

    He knew that she was a higher priest, but a Cardinal was unforeseen . There weren¡¯t that many cardinals either .

    ¡°I mean . If you¡¯re a Cardinal, can¡¯t you easily dismiss a mere Father?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy . Bulk seems to have an item on hand that makes it difficult to refuse him . He¡¯s ced this on ourpanion ¨C the Holy Woman . ¡±

    Shin was taken aback . Such an item shouldn¡¯t exist in the game era .

    ¡°Please, Lilish-sama, are you sure that it¡¯s okay to share this with thesemoners?¡±

    ¡°I must . Otherwise they would be in grave danger . Shin-sama, please be careful . It¡¯s a ck cor, with gold writing on it . Once it¡¯s been ced on you, even if you don¡¯t want to, you will do as you¡¯ve been told . It could even kill you . ¡±

    Lilish ignored her knights and continued .

    An item that ignores the will of the person wearing it . It seemed so surreal hearing of it, until he was reminded of a certain event from the game .

    ¡°Is it¡­ the ¡®Crying Marite¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Shin-sama? What is it?¡±

    He was recalling the event from the fifth update, with the ¡®Crying Marite¡¯ .

    There was a moment, when an NPC was forced to be an enemy . The NPC was wearing a ck cor .

    The yers found this turn of events to be quite unfavorable . It seemed unfair that even support characters could turn their backs on you because of a cor .

    Shin had also remembered how several of his allies became his sworn enemies .

    ¡°I get it now . I can¡¯t believe that item¡¯s still around . What a joke . ¡±

    To return an NPC back to its conscious state from a zombie requires a special item . Since it¡¯s a limited item, Shin did not possess it in his Item Box .

    (So this means that that title is finally going toe in handy) .

    He was referring, of course, to the title of ¡°Liberator¡± from back when he had won against the ¡®Origin¡¯ .

    Everything happens for a reason after all .

 Vol 6 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    Meanwhile, apart from Shin, Schnee and Lilish¡­

    Shibaid and Tiera were touring the inside of Sigurd.

    However, it wasn¡¯t as if they were simply walking about.

    ¡°As expected, there are a few Chosen Ones stationed in the major spots of the city.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    ¡°At first nce you might not spot them, but one or two of the guards on duty are clearly above average in terms of their movements. Look at the twoing in front of us. Can you see the guy on the right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­Um. Mitos Click. Level 201¡­ you mean him?¡±

    Tiera checked over the guards as she was told.

    She could only analyze as far as the guard¡¯s name and level.

    The fact that she couldn¡¯t see further than ¡®upation¡¯ was a clear sign that his status was superior. But it was hard for Tiera to tell if that was because of the difference in levels, or the fact that he was Chosen One.

    ¡°¡­what a surprise. You can actually see that?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, yes. I wasn¡¯t able to see his upation though. Was I wrong?¡±

    Shibaid could not hide his surprise at Tiera¡¯s observations.

    ¡°No. You¡¯re not wrong. No offense, it¡¯s not that I looked down on you but it¡¯s a shocker that you, Tiera-dono, can tell a Chosen One¡¯s strengths despite your level difference. I¡¯m sorry if I offended you at all.¡±

    ¡°Eh!? No, there¡¯s no need to. I am weak when youpare me to everyone surrounding me.¡±

    Tiera stopped Shibaid from apologizing.

    Tiera was aware that she was less capable than others. From Shibaid¡¯s point of view Tiera and the Chosen Oneing from the front were simr in capability.

    As Shibaid had said, how she was able to discern the Chosen One¡¯s name and level, even Tiera didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°Should we continue wandering the city then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I think it¡¯d be wise to have Sigurd mapped out. Once that¡¯s over, even if they were to escape from Palmirack to the inner city, we can easily follow them.¡±

    Given the current situation, the only way that someone could escape Shin and Schnee were if that person teleported or flew. Just in case though, it was necessary to map out Sigurd to understand its nooks and crannies. Since a support character¡¯s map could be shared with their master, with Shin inside Palmirack and Shibaid mapping the city, they could cover all of Sigurd.

    ¡°How far along are we?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say about 10% of the mapping is done. It takes quite some effort when you¡¯re up against a city this big.¡±

    ¡°Is ¡®mapping¡¯ considered to be a skill?¡±

    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t call it that. It¡¯s hard to exin though, let me see. I can see a slightly transparent map in my periphery, but I¡¯d have to show it for you to understand.¡±

    For Tiera, who doesn¡¯t understand game elements, it¡¯s difficult to even imagine the map. It¡¯s an otherworldly experience to try to picture something you¡¯ve never seen.

    ¡°If I could do it too, perhaps we could split into two and the task would be done quicker.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright. Aside from filling up the map, information gathering is also our objective.¡±

    Even if Shin and the Golden Company were the main focus of this plot, Tiera and Shibaid still had roles as information gatherers.

    Besides, with the two characters¡¯ low spying abilities they would easily give Shin and Schnee away. That¡¯s why it was better for them to be in public.

    ¡°Shibaid-san. Where are we now?¡±

    ¡°It seems this city has aplicatedyout. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a defense strategy for if this city were ever under siege.¡±

    Turning a corner was enough to bring a pedestrian into a totally new neighborhood. The stores were drastically different, and so were the people. Tiera was losing sight of herself.

    Although Tiera¡¯s directional senses is on the better side, Sigurd really tested her abilities.

    She questioned how the locals from Sigurd were able to get back to their homes.

    ¡°They designed this city quite well.¡±

    ¡°Do you think so?¡±

    For Tiera, it was so confusing that she assumed the architect was a mad man. Or mad woman.

    ¡°It might be hard for you to see, but there are several secret corridors here and there. I haven¡¯t gotten to all of them yet, and I have a good hunch that they all connect to Palmirack. I know that Shin had mentioned how all churches have secret passageways. This goes above and beyond that though.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s map was also ounting for the routes that you couldn¡¯t see from outside. If they¡¯re really all connected to the church, then there are several escape routes.

    ¡°Does that mean that it¡¯s easier to attack and defend the city?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s also possible to wage wars and immediately safely return, before the enemy has a chance to respond. Theyout of this city is soplex, it would also be difficult to n your next move. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s why Sigurd is considered to be such a stronghold. Guerri tactics would not work against the city¡¯s army and the Chosen Ones.¡±

    ording to Shibaid, the city that was seemingly built on top of another had multipleyers of defense strategies.

    The most disconcerting for Tiera was ¨C how many attacks did this city endure for these kinds of security measure toe into y.

    ¡°Who can me them. Following the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, riots got so bad they needed at least this to feel safe. Not to mention, they¡¯re right on the border with other countries that are constantly trying to expand. I¡¯m sure the majority of this city¡¯s poption is made up of war refugees, war veterans, and those who were forced to flee their homes.¡±

    ¡°I get it now. This city also tries to keep its residents safe.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a roundabout way though.¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s sights focused on something far away, as he recalled the battles after the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.

    Shibaid himself was somewhat responsible for rounding up the neighboring Dragnil. He didn¡¯t know about the specifics of the churches here, but he could imagine that it must have been a simr ordeal.

    Kilmont had also thrived after taking in refugees.

    ¡°As someone a bit sheltered, I can¡¯t really rte to the disputes between men. When ites to the scourges between monsters of course, I have experienced that in Balmel.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that today their biggest concerns are thieves. I hope that another big war doesn¡¯t happen for a while. It¡¯s nothing like the battles between monsters.¡±

    Shibaid had the air of someone who had seen it all.

    Tiera had once killed a thief. Based on Shibaid¡¯s mood, she assumed that it couldn¡¯tpare to what he had gone through.

    ¡°Well this is just depressing.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m d I heard it.¡±

    Shibaid had the weight of someone who had survived and seen war firsthand.

    It certainly was depressing. But there¡¯s nothing funny or hopeful about war to begin with.

    ¡°¡­were there really that many refugees?¡±

    ¡°No. But they weren¡¯t a rare sight. And there were those that came here for silly reasons.¡±

    Shibaid answered Tiera¡¯s abrupt question indifferently.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of someone moving to avoid a curse.¡±

    ¡°!? Errr, what curse was it¡­¡±

    ¡°This person had been cursed to attract high level monsters. There are very few of them. I¡¯ve yet to meet anyone like that person since the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯.¡±

    Tiera was fast learning that there was someone else out there like her, with the ¡®cursed kid¡¯ title. She recalled her own experiences, and thought about how difficult that person¡¯s life must have also been. Shibaid didn¡¯t seem to be taking this matter seriously enough.

    ¡°What happened to them?¡±

    ¡°Oh? We asked the said person to cooperate with us to level up our own soldiers. We¡¯re very grateful.¡±

    ¡°¡­What?¡±

    Tiera might have already heard this one.

    The conversation was audibly shifting.

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a difficult status to stomach. But depending on your outlook, it can be quite useful. In return for trying to find the cure, we had this person aid us in bringing monsters. Leveling up back then was a more efficient process. The soldiers were screaming with joy.¡±

    No. They were screaming because they were screaming.

    That was Tiera¡¯s initial reaction.

    He was Shin¡¯s follower after all. She should have known that he¡¯d think differently and go against presentmon sense.

    Still, it was a relief to hear that the cursed person was treated humanely. It could have gone either way.

    ¡°I knew that you and my mastere from the same path.¡±

    ¡°No. Not nearly as much as Schnee honestly.¡±

    Shibaid was quick to deny, after his thoughts ran to Schnee¡¯s intense training regimens.

    But from Tiera¡¯s standing point, Shibaid was just like Schnee for forcing people to beat high level monsters.

    (Is everyone near Shin like this?)

    When she thought about the other characters she hasn¡¯t met yet, she started to harbor deeper concerns.

    ¡°Alright. ytime is over. Tiera-dono I¡¯m sorry, but on the next corner let¡¯s make a right.¡±

    ¡°Is it time already?¡±

    They lowered their voices.

    Tiera instantly understood what he meant.

    Tiera was quite sensitive to others looking at her. It didn¡¯t take her long to realize that after leaving the inn, someone started following them.

    ¡°Tiera-dono, I think you¡¯re the specific target here. Can you think of any reason why?¡±

    ¡°No. This is my first time in Sigurd so I can¡¯t really think of anyone after me here. I don¡¯t even know that many people anyways.¡±

    Until recently, Tiera had been holed up in Tsuki no Hokora. On top of that, she was always in disguise, so she really couldn¡¯t think of why anyone woulde after her.

    After she finished saying ¡°I don¡¯t even know what many people¡­¡±, she felt a bit lonely.

    ¡°Through listening, it seems they are in the immediate vicinity too.¡±

    ¡°I think there are¡­4 of them?¡±

    ¡°No, 6, Tiera-dono. There are 2 who are keeping their cover quite well. I think that the 4 are the main muscle. The 2 are more like backup for when things go as nned.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell. Is it a skill?¡±

    ¡°No. To be honest, my detection skills are not that great. I couldn¡¯t possiblypete with Shin or Schnee on that front. However, I am able to detect a presence. They¡¯re doing a good job maintaining cover, but it is extremely difficult to hide murderous intent.¡±

    Shibaid is able to grasp the number of people in a party based on presence, not skill. Once you¡¯ve gained enough experience as a soldier, this was a logical forward step.

    Tiera still didn¡¯t understand the amount of presence that one could have.

    ¡°Given the number of people and their presences, I don¡¯t believe that they¡¯re simple thieves.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Not to mention how they seem to have singled me out.¡±

    While they couldn¡¯t jump to conclusions that the assants will lead to Millie, it didn¡¯t hurt to find out directly from the culprits as to why they were targeted.

    Any bit of information could help at this stage. If they were from the city¡¯s underbelly, they could potentially obtain information from them.

    The two pretended that they didn¡¯t notice anything, and nonchntly turned the corner.

    They hade across an alleyway no wider than 2 mels.

    4 figures emerged from behind, as if they were waiting for the two to stumble in. Tiera turned to realize that 2 others wereing from the front.

    They seemed to have climbed the wall and circled around on the roof. They were much more agile than the average man.

    ¡°We should wait and see first.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The alley was dark despite it being the middle of the day. The wall was just the right height and ced at such an angle, that it would be hard to see what¡¯s happening in the alley.

    The truth was, the road was so bright that it¡¯d be difficult to see into the dark alleyway.

    Tiera and Shibaid were walking slowly, as they were being attacked from the front and back by two figures on each side. Yet, they could not be seen.

    ¡°? Whoa!¡±

    Because a suspicious object wasing towards Tiera she squinted her eyes, a throwing knife wasing her way.

    However, Tiera had known that there was malicious intent ahead of them, and so in response to the knife that produced a chime as it cut through the air, she wielded a short sword in her right hand.

    Without hesitation, Tiera relied on her short sword and sent the throwing knife flying elsewhere.

    ¡°Tsk.¡±

    Tiera having heard the assant was dissatisfied, also heard another sound, simr to sand crushed underneath one¡¯s feet. With that, beyond Tiera she could glimpse a slight fog of distorted reality.

    ¡°!!¡±

    She did not miss a beat.

    She took in a deep breath, and returning the favor she threw a knife of her own. She had it ready beneath her left hand, all while she brought the dagger in her right hand to about half way up her body.

    The knife that Shin had made for her was made out of steel and quite sharp. The knife went straight into the direction where there had been a bit of a mirage. A small thump could be heard as the knife struck something.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    The thump was the quietest noise inparison to what would follow. You could hear a man groaning in pain and fall to the ground, causing dirt to fly up. What came into sharper focus was a man, lying on the ground with his hands on his leg. The thigh of his pants were a deep crimson red, where the knife had gone through. What was even more of a sight to behold was the other man lying in the background, with Shin¡¯s knife to his back. It seemed that the knife had gone straight through the thigh!

    But, that didn¡¯t stop the oing attack.

    A mirage appeared to being closer towards Tiera.

    ¡°Shh!¡±

    ¡°!¡±

    A short sword appeared out of thin air.

    Tiera looked closely at the de of the sword. She had determined where the swordsman was and had also deciphered that he must be right handed.

    In that split second, Tiera managed to draw her short sword and split the swordsman¡¯s sword in half.

    ¡°!¡±

    It was audibly clear that the only one left out of the four was taken aback.

    Tiera took a step towards this man. And with that step, powerful magic was flowing through her body. Tiera¡¯s body hastened, from the power of her magic. She understood where her opponent stood in rtion to his allies, stepped into his zone, and struck him with her left hand, which had also been strengthened by magic.

    She struck quicker than he could defend, prated his armor until his bare skin felt the thrust, and the man fell to the ground.

    ¡°Gah.¡±

    The man drew short breaths as he lost consciousness. His hand had covered where he was wounded ¨C which was in the middle of his gut. It was a critical hit.

    ¡°Phew.¡±

    Tiera made sure that no one was awake, as she went around to check on the others who had fallen. Tiera tried calming herself down, as she let her arms loose.

    You could look at Tiera and see that all her stats were average. Yet the damages that she inflicted didn¡¯t seem possible from her slender arms. However, she had managed tobine her magic into improving her bodily performances ¨C this was a technique thatbined the assets of the defensive martial arts ¡®operation¡¯ and applied the foundations of ¡®activity¡¯ and ¡®alchemy¡¯.

    While it wouldn¡¯t dramatically improve one¡¯s stats, it was enough to ce emphasis on specific body parts ¨C such as the hand. This improved closebat too ¨C something elves were notoriously weaker at.

    Schnee had been teaching Tiera, just in case.

    ¡°What is that.¡±

    Tiera turned to see the two other attackers, their heads caught in Shibaid¡¯s arms. She had not cared for the two in the back, because even she had known about them. So Tiera had assumed that Shibaid would handle it. Still, it was a sight to behold and certainly one that raised a lot of questions.

    The attackers were struggling until Shibaid put a little more strength into his arms. They eventually ran out of air and lost consciousness. It really was a surreal scene to witness, with two grown men dangling from his arms.

    Tiera tried to go towards Shibaid, but immediately jumped back instead.

    ¡°¡­that was a close one.¡±

    A thin de had zoomed past her head.

    She had been able to understand that there were others in the vicinity. But had it not been for the fact that she had already warmed up with the other attackers, and how she had been informed of those in the distance, it¡¯s possible Tiera would have been killed at that moment.

    Tiera and Shibaid had both agreed that if they encountered any enemies that were beyond Tiera¡¯s skill levels, then Shibaid would take over. Shibaid would probably have been able to do something for Tiera just a second ago, had she not been the first to take a lead.

    Still, Tiera didn¡¯t want to be the damsel in distress.

    She turned towards where the de hade from. She could not find the de¡¯s owner. Given how there weren¡¯t any mirages either, their cover skills far exceeded that of the others from the pack.

    (They¡¯reing for me. But I can¡¯t see from where!)

    She knew that she would be under attack. Yet, she was totally at a loss at how to predict their move.

    She tried to snap out of it, as she began to move when suddenly, a red arm went whooshing past Tiera¡¯s head.

    ¡°!?¡±

    It was Shibaid¡¯s arm. And in his arm was another person, who was struggling to breathe.

    ¡°Fumu, that¡¯s a good reaction.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Tiera felt calmer once she confirmed that the attacker had lost consciousness.

    She turned around and realized that another man was dangling from Shibaid¡¯s other arm.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to draw it out.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    ¡°Really? I thought that this was an opponent you would have considered ¡®more powerful than you¡¯.¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    She tried to smile.

    Shibaid didn¡¯t bother asking ¡°what¡± she was used to and ¡°why¡±. He had his soft spots. He probably figured as much, after hearing so much about Schnee from Tiera herself.

    ¡°These men can take a break and nap. It¡¯s far too crowded here to question them.¡±

    With that, Shibaid cast magic onto the men and put them into a deeper slumber.

    It felt like they had already been damaged enough, that they wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up for a while. Still, it was better to be safe rather than sorry so Tiera didn¡¯t say anything.

    Shibaid took out a 2 mels long wooden box from his item box. He unequipped all of the men, tied their arms and feet together and threw them into the box. When he held onto the wood box on his shoulder, Shibaid also looked like a carrier, on his way to a delivery.

    In fact, many of the carriers they had passed carried luggage in a simr manner, so Shibaid would not stand out.

    ¡°¡­so that¡¯s how we¡¯ll carry them.¡±

    Tiera had wondered how they would be able to carry 6 men. While they handled the men rather roughly, it really didn¡¯t make sense to show them any other courtesy.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go now. Shin seems to have found a clue. He says that he¡¯ll be back shortly.¡±

    ¡°I was really hopeful that he would go on and get Millie back in one go.¡±

    ¡°I mean, think about where we are. This is the base for High Humans. Even he would be cautious.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that big of a deal?¡±

    She only knew one base, and it didn¡¯t give her an appreciation of the bigger picture.

    Tsuki no Hokora was protected by a ¡°wall¡± and ¡°barrier¡±. Even Tsuki no Hokora was built out of the finest materials, had very little else going for it. There was no special defense mechanism in ce.

    ¡°Palmirack is definitely a different case. They¡¯ve built the kind of fortress that could withstand a party of upper ss Chosen Ones¡¯ adventurers, and not only that, but annihte all of us if need be.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­ right¡­¡±

    She tried her best to cough out augh.

    It was one thing to try to lure people into the center and trap them.

    He was right though ¨C it was a one of a kind fortress.

    ¡°Why would they build a city around it then¡­¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it is not fully functional. I think that it¡¯s built in a way that the whole area can blow up from the center out.¡±

    ¡°I mean. High Humans are just insane, really.¡±

    Tiera mumbled, but she meant it in terms of Shin having nomon sense.

    She wanted to believe that even he was ¡®out there¡¯ amongst High Humans.

    Otherwise, she would go crazy too.

    (Listening to him talk, I had almost normalized the whole situation. No, I need to keep reminding myself that this is a little bit nutty. Although it may be toote for me¡­)

    Maybe it¡¯s both a good thing and a bad thing that Tiera didn¡¯t know how she had stopped ¡®acting and thinking¡¯ like a normal person for a long, long time now.

    Every day, people change and every person is allowed to change.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    (Still. Why were they after me?)

    Tiera could not stop thinking about the attackers in the box, while they walked back towards the inn.

    Tiera became well-known in Balmel. She was known at this point not only by soldiers and adventurers, butmon people as well.

    But she shouldn¡¯t know anyone in Sigurd.

    While she was in the storefront of Tsuki no Hokora, adventurers had told Tiera how there are some thieves who kidnap beautiful people. Perhaps that would be the case, if they also had the gall to attack a person apanied by a powerful Dragnil.

    If Tiera were a simple target, then they would havee for her when she was alone.

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Oh sorry, I¡¯ll open the door.¡±

    Tiera went ahead towards the door and opened it. She had assumed that it would be a tad difficult, what with carrying a 2 mels wide wooden box on your shoulders and all.

    ¡°Wee back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for all ourmotion. We¡¯ll head straight up.¡±

    Shibaid had caused quite a stir walking through the front with the box. Tiera went straight up to the waitress, who was immune to being phased by Shibaid, chatted enthusiastically and led Shibaid in.

    It was hard not to step aside for a beautiful girl like Tiera. All of the adventurersing from the front would move gracefully.

    ¡°We wait for Shin now.¡±

    Shibaid took a seat after putting the wooden box into a corner of the room.

    ¡°Are you going to leave the box like that?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem. They couldn¡¯t even put a dent in the box.¡±

    It looks like an ordinary box, but go figure. There¡¯s some magic in its material.

    Tiera knew as much. She could sense the magic reeking out of it. In fact, it gave her the same sensation that the tree of life that grew in the middle of the garden where she had lived before.

    (No. It can¡¯t be.)

    The tree of life was vital to elves and high elves. Since the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, these trees had be fewer and fewer in numbers. Even taking a single branch from the tree of life could be an act of war against elves.

    Yet, even someone whose master was Shin, would be hard to stomach, if they had cut down a tree of life for materials.

    ¡°What¡­is that box made of?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that? It¡¯s from some of the leftovers when Tsuki no Hokora was being built. I believe it¡¯s from the trunk of the tree of life.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    It was the impossible.

    It¡¯s not to the level of orichalcum, but the tree of life has the same amount of strength, and can even be used as a cure against curses and alchemy.

    ¡°H-How did youe across such a box?¡±

    Even asking the question is terrifying. She didn¡¯t know what to do if the truth was that the materials were extracted in an unpleasant way.

    ¡°I grew it. Before the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯, I grew it at the base that Hecate-dono guarded ¨C he was one of Shin¡¯s allies.¡±

    Shibaid looked nostalgic.

    Hecate¡¯s base was the ¡®5th Dimension Confusion of Romenun¡¯. It was the site that Shin had once mentioned how Berett couldn¡¯t go near.

    ¡°Growing¡­a tree of life.¡±

    In contrast to the calm Shibaid, Tiera felt as if she was being tricked, and was growing livid.

    Only the head of the High Elves, or their sires, knew how to grow the tree of life. It was notmon knowledge.

    Hearing Shibaid spread lies like ¡®growing the tree of life to build a building,¡¯ was really upsetting. For elves in general, the tree of life was a symbol of their faith. The tree of life was also a part of the ritual for elves when their magic was mature. They were highly valued by elves, and even the leaves of the tree of life were treated with respect.

    There were also moments when the tree of life would serve useful purposes when equipped, such as for medicine. Other races outside of elves also regarded the tree of life with a moderate amount of interest ¨C although never as much as the elves.

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to do these days.¡±

    ¡°Well of course. To even consider growing it is obscene.¡±

    Shibaid grinned. Shibaid must have found it hrious, because it was part of his story. But for an outsider like Tiera, it was impossibly foolish.

    ¡°I think that that¡¯s something that would improve if Shin stayed around.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t deny that¡­.¡±

    As one of the Rokuten, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he knew the tricks.

    ¡°Even that has to wait until the current matter is settled. Shin and Schnee are here. Wilhelm-dono hasn¡¯t responded yet, which is disconcerting, but for now we should exchange information.¡±

    Shibaid went towards the entrance of the room, feeling Shin and Schnee.

    Eventually, Shin and Schnee arrived, with Yuzuha on Shin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°¡­where¡¯s Wilhelm?¡±

    Shin looked around the room and asked.

    ¡°No. He hasn¡¯t responded either.¡±

    Shibaid was quick to send a message to Wilhelm after contacting Shin. It had been a few hours, and still no response.

    ¡°¡­could he be talking right now?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. Messages aren¡¯t immediate like telepathy.¡±

    If he were in the middle of a conversation, he might not be able to open his messages.

    It was impossible to find out or wait, so they decided to go ahead and share information.

    ¡°Lilish says that the assants may be involved in some way with the present situation.¡±

    Shin added that bit after repeating everything Lilish had told him.

    He had also shared Shibaid¡¯s message with Lilish upon receiving. Lilish had been the one who had made the connection.

    ¡°It¡¯s still rming how they were only after Tiera. It¡¯s another thing if they¡¯re after Shin, but they came straight for us.¡±

    Shin nodded.

    It hasn¡¯t been long since Shibaid joined the party.

    Perhaps they can¡¯t tell that it is Shibaid, but regardless, if a new member joined the party, you would be more cautious beforeunching aggressivebat against them.

    Even if they had known that it was him, who would just attack without a better n?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what their motives are. It¡¯s possible that Wilhelm was also attacked.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible. I doubt that he would lose easily, but I don¡¯t know what would happen if say, there were a hostage situation of some sort.¡±

    Schnee agrees with Shin.

    ¡°The elf that Shin met also knew that Shin was in Sigurd. Therefore, it¡¯s fair to assume that they know Wilhelm-dono is here too. We¡¯re losing time ¨C we need to head immediately to the church, and you need to get more information out of those attackers.¡±

    ¡°Yes. We should head out now.¡±

    Shibaid carried the box and followed as the rest of the party headed for Palmirack.

    They were concerned about Wilhelm as well, but if they are not responding then there¡¯s nothing more you can do.

    Normally, even if they are at a ce that hasn¡¯t been fully mapped, they should be able to snipe out and feel the presence of certain individuals. Even that was difficult here because of Palmirack.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Perhaps it was because they had already attacked and failed. The route to Palmirack was quiet and peaceful. Once they arrived, a knight that was waiting invited them inside. They¡¯re brought into the living quarters. This knight was one of the three that had apanied Lilish. He must be a member of her guard.

    They continued to walk by other priests who would give frightened looks at the wooden box. They said nothing because of the church guard that walked alongside them. Perhaps they assumed that there was some official business.

    The other 2 guards waited outside of the room.

    ¡°Lady Lilish is waiting.¡±

    And with that, one of the guards opened the door.

    The 3 had already been briefed by Lilish.

    Perhaps they trusted Shin because of Lilish¡¯s faith in him. They did not look ill by the slightest, with Shibaid and Tiera also in the party.

    ¡°Thank you for your wait. These two are Shibaid and Tiera.¡±

    Shin introduces them.

    Shibaid had actually said his real name, but he looked too different from the ¡®real Shibaid¡¯. They assumed that he was one of Shibaid¡¯s fans, or someone with the same exact name ¨C nheless he was assumed to be a different person.

    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°All in all there are 6 of them. There are 4 that are above average, and 2 that are Chosen Ones.¡±

    ¡°Sure. I have a room secured. Follow me.¡±

    She nodded, and led the party towards the back of the room. Then, she made a secret maneuver which opened up the floor to a secret passageway.

    (Cain loved stuff like this.)

    Shin reminisced fondly, looking down at the stairs that emerged.

    ¡°The rest of you, please wait.¡±

    ¡°No, I should go too. I don¡¯t n on getting your hands dirty, if I¡¯m involved.¡±

    ¡°This won¡¯t be pleasant.¡±

    ¡°I am used to it.¡±

    Lilish looked closely into Shin¡¯s eyes, after hearing him say that he was ¡®used to it¡¯.

    ¡°¡­Alright. The rest of you, please wait. Rick, please.¡±

    ¡°Yes mydy.¡±

    She hesitated, but agreed to letting Shin apany her. Lilish called on one of her guards, and they went down the stairs.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be gone long. They might have something up their sleeves ¨C be on guard.¡±

    There was no point in all of them going down. Schnee was told to wait.

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Schnee looked deeply concerned, and Shin calmed her down.

    Perhaps she recalls the moment that Shin had be unrecognizable, and she didn¡¯t want to experience that again.

    ¡°Yuki. He says it¡¯s fine. Then it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

    Shibaid chimed in, and Schnee (Yuki) took a step back. With that, Shin turned towards Lilish.

    Shin and Shibaid continued after Lilish down the stairs. In a few minutes, there were no more stairs to climb down, and a door about 3 mels wide was visible.

    Lilish opened the door easily.

    There was nothing in the room.

    However, Shin could sense the presence of several, unforgivable traps that were ced all over the room. These traps, courtesy of Cain, were meant to kill.

    It seemed that Lilish and the church had been using this room as a torture chamber. It was also meant to be a room that would deter thieves from stealing. It was a trap room at its finest.

    During the game era, no one ever made it this far. Shin had never seen the traps go off.

    If the functions of this room were not disabled, they would have met a terrible fate.

    ¡°Here is?¡±

    It didn¡¯t hurt to y coy. Shin asks Lilish.

    ¡°We found this by ident one day when we were cleaning the room directly above it. I don¡¯t know why it exists.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the person who upied the room before you exin?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s useful, because this room doesn¡¯t allow any noise to leak. We generally hold our secret meetings here.¡±

    Shin responded to Lilish, saying ¡°I see.¡±

    He looked around at the room ¨C the traps in the room only went off once. It didn¡¯t seem though as if the person who hade into the room before had been the unfortunate sacrifice.

    ¡°Please let them out.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    They made sure that the doors were closed, and opened the wooden box. Shibaid turned the box over, as 6 grown men fell out one by one.

    It didn¡¯t seem that they were able to wake up, because of the spell cast on them.

    ¡°Restrain them.¡±

    One by one, Rick carried the men over and assembled them into a line. He put a cloth over their eyes, and made it hard for them to resist.

    Everything was ready.

    ¡°Shall we begin.¡±

    She nodded at what Shin said, and they used their skills to wake the men up.

    A few seconds passed, and one of the men woke with a groan.

    ¡°What¡­what¡¯s happening!?¡±

    He realized what kind of a situation he¡¯d woken up in, and started to show dismay.

    ¡°Be quiet.¡±

    Lilish orders the man to be silent. He stopped immediately.

    ¡°What do you n to do with us?¡±

    The man asked.

    ¡°Answer my questions honestly. If you are able to answer truthfully, we will not take your lives away.¡±

    Lilish spoke and with every word, the room was filled with more weight.

    The man wailed back,

    ¡°Do you know who our masters are?¡±

    ¡°No. So, will you answer our questions?¡±

    ¡°¡­..No. We¡¯d be killed anyways if we do.¡±

    The man thought about it, but chose to refuse. He was more frightened of the people he knew than Lilish.

    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. You would have saved us a lot of time.¡±

    Lilish¡¯s expression had not changed much. She raised her arm, and Rick came forward.

    ¡°What?! What are you doing!¡±

    The man could hear a footstep approaching him. He stepped back farther and farther, but Rick grabbed the man¡¯s face and activated his magic.

    ¡°!¡±

    The man raised a yelp, but fell back silent.

    Shin analyzed the situation and saw a ¡¾Sleep I¡¿ disy. It seemed that Rick had deployed some version of ¡¾Sleep¡¿. Normally it should have put one to sleep, but minor adjustments had been made, seeing how the man¡¯s eyes were open beneath the eye mask.

    Rick made sure that the man was asleep, and switched ces with Lilish.

    Lilish raised her hand in front of the man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Ugh¡­gah¡­¡±

    She was giving him a hallucination.

    ¡°Who am I?¡±

    ¡°G-Gilth, Barrot¡­.¡±

    ¡°Did I order you?¡±

    ¡°Ye¡­s¡­¡±

    ¡°What was the purpose?¡±

    ¡°Grab the¡­elf¡­.kill¡­thepany.¡±

    The man continued to answer faithfully, albeit a bit stuttered.

    ¡¾Sleep¡¿ and ¡¾Hallucination¡¿ as abo had made the man believe that Lilish was his boss.

    (I learned something new.)

    Shin and Shibaid watched silently, as Lilish continued her questioning.

    She was able to extract plenty more information.

    The 4 men who attacked Tiera were part of the guild ¡°Corrupt Gift,¡± an underworld society that had managed to gain middle-ss status. He had not known about the other two Chosen Ones ¨C they were a separate thing.

    They were told to bring back the ck haired elf.

    It was Tiera alright. There are not that many ck- haired elves.

    They knew that Tiera might be apanied. They were told to kill whoever was in the way, but did not know that it would be a strong warrior.

    They did not know who had requested the hit.

    They didn¡¯t know about Wilhelm either.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to gain anymore.¡±

    Lilish broke the skill and stopped her intense lines of questioning. She stood. For questions that the man did not know the answer, he remained silent. This meant that thetter half of the interrogation had a lot of awkward silences.

    They put the man back to sleep.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a simr deal with the other two.¡±

    ¡°Did the name of the guild ring a bell for you?¡±

    ¡°No, but it did confirm some of my spections.¡±

    Lilish had known that the ¡°Corrupt Gift¡± were associated with the Shiten. It was a guild that thrived on human trafficking, and rumor had it that a lot of the sacrifices that the Shiten made were people procured by the guild.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try another then.¡±

    They wake up another man.

    He did not seem confused, and things went rather smoothly.

    ¡°Please answer our questions. If you answer faithfully, then we will promise you your safety.¡±

    ¡°How kind of you,¡± the man snickered.

    Rick¡¯s brows furrowed at the sight, but Lilish ignored it.

    ¡°Will youply?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    The man had said nothing. Perhaps that was enough of an answer.

    Rick approached the man, just as he had done earlier.

    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    The man let out a jeering cackle.

    Shin could feel his blood draining.

    The number 5 appeared above the man¡¯s head.

    ¡°!? Shibaid!!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    Even before Shin had raised his voice, Shibaid had carried Lilish and Rick away.

    Shibaid had also felt the instinctual threat of the deranged man.

    They had deployed their skills as to be able to switch ces immediately. They took the lid made of the tree of life and hid behind it like a shield.

    Immediately, an explosion could be heard beyond their little hideout.

    ¡°!?¡±

    The explosion was quiterge scale, and the wind caused by it blew Shin¡¯s hair back.

    There wererge hunks of flesh and blood all over the room.

    ¡°What in the world.¡±

    ¡°He set himself off.¡±

    Shibaid removed the lid, and saw that all 6 of their assants had been blown into smithereens.

    There were legs and feet, parts of torsos, organs,rge remainders of what used to be a head¡­ You could barely make out the two Chosen Ones. Some of the pieces that more or less carelessly remained intact were the other 4 men.

    ¡°Damn it.¡±

    While releasing his hold on Lilish and Rick, Shin swore at himself.

    The self explosion skill was not used often in the game. Few yers would even bother trying to acquire it. Shin of course was one of the few, but he had never used it to this day.

    Ever since it became a death game, the skill¡¯s very existence was erased from memory. The 5 that showed before the man, was the final countdown after he had initiated self destruction. The maximum amount of time that a person has after they¡¯ve decided to self destruct is 60 seconds. The shortest time otherwise should be 10 seconds. At 5 seconds, the remaining time appears over a character¡¯s head.

    They had just made it, but if it had just been Lilish handling the matter, they would have all been taken down.

    ¡°This is terrible.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s to keep themselves safe. I can¡¯t believe that they even had an insurance n like this ready.¡±

    Shin scowled at the smell.

    Shibaid was right. They must have had some sort of order in ce, in case any of the members got caught and were to slip. In a way it was very standard practice for those from the underworld to not care for human life, and especially not for their own.

    ¡°But this is excessive.¡±

    ¡°We now know that the Shiten are involved.¡±

    Lilish showed resentment. Rick bit down bitterly at his lower lip.

    ¡°¡­We can¡¯t really do anything. Shall we go back up?¡±

    ¡°Is it alright to leave it like this?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The dead bodies tend to disappear over time.¡±

    While ying the game, characters are usually sent back to where the yer started. In this work, that function still seemed to be in ce. It went without saying that nobody wondered how Lilish knew such things.

    Shin opened the doors and the party went up the stairs.

    Once they returned to the room, Lilish was the first one to enter. Schnee¡¯s eyes stopped short.

    ¡°You¡¯re very early. What is the matter.¡±

    ¡°We got duped.¡±

    They exined the self destruction of the attacker, and everyone¡¯s facial expression was much more grave.

    ¡°What do you mean, self destruct?¡±

    ¡°It stops information from leaking, and they probably wanted to take us down with them.¡±

    yers typically use this skill for when they are trying to make ast stand as they have very little HP left. It¡¯s also useful as a distraction against arge crowd. The death penalty on a yer is a far greater toll however, and characters that self destruct will gain nothing, even after a boss or a guild battle ends.

    No one dreams of some day self destructing, to put it bluntly.

    ¡°When you do it, you die right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It ces others surrounding you at great risk as well.¡±

    ¡°What use is that?¡±

    Tiera was stunned. She couldn¡¯t rte to her attackers one bit.

    It was absurd that anyone would even consider acquiring a skill, knowing that using it would kill you.

    Even back when it was just a game, very rarely did yers learn this skill.

    ¡°That¡¯s how these guilds operate. And I think that¡¯s all the reason that I have to share.¡±

    There were several other, sickening events that were caused by these underground guilds, like assassinations and keeping a secret society thriving. But those were ill suited answers for Tiera.

    Shin didn¡¯t have a good response.

    ¡°Self destruction. I don¡¯t believe that it¡¯s a difficult skill to acquire. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s within their means, the society that we are up against, to teach each of their followers that skill.¡±

    ¡°I see it happen in fiction often enough. Those that are affected have nothing to protect them.¡±

    Shin tries to change the subject to lighten the mood.

    ¡°This is pointless. Yuki and I are going to look through the church. Lady Lilish, please act as naturally as you possibly can.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I help you with anything though?¡±

    ¡°No. If you or your guards do anything out of the ordinary Lady Lilish, it will be obvious and cause the church to be suspicious. It¡¯d be best for you to do as you always would. I¡¯m painfully aware that we may be toote.¡±

    Shin and Schnee are already recognizable. Shibaid carrying in the box was also a sight. It was obvious they were making a move.

    Since they lost their source of more information, Shin had to do something to get better traction.

    The guards were concerned if they were really able to get in without their help, but Shin was able to persuade them with his superior hiding skills, once he disappeared out of their sights and reappeared behind them.

    He had merely moved very quickly, but they assumed that it was a skill. Had Shin really wanted to, he could have truly disappeared. Showing off however was not necessary.

    Other than Shin and Schnee, Tiera would go back to the inn and Shibaid would protect Lilish.

    It seemed a bit risky to let Tiera go off on her own. However, Yuzuha and Kagerou would also be with her.

    Had Shibaid not been there, Kagerou would have also been able to help Tiera earlier.

    From now on, an attacker would always be knocked out, then stuffed into the wooden box, and carried discreetly by Kagerou.

    In case the enemies were to make any sudden movements, Shibaid had to stay inside Palmirack. That was a given.

    He¡¯s also a holy knight by profession ¨C this meant that he was a much better defender.

    Even with no equipment, he was able to draw out rare ss swords. By merely equipping the backup armor and weapons that Shin provided, Shibaid could take over all of Palmirack with rtive ease.

    They seemed prepared enough.

    ¡°The sun will set soon. We will act on our n once it¡¯s dark. Shibaid is here too, but please try not to leave your abode.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that we cannot be of more use.¡±

    It¡¯s precisely the fact that they are involved in the church, that prevents them from further action. They told Lilish not to worry, as Shin and Schnee ventured into the church.

 Vol 6 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    This happened before Shin and the others met with Lilish .

    Wilhelm was in a certain store in Sigurd .

    The store was small, barely lit, and reeked of tobo .

    Magical items of unknown usagey forgotten on the badly arranged shelves .

    ¡°Found you atst . ¡±

    Wilhelm was slightly irritated . The informant he counted on had moved; finding the new location took longer than expected .

    ¡°Now now, don¡¯t give me that after showing up without an appointment . ¡±

    The man who owned the store shrugged after hearing Wilhelm¡¯s words .

    In a ce like Sigurd, with a high flow of traffic, it was not odd for an informant like him to frequently change locations .

    ¡°It stinks here . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you say before even greeting me? This incense was made in Hinomoto, you know?¡±

    Muttering about Wilhelm¡¯sck of understanding for Wabi-Sabi (The beauty of transience and imperfection), the bearded owner blew smoke from his pipe .

    What a pity for the incense .

    ¡°Jai . I¡¯m sorry but I have no time to enjoy stuff like that . Save it for after our business is done . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s scary . You¡¯re even more aggressive than usual¡­what happened?¡±

    The man, Jai Tret, felt that Wilhelm was different than normal . His aloof expression changedpletely when he posed the question .

    He too hails from the same orphanage, and left to adventure 5 years before Wilhelm .

    Now he¡¯s an active informant based in Sigurd .

    ¡°They kidnapped Millie . Bulk from the Church is the main culprit . ¡±

    ¡°!?¡­You¡¯re sure of that?¡±

    Wilhelm exined the situation in detail to the stunned Jai . After he heard everything, Jai was rubbing his chin, deep in thought .

    ¡°Eline, huh . If he got involved, it means they¡¯re really ying for keeps . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Among the apprentices raised within the Church, Eline¡¯s the strongest . Using him is testament of how big this thing is . ¡±

    Jai then added that when Eline moves the resulting damage is always massive, although it never reaches the public .

    ¡°Elinees from some small vige, but he has had extreme physical abilities ever since he was a brat, apparently . Bulk heard about it and took him in¡­and here we are . ¡±

    When the Church ministers personally requested to take him in, Eline¡¯s parents happily entrusted him to them .

    In exchange for arge sum of gold .

    ¡°Misguided knowledge about the Chosen Ones, that was . ¡±

    Eline, a Chosen One, possessed physical abilities far beyond his age; the vige treated him as a cursed child . Being smarter than other children became a burden to him .

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about that bastard¡¯s story . What the hell does that change? You think I¡¯m going to shed a tear or something?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, here¡¯s what I¡¯m getting at . Bulk took Eline back with him, and poured all his enthusiasm in educating him . Thanks to that, his intelligence spiked in a weird direction¡­now he can¡¯t be handled anymore . ¡±

    ¡°Nothing I didn¡¯t know of yet . ¡±

    They had met and crossed swords already . Wilhelm already knew that he wasn¡¯t sane .

    ¡°Just hear me out . I heard this information from one of my personal connections¡­our guy seems to possess a certain title . ¡±

    ¡°What title?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re going to be surprised . Eline was born with the title of ¡°Hero¡±, they say . ¡±

    ¡°Whaaat?¡±

    Wilhelm couldn¡¯t grasp the meaning of Jai¡¯s words right away .

    ¡°We¡¯ve known each other for a long time, but I never thought you¡¯d be the type to spout jokes like that . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that now . I did think it was a bad joke the first time I heard it too . ¡±

    No one aware of Eline¡¯s true nature would ever imagine using such a word to describe him .

    The only thing about him that¡¯d fit the definition would be his appearance .

    ¡°So it¡¯s not a joke?¡±

    ¡°I have information that backs it up . That title is supposed to have the effect of strengthening your body . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sure of that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah . He is unbelievably strong, that¡¯s true . That might be the reason why he tends to talk too much . Someone heard him let that slip out of his mouth . That someone has already been taken care of, though¡­only a few informants know of this . ¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re one of those few then . Is that really true? Sounds fishy to me . ¡±

    ¡°Shut up . It¡¯s a fact that just knowing this stuff gets you erased!¡±

    It seemed like Jai wanted to imply he¡¯s too strong for that to happen to him .

    ¡°This piece of information alone is worth 100 Jul! I¡¯m only talking about it because it¡¯s you . ¡±

    ¡°More like because Millie¡¯s involved, right?¡±

    Jai had once escaped a mortal situation thanks to Millie¡¯s predictions .

    Despite looking as suspicious as possible, he was someone who always did the right thing in such situations .

    ¡°Who cares about why . There¡¯s more important stuff to deal with right now . What you said removed all my doubts . Since Millie has been kidnapped, the Holy Woman¡¯s definitely involved in this . ¡±

    ¡°The Holy Woman?¡­There are 3 women with that name now, aren¡¯t there . Considering Millie¡¯s abilities, it¡¯s about ¡®Prediction¡¯?¡±

    Wilhelm was aware of three of those Holy Women: the ¡°Sooth-Saying Holy Woman¡±, the ¡°Purifying Holy Woman¡± and the ¡°Healing Holy Woman¡± .

    Considering Millie¡¯s ¡®Star Reader¡¯ ability, the ¡°Soothsaying Holy Woman¡± is likely to be the connection .

    ¡°Bingo . They say thattely, the Soothsaying Holy Woman is feeling under the weather . Actually, it¡¯s because Bulk¡¯s manipting her though . ¡±

    ¡°He can control a Holy Woman!?¡±

    ¡°I heard this from another source, but apparently in a certain cave you can find an item that grants control over whoever¡¯s equipped with it . It was found with other cursed gear and entrusted to the church to remove the curse, but they swapped it with a dud¡­and now Bulk¡¯s been using it . ¡±

    Jai exined that a B-rank adventurers¡¯ party found it inside a yet to be cleared dungeon .

    ¡°Stay on your toes . If you end up having that thing attached, even you might not be able to fight it . They say that even some upper ss Chosen Ones fell under its influence . ¡±

    Jai¡¯s serious expression as he spoke thisst warning was one Wilhelm had never seen before .

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard enough . But there¡¯s something I just don¡¯t get . ¡±

    Wilhelm had received important information, but there was one thing he could not understand .

    ¡°What¡¯s that now?¡±

    ¡°How do you know all this inside information? You just said yourself that the church erases anyone in possession of troublesome information, right?¡±

    Jai was not a Chosen One, unlike Wilhelm . No matter how good he was at hiding, he could not stay safe forever .

    ¡°That¡¯s because the Church isn¡¯t a paragon of unwavering loyalty either . Even ignoring the Millie business, Bulk has his fair share of failures . There are people opposing him . Eline too, he might be an upper ss Chosen One, but because of Bulk he¡¯s a useless Church Knight . They¡¯d be happy to be rid of Bulk . And one more thing, the adventurer who found the maniption item is one of my best clients . ¡±

    Jai exined how he had a solid source of information for the maniption item as well .

    Wilhelm could not know at this point, but that information hade from Lilish . She had disclosed it to the informants she could trust .

    Yet not even Lilish knew about the ¡°Hero¡± title, mainly because the source of the information had been erased .

    ¡°I see . So your connections prove useful¡­sometimes . ¡±

    ¡°You could have spared me thatst word, damn you . ¡±

    ¡°Who are these people opposing Bulk, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Fine, ignore me . They¡¯re the Holy Woman¡¯s personal guards, people indebted to her . Some of them are high-ranked too, so they know how Bulk¡¯s been handling her . If killing Bulk could dispel the item¡¯s effects, rest assured that he¡¯d be six feet under by now . ¡±

    Not knowing how to dispel the effect of the maniption item, they can¡¯t make any moves . Capturing Bulk and interrogating or torturing him could be one way, but who knows what could happen to the Holy Woman .

    Bulk dies and the Holy Woman goes with him¡­would not be a happy ending .

    Jai also added that it¡¯d be hard to subdue him, having Eline as guard .

    ¡°The Holy Woman¡¯s being held hostage, pretty much . Some people have no choice but to obey Bulk¡¯s orders . ¡±

    ¡°Can they be useful to him, though?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want the Holy Woman to be hurt¡­that¡¯s all he needs to say . ¡±

    ¡°Tch, disgusting bastard . ¡±

    Wilhelm clicked his tongue while making a distorted grimace . Jai was feeling the same as well .

    ¡°Wilhelm, what are you nning to do now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to the inn first . They¡¯ve never been more supportive, you see . The ones who went to the Church might even be back, with Millie in tow . ¡±

    Thinking that it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for Shin to pull it off made Wilhelm grin . Seeing Wilhelm like that caused a puzzled reaction in Jai .

    ¡°Who¡¯d think I¡¯d ever see you talking of someone with a face like that . Is it a Chosen One?¡±

    ¡°Nope, but a monster through and through . I¡¯m warning you though, don¡¯t start getting curious . ¡±

    ¡°Must be something else for you to say that . I¡¯d love to ask you to introduce us, but I¡¯ll stop for now . ¡±

    Jai understood that Wilhelm wasn¡¯t joking and nodded strongly, albeit a bitically .

    Curiosity killed the cat, as they say . Informants are sensitive to information that should be left alone . Though there are times when they get closer all the same .

    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s nothing to worry with a guy like that on your side, but let me tell you one more thing . If you n to mess with Bulk, other than Eline there¡¯s one more person you have to pay attention to . ¡±

    ¡°The upper ss Chosen Ones are being manipted, right? But you¡¯re telling me it¡¯s only one more guy?¡±

    Eline is obviously dangerous, but the upper ss Chosen Ones are also a threat themselves . Based on Bulk¡¯s personality, Wilhelm struggled to imagine that he¡¯d only had Eline and one more person at his beck and call .

    ¡°There are other upper ss Chosen Ones, that¡¯s true . But this guy, like Eline, has abilities far higher than the others . The name¡¯s Konig Bolt, he¡¯s one of the top swordsmen of the Church . He¡¯s being manipted by that item though . If you can get rid of that somehow, you can avoid having to fight him . ¡±

    Apparently he was one of Holy Woman¡¯s personal guards . He had probably been targeted because of his skills .

    Jai adds that he even owns legendary-ss equipment .

    ¡°This is all I can tell you . You better make good use of it . ¡±

    ¡°You bet I will . I will definitely rescue Millie . And while I¡¯m at it I will settle the score with that twisted bastard . ¡±

    ¡°Haha, good to hear that¡­counting on you . ¡±

    Thest words Jai added were filled with his frustration for not being able to go help her himself .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Wilhelm visited another few stores, then headed back to the inn .

    It had taken him considerable time to find Jai¡¯s store, so when he looked up at the sky the sun was already descending .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Wilhelm walked on towards the inn, inplete silence . On the way he bought skewered meat from a street stall .

    He proceeded at a rxed pace, tasting the perfectly cooked meat in his mouth .

    Yet his feet were not heading towards the inn .

    ¡°You¡¯ve been following me for a while now . What do you want?¡±

    Wilhelm stepped into a deserted alley and interrogated the empty space before him .

    ¡°¡­ . . ¡±

    No answer to be heard, Wilhelm¡¯s eyes focused . He pointed the skewer he had in his hand towards the alley¡¯s darkness and shot it .

    Wilhelm¡¯s muscr strength shot the skewer through the darkness just like a powerful bow would have, sending it piercing the air towards its target .

    ¡°!!!¡±

    An instant before the skewer disappeared into the darkness, something emerged from it . Along with a sound of the wall being struck, the scenery of the dark alley appeared to distort slightly before Wilhelm¡¯s eyes .

    The distortionnds on the ground and turned into a person d in a brown coat .

    ¡°You are Wilhelm Avis?¡±

    ¡°What if I am?¡±

    ¡°A certain person wants to meet you . Allow me to apany you . ¡±

    Wilhelm couldn¡¯t identify the person¡¯s expression or racial characteristics because of the hood . But the voice sounded like a man¡¯s .

    ¡°You really expect me to just follow you quietly?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take you by force¡­is something we¡¯re not strong enough to say . My apologies for following you . But refusing me will ultimately bring disadvantage to your side . ¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Wilhelm furrowed his brow after hearing the man¡¯s words .

    ¡°The person wanting to meet you is someone that detests people that abduct children . ¡±

    ¡°¡­so not a servant of some pig-faced priest, huh . ¡±

    ¡°If you visited Jai, you should already know . We are not so docile as to just obey without a word . ¡±

    Wilhelm remembered what Jai said about the opposing faction . Judging from his words, it was probably this man who passed the information to Jai .

    ¡°There¡¯s someone I want to contact first though . ¡±

    ¡°Apologies, but I can¡¯t allow that . ¡±

    ¡°You need as many allies as you can, don¡¯t you? I can at least guarantee that there¡¯s no risk of betrayal . ¡±

    ¡°It would inconvenience us for yourrades to be near . We could contact you like this just because you moved on your own . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°This is the only way to avoid being found out . That¡¯s all I can say for now . ¡±

    These people would be inconvenienced by Shin and the others¡¯ presence, which may cause something to happen . At this point in time, Wilhelm did not have enough information to deduce what the reason could be .

    Following the man would likely mean not making it back at the time set with Shin and the others . This caused Wilhelm to reflect in silence for a while .

    (What will they do after failing to make contact with me?)

    Wilhelm¡¯s absence wouldn¡¯t cause a serious loss in fighting power . Just Shin, Schnee and Shibaid would be more than enough .

    Tiera herself possessed less fighting power than these three, but her partner Kagerou was more powerful .

    If something happened to Wilhelm now, from the timing they would surely think the Church was involved .

    (They would go after Bulk . If they go to the Church, there¡¯s a high chance we¡¯ll bump into each other . )

    Considering Shin¡¯s party¡¯s abilities, they could very well rescue Millie without Bulk knowing .

    Directing their attention to Wilhelm instead of Shin¡¯s party would be good too .

    In addition, even if he was manipted, Wilhelm could not imagine Shin¡¯s party would be defeated .

    ¡°¡­where is this person that wants to meet me?¡±

    ¡°The Church¡¯s Headquarters . I will be your guide . ¡±

    ¡°Lead the way . ¡±

    As Wilhelm consented, the man moved to a corner of the alley and searched the ground . After a few seconds, his hands stopped moving, holding what looked like a handle-shaped object .

    The man tightened his grip on the object and the ground swelled up, revealing a pathway leading underground .

    ¡°This way . ¡±

    Wilhelm followed the man down the underground passage . The 3 mels wide tunnel they entered continued in both directions .

    No light illuminated the dark corridor; when the man closed the entrance, utter darkness filled the surroundings . Only when the man lit thentern he was holding could they see several mels in front .

    The man proceeded without hesitation through the barely lit tunnel . He turned left at a crossroad, right at the next T-intersection .

    Wilhelm could not fully understand how theplicatedwork of paths was connected .

    The session of simr-looking paths coupled with the obstructing darkness would disrupt the sense of direction of any intruder .

    Even with Wilhelm¡¯s sharp senses, he lost track of how much time had passed since they entered .

    If he lost sight of the man, it would be very difficult to find his way out alone .

    Just as Wilhelm thought so, the man stopped in his tracks .

    The path that looked like it would continue forever had approached its end .

    ¡°It¡¯s here . ¡±

    The man shone hisntern on a certain spot on the wall and pushed it . This caused the wall to slide and reveal a stairwayrge enough for one adult man to pass through .

    As Wilhelm proceeded to follow the man up the steps, he had already pushed the ceiling open and was checking the surroundings of the exit .

    What the underground tunnel led to was a tiny room . The two men exited it and found themselves in a corridor lined with gorgeous decorations .

    ¡°We¡¯re inside the Church?¡±

    Wilhelm had no recollection of the ce, but the scenery outside the windows allowed him to estimate his current whereabouts .

    It appeared they were inside one of the buildings at the edge of the Churchpound .

    ¡°There are paths leading to the Church strewn throughout this city . Although very few know that this is the entrance . ¡±

    ¡°Just memorizing your way through it is pretty impressive . ¡±

    ¡°After 30 years of exploration, I know it like the back of my hand . But enough idle talk, let us head to the person awaiting us . ¡±

    Despite being inside the Church, there were few people in the surroundings . Wilhelm¡¯s detection ability barely perceived any human presence around them .

    As the two descended several stairs, proceeding as not to meet anyone else, they finally reached a corridor with doors on the left and right sides .

    Wilhelm was wondering what the doors concealed, but as the man proceeded straight without paying the slightest attention to the doors, Wilhelm gave up on his mental investigation .

    If it¡¯s unrted to Millie¡¯s rescue, then there¡¯s no point in knowing .

    He had received messages from Shin¡¯s party while moving, but chose not to open them in front of the man .

    After proceeding further down the corridor the two came upon a door clearly different than the others .

    Thevishly decorated door, which upied a whole section as a room, was also where the corridor came to an end .

    ¡°Wait here . ¡±

    After saying so, the man knocked on the door with a peculiar rhythm, and the door opened by itself .

    It stopped after a few seconds, leaving an openingrge enough for one adult person to pass through .

    The man then stepped through the opening and Wilhelm followed after him .

    The room inside was quiterge, its floor rising higher in the back . It looked just like an altar, and Wilhelm was baffled and impressed at the same time that anyone would live in a room like that .

    ¡°Mdy Hermie . I have brought sir Wilhelm . ¡±

    ¡°Well done . ¡±

    The man had walked up to the canopy and reported Wilhelm¡¯s arrival, which prompted an answer from a crystalline voice beyond the heavy curtains .

    After a little while, the owner of the voice emerged from behind the curtains and showed herself .

    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance . My name is Hermie Schultz . ¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re the ¡®Soothsaying Holy Woman¡¯?¡±

    ¡°I am often addressed thus, yes . However, such a pseudonym has barely any meaning at present . ¡±

    Hermie¡¯s expression clouded . Wilhelm¡¯s eyes turned to the cor around her neck .

    Wilhelm assumed that the eerie-looking thing was the maniption item that Jai had mentioned .

    ¡°What did you call me for?¡±

    ¡°To return Millie . ¡±

    With these words, Hermie opened the canopy¡¯s curtains wide, revealing a king-size bed and Millie sitting on it .

    ¡°Will!!!¡±

    Millie had known Wilhelm had arrived from his voice, and as Hermie opened the curtains she jumped up and ran to him .

    Her eyes brimming with tears, Millie grabbed onto Wilhelm .

    Wilhelm held her gently as not to hurt her .

    ¡°Will-nii, is Shia-nee¡­is Shia-nee okay!?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, she¡¯s as lively as theye . ¡±

    Those words spread great relief in Millie¡¯s heart .

    She had heard from Hermie that Rashia was safe, but she could not erase all doubts until hearing the same from someone she trusted .

    ¡°What¡¯s happening here, though? You were supposed to have been abducted by that Bulk bastard . ¡±

    Why was Millie in a ce like that? Wilhelm inquired Hermie while patting the little girl¡¯s head .

    ¡°I and this girl share the same ability . Bulk ordered me to teach her how to control it . ¡±

    Teach her how to control it . That alone wouldn¡¯t be a problem .

    However, Bulk would never give her back just like that .

    ¡°Bulk ns to offer her as sacrifice . I suppose he only thinks of her ability as a way to raise her worth as sacrifice . ¡±

    Hermie did not know what effect that could have on the ritual . She did not want to know either .

    If things continued on as they were, both her and Millie would not be able to escape Bulk¡¯s grasp .

    Having realized that, Hermie took the risky decision of ordering one of her men to bring Wilhelm there, in order to save Millie .

    ¡°Sacrifice?¡±

    Wilhelm was surprised to hear a word so foreign to him . He knew of the existence of the Summit Faction, but he thought they were terrorists that attacked without discrimination .

    After Hermie exined about the Summit Faction and their activities, faint blue veins could be seen emerging on Wilhelm¡¯s forehead .

    ¡°What insane bastards . But I still don¡¯t understand why you called for me . You should have known that I¡¯m not the only oneing to save Millie, right?¡±

    Wilhelm swallowed his anger and interrogated Hermie again . Why call him specifically, when calling Shin or Schnee would have resolved everything faster?

    ¡°I am aware that there are others trying to save Millie . But my ability allowed me to see only you and the female elf . And about her, all I could see was very rough and uncertain . Once, I saw you saving a woman called Rashia, and there was a ck-haired man with you¡­but I only saw him that time . My power has its limits, after all . ¡±

    Hermie thus confessed her inability to see Shin, Schnee or Shibaid .

    Wilhelm knew how outside the norm those three were, so he did not find such a reason hard to ept . Difference in level and status, quality of weapons and armor, superiority of species¡­there were too many possible reasons .

    ¡°I see . Thinking about those guys, it¡¯s not strange that I¡¯m the only one you could see . Enough about them though . ¡±

    That was all Wilhelm could say at that point .

    He too was simr to them as for being outside the norm, butpared to Shin and the others he still paled .

    ¡°Back to the topic, what do you n to do now? Even if Millie¡¯s safe, you¡¯ll still be sacrificed, won¡¯t you?¡±

    Thinking that it wasn¡¯t something to talk about then and there, Wilhelm returned to the topic at hand .

    ¡°I¡­I cannot escape . ¡±

    Hermie spoke while shifting her gaze to the ground . Resignation was palpable in her words .

    Looking at the source for that feeling, Wilhelm spoke .

    ¡°The item that forces obedience upon those who equip it, huh . ¡±

    ¡°You knew?¡±

    ¡°I heard from an informant . Looks like it¡¯s that cor?¡±

    ¡°Exactly . I have only received orders that prevent me from doing certain actions now, so I can move freely to a point¡­but if I receive the order, I can do the cruelest things without hesitation . ¡±

    Hermie¡¯s pupils trembled while she talked, her fingers brushing against the cor . Wilhelm could not know what horrible things she had been forced to do until now .

    But judging from Hermie¡¯s pained expression, it couldn¡¯t have been anything pleasant .

    ¡°Are you conscious after you receive an order?¡±

    ¡°I am¡­vaguely conscious . I suppose I could say it feels like being in a dream . ¡±

    Hermie exined how she wasn¡¯t fully conscious . Wilhelm thought that if she was, her emotional state now would be much worse .

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t do anything about that thing around your neck . Sorry, but I¡¯m going back with Millie . ¡±

    ¡°Will-nii!?¡±

    ¡°That is fine . That is not why I had youe here, after all . ¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s words made Millie raise her voice in disbelief . She was about to appeal to Wilhelm to save her, but then her eyes met Wilhelm¡¯s expression of suppressed regret .

    Hermie understood his feelings and nodded after hearing his words . The smile appearing on her lips was born from being genuinely happy that Millie would be safe .

    While feeling Millie¡¯s gaze, Wilhelm knew he was feeling irritated . There was something he didn¡¯t like about Hermie¡¯s expression .

    ¡°What¡¯s up with that face?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    The sudden question changed Hermie¡¯s expression from smiling to confused .

    Hermie thought that her release of the kidnapped Millie could have been considered suspicious by Wilhelm .

    She had expected the possibility of being asked if she was being manipted and was just trying to make them lower their guard .

    Fortunately that didn¡¯t happen: Wilhelm agreed to take Millie back without hesitation .

    Maybe because she had found some sce in that, Hermie could not understand Wilhelm¡¯s words immediately .

    ¡°It¡¯s the face of someone who doesn¡¯t care about themselves . ¡±

    ¡°¡­if that¡¯s what you think, could you please hear my request?¡±

    As she understood Wilhelm¡¯s words, a thought formed within Hermie .

    Maybe she would be able to aplish the other objective for calling Wilhelm there .

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Please, kill me . ¡±

    ¡°Lady Hermie!?¡±

    ¡°Hermie-nee!?¡±

    Hermie¡¯s words were followed by shocked exmations from the guide and Millie .

    The real purpose of the man who brought Wilhelm to take Millie back was saving Hermie .

    Hearing the same Hermie ask Wilhelm to kill her would obviously cause him to raise his voice .

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    ¡°Even if I keep on living like this, I would just cause problems for many people . If I die and Millie disappears from here, Bulk¡¯s plot will fail too . Because of this cor, I cannot do it with my own hands, so¡­I beg of you . ¡±

    ¡°That cannot happen!! Do you want the earnest efforts of all those trying to save you to be in vain!?¡±

    ¡°It will be toote if things continue like this . ¡±

    Hermie¡¯s eyes were resolute as she stated so .

    ¡°What have you seen?¡±

    ¡°I h¡­gwah!¡±

    Hermie was about to start talking, when her face twisted into a grimace of pain . Through her fingers tightly holding her neck, Wilhelm noticed the words etched on the cor¡¯s light up .

    ¡°My¡­apologies . The cor prevents me from saying any more . But if things go on like this¡­the Eltnia continent will fall in ruin . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . the Demon, huh?¡±

    Wilhelm guessed what Hermie meant to say through her fragmented words .

    He was gathering information on Bulk his own way too; his information sources were not limited to Jai .

    Among the pieces of information Wilhelm had collected, there were connections between Bulk and the Demon, albeit not confirmed .

    ¡°It is a very powerful one as well . If you understand me, please¡­¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t do that . ¡±

    Wilhelm cut off Hermie¡¯s words while patting Millie¡¯s head, who was silently looking up at him .

    (I¡¯m not usually one to rely on others, but¡­)

    Wilhelm was a seasoned warrior too . The thing that Hermie talked about, something which could destroy the whole continent¡­he had felt, ever so slightly, traces of it ever since he arrived in Sigurd .

    It wasn¡¯t within Sigurd itself, but not too far from it, something of unknown nature was beginning to move .

    From that supposedly dangerous thing, however, Wilhelm could not feel any deathly presence .

    The reason was that until hearing Hermie¡¯s words, he did not perceive that sense of irritation as something concrete .

    But now he understood the reason . He felt that something evenrger than the menace Hermie spoke about was blocking it .

    There was only one thing he could think of .

    ¡°Even if I don¡¯t kill you here, that enemy or whatever isn¡¯t going to aplish anything, you know . ¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure!? That is not something mere humans canpare to!¡±

    Instigated by Wilhelm¡¯sck of sense of danger, Hermie loudly let out her feelings .

    She could not express it in words, but Hermie had seen it through her ¡®Star Reader¡¯ ability . The massive shadow emerging from the ritual site, and the destruction in its wake .

    Hermie knew that even if she pleaded to the people trying to help her ¨C such as the man who guided Wilhelm ¨C to kill her, they would never consent .

    She had Wilhelme not only to entrust Millie to him, but also to ask him to kill her .

    ¡°If it was only me in Sigurd, it would have worked, maybe . ¡±

    Theck of worry in Wilhelm¡¯s words clouded Hermie¡¯s expression further .

    There was a definite difference between Wilhelm and Hermie¡¯s reactions to theing danger .

    The cause for this difference was one simple thing . Knowing a certain person or not .

    Who could ever predict it?

    That the race talked about in myths was now here in this city?

    Who could ever predict it?

    That he and hisrades were already on the move?

 Vol 6 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    ¡°I¡¯d be very interested in hearing more about that . ¡±

    The direct reaction to Wilhelm¡¯s words came from someone who wasn¡¯t supposed to be there .

    ¡°Hey there, good job in finding out that I was here . ¡±

    Wilhelm cast a sharp nce at Eline . He had appeared with a timing that was too perfect .

    The spot Eline appeared from had no entrances or exits . Wilhelm had guessed that Eline had hidden himself or there could have been a secret passage .

    Wilhelm at first found it suspicious that Eline had not staged an ambush, but concluded that considering Eline¡¯s personality and abilities, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to not do something like that .

    ¡°I had Lady Holy Woman there predict it . She probably doesn¡¯t remember though . ¡±

    Eline revealed the whole truth about his presence, with the same grin he had thest time they met in the church .

    His words surprised the source of the prediction, Hermie, the most .

    ¡°That can¡¯t be! I couldn¡¯t have predicted himing here, I¡­!¡±

    ¡°You did . But, you were told to forget about it . I was surprised to hear that you had seen Wilhelm in this city, though . Together with a rare creature like a ck-haired elf too . Bayreuth is quite far from here though, was it her ability that let you travel such a distance in this short time?¡±

    The maniption item could even modify memories .

    Eline¡¯s words and Hermie¡¯s expression convinced Wilhelm that it was the truth .

    At the same time, the anger he had suppressed welled up within him .

    Wilhelm could not forgive him for wounding Rashia and kidnapping Millie; on top of that, after witnessing how he toyed with Hermie, who was even ready to sacrifice herself, it would have been impossible not to be furious .

    ¡°You think I¡¯m going to tell you?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s words implied the absurdity of such a question .

    Wilhelm told Millie to stand back and materialized ¡ºBeinot¡» from his item cards . His eyes did not leave Eline for a second .

    The rage burning within Wilhelm was about to rip through his body and erupt .

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t really care either way . What is that spear, though? It is truly beautiful!¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about your damn opinion . ¡±

    ¡°It is truly regretful not being able to share this emotion . I am in a good mood right now, so I will let it go . I am really d that you brought me such a spear . Who would think that you¡¯d have an even greater spear than the one fromst time? You should have wielded it earlier . Holding back is something really cruel to do . ¡±

    Unlike Wilhelm, Eline¡¯s whole body expressed how good his mood was .

    His eyes were fixed on ¡ºBeinot¡», which Wilhelm was wielding . His expression was that of a child who had found a brand new toy .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to pay you back forst time, here and now . ¡±

    ¡°Haha, rather than paying me back, you should worry about having more to pay instead . ¡±

    Eline¡¯s hand was already gripping ¡ºExvaine¡» . His jovial expression did not hide the same contempt he had during his first bout against Wilhelm .

    His stance showed that after seeing ¡ºBeinot¡», Eline had understood that things wouldn¡¯t go likest time .

    Wilhelm too, however, was different fromst time . The weapon he was wielding was different, but more than that, his whole body was perfectly focused, without the slightest strain: his fighting stance showed no openings .

    The distance between the two contenders was roughly 10 mels . After making sure that the guide had made Hermie step back, Wilhelm pointed the tip of his spear towards Eline .

    ¡°Shaa!¡± (T/N: Literally ¡°Shii¡± . Something like a war cry . )

    Wilhelm took the first step .

    Wilhelm, whose speed was boosted by the support magic ¡°Ki Maniption* ¨C Kassen (Living Lightning)¡±, started his offensive against Eline . (T/N: Also tranted as Spirit Maniption)

    Eline¡¯s weapon might have been a High Human creation, but the range of attack for a great sword and a spear are very different . ¡ºBeinot¡» had encroached on Eline¡¯s attack range .

    ¡°I will not go down so easily . ¡±

    Eline held his ¡ºExvaine¡» on the trajectory of Wilhelm¡¯s thrust .

    While a sword¡¯s middle part could be said to be its weak point, ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s abnormally high firmness managed to repel ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s strike .

    ¡ºVenom¡» would have caused him to suffer damage from this sh, but now Wilhelm was wielding ¡ºBeinot¡», the masterpiece Shin had crafted based on ¡ºVenom¡» .

    Being the same grade as ¡ºExvaine¡», there was no decisive difference in performance between the two weapons .

    If a difference arose, it would be because of the user¡¯s skill and the weapon¡¯s attributes .

    After repelling Wilhelm¡¯s strike, Eline¡¯s ¡ºExvaine¡» parried ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s tip, which had changed its target to his feet .

    His body slid naturally, without opposing the force thrusting forward .

    Eline then moved one step forward, faster than Wilhelm could pull back ¡ºBeinot¡» .

    After parrying one blow, Eline drew closer to Wilhelm, using ¡ºExvaine¡» as a shield .

    The distance between the two grew smaller and smaller .

    Wilhelm, however, would not make the mistake of entering into ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s attack range .

    One step before Eline¡¯s attack range . Just before stepping inside it, Wilhelm changed the pattern of his attacks .

    The methods of attack with the spear are the thrust, focused on one point, and the sweep, boasting a range far superior to other conventional weapons .

    The multiple thrusts that had been repeated until that point vanished in an instant, turning into a tinum circle, which attacked Eline the next second .

    ¡°Quite impressive!¡±

    After blocking the resulting blow, far heavier than the previous thrusts, Eline found himself forced to increase the distance .

    Looking at his feet would show burning tracks caused by his shoes grinding against the floor .

    The damage sustained was not much, but it was proof that it wasn¡¯t a blow that he could lightly parry on the spot .

    ¡°Very good . It appears I can get serious too . ¡±

    Eline, once again, stepped forward with the intention of closing the distance that had formed previously . His speed was clearly differentpared to the movements up until a while ago .

    Eline too had reinforced his physical abilities with ¡°Ki Maniption¡±, as Wilhelm had done .

    Now the thrusts slicing through the air were not just parried, but knocked aside directly from the front by Eline¡¯s de . Because their basic stats were different, with the skill¡¯s physical boost Eline¡¯s STR was greater .

    Letting his sword arm¡¯s power take control, Eline was swinging the 2-mels long ¡ºExvaine¡» as if it was a long sword .

    A crimson arc is drawn in the air and ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s silver sh is repelled .

    Few weapons in the world could manage to withstand the attacks of Wilhelm¡¯s ¡ºBeinot¡» .

    If Eline¡¯s weapon had been a legend-grade at most, it could have been possible to push through thanks to the difference in weapon type .

    Eline¡¯s weapon, however, had a surprisingly high performance .

    Even under Wilhelm¡¯s frontal thrusts, it managed to parry all blows without even the slightest grinding sound .

    Eline¡¯s skills were undoubtedly top-notch . He could perfectly defend himself against the spear¡¯s continuous strikes with a weapon as unwieldy as the great sword .

    ¡°Tch, looks like the Hero title isn¡¯t just for show . ¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you knew? To challenge me despite knowing about that¡­you must have a death wish . ¡±

    Eline responded thus to the words muttered by Wilhelm .

    ¡°I heard it increases your status, but I¡¯ll be damned if you aren¡¯t the least worthy of such a title . ¡±

    The Title and character did not match .

    The character might not be Eline¡¯s fault entirely, but even so, a less fitting match would be difficult to find, or so Wilhelm thought .

    ¡°If you envy me, you should just say so . I am a Chosen One . For me to possess a special title like that could be said to be inevitable . ¡±

    ¡°Hah, save the dream talk for when you sleep¡±

    The two contenders¡¯ des collided and made sparks fly .

    Even while taunting him, Eline had entered within range to attack Wilhelm . With the enemy so close, even Wilhelm could not continue his flurry of thrusts .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you think you were stronger simply because you have a new weapon? This duel will end just as thest one did!¡±

    As if in response to Wilhelm¡¯s earlier sweep, Eline suddenly changed ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s trajectory, which he had been swinging vertically until then .

    The swing, originally aimed at Wilhelm¡¯s head, changed directions towards his abdomen, with a sharp angle that a weapon as a massive as a great sword shouldn¡¯t be capable of .

    The strike, performed by drawing a sideways V in the air, was the sword art ¡°Aerial sh¡± .

    ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s deep red light bared its fangs, attempting to cleave Wilhelm apart .

    Before such a de, ordinary armor would be tantamount to nothing .

    That is the reason why it should be stopped not with armor, but with another weapon .

    Wilhelm, who attempted to parry the overhead blow with ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s handle, swiftly lowered his left arm and matched his spear¡¯s tip with ¡ºExvaine¡» .

    As ¡ºExvaine¡» and ¡ºBeinot¡» shed, arger spark burst in the air .

    ¡°Gah¡­¡±

    ¡°My, I suppose it will not go just likest time, then . ¡±

    The heavy blow forced his soles to grind against the floor, but unlike their previous bout, this time Wilhelm did not sufferrge damage of unknown origins .

    Wilhelm was safe because of the temporary physical boost provided by a skill and ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s sturdiness .

    Wilhelm had heard from Shin about ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s abilities . The damage of unknown nature that Wilhelm had suffered during their previous fight too was due to them .

    ¡°Looks like what he said was really the truth . ¡±

    Wilhelm whispered so after confirming that there was nothing abnormal with his body .

    He did not doubt Shin¡¯s words, but he needed to see with his own eyes before finally epting the truth .

    Seeing Wilhelm withstanding his blow, Eline¡¯s smiling expression seemed to hide his intentions .

    ¡°For some reason, it seems like you know about my weapon . Since it is a High Human creation, I am not deeply familiar with its abilities yet . It appears there is more I need to ask you . ¡±

    ¡°No need to worry . You won¡¯t have any use of it either way . ¡±

    After saying so, Wilhelm¡¯s mouth formed a grin .

    Maybe because he was irritated by that attitude, the smile Eline was wearing on his lips changed in nature .

    ¡°That is fine, extracting information is not one of my duties after all . I shall grant you the opportunity of witnessing my true strength . I trust you will make this enjoyable . ¡±

    His words had barely left his lips when Eline¡¯s body was enveloped in golden light .

    His shining figure was indeed reminiscing of a character from a heroic myth .

    ¡°¡­too bad he¡¯s like that inside . ¡±

    Eline was wrapped in blinding light . Knowing about his character, however, prevented Wilhelm for feeling even a shred of divinity in such a view .

    The waves of power emitted by Eline were definitely growing stronger . However, despite their difference in status growing evenrger, Wilhelm¡¯s attitude did not change .

    ¡°You guys!! Stay back so you don¡¯t get involved in this!!¡±

    After warning Hermie and the others, Wilhelm brandished ¡ºBeinot¡» in a fighting stance .

    Without wasting time, ¡ºExvaine¡» drew closer .

    While not being as wide as a spear¡¯s, a great sword¡¯s attack range was longer than most weapons .

    Due to Eline¡¯s charging momentum and ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s de length, Wilhelm felt as if the tip of the foe¡¯s de suddenly appeared before his eyes .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Wilhelm struck back that same tip, without a word . Holding ¡ºBeinot¡» near the tip, he counterattacked with the least movement possible .

    The strike had been performed with surprising reaction speed, and the small arc it formed repelled ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s de .

    Wilhelm followed it by stepping forward . His left hand still held the spear¡¯s tip, while the right changed positions and lifted the end of the handle upwards .

    ¡°Oops!¡±

    The strike, aimed square at the chest, was avoided by Eline twisting his body out of the way . With his extended arm, he then forcefully swung ¡ºExvaine¡» wide .

    Even without Eline¡¯s full strength behind it, that sh would have been enough to cut Wilhelm apart .

    Judging it not necessary to parry, Wilhelm avoided it by crouching . At the same time, he quickly rotated ¡ºBeinot¡» and thrust it at Eline .

    After observing the sword cleave above his head , Wilhelm released a thrust with all his strength .

    The strike, enveloped in blue and silver light, stabbed Eline¡¯s chest with a speed that far exceeded his predictions .

    ¡°Tch!!¡±

    The piercing strike that had left a blinding light effect on Eline was the spear and lightbination art ¡°Tetralight Firestreak¡± .

    After a strike performed with ¡ºBeinot¡», four spears of light followed by piercing Eline¡¯s armor .

    Yet Wilhelm¡¯s hands did not feel the sensation of pierced flesh .

    ¡°That kind of speed¡­it¡¯s not just an ordinary skill, is it . ¡±

    ncing at the missing pieces of armor from his abdomen, Eline stopped smiling .

    Even though he barely parried it, the damage he received would have been enough to inflict a grave wound had he been hit squarely .

    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who wasn¡¯t serious yet . ¡±

    Wilhelm watched Eline with the vertically shed pupil of his left eye . It was the sign that the Dragnil blood flowing within Wilhelm had awakened .

    What had pierced through Eline¡¯s armor was not just the weapon¡¯s strength .

    Wilhelm had unleashed his trump card, the ¡°Evil Dragon Release¡±, which allowed him to use Lord and Dragnil powers at the same time, thus boosting his stats .

    ¡°That eye¡­I see, so you are a critical . ¡±

    A streak of blood flows from Eline¡¯s abdomen .

    Even if slightly, Wilhelm¡¯s strike had managed to wound him .

    Without bothering to answer Eline¡¯s words, Wilhelm kicked the ground .

    The thrusts of his spear, infused with his whole body¡¯s power, moved at a speed iparable to the strikes Eline had previously parried .

    ¡ºBeinot¡», transformed in a silver blur, attacked Eline while piercing through the air with sounds akin to screams

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare look down on me!!¡±

    Eline attacked back at the enemy spear, which looked like a blur .

    Even if Wilhelm¡¯s physical abilities had increased, it was not enough to determine who had the advantage .

    Crimson shes danced in the air .

    Silver and red . The two lights shed repeatedly between Wilhelm and Eline, creating innumerable sparks in midair .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . !!!¡±

    After a more intense sh between the des, the two contenders created some distance between each other .

    After a brief moment, they started their offensive at the same time .

    Wilhelm chose the spear and lightningbination art ¡°Thunderhowl¡± .

    Eline chose the sword and firebination art ¡°st Cross¡± .

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!¡±

    Their battle cries ovep .

    At this point, not only Wilhelm but also Eline could not afford to hold anything back .

    He who relents will lose . As both men knew it, the strength gripping their weapons¡¯ hilts was the maximum they could muster .

    ¡°Gh¡­! This, can¡¯t¡­!!¡±

    Eline voices his disbelief . ¡ºBeinot¡», which had turned into a silver sh of lightning before his eyes, was cutting down the blood-red fiery mes wrapped around ¡ºExvaine¡» .

    ¡°Your mask is falling, false hero!!!¡±

    The sparks and mes emitted from their sh of strength were burning the floor and ceiling .

    A good distance behind Wilhelm, Hermie let out a scream .

    The bnce slowly changed . The sound of Eline¡¯s shoes grinding against the floor grew  louder and louder .

    ¡ªI can cut through you!!

    With a sharp stroke, Wilhelm thrust ¡ºBeinot¡» forward .

    Their sh hadsted for roughly 15 seconds . The fiery mes, crushed under the lightning¡¯s pressure, disappeared in a thin mist .

    ¡°It¡¯s over!!¡±

    Eline replies quietly to Wilhelm¡¯s shout .

    ¡°Yes¡­it¡¯s over indeed . ¡±

    As Eline finished uttering these words, Wilhelm felt a shock throughout his body .

    ¡°What¡­ . the¡­ . ?¡±

    Alongside the shock, Wilhelm felt something entering his body, His experience told him it was a small de .

    What he didn¡¯t understand was who could have done it .

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I would just do nothing, did you¡­?¡±

    ¡°W-what¡­?¡±

    Wilhelm felt his hands losing their strength . ¡ºBeinot¡», which he was about to pierce Eline with, turned into a spark and vanished in midair .

    Eline, hisposure regained, motioned with his chin as if telling Wilhelm to look behind him, and thetter does .

    ¡°Da . . DAMN YOUUUUUU!!!!¡±

    Wilhelm shouts loudly, trying to move his now powerless body .

    Before him stood Millie, with hollow eyes and a bloody knife in her hand .

    She hade closer to Wilhelm and Eline¡¯s sh and her arms suffered burns because of it .

    The knife had probably been poisoned, as not only his arms, but Wilhelm¡¯s whole body was gradually losing strength .

    Hermie¡¯s scream wasn¡¯t due to the effects of Wilhelm and Eline¡¯s battle .

    ¡°It looks like you gathered a fair share of information, but apparently it wasn¡¯t enough . It¡¯s possible to control more than one person at a time, you see?¡±

    Eline makes his revtion with a smile again stered on his face .

    Hermie and Millie are in the enemy¡¯s hands, the guide cannot be of any help in battle . Furthermore, Wilhelm was wounded by surprise . The situation was already desperate .

    ¡°Fighting you has been quite entertaining . It¡¯s a true shame that there won¡¯t be a next time, you know?¡±

    Eline¡¯s smile twists and warps . His expression didn¡¯t show a shred of heroic valor .

    His smile, an expression that normally gives positive feelings to others, had turned into a hideous mask that could only provoke disgust .

    In its eyes danced only the insanity of a life spent pursuing desire .

    ¡°Time to say our farewells . We shall make good use of your corpse . ¡±

    Eline, showing no intention of capturing his prey alive, raised ¡ºExvaine¡» high, ready to give the final blow .

    ¡­ . but his intentions would never be fulfilled .

    Just before his sword arm swung down, the room¡¯s door blew open with a booming sound .

    The solid door swung open in a V shape and flew towards Eline .

    ¡°WhaGHAH!!¡±

    What split the flying door in two and blocked Eline¡¯s eyesight was a fist d in a red gauntlet .

    That one blow crushed Eline¡¯s nose, smashed his chin and sank his face inwards .

    Where Eline was standing there was a ck-haired man wearing a ck long coat with red streaks .

    ¡°I made it just in time¡­or was I toote?¡±

    Looking at Wilhelm and Millie, Shin let out words filled with anger .

 Vol 6 Chapter 3.3: Chapter 3 Part 3

    Around the time Wilhelm was heading over to meet Millie .

    Shin¡¯s party was inspecting the interior of Palmirack, as they were looking for a certain room .

    ¡°This one is closed too . ¡±

    They were looking for Cain¡¯s ¨C Palmirack¡¯s master ¨C room .

    Cain was extremely fond of gimmicks, a passion reflected by the great number of hidden doors, passageways, and armories throughout Palmirack that would normally go by unnoticed .

    Among them was a hidden passageway that led to the room housing Palmirack¡¯s core . It was located in Cain¡¯s room, the room with the most dangerous gimmicks in all of Palmirack, as proof of its special status .

    But as long as they found the room, Shin¡¯s party would have broken through . Once inside the room they would fully activate Palmirack¡¯s core and take back control of Palmirack: Millie¡¯s location would then be crystal clear .

    Thus they kept searching for Cain¡¯s room, but the sheer number of closed partitions was making their search a difficult one .

    If they could find the passageway, they would have already entered the room and activated the core .

    ¡°Being a room of top importance, it¡¯s probably designed to not let anyone inside . ¡±

    ¡°It could be . I¡¯m also concerned that Wilhelm¡¯s not answering our messages¡­let¡¯s look one more time . If we don¡¯t find anything, we¡¯re breaking through . ¡±

    Shin nodded at Schnee¡¯s words and decided their next course of action .

    They didn¡¯t do so from the beginning because most of Palmirack¡¯s walls and partitions were made of chimeradite, a material with incredible properties .

    It wouldn¡¯t be too hard for Shin¡¯s party to simply break through, but destroying a 20-cemel thick chimeradite wall without anyone noticing would be impossible .

    An attack of considerable strength would be required, and the resulting sound and vibrations could alert the surroundings .

    If only a few people were present in the Church, it was possible for nothing to happen, but, unfortunately, many resided within Palmirack¡¯s walls, especially figures of high rank; like the pope and cardinals, priests in training and the senior priests instructing them . In addition, there were many knights stationed to protect the church .

    The priests in training were also in charge of cooking and cleaning, thus always on the move throughout the building . If loud sounds or vibrations urred, they would learn of it immediately .

    ¡°It¡¯s not here either . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s party had moved past a hallway blocked by a dead-end, returning to the previous doorway, but found their progress once again opposed by a partition .

    Nothing else to do, they decided . We must break through .

    At first they sensed the surrounding presence, waiting for as many people as possible to be far from their location . At the same time Schnee activated ¡°Silent Domain¡±, a skill disrupting the surrounding sounds . The probability of anyone noticing sounds caused by them thus dropped significantly .

    Shin confirmed the skill¡¯s activation, pulled out a card from the item box and materialized it . From Shin¡¯s hands then appeared one katana .

    Resting within a candid sheath decorated with red petals was ¡ºHakuramaru¡», a katana of Ancient grade .

    Shin calcted the timing when the least people were in their surroundings and prepared to unsheath¡ºHakuramaru¡» .

    As the skill activated ¡ºHakuramaru¡»¡¯s hilt became a blur and three silver streaks ran across the wall¡¯s surface .

    The katana martial skill ¡°Iai ¨C Hiengasane¡± (Iai ¨C Flock of Swallows) elerated the shes which drew an imperfect triangle on the wall .

    Without rxing his guard, Shin ced ¡ºHakuramaru¡» in its sheath and pushed the wall with his right hand, causing part of the shed partition to fall on the side opposite to Shin¡¯s party .

    The falling metal caused arge vibration upon hitting the ground .

    However, thanks to ¡°Silent Domain¡± the rumbling sound was not heard by anyone .

    Also because of the distance, the people present near Shin¡¯s party did notice the vibrations but did not make a ruckus about it .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee passed through the opening in the wall and stepped into Palmirack¡¯s inner quarters .

    In the off-chance someone passed nearby, they put back part of the fallen partition where it originally was . After returning the wall to its former state, all light prating from outside was shut out, making it hard to see anything .

    Shin and Schnee both activated their detection skills to their maximum capabilities and proceeded quickly along the dark corridors . What they were wary of the most were the traps set around Cain¡¯s room .

    If Shin was registered as Cain¡¯srade there would be no obstacles, but if that had been revoked it would mean stepping foot in Palmirack¡¯s most dangerous trap zone .

    Shin, partly involved in the creation of the traps, absolutely did not want to fall victim to their effects .

    ¡°¡­ . no traps, apparently . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do not perceive any danger either . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee proceed onwards, with the utmost care possible . No matter how much they advanced through Palmirack, no traps seem to activate .

    Taking advantage of such an opportunity, they quicken their steps towards Cain¡¯s quarters .

    Even though the map function was unusable, he had visited that ce many times in the past . Shin proceeded with confidence and stopped before a certain door shortly after .

    Confirming the absence of any traps, Shin was preparing the keys, when a rattling sound reached his ears .

    ¡°The lock opened?¡±

    ¡°Probably . ¡±

    Schnee nodded to Shin¡¯s question .

    Putting strength in the hand holding the knob was enough for the door to open without any resistance . It appears that the lock had been disabled simply by Shin¡¯s presence .

    ¡°My registration¡­ is still active, then . ¡±

    Shin still remembered that function . If someone registered in the system simply touched the knob, the door would open automatically .

    The room was as Shin remembered it: a round table and chairs, cupboards, kitchen and other furniture, in the same arrangement he was used to, lying quietly in the darkness .

    One difference was the dust piled on all of them . The room¡¯s environment control system was not active .

    Not only Shin, but any visitor could have understood that the room had not been in use for a long time .

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s go . The secret passageway is in the back . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . yes . ¡±

    After a brief pause in the silent room, Shin walked towards the back . Schnee followed after softly replying to him .

    The room in the back was only about 30 square feet: dustpletely covered the desk and chairs within .

    Shin drew closer to the bookshelves and pushed on the 4th book from the left of the 4th shelf from below . This caused the shelves to quietly slide to the left, showing a type of door that opened left and right from the center .

    That door too opened automatically as Shin went closer . It concealed a so-called elevator .

    The doors closed on their own after Shin and Schnee stepped past them; the elevator then started descending .

    After roughly 10 seconds of that floating sensation, the elevator stopped and its doors opened to a dimly lit hallway .

    One minuteter, Shin and Schnee had already reached Palmirack¡¯s center, the room housing the core .

    The room was shaped as a cube, with each side measuring 10 mels . At its center floated a ck sphere of 50 cemels of diameter .

    Innumerable geometric symbols were engraved on its surface, while streams of light ran periodically through the thin canals etched on the object .

    Those lights, however, were extremely faint .

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Shin, after checking once again for the presence of the traps, walked towards the center of the room and the core .

    ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°The core looks different from what I remember . The lights running on its surface used to be brighter and even though my data should still be registered, it won¡¯t respond to my presence . ¡±

    Originally, the interior control menu was supposed to be disyed in midair whenever a member of the Rokuten approached . However, this was not the case this time around .

    ¡°Shin, there are traces of miasma in this room!¡±

    ¡°Miasma!?¡±

    As Shin walked forward for a closer examination, Schnee raised her voice suddenly, looking shocked .

    Surprised, Shin focused on his surroundings and felt the unmistakable nauseating presence of miasma .

    ¡°Are you serious? I hadn¡¯t noticed . ¡±

    ¡°I suppose your resistance is too strong, thus its effects were nullified without you noticing . I do not possess a resistance as strong as yours, that¡¯s why I could notice, I think . Nevertheless, what could this mean?¡±

    Shin was now extremely resistant to all types of abnormal status effects . The miasma in the room was just enough to cause an ordinary person to feel sick, so it did not have any effect on Shin .

    Schnee¡¯s resistance, also because of her race¡¯s characteristics, was greatly inferior to Shin¡¯s, thus she could notice the miasma¡¯s presence .

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s prating from outside . ¡±

    ¡°A possibility is that the miasma mixed within the atmosphere umted over time, I suppose . ¡±

    Miasma is present wherever living beings are . In a ce like the kingdom¡¯s capital, a mass of all sorts of entangled emotions, it was possible for miasma to umte without anyone knowing .

    Of course, even if such a thing had been done deliberately, it was not possible for it to umte enough to cause something serious . The quantity in that room was that small .

    Palmirack operated its interior by absorbing the surrounding magical power . Thus, while gathering magical power it had also absorbed the miasma mixed within it, or so Schnee thought .

    ¡°Could be . It¡¯s too little to be caused by a Demon . ¡±

    Shin could not deny the possibility that after 500 years, some effect would be expected . He nodded while purifying the miasma .

    After the miasma disappeared, the lights streaking over the core regained their brightness . At the same time, the Palmirack control menu appeared before Shin¡¯s eyes .

    Without wasting a second, Shin searched all individuals present within Palmirack . Narrowing down targets using categories such as level, race and gender, he found only one applicable result .

    ¡°Underground, huh . There are 4 other responses nearby?¡±

    He found a response in one of the rooms underground . It was a rtivelyrge one .

    Together with the response thought to be Millie, there were 2 others in front and 2 behind her .

    ¡°¡­ . !? This is¡­!!¡±

    Shin operated the menu to disy the room in question . The screen shifted to show Millie running, a ck de in her hand .

    Before her, Wilhelm was shing against a man with a red great sword . Millie was running towards Wilhelm, but her facial expression seemed tock focus .

    ¡°Schnee, we¡¯re jumping!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    This is bad .

    Shin felt it instinctively . He operated the menu at high-speed and activated the short-distance teleportation function within Palmirack .

    Shin and Schnee had been transported just in front of the room where Millie and the others were . Thinking it troublesome to open it, Shin let his strength take control and punched the door open .

    The doors opened in a V-shape and flew with a booming sound towards the man with the red sword

    Shin had found the location of the people inside the building with the menu and his detection abilities, while seeing the red sword was enough to let him understand that the man facing against Wilhelm was Eline .

    Shin flew into the room right after the door did .

    There, he found Wilhelm kneeling on the floor, with the knife protruding from his back, and Millie staring nkly at her bloody hand .

    To Shin¡¯s eyes as yer, Millie¡¯s status was clearly shown as ¡°Submission¡± .

    The visual seen in the core room and this status window were enough to let Shin know what had happened in the short time they employed to teleport .

    ¡°Wgwah!!¡±

    With the same skill-powered fists that had broken the door in two, Shin pounded mercilessly on Eline¡¯s face .

    Leaving the sensation of broken bones on Shin¡¯s hands, Eline spun in midair . After flying for several mel he crashed on a wall and slumped down on the floor .

    He would not die; the skill was used to prevent it .

    There were things Shin needed to ask: and no matter how enraged he was, he would never kill someone on the spot .

    It was apletely different question if being left alive would be pleasant for Eline, though .

    ¡°I made it just in time¡­or was I toote?¡±

    Looking at Wilhelm clenching his teeth and Millie¡¯s still vacant expression, Shin realized his voice was still imbued with anger . He grabbed ¡ºExvaine¡» with the hand that had sent Eline flying .

    ¡°Schnee, heal Wilhelm . I¡¯ll take care of Millie . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . What shall we do about that?¡±

    ¡°Our first priority is this . I paralyzed him, so he can¡¯t use teleportation . ¡±

    The skill Shin had used on his fists was the bare-handed martial skill ¡°Nonfatal Fist¡± .

    Amon element of RPGs and battle-focused VR games, this technique leaves the opponent with at least 1 HP .

    This technique also had the effect of paralyzing the opponent and preventing the usage of skills for a set time . Among simr skills there are ¡°Willow Throw¡± and ¡°Nonfatal de¡±, previously used against Barlux .

    Shin saw clearly from Eline¡¯s HP gauge that he barely had any left . Shin¡¯s attack hadnded cleanly . If it wasn¡¯t for ¡°Nonfatal Fist¡±, Eline would be mincemeat by now .

    After confirming that he had been inflicted with paralysis, Shin decided that they could ignore him for a while .

    Schnee nodded at Shin¡¯s words and cast healing magic on Wilhelm .

    Shin made sure Wilhelm¡¯s HP gauge was increasing and turned over to Millie .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Even with Shin standing before her, Millie didn¡¯t show any response . She simply stared nkly into space, hollow reflections filling her eyes . As the disyed ¡°Submission¡± status clearly showed, she had to be equipped with a submission item .

    Shin focused on observing Millie and noticed a kind of ck mist emanating from her right arm .

    ¡°Let me roll up your sleeves a little . ¡±

    Rolling up Millie¡¯s right sleeve exposed a round item with the same golden characters present on Hermie¡¯s cor .

    Submission items were generally shaped like cors, but this allowed them to be equipped on the arms or legs of children like Millie .

    Even during the game, believing in stereotypes like ¡°cors are always equipped on necks¡± caused yers to be caught by surprise from time to time .

    Not knowing that the item would be effective even if equipped on someone¡¯s arms, Hermie and the others did not consider the possibility that Millie could have been manipted too .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to release you now . ¡±

    Probably thanks to his ability as ¡°Liberator¡±, Shin knew how to destroy the item .

    Shin focused magic power on his left arm and grabbed the bracelet . The focused magic power scattered the ck mist away and the loud noise of something cracking could be heard .

    As Shin released his grip, the bracelet, now reduced to bits, vanished in a puff of smoke .

    As the ¡°Submission¡± status disy vanished along with the bracelet, strength left Millie¡¯s unconscious body . Shin caught her as she slumped to the floor, then faced towards Hermie .

    ¡°¡­ . . I will remove the cor . Pleasee closer . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­Please . ¡±

    Hermie was slightly wary of the man who had abruptly appeared in her quarters, but rxed after witnessing how he punched Eline, healed Wilhelm, and freed Millie .

    Hermie came closer and Shin stretched his magic-powered hand, just as he had done with Millie . The cor visibly cracked at Shin¡¯s touch, dissolving in the exact same way as Millie¡¯s bracelet did .

    ¡°It¡¯s really disappearing¡­¡±

    Unlike Millie, Hermie did not lose consciousness; She touched her neck where the cor used to be, as to make sure it was really gone .

    ¡°My name is Shin, the woman tending to Wilhelm¡¯s wounds is Yuki . Lilish requested our help . You are a Holy Woman, is that correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am . So you are the allies Lilish talked about¡­my name is Hermie Schultz . I am deeply grateful for your help . ¡±

    ¡°We had our own reasons to do this, so please don¡¯t worry about it . Could I ask you to take care of Millie? I¡¯m afraid things will turn quite bloody from now on, thus, it would be truly helpful if you headed with Yuki to where Lilish is, mdy . ¡±

    Shin spoke to her because he didn¡¯t think what would likely happen next was something for women to witness .

    While saying those words, Shin emanated apletely different aura than when he asked Hermie to take care of Millie . His expression and tone of voice were calm and collected, yet Hermie felt a chill so severe that her whole body trembled .

    ¡°¡­ . Understood . I leave the rest to you . ¡±

    Shin nodded and entrusted Millie¡¯s still unconscious body to Hermie .

    When he faced towards Schnee again she had finished healing Wilhelm, who had stood up and was recovering ¡ºBeinot¡» .

    ¡°You¡¯re feeling alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you saved me . ¡±

    ¡°If Millie hadn¡¯t been manipted, victory would have been yours . I¡¯d have appreciated being contacted though . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s words turned Wilhelm¡¯s expression sour .

    ¡°Yeah, I messed up there . I wasn¡¯t focused enough on reporting the situation closely . ¡±

    Hearing Wilhelm¡¯s words made Shin think that this world¡¯s Chosen Ones had abilities so great that it caused them to act without thinking too deeply at times .

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t repeat the same mistake twice . Be careful in the future . ¡±

    After saying this, Shin turned towards Eline, still knocked out cold on the floor .

    ¡°It¡¯s time to have a little chat . What are you going to do, Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who dealt the final blow . It¡¯s all up to you . ¡±

    Wilhelm left everything up to Shin without hesitation because, from Eline¡¯s standpoint, that would be the worst oue .

    Wilhelm and Shin had been talking casually, but as soon as thetter turned his eyes on Eline, they disyed such an intense rage that you could almost see it around him .

    Hermie, who had moved close to Schnee, felt her own body tremble because of that pressure .

    The guide too almost jumped to protect Hermie after feeling the fierce aura Shin projected .

    ¡°You two shoulde this way . With them in that state, I think it is best to not stay here much longer . ¡±

    ¡°Y-yes . We are in your debt . ¡±

    Schnee exited the room with Hermie and the guide, judging it wiser for them to leave after noticing the change in Shin¡¯s atmosphere . She contacted Shibaid and they headed to the room where Lilish was waiting .

    After confirming that the group of 3 left the room, Shin and Wilhelm walked closer to Eline .

    ¡°¡­¡­gh¡­ . . ¡±

    Before Shin could do anything to Eline, they heard him emit a weak grunt . It appears that the upper ss chosen one¡¯s recovery ability Eline possessed had allowed him to regain consciousness .

    ¡°Hey there, are we feeling alright?¡±

    Shin spoke to Eline in an extremely casual tone .

    It would have looked like a conversation between close friends, had Eline¡¯s face not beenpletely rearranged .

    Despite being spoken to, Eline ¨C dripping blood from his nose and mouth ¨C was just trying to slowly stand back up, without saying a word .

    Shin waited for Eline to close his wounds with medicine before talking again .

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things I need to ask you . You¡¯re going to answer me honestly, yeah?¡±

    ¡°How dare you use an underhanded trick like a surprise attack¡­and to someone like me¡­!¡±

    Ignoring Shin¡¯s question, Eline let out a voice filled with anger .

    He seemed to think that he received an unexpected amount of damage just because he had been caught by surprise .

    ¡°Underhanded? I didn¡¯t expect to hear that from the man who had Millie do that ambush¡±

    ¡°I am a chosen existence . My actions are justly performed in God¡¯s name!¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I see, talking will get us nowhere . Works for me . ¡±

    Eline¡¯s words were those of a fanatic . Words of a man who believed himself to be just, without a shred of a doubt .

    For that very reason, Shin lost any scruples he might have had .

    ¡°If we can¡¯t resolve things peacefully through conversation, the only thing to do is let our fists talk, am I right?¡±

    Such words might suggest that Shin was thinking of finding a solution via dialogue, but of course that was not the case .

    The very moment he saw Eline, he had discarded all possibilities except physical nguage¡± .

    ¡°Here you go . ¡±

    Shin raised the ¡ºExvaine¡» he was still holding and threw it at Eline .

    Eline grabbed the weapon as it was flying towards him . Confusion was clearly present in his expression .

    ¡°You¡¯re giving me back my weapon? Are you looking down on me!?¡±

    ¡°Wrong word choice! I¡¯m not ¡°giving it back¡±, just ¡°lending¡± it to you for a while . It¡¯s not even yours to begin with . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s words started bing rougher . He was different from the time with Girard: it was possible to sense his tone showed traces of cold cruelty .

    ¡°Come at me already . If you¡¯re even able to handle that weapon, that is¡±

    ¡°Damn youuuuu!!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s utter arrogance pushed Eline to charge at him while raising an angry shout .

    His physical damage was far from recovered, but even so his speed was enough that it would be hard to react in time for anyone not an upper ss chosen one like him .

    Shin simply raised his left arm against theing de, slicing the air in his direction .

    It is not hard to imagine why Eline smiled at such a sight .

    ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s sharpness, Eline¡¯s own armpower, the weapon¡¯s own mass . It was normally unthinkable for a mere arm to do something against a blow resulting from thebination of these three factors .

    However, the crimson gauntlet equipped on Shin¡¯s arm squarely blocked ¡ºExvaine¡»¡¯s de, which had cleaved through so many weapons .

    ¡°This¡­can¡¯t be . ¡±

    Shin did not budge an inch even after receiving the full brunt of Eline¡¯s blow . His arm did not move, nor did he show any expression of pain . He simply looked on at Eline, unfazed .

    Sparks had scattered from the gauntlet, but its surface didn¡¯t show the slightest mark . It was unscathed, much like its master .

    A full power blow blocked by a single arm . A reality that made Eline emit a raucous whisper .

    ¡°¡­ . . next . ¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Eline voiced his doubts at Shin, who looked as if he was waiting for his next move .

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t all your power, was it? I¡¯m waiting . Show me your full strength already . ¡±

    ¡°W-what!! You, you¡­!¡±

    Eline¡¯s fury had almost vanished, but Shin¡¯s look ¨C now mixed with pity ¨C stoked its mes high again .

    ¡°DON¡¯T LOOK DOWN ON MEEEEE!!¡±

    After instantly increasing the distance from Shin, Eline healed his damage with a skill, which he could finally use again . Without a moment of dy, he delivered another blow reinforced by an offensive skill .

    It was the sword and mebination skill ¡°Clear Bite¡± .

    A diagonal downward sh by a sword wrapped in white-hot mes and a diagonal upward sh with a de of pure fire attacked Shin from above and below .

    ¡°No, that¡¯s my line . ¡±

    Even before a strike charged with all the strength Eline could muster, Shin did not draw . He crushed the de of fireing from below with a kick through his leg guards and blocked the deing from above with his gauntlet, once again .

    ¡°H-heh, this is noth¡­gwaaah!¡±

    Even if the de had stopped, the mes engulfing it did not .

    Eline was confident Shin would have been damaged after blocking the de the same way as he had done before, but was instead burned by the mes of his own de, reflected back at him .

    ¡°W¡­what is¡­going on¡­¡±

    ¡°What, do you think I¡¯m going to tell you?¡±

    With these words, Shin pressed closer to Eline, without a sound .

    Shin¡¯s right arm shot towards Eline, as if with a roar .

    ¡°Aah!!¡±

    Eline barely managed to shield himself with ¡ºExvaine¡» . The shock of parrying Shin¡¯s blow however, blew the great sword out of his hands .

    ¡°As I thought, you¡¯re not fit to handle it¡­I will face you from the front, fair and square . When you feel like talking, just give the signal . ¡±

    Eline¡¯s expression was distorted because of the dull pain in his hands . Without a care for the man¡¯s state, Shin stepped right in front of him .

    An uppercut right into the sr plexus . Without a moment to react, Eline is thrown in the air .

    ¡°!?!¡±

    Eline flies away, spitting blood, and crashed against the same wall he had been blown to before . The wall, built with special materials, sustains the impact of Eline¡¯s body and repels it back .

    Eline falls towards the ground, powerless .

    Before he can reach the floor, however, he is stopped by a crimson gauntlet .

    ¡°Gwooh!?¡±

    Another fist crashes into him .

    A flurry of fists and their afterimages do not allow Eline¡¯s body the sce of reaching the ground .

    Face, stomach, right shoulder, face, left body, right chest, face again .

    A series of blows which would have knocked out cold any average man, but that an upper level chosen one like Eline could sustain .

    Or rather, was made to sustain .

    ¡°Oh yeah . I¡¯ll heal before you die, so rest easy, ok?¡±

    After indirectly informing Eline that he will not be allowed to die easily, Shin continues his attack .

    The reason why Eline did not die even after such an amount of blows is simply ¡°Nonfatal Fist¡± .

    Thanks to the skill enveloping Shin¡¯s fists, even heart-rending blows or head-splitting attacks see their impact vanish right before it could prove fatal .

    Bones are shattered, organs are crushed, but death does note . It is not possible to die due to shock either .

    What increased Eline¡¯s misfortune even more was that Shin had a great quantity of recovery items with him . During the continuous attacks, a small bottle was thrown at Eline, who was in such a pitiful condition that it was almost a mystery how he could be still alive . The small bottle shattered as it made contact with Eline, its liquid contents spilling all over him .

    The next moment, Eline¡¯s battered body recovered almost instantly: it looked like someone had pressed the rewind button of a video yer .

    That was not something to rejoice about, though .

    A physical recovery also meant that the sensation of pain, paralyzed by the massive damage, returned as well .

    The recovery took a mere 2 seconds . Eline, still floating in midair, was again on the receiving end of a storm of fists .

    ¡°Bwaagh!¡±

    The words Eline was about to utter died in his throat . A cycle of destruction and recovery repeating again and again, truly an endless hell .

    Shin¡¯s face as he repeated his attacks waspletely void of emotion .

    He had ovee his anger, now no emotion could be perceived from his expression towards Eline .

    It was only a matter of time until Eline¡¯s heart copsed under this machine-like cycle of actions .

    ¡°Ghaah, sdob, sdop¡­¡±

    The flurry of fists stopped for a moment . Eline, slumped on floor, desperately tried to move his powerless body away from Shin .

    There was no trace of the earlier arrogance or anger in him anymore . As Shin moved but one step forward, Eline¡¯s body shook in an almostical fashion .

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear what you have to say then . Oh, any lies and I¡¯m going to kick it up a notch, ok?¡±

    Looking at his own blood dripping from Shin¡¯s fists, Eline nodded energetically . He had received the firstpletely one-sided beating of his life, which had pulverized any and all thoughts of rebellion .

    ¡°Number one . What did you n to do by kidnapping Millie?¡±

    Eline answered Shin¡¯s questions honestly .

    Bulk¡¯s objective was to bring Hermie and Millie to the location of a certain ritual and offer them as sacrifices . He nned to solidify his position in the organization that way .

    Eline confessed to not know the location of the ritual and that ¡ºExvaine¡» had been given to him by Bulk .

    Concerning the maniption item, it could control not only the actions but also the memories of the wearer . It cannot, however, alter existing memories, but only delete them .

    ¡°I see . ¡±

    Eline was speaking the truth .

    Even if his spirit had been broken, there was no guarantee he wouldn¡¯t lie . But when he blew Eline away with his fists, Shin had already used a spiritual interference-type skill .

    The skill caused Eline to not feel any desire to hide the truth or any sense or danger in saying everything he knew .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Wilhelm was standing behind Shin, silently listening to Eline answering Shin¡¯s questions . Wilhelm expected this kind of oue, that is why he left everything to Shin without a word .

    Wilhelm knew Shin was a High Human . Thus he also thought that he would likely know a spiritual interference skill, perfect for interrogations .

    He did not know if the skill had been used this time, but as Eline was coughing up the requested information, it did not matter if the reason was the skill or the beating he received .

    Wilhelm also realized that, considering Shin¡¯s personality, he would not have used a spiritual interference skill unless absolutely necessary .

    The current situation made it undoubtedly necessary .

    Shin¡¯s rush of punches made Wilhelm wonder if the man was still alive . Seeing Shin use healing medicine, however, cast away all unneeded worries .

    ¡°W-what will you do with me?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Well, we got the information we needed . Next¡­you know, don¡¯t you?¡±

    We did what we had to, so you know what¡¯sing, right? Shin¡¯s expression towards Eline told a clear message .

    ¡°L-lord Bulk has probably already captured Lilish by now . If anything happens to me, who knows what they will do!! Not only to Lilish, but also the Holy Woman who left earlier!!¡±

    Eline suddenly raised his voice towards Shin . Talking about Bulk made him remember something he had forgotten .

    ¡°He¡¯s going to Lilish, you say?¡±

    Eline grinned at Shin¡¯s question .

    ¡°They have chosen ones the same level as me with them! If you want to help them, do noty another finger on me!!

    Apparently Eline was nning to use the hostages as a shield to escape the current situation . If they could take Hermie and Millie hostage, he was sure it would be more difficult for Shin¡¯s party to move as they wanted .

    Eline¡¯s tough act was extremely ridiculous to Shin and Wilhelm¡¯s eyes .

    ¡°Yeah, I surely hope for you they¡¯ve taken hostages . ¡±

    Shin cast words filled with pity to Eline .

    Eline¡¯s smile stiffened when faced with Shin¡¯s nonchnt attitude .

    ¡°W-what are you saying . The Elf Tamer is going to the inn this very moment . The elf that was with you can¡¯t stand a chance against Konig¡¯s closebat prowess either . Will you act so tough even after they are captured?¡±

    ¡°I think there¡¯s a big misunderstanding here¡­¡±

    Shin looked at Eline coldly and delivered a verbal coup the grace .

    ¡°¡­ . when have I ever said that myrades are not with Lilish right now?¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 6 Chapter 3.4: Chapter 3 Part 4

    ¡°Will Shin and the others be alright?¡±

    After Shin¡¯s party left, Lilish¡¯s group was waiting in her room .

    In the current situation, even if they acted, they wouldn¡¯t aplish much . As it was unthinkable that only Eline was under Bulk¡¯smand, acting carelessly would have been dangerous .

    Waiting without doing anything, though, was painful not only for Lilish, but also for the knights at her side .

    ¡°Shin and Yuki will not have any trouble even if they face Eline head on . What we should worry about is the movements of the enemy¡¯s other troops . ¡±

    Casting Lilish¡¯s worries aside, Shibaid leant against the wall of the corridor leading to the entrance . His words were filled with the absolute trust he felt towards Shin .

    Not knowing that Shin was a High Human, Lilish¡¯s group was probably worried at the thought of a head-on battle against Eline . Eline¡¯s fighting ability was just that great .

    ¡°Well then, it appears it is time for us to move too . ¡±

    Less than an hour since Shin¡¯s party left, Shibaid spoke while staring at one point in the room .

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a group of people walking in this direction . Judging from the fact that they are not hiding their hostile intentions, they must be Bulk¡¯sckeys . ¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s words made Lilish feel more anxious .

    On her side there were 4 people, Shibaid included . Even if they were allpetent fighters, depending on the enemy numbers, they might be at an overwhelming disadvantage .

    Shibaid¡¯s party left the room, thinking it would be dangerous to fight inside . As they got out, there was a group of people heading towards them .

    Leading the group was none other than Bulk himself .

    ¡°Oh my, where are we going now?¡±

    ¡°Nowhere that may concern you, Father Bulk . ¡±

    ¡°My apologies, but I do have business with Lady Lilish . If you would kindly apany me, I am sure Her Highness the Holy Woman would be pleased as well . ¡±

    ¡°Kh¡­!¡±

    The sly grin formed by Bulk¡¯s lips made Lilish feel goosebumps .

    If it was possible, she would have crushed him to the ground, then and there . Her clenched fist and teeth expressed that wish very clearly to anyone who would look at her .

    Someone then put a hand on Lilish¡¯s shoulder .

    ¡°Lady Lilish, it appears you do not need to apany this charming fellow anywhere anymore . ¡±

    ¡°But¡­could it be that¡­!!¡±

    Lilish, who had understood the meaning implied by Shibaid¡¯s words,pletely changed her expression .

    ¡°Yes, I just received contact from Yuki . They are heading here as we speak . ¡±

    Shibaid nodded strongly, and not only Lilish but also the knights erupted in cheers . At the same time, their hostility flowed freely to the group blocking their way .

    ¡°W-what¡¯s with those looks? Have you forgotten what it means to defy me!?¡±

    ¡°How could I forget . Or rather, it¡¯s impossible for me to forget . ¡±

    Lilish could not contain a chuckle, as her body was wrapped in highly dense magic power .

    Bulk, feeling the danger emanating from Lilish¡¯s clear intentions of attacking, drew his weapon and stepped forward .

    Those behind him also took out their weapons .

    ¡°Ko, Konig! Protect me!! You all too, step forward!!!¡±

    ¡°Konig? It can¡¯t be, you too¡­?¡±

    Looking at the knights before her, Lilish too said that name, with surprise in her voice .

    Konig was a knight that was dispatched to Balmel, and by that logic, he was not supposed to be here at Palmirack .

    ¡°Lady Lilish¡­I apologize . . ¡±

    ¡°Do not apologize . I am aware of the circumstances . ¡±

    Konig, who had stepped forward as well, showed eyes clearly filled with regret .

    His struggle to stop the body that was moving against his will was palpable to Lilish, who was also well versed in the ways of fighting .

    His regret was felt by the people opposing him, as if it was their own .

    ¡°Flee, I beg of you¡­! Or I will cut you down¡­!¡±

    Konig¡¯s arms slowly reached the de at his waist . The brilliantly decorated weapon was the legend-ss magical sword ¡ºHaufer¡» .

    ¡ºHaufer¡», unsheathed with a brilliant sound of metal, sparkled with an almost transparent silver gleam, in utter contrast with its owner¡¯s will .

    ¡°Is that a real magical de?¡±

    As he drew the magical de, an overwhelming pressure emanated from Konig¡¯s body, as if to crush his opponents . Despite his manipted state, his strength did not waver an inch .

    Lilish¡¯s party, who was prepared to fight, could not help stiffening before Konig¡¯s presence .

    ¡°Ha-hahaha . What happened to all your confidence and boasting?¡±

    Noticing Lilish¡¯s party¡¯s hesitation, Bulk had regained hisposure and was now jeering at them, standing right behind Konig .

    None of them, however, had lost to Konig¡¯s aura of pressure .

    ¡°Well then, I suppose we should start by stopping this man . ¡±

    These nonchnt words were spoken by Shibaid .

    His equipment was the same as when he joined with Shin¡¯s party, light gear covering only part of his body .

    The only difference was the silver-colored gauntlet he was now wearing . Lines of ck mixed with silver grain covered the whole item .

    Shibaid had materialized one of his original pieces of equipment .

    ¡°Hmph . Konig is one of the most capable upper ss chosen ones . If I were you, I would not boast so quickly . ¡±

    Bulk, enjoying the view of Lilish¡¯s party being pressured by Konig, bit back at Shibaid .

    To Bulk, it looked like Shibaid was just bluffing .

    ¡°You petty scum¡­do not think that you have angered only Lady Lilish . ¡±

    As Shibaid uttered those words, the pressure bearing on Lilish¡¯s party suddenly vanished .

    Immediately after that, as if the pressure had simply changed targets, the knights standing before Bulk kneeled to the ground .

    They looked as if an unseen giant was pushing on them with all its weight .

    ¡°W-what the¡­gah¡­!¡±

    The sight of his knights groveling had shaken Bulk, who too was forced on his knees slightlyter .

    A pressure so strong, trained knights sumbed to it: it was impossible for Bulk to resist . He cried, lying on the ground like a ttened frog .

    Originally, techniques that pressure the opponent with one¡¯s aura or spirit did not have the effect of pushing the opponent down physically . The pressure was felt simply on an emotional level .

    However, in Shibaid¡¯s case it was slightly different .

    ¡°I have heard of all your despicable acts . You will not escape me . ¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s deeply resonating voice shook Bulk¡¯s eardrums . As if responding to his anger, the pressure emanating from Shibaid grew even more intense .

    At the same time, the floor around Shibaid started cracking .

    Shibaid¡¯s main job is Holy Knight . Its role is to be an iron wall, a shield to repel enemy attacks .

    If we were topare skills that attracts the enemy¡¯s attention and pressure enemies into submission . Shibaid boasts the best aptitude among all the support characters .

    Against enemies with great difference in abilities, it even manages to pressure them physically .

    ¡°The church headquarters¡­is vibrating¡­?¡±

    Konig, the only one of Bulk¡¯s entourage still on his feet, looked at Shibaid with disbelief in his eyes .

    Konig felt that Palmirack itself was resonating with Shibaid¡¯s anger .

    ¡°I know you are being controlled, Sir Konig . As I have no way to break that cor, I will have to be somewhat rough¡­I trust you will understand . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I would rather be killed than for my de to y those without sin¡± .

    ¡°Your spirit is trulymendable . ¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s words provoked an explosive eleration in Konig¡¯s movements . The afterglow following his de swings painted streaks of light in the air .

    As a weapon worthy of its ¡°Legendary¡± grade, ¡ºHaufer¡» sliced through the air with little resistance, aiming at Shibaid¡¯s neck .

    It all happened in an instant .

    Being controlled allowed Konig to perform a movement he would normally find difficult, a swing at his maximum speed .

    The de, however, was stopped right before meeting its target, by a silver gauntlet .

    ¡°!?!¡±

    A sharp metallic sound . It was ¡ºHaufer¡»¡¯s cry after grinding against the gauntlet .

    The shock of the impact and the difference in quality between the two weapons resulted in only ¡ºHaufer¡» to be damaged .

    A result which left Konig wide-eyed and speechless .

    Immediately after that, the gauntlet, which had stopped ¡ºHaufer¡», vanished in thin air, together with Shibaid himself .

    ¡°¡­ . . Go to sleep . ¡±

    The instant those words reached Konig¡¯s ears, he was already drawing his de¡­only to be hit vertically into the air .

    Where Konig was standing just before, now stood Shibaid, his fist raised in the air . The armor which saved Konig¡¯s life so many times on the battlefield now bore a deep dent in the shape of Shibaid¡¯s fist .

    Konig, blown in midair by Shibaid, crashed against the ceiling with roughly the same speed as he had stepped in to swing his de .

    ¡°Gwah!!¡±

    A counter performed after blocking the opponent¡¯s attack .

    That single blow was enough for Konig¡¯s body not to follow its master¡¯s will anymore .

    Yet the emotion filling Konig¡¯s chest was not surprise .

    Towards the existence of an overwhelmingly powerful warrior, capable of dealing with upper ss chosen ones with ease, who did not ept or forgive evil .

    Towards the fact that a person like that appeared before him .

    ¡°I am¡­thank¡­ful¡­¡±

    After uttering these words, Konig lost consciousness .

    ¡°If you lose consciousness, you cannot move even under maniption, is that it?¡±

    Shibaid went closer to Konig¡¯s body and confirmed that all strength had left it .

    As he did not know how the control worked, Shibaid put restrains on him to be sure .

    ¡°I cahn¡¯t, beliive it¡­¡±

    Watching Konig be defeated so easily left Bulk bbergasted .

    The other knights too seemed to grasp just how dangerous an enemy Shibaid was, and they were desperately trying to crawl away to safety .

    ¡°Lady Lilish, could I ask for your help in restraining them?¡±

    ¡°Of course . ¡±

    Shibaid captured the higher-leveled knights, while Lilish took care of the rest . Bulk tried to flee too, but he was obviously captured as well .

    ¡°H-how dare you treat me like this!!¡±

    ¡°Your subordinate in the other room has been defeated already, did you know?¡±

    Bulk was cut off as he was trying to talk . Shibaid informed him about Eline¡¯s capture and Hermie and Millie¡¯s rescue .

    Bulk¡¯s expression was one of utter shock . Considering that Lilish¡¯s party turned against him, he realized that Shibaid must have been speaking the truth .

    They did not need to endure humiliation to protect the controlled ones any more .

    There wasn¡¯t a reason anymore not to oppose him directly .

    ¡°You have done as you pleased more than enough¡­¡±

    Probably because of the anger within her, a heat haze was surrounding Lilish as she walked towards Bulk .

    Her beautiful features hid a strong aura projecting a ¡°I will beat you till you¡¯re an inch away from death!!¡± vibe, was abundantly clear to anyone who would look at her .

    Her pressure was so fierce that even the valiant knights present stepped back .

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t deserve to die in a ce like this!! Teleport!!!¡±

    Under the weight of Lilish¡¯s pressure, Bulk frantically chanted the keyword .

    It was the same teleport crystal stone that Shin had used before .

    ¡°No! Wai-¡±

    Bulk disappeared before Lilish could prevent it . It was as if he never was there in the first ce .

    ¡°Kh¡­! To think that he had a teleport crystal stone that was supposed to be lost¡­!¡±

    Lilish¡¯s expression was distorted by regret . The other knights too were left stupefied by Bulk¡¯s sudden disappearance .

    Differently from Lilish, however, Shibaid showed no sign of apprehension .

    ¡°Do not fret, Lady Lilish . Bulk hasn¡¯t escaped us yet . ¡±

    ¡°But he alreadypletely disappeared¡­¡±

    ¡°This building is the High Human¡¯s ¨C Cain¡¯s ¨C base . A crystal with such low purity can¡¯t teleport outside its walls . ¡±

    ¡°I-is that really true?¡±

    ¡°I have lived my share, you see . I have had the chance to learn about this Palmirack from High Elves and High Lords . He is likely regretting trying to escape right now . ¡±

    Shibaid nodded with confidence, which let Lilish feel at ease .

    Some timeter Lilish, who had reunited with Hermie¡¯s party, felt as if something akin to Bulk¡¯s screams reached her ears .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Yourrades?¡±

    ¡°Subduing Lilish¡¯s party while the main force is headed to the Holy Woman . That much is easy to predict . Thus we only needed to set a fitting opponent in wait for them . ¡±

    ¡°Ridiculous¡­Konig will be apanied by other upper ss chosen ones! No matter how strong yourrades might be, they too surely have their limits!¡±

    Konig, a warrior close to Eline in ability, was heading to Lilish¡¯s location . Shin did not know Konig very well, but he was not worried in the slightest about the possibility of Shibaid¡¯s defeat .

    ¡°If that Konig is close to you in terms of strength, as you say, then it will be child¡¯s y . ¡±

    Even if there was another chosen one on the same level as Eline, Shibaid would not have trouble defeating him . It was a definite fact .

    Shin spared no expense to reinforce his support characters, hispanions were not to be trifled with .

    ¡°Well then, now that you know that there is no way left to stop us, let us talk about what to do with you . ¡±

    ¡°Eek!¡±

    Shin walked closer to Eline, slowly . Thetter, remembering the punishment he had just received, let out a cry and tried to flee .

    No matter how much of an upper ss Chosen One he was, not enough time had passed for him to recover . The type of movement avable to him was on all fours at most .

    Maybe because all he had in mind was to run away as fast as possible, Eline crawled away with a speed Shin and Wilhelm did not expect . He could not truly escape, obviously . Shin gradually closed in on the distance between them .

    ¡°S-shit!! Why am I¡­why is this happening to a chosen existence such as I . . !!!¡±

    As if he failed to grasp his current situation, Eline was muttering senseless words .

    Eline had advanced for several mel when it happened .

    His body started convulsing wildly, with jerky movements like a puppet with unoiled joints .

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Shin was puzzled at Eline¡¯s sudden strange movements .

    ¡°Aaah¡­gah¡­why? N-no¡­NOOOOOOOO!!!¡±

    Eline screamed out of the blue .

    Perhaps he had been hiding something in card form, Eline was holding a short sword with a ck de in his hand . After that, right before Shin and Wilhelm¡¯s eyes, Eline stabbed himself with that same de .

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    The sudden insane act stopped both Shin and Wilhelm in their tracks for an instant .

    The moment the de prated Eline¡¯s body, his HP gauge, as it appeared in Shin¡¯s eyes, instantly dropped to 0 .

    Instant death .

    ¡°Gah¡­i¡­¡±

    Eline whispered something, spat blood and dropped to the ground . A mixture of fear and confusion remained on his face .

    ¡°Give me¡­a break¡­suicide all of a sudden? Is this a sick joke?¡±

    Unable to understand what had happened, Shin grimaced at the blood flowing from Eline .

    ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure . That bastard sure didn¡¯t look like someone who was thinking of offing himself . ¡±

    It was clear that it had not happened because of Eline¡¯s will . His movements, as if under someone¡¯s control, led Shin to think of a certain item .

    Shin drew closer to Eline and examined his neck, arms, legs . However, not a single submission item simr to Millie¡¯s could be seen .

    ¡°So, he wasn¡¯t controlled via an item?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it . Did he have any abnormal statuses?¡±

    ¡°No, it didn¡¯t look like he was affected by anything¡­¡±

    Shin checked Eline¡¯s general status disy, but found no trace of status abnormalities .

    He wasn¡¯t controlled by an item, nor under the effect of confusion or brainwashing . It was a very odd situation .

    (Could it be something I¡¯m not aware of? Or is there something I missed¡­?)

    As the game turned into reality, it was highly possible that something not existing before now did . However, it could simply be that Shin had forgotten about it .

    Even a long-time yer like Shin could not remember all events and in such detail .

    ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything rted, but it¡¯s probably better to check with Schnee too . ¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Well, it could be something I forgot about . ¡±

    As Shin mentioned that Schnee and the others might know something about it, Wilhelm nodded in approval .

    ¡°It¡¯s surprising that there are things that even you don¡®t know . Anyway, he was raised by Bulk since he was a child . The Summit Faction likely did something to him, not that I pity him though . ¡±

    Rather than an item, he could have been under the effect of magic . If that was true, that could perhaps also exin his contorted personality .

    Wilhelm, having heard of Eline¡¯s feats from Jai, did not have anypassion to spare .

    Memory maniption by an item could delete memories but it could not affect the person¡¯s personality . And Eline who actually used this type of item, said as such .

    Even after such a death, it was clear that he wasn¡¯t worthy of pity .

    ¡°We got the information, but I can¡¯t call this a pleasant way to close the curtains . ¡±

    ¡°I feel the same . The body¡­I suppose we can leave it here . ¡±

    This room too was inside Palmirack .

    As with the chosen one who exploded, after some time passed the corpse would be dispersed .

    The two removed all of Eline¡¯s equipment and items, searching for what could have been manipting him . Not even Shin knew of a way to preserve corpses, thus they left it to be dispersed .

    As Shin left the room with Wilhelm, a Mind Chat from Shibaid reached him .

    ¡°(Shin, we have subdued Bulk¡¯s subordinates who attacked us . )¡±

    ¡°(They came to you then, as expected . What happened to Bulk?)¡±

    ¡°(He ran away with a teleport crystal stone . However, the crystal seemed to be quite low in purity . He should have fallen in the maze section . )¡±

    ¡°(Please give me a second¡­yes, I found him . Leave the rest to me . )¡±

    Shin, who had activated Palmirack, could use part of its functions even without the control console .

    He used the search function he had previously used to find Wilhelm and confirmed that Bulk was moving within Palmirack .

    Even a teleport crystal stone of the highest purity would not allow instant escape if used inside Palmirack .

    Even Shibaid, whose fighting-oriented job did not grant especially high appraisal ability, understood that the crystal stone used by Bulk was a low purity one . Such a crystal stone would not allow the user to flee, but instead would transport him directly to the maze section, built for intruders .

    As he closed the Mind Chat with Shibaid, Shin called to Wilhelm, who was walking ahead .

    ¡°Listen, Wilhelm . It looks like Bulk ran away . I¡¯m going to go catch him, so go ahead and join the others . ¡±

    ¡°He ran away? You don¡¯t need any help?¡±

    ¡°I already know where he is, so no problem . He can¡¯t get out, or rather, he ended up in the maze section we used for training . If we leave him there, he¡¯s going to die . We have information to extract from him too, so I¡¯m going to secure him . ¡±

    ¡°Looks like his luck finally ran out, eh? I¡¯m going ahead then . Make sure you give him a good scare . ¡±

    Wilhelm, with an evil grin, walked on through the corridor .

    After seeing him off, Shin used Teleport .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Aaaahh!! Eeeekk!! What, what¡¯s going ooon!¡±

    Forcing his pudgy body to an awkward run, Bulk cursed his fate .

    Bulk, church priest and central member in the Summit Faction at the same time . After gaining a pawn such as Eline, he had stained his hands in all sorts of evil deeds .

    Drunken by the vision of attaining High Human status, he had in not only monsters but also other humans .

    He was responsible for the death of many humans with special abilities, offering them in ritual sacrifice .

    After gaining control of the Holy Woman and the knight guarding her, thanks to an item obtained by chance, he even managed to control a girl with the ¡°Star Reader¡± title . In that moment, he thought that the whole world was moving to help him be a High Human .

    ¡°Shit!! Someone of my caliber is not supposed to end in a ce like this¡­ . . ! Bwah!¡±

    Bulk was running frantically, but finally his unhealthy lifestyle caught up and his feet tripped each other up . He fell to the ground and, unable to break the fall, was struck badly all over his body .

    ¡°Gaah! Where is this ce supposed to be anyway! I used the teleport crystal, so why am I not outside!?¡±

    Bulk flew in a fit of anger while squirming because of the pain .

    He was supposed to have been transported outside Palmirack, but he found himself inside a dark cavern instead . The unexpected situation was already pushing Bulk¡¯s frail spiritual fortitude to its limits .

    ¡°Grrrrrrrrrrrr¡ª¡±

    ¡°Eeep!¡±

    What eroded Bulk¡¯s spirit the most was the roaring cry which would sometimes resonate in the cavern . The cry, clearlying from a monster, wasing closer and closer to Bulk¡¯s position .

    He could not see where the corridor lead, no exit was in sight, nor were any of his guards escorting him .

    The increasingly louder roar was shaking Bulk to his core .

    ¡°Da-damnitall!!!¡±

    ¡°Yo¡±

    A hand touched Bulk¡¯s shoulder as he was about to run again . As Bulk turned around, his field of vision was filled with the figure of a man emerging from the darkness .

    This new surprise caused the already tense Bulk to utter an iprehensible scream: ¡°KWESDRFIGYYFIJIKIIII!!¡±

    ¡°Fijiki¡± is the only thing I could make out from that . ¡±

    Bulk had jumped up, crashed back down, and was now looking up at the face of the young man who talked to him .

    ¡°W-what in zes is going on!! But no matter! You, take me out of here! Now! I am a church priest, you shall be amply rewarded . ¡±

    Bulk, in a state of confusion because of the extreme situation, barked his orders without confirming the young man¡¯s identity .

    To such a Bulk, the young man talked with a smile and a menacing tone .

    ¡°Hahaha . Your face is the only joke we need here, pig bastard . ¡±

    ¡°W-what did you say? I¡¯m a priest of the church, I said!!¡±

    The young man walked closer to Bulk while cracking his knuckles . The closer he came, the farther Bulk crawled .

    In that moment, Bulk finally understood that the young man had clearly hostile intentions .

    But it was far toote .

    ¡°I have a bunch of things to ask you . You better answer if you want to stay in one piece . ¡±

    Eyes lit up in the dim darkness .

    Apletely artificial smile .

    Hostility so palpable that his instinct was screaming to run away .

    It was the manifestation of fear, a terror the likes of Bulk had never experienced before .

    Bulk had no room to crawl backwards anymore, and part of his clothes had started to be slightly damp . A faint scent of ammonia pricked the two men¡¯s noses .

    ¡°Let¡¯s start talking . ¡±

    Bulk¡¯s screams resounded through the barely lit corridors .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Lilish¡¯s party had reunited with Hermie and Millie, led by Schnee, and was in a joyous mood .

    Lilish shed tears of happiness at the sight of Hermie¡¯s neck, finally free of the ck cor; seeing her in tears made Hermie cry as well .

    The knight cheered loudly, confident in Bulk¡¯s downfall .

    As Wilhelm arrived, Millie, who had been eagerly awaiting him, ran up to hug him .

    ¡°Oh, nice cheery mood here folks . ¡±

    ¡°Here you are . Hey, it¡¯s still alive right?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not dead yet, nope . I doubt he¡¯ll be able to continue being a priest though . ¡±

    Wilhelm sighed while talking to Shin, who had joined them with some dy . Millie was still stuck to him and wouldn¡¯t let go .

    The reason was an unconscious Bulk, carried by Shin¡¯s left arm .

    Seeing the priest with white eyes, drooling and sometimes trembling would have provoked the same question not only from Wilhelm but from anyone who witnessed it .

    ¡°Shin-sama? What did you¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°I just squeezed information out of him . I¡¯ll let the church decide what to do with him next . ¡±

    Shin handed Bulk over to the guard knights and opened a Mind Chat with Schnee and Shibaid .

    ¡°(ording to Bulk, there¡¯s a high chance that Filma was captured by the Summit Faction . It looks like ¡ºExvaine¡» was given to him by someone iming to be from the Faction . )¡±

    The two¡¯s eyes narrowed after hearing Shin¡¯s information . They could not remain indifferent after hearing that arade might have been captured .

    ¡°(Is there no information about the ritual site?)¡±

    ¡°(Someone was supposed toe pick him up . I know the date, but who knows what this messenger will do . )¡±

    ¡°(Any other clue?)¡±

    ¡°(Nothing . I had the impression that he doesn¡¯t know anything either . Looks like they deleted the important parts of his memories . )¡±

    Making Bulk sleep and using an item like the maniption cor on him wouldn¡¯t have been difficult . Lilish¡¯s method too would allow a simr result, if used with ill intentions .

    ¡°(Spiritual type skills are a real pain . )¡±

    Right next to the rejoicing Lilish group party, Shin¡¯s could not feel at ease .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After Shin and Wilhelm left, something started moving in the room where Hermie had been captured .

    ¡°Uuh . . ghaah¡­¡±

    The figure awkwardly standing up was none other than the man who was supposed to have died on the spot after piercing his own chest, Eline .

    ¡°Kaah, he¡¯s finally dead!¡±

    Eline¡¯s smile was even more distorted than before . More than half of his face was covered with a tattoo of thorns .

    ¡°This guy¡¯s contortion was of decent quality, but it was pretty obnoxious . ¡±

    Eline talked as if concerning someone else . To a third party¡¯s eyes, he would look like he had be someone else .

    ¡°Aaaah, having a body is really fantastic after all . Better not waste any more time here though, let¡¯s hightail it before that monster notices us . ¡±

    The wordsing from his mouth clearly showed how the spirit inhabiting the body was no longer Eline .

    Something was controlling Eline¡¯s body . With a small chuckle, Eline¡¯s body vanished into the darkness as if melting in it .

    Nothing else was left .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Tiera, who was heading to the inn after parting ways with Shin, was suspicious of theck of any pursuers . She tried asking Kagerou and Yuzuha, but apparently there were no hostile presences in the surroundings .

    Tiera too was worried about Millie, but she knew well that with Shin¡¯s party heading to rescue her, there was nothing for her to do .

    Tiera climbed onto the inn¡¯s roof and stood gazing at Palmirack . She let slip a small grumble .

    ¡°They told me to stand guard from outside, but I can¡¯t see anything . Someone that could slip away from Shin and the others¡­who could ever do something like that?¡±

    She ended up wondering if she was really being of help to them .

    Yuzuha and Kagerou, who were on lookout, drew closer to her as to reassure her .

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    ¡°Gruu¡±

    ¡°Thank you . Should something unexpected happen, I¡¯ll do my best . ¡±

    Tiera answered to the two and focused her sight on Palmirack .

    Her focus then paid off, as she perceived unrest among the spirits around Palmirack .

    Tiera followed their trail with her eyes and saw something fly from the roof of a building on the edge of Palmirack .

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s excellent eyesight allowed her to recognize the flying figure as humanlike . However, there were two pairs of wings sprouting from its back .

    As far as Tiera knew, all Bird-type had just one pair of wings . None of the ones Tiera knew had two .

    In addition, those two pairs of wings were one animal-like and the other insect-like,pletely different types . It was clearly something abnormal .

    The fact that the figure looked almost transparent must have been due to a skill .

    ¡°What in the world is that shadow? Is there any skill we can use to track it?¡±

    Yuzuha activated a skill after Tiera¡¯s request . A bird-like something, melting in the moonlight, danced in the sky and flew after the shadow .

    ¡°Did something happen to Shin and the others¡­?¡±

    Tiera then was informed of Millie¡¯s rescue by ate message .

    The shadow she had witnessed .

    That very shadow would decide the next destination of Shin¡¯s party .

 Vol 7 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    In order to save Millie, the group rode the Elder Dragons to the Church¡¯s headquarters .

    There they met Lilish, cardinal of the Church . She requested Shin to capture Bulk, a fanatic follower of the ¡°Summit Faction¡± .

    Bulk had not only kidnapped Millie, but also imprisoned Hermie, a girl bearing the name of ¡°Holy Woman¡± .

    Shin¡¯s party, acting alongside Lilish, assaulted Palmirack -the facility serving as the Church¡¯s headquarters- and sessfully rescued both Millie and Hermie¡­

    ¡°¡­what will I do now, you ask?¡±

    ¡°Yes . We could save Lady Hermie thanks to you all . Once this information spreads, all the others who had to endure Bulk¡¯s arrogance will want to thank you . ¡±

    About 30 minutes had passed since Hermie and Lilish had reunited .

    It was already well into the night .

    The guard knights ran off to convey the word of the Holy Woman¡¯s rescue, while Hermie and Millie were resting in another room, guarded by Wilhelm .

    Shin sent a message to Tiera, asking her toe to Palmirack .

    Shibaid, guided by a knight, headed to Bulk¡¯s room to collect any remaining submission items, like the ¡°Submission Cors¡± .

    Shin, Schnee, and Lilish were discussing the rewards in the room assigned to the female cardinal .

    Shin didn¡¯t wish for any reward; instead, he wanted to be considered a ¡°mysterious helper¡±, but Lilish wouldn¡¯t agree . She strongly argued that the others wouldn¡¯t agree either .

    Concerning the efforts spent on this operation, at that point in time the date had changed, thus it was 3 days in total . The only money spent was on lodging fees at the inn . There was no particr expense to be refunded .

    What Shin¡¯s party had done was simply infiltrate Palmirack and take down Eline and Bulk .

    Shin understood that it was the most important part, but for him it had been an easy feat; that¡¯s why there was such a difference of opinions between him and Lilish .

    Even if they were to receive a reward, something too generous would, on the contrary, make it difficult for them to ept it .

    Shin¡¯s name had already begun spreading because of the Balmel defense battle . If he was grandly awarded by the Church here, it would only invite greater trouble their way .

    It was toote to say things like ¡°I don¡¯t want to stand out¡±, but his honest desire was to avoid as many problematic situations as possible .

    ¡°I would really appreciate it if you kept my name hidden . ¡±

    ¡°Your name? But to me this seems to be a great chance to gain recognition . ¡±

    ¡°Our reason foring here was to save Millie, the rescue of mdy Holy Woman was¡­pardon my bluntness, but it just happened along the way . Besides, after knowing about what Bulk was doing, I¡¯m sure that anyone would have tried to do something, no matter what they could or couldn¡¯t do, without concern for what could be gained or lost¡­don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    Any proper human being would have been disgusted at Bulk¡¯s actions .

    It was the same for Shin¡¯s party, which also happened to have the power to stop Bulk . That¡¯s all there was to it .

    ¡°At the very least, is there anything you need? I have asked for your help saying that I would give anything in return . After everything you have done for me, letting you go empty-handed would brand me as ungrateful . ¡±

    ¡°Aaah, well, I didn¡¯t mean to say we wouldn¡¯t need anything, so please calm down . ¡±

    Shin moved a step back from the slightly too close Lilish andughed wryly .

    Shin understood well enough that from the standpoint of someone who had been saved, not being able to express gratitude would be hard to bear . Shin was thus thinking about what to ask for as a reward .

    ¡°Is there something you need?¡±

    ¡°Yes . There are 3 things we would like to request . First, we would like to collect any remaining cors like the ones used by Bulk . I would like to do so before they pass onto others¡¯ hands, to examine their structure and effects . We would then dispose of them ourselves, and if we cane up with an item to nullify their effects we will offer it to you too, of course . ¡±

    Leaving behind items that grant the power to control others would eventually give birth to other Bulks . History itself tells how even holy men and women can sumb to desire .

    In addition, there was the necessity to research a method to nullify their effects, other than Shin¡¯s ability . In order to build and test a cor removal item, having the cor themselves was a prerequisite .

    The request to hand over items that instantly force others to obey one¡¯s will, would likely be a difficult decision for Lilish, thus Shin considered it a fitting reward .

    ¡°I see, even we are not immune to temptation after all . I shall entrust them to you, Shin-sama . Considering your actions until now, I am positive that you will never use them as Bulk did . ¡±

    Contrary to Shin¡¯s expectations, Lilish epted his request with ease .

    ording to Lilish, Bulk supposedly had other allies within the Church; candidates for the position of ¡°next Bulk¡± were not scarce . Rather than risk keeping the items, letting a trusted person have them would be better .

    Lilish¡¯s trust towards Shin was deeper than he thought .

    ¡°I would truly appreciate it if you get in touch with us, the moment you seed in creating a cor removal item . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite a problem if I¡¯m the only one able to do something about them, after all . ¡±

    Will it be possible to make them? How much time will it take? There were still too many unknowns in the equation, so the topic was closed by agreeing tomunicate whenever the desired effect was created .

    ¡°What is the second request, then?¡±

    ¡°The second is information . We would like you to tell us everything you know about the Sacred ce . If possible, we would be grateful if you contacted us whenever you learned something new in the future . ¡±

    The Sacred ce still hadn¡¯t been researched enough, but if anything had been discovered already, Shin wanted to know in advance . The Church had a great number of believers, so in this head church of Sigurd there was likely a great concentration of information as well .

    Information about the Sacred ce was known only to the top members of the guilds; survey missions of its interior sometimes im the lives of an entire expedition teams . It was that dangerous a location . Information about it was more than worthy to be requested as a reward .

    ¡°We have documents with collected information about the Sacred ce . I shall have someone bring them to you . As long as it is within my capabilities, if any new informationes up, you¡¯ll be the first to know . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much . Our third request concerns the ¡°Summit Faction¡± . We would like to ask you to find out more about the ritual site Bulk spoke of . It would be great to know where the faction¡¯s base is, but we are more worried about the ritual right now . Because there may be others other than Bulk bringing sacrifices there . ¡±

    The first priority for Shin¡¯s party was to investigate the Summit Faction, as the disappearance of Shin¡¯s support character Filma had not been resolved yet .

    It was Shin¡¯s 3rd request, but higher than anything else in priority .

    ¡°These are the rewards I am thinking about . ¡±

    ¡°Are these three requests really enough? For us they would barely suffice to im we have repaid you¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, I thought they were ratherrge requests, honestly . You don¡¯t need to feel so much obligation, you know?¡±

    Lilish was serious, yet somehow felt under pressure, so Shin tried to pacify her .

    ¡°No, that will not do . ¡±

    Lilish, however, clearly expressed that Shin¡¯s words had not convinced her .

    ¡°Please listen . This rescue operation, if it wasn¡¯t for you and your party¡¯s cooperation, would have had no chance of sess . If we embarked in it by ourselves, most, if not all of us, would have been killed, Hermie and Millie would have been sacrificed, while I and the other women would have probably be their ythings . ¡±

    Lilish spoke clearly and firmly . If Shin¡¯s party had not joined their struggle, that future would have been almost certainly inevitable .

    Wilhelm alone too, would not have been able to enter Sigurd before Bulk¡¯s entourage left the city .

    There would have been no one able to subdue Konig or Eline; in addition, with Hermie equipped with the submission cor, there was no possible way for Lilish to emerge victorious .

    There was even the possibility for the whole Church to fall under Bulk¡¯s control .

    Because of all this, Shin¡¯s appearance was a true miracle for Lilish; it wasn¡¯t strange that they saw it as a message from god .

    ¡°When I said I would give you anything, I included my own self . And this is why . ¡±

    ¡°I see¡­however¡­¡±

    ¡°I said those words because I was ready for anything . Please understand . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see, so that¡¯s what you meant¡­¡±

    Shin fretted, expecting a phrase like ¡°I give my own body to you¡± toe out, but was relieved when it didn¡¯t .

    You saved my life, thus now I am yours . Amon urrence in some fantasy fictional works .

    Shin, however, was not the type of person to happily ept an offer like that .

    ¡°Allow us to ask for your help when something happens, then . We aren¡¯t omnipotent, after all . The first request can probably be taken care of easily, so for the time being we would be grateful if you could focus on locating the Summit Faction¡¯s base of operations and the ritual site Bulk talked about . ¡±

    ¡°Understood, we will gather all the information we can . Whenever you may need our help, please say so without hesitation . ¡±

    Shin told the enthusiastic Lilish to contact the Golden Company if they learned something . Lilish was surprised at Shin¡¯s connection to the Golden Company, but immediately nodded with a serious expression .

    ¡°I think that¡¯s all for now . ¡±

    ¡°If that is really all, it would be no problem if you desired me too . ¡±

    ¡°Er, I¡¯m not sure why we are going back to that topic¡­I will not, of course?¡±

    As the phrase he thought he had dodged came out of Lilish¡¯s lips, Shin¡¯s face muscles stiffened .

    ¡°The women alongside you are an Elf and a High Elf . Female Elves never join parties with men, unless they deeply trust and arefortable around them¡­and it seems they are with you, Shin-sama, so I thought you had that kind of rtionship . You like elves don¡¯t you? I¡¯m an elf too, you know . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got it all wrong!! Aaahhhhhhhh!!!!¡±

    So screamed Shin in the depths of his heart .

    Shin had no idea about the difficulties of female elves in joining parties with males . Knowing that someone aware of it would think he made himself an elf harem was a small shock .

    ¡°Anyway! As far as men are concerned, there¡¯s Shibaid too! Why do you pair only me with those two?¡±

    ¡°Just a maiden¡¯s intuition . Although, it is more than clear to whom Lady Yuki¡¯s affections are directed . ¡±

    Lilish stated with confidence and a smile .

    Shin was quite troubled by her sudden change in personality . Lilish probably thought that continuing to discuss the rewards would have inconvenienced him . In other words, the serious discussions were over .

    ¡°I-Is that so¡­er, Yuki, why are you sticking so close to me¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m keeping watch . ¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­¡±

    Yuki ¨C the disguised Schnee ¨C had slipped very close to Shin, no one knew when . It wasn¡¯t clear if her answer to Shin¡¯s question was serious or in jest .

    ¡°Hehe, you two get along so well . I¡¯m envious . ¡±

    Lilish¡¯s expression while speaking to them was of someone enjoying a heartwarming scene .

    Lilish¡¯s warm look, so different than before, made Shin feel slightly ufortable .

    Only one thought came across his mind: ¡°What the heck is this situation?¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin andpany were discussing ¡°rewards¡±, Wilhelm was guarding Hermie, Millie and Konig, who were recently released from the submission type item, in the neighbouring room .

    Bulk was detained, however, he wasn¡¯t the only dangerous individual within the Church . There was no guarantee that individuals, who operate in a dishonest fashion, wouldn¡¯t move and take advantage of this situation .

    ¡°You should be able to go home soon, right?¡±

    ¡°Since Will-nii and Shin-nii is here, everything will be alright!¡±

    Millie was in high spirits: she was lying down, her head resting on Hermie¡¯sp, who was petting her softly .

    Everyone was safe and there was someone she could trust among those who came to her rescue .

    That someone, Wilhelm, was right next to her even now, so she had no reason to be worried .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    Wilhelm was looking intently at Millie, without speaking a word . He was observing her to find out if there was anything strange remains, while making sure she didn¡¯t notice and was unsettled by his observations .

    After all, Millie had been manipted by Eline and stabbed Wilhelm . It wouldn¡¯t be strange for her heart to bear a deep wound because of it .

    However, asking Millie about Wilhelm and Eline¡¯s battle revealed that her memories stopped at the beginning of the fighting . It could be said to be rather fortunate .

    Eline had probably made preparations to use Millie whenever needed . This one time, that actually led to a positive result .

    ¡°Are you concerned?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . well, yeah . ¡±

    The question to Wilhelm came from Konig .

    Once Shin removed his cor, nothing restrained his actions . He thus returned to his original duty, Hermie¡¯s protection .

    His armor had been rendered unusable by Shibaid¡¯s attack, but his beloved de, the Legend-grade magical sword Haufer, rested at his side .

    Konig didn¡¯t know that the manipted Millie had stabbed Wilhelm, but knew that the cor had been equipped on her . He assumed that, like him, something had happened while she was under control .

    Wilhelm then inquired back .

    ¡°By the way, do you feel like your memories have been altered? It looks like memories while being manipted remain differently from person to person . ¡±

    ¡°I remember very well . The cor¡¯s power was not used too often on me, even when I was being manipted I felt as if I was dreaming, everything was hazy . ¡±

    Bulk often used Hermie to force Konig to do his bidding, apparently .

    Konig suggested that it was because when manipting others via the cor, it was not possible to give concrete, detailed orders .

    ¡°I see . Theck of consciousness also means that only simple actions can be taken . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just an assumption, though . However, it is rather useful during battle . An order like ¡°strike with all your strength¡± will be executed even if it ends up costing your arms . During the battle with sir Shibaid, I performed a powerful blow I normally couldn¡¯t . It¡¯s also possible to order suicide attacks, the attacker has no regards for his own life . ¡±

    ¡°The more I hear about that time, the more it makes me sick¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s expression was distorted by disgust .

    ¡°Some of those items leaked outside . Fortunately only a few did, but I¡¯d want them dealt with before they¡¯re used for ill intents . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I was wondering, though . If the person equipped with it dies, can the item be used on someone else?¡±

    If such a repeated use was possible, the usefulness of the item would increase even more¡­in the worst way possible . Wilhelm then asked Konig, as thetter was in the position to know .

    ¡°I have never heard about it being re-used . However, the number of items Bulk obtained and the number of times he used them do not match . This is just an assumption too, but repeated use after death could be possible . ¡±

    ording to Konig, the number of women Bulk had submitted to his will was higher than the number of cors .

    Konig had learned the number of cors from Bulk himself . Bulk could have let down his guard, as Konig was under his control .

    ¡°A sack of shit through and through, I see . ¡±

    ¡°I must agree . If only I wasn¡¯t controlled by that cor, I would have cut him down on the spot . ¡±

    Konig was a knight firmly believing in the Church doctrine of protecting the weak .

    His strong sense of justice not only made him despise Bulk, but probably made him even unwilling to recognize his existence .

    ¡°However¡­I might have been manipted, but I have in others with my own hands . ¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡¯re feeling guilty? If you worry about that you¡¯re going to die soon too¡± .

    Wilhelm spoke rather bluntly to the tormented Konig .

    ¡°You say I shouldn¡¯t care about them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that nothing changes even if you do . ¡±

    Konig¡¯s tone had grown fiercer . Wilhelm, however, continued talking without losing hisposure .

    ¡°Regret all you want, but the dead won¡¯te back to life . In the end, it all depends on the feelings of the ones still alive . If you worry about that and end up dying, the people you should protect will die too . ¡±

    Hermie could be targeted again because of her abilities, as it had just happened . At such a time, were his sword dulled by doubts, it would spell death not only for Konig but for others as well .

    The loved ones of the people he killed might want revenge . He might be demanded to atone for his sins .

    However, those are natural consequences for his actions . There was nothing to do about it .

    The flow of time does not reverse; the dead do note back .

    That is this world¡¯s rule .

    In the world before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±, it is rumored that a potion of resurrection existed . But that world is no more .

    (Maybe he could¡­no, this isn¡¯t something to think about)

    In Wilhelm¡¯s mind the silhouettes of a certain High Human and his two followers appeared .

    Shin and Schnee might know of a way to create such a potion, or even have one already in their possessions .

    He won¡¯t say a word about it, though . He had no proof, and even if such a thing was possible, Wilhelm doubted that Shin and Schnee would revive the people Konig killed .

    Resurrection of the dead . That was a heretical practice never to be attempted, it was burned within Wilhelm¡¯s consciousness .

    Wilhelm knew of someone who had attempted such practices, and how they brought destruction upon themselves .

    That is why he stopped thinking about it . Even in the Church, research concerning resurrection of the dead was a taboo among taboos . It was apletely lost miracle .

    After a long silence, Konig spoke again .

    ¡°That would be a problem . ¡±

    ¡°You just have to find your answer fast, then . Most of the time, things like that happen whether you like it or not, after all . ¡±

    ¡°Are you speaking from experience?¡±

    ¡°Who knows . ¡±

    Wilhelm dodged Konig¡¯s question and fell into silence .

    Konig, suspicious of such behavior, followed Wilhelm¡¯s line of sight and found a peacefully sleeping Millie .

    ¡°I see, so this is the man they call the ¡°Demonic Spear¡± . ¡±

    ¡°Hmph . ¡±

    Wilhelm scoffed lightly . His silhouette was, much like a knight¡¯s, one of a protector .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 7 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    ¡°So this is Bulk¡¯s residence . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ess was restricted, so I do not know what¡¯s inside . ¡±

    After listening to the knight¡¯s reply, Shibaid turned his eyes to the closed door .

    Priests are assigned private rooms, which was an ideal ce to act in secrecy, with no risk of being seen by others .

    Infiltrating an empty room seemed possible, but this room was inside Palmirack; it was no simple feat .

    The rooms were surrounded in Chimeradite, which made slipping past its walls, or unlocking its doors, extremely difficult .

    For that reason, even chosen ones could not easily enter the room and discover Bulk¡¯s secrets .

    ¡°I¡¯m opening it . ¡±

    Shibaidid a hand on the door .

    He had received Shin¡¯s permission to unlock all doors; for a limited time, he could enter almost every room located inside Palmirack .

    Shibaid concentrated on his hand and the door opened with almost no resistance .

    ¡°!! Stand back, everybody!¡±

    Shibaid stepped in front of the knights .

    Intense miasma emanated from beyond the door .

    ¡°Th-this is¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯te near! You may lose your sanity!¡±

    Shibaid had the sickly-looking knights move away from the door and stepped inside the room .

    Shibaid was now equipping his original weapon, the giant halberd ¡°cid Moon¡± . The light shining from its depletely purified the miasmaing from the room .

    After being upgraded by Shin, the weapons wielded by Shin¡¯s support character gained the ability to purify miasma .

    ¡°The miasma has been purified . You can go inside now . ¡±

    After Shibaid¡¯s words reached them, the knights entered the room with wary steps . They were knights of the church, but that did not mean that they had high resistance to miasma .

    The miasma emanating from the room was so dense that simply looking at it caused a visceral sensation of impending danger . Not even upper ss chosen ones would have been able to withstand such a level of miasma .

    It was not something that knights, even if trained, could endure .

    ¡°Bulk was continuously immersed in that concentrated miasma? Yet . . it looks like it hadn¡¯t caused any mental deterioration¡­¡±

    Doubt arose in Shibaid¡¯s mind .

    Such a high concentration of miasma would undoubtedly lead to insanity . Despite that, Bulk had not shown the symptoms typical of those infected by miasma .

    What could it possibly mean?

    ¡°I see there¡¯s another room in the back . ¡±

    Shibaid left the current room to the knights and headed to the room in the back . There he found scattered magic tomes, items and weapons with ceremonial decorations .

    Probably because of long-term exposure to miasma, they were all partially corroded or cursed; nothing was left in proper condition .

    In a corner of the room was a metal box equipped with heavy locks .

    Shibaid¡¯s appraisal skill let him see through the trap protecting the box .

    ¡°¡¾High-Poison¡¿ and ¡¾High-Confusion¡¿, is it . Quite a nasty little device . ¡±

    Shibaid let out a sigh and touched the box .

    The trap activated and powerful status abnormalities reached towards Shibaid, to invade his body . Shibaid¡¯s equipment, however, made him immune to status abnormalities; he wasn¡¯t the least bit fazed by the trap¡¯s effects .

    Shibaid then crushed the box¡¯s lock, nothing more than a decorationpared to the trap, and opened it . Inside it he found 4 ck cors .

    ¡°Not enough . ¡±

    Compared to the information Shin obtained from Bulk through torture under the name of interrogation, the number of cors were too low . Shibaid took the cors inside the box, turned them into cards and stored them in his item box .

    ¡°There should be another one somewhere¡­¡±

    Having confessed under the effects of Shin¡¯s skill, it was not possible for Bulk to have lied . The only possibility was that thest cor was hidden somewhere near by .

    ¡°It has to be inside this room . ¡±

    With the knights¡¯ help, Shibaid searched every nook and cranny .

    Much like Lilish¡¯s, Bulk¡¯s residence too was equipped with a secret room . Shibaid, thinking that it was the ideal ce to hide something, operated the walls .

    A door opened with a dull sound, and at the same time a rotten smell was released .

    It was a stench strong enough to force the knights behind Shibaid to hold their noses . Even knights such as them, used to the smell of blood and guts permeating the many battlefields they experienced, grimaced at this stench .

    ¡°Sir Shibaid, this is¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I have a good feeling about this . We already know that there¡¯s a trap inside . I can go alone, but what will the rest of you do?¡±

    ¡°Please take me and one of my subordinates with you . To cower before a mere stench would be utterly shameful for a knight . I shall have the others check the room again for anything we might have missed . ¡±

    The two knights with the highest level followed Shibaid . Advancing through the corridor caused the foul stench to gradually increase in intensity .

    At the end of the corridor they found a door . Opening it revealed a young girl, copsed on the floor .

    As Shibaid drew closer, he noticed long, slender ears poking out from her hair . Her HP had not decreased very much, but she was affected by several status abnormalities .

    The girl appeared to be unconscious as she did not move an inch .

    ¡°She¡¯s still breathing . Let¡¯s bring this girl outside first . ¡±

    ¡°Roger that¡±

    Following Shibaid¡¯s decision, the knights ran out first, to call a healing specialist .

    Meanwhile, Shibaid materialized an elixir from his item box and poured it into the girl¡¯s mouth .

    After making sure that the girl had swallowed the golden liquid, Shibaid stood up .

    He contacted Shin via Mind Chat, then left the room while carrying the girl in his arms .

    The two met up and moved to a room with a bed .

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s remove it . ¡±

    Shin touched the neck of the girl, now lying on the bed . As it happened with Millie and Hermie, the ck cor shattered away .

    The girl, however, did not open her eyes .

    ¡°How horrible . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t fully diagnose her situation . Could you exin?¡±

    Shin nodded to Shibaid¡¯s request . The weakening of the spirit due to miasma was highly likely to be the same as during the game era .

    ¡°I suppose this is a good asion . Listen up, everyone . This girl was exposed to dense miasma and is now in aatose state . I think she¡¯ll continue sleeping for at least 1 or 2 weeks¡­maybe even months . ¡±

    ¡°What in the world happened to her?¡±

    ¡°When exposed to dense miasma, unless one has high resistance or regrly drinks potions to raise resistance, the spirit is weakened before the body . If nothing is done in time, there¡¯s a risk of never waking up . ¡±

    Shin answered Lilish¡¯s question, recalling his knowledge from the game era .

    Miasma possesses negative effects other than the status abnormality and MP consumption . NPC¡¯s other than those belonging to the yers be unable to act .

    In case of yers or support characters, they are affected by negative status and stats reduction .

    In a game event Shin had experienced, where a miasma infection broke out in a city setting, the city¡¯s NPC shops, adventurers¡¯ guild, etcetera all stopped functioning .

    The scenario had them fall in aa because of the miasma¡¯s mind infection .

    Thanks to that, all miasma-rted events were always instantly cleared by yers who were already too powerful for guilds, before the situation became too dire . If that setting was still active, this girl too was probably in that situation .

    Shin had heard from Shibaid about the dense miasma concentrated in Bulk¡¯s room .

    Based on his knowledge of the game and the state of the room, that was the only likely exnation .

    ¡°Will this girl be alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Luckily, it seems she wasn¡¯t exposed to miasma for a long time . The body changes color when it¡¯s toote, so you just need a nce to know . ¡±

    During the game era, the NPCs beyond salvation turned ck and were reced by another NPC the day after . That likely meant that they would never wake up again .

    ¡°Does anyone know this girl?¡±

    Everyone surrounding Shin shook their heads at his question .

    Schnee and Shibaid obviously didn¡¯t know her, nor did Lilish or the man who guided Wilhelm inside Palmirack .

    ¡°She was probably kidnapped, just like Millie . I will take care of her until she wakes up . Please leave it to me . ¡±

    Lilish volunteered to help the girl, as she couldn¡¯t just leave an elf that was just like her .

    Freed from the shackles represented by Bulk, for the cardinal Lilish, taking care of one young girl was an easy task .

    No one could predict when the girl would wake from her slumber, so Shin¡¯s party heartily weed her proposal .

    ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience, but please take care of her . ¡±

    After deciding to entrust the girl to Lilish, the group returned to her room . There was no reason for arge group of people to stay in a sick person¡¯s room .

    ¡°Here are the cors I¡¯ve collected¡±

    After leaving the room, Shibaid hands the collected cors to Shin in item card form .

    Since they could not proceed or even begin to examine the cors here, Shin casually gazed at the cor¡¯s design before putting it away in the item box .

    ¡°Was there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Nothing stood out to me . But this kind of research is best done by Shin or Yuki . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . I¡¯ll go search the room once Tiera joins us . ¡±

    They asked Lilish to not allow anyone near Bulk¡¯s room, just in case . It was possible to physically separate it from the others, but as it would invite needless suspicion, they decided to leave things to her .

    Only Rokuten members and their subordinates can use Palmirack¡¯s functions . The support characters¡¯ faces and names were known, so spreading information about their usage privileges would end up revealing Shin¡¯s true identity .

    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s really over?¡±

    As Shin was talking with Shibaid, Tiera made her entrance, escorted by the knights . In her shadow, dwelt Kagerou, while Yuzuha was attached to her arm .

    ¡°Yes, the rescue somehow ended in sess . However, we don¡¯t know the location of the ritual site . Anything happened on your end?¡±

    ¡°Nothing happened to me directly, but there is something that concerns me .

    ¡°Yes? What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I saw a shadow fly away from the Church . Just to confirm, was there anyone with wings among the people you fought?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s words made Shin cock his head and think . Having wings meant that the species had to be Beast, Dragnil, Lord or Pixie .

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t seen anyone like that . Have you, Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anyone like that either . To begin with, everyone we fought has been captured . I do not think anyone escaped us . ¡±

    Shibaid, who had moved separately from Shin, gave the same answer .

    ¡°Well, what I saw was a human-like shape with 4 wings . 2 bird-like and 2 insect-like . It was night so I couldn¡¯t see their face very well, but I had Yuzuha attach a mark to track where it was headed . Yuzuha?¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha answered Tiera¡¯s question energetically . Shin received a ¡°I know!¡± message via telepathy . A truly unexpected hint had been found .

    ¡°Well done!! The more clues we have, the better!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m relieved to know I could be of help . I haven¡¯t been of much use at all this time . ¡±

    Tiera spoke with a slightly somber tone .

    She was uneasy about the fact that since she had been targeted at the beginning, she hadn¡¯t contributed to Millie¡¯s rescue .

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s infiltration operation, Shibaid¡¯s defense operation¡­not her ability, but her stats made her somewhatcking for both categories .

    Kagerou could have been useful in defense, but Tiera was still inexperienced as a tamer and could not use its abilities to the fullest yet . She could not have dealt with the situation as swiftly as Shibaid .

    ¡°Asking you to keep watch was the right choice . ¡±

    Elves are quite apt at scouting jobs such as hunter or shinobi . Furthermore, the tamer job covered several roles, production, battle, scouting, etcetera; this depended on the tamed monster .

    Tiera¡¯s monster, Kagerou, was of considerable high level and also proficient in detection and infiltration abilities .

    As tamers are affected by the monsters theymand, Tiera¡¯s detection ability was now boosted for a limited time .

    It was a preparation done as a mere precaution, but it yielded an unexpectedly great result .

    Kagerou and Yuzuha¡¯s detection abilities were also fairly high, of course, and could be expected to be very useful .

    ¡°They said a messenger woulde, what shall we do about that?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s think about how to deal with the messenger first . In the end, we can chase down the target marked by Yuzuha whenever we want . We know that it flew away from the Church, but we don¡¯t know if it¡¯s going to the ritual site . If it¡¯s Bulk¡¯s messenger, it¡¯s certain to lead us there . ¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question basing himself on the information obtained from Bulk .

    ¡°The messenger was supposed toe ¡°pick up¡± Bulk, so they would surely head to the ritual siteter . If we can catch it we can learn the location of the ritual . ¡±

    Alongside with a lot of other information .

    ¡°(The messenger is supposed toe 2 days from now . As long as there is a possibility that they captured Filma exists, we cannot take this lightly . We¡¯ll use mind-type skills . )¡±

    ¡°(Understood . What shall we do with Lilish?)¡±

    ¡°(If I say that I¡¯ll morph into Bulk with an illusion-type skill, she won¡¯te with us . )¡±

    Shinmunicated the n to Schnee and Shibaid via Mind Chat .

    The great sword supposed to be in Filma¡¯s possession, Exvaine, was here .

    Consequently, it was more likely that Filma was not captured, but instead being manipted . Even now at an unknown ce, she could be doing others¡¯ bidding .

    This event had been caused by Bulk¡¯s and a few others¡¯ lust for power . That is why Shin decided not to dispose of the other people of the Church . However, the ¡°Summit Faction¡± was different .

    Those who hurt innocent people and treat life as a tool do not deserve any pity .

    (The world might have changed, but these kinds of people don¡¯t learn new tricks, do they?)

    What Shin had remembered was the battle against yers called PK¡¯s .

    There were no benefits . It was a war . A massacre, where lives were expendable as if they were disposable items .

    It was a battlefield filled with grief, hatred and insanity .

    The sensation Shin felt now was familiar .

    ¡°(What should we do if the enemies equip items that make them immune to status effects?)¡±

    ¡°(Nothing to worry . I can bypass the ¡°Age of Gods Earring¡±¡¯s defense now . )¡±

    Shin answered Shibaid¡¯s question with confidence .

    The effectiveness of mind-type skills depends on the user¡¯s INT .

    The mind-type skills used by Shin, who had surpassed the limit, were now capable of prating the defenses of even items which granted immunity to status effects .

    The only situation where they could fail was if the target equipped multiple essories of the highest rank, such as the ones Shin and Schnee had .

    ¡°Ehm, Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    As he was speaking through Mind Chat, a faint voice reached Shin¡¯s ears . He turned in Schnee¡¯s direction .

    His eyes found her holding the right sleeve of his clothes, a worried look on her face .

    ¡°Is everything alright?¡±

    ¡°Er, what¡­ . ?¡±

    ¡°Shin, your face just now¡­was kind of scary . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­was it showing on my face that much?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Shin touched his own face and felt that it was indeed pretty stiff .

    Shin knew from experience that if he wasn¡¯t careful, thinking about the PK¡¯s would cause his emotions to be visible on his expression .

    He was not thinking about things that Schnee should worry about, but Shin regretted having saddened her . Shin knew what worried Schnee the most .

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking of things you need to worry about, Yuki . It¡¯s alright . ¡±

    ¡°If so, I¡¯m d . ¡±

    Shin replied with a cheerful tone, to dispel Schnee¡¯s worries . Shin¡¯s smile wasn¡¯t forced, so Schnee, relieved, let go of his sleeve .

    On the other hand, Shibaid and Tiera motionlessly watched the scene that had just transpired .

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty hard to join the conversation when you two fly in your own world all of a sudden, you know . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm . I understand Yuki¡¯s worries, but I would prefer you would save such gestures for when you¡¯re alone together . ¡±

    Tiera was almost rolling her eyes at the couple, while it was not clear if Shibaid was reproaching them or giving advice .

    Shin and Schnee hade back to the real world because of their words, only to be struck by another unexpected ambush .

    ¡°(Kuu! Scent of peaches! Kiss her? Kiss her?)¡±

    ¡°Peach-colored atmosphere¡± was a truly fitting description . Yuzuha had talked all of a sudden, fortunately not via words but Mind Chat .

    ¡°Hahaha, no, I¡¯m sorry . And no Yuzuha, no kissing!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    Shin, however, replied through his normal voice .

    Hearing these words, Schnee could guess what Yuzuha had said, and her whole face was stained red .

    ¡°(Shin, what in the world is wrong with you?)¡±

    ¡°(Yuzuha asked me if I was going to ¡°kiss her¡± via telepathy! Ah, darn, I spoke out loud¡­)¡±

    Shin exined what happened to Shibaid via Mind Chat . Thetter then understood the situation, but behind him stood Lilish¡¯s group, who was unable to use Mind Chat .

    Shin¡¯s sudden ¡°no kisses¡± deration attracted their res towards him .

    ¡°Excuse me, Shin-sama? You said something about kissing¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, of course not . I did say ¡°missing¡± though, maybe you heard wrong?¡± (T/N: ÖÎ°K Chiyu: Healing, but the words are omitted thus changed to missing . And ¤Á¤å©`Chiyu: Kissing, they are said the same way in japanese . )

    ¡°But just now, I¡¯m sure that¡­¡±

    ¡°Surely just your imagination, mdy . ¡±

    Shin tried desperately to change the subject .

    Kissing and missing, it would be pretty hard to mistake words like these, but not impossible . They dide out of the blue, though .

    Shibaid whispered a word of advice to Yuzuha .

    ¡°Yuzuha . Please save such words for when there is no one else around . Timing is an important factor as well . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha cocked her head to one side, apparently finding it a concept difficult to grasp .

    ¡°Shibaid! Hey! What kind of advice is that!?¡±

    ¡°You see, such things should be allowed to proceed while they can . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . where¡¯s the serious atmosphere from a few moments ago¡­?¡±

    Their serious discussion had been blown away by Yuzuha¡¯s one line .

    ¡°How can I say it, Shin¡¯srades are all pretty peculiar . ¡±

    Tiera spoke with a small wryugh, while looking at Shin and his party .

    Having lived together with Schnee, Tiera knew more than the average person about Rokuten and its members . She felt that the other members she hadn¡¯t met yet would surely be out of the ordinary .

    ¡°Not exactly, Ms . Tiera . Remember that you too are one of thoserades . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin pointed out that Tiera seemed to consider herself as not included in the ¡°peculiar¡± group .

    A remark that painted a shocked expression on Tiera¡¯s face .

    When Shin asked Tiera to act on her own, they exined to Lilish that Kagerou was a monster that possessed abilities on the same level as an upper ss chosen one . There was no way for Tiera, the mistress of such a monster, to be a normal person .

    From Lilish¡¯s party¡¯s standpoint, Shin and Tiera were in the same category .

    ¡°That¡­can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you that shocked?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be expected to be on the same level as you . A normal person might think I¡¯m incredible, but Shin, you guys are on a whole different level . ¡±

    From someone at level 1, both level 150 and 255 appear equally high-level .

    Yet from Tiera¡¯s standpoint, who had barely reached level 150 without reincarnation, a level 255 with reincarnation bonuses possessed power far beyond hers .

    In addition, Tiera was a high-level user thanks to Kagerou . To be considered on the same level as Shin, who could take down Kagerou by himself, isn¡¯t something she could simply agree with .

    From Shin¡¯s standpoint, however, Tiera was incredible enough; she had tamed the divine beast Gruefago without fighting, after all .

    ¡°You would make us lose face, if you were able to match us so easily . But you are still growing, in more ways than one . You¡¯ll be much stronger . ¡±

    ¡°I do think that I grew a little stronger, but I honestly can¡¯t imagine matching you all in strength . All this time I¡¯ve been admiring master and Shin, but I can¡¯t even jest and say ¡®I¡¯ll be as strong as you one day¡¯¡±

    Tiera replied with a sigh to Shin¡¯sment concerning her future growth .

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s continue this conversation another time . First, let¡¯s do everything we can till the messenger arrives . Yuki and I will go search Bulk¡¯s residence . Shibaid, go help Lilish . Tiera, please keep an eye on Millie . ¡±

    Shin stopped the conversation for the time being and gave orders to Shibaid and the others .

    Lilish was now going to arrest the people who had colluded with Bulk, so Shibaid would act as her escort . He asked Tiera to look after Millie because he felt it would not be good to have Hermie, the one venerated as Holy Woman, continue to act as caretaker .

    The two nodded to Shin¡¯s proposal .

    ¡°¡°Understood . ¡±¡±

    Lilish, who had been listening too, nodded in agreement .

    With Shibaid on her side, even if the opponent was an upper ss chosen one there would be no trouble . Her confidence was reinforced by having witnessed his fighting prowess not long ago .

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Millie sent to Vizzyter . Can you ry this to Wilhelm too?¡±

    Shin whispered to Tiera as to avoid being heard by Lilish .

    He wanted to send Millie back as soon as possible, also to soothe Rashia¡¯s worries, who was waiting in Bayreuth . However, if it was at all possible, he wanted to keep the fact that they rode Elder Dragons to Sigurd a secret .

    Vizzy, support character of Rokuten member Cashmere, had tamed the Elder Dragons, and Shin could use it freely . If this information spread, trouble was very likely to arise .

    That is why he whispered to Tiera the message to be ryed .

    ¡°Understood . Don¡¯t worry about it¡­ Anyways, you be careful too, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go perform our search now . If we find anything, we¡¯ll reportter . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much . We shall go remove all the infection festering within the Church . ¡±

    Lilish had already investigated before hand, in order to stand against Bulk; her eyes now burned with red-hot mes .

    This was expected . Not too long ago they were not able to deliver a crushing blow to the other party . Now, they are able to pass judgement on those people .

    There was no reason not to be fired up!

    Shin caught himself thinking that Lilish¡¯s smile was almost scary .

 Vol 7 Chapter 1.3: Chapter 1 Part 3

    ¡°Here we are . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee parted ways with Lilish and were now in Bulk¡¯s residence .

    Shibaid had already purified all the miasma, so it looked like any other room .

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s honed detection-type abilities, however, revealed the presence of miasma-emitting items -miasma stones- scattered throughout the room .

    ¡°I see, all these miasma stones exin why Bulk was like that . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Bulk¡¯s body was actually in a really nasty state . The miasma¡¯s corruption had entered its final stage . ¡±

    During Bulk¡¯s interrogation, Shin found out that more than half of his body had already turned ck . If this was still the game era, he would have been far beyond salvation .

    ¡°In a state as advanced as that, I bet he barely felt pain anymore . Looks like he himself hadn¡¯t realized it, though . ¡±

    That time, Bulk wasn¡¯t paying the slightest attention to his own body . Even seeing its ckened appearance solicited no reaction in him .

    It appears that another effect of miasma contamination is the loss of the ability to perceive such abnormalities .

    It would be impossible for anyone to not notice the oppressing miasma leaking out every time the room¡¯s doors opened .

    ¡°These are all the ones in this room, then . ¡±

    ¡°Adding the other room and the hidden room, it¡¯s be a considerable amount, hasn¡¯t it?¡±

    Schnee spoke while looking at the small mountain of miasma stones in the center of the room .

    The stones, each half the size of a fist, were 11 in total . Arge number for just one room .

    ording to Shin, even just one stone would have been enough to fill the room with miasma .

    ¡°With so many stones, even if Palmirack¡¯s functions worked, purification would be pretty difficult . ¡±

    ¡°That could have been their goal . ¡±

    Even if Palmirack was not fully functional, the miasma umted near its core was a very small quantity . That influenced the purification mechanisms Palmirack was equipped with .

    The walls of Chimeraditeposing Palmirack are abination of several different structures .

    The walls of all rooms and corridors are made in Adamantine mixed with Chimeradite . In certain locations the walls were built by also using Mithril, which can easily transmit the effects of magic . If it detects the presence of miasma, it will automatically perform a purification on the miasma .

    The Orichalcum used to coat the walls also possessed the ability to purify miasma, thus Palmirack itself made it difficult for miasma to umte within its walls .

    However, if arge quantity of miasma was created in one spot, like this time, purification would be difficult even if all functions were alive . Schnee¡¯s prediction had fully hit the mark .

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else worthy of note here . Let¡¯s go to the next room . ¡±

    Afterpleting their investigation of the first room, Shin and Schnee moved to the next .

    Roughly the same number of miasma stones had been ced in the adjacent room as well . They could imagine how the room must have looked dark and stagnant because of the miasma .

    ¡°By the way, could you gather any information from Bulk?¡±

    ¡°He believed himself to bepletely sane, but his memories were full of holes . He remembered about the ritual and the sacrifices, but the couldn¡¯t say anything specific about the headquarters or the other central members . He remembered that a woman with blonde hair was supposed toe for him, but couldn¡¯t even remember her name . ¡±

    Shin had used a mind-type skill while interrogating Bulk . He could force him to confess the information he knew, but in the end what he could gather was not much .

    Shin didn¡¯t know if it was because of the miasma¡¯s effects or some other factor, but it appeared as if he had made preparations not to leak any information in case something happened to him .

    There was not, however, the possibility that he had been controlled via an item or skill .

    The reason being that he was talking about his ridiculous desires fluently . Maybe it had to be expected, but he had solid foundations for his current state .

    ¡°The man who was with him¡­Eline, was it? It didn¡¯t seem like he had been subjected to the miasma . ¡±

    ¡°He was an upper-ss chosen one after all, I guess he had high resistance? He had decent items too, and his weapon was ¡ºExvaine¡» after all . I do think he was subjected to other things, though . ¡±

    It might not have been Filma¡¯s original weapon, but ¡ºExvaine¡» was a powerful sword . Compared to other weapons of lower level, it might have helped resist the miasma¡¯s effects .

    Thinking about how perverse Eline¡¯s personality was, however, suggested that it might have been formed by the explosivebination of Bulk¡¯s education and the miasma¡¯s corruption .

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve checked this room too . For a leading member of the Faction, there isn¡¯t anything of value here . ¡±

    Bulk¡¯s residence was impregnated with miasma, yet nothing of importance was found except the miasma stones .

    Considering that things rted to the Faction were not hidden, but simply not there, one could start doubting that Bulk¡¯s assertion of being one of the Faction¡¯s central members .

    ¡°Maybe he was simply deluded that he was a lead member, or it was an illusion induced by the miasma . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible . He was just a kidnapper after all . ¡±

    Bulk was a pawn, used for gathering sacrifices through his position as priest . That was Shin and Schnee¡¯s theory . But even if it was the truth, Bulk¡¯s acts forbade any pity .

    ¡°Next is the hidden room, then . ¡±

    ¡°If anything is to be found, I suppose it will be there . ¡±

    Shin activated the room¡¯s controls and opened the doorway to the room .

    He then grimaced at the foul stench emanating from it, much as Shibaid had done .

    ¡°¡­ . this is far beyond being just ¡°stinky¡± . ¡±

    ¡°What an awful smell . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee proceeded through the corridor, enduring the nauseous odor . After reaching its end they opened the door without hesitation .

    ¡°Sttered blood doesn¡¯t go away, does it . ¡±

    ¡°So it seems . ¡±

    When they visited the assassin several days before, Lilish told Shin about how corpses disappear . He thought that their blood would vanish as well, but one look at the horrible state of the room made him change his mind .

    The floor, the walls, even the ceiling were stained with what appears to be blood .

    ¡°But even so, Schnee¡­does this look like a drawing to you too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s quite disturbing that it was drawn with blood . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee were looking at the drawing of a snake coiled around a half-broken mask, which upied an entire wall .

    Maybe because it had been painted with blood, the impression it gave to the viewer was a gruesome scene .

    ¡°I feel like I have seen this before¡­¡±

    ¡°This is the emblem of a dark guild . If I remember correctly, it was quite arge organization . ¡±

    Shin, his head cocked to one side, was trying to grasp an elusive memory . Schnee answered with confidence .

    The ominous drawing before their eyes was not apletely new sight .

    ¡°Do you know the name of the guild?¡±

    ¡°The guild is called ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡± . It¡¯s famous for epting any request if the reward is adequate . On one hand, they undertake even criminal acts such as assassination and thievery, on another, they will take down other dark guilds or catch criminals if rewarded amply enough; in a way, they can be useful to society . That¡¯s why all countries have a difficult time dealing with them . ¡±

    ¡°I see, a true jack of all trades . I feel I heard that name somewhere before . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . that¡¯s because it stems from a PK guild from the game era . It was formed by members of guilds you crushed, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°That exins it . ¡±

    Schnee had pronounced thest sentence with a slightly stiff expression, but Shin¡¯s answer was short . Compared to Schnee, his tone of voice was much more casual .

    The actual problem was that, looking at the picture, Shin simply thought that he had seen it somewhere before . The reason for this was he didn¡¯t feel it was worth remembering PKs after cutting them down .

    PKs simply caused damage to other yers, without a reason or a cause . Shin spared the least amount possible of his resources for such people .

    He hated them . He resented them . But he never thought of keeping in mind the PKs he killed or the PK guilds he destroyed .

    Even if he were questioned about feeling remorse after taking people¡¯s lives, or how he could forget about people he killed, Shin would not care in the slightest .

    There were some yers who felt guilty about killing PKs, but Shin could not understand that sentiment .

    ¡°Even if they were offered heaps of money, gathering sacrifices would be too much even for them, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°It is said that if the reward is enough, they will undertake any mission, no matter the content . Rather, there is the possibility that they are actively involved . Those who share a connection with yers can cause the spread of miasma, and there were also quests where if the yer didn¡¯t stop it in time a Demon would appear . On the contrary, it is also possible to lead things to failure . In the past, I have participated in an expedition to bring down a group who tried to do just that, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible . ¡±

    ¡°That really happened? Well, the ones I crushed were all yers, so there¡¯s no doubt that are support characters such as you exist . If there is game era knowledge, it¡¯s possible I suppose . ¡±

    Quest disruption by PKs happened during the game era too . Causing the birth of powerful Demons was possible .

    There was the impression of a slight discrepancy with the Summit Faction¡¯s goals, but considering the miasma found in Bulk¡¯s quarters, it could be concluded that the organization had its share of internal conflict .

    ¡°I suppose Bulk must have acted on his own too, for his personal agenda . A reason to conclude as such, was that he was secretly connected with the underground guild ¡°Immoral Sacrifice¡± too, after all . ¡±

    ¡°That guild could be no more now . After all, ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡± does not tolerate multiple contracts with other guilds . ¡±

    Schnee had heard that in the past, someone who had a contract with Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow had bound a contract with another dark guild, thus causing that guild¡¯s annihtion .

    For Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow, contracting another guild means that its own strength was being doubted . Needless to say, the contractor had been targeted too .

    ¡°As expected of a major organization . That¡¯s some grand scale nning . ¡±

    Shin spoke with a sigh . There was nothing tough about .

    ¡°So there aren¡¯t any clues here either?¡±

    ¡°What we have now is only the shadow Tiera saw and the messenger Bulk talked about, I suppose . ¡±

    ¡°Better than nothing, I guess . Let¡¯s focus on the day after tomorrow first . ¡±

    Shin decided to make preparations in order to gather as many clues as possible .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin and Schneepleted their investigation of Bulk¡¯s residence and returned to Lilish¡¯s room .

    Shin thought he would find someone inside, but maybe because their search ended rather quickly, no one was there yet .

    Shin ran a search using Palmirack¡¯s functions and found that Tiera, Wilhelm and Millie were in the same room .

    Lilish and Shibaid were on the verge of breaking into one of the rooms in the residential section . It looked like they had already captured several rooms . They were likely fighting against Bulk¡¯s allies .

    ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s doing fine for now . ¡±

    ¡°Shibaid is with Lilish too, so I doubt anything bad could happen . ¡±

    Shin nodded in agreement to Schnee¡¯s words and headed to where Tiera and the others were .

    As Shin and Schnee entered the room, Millie noticed and ran up to them .

    ¡°Shin-nii!!¡±

    ¡°Hey there, good morning . How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°All good!¡±

    Shin caught Millie as she jumped to him and checked her status . Her HP and MP werepletely recovered and she did not appear to have any status conditions .

    The status screen can not show everything, but at the very least she had no visible aftereffects .

    ¡°Have you heard from Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Millie nodded, smiling . Tiera, walking behind Millie, nodded too after meeting Shin¡¯s eyes .

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to lose then . After all, Rashia and Thoria must be worried sick . ¡±

    Shin spoke while patting Millie¡¯s head .

    They had previously contacted Vizzy to let her make preparations, so they could leave right away .

    They asked Vizzy to protect Millie until Shin¡¯s party had stopped the ritual .

    Wilhelm with his powered-up equipment, Vizzy and the Elder Dragons she had gained control of, even if enemy hands approached them again, they would not go down easily .

    ¡°Are you departing?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there are people worried about Millie . They deeply regretted not being able to protect her, you see . ¡±

    ¡°I understand . It is best to hurry, then . ¡±

    Hermie showed a relieved smile after speaking . Hermie had been used in the past for the abilities granted by her title, so she was d to know that Millie, who shared the same title, was cherished .

    ¡°We have already made the necessary preparations . We were thinking of leaving now, actually . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Shin nodded at Hermie¡¯s words and faced towards Wilhelm .

    Wilhelm too could use the item box, so he could leave right away without needing time to prepare . Millie had been kidnapped with only the clothes she had on, so she obviously had no luggage to speak of .

    They decided to wait for Shibaid toe back and leave once they were all together .

    Shin¡¯s party left Sigurd momentarily, to see Millie and the others off .

    The carriage they rode on zed through a wastnd heading to the meeting point with Vizzy at a slightly ridiculous speed due to the power of Kagerou¡¯s pulling .

    Normally the carriage would be shaking violently, but the shock absorbing mechanism equipped on the carriage¡¯s cabin worked perfectly, preventing the passengers -especially Millie- from feeling sick .

    ¡°Will, Will!! Look outside! It¡¯s like we¡¯re flying!¡±

    ¡°Easy now, or you¡¯ll fall from your seat . ¡±

    Millie¡¯s eyes were sparkling looking at the scenery breezing past them much faster than in a normal carriage, and Wilhelm cautioned her . She was not being careful about her foothold, so a stronger shock could have sent her flying out of her seat .

    ¡°Some things don¡¯t change no matter where you go, huh . ¡±

    Shin felt as if he was looking at a kid excited to be riding a train and let that remark slip . Even when he had gotten used to the game world, he would sometimes remember the real world .

    ¡°Did you recall something about your homnd?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Tiera asked the question as Shin was gently looking at Millie .

    ¡°You looked like you were thinking about something far away . Usually people think of their homnd when they look like that, no?¡±

    ¡°I really looked like that?¡±

    ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t apply to everyone, but¡­I get the feeling I was right this time, wasn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Well, not too far from the truth, let¡¯s say . ¡±

    Tiera asked for confirmation and Shin replied after some thought, his head cocked to one side .

    One could say it was his homnd, but strictly speaking it really wasn¡¯t . Since it was in another world .

    ¡°I was thinking of the past though, that¡¯s for sure . I was thinking that kids act the same everywhere, you see . I¡¯ve seen children act the same way as Millie, so¡­¡±

    ¡°I see, there was a time when ¡°things like these¡± were normal, then . ¡±

    Tiera assumed that Shin was talking about the world before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡± . She imagined that there once were carriages this fast running through city streets .

    ¡°Children don¡¯t change, no matter the times we¡¯re in . Yes, I can see that . ¡±

    ¡°The things we do are pretty much the same, after all . Hunt monsters, forge weapons or armor, create buildings, do research, go on adventures, or do battle . Some people y dirty, others work diligently . We¡¯re all living beings, there aren¡¯t many differences . ¡±

    In THE NEW GATE, the ystyles¡­the ways to live were too many to count . All yers had a different one, and this world was no different .

    ¡°A world packed with High Humans like you, right? I don¡¯t even want to think about it . ¡±

    ¡°Hey now, there weren¡¯t many at my level . Abilities included, there were only 6 at the same level as me . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s insane that there were even 6! I¡¯m really d I wasn¡¯t born in that era, for sure!¡±

    Wilhelm says so light-heartedly with his legs crossed and back leaning on the carriage¡¯s wooden partition .

    The carriage was protected from outside noise via magic, making its interior quiet; everyone could hear the others talk .

    Almost all members knew that Shin was a High Human, so they could talk without reserve .

    The only person who wasn¡¯t told this information was Millie . However, she said that she realized it the first time she met Shin, surprising the whole party .

    ¡°Shin is, kinda, amazing . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a whole other level of ambiguity . Come to think of it, you told Schnee that I would be back soon . Did you see that in the future?¡±

    ¡°You see, I saw Schnee hugging someone, all happy . I felt all warm in my chest, so it had to be something good . ¡±

    Millie had predicted that after Schnee told her that she was waiting for her master, apparently .

    Her ability at the time was still unstable, but for some reason that time she felt a strange confidence, so she told Schnee about it .

    Everyone nodded at Millie¡¯s words . Starting from Wilhelm, however, all members reacted to a different part of her recollection .

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened¡­but still, hugging, huh¡­?¡±

    ¡°I heard something simr too¡­so she hugged him, is that so . ¡±

    ¡°What a mysterious ability¡­master, you really hugged him?¡±

    ¡°(Kuu! Schnee likes Shin very very much!)¡±

    Wilhelm grinned, Shibaid nodded, Tiera inquired seriously . It was a side of Schnee they had some difficulty imagining, so their interest shifted away from Mille¡¯s ability .

    The only salvation was that Yuzuha¡¯s telepathy had reached only Shin .

    ¡°W-what is it with you all? That¡¯s not the part that needs to be talked about here!¡±

    This agitated response came from Schnee, who was holding the carriage¡¯s reins and could not participate in the conversation .

    Only Yuzuha knew that when Shin and Schnee had met again, she had hugged him without thinking, but now the truth had been revealed to all .

    It was quite a surprise for everyone that the usually straightced Schnee they knew had been so forward .

    ¡°We¡¯re talking of a noble High Elf who never had romantic rumors about her, after all . A passionate hug, is it? Truly forward indeed . ¡±

    ¡°I see, I wasn¡¯t aware but you didn¡¯t miss your chances to act . Very good, very good I¡¯d say . ¡±

    Looking at Schnee abandon her coachman role and unusually panicked, Wilhelm and Shibaid¡¯s expressions became sympathetic .

    Even though they had just met, the two poked fun at Schnee justmunicating through their eyes and facial expressions .

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t deny it, so¡­it¡¯s true?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s reaction was slightly different . She understood from Schnee¡¯s reaction that what Millie said was true, and at the same time she felt a certain uneasiness in her chest .

    Tiera didn¡¯t know of the ¡°bed sharing incident¡± or the ¡°moonlight encounter¡±, so she couldn¡¯t decide if Schnee¡¯s feelings towards Shin were born from loyalty or affection¡­or rather, she purposefully put off such a decision, but the present situation made things very clear .

    But what was the feeling of uneasiness in her heart? Tiera couldn¡¯t understand .

    She had been exiled from her vige before ever experiencing such feelings and lived at the Tsuki no Hokora since then; she did not have a name for what she was feeling right now .

    ¡°You better go easy on Schnee, or she¡¯ll make you regret itter, you know?¡±

    ¡°To be able to poke some fun at Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s very own Schnee Raizar is something that will happen only this once in my lifetime . I can¡¯t let this chance go . ¡±

    ¡°I was certainly not poking fun at her . I simply found all this heartwarming . ¡±

    ¡°You two are going to pay for this¡­!¡±

    Behind Shin, who was sitting with his back to the coachman seat, Schnee uttered these words with a menacing tone . Her embarrassment was so strong that even her long ears were all red .

    Wilhelm and Shibaid¡¯s grins widened even more .

    Shin, on the other hand, was unsure about what to do . Tiera was slightly annoyed .

    Crying ¡°kuu, kuu¡± and ¡°gruu, gruu¡±, the two divine beasts adjusted the carriage¡¯s course, which had lost its coachman¡¯s control, and brought it forward to its destination . Inside the carriage, however, confusion reigned supreme .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Here, we¡¯ve arrived . Come down quickly, everybody . ¡±

    The chaotic atmosphere had to be endured for a few minutes . Thanks to Yuzuha and Kagerou, they arrived at the meeting point without trouble .

    In order to wipe away that awkward atmosphere, Shin urged the passengers to go down quickly .

    Both Wilhelm and Shibaid knew when to stop, so they promptly obeyed .

    ¡°Fufu, fufufu . You will be repaid for this favor very soon . ¡±

    Behind Shin, the still flushed Schnee had made her decision .

    Having had little to no experience of being made fun of in the past, the damage she sustained seemed to be quite high .

    ¡°Go easy on them, OK? Besides, well¡­ even embarrassed like that, you were pretty cute, you know?¡±

    ¡°EH!? Ah, er, thank you¡­very much¡­¡±

    Shin tried to console her with words he wasn¡¯t used to saying, and the effects were greater than he expected .

    Seeing Schnee go all red, he was struck by her cuteness again .

    ¡°Er, aren¡¯t you¡­used to hearing things like this?¡±

    ¡°It depends on who says them¡­if it¡¯s the person I l¡­ I like, of course¡­ of course I¡¯d be happy¡­¡±

    Schnee red at Shin while her voice trailed off to a whisper . Another cute expression, and Shin couldn¡¯t help but pat her head gently .

    ¡°!!¡­umm¡­ . *cute noise*¡­ . . ¡±

    That sudden gesture made Schnee let out a little cry . Shin¡¯s hands stroked her hair gently, expressing the master¡¯s feelings to hispanion .

    ¡°Ah¡­ . I¡¯m sorry . ¡±

    Shin realized what he was doing and pulled back his hand with a surprised expression . The warm emotion that had sprung forth in his heart had guided his hand .

    A feeling that Shin had once experienced, but then lost . The feeling of deep affection towards someone else .

    Shin himself was a bit surprised by his own heart¡¯s transformation .

    There were, however, other things to make sure first .

    He stole a quick nce at Schnee¡¯s expression, and found it frozen in what seemed like ecstasy .

    Shin sighed with relief that, at least, she wasn¡¯t in a bad mood .

    ¡°Ah¡­ . er, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes!? What is it!?¡±

    ¡°Well, er, nothing . My hand kind of moved by itself¡­¡±

    ¡°No, well, I didn¡¯t dislike it, so¡­¡±

    Are you a teen again!?! Is what Shin wanted to say to himself right now . That¡¯s how awkward their conversation was . Not that he didn¡¯t enjoy it, though .

    Shin felt clearly how his emotions were changing .

    ¡°Shin-nii, Schnee-nee, do you have the hots?¡±

    ¡°!?!¡±

    Shin and Schnee were still lost in their own world when a childish voice called to them . They looked at the source of the voice and found Millie staring at them .

    ¡°The hots?¡±

    ¡°Eeeheh!? Ah, yeah, Millie, didn¡¯t you go on ahead with the others?¡±

    ¡°They told me toe call you, since you¡¯re sote . ¡±

    ¡°I see . We¡¯reing, so go on ahead . ¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ . but you have the hots?¡±

    ¡°Enough about that!¡±

    Shin tried to change the topic, but it didn¡¯t work on Milie .

    Millie¡¯s face as she was running back to Wilhelm, as expected, had a big grin .

    ¡°¡­ . it looks like we should hurry ahead . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed . But please, wait just 20 seconds . ¡±

    Schnee felt that she was still red, so she and Shin got down from the carriage after she had calmed down a little .

    ¡°My my? There¡¯s something interesting going on here, isn¡¯t there?¡±

    Shin and Schnee joined the others, only to find Vizzy also looking at them with sympathetic eyes .

    Among those present, only Tiera -who was carrying Yuzuha- looked at the twoters with different eyes .

    Shin had almost reached the limits of his patience and darted a look at everyone present .

    ¡°Guys, if you don¡¯t cut it out already you¡¯ll make me angry, all right?¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop the jokes for now . We¡¯ll have to be sharp and focused for what¡¯sing, after all . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, though we can say that there¡¯s less pressure on our shoulders now . ¡±

    A state of prolonged emotional tension often invites unwanted idents .

    Shibaid and Wilhelm know that from experience; their poking fun at Schnee served to ease the whole party¡¯s tension too .

    Of course, they couldn¡¯t deny that there were other reasons too .

    ¡°Agh, you people are just¡­ anyway . We will deal with our mission as soon as we can, so please take care of Millie in the meanwhile . ¡±

    ¡°You just leave it to us! We¡¯ll do our very best!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to let them have their way again . ¡±

    Vizzy stood proudly, while Wilhelm expressed his strong conviction . With the Elder Dragons¡¯ assistance on their side too, they couldn¡¯t be defeated easily .

    Vizzy called the Elder Dragons, and as Wilhelm turned away from Shin¡¯s party, Millie suddenly stopped .

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Millie?¡±

    Shin called to the Millie, still not moving an inch, but received no response .

    Shin was looking at Millie with suspicion, when suddenly her body was covered in a faint light . Millie¡¯s magic power was astir .

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Shibaid too, like Shin, noticed Millie¡¯s unusual state . Schnee reacted by analyzing the young girl .

    ¡°I suppose this is the ¡°Star Reader¡± title¡¯s activation . ¡±

    ¡°The title, you say?¡±

    Tiera, not being able to understand the situation, did not know what to do .

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, it¡¯ll be over soon . ¡±

    Only Wilhelm seemed to know what was happening to Millie, thus he told Shin¡¯s party not to worry . True to his words, Millie returned to her normal self in less than a minute .

    ¡°¡­ . Will-nii . ¡±

    ¡°What did you see?¡±

    ¡°A woman with red and purple hair and the man who kidnapped me . ¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s expression turned sour at Millie¡¯s words .

    ¡°Millie, you mean Eline?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­he was strange . ¡±

    ¡°In what way was he strange?¡±

    ¡°He was the same, but¡­different . ¡±

    The whole party contemted Millie¡¯s riddle-like words .

    Shin further asked what she meant, but Millie couldn¡¯t exin well and would simply repeat how ¡°He was the same, but¡­different . ¡±

    ¡°Will-nii . ¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Will-nii, you should go with Shin-nii . I think it¡¯s better that way . ¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t be in danger?¡±

    No one doubted Millie¡¯s -a Star Reader¡¯s- words .

    But it would be meaningless if Millie was in danger because of that . That¡¯s what spurred Wilhelm¡¯s question .

    ¡°I¡¯m all right now . ¡±

    ¡°¡­Got it . I¡¯ll do as you say then . ¡±

    Wilhelm, as if he had lost to Millie¡¯s insistent look, agreed to her request .

    There would be less protection for Millie and the church, but he decided to trust Vizzy and the Elder Dragons with that .

    ording to this world¡¯smon sense, 5 Elder Dragons -albeit small- counted as a small army already, so there would be nothing to worry in most cases .

    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for your message then~¡±

    ¡°Do your best, everyone!¡±

    With the ones carrying Vizzy and Millie leading the rest, the 5 Elder Dragons flew off in the sky . Shin and the others waited until they couldn¡¯t see them anymore, then returned to the city of Sigurd .

    ¡°Well, we have some time to kill, and the first thing we should make sure that the news of the fall of Bulk¡¯s faction don¡¯t spread . ¡±

    As they crossed the gate into Palmirack, Shin contacted Lilish and used an illusion magic .

    If word of Bulk¡¯s defeat spread, the messenger wouldn¡¯t appear .

    Lilish too was cooperating as not to allow any information leak, but the disappearance of the priests colluding with Bulk would certainly cause suspicion .

    For that reason, Shin re-created the figures of Bulk and his allies via illusions, to show them leading their normal everyday lives .

    Bulk¡¯s clique wasn¡¯t one to appear in public often, so Lilish agreed too that the trick would work for a few days .

    ¡°In any case, I didn¡¯t think it would be so difficult to gather information . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Not even one of the priests allied with Bulk knew anything¡­¡±

    Shin sighed after interrogating thest captured priest . Schnee, who had apanied him, was impressed by the enemy¡¯s information management .

    They had questioned the priests about the messenger who was supposed toe meet Bulk, but most of them had never even seen her . It couldn¡¯t have been a cognitive impairment caused by the miasma; the messenger had surely used some form of camouge .

    ¡°With things as they are, we have no choice but to leave the matter to chance . ¡±

    ¡°It also depends on who we have to deal with¡­but there seems to be no other way . ¡±

    Neither Shin nor Schnee believed that the messenger could have been an honest person . Also considering what Tiera had witnessed, there was a high probability that the messenger was not a human, but a demon .

    Fooling humans using High Humans as lure¡­it was not beyond the scope of what a Demon would do .

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s here, I see . Let¡¯s decide our roles for the day . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee returned to the room assigned to them within Palmirack and begun their discussion with Shibaid, Wilhelm and Tiera, who were waiting for them .

    The result was that, using illusion magic, Shin would take Bulk¡¯s role, Schnee Hermie¡¯s and Tiera Millie¡¯s . Wilhelm and Shibaid would standby, ready to stop the messenger in case she tried to flee .

    Kagerou, as usual, would be in Tiera¡¯s shadow .

    Yuzuha would not participate in the fighting, in order to continue tracking the target .

    ¡°All right . Then all that¡¯s left is see what our opponent does . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s party thus started the operation to rescue Filma .

 Vol 7 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    ¡°Someone¡¯sing . ¡±

    It was two nights after they saved Millie .

    Shin, muttered something under his breath, while confirming that someone was approaching Palmirack using the map function .

    It was clear the individual, most likely the messenger, was airborne, based on the angle and the speed at which they were approaching . Either they were riding a monster that could fly, or they had the ability to fly on their own .

    Shin hid himself on the roof of Palmirack, keeping his line of sight pointed in the direction the messenger wasing from .

    Eventually, Shin could make out a dark shadow . Luckily, there were no clouds that night, and the moon and stars kept the area visible .

    The shadow which was a speck gradually grewrger, and within a few minutes became clearly distinguishable .

    ¡°(I can see a shadow of a person, I think it¡¯s the messenger .  They¡¯vee solo on a bug-type monster . Since the messenger is wearing a mantle with a hood, I can¡¯t confirm their appearance . )¡±

    Shin shared this information with Schnee and Shibaid through Mind Chat . This was passed onto Wilhelm and Tiera as well .

    However, a few minutester .

    Something unexpected was disyed on Shin¡¯s map .

    ¡°It¡¯s possible to im that these are rted¡­¡±

    Over 100 red markers were approaching from the rear of the messenger¡¯s marker . You could say that it is impossible to conclude that this had nothing to do with the current situation .

    Shin ryed this information to Shibaid . He responded with ¡°I shall intercept them . ¡±

    Truth be told they could intercept them with a wide-range magical attack, however, that would surely cause tremendous amount of noise and vibrations to ur . Considering howte in the night it was, this would potentially cause citizens in Palmirack to panic .

    Shibaid could probably handle the monsters, by drawing them in the same way Shin once did at Balmel .

    It could get out of hand, thus, it had been decided that Wilhelm would apany him .

    Just in case, Lilish¡¯s aids would also act as backup .

    ¡°This isn¡¯t an average messenger¡± Shin mumbled this when he saw the figures be clearer as they approached .

    After some preparations for battle were made, the messengernded on the roof of Palmirack .

    ¡°Wee . We were expecting you . ¡±

    Due to an disguise technique, Shin altered his voice, and spoke to the messenger . Both his voice and appearance are identical to Bulk¡¯s . When seen by another person, they should not see anything but Bulk .

    The messenger seems to have been fooled and thought Bulk hade to greet them . She flipped her hood off and revealed her face .

    ¡°Greetings, I seem to have troubled you . They are the sacrifices?¡±

    A blonde-haired woman replied in a somewhat unnatural voice while straddling the bug-type monster, ¡°Megrade¡± . A bug-type monster with 6 thin wings and a body simr to a centipede . It¡¯s level on average is 700 .

    No one would object calling her a ¡°Beauty¡±, she is a woman who posses such an appearance . However, her expression was nk . It was as if she was looking at Schnee and Tiera, but at the same time not at all .

    ¡°We are ready for you . Pleasee in . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary . We¡¯re moving immediately . ¡±

    ¡°At least have a drink . ¡±

    ¡°No . Hurry up . ¡±

    She didn¡¯t show any behavioural thoughts, the woman urged instead . She didn¡¯t seem to want to waste her time at all .

    Shin signaled to Schnee and Tiera to head towards the woman . Schnee was approaching slowly with Tiera .

    Appearing to be manipted, they were walking at a slow pace, they were good at acting .

    However, when the distance between the woman and Schnee¡¯s group was less than 20 mels, the silence was suddenly broken .

    ¡°!!¡±

    Words could not express the shrieking of the Megrade, who jerked its neck like a snake . On Shin¡¯s map, the marker showing the Megrade turned red representing a foe .

    The Megrade stopped shrieking, and without any hesitation, turned towards the direction of Tiera and ejected a purple liquid out of its mouth .

    ¡°It¡¯s time to take action!¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    The moment the Megrade had turned towards Tiera, Schnee understood it¡¯s intentions and immediately picked her up and moved from their current location .

    Within seconds, the location that the two had been was covered in the purple liquid, and this initiated Palmirack¡¯s defense mechanism .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how we were exposed, however, it looks like we have no choice but to fight . Hey, you over there!! Either surrender quietly or fight, make a decision now¡±

    ¡°Did Bulk fall . How pitiful . You guys will be sacrificed by yours truly!!¡±

    While the woman shouted that, she gestured at the excited Megrade . In that moment, it was hard to believe that the Megrade had be docile given it previous actions .

    ording to Shin¡¯s analysis, the woman¡¯s name was Amre Zig . She was a level 181 tamer . However, there was also information listed that would normally not be associated with a human¡¯s status .

    ¡°Do it!!¡±

    The Megrade moved based on Amre¡¯smand .

    The monster raised half of its 7 mels body, perpendicr to the ground . By doing so it can determine its prey .

    The Megrade that Amre rode was twice as small as the one Shin was used to . It was also a lower level than the full-grown monster, at only 504 .

    Even then, the giant fangs attached to its head and its legs, which has a de-like tip, holds enough power to tear through a person .

    Even a seasoned warrior¡¯s body would be paralyzed, faced with this poison- spitting beast .

    However, that didn¡¯t apply to Shin¡¯s party .

    ¡°Oraa!!¡± *battle cry*

    The Megrade intends to trample on anything that approaches it from the front, and Shin chose to attack the Megrade head-on .

    He held the materialized¡ºKakura¡» in both hands, and by swinging the sword towards the heavens, it skims the surface of the earth .

    Shin was going to be swallowed whole . But, along with the sound of carapace bursting open, the Megrade¡¯s head was sent flying into the sky after one blow from¡ºKakura¡» .

    Half of the Megrade¡¯s face had blown off, but bug-type monsters tend to have very good regenerating skills . It didn¡¯t die immediately .

    While it made an intermittent odd cry, it tried to stab Shin with the remaining fangs .

    ¡°As one would expect, its tenacious . ¡±

    Shin swung ¡ºKakura¡» as he dodged the monster¡¯s fangs .

    ¡ºKakura¡» was d in the skill ¡¾Dust Bomb¡¿, abat skill from the hammer arts system . When it made contact with the torso that was on the ground, a 1 mel wide explosion urred, centered around it .

    The Megrade was split in half, and it still wouldn¡¯t die, shriveling with a yelp .

    ¡°Tch*smacks lips*, Megrade, do what you¡¯re told!!¡±

    The Megrade had taken on a considerable amount of damage . It did not ept Amre¡¯s orders and with half of its body, it swayed back and forth . The half with the face turned towards Tiera .

    It stopped only for a moment, before the monster shook off Amre and headed straight towards Tiera .

    ¡°Grrrrrrrrraaaaaarrr!!!¡±

    Schnee and Tiera raised their weapons in preparation, but someone else had reacted quicker . It was Kagerou, jumping out of Tiera¡¯s shadow, in his true form, giving the Megrade a one-sided beating .

    Kagerou¡¯s ruthlessness wasid bare for everyone to see . He thrusted the ws on his right foreleg into the remaining portion of the Megrade¡¯s head .

    The ws only prated through the shell, and because of this the Megrade was writhing in pain . Kagerou then poured an electrical attack through the monster¡¯s wounds, burning it from the inside .

    Sparks were almost leaking out of the monster, and you could see the Megrade¡¯s HP going down .

    The Megrade struggled, but unable to escape Kagerou¡¯s other leg holding it down, the monster was pegged . Within a minute, the HP had gone down to 0 points .

    ¡°Is it over?¡±

    As Kagerou took down the Megrade, Schnee had cut off its other half into pieces and submerged it in ice . Tiera used her arrows to take down the escaping Amre, following that Shin restrained her .

    Amre herself did not have highbative capabilities, thus, she did not put up much of a resistance .

    ¡°Let me go!!¡±

    ¡°That is not up for discussion . Without fail, we will get you to confess information about the faction!¡±

    An interrogation wasn¡¯t necessary for Shin . However, the moment he tried to invoke a skill from the mind system, miasma began to pour out of Amre¡¯s body .

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA this way I too, will¡­¡±

    Moving faster than Shin could purify, the miasma was able to draw itself closer to Megrade¡¯s corpse .

    With a blink of an eye, the miasma made contact with the corpse and permeated its interior . This brought about a transformation .

    ¡°Gruu!?¡±

    Kagerou had sensed danger and jumped backwards . A few seconds after jumping backwards, the Megrade¡¯s body, that should have been a corpse, started to move .

    As the head was regenerating, it made a vicious beating sound, *thump* *thump* . At the same time the dismembered body starts to piece itself together . And the ice covering the surroundings gradually starts to develop cracks .

    ¡°!!¡±

    A strange noise echoed throughout the surroundings .

    The monster molted out of its shell, as arger, stronger looking shell emerged .

    ¡°Could that be the skill ¡®Invade¡¯?¡±

    The monster¡¯s fate had been altered by the miasma .

    Shin had known that the skill had a simr effect on golem-type monsters such as gargoyles . However, it seems to affect even the corpses in this world .

    It is a phenomenon not seen in the game era . Normally monsters¡¯ corpses transform into drop items .

    After molting, the figure of the Megrade had be somewhat ferocious . From Shin¡¯s memory, the Megrade in front of him was still smaller than a matured one . However, looking at it gave one the impression of a rather intimidating monster .

    ¡°So this one¡¯s a mummy . You know, I doubted it when I nced over the status . s¡­¡±

    Shin sighs after observing the pinned down Amre, who was a mere shadow of her former self .

    Amre¡¯s status . Her name, her level, and her upation were listed . It didn¡¯t look too different from ordinary humans . But the name field was slightly different .

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, the name listed was ¡°Ghoul Invade¡± . With that appended to the name column, it was definite proof of a monster afflicted with miasma .

    ¡°So in this world, even people turn into monsters, huh?¡±

    Undead monsters, such as ghouls, aren¡¯t rare in THE NEW GATE .

    There are a few strong undead monsters, but often times even newbies can take said monster down .

    Apparently, ording to the game¡¯s exnatory text, the undead were originally human bodies buried after being killed by monsters . They were exposed to miasma, and started to move on their own .

    Shin couldn¡¯t grasp how Amre had ended up that way, nor how she had retained her own will after her death .

    One thing was for sure . If Amre was an abomination caused by man, that meant that the Summit Faction was seriously out of line .

    ¡°Shin! How the hell is it stronger! What is that!!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the miasma! Kagerou! Make sure Tiera stays away from it!¡±

    At the same time Tiera shouted, the revived Megrade began to move . It was still split in two, but the half with the head, likest time, was focused in the direction of Tiera .

    Following Shin¡¯s orders Kagerou wedged himself between Tiera and the Megrade .

    Being obstructed twice, the Megrade loathed Kagerou . It howled, and in response to this Kagerou growled with no intentions of backing down . Kagerou¡¯s horn lit up as power starts to umte inside . Shin understood his intentions .

    ¡°I entrust Tiera to you!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t feel like waiting for the opponent to make its move .

    Using his movement skill ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿, he headed straight towards the Megrade who was facing Kagerou and Tiera .

    There¡¯s no need to go easy on a monster afflicted with miasma .

    Like an afterimage, Shin arrived at the Megrade and didn¡¯t even give it time to ¡®defend,¡¯ as he drew¡ºKakura¡» .

    He unleashed hisbatposite skill, ¡¾Shining Roar¡¿, abination of hammer arts and light magic .

    ¡ºKakura¡» absorbed all of the light, and grew to twice its thickness .

    With one stroke against the Megrade, the light surrounding ¡ºKakura¡» invaded the Megrade¡¯s body . A secondter, ¡ºKakura¡» itself crushed the shell .

    The Megrade¡¯s shell started to form cracks, with ripples originating from where the de made contact . Within a minute, the whole body was soaked in light inside and out .

    ¡°!!!¡±

    The light from thebination skill was a high-level purification light for cleansing demons .

    Ordinary monsters aren¡¯t affected and it is useless in personal battles, but they were up against a transformed monster that had afflicted with miasma . This was a fatal attack .

    There is also additional damage due to using ¡ºKakura¡» . And no matter how much a monster is strengthened by miasma, it wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s blow .

    The Megrade¡¯s body quivered as if it was paralyzed . Any immobile giant monster is a sight to behold .

    Shin lowered ¡ºKakura¡» onest time at the Megrade¡¯s head, and because of the purifying light, the body turned to ashes and dust .

    ¡°Is Schnee the only one left¡­yep, she¡¯s finished too¡±

    The other half of the body trapped in ice was going rampant .

    That alone should have been intimidating, but Schnee was simply following Shin¡¯s lead- keeping the monster immobile before giving it its final blow .

    A lower half of the body noodling about was nothing for Schnee . Shin didn¡¯t need to help at all .

    ¡°Is it over?¡±

    ¡°Yeah . We got nothing out of it though¡±

    Shin had remembered how Amre was before the skirmish . She didn¡¯t act like the party had gained any new information .

    If anything, the Megrade should offer some hints and clues .

    Recalling the memory of when Schnee and Tiera had approached the Megrade, the Megrade had acted terrified .

    Perhaps just as Kagerou used to be skeptical of Shin and Schnee, the Megrade must have sensed the imminent power of Schnee .

    Then, why did it go after Tiera?

    (Is there a something we are not aware of?)

    There are certain upations that are more susceptible to attacks from monsters afflicted by miasma . Tiera had once admitted how she was hiding something from us . Maybe it¡¯s relevant .

    Shin didn¡¯t want to force it out of her . Eventually, Tiera would tell them . There was no need to get her to talk .

    Even if it was a naive thing to do .

    ¡°¡­How¡¯s Shibaid doing¡±

    Shin decided to check on him via Mind Chat .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°We should start our battle soon¡±

    Shibaid having been informed by Shin of the approaching enemy presences, Wilhelm and himself started to mobilize . In his hand, you could see his weapon ¡ºcid Moon¡» glisten from the moonlight .

    Shibaid also had a map of his own, sparkling red with enemy markers . There must have been at least 200 foes .

    Shibaid decided to analyze the monsters in his periphery .

    The majority of the monsters were undead, such as Ghouls or Rupt Raptors .

    The monsters¡¯ levels ranged, from high level monsters at around 500 to some as low as 50 .

    About 40 monsters were above level 400 . There were other monsters in the 300s range . Many of the monsters were under level 100 .

    ¡°First, let¡¯s have the monster¡¯s focus their attention on me . ¡±

    At less than 300 mels between Shibaid and the monsters, Shibaid activated ¡¾Shura¡¯s Madness¡¿an aggro skill . (T/N: Aggro Skill, it is to lure monster by getting them to focus on user using the skill . )

    An invisible wave overwhelmed the monsters, as their cloudy eyes were all forced tond on Shibaid and the monsters faced his direction .

    ¡°arsa¡­sk!! -daggd!?¡±

    The monsters were being taken over, as they twisted and turned, grunting and groaning, all together a surge of rumbling noises rushed towards Shibaid .

    Even in the gaming world, few heroes can stand in front of a group of monsters, much less in front of a hoard with several over level 100 . The survival instincts in people are triggered, when they are in front of arge number of physicallyrger beings, all making noise so loud that you want to cover your ears .

    Even in the gaming world, it¡¯s easy to be scared . So in this world, where this was a reality, your fear should be just as real .

    Even a Chosen One would stand down .

    However, the one confronting these enemies is a subordinate of the Dark cksmith, Shibaid Etraku .

    Unless they were up against this number, their auras were very oppressive . On top of that, as if responding to the challenge, Shibaid¡¯s aura was intensifying .

    ¡°? ? ?¡±

    At that moment, the intensifying aura heavily affected the monsters¡¯ momentum .

    The front row of Rupt Raptors and Ace Jackals, the faster monsters, all went limp, taking down other monsters behind them .

    Therger monsters with the charging abilities were not able to avoid the medium sized monsters in their way . They were also trampling over the smaller monsters .

    Many monsters were trying to run away, frightened of the effects and overwhelmed by Shibaid¡¯s aura . The lower-level monsters were heavily affected, while the higher level monsters were all agitated .

    ¡°That should have thinned the crowd out¡±

    After confirming that 30 of the low-level monsters had disappeared, Shibaid took off in a sprint .

    He¡¯s much slower than Schnee or Girard, but that was a matter of battle style . Shibaid did not have to rely on speed .

    ¡°Haaaaa¡­ . ¡±

    He breathed out, charging at the array of monsters, waving¡ºcid Moon¡»fiercely . The tip of the spear was channeling a white me, which blew out 5 mels wide .

    Abatposite skill ¡¾White Haze¡¿, the mixture of me magic and spear arts .

    The fire encased the axe portion of the halberd, the de width easily exceeded 30 cemels .

    Shibaid dodged all long-distance attacks against him, and encroached closer and closer to the monsters .

    ¡°Ngrrr!¡±

    With all the momentum put into one step, the ground starts to fissure . At around the same time he let out a battle cry, the holy halberd¡¯s de encased in me drew an arc in the air .

    The me¡¯s heat and cleansing powerspounded its damaging effects, turning all of the monsters within its reach into ash .

    For undead monsters, me attacks are one of their weaknesses, with holy and light being the most effective .

    On top of that, Shibaid had used a skillparable to that of Shin¡¯s, which cleansed the undead .

    The aggro skill lures the monsters, and as they draw near they are burned to ashes . The undead monsters didn¡¯t stand a chance against Shibaid¡¯s physical strength,bined with a superior weapon, and effective skill .

    ¡°Ha!!¡±

    With one swing, two, then three .

    Moonlight illuminates the ck canvas of the night, while a white me draws arcs .

    The smaller and medium-sized monsters were reduced to ashes with a single blow, now only therger monsters remain .

    Even therger monsters with higher endurance had just barely survived fatal blows, with their limbs burned off after one strike . Following that their head would fly off after the next strike .

    Shibaid had smartened up, knowing that therger bodies couldn¡¯t stand the repeated attacks from underneath . The undead were being sliced into bits with a swing from Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºcid Moon¡» .

    However, he couldn¡¯t keep assaulting the monsters on the ground, as there was a shadow that was floating in mid-air .

    A rotting pumpkin, a Jumpkin, floated above .

    ¡°Yhallhooolll!¡±

    The hole of the monster¡¯s mouth released a soprano voice, giving us the impression of a young boy .

    Listening to the pitch of the voice gave off an off putting feeling, and yet nothing seemed to be out of ce . On top of that the Jumpkin looked like a Halloween pumpkin .

    ¡°Now its flying types, eh?¡±

    Shibaid mumbled to himself, as several other flying monsters approaching from the rear of the Jumpkin .

    There were undead monsters immune to physicalbat, such as a Ghosts, spectre-type monsters .

    These monsters often attack using ck magic skills that give status abnormalities, and by default they are always flying . This made it difficult tond a hit on these monsters, and the yers hated it .

    About 30 monsters were afloat .

    The issue wasn¡¯t fending them off, but rather how they were going to take up more time inparison to monsters bound to the earth .

    ¡°Ha!!¡±

    Dodging the magic raining from above, Shibaid jumped up . Underneath, you could see the ground he leapt from was caved in . The magical attacks against him were wide range, but Shibaid was used to acting as the party¡¯s shield . This was a piece of cake .

    A blue wall of me is spread out in front of him, despite this, Shibaid thrusts his me encased weapon into the crowd of monsters .

    There were no other monsters left in the sky, after the white me engulfed the surrounding .

    Shibaid made use of the force from swinging ¡ºcid Moon¡» to adjust his position in mid-air . What awaited him below was ws and fangs onnd, but what awaited them too was a halberd d in mes .

    The de¡¯s first round of attacks burned and split a giant-type undead cyclops . The heat caught up and burned what was left of the body .

    The monsters didn¡¯t seem to care that one of their kind was burning to the side . They came after Shibaid with murder in their eyes .

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    As Shibaid prepared forbat in the air and on the ground, in the corner of his eyes, the ghosts in the sky were being pierced by a ray of light that looked like a spear .

    Shibaid instantly knew that the ray of light was caused by aposite skill using spear arts and light magic, ¡¾Shooting Star¡¿ .

    It was a highly effective skill against the undead, and had two uses . It could be either thrown like a javelin or made to radiate the light to the surroundings for use in closebat .

    At the end of Shibaid¡¯s gaze, he caught a glimpse of Wilhelm holding his weapon ¡ºBeinot¡» proudly .

    But Wilhelm also knew, that time was of the essence .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no need to waste time¡±

    While carefully surveying his surroundings, Wilhelm watched the monsters disappear as they are pierced using the skill from earlier .

    There really wasn¡¯t a reason for concern, but it would be catastrophic if these monsters were to breach Sigurd .

    Not just that, but spending too much time here was not a good idea either . In reality it was more for the peace of mind .

    Shibaid could take on therger groups of monsters, while Wilhelm concentrates on surveying the surrounding area for any remaining enemy presences .

    Sigurd was once an area gued by war . ces like those, tend to be breeding grounds for the undead .

    It¡¯s entirely possible that more undead would rise, due to suchrge numbers of undead concentrated in one location .

    In the time it took Shibaid to get rid of one monster, Wilhelm had already taken on more than 10 ghouls and skull faces .

    However, they were reviving themselves at an rming rate, even for Wilhelm he had never experienced such a thing . On top of that the strength of the individual monsters were on a whole different level .

    ¡°This is out of the norm . The undead are rising too quickly¡±

    At the corner of Wilhelm¡¯s eyes, he saw the tempest like destruction that Shibaid created . As he witnessed this, he started to run .

    Even for and that was war torn for a long period of time, it was unusual for so many undead to be awakened .

    By all ounts, and Wilhelm¡¯s experience, something was very wrong . There were monsters that were tamed by riders, as well as monsters that were following suit .

    Considering this kind of man power was at Bulk andpany¡¯s disposal, it was clear that the interior of Sigurd was stained with blood .

    ¡°What? What is that presence?¡±

    Wilhelm could sense a little bit of a distance away, beyond 30 or so monsters in a cluster, something in the shrubs .

    Something was lurking .

    He felt it, and knew it .

    He had to go there .

    He couldn¡¯t exin himself, but Wilhelm was encroaching closer and closer towards this presence within the forest, ying one monster at a time that was in his way .

    The forest was dim; there weren¡¯t many ces the moonlight could reach .

    A silhouette in the shape of a man was being lit by the moonlight .

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Long time no see . It¡¯s been a few days right¡±

    Wilhelm was on guard, as he saw Eline Sperizer¡¯s face . He was supposed to be dead .

    Eline smiled . There was no mistaking him .

    It was the man that Wilhelm had once fought .

    ¡°What luck . Meeting again in a ce like this¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    He smiled, not even holding a weapon . It was as if he wasn¡¯t even aware of the epic battle happening a few feet away from the shrubs and greenery .

    It was odd, and anyone would vouch by that statement . Even now, Wilhelm could hear the echoes of battle .

    ¡°You¡¯re awfully quiet . What is the matter?¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, have you forgotten me already? But of course, I¡¯m¨D¨D¡±

    ¡°No . You¡¯re not Eline¡±

    Wilhelm cut him off .

    Even if they had only had one encounter, Wilhelm had fought with every strength of his body . A skilled warrior like Wilhelm would never forget or misinterpret a presence like that, one he had fought against for his own life .

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask again . Who are you?¡±

    He readjusted his weapon ¡ºBeinot¡» in his hand .

    ¡°Eline¡± silently looked at Wilhelm, before bursting out withughter .

    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡±

    His voice was eventually louder and louder, and within seconds he was showing signs of a maniac .

    ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t attempt to do things I¡¯m not used to . I was outwitted in seconds!¡±

    ¡°Yeah . Don¡¯t even try¡±

    ¡°But honestly, I thought I did a decent job . Just to be clear though, tell me what I did wrong . ¡±

    The man that stood there was still a mystery, despite just being outed .

    ¡°He was rotten, but unlike you he could not use his body to emit miasma . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, of course . I guess my precision was not urate enough . I am not there yet for sure¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Wilhelm was silent in front of theughing mad man .

    This man was clearly delusional and abnormal, but Wilhelm couldn¡¯t just let him go either . He was waiting for a chance to strike, but he couldn¡¯t .

    The miasma from this man was stinging Wilhelm¡¯s skin .

    He had a simr aura to the Skull Face Lord, which he had once seen .

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sullen . I came to see you specifically . ¡±

    ¡°I have no idea who you are though . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cold . Well, to be honest, I came to pick you up . It doesn¡¯t matter how you feel about me . ¡±

    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    Pick you up . It was the kind of wording you¡¯d use to express camaraderie . Even then, Wilhelm hadn¡¯t a clue .

    The problem wasn¡¯t even there ¨C the problem was how there was no way that this kind ofpany could elicit wee .

    ¡°We¡¯re out of manpower . We need what we can use¡±

    He grinned, and continued .

    ¡°You came to me because you felt like you were being called on, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Me too . I was the same, and I think you¡¯re also considering listening to what I tell you to do, right?¡±

    Wilhelm listened without saying anything . On any other asion, he¡¯d have a mouthful of words to throw back .

    The man was right . Despite what his mind told him, his heart disagreed .

    ¡°Gr!!¡±

    Wilhelm tried to fight his own will from within, when a pain surged through him .

    It was painful from the hip down . It was exactly where Millie had struck him with the short sword .

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    The pain was bing worse . In proportion to the rising impulse boiling within his body, Wilhelm¡¯s consciousness was fading .

    A ck powerful fog was gaining control from the waist, spreading through the rest of the body slowly with pain and terror .

    ¡°Yes . Stay as you are and WHOA!¡±

    As Wilhelm was ready to sumb, his weapon ¡ºBeinot¡» suddenly started to beam with light .

    The spear that had been improved by a High Human was no joke . The fog was almost maically being repelled by the holy light of the divine spear .

    ¡°What! ¡ºBeinot¡» can do this!?¡±

    Even divine weapons didn¡¯t possess such special abilities .

    At least, as far as his knowledge goes, only ¡ºBeinot¡»can do such a thing . Even if they could mildly deter darkness, it just meant that the weapon was ¡®fairly strong¡¯ . Not like this .

    ¡°Ugh! Man, nothing goes my way!¡±

    The man had encountered a technical issue, and he had to also bear in mind the weapon in Wilhelm¡¯s right hand .

    Momentster, the same mist that had shrouded Wilhelm was sprouting out of Wilhelm¡¯s hand; the hand that held ¡ºBeinot¡» .

    ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s light defused at least half of that darkness . But it was not enough for the other half to cling tightly onto Wilhelm .

    As the darkness did its job, the man reached into his pockets for a single item card . He threw it at Wilhelm, but more at his weapon .

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m using an item!¡±

    The card was thrown with enough might, that while in the air the card materialized a long thin cloth . This clothnded on ¡ºBeinot¡», wrapping around it, absorbing the weapon and covering itpletely .

    The man had thrown a ¡®cloth of weapon binding¡¯ . This item weakened the effects of a weapon . It targeted all weapons unconditionally, even divine weapons .

    If the owner of the weapon was aware, he or she could remove the cloth from the weapon . The situation was less than ideal as Wilhelm was unconscious . ¡ºBeinot¡» lost its glow with each wrap around it .

    ¡°Jeez, that was close¡­¡±

    The man grew a little tired, taking ¡ºBeinot¡» away from a helpless Wilhelm . The man smiled at theckluster and dull ¡ºBeinot¡», about 70% of it covered in cloth .

    ¡°Wow, I mean . Aside from how it looks this is barely a ¡ºBeinot¡» . No wonder the light it produced was strange . Well this is a cool find . ¡±

    For the man¡¯s safety, he had to expended a reasonable amount of miasma, his source of power, when dealing with ¡ºBeinot¡» . And yet, knowing that, he still poured an equal amount of miasma into ¡ºBeinot¡» .

    The inscription on ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s surface melted and burned the man¡¯s hands heavily . He seemed at lost at what to do, yet he continued pouring miasma .

    The silver glow of the spear turned a vivid onyx . The inscription on the surface had also turned into a bloody crimson .

    It was the hell spear ¡ºVakira¡» .

    Even among the darkest weapons, this one was more powerful, and one of the few that were d in miasma .

    The man spun the spear in his hands once, and the cloth around it faded away before hitting the ground .

    Wilhelm remained standing silently in the background, covered in dust and dirt .

    ¡°Well they should be done kidnapping the Holy Woman by now, right? So, I should head home¡­ wow, I almost thought that that was the Dark cksmith . But, it seems the rumors differ reality . ¡±

    Based on the clothing and the armament, he was inferring that Shin was a High Human . He had also thought Shin was the Dark cksmith based on his features .

    However, his behaviours at the time differed from what he heard from hisrades .

    ordingly, NPCs outside of yers were treated as mere objects . That, and there was no hesitation killing people . The cksmith¡¯s eyes were ice-cold . He also had murderous intentions with every action . None of this was like Shin today .

    If Shin was the person the man heard about, no one would survive in Palmirack except the Rokuten and their subordinates .

    ¡°So are you the ¡®Blue Trickster¡¯ or the ¡®Golden Merchant¡¯? Well, I doubt that you¡¯re always wearing that but¡­¡±

    The names were derived from the colors that the Rokuten¡¯s members were d in, but that was not necessarily a rule of thumb .

    Thus, the man made the second mistake of thinking Shin is Cain or any other member of Rokuten .

    Either way, all evidence pointed to how at least one of the Rokuten members hade back . It made no difference who .

    Just one of the Rokuten could decide the victor of a war .

    After discerning the location of the Megrade, the man and Wilhelm vanished without a trace, unbeknownst to everyone .

 Vol 7 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    ck, ck, ck .

    Someone¡¯s heels echoed through the quiet church halls .

    A smaller figure masked in a hood was walking down a path .

    This figure eventually stopped in front of one of several simrly shaped doors . This was the room that Hermie rested in .

    The door was open, and a man wearing armor was lying face down on the floor . He was unconscious .

    ¡°Pardon my intrusion . ¡±

    The voice of a young boy echoed . Or a young girl with a low voice . The voice¡¯s gender couldn¡¯t be identified just from listening to it .

    There was a casualness to the hooded figure¡¯s gait, as if one were walking into the room of a close friend . Inside of the room, several others were unconscious, with no outside wounds . They were breathing with a stable rhythm, much like being in a deep sleep .

    ¡°Are you resting? I guess you¡¯re resting? Then off I go . ¡±

    The hooded figure confirmed that everyone in the room was asleep . They headed further in, to see another door inside . This door was opened, and a young girl was asleep next to two soldiers .

    ¡°Found you . ¡±

    The figure made sure that the girl sleeping near the bed was Hermie . As a hand reached out from the cloak towards Hermie, the sound of a gust of wind could be heard .

    ¡°Whoops . ¡±

    The cloaked figure grabbed the flying dagger between their fingers, without even ncing at it .

    ¡°Now now, color me surprised . You are still awake?¡±

    ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡±

    The knight who stood up while uttering these words was Konig .

    He had forced his unstable body to stand, just barely . Blood was dripping from his mouth because he had bitten his lips to maintain his consciousness .

    ¡°Oh yes, I didn¡¯t introduce myself, did I . Good evening, sir . My name is Milt, I¡¯m a member of ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡± . I havee here to borrow Mdy Hermie . Any resistance is futile, so it will be easier for you to stay quiet, you know?¡±

    ¡°Enough mockery!!¡±

    Milt¡¯s introduction barely finished when Konig unsheathed his de and attacked . The upper-ss chosen one stepped in forcefully, with speed unimaginable for the heavy armor he equipped .

    Milt¡¯s speed however, exceeded his . The intruder¡¯s body appeared to lean just slightly, yet Konig¡¯s strike was avoided with ease .

    Konig¡¯s sword shed repeatedly through the small room, yet he didn¡¯t even manage toy a finger on Milt, almost as if the unwanted visitor was but an illusion .

    ¡°Impressive attacks, as expected from an upper-ss chosen one . ¡±

    Miltmented with nonchnce while avoiding Konig¡¯s attacks . Even against an upper-ss chosen one such as Konig, his opponent did not show the slightest agitation .

    ¡°Kh¡­¡±

    Konig was swinging his sword despite drowsiness and powerlessness -of unknown origins- that were attempting to take over his body, while Milt seemedpletely unaffected .

    Who would emerge victorious was painfully clear .

    ¡°Yet, it¡¯s a shame . This isn¡¯t quite enough to stimte my appetite . I don¡¯t have much time to waste either, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave soon . ¡±

    After speaking, Milt suddenly vanished from Konig¡¯s sight; the invader had sneaked closer to Konig¡¯s chest, to deliver a blow that the drowsy Konig had no hope of parrying .

    Milt¡¯s palm strike struck squarely against Konig¡¯s armor, and the resulting shock burst throughout the knight¡¯s body .

    ¡°Gwah¡­gh¡­¡±

    Konig¡¯s breathing was momentarily stopped by the impact that propagated through his armor . The knight then copsed to the ground and would not stand up again soon .

    It was not a blow that would have normally defeated him, but the abnormal statuses that crippled Konig prevented him from defending against it .

    ¡°Okay then, now that there¡¯s no one in my way, I can get back to work . ¡±

    Milt made sure that Konig was out ofmission and lifted the sleeping Hermie .

    After setting up a certain mechanism, Milt left the room and headed towards Palmirack¡¯s entrance .

    While walking through the empty corridors, Milt talked out loud .

    ¡°This was even too easy¡­since this ce was reactivated it means one of the Rokuten came back, so why was it so easy?¡±

    For an infiltrator, nothing is more wee than ax security . Milt, however, seemed to be nothing but dissatisfied .

    ¡°The only member of the Rokuten involved in the Death Game should have been Shin, but I can¡¯t imagine he¡¯d let normal people inside Palmirack without doing anything¡­but there¡¯s no way one of the other 5 came . And if Shin hade here, it¡¯d mean that he died¡­but I just can¡¯t ept that someone killed him¡­¡±

    Milt kept walking on, while voicingint afterint .

    The present Palmirack had lowered security, in order to prevent danger for the people of the Church . Thanks to that, nothing would happen even if Milt simply walked out like this .

    Milt had not actually ¡°infiltrated¡± Palmirack either . The Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow member had just walked through the front door, undisturbed .

    ¡°Aah, I want to meet Shin¡­if only he was here, I would be fulfilled even without having to do stuff like this¡­¡±

    Milt¡¯s words sounded like those of a maiden in love, or a boy dreaming about his hero, but hid something close to obsession within them .

    Milt kept walking on towards the main entrance .

    Listening to the sound of explosions in the distance, the intruder disappeared in the darkness once again .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shibaid was the first to notice the anomaly .

    After exterminating the undead monsters headed towards Sigurd, he searched the nearby presences and realized that Wilhelm¡¯s was nowhere to be found .

    Shibaid¡¯s perception radius was smaller than Shin¡¯s or Schnee¡¯s, but still much wider than an average chosen one . Despite that, he couldn¡¯t find any trace of Wilhelm¡¯s presence, no matter how much he searched .

    He went to the location where Wilhelm was supposed to be, but could not find any clue .

    Something must have happened to him¡­it was just a matter of time before Shibaid reached this conclusion .

    ¡°(Things are taken care of on our end . How¡¯s the situation there?)¡±

    ¡°(The monsters have been exterminated . But something strange is going on . )¡±

    Through the well-timed Mind Chat, Shibaid informed Shin about Wilhelm¡¯s disappearance .

    Thanks in part to the improvement of his weapons, Wilhelm¡¯s power had increased further after meeting Shin . He was a warrior who had survived many deadly battles, he couldn¡¯t have been defeated by monsters of this level .

    After taking care of the consequences of their battle in the surroundings, Shin and Schnee joined Shibaid and investigated the surroundings .

    Yet no matter how much they sharpened their focus, there was no trace of Wilhelm in their field of perception . They too headed to the ce where Wilhelm was supposed to be, which Shibaid had already inspected, but could not find any traces of theirrade either .

    ¡°No sign of major fighting¡­can we then exclude the possibility that he fought someone and was taken away?¡±

    ¡°If the opponent was from the Summit Faction, it is possible that Wilhelm was prevented from resisting by means of a hostage . Alternatively, a Mind-type spell could have been used on him . ¡±

    With information as scarce as it was, specting had its limits . The group was then joined by Tiera and Kagerou, who did not possess perception abilities as strong as Shin and Schnee and had gone looking for clues by foot .

    ¡°Have you found anything?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, there¡¯s no presence in the surroundings after all . What about you?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I couldn¡¯t find anything decisive, but there is one intriguing ce . ¡±

    ¡°An intriguing ce?¡±

    Tiera responded to Shin¡¯s question with a brief silence . After letting out a small sigh, she answered .

    ¡°Follow my lead, I¡¯ll take you there . ¡±

    Tiera said just that and proceeded to give orders to Kagerou . The ce they headed to, at a speed matched to Shibaid, the slowest member of the party, was an apparently ordinary grove .

    From Shin¡¯s standpoint, he couldn¡¯t sense anything unusual within the surroundings . It was the same with Schnee and Shibaid, in fact, their eyes gave off an expression of being utterly confused .

    ¡°It¡¯s here . ¡±

    Tiera descended from Kagerou and walked towards the center of the woods . Kagerou grew smaller and walked near Tiera¡¯s feet .

    A few steps behind Tiera and Kagerou, Shin¡¯s party too entered the woods .

    After walking for several minutes, they reached a clearing . Tiera stopped just one step before entering it .

    ¡°Is this the ce?¡±

    ¡°Yes . You might find it hard to believe, there was an extremely powerful Demon here until moments ago . ¡±

    ¡°A Demon?¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression turned sour after hearing Tiera¡¯s words . Schnee and Shibaid reacted the same way, especially thetter; his battlefield had been the closest, after all .

    However, no matter how high Shibaid¡¯s level and stats were, his enemy detection radius was not as wide as Shin or Schnee¡¯s . If the enemy had used skills such as ¡¾Hiding¡¿, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for Shibaid not to notice anything .

    ¡°Could this Demon, have done something to Wilhelm?¡±

    ¡°If so, it must have been a considerably high-ranked individual . Possibly even a Named One . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, in that case it could have infiltrated here unnoticed . ¡±

    Among the Demons with high rank, there were some that could match Schnee and Shibaid .

    That considered, it wasn¡¯t improbable that Wilhelm had been taken away with little or no resistance .

    ¡°Er, do you really believe me?¡±

    Looking at Shin¡¯s party trusting her words without question, Tiera voiced her surprise .

    ¡°Huh? Why should we doubt you? You¡¯re not the type to spout lies or jokes in a situation like this, are you?¡±

    ¡°But it was just a feeling¡­I have no proof or anything . ¡±

    ¡°That may be so, but we at least trust you . That¡¯s why we believe you, even without proof . ¡±

    Shin answered firmly to Tiera¡¯s whispered doubts .

    In this world, after all, unexinable phenomena such as magic and skills existed inrge number . It wouldn¡¯t be incredible to be able to perceive miasma or Demons somehow . In addition, elves and pixies possessed a sixth sense, or intuition, known for its sharpness .

    The target of such sharpness differed from person to person, but it was likely that Tiera¡¯s upbringing had made her sensitive to malice and ill intentions .

    ¡°It¡¯s faint, but I feel something close to lingering miasma here . What about you all?¡±

    ¡°I cannot feel anything . ¡±

    ¡°I feel something different from miasma . But I don¡¯t think it is something malicious . ¡±

    Havinge closer, Shin and Schnee perceived a lingering presence .

    Shibaid looked puzzled .

    ¡°It seems that you are perceiving different things . ¡±

    ¡°What I¡¯m feeling is probably something simr to what Tiera felt . I wonder what Schnee is feeling, though . ¡±

    Shin had experience with miasma, so he was sure of what he had felt . He had no idea, however, of what the ¡°something different from miasma¡± Schnee felt could be .

    ¡°At the very least, it is not miasma . A peculiar item, maybe¡­by the way, Shin, you had powered up Wilhelm¡¯s weapon, didn¡¯t you? Couldn¡¯t it be that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true that I changed Wilhelm¡¯s weapon to ¡ºBeinot¡», but did it have an effect like that?¡±

    Shin tried to recall ¡ºBeinot¡»¡¯s characteristics .

    True to its ¡°Holy Spear¡± moniker, ¡ºBeinot¡» was highly effective against the undead . It could affect Demons too, but just enough to be considered an added bonus .

    It definitely did not have anything that could leave miasma behind this way .

    ¡°If anything, its grade changed . ¡±

    ¡°The grade?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it went one grade up, from Mythology to Ancient . That could be the reason, I don¡¯t know the details though . ¡±

    Even so, there were no other clues leading them further as of now .

    The party split to inspect the surroundings once more, but could not find anything; only time passed .

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve looked all over, but there really isn¡¯t anything here, huh . ¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t found anything either . ¡±

    ¡°Nor have I . ¡±

    ¡°Nor I . There¡¯s no trace of fighting, so either he was captured or they used hostages . Those are my guesses . ¡±

    Shin, Tiera, Schnee and Shibaid reported their findings after regrouping .

    What they discovered was just the absoluteck of any clues .

    ¡°Nothing to do here, let¡¯s go back for now . It would be pointless to stay here longer, and I have a bad feeling¡­¡±

    Ever since Millie¡¯s abduction, they were always reacting to the enemy¡¯s initiatives .

    That was probably why Shin felt that this ordeal was far from over .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°What the¡­!¡±

    ¡°W-what!?¡±

    Shin¡¯s sudden shout startled Tiera .

    He had noticed Palmirack¡¯s abnormal situation as soon as they returned .

    ¡°Sleeping drug . It has been vaporized to affect the whole structure . ¡±

    Schnee identified the anomaly quickly, though it was already toote .

    ¡°Shit, they really were here too!¡±

    As Shin used Pamirack¡¯s functions to run a search, as expected, he found no trace of Hermie .

    ¡°Our information was leaked?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea . As far as we know, no one was under control, but¡­¡±

    What Shin¡¯s party imagined first was the ck cor used to control Hermie .

    While waiting for the messenger, however, they had made sure that there was no one equipped with it . No one was afflicted with abnormal statuses, so it was improbable for someone inside to be under enemy control .

    If the leak had been on purpose, however, the cors had nothing to do with it . They couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of the presence of other ¡°Summit Faction¡± members within Palmirack .

    ¡°Well, I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky that it wasn¡¯t poison . Let¡¯s blow away the drug first of all . ¡±

    Using a wind-type skill, Shin drove away the sleeping vapors hanging in the surroundings . It wasn¡¯t something that caused any physical burden, so the affected people were simply sleeping . It was night, a time when people normally spent sleeping, so there hadn¡¯t been any particrmotion . Maybe only the risk that the people who fell asleep in the corridors or on the floor would catch a cold .

    ¡°Lowering the security came back to bite us, I see . ¡±

    ¡°But unless you did that, it would not have been possible for so many people to live in the Church . ¡±

    Shin scratched his head at the situation, but Schnee replied that there was nothing he could do about it .

    The actual problem was that it was impossible to host suchrge numbers of people of the Church, even just in Palmirack¡¯s surface floors, while keeping its security systems 100% active .

    To leave the systems active he would need to either register all inhabitants as guests, thus not targeted by the security system, or send them all out .

    In the Church there were more than 1000 people, from the Pope to the apprentices . It was impossible to register all of them as guests .

    Shin¡¯s party then headed to Hermie¡¯s quarters, in search of clues .

    ¡°Even Konig was affected¡­but wait, his sword is drawn . ¡±

    Shin realized that among all those who fell asleep, only Konig managed to resist .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to search this ce . Schnee, please go check on Lilish . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . I will bring her here once she wakes up . ¡±

    Schnee left for Lilish¡¯s quarters .

    Shin then entrusted Shibaid and Tiera with removing the status ailments and headed to Konig .

    ¡°Hey!! Wake up!! What happened here!?¡±

    Shin removed the sleep status from Konig and tried to shake him awake . Thanks to the resistance owed to his status as upper-ss chosen one, Konig woke up as soon as the status ailment was removed from him .

    ¡°Sir¡­Shin? W-where is Lady Hermie!?¡±

    As soon as he regained his senses, Konig jumped up and checked the surroundings . As he saw Shin in front of him, he asked about Hermie¡¯s whereabouts .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we just got here . The messenger was a monster too, so we couldn¡¯t obtain any real information . ¡±

    ¡°The messenger was a decoy, then¡­gah,how could I have let this happen . . !¡±

    Konig¡¯s fist clenched at the thought of his failure .

    ¡°This mark is Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow, isn¡¯t it . ¡±

    Shin examined the mark left in Hermie¡¯s room and identified the culprit . It was the same mark as the one they found underground .

    ¡°That¡¯s beyond doubt . Hermie¡¯s kidnapper stated so as well . ¡±

    ¡°Did you see the culprit?¡±

    Konig¡¯s words captured Shin¡¯s full attention .

    ¡°A while after I started feeling strange, a hooded figure appeared in the room . The mantle and hood prevented me from seeing their face, but he called himself Milt . ¡±

    Konig gave Shin all the information he could remember . The intruder was of short stature, with a voice that could have been both a man or a woman¡¯s . Konig, -though he had been in poor condition- also noted that the cloaked figure had avoided all his blows with ease .

    ¡°That¡¯s all I can remember . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough . I feel like I know this person . ¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    It was Konig¡¯s turn totch on Shin¡¯s words . Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow was a famous organization, but its members were shrouded in mystery .

    ¡°I remembered . Small, voice of unclear gender, fighting prowess superior to upper-ss chosen ones, the sleeping medicine used here and the name Milt¡­I¡¯m positive I know who it was . ¡±

    It was a coincidence that Shin remembered .

    Most of the PKs that Shin had cut down either had eyes filled by hate and resentment or distorted smiles, expressions averted from reality .

    Among them, the woman called Milt always had a strangely amused smile on her lips .

    She was famous ever since the time when THE NEW GATE was just a game .

    She was the type that found endless pleasure in duels to the death, who felt truly alive only at death¡¯s doorstep .

    She publicly stated how she would fight anyone strong enough, no matter if they were people or monsters .

    That did not change even after the start of the Death Game; even if her way of thinking and ystyle were more and more shunned, she was a deviant who would often barge in the front lines during boss hunt quests .

    She would never actively hunt weaker yers, and while fighting she would always honestly cooperate with the main party . She was famous in certain circles as she would escape as soon as the fighting ended .

    Milt¡¯s style was to use anything and everything that could be used . She was especially talented in the use of poisons, both for battle and for escape .

    She became involved with Shin in the time he was called ¡°God of Death¡±; it was at his hands that she had fallen .

    That was everything Shin knew about Milt .

    (¡­Was she the kind of person to assist a kidnapping, I wonder?)

    What Shin felt after remembering about Milt was doubt .

    Her abnormal conduct was something that made her position slightlyplex too .

    She did not assault, rob, or ughter yers for fun, as most PKs did . Maybe she had participated in such activities unbeknownst to Shin, but he had at least never heard such rumors .

    A PK unlike any other PK, that Milt was assisting in kidnapping¡­there was something off about it .

    ¡°Please tell me, what in the world is she?¡±

    ¡°¡­simply put, a fiend for battle . She wouldn¡¯t hesitate before cutting someone down, but as far as I know she wouldn¡¯t engage in something so bothersome as kidnapping . ¡±

    Shin exined about Milt to Konig taking care to avoid any game-rted jargon .

    Shin remembered that her STR stat was at least above 700, while -possibly as a trade-off for this- her VIT was barely above 300 . Her stats distribution was not focused on a single stat, but certainly highly skewed .

    ¡°If what you say is true, sir Shin, then it¡¯s understandable how she could be part of Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow . That guild often receives requests from kingdoms all over to exterminate powerful monsters or dangerous criminals . Cooperating with the Summit Faction is probably to fight against stronger enemies, I¡¯d wager . ¡±

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right . ¡±

    Konig¡¯s words were perfectly logical . If there was the possibility to fight against powerful opponents, regardless of ¡°good¡± and ¡°evil¡±, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for Milt to participate .

    ¡°Let¡¯s forget her train of thought for now . We¡¯ll have to face her when we go rescue Hermie anyway, let us focus on finding out where Milt went first . ¡±

    Shin set aside his doubts and changed the topic .

    If what happened that night was all connected, Wilhelm was likely to be in the same location .

    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to assume she headed to the Summit Faction¡¯s base . ¡±

    Shin heard Lilish¡¯s words and turned towards her, then noticing how she was still unsteady on her legs .

    ¡°That was quick¡­are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I was forced into slumber, so I am still a little unstable, but that¡¯s not a problem . Concerning the destination, we have more or less pinpointed the location . ¡±

    While investigating Bulk, they had found miasma-filled ces which were likely to be used for the ritual .

    ¡°Could you tell us?¡±

    ¡°Of course I will . Let us go to the table . ¡±

    As the current room only had a small table, they moved to the adjacent one .

    There Lilish pulled out an item card and materialized it on the table .

    What appeared was a map depicting a region with Sigurd at its center . While the area it showed was not veryrge, its level of detail was on a whole another level than the map Shin had bought in Bayreuth .

    ¡°We think that there are 3 locations likely to be used as ritual sites . ¡±

    After saying so, Lilish ced two ck stones on the map . One was on a mountain north-west from Sigurd, the other on a forest area in the south-west .

    ¡°Thest remaining ce is beyond this map, on the coast south-east from Sigurd . We have confirmed that in all of these locations there is a cave leading underground . ¡±

    ¡°What makes you think that miasma is umting there?¡±

    Shin, thinking that there were many caves other than those three, expressed his doubts aloud .

    ¡°These three locations were all theatre ofrge-scale conflicts in the past, which saw a great number of casualties . They are also reported to be locations where Ley Lines gather . We specte that they might be plotting something by using these two elements . ¡±

    ¡°I see . Yuki, Shibaid, do these locations tell you anything?¡±

    Shin requested their opinion as they had traveled through manynds for years .

    ¡°As Lady Lilish said, these three locations have indeed hadrge conflicts with numerous casualties . Especially the south-east coast and the south-west forest also sawrge appearances of undead monsters . I have never heard anything in particr about the north-east mountain, however . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm . I share her opinion on the coast, but have never heard much about the forest . As for the mountain, I have visited in the past to exterminate the ¡±Dragon do¡± that had appeared there . If I remember correctly, part of its body had undergone metamorphosis¡­possibly due to the effects of miasma . ¡±

    Adding the two opinions together, it was concluded that all three locations could be ces where miasma gathered easily .

    The Dragon do Shibaid spoke of was, after all, a type of Undead dragon .

    At the same time, Shin also asked Yuzuha via Mind Chat if she knew anything about the three locations .

    ¡°(Kuu, Yuzuha doesn¡¯t know¡­)¡±

    Yuzuha, who had barely ever left her shrine, did not have any information about the three locations .

    However, in addition to Yuzuha¡¯s tracking, and the clues on hand, they are able to decide on a n of action .

    ¡°(Well, that¡¯s not really unexpected . Rather than that, what does the tracking technique you used on the figure who flew off from the church say?)¡±

    ¡°(Over there . )¡±

    As she spoke via Mind Chat, Yuzuha pointed her front right paw forward .

    ¡°Schnee, do you know what direction Yuzuha is pointing at?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . It appears to be south-east . ¡±

    It was vague, but in the same direction lied one of the locations Lilish had suggested . As they had a few other clues at the moment, this was their greatest one .

    ¡°Good, let¡¯s head to the coast then . Our foes can teleport and tame flying monsters, so the distance shouldn¡¯t be a problem for them . ¡±

    Also taking Yuzuha¡¯s opinion into consideration, Shin decided to make the southeast coast their destination .

    He thought about splitting the group for the search, but among the Demons there were also some Schnee and Shibaid could not handle alone .

    Including the presence of ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡±, which also counted the former yer Milt among its ranks, Shin decided it would have been unwise to split their forces .

    ¡°I¡¯d like to leave right away, but let¡¯s wait for everyone to wake up first . ¡±

    ¡°I agree . This sleeping drug affected all present despite therge size of the area . It could have caused other ailments on some . ¡±

    The drugs used by former yers are more powerful than what is in cirction now . Even if no one was in risk of dying, there could have been affected subjects who continued sleeping .

    However, it was already midnight; as they couldn¡¯t simply go wake everybody up, the group decided to wait until morning .

    They also had to prepare supplies for what would be a long journey, as well as find the detailed route to the coastal cave .

    ¡°(Kuu¡­Sleepy¡­)¡±

    ¡°Even Yuzuha is at her limits, huh . ¡±

    ¡°It is reallyte, after all . Let¡¯s leave preparations for tomorrow morning and go rest ourselves . ¡±

    Schnee made her proposal while looking at the drowsy Yuzuha .

    No matter how high one¡¯s abilities might be, fatigue is inevitable . There was not enough time for a full rest, but there was no need to stay awake either .

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Lady Lilish, you and your men should rest too . Even if we stay up thinking now, we would only grow more tired . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­right . To be perfectly honest, I don¡¯t feel too well . ¡±

    Checking the route wouldn¡¯t have taken much time . Considering Lilish¡¯s poor condition and the damage Konig sustained, they decided to rest too .

    Shin¡¯s party too headed for some usable empty rooms . Afterying Yuzuha on a bed, Shin lied down himself .

    ¡°Milt, huh¡­¡±

    After whispering the name of the woman he had fought to the death before, Shin closed his eyes . What he pictured were her strangely warm smile and the other ferocious smile, which pulled the edges of her mouth so high that she looked like a different person .

    If she had been sent from ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡± to the Summit Faction¡¯s aid as abatant, it would almost definitely turn into a fight to the death .

    In that case, Shin could end up having to kill the same person twice .

    ¡°That¡¯s a twist of fate I don¡¯t need at all¡­¡±

    After this whisper, Shin fell into slumber .

 Vol 7 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    The next morning .

    Shin¡¯s party verified that all those affected by the sleeping drug had woken up, they then promptly began preparations for departure .

    After buying the necessary supplies and checking the route, the group climbed onto a carriage .

    The party heading to the coastal cave included 5 people and 2 animals: Shin, Schnee, Shibaid, Tiera, Konig, Kagerou and Yuzuha .

    Lilish also wished to go, but as she did not possess enough fighting power to protect herself, unlike Tiera, with her contracted partner Kagerou, and the upper-ss chosen one Konig, she remained in Palmirack .

    From a fighting power standpoint Konig couldn¡¯tpare to Shin¡¯s party, but as he would have followed them to the cave anyway, they decided to move together from the start .

    ¡°In any case¡­¡±

    Noticing Konig¡¯s fascinated expression, Shin talked to him .

    ¡°Hm? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, well, it¡¯s about this carriage¡­how does it work? It¡¯s running so fast yet I cannot feel a single vibration . I was prepared for the fatigue traveling for long hours would have caused, and yet¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see . ¡±

    In this world, the technology to stop horse carriages from vibrating was still underdeveloped; the faster the carriage went, the stronger the vibrations became .

    Being forced to withstand such vibrations for long hours would cause more fatigue than Shin imagined .

    Before, when they had epted an escort mission for merchant carriages to Beirun, the merchant dwarf Nack had modified the carriage in order to minimize the vibrations and also adjusted the driving speed to not make the carriage shake too much .

    ¡°This carriage is somewhat special . An acquaintance of ours modified it, that¡¯s what made this possible . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . Well, I must say I¡¯m happy I predicted wrong . At this pace, we will arrive sooner than expected . ¡±

    Konig surely wished to rescue Hermie as soon as possible . His eyes were fixed on the direction the carriage was proceeding towards .

    ¡°Let¡¯s not be hasty, friend . ¡±

    ¡°I know . Looking at the scenery flying by so quickly helped me calm down too . If the carriage ran at normal speed, I would probably have jumped off and started running by myself . ¡±

    This carriage was being led by the divine beast Kagerou, after all; it would definitely be faster than Konig running . From Shin¡¯s standpoint he still wasn¡¯tpletely calm, but his impatience wasn¡¯t showing on the surface, at least .

    ¡°We will probablye to face enemies equal or superior to you, sir Konig . They might serve as nothing more than a cebo, but I prepared a piece of equipment for you . Please do use it . ¡±

    Alongside these words, Shin passed an item card to Konig .

    What materialized was an amulet-type essory, which was endowed with resistance to status ailments and the ability to nullify instant death attacks once .

    ¡°Can I really have this? Surely it must be precious to you?¡±

    Konig did not understand the amulet¡¯s abilities just by looking at it, but he could clearly feel the magic power emanating from it, which prompted his question to Shin .

    Even Konig, who did not possess the ¡¾Appraisal¡¿ skill, could understand how Shin¡¯s equipment was out of the ordinary .

    It was obvious that, considering where they were headed, Shin would not pull out just an ordinary amulet .

    ¡°It¡¯s not worth that much, really, so please don¡¯t worry . It¡¯s a kind of insurance, in case anything happens . ¡±

    As Shin exined the effects of the amulet, Konig was greatly surprised, but that was obvious too .

    An amulet with such powers could very well be a national treasure in this world, after all .

    ¡°I knew you were out of the ordinary, but who in the world are you people, really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Just normal adventurers . As you know, magical items can be found in dungeons . We have explored many of those, so we had plenty of chances to find such items; that¡¯s all there is to it . ¡±

    ¡°Being able to explore such dungeons already puts you leagues above the average person, though . You must be chosen ones, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Well, something like that . ¡±

    Shin gave a vague answer andughed wryly .

    Items with powerful abilities couldn¡¯t be found in low-level dungeons, naturally . If one wanted items that satisfied the needs of a chosen one, exploring dungeons of rtively high difficulty was necessary .

    The adventurers thus needed to be adequately skilled .

    Such skill was beyond the scope of a normal person who just umted level ups .

    Shin casually handed around items that couldn¡¯t be bought with money; it was not strange for Konig to start being wary of him .

    ¡°Rather than that, I¡¯ll borrow your weapon for a little while, sir Konig . ¡±

    ¡°By the¡­! When did you . . ?¡±

    What Shin had casually lifted was the sword Konig had at his waist, ¡ºHaufer¡» . Shin calmed Konig down, who had not realized that his weapon had been taken away, and activated a skill .

    After adding limited-time stats increases and magic skills, Shin returned ¡ºHaufer¡» to its owner .

    ¡°¡­I noticed my sword sparkled, but what did you do?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t power it up properly in a carriage, so I just attached a couple of bonuses . If you focus, you will be able to use physical boost skills and magic skills . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . you used an item, then?¡±

    ¡°Having more power at your disposal will only help, won¡¯t it?¡±

    Shin answered the question with another question, trying to avoid answering .

    Their departure had been rushed, so they didn¡¯t have time to power up properly, that was all . It was just a temporary boost, as there was the risk of being attacked during travel .

    Among Shin¡¯s possessions there also were weapons stronger than ¡ºHaufer¡» . But their stats requirements were rather high; Konig would only be able to handle a few of them .

    Changing weapons without much thought would cause its handling prowess to decrease, in total opposition to the intended results; thus, this makeshift boost was all he nned to do until they could properly rest at night .

    ¡°I¡¯ll make it a bit better tonight, so for now please make do with that . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you speak as if this was something very simple, but I can feel much more magic power from the sword¡­¡±

    Konig looked on in bewilderment at his faithful sword and the unusual aura it emanated .

    ¡°Our opponents are skilled professionals, after all . We have to be prepared too . ¡±

    Knowing well that he would probably be riddled with questionster, Shin used skills without reserve .

    One reason was not letting Konig die, of course, but the first priority was raising the sess ratio of Hermie¡¯s rescue as much as possible . Holding back and then not being able to save her would have been a pathetic ending .

    Shin¡¯s party was strong, but its members were very few, after all .

    They had skills topensate for their numbers, but that couldn¡¯t be said to be the best solution to perfectly carry out their mission .

    Facing an enemy of unknown size while scouting them, engaging in battle, and performing a rescue operation all at the same time, would easily create openings in their defenses .

    One reason to let Konig join their party was to at least partly cover for such a weakness .

    ¡°How are we going to move once we reach the destination?¡±

    After they finished making preparations and sat down for a meal, Konig asked this question .

    As the carriage was proceeding at high speeds, the coachman, Schnee, could not leave her position to join the discussion .

    ¡°First, I aim to infiltrate the location without being seen . Yes, it¡¯s important to stop the ritual, but the first priority is to free the sacrifices . Before anything else, I¡¯d like to avoid any conflict . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed, without the sacrifices the ritual can¡¯t proceed either . ¡±

    Konig agreed to Shin¡¯s proposal .

    That was the simplest and quickest way to put a stop to the enemy¡¯s ns .

    ¡°It would help if we knew the cave¡¯s internal structure . It¡¯s a natural cave, so I doubt any maps exist¡­but most of all, we have no idea of the enemy¡¯s numbers . ¡±

    ¡°Should Shin and I go inspect first?¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s better, yes . I don¡¯t honestly want to waste even a second, but acting on impulse and messing up would be worse . It¡¯s kind of frustrating, though . ¡±

    Shin nodded at Schnee¡¯s words . In any case, risks remained . They could not decide which strategy had higher risks .

    ¡°Thus all we can do is wait . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . We would only be in Shin and Yuki¡¯s way, after all . ¡±

    Even if apanied by Kagerou, Tiera¡¯s low stats and Shibaid¡¯s vanguard-type job made them ill-suited to infiltration missions .

    They were both fully aware of this, and agreed to stand by without a word .

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s the only way . ¡±

    Konig too, despite his frustration, agreed to wait .

    They continued discussing and decided what their next general ns would be, after which Shin started reinforcing their weapons .

    ¡°Well then, time to start . ¡±

    He materialized a portable furnace from an item card and infused it with magic .

    Doing so caused a violet me to appear in the middle of the furnace .

    ¡°The color¡¯s different . Now that I think about it, it¡¯s been different since then . ¡±

    The me used to be red during the game era . The first time he tempered a sword at Tsuki no Hokora aftering to this world too, the me¡¯s color was slightly violet .

    It had been a very small change, though, so Shin just thought it was an effect of the world not being a game anymore . Even if he focused, the color was the only change he could perceive .

    He tried holding a random sword over the fire, to be sure, but nothing unusual happened . The magic that reached Shin¡¯s hands through the de was the same one he was well familiar with . Nothing felt off .

    ¡°Shin? Is anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, nothing . ¡±

    After confirming that the color was the only change, Shin thrusted Konig¡¯s ¡ºHaufer¡» into the fire .

    After a few seconds, ¡ºHaufer¡» glowed red-hot within the purplish mes .

    It wasn¡¯t normally possible to work on a Legend-grade weapon with just a portable furnace . Shin¡¯s magic power and the specially-made furnace, while they couldn¡¯t go as far as to let him temper it into another weapon, allowed him to power it up .

    ¡°Do you mean you can modify Legend-grade weapons too? I heard that even skilled dwarves have difficulty with it, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Chosen ones aren¡¯t bound bymon sense, after all . But all I can do is reinforcing it, mind you . ¡±

    Shin made sure to point out that he can only modify Legend-ss weapons, not forge them .

    Shin already knew that Rionne¡¯s Legend-grade greatsword, ¡ºMuspelm¡», was considered a treasure of imensurable worth in this world .

    Considering Konig¡¯s personality, it was hard to imagine that he would talk about Shin to just anyone, but Shin made the decision of limiting the information he would give the knight .

    ¡°Even just being able to reinforce an already powerful Legend-grade weapon is a precious ability, I¡¯d say . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s also useless without anything to use it on, though . ¡±

    As Shin said, in a world where even Rare and Unique grade weapons were scarce, he had few chances to use this ability of his .

    It was like a chest of treasures¡­without a key .

    ¡°Well, here you go . I could increase the sword¡¯s strength and sharpness and added an effect that amplifies the effects of the user¡¯s magic . Adding the limited usage effects I added before, it¡¯s be quite the nice trump card, I would say . Please do check if it feels weird in any way . ¡±

    Shin then handed the reinforced ¡ºHaufer¡» to Konig . Two new emerald-green lines adorned the sword¡¯s silver de .

    ¡°¡­Truly impressive . ¡±

    Konig muttered while looking at ¡ºHaufer¡» .

    He then firmly held the de¡¯s grip and, after moving a few steps away from Shin and the others, swung the sword lightly . The magical de drew a silver streak through the air as it cut through it with a sharp sound .

    Konig nodded appreciatively, then returned to his stance and swung the sword in session .

    What school were those movements from? Following ¡ºHaufer¡»¡¯s flowing movements, silver streaks of light illuminated the darkness .

    ¡°Impressive indeed . I feel nothing unusual . ¡±

    After performing several sequences of sword techniques, Konig expressed his admiration to Shin .

    ¡°Good to know . Next up is the armor, take it off, will you?¡±

    Konig, who had kept ¡ºHaufer¡» equipped expecting to test it in actual fighting, was still wearing his armor too .

    He nodded at Shin¡¯s invitation and a secondter his armor sparkled and gradually vanished turning into an item card .

    It was different than using the menu during the game era; in the game, the transformation would only take an instant .

    It was very simr to the phenomenon Shin had seen during the battle against Barlux . But he was notpletely positive that a card had been used at that time .

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, has that armor received any special treatment? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen an armor turn into a card in this manner . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I have heard that this is a technique developed by people who are attempting to resurrect the technology to transform equipment instantly, which wasmon before the ¡®Dusk of the Majesty¡¯ . It appears that technicians from the red and ck factions coborated and made it usable normally . ¡±

    As it was a battle gear-rted technique, the factions strong in cksmithing and alchemy likely focused all their knowledge to bring it back .

    ¡°I see . It¡¯s notplete, so there¡¯s a slight time loss . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . It removes the chore of taking off equipment every time though, so I find it really valuable . There are however few cksmiths, alchemists, or wizards that can apply this treatment . Mine was performed by a high-rank alchemist of the Church, but it was not an easy feat at all . ¡±

    While listening to Konig, Shin materialized the armor once more . He did not ce it into the furnace, however, but ced his hand on it to inject magical power within it .

    Shin used ¡¾Appraisal¡¿ on the armor while powering it up, but maybe because the technology used in it did not exist in the game era, he could not analyze it in detail .

    (Maybe this is something simr to an Art?)

    Shin barely knew anything about the Arts .

    He had returned to Bayreuth after the battle with Girard, but he had been teleported to the sacred ce Kalkia right away . There he joined the Balmel defensive battle, followed by Millie¡¯s kidnapping .

    There was no time to ask Schnee or Shibaid to teach him about them .

    ¡°¡­ . now it¡¯splete . ¡±

    After increasing the armor¡¯s sturdiness and its stats, albeit slightly, Shin turned the armor into a card and gave it back to Konig .

    Konig equipped it once more and checked how it felt . The size had not changed, so he moved around a little to see how much his physical abilities would power up .

    ¡°We have an early start tomorrow too . Better go rest now . ¡±

    ¡°Should someone stand guard?¡±

    ¡°I doubt most monsters could elude our divine beasts¡¯ eyes . ¡±

    Yuzuha and Kagerou¡¯s danger perception abilities were much higher than average security items . The possibility of being attacked by surprise was extremely low .

    In addition, the carriage had been modified before departure, in order to be used as a simple base of operations .

    If someone was resting inside, the carriage was protected by a ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and a ¡¾Wall¡¿ that only field bosses could break through . Plus, even when sleeping, Shin and Schnee¡¯s danger perception abilities were almost fully active . It was safe to say that a surprise attack was impossible in that situation .

    ¡°That¡¯s true too . It¡¯s more likely for the monsters themselves to turn tail and flee . They would probably be scared and not get closer even if they are asleep . ¡±

    Konig agreed to Shin¡¯s words too .

    After finishing dinner, the group headed back to the carriage to sleep .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    In a dark room, a single faint light was flickering .

    In the center of the 20 mels square room were a magic circle 15 mels wide and a barrier enveloping it . On the magic circle about 20 people could also be found, men and women ranging from children to adults .

    ¡°Damnit!! Let me out!! Let me out of here!!¡±

    Someone¡¯s scream echoed through the room .

    Those inside the magic circle who could still move began to desperately hit the circle¡¯s barrier . Most of them were men, but among them some held children or women in their arms .

    None of them carried anything resembling a weapon, nor did their clothes look like what someone who battles for a living would wear .

    Indeed, all those inside the magic circle were perfectly average civilians .

    ¡°Hey now, you¡¯re at it again? It¡¯s like you enjoy it even¡­¡±

    Among the desperate shouts, a jaded voice echoed outside the circle .

    Illuminated by the light emanating from inside the circle, the silhouette of the owner of the voice emerged from the darkness .

    The face that appeared once belonged to the man called Eline .

    ¡°Oh my, isn¡¯t this aura I feel Adara¡¯s? It¡¯s been a while . ¡±

    ¡°Will these even be enough?¡±

    The man who was called Adara answered . It seemed like that was his original name .

    ¡°Many drops make a shower, as the humans say . Well, this is something of a pastime for me, if I can get something from it, wonderful, but that¡¯s about it . It is truly moving to see others act to save their loved ones, after all . ¡±

    ¡°Because the following despair will just taste better, right? You¡¯re the same as always, Scoruas . ¡±

    In the upper section of the room, shaped like a gallery on the stage below, Adara spoke to the silhouette grinning before him, Scoruas .

    Scoruas was a man with features much like a handsome prince¡¯s . His white hair and red eyes, illuminated by the room¡¯s lights, had something that attracted others¡¯ attention . If he ever joined a party, there would be no doubt that he would garner the attention of many noble maidens .

    That is as long as they were not aware of the personality of a man who found delight in the anguished screamsing from the floor below .

    ¡°Our masters might be different, but we both serve the same Miasma Lord . I thought you would share this emotion with me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a parasite-type, you¡¯re a created-type . Our births are different, so our likes and dislikes are too, I guess? If the mutant-types saw this stuff they¡¯d gobble them all up right away, you know?¡±

    All demons were under themand of one of the three Miasma Lords, the strongest among the Grand Duke ss of demons .

    All demons, from the moment of their birth, acted with the goal of resurrecting the Miasma Lords, using human despair and grief as fuel .

    However, demons with especially strong personalities would distort even this imposition .

    Adara and Scoruas were such demons; their strong personalities allowed them to break off the yokes that once restrained them .

    ¡°I understand that kind of thinking, though . I would like a bit more cooperation, to be honest . My subordinates haven¡¯t awoken yet, and it appears that Magnamuc* has been erased too . ¡±(T/N: Changed from Magunumuku)

    Scoruas talked while shrugging his shoulders . He didn¡¯t appear to feel the least bit of rage towards theirrade¡¯s demise .

    ¡°Hm? Didn¡¯t it infiltrate some country somewhere?¡±

    ¡°The same country where the man you have with you was . ¡±

    While saying so, Scoruas pointed at something behind Adara¡¯s back . It was Wilhelm, standing expressionless .

    His right hand gripped the hell spear ¡ºVakira¡» .

    ¡°Bayreuth kingdom, was it? I don¡¯t think the rabble there could have defeated someone of that level, though . ¡±

    ¡°It looks like the closer princess wasn¡¯t around, but it looks like there was a skilled fighter we don¡¯t know about . Someone good enough to y him without creating the slightestmotion . ¡±

    Despite the fact that more obstacles appeared before them, Scoruas¡¯ expression remained serene . After all, having no worthy opponent to face was a source of boredom for him too .

    ¡°Well then, looks like we¡¯re almost finished here . ¡±

    Scoruas cast a nce to the floor below . Something was changing within the magic circle .

    The bodies of the people who weren¡¯t beating on the barrier, copsed on the ground or became unconscious, started to emit light .

    ¡°Ah, aah . . my¡­my child¡­!!!¡±

    The voice of the man holding a child rose above the others .

    The baby was unconscious, barely breathing . The body had turned into a globe of light and disappeared .

    In the arms of the man remained only the tiny clothes the baby was wearing .

    ¡°What!?¡±

    All witnesses to the baby¡¯s transformation began to pound on the magic circle¡¯s barrier with more intensity .

    Some were pounding so fiercely that blood started dripping from their fists, but even so they did not let up .

    ¡°This¡­can¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Goddamnit!! Don¡¯t go away, noooooo!!!¡±

    No matter how powerful their blows were, however, the barrier did not budge .

    It was a barrier that only someone on Wilhelm¡¯s level could have broken through, after all . For average citizens without any special power, there was nothing they could do .

    ¡°Aaaah, AAAAHHHHHHH!!!¡±

    One by one, the prisoners fell to their knees, screaming .

    In their arms rested only the bones of those they had tried to protect with their lives .

    ¡°BEEEEEEAUTIFUUULLLL!!!! That expression, that moment when hope turns into despair! This is art, yes art! These howls, this anguish! Delicious!! Such delicacies!!¡±

    Scoruas spread his arms wide and cheered loudly .

    It was a one-man standing ovation, after he had seen a memorable show .

    What he was ecstatically watching, though, were thest moments of people who had lost the will to live, between tears and sobs, drenched in fresh blood .

    As it had happened to their loved ones, they too turned into light and disappeared .

    As all its prisoners vanished, a small part of the magic circle glowed red . It was a minuscule change, small enough that it could be considered just imagination .

    ¡°Good grief . ¡±

    Adara shrugged his shoulders while looking at Scoruas, his expression still filled with twisted joy .

    Adara could understand why Scoruas did what he had done, he just personally found it pointless .

    Looking for more worthy sacrifices would be more effective . That was Adara¡¯s line of thinking, and also why Hermie had been kidnapped .

    ¡°Hmm? Ooh . I see it was worth it to bring him here . ¡±

    Adara felt that the aura behind him had changed and turned around; as before Wilhelm was standing, motionless . The hand gripping ¡ºVakira¡» was doing so much more tightly, while the mist enshrouding him would turn sometimes red and evaporate, only to return shortly and repeat the process . It appeared as if the mist itself was burning .

    Wilhelm was in a manipted and unconscious state, but he had nevertheless reacted to the gruesome scene that he had witnessed .

    It was clear proof that Wilhelm was fighting against Adara¡¯s control .

    ¡°Nice, nice, that¡¯s how I want you to be . How many more will die before you point that spear at me?¡±

    Despite the possibility of the maniption breaking off, the expression on Adara¡¯s face was of twisted joy, much like Scoruas¡¯ .

    Not caring about how many would die for the sake of their pleasure was a trait the two demons had inmon . Even if their likes and dislikes were different they were still both demons, the same type of creature .

    Even if the yoke restraining them had been removed, their first priority had not changed . The difference was in the process towards achieving that goal .

    It takes many forms . For Adara, the endless thirst for stronger opponents, so strong it almost exceeded the Miasma Lord¡¯s resurrection as priority . For Scoruas, the ¡°pointless¡± staging of shows of despair and the superiority felt towards its ownrades .

    In fact, Scoruas did not even recognize the existence of his fellow demons, unless they were Duke ss or Grand Duke ss, like him . Magnamuc, a Count ss, was treated like an expendable pawn .

    ¡°Oh my, is that him rebelling to your control? Quite an energetic boy, isn¡¯t he . ¡±

    In the magic circle, figures covered in ck cloaks were leading humans inside, roughly the same number as before .

    Scoruas moved his look away from that operation and looked at Wilhelm .

    ¡°How many times have I told you? It¡¯s all about quality . Don¡¯t you try to steal him though, am I clear?¡±

    ¡°I would never do something so petty, my friend . I am interested in the taste of his despair, though¡­¡±

    Scoruas licked his lips . All demons fed on humans¡¯ negative emotions, but among them Scoruas possessed exceptional hunger .

    It was difficult to define the quantity of food like ¡°human¡¯s negative emotion¡±, but still it was not something that could be consumed without limit .

    The quantity of energy that could be absorbed and stocked depended on each demon¡¯s level, rank and individual characteristics .

    Scoruas was one of the Grand Duke-ss demons that boasted the highest capacity for energy absorption .

    ¡°Looking at him reminds me¡­what happened to the ghouls headed to Sigurd? You were there too, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Scoruas inquired, his expression genuinely looking like he had forgotten everything about that until now .

    He hadn¡¯t supported Hermie¡¯s kidnapping directly, but it was Scoruas who sent the monsters to Sigurd .

    ¡°Ah, they didn¡¯t actually do anything . They got stomped out by the guy in the ambush who had transformed into the priest . ¡±

    Adara spoke casually, with no regard to their fallenrades . It was not even clear if there was any sense of camaraderie among them .

    ¡°I put a little trick inside the Megurade I sent with them too, how did that go?¡±

    Powering monsters with miasma was an easy feat for a demon . They could turn monsters more obedient and resilient .

    Scoruas knew that no average chosen one could have matched Megurade¡¯s vitality and offensive ability . He had predicted that even if it couldn¡¯t destroy Palmirack, it would haveid waste to at least half of the city .

    ¡°It¡¯s in the powered form¡­I didn¡¯t watch until the end because I could have been found, but it was dangerous . They were apanied by a divine beast! It¡¯s as strong as me and you, possibly more, that¡¯s for sure . ¡±

    While talking, Adara¡¯s smile twisted even more than when he was talking about Wilhelm . It was almost strange that he didn¡¯t confront the monster then and there .

    ¡°¡­ . oh, another thing . There were some powerful people there too, but I knew one of them . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s interesting . Who was that?¡±

    ¡°Schnee Raizar . You¡¯ve heard of her too, haven¡¯t you? She was under a High Human once . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, she was there? I did hear that Tsuki no Hokora disappeared, now that you mention it . I thought it had been wiped off by someone . After all, there are some nasty demons that even she couldn¡¯t deal with by herself . And I bet plenty have a bone to pick with her . ¡±

    ¡°Haha, like you¡¯re one to talk . ¡±

    Adara replied, always a grin on his face .

    He and Scoruas were not enemies at present; demons generally allied with other demons if they served the same Miasma Lord . They were also never in good terms with demons serving other Miasma Lords .

    Scoruas had actually yed several Marquis and Count-ss demons who served a different Miasma Lord .

    When monsters are subjected to miasma, they can transform into demons, albeit rarely . Ever since the game era, that type of demon is called mutant-type .

    The demons Scoruas had in were indeed followers of the mutant-type Miasma Lord .

    Of course, doing so would create hate and resentment among other mutant-type demons; Scoruas had already been targeted several times .

    ¡°That¡¯s thest thing I want to hear from you . Aren¡¯t all other Grand Dukes the same? Demons with strong individuality, like you and me, don¡¯t care in the slightest . What I kill are those boring things which can only follow their instincts . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too . Well, I just wanted to say that Schnee Raizar and her party mighte here, so keep it in mind . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . Hehe, Schnee Raizar¡­what will your despair taste like¡­?¡±

    ¡°You really never change, do you¡­I¡¯m going back to my room, contact me if anything happens . ¡±

    Adara retreated back to the room assigned to him, leaving the drooling Scoruas behind . Wilhelm followed him, inplete silence .

    After some time, screams filled the cave again .

 Vol 7 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    ¡°I have a question, does anyone know where exactly the coastal cave is supposed to be?¡±

    A few days had passed since they left Sigurd .

    While driving the carriage and using the skill ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ to see the road ahead, Shin looked at the coastline and asked this question to the other passengers .

    The map only offered vague indications about the ce, so Shin asked for more precise directions from Schnee or Shibaid, who were likely to know .

    ¡°They of thend looks different from thest time I came . There should be a crag in the vicinity . ¡±

    ¡°I remember it too . I cannot see any crags around here though¡­¡±

    Shibaid and Schnee, who were also using ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ to inspect the surroundings, gave their answers .

    Shin too was looking intently, but he could only see the coast extending further, with no trace of any ce resembling a cave entrance .

    ¡°Can you remember if there was anyndmark?¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t say I do . ¡±

    ¡°Nor do I . Nothing stood out in particr . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . by the way, when did youst see it?¡±

    Shin expressed this question after remembering the two¡¯s longevity .

    ¡°I think it was roughly 300 years ago . ¡±

    ¡°As for me, it was probably 400 years ago . ¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ . ¡±

    Hearing this, Shin reflected that the cave as a whole could have very well disappeared .

    Onnd, in the seas, in the skies; monsters were everywhere in this world . There were more than enough monsters capable of destroying caves as well .

    Even without monster intervention, it wouldn¡¯t be weird for the cave to disappear naturally and the geography to change, after 300 whole years .

    ¡°Hmm¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°(Yuzuha, what response are you getting?)¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s close, but something¡¯s weird . )¡±

    Shin asked Yuzuha for help, trusting her tracking technique, but received an unclear answer .

    After inquiring further via Mind Chat, Shin learned that Yuzuha could detect the presence nearby, but couldn¡¯t tell in which direction .

    It seemed Yuzuha couldn¡¯t express herself well because of her young age; Shin arrived at the conclusion that something was interfering with her tracking ability .

    ¡°(What do you think about what Yuzuha said?)¡±

    ¡°(A possible cause is miasma . After all, it can disrupt people¡¯s senses, so it could be influencing Yuzuha¡¯s skill negatively . )¡±

    Shibaid spected that the cause was miasma . High-level Demons are more resistant to magic skills, so Yuzuha¡¯s skill could have been affected too .

    ¡°(I agree . Yuzuha¡¯s powers have not fully matured yet, and there¡¯s a possibility of a barrier being erected around the ritual site . )¡±

    Schnee expressed a valid point of view too .

    The demons and the faction members would likely try to eliminate the smallest chance of being found . It was natural to think that they had set up concealment mechanisms to distance people and keep the location hidden .

    ¡°The demons must be close, no doubt about it . ¡±

    Tiera spoke while Shin and Schnee werepletely silent, talking through Mind Chat .

    ¡°You can tell?¡±

    ¡°The demons¡¯ miasma is slightly different from the one born from human emotion . It¡¯s something I felt when I directly faced with a demon, so I am positive of it . ¡±

    ¡°This means that there¡¯s a high chance of this being the right ce . That already is great news . Let¡¯s try running along the coast, first . I will go to the left, you take the right, Yuki . ¡±

    After listening to Tiera, Shin voiced his thoughts .

    ¡°Understood . We can cover considerable distance even in a short time, so¡­let¡¯s run for 30 minutes, and if we don¡¯t find anything wee back here, what do you say?¡±

    ¡°That sounds good . We aren¡¯t certain that the cave lies alongside the coast, after all . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Schnee¡¯s proposal .

    If Shin and Schnee ran at their full speed, they could easily outmatch even a sports car . They cannot perform detailed inspections while running, but their boosted dynamic vision would not miss something asrge as the entrance to a cave .

    Even if it had been concealed, Shin and Schnee both have skills to detect traps set by scouting units as well as hidden doors . It would be easier, on the contrary, to find if something had been tampered with .

    ¡°It looks like I can¡¯t be of much help in a search like this . ¡±

    Konig¡¯s tone was slightly frustrated .

    ¡°We¡¯ll be back in under one hour, even if we can¡¯t find anything . We are already close to the ritual site, so there¡¯s the possibility of being attacked; please keep watch . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . Be careful, then . ¡±

    The carriage was stopped just before the coast, then Shin and Schnee ran off in opposite directions .

    Shin was running at a certain distance from the waves, sand rising up in his wake .

    The seaside scenery continued unchanging, while on the other side trees and nts were blowing past him .

    ¡°No difference in the response?¡±

    ¡°Kuu, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Shin talked to Yuzuha, riding on his shoulder, while trying to detect any suspicious signs . He had brought her along to check if the response would change along the way .

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like we¡¯re getting farther either?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? It kind of feels like we¡¯re getting farther¡­kind of feels like it¡¯s the same¡­¡±

    The disruption was still having effect, apparently .

    Judging from Yuzuha¡¯s words, Shin thought that there might be nothing in this direction, but he decided to keep going forward some more, to be sure .

    ¡°Kuu!! We¡¯re far now!!¡±

    After roughly 10 minutes, Yuzuha spoke up . The change in the response caused by the increased distance could not be disrupted, apparently .

    ¡°So Schnee had the right direction . Let¡¯s go back, hold on tight!¡±

    Shin rushed back, kicking up storms of sand behind him . Supporting Yuzuha, dragged and blown around by the wind pressure, with his left arm, Shin retraced his steps to the starting point .

    ¡°Kuu!! So fast!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to inspect the surroundings now!! And I¡¯ll go faster still!¡±

    Shin had already confirmed that there was nothing to note on the path, so he increased the speed of his return .

    As the sand made it hard to run, he proceeded where the terrain was harder . While running, he contacted Schnee via Mind Chat .

    ¡°(Shin here . It looks like the direction you took was the right one . As I ran, the enemy¡¯s response grew farther . There¡¯s the possibility of the enemy being on the move too, so better pay attention to the sky too . )¡±

    ¡°(Understood . If they have been moving, I will track them down . )¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m counting on you . I¡¯ll tell Shibaid and the others to head your way . Contact me if anything happens . )¡±

    Shin then closed the Mind Chat for the time being .

    To track down someone without being noticed, Schnee¡¯s job, ¡°Kunoichi¡±, is the ideal one . Itbines mobility, secrecy and a rich variety of tracking skills .

    Even if she were to be found out, defeating Schnee and the reinforced ¡ºBlue Moon¡» she was equipped with was a feat for few . Even if she were to face an opponent stronger than her, she had the right skills and items to ensure she could escape .

    ¡°The problem is how many demons we¡¯ll have to deal with . ¡±

    After informing Shibaid of the situation via Mind Chat, Shin thought about the enemy forces .

    Demons be more and more human-like the higher their rank is, and their power grows ordingly . Judging from the silhouette Tiera saw at Palmirack, it was safe to assume that there was at least one Duke or higher ss demon .

    Duke ss demons possessed intellect on par with humans . They would not appear by themselves without making contact with other demons, as it would happen in a game .

    As there were former yers too, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they cooperated with other demons, based on the information they had acquired .

    ¡°If they still operated per the game¡¯s settings, we¡¯d only have to deal with the one Tiera saw¡­based on what Schnee said, it seems the demons became active recently, so maybe the ones active are still few?¡±

    At the very least, Shin was positive that the three demons called Lords had not awakened . The Miasma Lords release intense miasma around them from the very moment of their awakening, then start immediately raising their armies .

    During the game era, Shin had seen several guilds pooling their forces to fight against the Miasma Lords¡¯ armies¡¯ .

    If such a thing had already happened, the continent he was in now wouldn¡¯t have been left intact .

    There was the possibility that they had awakened in other continents, but the Golden Company¡¯s Berett wouldn¡¯t have forgotten to mention something so important; it was a possibility they could rule out .

    ¡°In any case, we can¡¯t do anything if we don¡¯t find the entrance first . ¡±

    Shin saw the carriage rushing on the beach and stopped thinking for the moment .

    He caught up to the carriage, avoiding the sand it was kicking up in its wake . While running alongside it, Shin waved to Tiera, the current coachman .

    ¡°Eh!? You¡¯re back already?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m getting on . ¡±

    Shin casually replied to the surprised Tiera and hopped on the carriage .

    The carriage was running at high-speed despite the difficulty of the terrain, but inside no vibration could be felt, a quiet in deep contrast to its wild run . Its speed capabilities were so incredible that, at this point, the only thing the carriage had inmon with other simr vehicles was the shape .

    ¡°OK, things will get serious now . Tiera, let me check, you are equipping your essories, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course . Armor, weapons, everything is powered up as much as my stats allow, right? Well, I¡¯m the weakest of the group, so I understand if you¡¯re worried . ¡±

    The party didn¡¯t know exactly how powerful their opponents would be this time, and Tiera¡¯s level had increased, so her equipment had been renewed .

    She wore a corset-like leather armor with a dark green jacket draped over it, brown hot pants andbat boots adorned with silver feathers . On her arms, arm protectors made with lustrous beast skin were equipped .

    The added bonuses had boosted Tiera¡¯s stats much higher than before .

    Tiera was a bit concerned that the current equipment emphasized her chest area more than the old one, but it was the best piece of equipment she could wear at the moment, so she couldn¡¯t reallyin .

    Her weapons too, obviously, were different .

    Despite this equipment power-up however, she couldn¡¯t help thinking about that her own abilities were much lower than the others .

    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it like that . Among high-rank demons, there are plenty that even chosen ones have no hope of defeating . I told Schnee to not fight unless necessary because there is the possibility she might lose too . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s voice was a whisper when he mentioned the part about Schnee .

    ¡°Master could¡­lose?¡±

    Tiera was watching forward, but couldn¡¯t help turning a surprised look towards Shin .

    Schnee, after recovering ¡ºBlue Moon¡», her exclusive weapon, was much stronger than any average boss monster . She could also use the magic skills for wide-range destruction, now that their usage limitations had been partially lifted . It was hard to think of someone less fitting for the word ¡°defeat¡± .

    Even so, demons are not to be underestimated .

    ¡°Well, with me and Shibaid around too I doubt we¡¯ll easily fall in that much danger . We have Kagerou too . ¡±

    Saying this, Shin looked at Kagerou, who was pulling the carriage .

    In a way, Shin had something much more dangerous than Kagerou or the demons resting on his shoulder, saying ¡°kuu kuu¡±¡­but no one seemed to worry for now .

    ¡°Sir Shin, if you have returned it means the enemy response is on Lady Yuki¡¯s side?¡±

    Konig waited for Shin and Tiera to finish their conversation before talking . He had already heard from Shibaid the reason for the carriage¡¯s wild speed, so he was not concerned .

    ¡°That¡¯s correct . We don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the ritual site, but we will definitely find the silhouette Tiera saw at Palmirack . ¡±

    ¡°I see, hopefully she¡¯s all right . ¡±

    Konig whispered the words to himself .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°(Schnee here . I found the entrance to the cave . )¡±

    It happened less than 5 minutes since they started running .

    The awaitedmunication came from Schnee .

    ¡°(Great! What does the entrance¡¯s surroundings look like?)¡±

    ¡°(I cannot tell clearly without going closer, but it¡¯s bizarre . It is not concealed in any way, there aren¡¯t any of the usual traps that signal the presence of intruders, nor anyone standing guard . I checked with ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, so I am positive it leads inside . )¡±

    The joy of the discovery did notst long . After hearing Schnee¡¯s words, Shin wondered if it wasn¡¯t a totally unrted, normal cave .

    But the information he received after that cated his doubts .

    ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ was originally used to detect buried items and ore, but it could be adapted to search for hidden underground pathways and maps never visited before .

    That was how Schnee could inspect the cave¡¯s interior .

    ¡°We found the enemy¡¯s hideout . It looks like the response¡¯s target was heading back to base, then . ¡±

    After listening to Schnee¡¯s report, Shin ryed the information to the other members in the carriage .

    Konig was surprised at how easily they performed long-distancemunication, but he seemed to know about Mind Chat, so he nodded in agreement .

    Few adventurers are capable of using Mind Chat, but it wasn¡¯t unusual for Shin¡¯s party to be able to, or so concluded Konig .

    ¡°Are you sure about that!?¡±

    ¡°Yes, from Yuki¡¯s observations, I think there¡¯s no mistake . So please¡­stand back a little . ¡±

    Shin answered after pushing back Konig, who had unconsciously walked up a bit too close to him, a terribly stern look on his face .

    Considering that there was a yer among the enemies, they couldn¡¯tpletely discard the possibility of an illusory trap that could deceive even Schnee; but if such a thing happened, they¡¯d just have to praise the user¡¯s skill .

    The work of an artisan who poured everything into trap making is something that not even those with scout as main job can see through easily .

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like there are traps set around the entrance, but just in case, in a little while we¡¯ll get off the carriage and walk . Konig, please take this . ¡±

    Shin materialized a green cloak from an item card and passed it to Konig .

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°A magic item specialized in concealment effects . Please be aware that in exchange, its defensive capabilities are almost non-existent . ¡±

    The item Shin had materialized was made with the thread produced by thervae of the monster Mirage Butterfly, its name ¡°Cloak of Hidden Threads¡± .

    The cloak was made with the threads of a monster which couldn¡¯t even be spotted without high level enemy detection or presence detection skills . True to such origins, simply wearing the cloak would render the user indistinguishable from their surroundings .

    The equipment worn under it could be detected via sound or vibration, but if the enemy relied on visual information, it would have been difficult to find .

    The carriage was stopped after a while and the party descended . Before starting to walk, Shin handed the same cloak to Tiera .

    ¡°This is yours . Kagerou¡­doesn¡¯t need it, I suppose . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Kagerou can hide by himself, after all . ¡±

    ¡°Gruu . ¡±

    As they looked at Kagerou, he growled once, then slipped into the shadows . As Tiera said, there was nothing to worry about .

    Shin and Shibaid could also take care of it by themselves .

    ¡°Yuki should be in the woods up ahead . Let¡¯s go there first . ¡±

    For added security, Shin increased their stealth capabilities with the skills ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and ¡¾Silent Domain¡¿ . Walking on the sand would leave clear footprints, so they walked on hardened ground, far from the sea .

    At this point, one could worry about the carriage¡¯s tracks; but maybe because the speed it moved at was not something normal for a carriage on sand, they were impossible to distinguish . It looked like the sand it kicked up in its wake had covered the tracks .

    After storing the carriage and hiding the tracks left by its weight, they were done .

    (I guess I should run a check . )

    To be sure, Shin activated his full range of detection-type skills on the surroundings: ¡¾Search¡¿, ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿, and trap detection skills .

    He couldn¡¯t find any sign of traps or monsters, but he felt a certain chill in the air .

    Something not caused by a skill, a sensation he couldn¡¯t quite put into words .

    (I can¡¯t make it clear, either because it¡¯s something caused by a technique different than a skill, or my ability isn¡¯t high enough . )

    Yet again, the concern that upied his thoughts so often surfaced to mind .

    No matter how high his stats might be, fighting in a game would not allow him to hide his presence or detect others¡¯ presence like real masters can .

    As for Shin, the only moment when he can do it is when engaged in a battle to the death with other humans .

    For monsters¡¯ presence, he can only rely on skills .

    ¡°Once this is over, I have to train again thoroughly¡­¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure why he thought something like that at a time like this . But he felt that he couldn¡¯t just leave things the way they were .

    ¡°Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing . ¡±

    Inside ¡¾Silent Domain¡¿, normally all sound is canceled, but it is also possible to prevent all inside sound to leak outside . Nothing prevented normal conversation while inside the area of effect .

    ¡°Now then, the woods where Yuki is waiting should be in sight any moment¡­over there?¡±

    Looking at Schnee¡¯s response as disyed on the map, Shin changed directions and proceeded . After five minutes, trees started appearing here and there, and around ten minutester, they arrived in an area of thick vegetation .

    ¡°There she is . ¡±

    Schnee too, had detected Shin¡¯s presence, so she had sent them a signal from the woods . Members of the same party could still see and hear each other, even if others couldn¡¯t .

    ¡°Did anything happen before we arrived?¡±

    ¡°No, no one came out or went inside . The entrance is over there . ¡±

    Everyone looked in the direction Schnee pointed at .

    ¡°I see, so this is why we couldn¡¯t see it . Maybe it¡¯s an entrance they aren¡¯t aware of? It does look like they¡¯re using the coastal cave though . ¡±

    ¡°That would exin why no one is standing guard . ¡±

    What the party was looking at was the sea . But Shin and Shibaid could see a cave entrance, of roughly 3 mels, under the water .

    As Schnee said, there was no sign of guards or traps .

    ¡°Er, all I can see is the sea¡­?¡±

    ¡°Same for me . ¡±

    ¡°It looks like the entrance is underwater . It¡¯s located around 20 mels from the coastline, no mistake . In that exact point, the sea bes suddenly much deeper . Rather than entrance, I supposed it¡¯s better to call it a 3 mels hole . ¡±

    Shin rted what he had seen to Tiera and Konig, whocked the ability to see through water .

    No one woulde swimming or fishing in a beach infested by monsters, so normally it would have probably never been found .

    ¡°Under the sea?¡±

    ¡°Yes . The regr entrance is probably somewhere else . This is clearly a hidden entrance, perfect for our infiltration n . ¡±

    If Shin¡¯s prediction was correct, it was a great stroke of luck for the party . Finding a route the enemy wasn¡¯t aware of didn¡¯t happen often .

    ¡°But could the enemy really be unaware of it? They probably thoroughly searched the area that they¡¯re going to use as a base¡­¡±

    ¡°I agree with her . ¡±

    Tiera and Konig voiced their opinion .

    ¡°Yuki is inspecting the interior of the cave with a magic skill . It looks like the water will gradually recede as you proceed inside . We also have the means to fight underwater, so don¡¯t worry . Rather, you¡¯re already pretty much ready, Tiera . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what ¡°it¡± was for . ¡±

    Tiera seemed to realize something after hearing Shin¡¯s words . As they were going to a location near the sea, a certain enchantment was ced on her equipment .

    ¡°What is this ¡°it¡±, Lady Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Among all armor enchantments, there¡¯s one that changes the armor¡¯s shape, to allow the user to act underwater . It¡¯s attached to Tiera¡¯s armor, and I checked that it was working . ¡±

    There are skills that boost the user¡¯s movement underwater, but in case the user is wearing heavy full-body armor, they aren¡¯t exactly useful .

    The user would not have difficulty swimming, but simply sink .

    As long as the skills are active, the user wouldn¡¯t drown . But that¡¯s the whole extent of what they can do .

    Even if the user was wearing light gear, stat debuffs would be applied to movement, attack and defense .

    That is what would happen if one acted underwater with above-ground equipment in THE NEW GATE .

    In order to swim like a fish, specific preparations and training were required; first of all, applying the enchantment ¡¾Shapeshift¡¿ to the equipment .

    ¡°Along with the shape, do mass and defense power change as well?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s often more skin exposure, in your case, Konig, a special membrane with the same defense power and durability as your armor would envelop your body, so there¡¯s no actual change of defensive power . As for the mass¡­well, it bes absurdly lighter . I don¡¯t really know the reason why, though . ¡±

    To put it simply, armor enchanted with ¡¾Shapeshift¡¿ would turn into swimwear .

    A defensive membrane would then cover the exposed parts, protecting the user from enemy attacks .

    In this state, attack speed with weapons would be nearly the same as onnd, so it was possible to fight as well as on ground, after getting used to it .

    Those who be used to fighting underwater can swim freely, like penguins or even mermaids .

    However, a problem that during the game era could be exined with ¡°that¡¯s just how it works¡± can¡¯t be taken care of so easily, now that the game has be reality . Why does armor turn into swimwear only? What happens to the mass? Shin had no exnation to offer .

    Incidentally, the type of swimwear the armor changes into is decided automatically when the enchantment is ced on the armor, and randomly too .

    There were myriads of possible results; most of them were orthodox types, the risqu¨¦ ones were so rare they were considered jokes .

    ¡°Generally, the armor changes into swimwear as one enters the water . It¡¯s also possible to change shape at will . I can exin more once the enchantment is ced on your armor, Konig . ¡±

    ¡°By the way, what is this ¡°swimwear¡± you mentioned? Equipment for underwater use?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, something like that . It looks like in clothes, though . ¡±

    ¡°Clothes? Hmm¡­the world of skills isplex indeed¡­¡±

    Konig didn¡¯t seem to understand well what the words ¡°clothes to use in water¡± meant . He rubbed his chin, lost in thought .

    ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you wear it . This enchantment can be applied immediately, so please stay still for a moment . ¡±

    Having said this, Shin applied ¡¾Shapeshift¡¿ to Konig¡¯s armor, which shone brightly and transformed into a pair of swimming trunks . Only ¡ºHaufer¡» didn¡¯t change shape and was resting at Konig¡¯s waist as before .

    ¡°Th, this¡­does this really have any defensive power!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry . I was the one to propose this, so I¡¯ll show you in practice; please try to sh me . ¡±

    ¡°I, I see . ¡±

    Shin changed his equipment¡¯s shape . His swimwear was simr to what an athlete would wear, tightly fitting and with little water resistance .

    As Shin put his arm forward, Konig -with some hesitation- did as he was told, and lightly swung ¡ºHaufer¡» towards Shin¡¯s arm .

    Before colliding with Shin¡¯s arm, however, it was stopped by something; the de could not reach the skin .

    ¡°I see, despite how it may look, there¡¯s no reason to worry about defense . ¡±

    Konig tried on his own arms, verifying again the presence of the protective film .

    ¡°Shin and I shall go on a first inspection . We have to factor in the underwater sea currents as well, there could be unexpected dangers . ¡±

    Schnee talked when she had judged Shin and the party¡¯s preparations to beplete .

    As they had already discussed what to do beforehand, no one had objections to raise .

    ¡°I¡¯m going first . Keep watching the surroundings and follow me . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    As Schnee stepped on the beach, her equipment changed shape .

    The white sunlight was now shining on her candid skin .

    Schnee¡¯s swimsuits shape was a light blue bikini and a pareo, covering her left leg up to the knee . The pareo was longer on the left leg¡¯s side, while the right leg was almostpletely bare .

    They were on a mission in enemy territory, to rescue the victim of kidnapping, so no one¡¯s eyes were overly stolen by the elf¡¯s swaying chest .

    (If only the circumstances were different, I¡¯d have enjoyed a swim in the sea¡­)

    You sted demons¡­! With this slight feeling of resentment, Shin dove against the waves under water .

    Schnee followed him immediately .

    They could see several mels ahead, thanks to the water¡¯s transparency . It was Shin¡¯s first time swimming after the game had be reality, so he took his time to get used to the water .

    (Nothing feels off, for now . )

    He had fought several times in his current body, and he had be quite apt at controlling its strength too .

    He didn¡¯t feel like he was borrowing someone else¡¯s body and could swim as easily as he could during the game era . It was not a mysterious sensation as the one born by magical power, so he assumed it was him getting used to the body .

    ¡°No problem breathing either . Schnee, can you hear me?¡±

    After activating ¡¾Dive X¡¿, Shin talked to Schnee .

    It was a support skill for underwater movement, which if leveled up would lessen the negative stat changes derived from underwater action . It made it possible to breathe and talk too, thus allowing normalmunication .

    At low levels it would onlyst for roughly 10 minutes, but at the highest level, X, it allowed the user to spend a full day in water, without breaks .

    ¡°Yes, it looks like we can talk normally too . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words reached Shin¡¯s ears . No noise disturbed them, it was just like speaking on ground .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then . ¡±

    After confirming that the skill was working properly, Shin and Schnee headed towards the entrance of the cave .

    There was no sign of human or monster presence in the surroundings .

    ¡°There really isn¡¯t anything around here¡­¡±

    ¡°This utterck of defenses almost makes me think that they could be trying to lure us in¡­¡±

    Shin acknowledged Schnee¡¯s concern and used ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, ¡¾Search¡¿, and ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿ to inspect the interior of the cave more deeply and widely .

    However, there was no sign of an ambush . The terrain itself was not suitable for ambushing .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go a little bit further, if there really is nothing dangerous we¡¯ll call the others and proceed together . We have no way of knowing if they are aware of our movements or not, after all . Let¡¯s keep our eyes peeled and go on . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only way, I suppose . ¡±

    There was no end to their suspicions, so they decided to cast them away for the moment . Using precious time and risking putting Hermie in more danger was definitely not worth it .

    The two entered the cavern and proceeded, wary of any traps .

    ¡°There¡¯s someone . ¡±

    ¡°It appears they haven¡¯t noticed us yet . ¡±

    After roughly 10 minutes, Shin and Schnee had reached a small clearing in the cave, which housed a smallke . The path they had followed ended at theke, but ording to the map the body of water did not lead outside the cave .

    Judging from the light shining on the water and the response from ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿, one person was in theke, where the water was more shallow .

    Shin, who had entered theke without noise, activated ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and poked his head from the surface of theke .

    There he found several globes of light floating above theke and, with her back to Shin, a woman submerged in water up to her hips .

    The light globes were produced by the Light-type magic skill ¡¾Instant Light¡¿ . It was a skill to create simple shining globes with no offensive or defensive capabilities, used often when exploring dark caves .

    The woman was naked from her waist up . She was rather short, with white hair . Her body could not be defined easily too; it¡¯s like a thin boy or a petite girl .

    Seeing her, Shin had a hunch and used ¡¾Analyze¡¿ .

    ¡°Milt  ¨C  Level 255 ¨C Conjurer¡±

    ¡°Affected by : ¡¾Charm X¡¿, ¡¾Sleep VIII¡¿, ¡¾High Confusion IX¡¿¡±

    (Just as I thought¡­but what¡¯s going on here¡­?)

    Not even Shin could have predicted the status ailments .

    First of all, the ¡¾Sleep¡¿ status would force the affected to sleep, preventing any movement .

    Yet Milt was moving normally, as if nothing was affecting her .

    Shin, however, was notpletely unfamiliar with such a state .

    Cardinal Greyl, who had warped Shin and Rionne from Bayreuth to the Sacred ce, was affected with ¡¾Charm¡¿ and ¡¾Confusion¡¿ in the same way .

    The cardinal had managed to operate the console even in such a state . Apparently, even under the effect of such status conditions, one¡¯s consciousness partly remained .

    Shin thought that the same thing was likely happening to Milt now .

    That considered, what was the next step to take¡­? Shin reflected .

    Milt was Hermie¡¯s kidnapper . There was no doubt that she was a member of ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡± .

    Unmistakably, she was to be considered an enemy .

    Additionally, she did not have anything equipped now; her defensive powers were at their lowest levels .

    If Shin attacked her by surprise, he would have certainly been able to finish her .

    ¡°(It¡¯s Hermie¡¯s kidnapper, correct? Do you think we can subdue her now, without causing amotion?)¡±

    ¡°(We could probably capture her, but she¡¯s a former yer too . Is it possible to use Mind Chat even under paralysis?)¡±

    ¡°(Yes, it¡¯s possible . If we leave her asleep, we could make sure she never contacts her allies, though . )¡±

    ¡°(The problem is, she¡¯s already affected by ¡¾Sleep¡¿ . Since she can move in that state, it¡¯s probably impossible to keep her asleep . It would be difficult to keep her unconscious too . If she can use Mind Chat, restraining her would be meaningless . Which means¡­)¡±

    ¡­ . the only way is to kill her .

    Without voicing this thought, Shin looked again at Milt .

    Schnee looked at Shin, but with an uneasy look in her eyes .

    (This is a situation impossible in the game, and I have no solution¡­then, why do I feel that there¡¯s still time¡­?)

    Such an inexplicable sensation left Shin uncertain on how to move for several seconds .

    Killing her was only in case she was an enemy . However, Milt was clearly not lucid, so Shin couldn¡¯t decide to regard her as an enemy .

    ¡°¡­ . . who goes there?¡±

    Just a few seconds had passed . As if she was waiting for that moment, a soprano-like voice resounded in the space previously dominated only by the sound of water .

    Milt¡¯s red eyes were unmistakably looking at Shin and Schnee . Yet even if they were looking in their direction, her gaze seemed to be lost in space .

 Vol 7 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    ¡°¡­ . eh? You¡¯re¡­Shin?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin was surprised to hear his name from Milt¡¯s lips .

    His face was visible only from the eyes and above .  ¡¾Analyze¡¿ couldn¡¯t be used when the target¡¯s face wasn¡¯tpletely visible .

    Milt was one of the top yers among those caught in the death game . It wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to identify Shin via ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but it was a mystery how she had found out it was him before even trying that skill .

    ¡°(I will deal with her . I don¡¯t know if Milt noticed your presence too, but it¡¯s best if you stay hidden . )¡±

    ¡°(Understood¡­her spirit¡¯s condition is abnormal too, please be careful . )¡±

    Shin nodded without turning back and emerged from the water as naturally as he could, in order to keep Milt¡¯s focus on him .

    His eyes never left Milt .

    ¡°How did you know it was me?¡±

    ¡°I have practiced spirit techniques focusing on the water element, after all . My Undine is a dear friend, and you were underwater . I don¡¯t think I need to exin further . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, a technique that wasn¡¯t in the game¡­no, I should stop thinking in these terms . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know what spirits were . He discarded that opinion, reminding himself to stop thinking with a game-like frame of mind .

    ¡°I¡¯m d you understood so quickly . I too have something to ask you, can I? I didn¡¯t contact the others, so rest easy . ¡±

    ¡°Well isn¡¯t that grand . What do you want to know?¡±

    Milt¡¯s expression became stern after Shin¡¯s question . After staring at Shin for several seconds, she spoke .

    ¡°Are you really Shin?¡±

    ¡°At the very least, I think I am . I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be enough proof, but I remember the battle when I cut you down . ¡±

    Shin talked about his final battle with Milt . Some of the information he mentioned was only known to them .

    ¡°I see, you really are Shin¡­but if you are in this world, then it means you died? Did someone kill you? Or was it a monster?¡±

    ¡°No one killed me . I was pretty surprised myself when I got here . ¡±

    ¡°I bet . I waspletely lost too, at the beginning . ¡±

    Shin continued the conversation while studying Milt¡¯s reactions . Time passed, but no other presence was entering his field of perception .

    Rather, Shin noticed that Milt¡¯s way of talking had changed . Her polite speech was gradually turning into a somewhat childish one .

    ¡°You came here to destroy the ritual, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Who knows . ¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hide it . I¡¯m sure you did . The Shin I know would never ignore something so cruel . Because Shin is scary¡­ . and¡­ . kin¡­d¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . Milt?¡±

    Shin called to Milt when her words started to sound feverish . She had been talking happily until a moment ago, but her expression had gradually turned into a grimace of pain .

    ¡°Ah, aaah¡­Shi¡­n¡­? It can¡¯t¡­be¡­ . I¡¯m, dea¡­ . . d¡­? Aaah¡­Shin¡­Shinshinshinshinnn!!¡±

    Milt started moving while repeating Shin¡¯s name .

    Creating ripples in the water, she moved next to Shin in an instant . Even if her mental state was abnormal, her physical body remembered her movements and reproduced them perfectly .

    A deranged smile was on her face .

    ¡°I felt something was off¡­so I was right . ¡±

    After muttering a curse, Shin prepared to fight back . He caught her right hand, which was aiming for a palm strike, with his left hand, then stopped her left knee strike with his right hand .

    Milt, thus unable to move one arm and leg, tried to kick Shin with her right leg . Shin let go of her limbs and dodged the kick aimed at his chin .

    He had cast ¡¾Cure¡¿ to heal her status ailments, but ck mist had covered the attacking Milt¡¯s body; the magic skill had not affected her .

    However, Shin¡¯s ¡¾Cure¡¿ had dispelled most of the ck mist . Using it one more time would have likely generated the desired effects .

    Possibly because of the mist¡¯s disappearance, Milt¡¯s expression started to seem confused . She had put distance between them, as if scared by something, and started to attack randomly, like aplete beginner .

    Shin drew closer to Milt, while nullifying the continuous magic attacks with his innate resistance .

    ¡°I wan¡­ted . . wanted¡­to see yo¡­ . where¡­ . fight¡­sleepy¡­scary¡­¡±

    The wordsing out of Milt¡¯s mouth were scattered, broken . Shin thought she was reliving memories of the death game .

    His assumption came from the knowledge of her reason for being so obsessed with fighting .

    ¡°¡­ . am I, alive? I will, wake up? No¡­ . if so¡­then¡­¡±

    Milt¡¯s next words cleared all of his remaining doubts .

    ¡°Someone, please¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­kill, me . ¡±

    ¡°I refuse . ¡±

    Milt¡¯s words left her lips as tears streamed down her cheeks, but Shin refused her .

    He stopped both of her arms with his right hand, then grabbed her head with his left hand .

    ¡°Come back to normal already!¡±

    The skill he used blew away all the mist haunting Milt¡¯s body .

    He had infused more magic power in this second ¡¾Cure¡¿, which easily blew past the mist¡¯s resistance and healed Milt¡¯s status ailments .

    Milt¡¯s status was now normal . However, possibly because of the mental burden, she had lost consciousness .

    Shin couldn¡¯t leave her lying naked like that, so he materialized a mantle andid it on her .

    ¡°If even someone her level ended up manipted, there are demons on a whole other level than the one in Bayreuth . ¡±

    ¡°A Duke ss, maybe? Or even¡­¡±

    ¡°Could be a Grand Duke . ¡±

    Milt¡¯s stats were high enough that, with the right equipment, she could fight toe to toe with Kagerou . Being a poison user, she had trained her resistances to status ailments too .

    Despite that, she had been affected by powerful status ailments .

    Whoever had put Milt under their control was someone with abilities equal or superior to hers .

    ¡°Hn¡­¡±

    While Shin and Schnee were talking, Milt mumbled softly .

    As she slowly opened her eyes, maybe because she noticed the presence of people in the vicinity, she looked towards Shin .

    ¡°Eh¡­Shin¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hey there, you¡¯re awake?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes¡­ . eh? Shin!? Why!? Aaah! Why am I naked?!?¡±

    Milt fully regained consciousness, slightly panicking after noticing her state . She apparently had no recollection of recent events and was rightfully confused, voicing questions such as ¡°Where am I!?¡± or ¡°Why is my body all sticky!?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ . anyway, let¡¯s calm down, OK?¡±

    ¡°Shin, why are you naked too¡­? C-could it be that you have taken advan¨C?!¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t!! And look better, I¡¯m wearing a swimsuit! I¡¯m not naked!¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but interrupt Milt¡¯s words, whacking the girl looking up at him, wrapped in the mantle, over the head .

    ¡°Hitting her on the head in her current state would be too much, I think¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nah, no problem if it¡¯s her . ¡±

    ¡°Uuh¡­you¡¯re merciless¡­¡±

    Shin looked over at Schnee, showing her that there was nothing to worry about, then turned to Milt again .

    Milt had somewhat calmed down, thanks to Shin¡¯s chop, and focused on understanding her current situation and whereabouts .

    ¡°So have we calmed down now?¡±

    ¡°My head hurts, though . But thisck of mercy is just like you, Shin . First of all, could you tell me what I was doing here, and naked?¡±

    ¡°Before that, tell me how much you remember . You just jumped at me, you know . Well, I guess you could wear something first . ¡±

    Shin demanded an exnation from Milt, arguing that he had the right to ask first .

    Milt put some clothes on, finally looking presentable, and started talking while massaging her head .

    ¡°¡­ . . and that¡¯s all I can remember . It¡¯s all blurry after that¡­I felt my consciousness return fully when I saw your face in front of me . ¡±

    Milt exined how she had joined ¡®Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡¯ in her search of strong opponents; she had visited this cave in an escort mission for the Summit Faction, but then her memories became muddled .

    She had surely met someone, but couldn¡¯t remember who it was .

    ¡°I see, they basically did what they wanted with you . ¡±

    ¡°Aah¡­I have no excuses . ¡±

    Milt¡¯s head hung in shame for letting something like that happen to her .

    Having fallen to someone¡¯s maniption had hit her deep .

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re going to rescue the person I kidnapped, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, along with someone else though . ¡±

    ¡°Could you take me with you? I have to put an end to what I caused, with my own hands . ¡±

    Her tone of voice was calm, but Shin felt that Milt was angry .

    She had a peculiar code even in her PK days; she would only start a fight to the death if the opponent agreed to it . Even if she had been manipted, she probably didn¡¯t want to me others for something she had done .

    ¡°More fighting power is always wee, but there are people close to the girl you kidnapped on our side, you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine . Or rather, that means I should do it even more . I only kill when I am attacked with killing intent, or the opponent agrees to a duel to the death . I dislike and have no intention of assisting kidnapping or ckmailing . I had no control over what I did this time, but it doesn¡¯t change that it was me . I have to make amends . ¡±

    Milt¡¯s expression stiffened .

    Shin saw it and thought that she wasn¡¯t trying to deceive them .

    ¡°(Schnee, what do you think?)¡±

    ¡°(At the very least, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s acting . Because her contract spirit seems to have cated too . It was probably concerned about its master¡¯s abnormal state . )¡±

    After hearing Schnee¡¯s opinion via Mind Chat, Shin thought that it could be a good idea to bring Milt along .

    It would mean to add a former enemy among their ranks, but Shin knew Milt¡¯s personality; he was sure that even if they didn¡¯t bring her along, she would act on her own .

    ¡°Got it . You cane with us, and it¡¯ll be a great help if you cooperated with us . But only if you don¡¯t act on your own ord . If you stand in the way of our objectives, then I really won¡¯t have any mercy . ¡±

    ¡°I know that well . Fighting against you is an extremely charming prospect, but I couldn¡¯t enjoy it in this situation . ¡±

    Milt seemed to understand that she wasn¡¯t actually trusted and nodded with conviction .

    ¡°No need to be charmed . We¡¯ve wasted enough time, let¡¯s go back for now . You have ¡¾Shapeshift¡¿attached, yes?¡±

    ¡°No problem, look . ¡±

    Milt answered Shin¡¯s question and transformed her equipment .

    Her battle wear, oriental styled with a great amount of skin exposure, changed shape adhering to Milt¡¯s body .

    ¡°A school swimsuit¡­but why¡­¡±

    Milt¡¯s transformed swimwear left Shin at a loss for words . Like a good student, she even had ¡°Milt¡± printed on the swimsuit¡¯s chest area .

    Re-attaching the enchantment ¡¾Shapeshift¡¿ as many times as needed would allow the user to pick their favourite type of swimsuit .

    For that reason, during the game era very few wore swimwear considered ¡°for fetishists¡±, like school swimsuits or string-type swimwear .

    ¡°Hehehe, I will let you know that this shape grants a 10% speed boost to underwater movement!¡±

    ¡°Who even programmed this¡­¡±

    Shocked and defeated to learn of this surprising bonus, Shin swam back at high speed, his party in tow .

    ¡°I might as well introduce you, she¡¯s more or less my former support character, Schnee . She¡¯s strong, but don¡¯t get any weird ideas . ¡±

    Thinking it weird to not do their introductions, Shin decided to do it first .

    ¡°And this is Milt . She¡¯s an advanced yer they used to call ¡°Milt the Poison Lolita¡± during the game era . ¡±

    ¡°Po, poison Lolita¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hey!! What kind of introduction is that!? I didn¡¯t choose to be this short anyway!¡±

    Shin had exposed Milt¡¯s nickname in apletely casual manner .

    Milt¡¯s height was the same as her real body, 145 cemel .

    She had apparently used her real self¡¯s face in the game, with her still innocent-looking features, more on the cute than the beautiful side .

    However, her body was a junior high school student¡¯s at most . It would be a bit of a stretch even to think of her as a high schooler .

    One of VR¡¯s characteristics was the inability to change significantly not only one¡¯s facial features, but also one¡¯s physique .

    ¡°She got that nickname because she looks like a lolita and is a poison user . They also called her stuff like ¡°Mini Berserker¡± . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s always something saying how short I am ! My main job is conjurer after all, and I might be small but I¡¯m not t!¡±

    Saying so, Milt pushed up her chest with her hands .

    The swimsuit, which was already considerably stretched, changed shape under Milt¡¯s hands .

    Her chest had been ¡°touched up¡± to the point that one could imagine she had went a little overboard when creating her avatar . Such symbols of maternity was already quite prominent in their natural state, but now they looked slightly lewd .

    Added to Milt¡¯s looks, this Lolita + Big breasts + School swimsuitbination created a very ¡°dangerous¡± view .

    ¡°If you have time to act silly, then speed up . And once we get onnd, stop messing around . ¡±

    ¡°First you reveal my nicknames, but then you ignore me, huh¡­reminds me of how cold the old Shin was . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just your imagination . Do you feel any change in your condition, by the way?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no . I¡¯m alright . Even if I was under control, I was practically sleeping . My head doesn¡¯t hurt or spin . No problem even I¡¯m poked fun at, like you just did . ¡±

    Milt had noticed that Shin had tried to annoy her on purpose and stoppedining .

    She didn¡¯t look like she was forcing herself . Her HP and MP had not changed either and her status showed aplete recovery .

    ¡°Anyway, I have to apud yourck of any reaction after seeing this physique of mine . And I thought that this kind of body would be more popr with boys than my real life one . ¡±

    What a shame¡­so muttered Milt, in a manner that made it hard to tell how serious she was .

    Shin didn¡¯t find Milt unappealing either . But he wasn¡¯t the kind of person to react to nudity or sexiness in a situation like that .

    ¡°You¡¯re a mystery as usual . ¡±

    ¡°A woman of mystery, that¡¯s who I am . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t puff up your chest dressed like that . We¡¯re almost there . ¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the light filtering from above the water . The three had reached the shore in a few minutes .

    ¡°Sir Shin, who is this person?¡±

    Their return had been slightlyte, but the party hade back safely . Noticing the added presence of Milt, though, spurred the question from Konig .

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯ll exin, so please listen until the end . ¡±

    As Milt would join their entourage, her true identity had to be revealed .

    Milt, above all, was Hermie¡¯s kidnapper . If they hid the truth now, and it was revealed by a turn of eventster, things would likely take an unfortunate turn, so it was decided to reveal the truth now .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    After the exnation, Konig remained in deep silence .

    He had grabbed his de¡¯s hilt as he heard the neer¡¯s name, but somehow Shin managed to exin to the end .

    ¡°You really don¡¯t remember anything?¡±

    After a long silence, Konig asked a question with a calm tone .

    From Konig¡¯s viewpoint, as one of the victims and Hermie¡¯s personal guard, simply hearing ¡°she was manipted, there was no other way¡± was obviously not enough to convince him .

    ¡°I can¡¯t make any excuses about that . But I too resent having been used that way . Shin saved me after all, so I want to show my gratitude . I know my words are less than convincing, but at least I am confident I could match a divine beast in battle . ¡±

    Milt spoke while looking directly at Konig . Her eyes expressed that she had no intention of backing out .

    ¡°I knew it would turn out like this¡­¡±

    Shin had expected this development, so he carried Konig away, without missing a beat .

    ¡°Sir Shin, I do not mean to doubt you, but will this really be all right?¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean . But it would not be wise to act separately . You also know how strong she is, right?¡±

    Konig was not in prime condition at the time, but Milt had easily bested him . Her stats were also higher than his .

    Even using Shin¡¯s map and detection abilities to the fullest, it would have been difficult to find Hermie, who was not a member of their party or a support character .

    The cave interior, which was mostly artificial, was quiterge, even considering only the extent they were aware of . They had to look for Hermie while avoiding traps and enemy eyes, definitely not an easy feat .

    Even if they let Milt go, if she was found Shin¡¯s party¡¯s freedom of movement would be limited as well; and if a Grand Duke-ss demon was among the enemy ranks, they would have to go confront it .

    Considering that there were also chosen ones among the enemies, there was nothing to lose in having as much fighting power as possible .

    ¡°Well, if we used one of these we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about betrayal . ¡±

    With these words, Shin pulled out one of the Submission Cors retrieved from Bulk¡¯s room .

    ¡°Guh . ¡±

    Konig let out a frustrated grunt .

    He too knew that Milt¡¯s eyes were not lying .

    Besides, he probably would not want to use the Submission Cor on someone who wasn¡¯t some despicable viin, but had just been manipted .

    ¡°¡­ . I suppose there is no other way . ¡±

    Konig cast away his personal feelings and agreed .

    ¡°My name¡¯s Milt . My race is High Pixie and I¡¯m a Conjurer . This is my dear Undine friend, her name is Nel . Anyway, everyone is so strong here! Why don¡¯t we fightter?¡±

    Milt introduced herself to the party while Shin was away . Although thest part was unnecessary .

    After that, they heard from Milt all the information she remembered about the cave¡¯syout, to specte where Hermie was held and the ritual would take ce .

    After all party members reviewed their roles, the party started moving .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°To think that it¡¯s possible to speak underwater . ¡±

    Tiera muttered thisment while swimming next to Shin on their way towards the cave .

    Her swimsuit was a brilliant green bikini, and a ne imbued with the skill ¡¾Dive V¡¿ floated above her chest .

    ¡°Even though I¡¯m using the same skill too, I have no idea how it¡¯s possible to talk underwater though . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no air forming around our mouths either, so it¡¯s a mystery how we can breathe too . Well, thanks to this we can move through the water, so I suppose I¡¯ll just ept not understanding how it works . ¡±

    The whole party was heading towards the underwater cave¡¯s entrance .

    Yuzuha and Kagerou were in tow, dog paddling behind them .

    They passed theke where Shin and Milt met and proceeded forward, wary of any traps or guards .

    As long as Shin and Schnee made full use of their detection skills, only an exceptionally intricate trap could slip through their vignce .

    ¡°There are a lot of dwellings and storage rooms in the shallow areas . I guess the more important parts are deeper?¡±

    ¡°Probably, yes . I remember I went down a fair distance . Even though this isn¡¯t their headquarters, the Summit Faction is arge organization . They even reinforced the cave¡¯s walls to prevent them from crumbling easily . ¡±

    ¡°I should have guessed . When there are full of holes, all it would take is just one earthquake to wipe it off the map . ¡±

    The walls were bumpy and uneven, but the path was wide enough for 4 adults to walk side by side .

    There also were manyrge hall-like clearings, personal rooms, and storage rooms; if they had built so many without reinforcing the walls, they would have definitely crumbled sooner orter .

    Shin¡¯s party proceeded deeper and deeper while checking the map for the room they were looking for . Since they searched each floor they visited, their progress couldn¡¯t be very fast .

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Roughly 1 hour since they started their descent, Shin¡¯s ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ picked up arger clearing in the map .

    It was farrger than the rooms used as storage rooms . It appeared that there was something in the back of it, but ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ couldn¡¯t scan the roompletely, so it was only partly disyed on the map .

    ¡°Could it be the ritual site?¡±

    Schnee whispered softly .

    ¡°It could be . What do you say, Milt?¡±

    ¡°I think you guessed right . I do remember it was arge room . ¡±

    It was possible for Hermie to be imprisoned near the ritual site; Shin and the others proceeded downwards, while searching the surroundings even more carefully than before .

    ¡°¡­ . . Shin . ¡±

    As they were descending, Shibaid called to Shin, who was walking next to him .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°It certainly looks like there are Grand Duke-ss demons here . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t pick up anything in my detection range, though¡­?¡±

    ¡°I can feel their fighting spirit . This stale, foul feeling¡­it¡¯s a ¡°War God¡±-type, no doubt about it . ¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s eyes were fixed in one direction as they walked, his words filled with conviction .

    Shin asked Schnee with his eyes, but she shook her head .

    As Schnee had previously felt something other than miasma, Shibaid had probably felt something the other party members couldn¡¯t .

    There was no proof for his words, but no one doubted Shibaid . Konig and Milt knew that it was not odd for those who dedicate themselves to battle to be able to feel the presence of other powerful warriors .

    Tiera also did not say anything, probably because she too possessed a simr unique sense .

    ¡°A solo type, maybe . Hopefully there aren¡¯t raid types then . ¡±

    The humanlike demons called ¡°War God¡±-type,pared to raid-types, had fixed conditions to defeating them, so it was not impossible to take them down even when fought for the first time .

    They were still powerful enemies, but considering the expected spent time and sustained damage to defeat them, they were still easier targets than others .

    ¡°We¡¯re almost at what could be the ritual site . Let¡¯s continue talkingter . ¡±

    The whole party shut their mouths at Schnee¡¯s warning .

    The detection fields did not pick up anything in particr .

    With Shin and Schnee leading, the party headed towards the ce thought to be the ritual site .

    ¡°Kuu! This ce is yucky!¡±

    ¡°Gruu!!¡±

    Yuzuha and Kagerou suddenly became agitated . Their whole bodies¡¯ fur stood up, as if they were trying to intimidate something .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong now?¡±

    Yuzuha answered Shin¡¯s question, expressing her thoughts while stumbling on her words .

    ording to her, this location was a node of Ley lines, but because of the miasma their original function was inhibited .

    ¡°You can feel it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same as the ce I was before, it feels sick here, kuu¡­¡±

    The clearing seemed absolutely normal, but they soon realized that there was a veryrge magic circle drawn on the ground . The material reinforcing the walls and ground was clearly different from the other rooms too .

    Apparently, this magic circle was part of what was negatively influencing the flow of the Ley lines that Yuzuha had talked about .

    ¡°The stench of blood is strong here, after all . Who knows what gruesome things they have been up to in here¡­after all they did to us, let¡¯s show them what our craft can do . ¡±

    In case they couldn¡¯t find Hermie, the party retraced part of the magic circle, in order to prevent it from activating .

    Shin was not familiar with magic circles sorge as to epass a whole floor, so Schnee directed the operation .

    ¡°Okay then, time to see what¡¯s ahead . ¡±

    After the modification of the magic circle waspleted, the party assembled before the door leading beyond the ritual site .

    It was a heavy door 4 mels high and 3 mels wide . It was locked as well, but before Shin¡¯s party the lock was no different than a toy .

    Shin and Shibaid pushed open the door, which clearly had to be guarding something important .

    Maybe because it had been used with care, the door opened without so much as a sound . The scenery behind it, however, was something no one could have expected .

    ¡°Are you kidding me . . ¡±

    Shin unconsciously muttered under his breath .

    Before their eyes lied a gigantic crystal, roughly 10 mels tall . Its transparency was so high that it looked like artificially polished ss .

    Because of that, the thing¡­rather, the living being inside the crystal could be clearly seen .

    ¡°Is that¡­Filma?¡±

    Schnee whispered the name of the person in front of her eyes .

    It was, without a shred of a doubt, Shin¡¯s 2nd support character, Filma Tolmeya .

 Vol 7 Chapter 3.3: Chapter 3 Part 3

    Filma Tolmeya .

    Shoulder-length hair with a color between red and violet, the same color as the eyes of this High Lord .

    However, that color could not be seen now as her eyes were closed .

    Maybe because of her race¡¯s longevity, or the special effect of the crystal might have possessed, she did not look at all different than how Shin remembered her, despite the fact that 500 years had passed .

    Her chest, on par with Schnee¡¯s, and the magical armor adorned in ck and violet around her waist were shining as they did in the past .

    ¡°This is a crystal of¡­Drops of Erathem?¡±

    Shin gazed at the crystal entrapping Filma, an expression of utter surprise .

    In the game, he thought it was a simple magic crystal, but after using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ he had realized it was actually an ancient-ss material named Drops of Erathem .

    ¡°Does this mean that she was hit by a burst of magical power of insane proportions?¡±

    Depending on the size, this material would be polished and used as a weapon . If one ended up trapped in it, not even Filma could have broken out by herself .

    Considering the fact that her appearance hadn¡¯t changed and that¡ºExvaine¡» no longer recognized Filma, the original owner, Shin spected that the Drop of Erathem¡¯s magical power had cast a strong seal on Filma .

    ¡°Do you know her?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s therade we weren¡¯t able to contact . ¡±

    Shin answered with a nod to Konig¡¯s question .

    In this state, it was obviously impossible tomunicate .

    ¡°Hey, Shin . The demons started being active recently, right?¡±

    ¡°So it seems . We don¡¯t know if it was because they couldn¡¯t act, or they simply didn¡¯t . ¡±

    Shin answered Milt¡¯s question based on the information he had gotten from Schnee .

    ¡°Do you think that this could be rted somehow?¡±

    Milt spoke while pointing at the crystal which imprisoned Filma . It appeared that Milt too felt somethinging from it .

    ¡°¡­ . it¡¯s possible . Same for the miasma too, but a crystal asrge as this found on top of the Ley line¡­it wouldn¡¯t be weird for a connection to be there, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, I don¡¯t think there were any quests where you could find Drops of Erathem near Ley lines either . ¡±

    Drops of Erathem would form in locations where magical power umted . ces like Ley lines, where energy would always flow, were not suitable .

    ¡°Regarding miasma and Ley lines, though, something simr happened in another ce . ¡±

    Shin remembered what happened at the shrine where he met Yuzuha . What Shin now knew is that the demons had a certain reason to meddle with the Ley lines .

    ¡°(Kuu, I feel something powerful from under that rock . But that rock is yucky too . )¡±

    Thanks to her deep connection with the Ley lines, Yuzuha could apparently clearly feel the power sealed under the crystal . She did not seem to know what a crystal was . Even such a precious item was a rock in Yuzuha¡¯s eyes .

    The usually curious Yuzuha wouldn¡¯t move from Shin¡¯s shoulder this time .

    ¡°Hey Shin, just what is this¡­?¡±

    Tiera drew closer to Shin, who was lost in thought .

    ¡°It¡¯s a peculiar item called Drop of Erathem . I¡¯ve never seen one thisrge, though¡­¡±

    Shin gave a simple exnation to Tiera, who looked at the crystal as if she saw an incredible thing . Even after hearing Shin¡¯s words however, her expression remained clouded .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°The magic power trapped here¡­it¡¯s tainted . Uugh¡­why¡­is this¡­¡±

    Shin was concerned as Tiera¡¯s behavior was rather unusual .

    As if answering his doubts, Tiera put her right hand over her mouth and sat down . She held her own body with her left arm and, while it was shaking violently, tears started falling from her eyes .

    ¡°Wh-hey Tiera! What happened to you?¡±

    Thinking that Tiera¡¯s sudden change had been caused by a Mind-type skill, Shin quickly checked her status . There was no change, however, nothing to exin why Tiera had suddenly burst into tears .

    ¡°Tiera, please be strong . You must not lend them your ears . ¡±

    Schnee had noticed Tiera¡¯s abnormal state, ran close to her and spoke to her in a calm, clear tone . She took Tiera¡¯s head and turned it towards her, looking at her straight in the eyes .

    ¡°Master¡­this is, this is¡­¡±

    ¡°What have you felt?¡±

    ¡°I heard¡­screams . ¡°Stop it, please save me¡­¡± . And another voice who heard them, andughed¡­¡±

    Tiera stringed words together, her body stiff, immobile .

    Noticing the unusual situation, Shibaid and Konig too stopped searching the surroundings and listened to Tiera¡¯s words .

    ¡°Sch¡­Yuki, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I suppose she heard the voices of the people that were killed here . ¡±

    Schnee spoke as she was calming Tiera, focusing on listening to their surroundings .

    Elves had sharp senses, which apparently included their sixth sense as well .

    ¡°I cannot speak in detail, but Tiera¡¯s sixth sense is more sensitive than other elves . I am not particrly sensitive to such influences, but still I can hear whispers . I suppose that a great number of people have been killed here . ¡±

    Schnee, her brow furrowed, caressed Tiera¡¯s back .

    ¡°The presence that permeated the other room seems to be focused in this crystal . The magic circle that we changed before contained this mechanism too . ¡±

    ¡°I see¡­even I feel there¡¯s something wrong with this crystal . It could be the central point that¡¯s casting an influence on the Ley lines . ¡±

    Listening to Yuzuha and Schnee, Shin started viewing the crystal¡¯s brilliance as something ominous .

    ¡°I suppose it is best not to touch it without the necessary preparations?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . You can feel why if you go closer, the miasma stench is overwhelming . ¡±

    Shin entrusted Tiera to Schnee and walked closer to the crystal, then nodded at Shibaid¡¯s words .

    The crystal wouldn¡¯t originally be affected by the miasma, but if thetter¡¯s density was high, things would be different .

    ¡°If the Ley lines are tainted the miasma must be connected to it, I suppose it¡¯s better to purify it?¡±

    Shin recalled the ck mist that enveloped Milt¡¯s body during their battle . He now understood that the mist too was a kind of miasma .

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Please¡­ . ! This is too cruel¡­¡±

    Yuzuha howled, her fur straight, and Tiera pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears .

    ¡°Konig, I give you my apologies . We came here to save Lady Hermie, so giving priority to arade of mine could be truly disrespectful¡­but please, allow me to solve this situation first . ¡±

    ¡°¡­no, you do not need to apologize . Please do as you wish . If I overlooked something like this for her own sake, my Lady would not forgive herself, even if we could save her . ¡±

    Shin mentioned his proposal to Konig, thinking that thetter would probably be opposed .

    Contrary to Shin¡¯s expectations, Konig agreed to Shin¡¯s proposal after just a brief silence .

    ¡°Are you sure? The demons could notice our presence . ¡±

    ¡°If it happens, it happens . I am Lady Hermie¡¯s personal guard, but I also am a knight . I have a duty to protect the people . I do not possess any special sense, but I too feel something abnormal emanating from this crystal . They can¡¯t be possibly plotting anything good with something like this . To save many, sacrificing the few is sometimes¡­necessary . ¡±

    He could not ignore such a source of misfortune for the sake of Hermie herself .

    Konig spoke frankly, but Shin felt that he was forcing himself .

    ¡°Understood . I shall begin, then . ¡±

    Shin gave a small nod towards Konig and cast the Divine-type skill ¡¾High Cure¡¿ towards the crystal . It was the superior version of the ¡¾Cure¡¿ skill he had used on Milt, and it could heal multiple status ailments at once .

    As it had happened to Milt, the miasma was overwhelmed by the light that Shin released and grew thinner .

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s thicker here¡­then how about this!¡±

    Shin decided that using only one hand would have taken too much time, so as he kept casting High Cure with his right hand, he raised his left hand towards the crystal and cast the Divine-type skill ¡¾Purification¡¿ .

    The lights emitted by the two divine skills shone bright, as if filling the whole underground space .

    In response, the miasma was pulsating in an eerie manner as if to resist the light .

    Shin felt the rising of resistance, also increase the magical power in his both hands; the light emitted grew stronger .

    Roughly 5 minutester, the miasma had apparently finally reached its limits, and melted away in midair .

    The crystal, free of the miasma¡¯s clutches, regained its original brilliance, and the whole party sighed in relief .

    ¡°The miasma vanished, right¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s okay . No one is suffering anymore . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    Tiera and Yuzuha replied to the words muttered by Shin .

    The miasma that had tainted the crystal seemed to bepletely gone .

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin, while looking at the crystal, raised his voice .

    The crystal¡¯s surface was being gradually enveloped in red light .

    ¡°¡­did I do something wrong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright . The light covering the crystal is the lighting from the magical power of the person trapped inside . ¡±

    Shin was concerned, but Tiera, who hade next to him, spoke with conviction .

    Tiera continued by exining how highly dense magical power appeared as if shining .

    ¡°I believe that as Filma was inside the crystal for a long time, the affinity between her magical power and the crystal grew . As the miasma disappeared, it became easier to see . ¡±

    Schneepleted Tiera¡¯s exnation . Elves have high magic perception abilities, so they quickly realized what was happening .

    After calming down, Shin could also faintly feel the presence of Filma¡¯s magic power .

    ¡°Shin, you sure have moments of panic sometimes . You didn¡¯t understand right away because deep down you are really angry that your support character was used like this, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah . ¡±

    ¡°In this world, NPCs are people too after all . To be angry because the support characters, or should I say people, that you care so much about have been used is perfectly normal, I think . ¡±

    Being a former yer herself, Milt understood what he felt . She nodded and whispered ¡°That¡¯s the Shin I know¡­¡± with a smile .

    ¡°You never change, do you¡­¡±

    His head now cooled off, Shin sighed . He knew full well that he was mentally under pressure .

    ¡°No one would feel nothing after seeing othersy hands on one¡¯spanions . ¡±

    Schnee spoke as if to defend him, but Shin silently shook his head .

    ¡°No, that waspletely unexpected, but I should have at least inspected a little more . I¡¯m sorry . ¡±

    Shin regretted the false step he took . No matter what happened, he had to keep his cool .

    ¡°(Kuu? It¡¯sing!!)¡±

    ¡°Whoa! What? What¡¯s happening?¡±

    Just when he regained some calm, Yuzuha suddenly shouted from Shin¡¯s shoulder .

    Paying no mind to Shin¡¯s surprise, Yuzuha headed straight to the crystal .

    ¡°Kuu~~, Kuuh!¡±

    Yuzuha flew to the point where the crystal made contact with the ground and growled . Just then, a light glowing in golden and silver hues sprang forth, to be absorbed by Yuzuha¡¯s body .

    The light wrapped around Yuzuha, and after several seconds it disappeared,pletely absorbed by her .

    ¡°Yuzuha? What just happened . . ?¡±

    ¡°(Kuu! Yuzuha, Power UP!)¡±

    Yuzuha sat straight and howled . Shin looked at her closer and noticed that she had grownrger, her tails increasing from 3 to 6 .

    Apparently, she had regained part of her strength .

    ¡°(Did your powere back because what was tainting the Ley lines disappeared?)¡±

    ¡°(Yep, I guess!)¡±

    ¡­her intelligence hadn¡¯t changed much, it seems .

    ¡°Well then, this isn¡¯t like Yuzuha¡¯s power up, but let¡¯s free Filma . ¡±

    Standing next to the cheerful Yuzuha, Shin activated ¡¾Crafting¡¿, a skillmon to all production-rted jobs .

    All production-rted jobs require learning this skill, which is exclusively used to craft Drops of Erathem .

    ¡°Please wait a moment . ¡±

    After saying this, Shin touched the crystal . As he activated the skill, a rainbow-colored light spread from Shin¡¯s hands, gradually covering the crystal .

    After the crystal had been sufficiently covered, Shin grabbed it . His fingers prated the hard crystal quickly, as if it was made of y .

    Shin focused more strength on his fingers and pulled . With a sharp, clear sound, the crystal cracked .

    ¡°Looking at Shin work, you¡¯d think the Drop of Erathem was soft . ¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s actually a material that not even Ancient-ss weapons can chip¡­wait, what¡¯s happening now?¡±

    Shin voiced his surprise while he was trying to turn the crystal into an item card .

    The crystal in his hands suddenly floated in midair, as if responding to it, the giant crystal imprisoning Filma also floated upwards .

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha was looking at the scene, puzzled but without feeling any particr sense of danger or trying to run away .

    The crystal shone more brightly, then broke up as if it was liquid, turning into 5 globes of light .

    Filma, maybe due to the effects of such a phenomenon, floated in midair, enveloped in silver and red light .

    Shin was increasingly wary of this phenomenon he had never seen before .

    ¡°What¡¯s this!?¡±

    One of the five globes of light was absorbed in Filma¡¯s body . Among the remaining four, three moved respectively towards, Schnee, Shibaid, and Tiera .

    ¡°!?¡±

    The globes showed no sign of stopping, so the 3 readied their weapons . Additionally, Kagerou stood before Tiera as to protect her .

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    ¡°Hnngh!¡±

    ¡°Gruu!¡±

    ¡°Aah!¡±

    The globes would not stop, so the three swung their weapons . Yet the globes simply passed through them, to be absorbed within their bodies . Tiera¡¯s globe even passed through Kagerou .

    As the globes prated them, Schnee¡¯s, Shibaid¡¯s, and Tiera¡¯s bodies started glowing .

    Schnee emitted a silver and blue glow, Shibaid a silver and ck one, Tiera a mixture of silver, green, and yellow . After several seconds, all the lights disappeared together .

    ¡°Are you alright¡­ . w-whoa!¡±

    Shin was rushing to the three¡¯s side as the globes of light were vanishing, but as the light holding Filma in midair vanished too, he rapidly changed directions to catch her as she was falling . He caught her in his arms, then looked back at Schnee and the others .

    ¡°¡­this is¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm . ¡±

    ¡°Ehm¡­¡±

    Their expressions showed surprise, but not pain or difort .

    ¡°What happened? Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I cannot feel anything wrong with my body . How should I say it¡­my stats increased . ¡±

    ¡°The same goes for me . My stats have increased as a whole . ¡±

    ¡°Ehm, yes, I think the same happened to me too . ¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shin too was surprised to know about their stats increase .

    In THE NEW GATE, the only way to increase stats was to level up, perform reincarnation, or use stat-up items .

    Stats would also increase thanks to titles, but there were few ways to permanently increase stats .

    The Drops of Erathem were also supposed to be items unrted to stat increases .

    ¡°I suppose this means that it happened to Filma too, as she was in the same state as you . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very possible . I can¡¯t detect any other change in particr . How is Filma¡¯s condition?¡±

    Schnee inquired about Filma¡¯s condition, whom Shin was still carrying in his arms . As if to answer her, Filma moved slightly and opened her eyes .

    What her deep red and violet eyes -the same color as her hair- saw was Shin¡¯s face .

    ¡°¡­ . Master? Eh? What? Why?¡±

    Still drowsy, Filma saw Shin¡¯s face in a blur .

    It took a little for her to recognize him, but when she did she instantly recovered from her half asleep state and looked around frantically, while still in Shin¡¯s arms .

    ¡°Ah! Schnee! Please tell me what¡¯s going on!!¡±

    Filma shouted after seeing Schnee .

    The fact that she was still holding onto Shin was proof that she was still confused .

    ¡°First of all, can you stand?¡±

    ¡°Er, yes, I think . ¡±

    Seeing Filma this meek was unusual in Shin¡¯s eyes . In the game, he had set her personality as frank and open .

    ¡°But more than that!! Someone exin!!¡±

    Filma apparently came back to her senses and raised her voice again .

    Shin thought that it was pretty unusual for Filma to act like that .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°I see, now I¡¯ve grasped the situation . ¡±

    As the party exined their mission to rescue Hermie, Filma nodded in understanding .

    Together with the oral exnation, they exined to her what they didn¡¯t want Konig to know via Mind Chat .

    They only gave her a very basic exnation for the moment, nning to go in more detailter .

    ¡°I will help too, then . I¡¯ve awakened and there¡¯s nothing wrong with my body, so I¡¯m returning to the battlefield right away . ¡±

    Filma announced her return as if it was apletely natural development . She had checked her condition, but didn¡¯t find anything unusual . Her stats, however, had increased as expected .

    The one globe not absorbed by anyone had returned to the crystal, so Shin turned it into an item card and collected it .

    ¡°And now that we¡¯re all set, pull that out Shin,e on . ¡±

    ¡°Alright . ¡±

    Shin, acting as if he was pulling it out from his chest pocket, took a card out of the item box and gave it to Filma .

    As Filma materialized it, a deep red greatsword with a 2 mels de appeared .

    It was a double-edged sword; the deep red at its center would gradually grow fainter towards the edges, turning silver on the de itself . Bright gemstones shaped like square pyramids were embedded on the base of the de, from which originated geometrical patterns which decorated the whole body of the weapon .

    The de was roughly 15 cemels wide, sopared to a wide greatsword like Rionne¡¯s ¡ºMuspelm¡», it seemed very thin .

    It was Filma¡¯s main weapon, the superior ancient-ss greatsword ¡ºRed Moon¡» .

    ¡°This is the sword I¡¯m mostfortable with after all¡­but wait, it¡¯s more powerful than before?¡±

    ¡°Well, lots of things happened while you weren¡¯t around . I¡¯ll tell you moreter . ¡±

    ¡°Alright then! Let¡¯s go and save that poor Hermie, shall we?¡±

    As should have been expected, Filma didn¡¯t appreciate at all the enemy¡¯s ways, so she was more than eager to act right after joining the party .

    ¡°¡­ . in the end, we basically have more fighting power now?¡±

    Too many unexpected developments had left Konig unable to keep up; all he managed to mutter was this onement .

    He didn¡¯t react to Filma shouting Schnee¡¯s name, so he had probably not heard it or not recognized it .

    ¡°I think it¡¯s better not to think too hard about it . We ended up using a lot of time for this unexpected event, so let us leave other exnations forter . ¡±

    ¡±Yes, that¡¯s¡­right . We should think about rescuing Lady Hermie right now . ¡±

    Shin started walking away, and Konig followed while shaking his head .

    ¡°Hey Milt! Get a move on or we¡¯ll leave you behind!!¡±

    ¡°Yeees,ing!¡±

    Milt was crouching where the crystal was, but she stood up and joined the party after Shin¡¯s call .

    ¡°What were you up to?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if there was no way to know why the Drop of Erathem was on top of the Ley line¡­well, I¡¯m bad at Analyze-type skills, so I didn¡¯t understand much though . ¡±

    Milt¡¯s job was a pure fighting one . She barely learned any Analyze-type skills .

    ¡°It is unnatural for it to be here, yes . ¡±

    ¡°Could they have brought it here from somewhere else?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the most eptable exnation, I think . ¡±

    Drops of Erathem like the one that had trapped Filma only formed as a product of natural magic power .

    Not even demons or High Humans like Shin, could create Drops of Erathem artificially .

    The demons had only tainted the crystal with miasma, through the magic circle in the other room, and used the magic power within it .

    Shin possessed a creation machine that allowed him to create materials, but he couldn¡¯t create arge crystal like the one that had imprisoned Filma .

    ¡°They might have used it after they found it by chance . In the end, all they could do with it was ce it here though . ¡±

    Drops of Erathem were so hard that only cksmiths or alchemists of the highest level were able to craft with it . The fact that they left Filma inside it instead of controlling her through the Cor of Submission was proof that even the demons couldn¡¯t do anything to it .

    The number of the support characters expressed the order they had been created during the game . Filma was number 2 .

    As she had been created roughly at the same time as Schnee, her stats were slightly superior to Girard¡¯s .

    If she had been under enemy control, they would have had to deal with her as soon as possible .

    ¡°Well, we should ask that to the person directly involved . We will have to meet them one way or the other, after all . ¡±

    It was no more than a hunch, but Shin felt that it would definitely be reality .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    At the same time as Shin¡¯s party departed from Sigurd, in the room within the cave where Hermie was held .

    Standing guard were Wilhelm, brought there by Adara, and 2 of the Summit Faction¡¯s most capable soldiers .

    Wilhelm stood with an expression void of all emotion, it was unclear if he was conscious at all . Even if he was aware of his surroundings, it was not possible for him to think of something by himself .

    What he was now was just a doll that would attack anyone who came too close without permission .

    ¡°¡­ . why is this happening¡­?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re a Holy Woman . ¡±

    Looking at Wilhelm, Hermie let out a weak whisper . The answer came from Scoruas, who was standing near Wilhelm .

    ¡°You are¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, my apologies for not introducing myself earlier . My name is Scoruas, it is an honor to meet you . ¡±

    Scoruas introduced himself with affected politeness . Hermie, feeling an endless indescribable something hidden behind his smile, felt a chill down her spine .

    ¡°Where is this ce . . ?¡±

    She was supposed to be sleeping in her quarters in Palmirack, but when she woke up she found herself in apletely different room . The room was adequately furnished and allowed her to rest without problems . Yet at the same time, it made her feel severely cold chills .

    Knowing that Eline, the head of Bulk¡¯s followers, had been defeated, and all other coborators had been caught one after the other, Hermie thought all danger was over . She would have never imagined something like the current situation could happen .

    ¡°It would be meaningless to tell you . There is something I wish to show you, so I will have youe with me . ¡±

    Saying this, Scoruas pulled out a ck cor .

    The cor, which looked an even darker ck than before, was burned into Hermie¡¯s memories .

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!!¡±

    ¡°You know this well, don¡¯t you? I don¡¯t know how you removed the previous one, but this new cor is a bit special . I think it will fit you wonderfully . ¡±

    Scoruas equipped the cor on Hermie without even giving her the chance to resist .

    ¡°Uuh¡­aaah¡­¡±

    The very instant the cor was attached to her neck, all strength abandoned Hermie¡¯s body . Her body, which was attempting to resists, suddenly became immobile; it didn¡¯t obey her will anymore .

    ¡°This way, then . ¡±

    ¡°Kh¡­¡±

    She could not refuse the satisfied-looking Scoruas¡¯ gesture of invitation . Untied to her will, her body followed Scoruas . Somehow, it seemed that only her mouth was still under her control .

    Probably because they had been ordered to guard her, Wilhelm and the 2 other guards followed as well, in total silence .

    After they walked for roughly 10 minutes they arrived in arger area and Scoruas stopped .

    ¡°Come, in front of me . ¡±

    As Hermie stepped forward, she noticed something shining in the corner of her eye . She was standing in what seemed to be a gallery for spectators, above arge magic circle with several people standing in it .

    What she had noticed shining was the magic circle drawn on the floor of the room below .

    The people inside the magic circle were trying to leave, but the barrier erected at the circle¡¯s edges prevented them to .

    ¡°What are¡­you¡­¡±

    ¡°This is all in preparation for your turn . ¡±

    Hermie couldn¡¯t understand the situation, but Scoruas forced her to keep looking below .

    Then, after less than one minute, something changed . The people inside the magic circle started glowing, one by one, and disappeared .

    Their screams echoed through the room, striking Hermie¡¯s ears .

    ¡°What!?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it beautiful? The light that flickers when human life expires¡­the screams that adorn it too, they are soforting . ¡±

    Scoruas spoke with nothing but glee on his face, with a tone of voice that showed he truly enjoyed what they had seen .

    ¡°I cannot believe it¡­! Don¡¯t you have any regard for life!?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, It¡¯s nothing more than manure that increases by itself . Or good soil to grow miasma . Did you know? Humans are the living beings that create the most miasma in this world . ¡±

    Scoruas, who found even Hermie¡¯s angered voice pleasant, answered her in a somewhat bored tone .

    He then grabbed Hermie¡¯s face and pointed it to the people gathered below .

    ¡°Guuh!¡±

    ¡°Look very well . Everyone here has been gathered for you, you know?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    His face still in a smile, Scoruas kept Hermie¡¯s face pointed downwards with his right hand and, with his left, pointed at the sources of the continuous screams .

    ¡°As we have the honor of her highness the Holy Woman¡¯s presence among us, we had to prepare a fitting wee, right?¡±

    Behind his smile clearly lied malice .

    ¡°All the people suffering before you here¡­they suffer because of you . ¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­saying¡­¡±

    ¡°That they wouldn¡¯t have suffered if it wasn¡¯t for you . ¡±

    Scoruas whispered in Hermie¡¯s ears . As if in response, Hermie¡¯s cor gave a dull glow .

    ¡°Because of you . ¡±

    ¡°Because of¡­me¡­¡±

    Scoruas¡¯ words were impressed in Hermie¡¯s consciousness .

    ¡°They are suffering . ¡±

    ¡°Those people¡­are suffering¡­¡±

    Emotions, like thick mud, flowed into Hermie¡¯s defenseless heart .

    ¡°It¡¯s your fault . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­my¡­fault¡­¡±

    The whispers of demons lead human hearts astray . That effect was boosted by the cor, its influence stronger than normal .

    ¡°Did you think that you could have saved someone by bing a Holy Woman? You, who can only watch these people suffer before you, without doing anything? Did you seriously think you could do something?¡±

    ¡°I, I did¡­I wanted¡­to be useful to¡­some¡­one¡­¡±

    ¡°Yet you can¡¯t do anything, can you . Manipted, kidnapped, just waiting to be helped . I wonder how many sacrificed themselves to rescue you . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    After each of Scoruas¡¯ words, Hermie¡¯s heart cried in despair .

    There are people who were hurt, who suffered, to save her .

    Hermie knew well that it was the truth, so she couldn¡¯t deny Scoruas¡¯ words .

    ¡°Look, they are angry at you . ¡±

    The screams were caused by the despair born from their unescapable situation, but Hermie, under the influence of the cor and Scoruas¡¯ whispers, heard them as voices of resentment and insults towards herself .

    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t, mean to¡­¡±

    ¡°You did not realize it yourself? Oh mdy Holy Woman, I must bow before you . ¡±

    Acting like he could not believe what he just heard, Scoruas put his hand on his forehead in an exaggerated gesture .

    Hermie felt that even those movements were ming her .

    ¡°St¡­stop . ¡±

    ¡°What are you saying . They are dying for you, you know? Seeing them off is your duty, is it not?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not true, I did not wish for any of this!¡±

    ¡°Regardless of what you wish or don¡¯t wish, all people involved with you end up suffering¡­or am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°Gh¡­¡±

    Hermie could not say anything to Scoruas¡¯ words .

    She tried with all her might to string the words together, but they dissolved into mist before taking shape .

    ¡°To bring temporary sce in order to cause suffering around you . That¡¯s the kind of existence you are . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­aaah¡­¡±

    Hermie¡¯s sight trembled .

    Because of the cor and the miasma¡¯s effects, her thoughts broke and scattered into thousands of pieces, while her guilt towards the people before her and the disgust towards her own self grewrger andrger .

    The feelings lying deep within Hermie¡¯s heart grew stronger, along with her despair .

    ¡°Oh my, looks like it was more effective than I thought . What a splendid result . ¡±

    Hermie fell to her knees, whimpering . She didn¡¯t see Scoruas anymore, looking down at her . Crushed by self loathing and despair, her heart sank into darkness .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Hermie had been corrupted by Scoruas¡¯ malice, to the point that she was incapable of any reaction, but Wilhelm simply stood there, without moving an inch .

    As before, no clear consciousness inhabited his eyes . His utterck of any sign of life could have made him pass for an extremely intricate doll .

    Gradually, the human sacrifices¡¯ screams vanished; even if he had been ordered to guard Hermie, Wilhelm was just standing in ce, motionless .

 Vol 7 Chapter 4: Chapter 4

    "Phew! Shin sure showed him who''s boss! But we won''t lose either!"

    Milt spoke while looking at Shin''s entourage running off in the distance . She couldn''t helpughing after witnessing the brutal feat of a Raid boss being kicked in the air .

    "That was one hell of a first move . Let''s take this guy down before they finish the other off . No holding back!"

    Holding ¡ºVakira¡» with one hand, Wilhelm released his inner power . As his other self had said, he understood how to control or release his power, without the need to be taught how .

    "WOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!"

    Wilhelm''s heartbeat grew stronger and louder . An aura started flowing out of his body, dragon-like scales surfaced on his chest . His left pupil split vertically, while de-like translucent horns grew on his head .

    The aura, the scales, and the horns were all colored deep red .

    "Fwooooh¡­ . "

    "Wow, you''re really interesting, aren''t you . "

    In this world, Wilhelm''s new appearance was nothing but abnormal, but Milt simply smiled, enjoying the show .

    Looking at Milt and Wilhelm, who had not lost their will to fight after seeing Adara''s true form, but instead be more enthusiastic, Shibaid and Filma smiled too .

    "Hmm, the morale''s pretty high . "

    "Of course, after seeing something like that¡­it''s been awhile since I faced something this big, I''m going to get serious too, I guess?"

    "Don''t let your guard down, you hear?"

    "I won''t . There''s a clear difference in ability between us and the monster, after all . "

    Their tone was casual, but their expressions were as serious as they could be .

    A Grand Duke-ss demon would normally be faced by several yers together; the frontline with STR and VIT over 700, the rear guard with INT over 700 .

    No matter how well-equipped the party may be, it was not an opponent 4 frontlinebatants, 1 assist unit and a beast could normally handle .

    "I will attract the enemy''s attention! Attack at will!!"

    "Now this brings back memories!"

    "The shield role is yours!"

    "You''re going down!!"

    In response to Shibaid''s call, Filma, Wilhelm and Milt rushed towards Adara . A hastily formed party wouldn''t make cooperated y possible . For that very reason, Shibaid decided to leave the decision to each member''s prior battle experiences .

    "Impressive that you think you can match me with so few numbers . I could rout you here and now, but unfortunately I have no time to waste with the likes of you . "

    While deftly parrying Milt''s ¡ºBreogand¡», Wilhelm''s ¡ºVakira¡», and Filma''s ¡ºRed Moon¡» with his long sword, Adara kept his eyes on Tiera .

    Their opponent was a giant over 20 mels tall . If he proceeded ignoring them, Shibaid''s party, which was less than 10% his size, couldn''t stop him easily .

    "What you want to do matters not at all . Your center of attention will be me . . "

    Holding ¡ºcid Moon¡»in his right hand and ¡ºGreat Shield of Collision¡»in his left, and also equipped with his original Dragon gear set,  Shibaid stood between Adara and Tiera and used the Taunt skill ¡¾Mind Attract¡¿ .

    "What are you looking at!!"

    "Hngh, I''m being dragged¡­! So you chose to face me from the front? Interesting!!"

    Adara was forced to change the target of his sights from Tiera to Shibaid .

    Different from ¡¾Shura Rush¡¿and its wide area of effect, ¡¾Mind Attract¡¿targeted only one monster, making the user the target of all of its actions .

    It affected physical and magical attacks, sight, and "hate*", making it a necessary skill to have for shield-role yers when fighting bosses such as Adara . (T/N: I think this refers to "aggro")

    "I''ll have to praise you if you can withstand this!!"

    The battle axe and mallet swung down towards Shibaid . The weapons themselves wererger than Shibaid himself, their mass more than double his .

    Facing a blow that would definitely rend the earth, Shibaid simply readied his great shield in a stance, without moving an inch .

    "May the duel begin!!"

    An instant before receiving the attack, Shibaid activated the Shield-type Martial skill ¡¾Buster Fortress¡¿ . An emerald-green lightpletely enveloped Shibaid''s body, which was then struck squarely by Adara''s attack .

    A shock reverberated in the surroundings, shaking the ground around them and even creating a depression; shockwaves from the attack were released in all directions .

    However, Shibaid stood unharmed and the ground crushed under his feet .

    "What!?"

    The surprise came from Adara . The battle axe meant to sweep off his enemy''s torso, the mallet meant to crush his enemy to a pulp simply touched Shibaid and would not budge .

    The mallet appeared to be stopped by the shield, the battle axe by the armor; but looking closer, it became clear that they had both been stopped by the emerald light, and did not even brush against Shibaid''s equipment .

    "NGWAAAHHH!!!"

    With a chilling war shout, Shibaid moved one step forward and swung his shield . That simple motion was enough to knock away both Adara''s battle axe and mallet .

    ¡¾Buster Fortress¡¿too was an indispensable skill for a shield role .

    It allowed the user to nullify all damage from any attack and inflict knockback that forced the attacker to retreat temporarily .

    It was effective for 10 seconds the first time it was used in a battle; after that, its duration and cooldown time depended on the damage that the blocked attack would have inflicted .

    It was more effective the stronger the opponent was, and conversely less effective against weaker opponents . It was a perfect skill for boss battles .

    "He''s open! Charge!"

    Milt and Wilhelm attacked Adara, who had lost his bnce because of ¡¾Buster Fortress¡¿ .

    Filma, thanks to her long-standing rtionship with Shibaid, went closer to Adara, avoiding the range of his attack, as soon as she saw Shibaid hold up his shield .

    "We might be small, but you''ll pay for underestimating us so much!"

    An arc-like swing from below by ¡ºRed Moon¡» . The deep crimson sh left a clear slice wound on the left leg of the demon Adara, who was still reeling backwards .

    From the sh wound on the demon''s leg spilled out thick, mud-like blood . From the wound, crack-like effects spread all over the leg .

    The Sword-type martial skill ¡¾Bloody Torment¡¿ .

    Not only is its attack power high, it also slows the target''s movements and actions .

    Adara, with one leg nearly paralyzed, saw his stance copse even more .

    Milt and Wilhelm wouldn''t let such a chance pass by .

    "aasssh Nooovaaaaa!!!"

    Milt swung ¡ºBreogand¡» down on Adara''s leg, aiming at the wound Filma had just created .

    The skill she used was the Axe-type martial skill ¡¾sh Nova¡¿ .

    It was a skill which made use of centrifugal force to focus on dealing damage only, without additional effects .

    Also thanks to the cut that Filma had opened on Adara''s leg, ¡ºBreogand¡»''s giant de destroyed the part of the leg guard it hit; the wound couldn''t be ignored anymore .

    "EAT THIIIISSS!!"

    And then, with perfect timing, Wilhelm jumped in .

    ¡ºVakira¡», wrapped in the Spear and Lightningbination skill ¡¾Thunderhowl¡¿, went to stab the base of Adara''s arm, the one wielding the long sword .

    This attack, aiming at a spot not covered by Adara''s armor, easily pierced his defenses, allowing ¡ºVakira¡»to unleash its abilities to the fullest .

    "Kh, again!?"

    A blow from ¡ºVakira¡», a weapon demons have terrible affinity against, damaged Adara and at the same time greatly lowered his attack and defense stats .

    It also exponentially increased Wilhelm''s stats .

    Of course, normally¡ºVakira¡» doesn''t have impressive attack power . It might be a weapon specialized towards demons, but its wielder was still just one person . If a boss that had to be defeated by several parties together could be crushed by less than one full party, the game would lose meaning .

    "WOOOOOOHHHH!!!"

    Deep crimson lightning bolts swirl around ¡ºVakira¡» . It looked like a giant beast''s jaw .

    The crackling sound of thunder sounded like a bestial roar, bent on ripping off the demon''s arm .

    "Gwoooooohhh!!! Don''t¡­ . get¡­ . cockyyyyy!!!!!"

    Adara had beenpletely on the defensive until now, but he was still a Grand Duke .

    His primal roar, loud enough to silence ¡¾Thunderhowl¡¿''s crackling, spread through the surroundings together with a physical shock .

    The beast''s howl caused its 3 attackers'' danger detection abilities to sound the highest alert .

    A pitch ck aura emerged from Adara''s body, turning him straight back on his feet against allws of gravity .

    "I''LL CRUSH YOUUUUUUUU!!!!"

    What followed was a crushing attack by the demon''s 4 weapons simultaneously . The attack''s power was clearly much higher than before; Adara aimed to strike its 4 opponents at the same time .

    However, all attacks focused on Shibaid because of the effects of ¡¾Mind Attract¡¿ .

    4 attacks that would each rend the earth and create fissures lunged at Shibaid .

    "I will not let you!"

    Tiera, who had been looking for an opening in the demon''s defenses, judged it the best time to shoot her bow .

    She was holding the ¡ºSpirit Tree Resonance¡»bow, a weapon that manifested its full powers when wielded by specified Jobs .

    The flying arrows sparkled with the lightning strikes they carried . Shot after a brief pause, Tiera''s arrows pierced the battlefield . They were faster and stronger than the one she had shot at Balmel .

    Tiera had shot three arrows . Adara had employed all of his weapons to attack; also because of the arrows'' speed, he could not defend himself against Tiera''s attack .

    "Gwaaaahhh!!"

    The arrows turned into streaks of light and struck Adara''s head, exactly as targeted . One of the three pierced Adara''s right eye, causing a burning silver-colored sh to pour out from the wound .

    "Ghaah! As I thought, you are¡­!!!"

    Because of Tiera''s attack, one of the long swords Adara was holding stopped its assault towards Shibaid, as if it had lost all its power .

    Then, as if his arm had been paralyzed, the sword fell from Adara''s hand and nted itself into the ground .

    "Hmm? What is this power?"

    Shibaid knew well how strong a Grand Duke-ss demon was, making what was happening before his eyes all the more unnatural .

    Even if Tiera''s attack caused status abnormalities, it was too early for its effect to appear, and its power was too high .

    Shibaid''s calm assessment of the whole situation made him notice this abnormality right away .

    "I''m going too!"

    "I won''t lose either!"

    Thanks to Tiera''s attack and Adara''s slower reaction, Filma and Milt caught up . Milt stopped the long sword while Filma blocked the battle axe .

    Both their weapons were heavy types . Taking advantage of the centrifugal force, they drew arcs in the air .

    "Superior Dunk!!"

    "Impact sh!!"

    Among sword and axe skills, these two martial skills prioritized concussion over shing power . The skills ripped through Adara''s arm and knocked his attack out of trajectory .

    The remaining mallet strikended, but Shibaid''s shield withstood the impact without a flinch .

    "What¡­? It''s too light . "

    The power was definitely there; Shibaid could also clearly feel the vibrationsing from his shield, and the pressure he felt was definitely a high-ranked demon''s . However, thanks to his rich experience in battling monsters, he could feel that there was arge gap between the crushing sense of intimidation Adara emitted and his actual fighting power .

    Monsters dubbed "Solo-type" were indeed monsters one could defeat individually . Such a name, when applied to bosses, sometimes gave the false impression that they weren''t really strong .

    But that was just a misunderstanding caused by this title .

    In "THE NEW GATE" raid bosses were loosely ranked by difficulty level .

    The ranks were 5 in total: bosses that low-level and mid-level yers could handle were rank 1 .

    Bosses that a party of high-level yers had a 70% chance of defeating were rank 2 .

    Bosses that even several parties of well-equipped high-level yers had but a 30% chance of defeating were rank 3 .

    Bosses that parties of high-level yers with exceptionally high stats could face, but would never be sure of defeating were rank 4 .

    Lastly, monsters of nearly invincible strength, or rather set by the creators as "Fight me if you dare" bosses were rank 5 .

    "Grand Duke ss demons should be at least rank 3 . "

    Shibaid whispered to himself .

    Rank 3 monsters were the greatest quarry a single yer could defeat . Because of this status, rank 3 monsters were also called "Solo-type" .

    Not even Shin, in the game era, could say with confidence that he could defeat a rank 4 on his own . In the case of rank 5, luck was heavily involved too .

    Most Grand Duke ss creatures were rampaging monsters of terrible strength in the game era as well . It was not rare for them to be rank 4, with some rare examples going as far as rank 5 .

    Even if they were rank 3, it absolutely did not mean that they would be weak opponents .

    "I''m going to suck up that miasma!"

    Ignoring Shibaid''s doubts, the battle''s situation changed .

    Wilhelm, who had not participated in the defense against Adara''stest assault, took advantage of the opening after Adara''s attack and jumped in close to the demon .

    His ¡ºVakira¡»struck without hesitation, almost as if he was aware of Adara''s poor condition .

    The greatest reason for Adara''s weakness was indeed ¡ºVakira¡»''s presence .

    ¡ºBeinot¡»had changed into ¡ºVakira¡»because of Adara''s miasma . Because of this, it had especially good affinity with the demon''s miasma .

    Its miasma capacity, conversion rate, and absorption rate were much higher than normal when facing Adara .

    These values were more than double or triple the original stats .

    "Show me all your poweeerrrr!!!!"

    ¡ºVakira¡» was enveloped in a burning red color, brought forth by Wilhelm''s willpower .

    The fiery iron-melting mes turned ¡ºVakira¡»''s tip red hot .

    Spear and mebination skill¡¾Crimson Lotus Fang¡¿ .

    Armor had no meaning before this blow . ¡ºVakira¡»''s de easily melted the demon''s defensive gear, delivering its burning heat through it .

    The demon''s weakening, induced by the miasma absorption, proceeded alongside Wilhelm''s power-up .

    The power-up Wilhelm was receiving was far higher than he expected, but he did not falter .

    He knew . He understood what ¡ºVakira¡»was causing and why the others'' power was overflowing as well .

    The words of someone not present at the moment reached Wilhelm''s ears .

    "RRAAAHHHHH!!!"

    Wilhelm grabbed ¡ºVakira¡»as it stabbed the demon''s body and forcefully performed a sweep .

    Wilhelm''s reinforced muscr strength allowed him to force ¡ºVakira¡», while wedged in the demon''s arm, to execute an arc-like motion, thus driving its heat further and shing half of the arm .

    The heat caused the blood to evaporate, as ¡ºVakira¡»continued to devour Adara''s miasma .

    Every time the spear pierced Adara''s armor and body his abilities decreased, while Wilhelm''s increased further .

    "Even if it''s a weapon made to fight demons, is it normal for it to be this effective? Do you know anything?"

    "The¡ºVakira¡»I know doesn''t have this kind of insane ability . "

    Filma and Milt too, who had directly crossed des with the demon, noticed how Adara was clearly bing weaker .

    Judging from how the battle was going, they realized that the cause was Wilhelm''s weapon, but they couldn''t help wondering why the weakening and power-up it was causing were much more impressive than what they remembered .

    "Well, we can always ask after we''ve taken him down . "

    "If we don''t hurry up Shin and the others wille back too . They left this to us, we better do a good job!"

    Even if they had doubts about the situation, there was no time to slow down their attacks .

    Even weakened, the giant demon''s mass and muscr strength were a menace just by themselves .

    They couldn''t let down their guard until they hadpletely defeated him .

    They could see Adara''s HP gauge through¡¾Analyze¡¿ . Around 50% remained .

    One arm had be powerless because of Tiera''s attack, while another had been deeply cut by Wilhelm .

    They were both right arms, thus leaving the demon''s 2 left arms as the only ones usable .

    If Adara tried to change location, Tiera''s arrows and Shibaid''s shield would stop his progress .

    With no way to go, and his attacks forcefully directed towards Shibaid, it was obvious that he couldn''t defend himself at the same time .

    Taking advantage of these openings, Wilhelm''s ¡ºVakira¡», Filma''s ¡ºRed Moon¡», and Milt''s ¡ºBreogand¡»mercilessly beat Adara''s whole body .

    Filma, who had improved her abilities and stats by fighting alongside Shin . Milt, who had made her name famous as battle maniac . Wilhelm, who had gained his true power as a ''Critical'' .

    Their attacks caused Adara''s HP to decrease faster and faster .

    In addition to their attacks, Tiera''s arrows (boosted by Yuzuha''s support) continued to pierce the demon .

    Every time the arrows hit, Adara''s body was bathed in silver light .

    In the same way as Wilhelm''s ¡ºVakira¡», every time a silver sh burst the demon would lose his power .

    "Gah¡­kuuh¡­agh¡­"

    Adara, overwhelmed by the damage sustained, fell down to one knee . Wilhelm, his bodypletely enveloped with aura, jumped the highest he could and brought down his weapon .

    "HURRY UP AND DIE ALREADY!!!!"

    Adara was already covered in wounds . There was not enough strength in him to block Wilhelm''s full-power attack .

    Wilhelm threw ¡ºVakira¡», now morphed into a crimson sh, towards the demon .

    The spear shattered his forehead guard, tore his flesh, and crushed his bones, pulverizing Adara''s head from the mouth upwards .

    Filma and the others could see that the demon''s HP gauge had reached zero .

    Yet Adara did not fall . Even with his head lost, the remaining mouth still moved .

    "So¡­It¡­ends¡­heeeeeere¡­for meeeeeh¡­"

    "Eh?"

    "What?"

    A second after Milt and Wilhelm expressed their disbelief, Adara''s body copsed .

    Not only his body, but his gear too gradually turned into a thick goo-like liquid . Milt and Wilhelm stopped in their tracks .

    "Buuut¡­juuuust disaaaappeeeearing liiiike thiiiissss¡­iiiiisn''t likeeeee meeeeeeh¡­"

    Shibaid and Filma reacted instantly .

    "It''s noooot ffffuuunnnnn!!!!"

    At the same time of Adara''s scream, his now liquid body lunged towards Tiera .

    It was the demon''sst resort; while moving, his body was slowly disappearing from the edges .

    But beforepletely disappearing, it wanted to swallow Tiera and take her with him .

    "No, Yuzuha! Leave me and run!"

    "Kuu!"

    Tiera realized that she was the target and urged Yuzuha to flee .

    In response, as if refusing Tiera''s request, Yuzuha focused more power in her four limbs and cried .

    "It''s still a bit too early to give up!"

    As Tiera and Yuzuha were talking, Filma and Shibaid reached them .

    Shibaid stood between what had be of Adara and Tiera, while Filma took a stance behind him, thrusting ¡ºRed Moon¡»towards the sky .

    "You shall not pass!"

    With a bold shout, Shibaid firmly nted his ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡»into the ground .

    At the same time, the air before Shibaid trembled . A transparent, hexagonal barrier formed as to separate the space between Adara and Shibaid .

    It was one of the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡»''s abilities, the creation of attack-repelling barriers .

    It was originally an ability intended as anti-air, but it was sufficiently useful against Adara''s straight rush .

    "It won''tst long!"

    "I just need 5 seconds!"

    Judging from the liquid nature of the monster, it was only a matter of time before it crossed over the barrier .

    Filma answered Shibaid while focusing her magic power in her de .

    ¡ºRed Moon¡»''s de, held up high towards the heavens, started shining with a deep red light, which seemed to rise higher and higher .

    "Orrahhh!!"

    Trying to stop the advance of the thing which Adara had be, Wilhelm performed a long-range skill . A lightning re and raging mes struck the demon and managed to slow his progress for a few moments .

    "Milt, Wilhelm, get away from there!! You''ll burn up too!!"

    "Whoa, that''s a huge one! You get away too!"

    "Tch!"

    Milt caught on what Filma was about to do from Shibaid''s shout and urged Wilhelm to move too .

    Perceiving the magic power umting within ¡ºRed Moon¡», Wilhelm clicked his tongue but made use of his boosted physical abilities to the fullest and distanced himself .

    "Now!!"

    "Yes!!"

    After Filma''s signal, Shibaid dispelled his attack-repelling barrier . Like a flood no longer blocked by a dam, the turbid stream Adara had turned into grew closer .

    "This is the end!!"

    As if exchanging ces with Shibaid, Filma stepped forward and swung down her¡ºRed Moon¡» .

    Deep red streaks of light seared the earth, as if tracing the shing motion .

    Sword and Firebination skill ¡¾Shiden* ¨C Kagutsuchi¡¿ . (T/N: Shiden means Ultimate, remember when Girard used Zekka in his final duel against Shin? That''s a Shiden-ranked skill)

    This skill, christened with the name of the mythological god of fire, unleashed heat worthy of its godly origins .

    The ground under the turbid stream rose up in mes .

    From the spot¡ºRed Moon¡» had been swung, the light disappeared for an instant, but in the next instant roaring mes scorched the earth, with speed higher than the pitch ck stream''s advance . The moment the light soaring in the sky had wrapped the ck goo within itself, it had turned into hellfire .

    "Aaah!!"

    Even if she was at a fair distance from the attack and Shibaid was shielding her, Tiera couldn''t help but yell .

    Her skin had not been burnt by the heat . Nor had she been blinded by the light .

    But she couldn''t restrain her voice after feeling the sheer intimidation contained in that attack .

    "So this is the strength of a High Human''s follower¡­damn near unbelievable power¡­"

    "It''s a skill thatbines sword and me techniques . You can''t use it without a specificbination of user and weapon¡­both of them must be of the highest grade . "

    Watching the torpid stream engulfed by the mes, Milt answered Wilhelm''sment .

    The game''s exclusive special effects were a sight to behold too, but the scenery before Milt''s eyes now was something more divine and much more powerful .

    A holy me purifying corruption . That was what it suggested to the imagination .

    After the light grew dim, only the torn ground and a mineral emitting a red brilliance remained .

 Vol 7 Chapter 4.1: Chapter 4 Part 1

    ¡°OK, now that we¡¯ve decided on a course of action, let¡¯s get moving . There¡¯s no time to waste . ¡±

    Saying so, Shin looked towards the entrance .

    They used the only entrance into the room where Filma was held . As their first objective was to rescue Hermie, they no longer needed to stay there .

    ¡°Hey, Shin . I wonder if there are any secret passages in this room? Like an emergency escape route¡­maybe it¡¯s better to destroy them if we find any . ¡±

    ¡°I tried searching too, but couldn¡¯t find anything . What about you, Yuki?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything either . The sacrifice room is next anyway, maybe they limited the number of entrances to prevent unexpected visits?¡±

    Shin and Schnee inspected the surroundings again before answering Milt¡¯s question . As they confirmed there wasn¡¯t anything worth noting in the room, they decided to leave .

    Upon leaving, Shin closed the door and attached one of his specially made locks . Now it could only be opened either by injecting a specific amount of magic power or by forcing it open .

    ¡°OK then, for our route¡­above us, there¡¯s a passageway other than the one we took . ¡±

    Shin spoke while pointing at the upper part of the room, which looked like a space reserved for spectator seats .

    ¡°The passageway leads to a seating area to watch the area below . There¡¯s also a ratherrge room on the other side too . ¡±

    ¡°That makes it sound like a boss room . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . I can also feel Wilhelm¡¯s presence from that room . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Filma¡¯s words and shared what he had detected .

    The map showed 5 dots in therge room past the passageway . Alongside one of them Wilhelm¡¯s name was disyed .

    ¡°If Wilhelm is there, it¡¯s possible that Hermie is close too . ¡±

    ¡°But if they¡¯re gathered in the same ce, there must be something behind it . ¡±

    Everyone seemed to share Schnee¡¯s and Filma¡¯s predictions, so there was no objection to start moving again right away .

    The spectator seats were at a height far beyond the abilities of a normal person, but Shin, the rest of the Tsuki no Hokora team and Milt reached them easily with 1 jump .

    The problem was only Konig¡¯sck in jumping power, but it was solved quickly .

    ¡°Ehm, I¡¯m sorry . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . no, he¡¯s a divine beast after all . There is no other way . ¡±

    Tiera spoke to Konig in an apologetic tone, but he replied seriously and nodded .

    Just as he thought that he would climb the rope that Shin hung down from above, Kagerou jumped upstairs¡­with Konig in his mouth .

    Tiera or Shin wouldn¡¯t have been a problem, but for the moment it seemed that letting Konig ride on his back was not a possibility .

    The image of Konig talking seriously while in Kagerou¡¯s mouth and Tiera riding Kagerou would have been very surreal if one didn¡¯t consider the context .

    The slightly bizarre atmosphere that formed was then broken by a serious question from Milt .

    ¡°¡­ . I feel something evil from the next room . ¡±

    Her eyes were fixed towards the passageway leading deeper into the cave .

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s more than clear . ¡±

    Shin understood the meaning of Milt¡¯s words .

    Probably because of theck of any lighting, the farthest part of the passageway was pitch ck . The evil presence Milt talked about emanated from the deepest reaches of the corridor .

    There was nothing visible to their eyes, but they could still feel an unpleasant sensation crawling on their skin .

    ¡°I feel sick¡­the miasma is too thick . ¡±

    Tiera was holding herself up, barely managing to stand straight . Her sharper senses were not working in her favor this time .

    ¡°There are demons ahead . ¡±

    ¡°A presence this strong could mean that they¡¯re of Grand Duke ss too . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . If we don¡¯t take back Hermie before they get serious¡­the situation could turn really ugly . ¡±

    Using presence detection, Shin had the most urate detection range of the group .

    The map disyed to Shin¡¯s eyes showed Wilhelm¡¯s name among the marks present in the room beyond the doorway . Wilhelm¡¯s mark was colored green, which meant ¡°neutral¡± .

    There was another green mark besides Wilhelm¡¯s, then 2 red ones .

    Thest remaining mark was colored red and ck .

    ¡°I detect the presence of one demon . There are 3 human presences, Wilhelm included . One of those is probably Hermie, I think . ¡±

    If it was Hermie, her name should have been disyed too, but it wasn¡¯t . So Shin rted it as a simple hypothesis .

    ¡°Could they be manipted as I was?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t say . It previously happened that the markers stayed green until we were attacked . ¡±

    As Shin replied to Milt, Konig interjected .

    ¡°Should we wait?¡±

    ¡°Considering Hermie¡¯s rescue, that¡¯s probably a good idea, but I think it would be bad to just wait like this . ¡±

    What Konig said was not wrong . Waiting until the demons created an opening and using it to steal back Hermie would have been the best course of action to prioritize her rescue .

    However, in the same way as he felt there was still time when he faced Milt, Shin felt confident that letting the demons go here would have put them at a fatal disadvantage .

    Shibaid turned towards him and asked .

    ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Actually, it also happened when I met Milt before¡­I have a strangely sharp hunch . Something makes me feel that waiting here is definitely not a good idea . ¡±

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s probably the effect of ¡¾Intuition¡¿ . I have had simr experiences in the past . We must go then . ¡±

    ¡°I agree . The ¡¾Intuition¡¿ of those with high abilities is often correct . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I agree too . ¡±

    Shibaid and Schnee, who had fought in this world, as well as the former yer Milt all agreed with Shin . They all possessed the skill ¡¾Intuition¡¿, so they knew where he wasing from . While she kept silent, Yuzuha also expressed her agreement .

    ¡°I wanted to prioritize Lady Hermie¡¯s safety, but if it means for more danger I shall be prepared . ¡±

    ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s also better not to stay long in a ce filled with thick miasma like this . ¡±

    ¡°Gruu . ¡±

    Konig, Tiera and Kagerou did not pose any objections either and looked at Shin, their weapons in hand .

    ¡°First, Yuki and I will try to grab Hermie before the enemy notices us, then it all depends on what happens next . The demons are probably of Named ss . Myself, Yuki, Shibaid, and Filma will deal with them . Sir Konig, I want you to take Lady Hermie to safety . Tiera, you will take care of the remaining forces with Yuzuha and Kagerou .

    ¡°Hey? What about me?¡±

    ¡°Milt, I¡¯d like you to take care of Wilhelm . He¡¯s probably in the same state you were before . One-on-one is what you¡¯re best at, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but I don¡¯t know what this Wilhelm guy looks like . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem¡­this is him . ¡±

    After giving each member their orders, Shin pulled out a photo from the item box .

    ¡°Oh, a screenshot . OK, got it . ¡±

    The photo was a materialized screenshot . In the game it would be saved in data, but in this world one just needed to think ¡°take a screenshot¡± and, with a small MP expense, a photo would be created .

    Shin had found out about this as he tested all sorts of things when he taught ¡¾Purification¡¿to Rashia .

    ¡°Is everyone ready? ¡­ . let¡¯s go . ¡±

    Shin made sure everyone was prepared and led the party forward .

    At his waist hung one of the katanas he tempered while creating ¡ºTrue Moon¡» .

    Both the sheath and the de were pure white . It alsocked any decoration, and while resting inside the sheath it looked like a wooden sword like those used for practice . It was a superior ancient-ss katana, ¡ºMoonless Sky¡» .

    Shin cast the magic version of ¡¾Hiding¡¿on the whole party; they walked through the darkness, invisible .

    To Tiera and Konig, who did not possess¡¾Night Vision¡¿, Shin had used an item that temporarily granted simr effects .

    They walked onwards slowly, checking for any traps, then Shin noticed a small light peeking through the darkness . He focused and found that the light source was set next to the door .

    ¡°Looks like we reached our destination . ¡±

    A heavy door stood before them, dimly lit within the darkness . They drew closer to examine it, but apparently it wasn¡¯t armed with any traps .

    ording to Shin¡¯s map, in this room were Wilhelm, Hermie, a demon, and two other humans . Maybe because of the now reduced distance, Hermie¡¯s name was now disyed .

    Shin saw through the door with ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ and found Hermie sitting down in the center of the room, with a white haired man-looking demon standing before her .

    Wilhelm and the two other humans, possibly guards, stood like statues at the edges of the room .

    ¡°The demon and Lady Hermie are too close¡­ . . hm?¡±

    Shin was reflecting on a situation that made it hard to act, when the white-haired demon moved .

    His right hand, enveloped in miasma, was drawing closer to Hermie¡¯s head .

    The thickness of the miasma was easily visible even inside the dimly lit room . Seeing the sludge-like substance, Shin unsheathed¡ºMoonless Sky¡»before even thinking .

    ¡°Sssh!¡±

    A sh hissed through the air, following the arc drawn by the de .

    The long-distance powered sh emitted by the Katana martial skill¡¾Void Cutter¡¿cut through the door that separated the corridor and the room without resistance . Slicing through the air instantaneously, it shed off the demon¡¯s right arm .

    ¡°What!? M-my arm!?¡±

    As the demon¡¯s shocked voice reached his ears, Shin kicked the door down and barged into the room .

    ¡°You¡¯re finis¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not so fast!!¡±

    The demon squarely blocked Shin¡¯s next sh, aimed at his left arm .

    It was not visible on his clothing, but he seemed to have something equipped there . With a sharp sound and sparks flying about, the de sank into the left arm .

    What was surprising though, was that the de stopped before severing the arm .

    ¡°Hngh!¡±

    Before Shin could ready the next strike, the demon expelled miasma from his whole body .

    It was the same as the miasma that was wrapped around his right arm, clearly a different color from normal miasma .

    Before touching the miasma, Shin withdrew ¡ºMoonless Sky¡»and put some distance between himself and the demon .

    ¡°Damn, I couldn¡¯t reach her . ¡±

    Shin nned to step back while carrying Hermie with him, but the demon was in the way and he couldn¡¯t reach her .

    The miasma hadn¡¯t touched her directly, but maybe because of its influence Hermie¡¯s expression was distorted, in pain .

    One step behind Shin¡¯s exchange with the demon, Schnee and the others also made their move .

    Shin¡¯s sudden attack had left his allies surprised too . Their reactions were mainly two: Schnee, Shibaid, Filma, and Milt immediately analyzed the situation and followed suit, while Tiera and Konig stopped in their tracks .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Filma and Shibaid entered the room right after Shin . Schnee used ¡¾Void Cutter¡¿and, without a word, erased her presence .

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Gruah!¡±

    ¡°!! Sir Konig, let¡¯s go!!¡±

    ¡°Kh, we¡¯re one step behind¡­?¡±

    Tiera followed after Yuzuha and Kagerou¡¯s instigation . Konig, who had regained his senses after Tiera¡¯s call, moved inst .

    ¡°Well now, talk about unexpected . I knew you woulde sooner orter, but this is some incredible speed . ¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about your predictions . ¡±

    Probably because he had ovee the shock of losing an arm, the demon spoke in a petnt tone, a jaded expression on his face .

    Behind such a behavior, however, he paid close attention to Shibaid and Filma, who hade in after Shin .

    ¡°Wow, stronger than I thought!¡±

    ¡°Are they chosen ones too!?¡±

    Wilhelm and the other humans near the walls had moved, probably . Shin heard the voices of Milt and Tiera, who had begun fighting behind him .

    ¡°My my, what argepany . It¡¯s a shame that we aren¡¯t ready to wee you yet . ¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going back as soon as we do what we have to . No need to bother . ¡±

    Wielding ¡ºMoonless Sky¡»and not lowering his guard one second, Shin faced off against the demon .

    To his right stood Filma, ¡ºRed Moon¡»in hand, to his left Shibaid with ¡ºcid Moon¡»; both of them pointed their des at the demon .

    ¡°Oh dear, what impatience . Well, since you came all the way here and all, allow me to introduce myself . ¡±

    Saying so, the demon ced his left arm on his chest in a showy gesture and struck a pose .

    ¡°I am named Scoruas, one of the Grand Dukes and a follower of Miasma Lord Meahelga . ¡±

    After his introduction, Scoruas red at Shin¡¯s party, as a predator eyeing his prey .

    ¡°Unfortunately, I have no intention of doing the same . ¡±

    ¡°That is fine . I am not interested in you after all, but in thedy next to you . ¡±

    Scoruas looked towards Filma .

    ¡°It is a honor to meet you, Lady Filma Tolmeya . For you, who I could not touch inside the Drop of Erathem, toe meet me on your own, is truly convenient for me . I heard Schnee Raizar would be present as well, but I suppose I will keep that enjoyment forter . ¡±

    Filma¡¯s eyebrows moved at Scoruas¡¯ words . They could be interpreted as if she was nothing more than an appetizer before Schnee, and she couldn¡¯t help being affected by them .

    ¡°So you think that if I just came out you could do anything you please with me? I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re looking down on me a bit too much, you know?¡±

    ¡°I apologize if I offended you . But yes, as you say, watching you sleep within the crystal was enjoyable in itself, but humans shine the most through their emotions, after all . I just can¡¯t wait to see how delectable the taste of your despair is . ¡±

    Maybe because he felt he had nothing to hide, Scoruas answered Filma¡¯s question in apletely casual tone .

    His lustful eyes did not leave Filma one second .

    ¡°(It looks like we don¡¯t even exist in his eyes . )¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s just perfect . If he creates an opening for us it¡¯ll be easier to rescue Hermie . )¡±

    While talking with Shibaid via Mind Chat, Shin was thinking of a way to draw Scoruas¡¯ attention away from Hermie .

    As the invisible Schnee was drawing closer to Hermie, Shin gradually shifted his position too .

    ¡°¡­ . what?¡±

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s here . ¡±

    As if answering Filma¡¯s whispered words, a vibration shook the entire room .

    ¡°The room¡¯s shaking?¡±

    ¡°An earthquake, now!?¡±

    Milt and Tiera both focused on the possible danger, the first while parrying ¡ºVakira¡» with her twin swords, the second while shooting the two humans¡¯ legs with her arrows .

    ¡°(This is bad, Schnee!! Hurry!!)¡±

    While charging at Scoruas, who was still focused on Filma, Shin called to Schnee via Mind Chat .

    Schnee heard Shin¡¯s words and moved towards rescuing Hermie . Before she could do it, however, a shadow broke through the ceiling andnded right between Hermie and Schnee .

    Without losing her pace because of the unexpected situation, Schnee swung her ¡ºBlue Moon¡» .

    ¡°That won¡¯t work!!¡±

    As if Schnee¡¯s movements were visible, two longswords swung towards her . The deep green double-edged long swords shed with ¡ºBlue Moon¡», sending sparks flying all around .

    ¡°Gah! This isn¡¯t an elf¡¯s muscle power!!¡±

    His swords in a cross, the shadow¨CAdara shouted whileughing .

    Maybe because he wasn¡¯t in his original form, he was being slightly pushed back . ¡ºBlue Moon¡» was also eating into the longswords he wielded .

    Even though his appearance was not his true one, he was still a demon .

    Maybe because of a special ability of his, suddenly two swords just like the ones he was wielding floated in midair . Their des then pointed at Hermie .

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m about to say, right? Don¡¯t you move either, big guy . She can die right now for all we care, you hear?¡±

    The arrival of the second demon had made it more difficult for Shin¡¯s party to move .

    Using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ to examine their new opponent only confirmed how powerful he was .

    ¡°How underhanded . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s praise for demons like us . But instead of saying that withdraw your weapon already, you didn¡¯t even drop an ounce of strength!¡±

    While speaking, Adara infused more strength in his arms . Adara¡¯s longswords and ¡ºBlue Moon¡» were still in a sh of sparks, but Adara was being pushed back .

    As she had moved on the offensive, Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Hiding¡¿ had already disappeared .

    ¡°If you cast a single wound on her, I will cut you down here and now . ¡±

    ¡°Oh wow, so scary . Who¡¯s threatening who now?¡±

    Adara jeered with unchangedposure .

    ¡°Well, that could be fun too . ¡±

    It happened just as the des floating in midair received Adara¡¯s orders and moved to pierce Hermie .

    ¡°Waah!! Shin, dodge!!¡±

    ¡°!?!¡±

    One second after Milt¡¯s call, a jet ck sh flew through the room .

    ¡°GWAAAAHHH!?!¡±

    And one more secondter, Adara¡¯s scream filled it .

    The sh had squeezed through the space between the members of Shin¡¯s party and hit Adara . As he was still parrying Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡», he had no way of defending himself .

    ¡°What the hell!? My strength is leaving me!¡±

    Adara had been blown away; his stomach was pierced by a jet ck spear adorned with designs resembling running blood . The spear, which pulsated as if alive, was ¡ºVakira¡», the weapon Wilhelm was supposed to be equipped with .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Wilhelm¡¯s consciousness was confined to the deepest reaches of his heart .

    In a drowsy state, as if it could fall into slumber any moment, it respondedzily to a voiceing from somewhere .

    (So sleepy¡­)

    His consciousness was about to fallpletely . It would be a sleep he would never awaken from .

    The surroundings were enveloped in deep darkness, a ckness that seemed as if it could devour everything .

    ¡ª¨C!! !?!

    (Shit¡­what now?)

    Just ignore it . That¡¯s what he thought to do, but every time he heard that voice, Wilhelm¡¯s spirit was shaken .

    It was desperately trying to stop Wilhelm¡¯s consciousness from sinking .

    Like a single thread hanging within the darkness, it kept Wilhelm tied, keeping him from crossing thest line . As if it was telling him to listen to the voice .

    (Aaah¡­I¡¯m¡­I am¡­? Who am I¡­?)

    The first thing he thought about was his name . The symbol expressing his identity . His title .

    But it wouldn¡¯te out .

    As if something was preventing him to, something was trying to remove his consciousness .

    (What am¡­what am, I¡­?)

    In that utter darkness, Wilhelm stirred . But his arms and legs wouldn¡¯t answer hismands .

    Moving even just one arm felt as if he was sinking in mud, with weights attached all over his body .

    ¡ª¡ª!?!

    (Damn, can¡¯t hear¡­)

    He couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was failing to hear something very important .

    (Why is it so hard to move¡­what is this¡­?)

    Wilhelm grew more and more irritated towards his unresponding body .

    He felt a certain disgust, as if some unknown force was doing what it pleased with him . That emotion, rising from his chest, fueled his rebellious spirit .

    At the same time, his hazy consciousness became clearer and clearer .

    ¡ª¡ª¡ªme .

    (Not yet¡­it¡¯s not enough¡­)

    As if crawling in the darkness, Wilhelm tried to rouse more strength in his body, which he still couldn¡¯t feel clearly .

    It wouldn¡¯t normally be possible to visualize one¡¯s body when in a state of mere consciousness, but for some reason Wilhelm was in the darkness, stark naked .

    He opened his eyes only to find utter darkness before him . He could barely see 1 mel in front of him .

    Yet Wilhelm understood clearly that he himself was now existing there .

    He felt as if he was holding something . Looking down towards his right hand, he found his partner, morphed into something ominous .

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡±

    Wilhelm couldn¡¯t help but speak those words aloud .

    His beloved spear, which Shin had forged anew, was supposed to be Holy Spear ¡ºBeinot¡»with its tinum-like sparkle . What his right hand was holding, however, was a jet ck spear enveloped in a dark purple aura .

    Geometrical symbols of unknown meaning decorated its surface, dyed in a blood-red hue .

    ¡°Hell Spear¡­ Vakira?¡±

    For some reason, the name of the spear surfaced in his mind . It was a name Wilhelm didn¡¯t remember ever hearing before .

    ¡ª¡ª-ll me .

    ¡°¡­ . I can still hear it . ¡±

    He could understand that the sound whispered near his ears was someone¡¯s voice . But he couldn¡¯t understand what it was saying .

    ¡°Tch, I can¡¯t make it out!¡±

    Wilhelm voiced his frustration .

    No matter how much he tried, the voice would always vanish just before he could understand it .

    And every time the voice vanished, the feeling of missing something important grew more and more within him .

    The direction the voice came from was not fixed and seemed irregr . He didn¡¯t know where to move, his frustration only increasing .

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling sick¡­where the hell am I, anyway . ¡±

    Wilhelm suppressed the growing feelings in his chest and tried to regain his cool .

    Nothing positive would happen if he acted out of frustration in a situation he didn¡¯t fully understand .

    His consciousness had returned enough to be able to think in this manner .

    ¡°I have a weapon, I don¡¯t know where I am . What was I doing beforeing here, anyway?¡±

    Wilhelm searched his memories while analyzing his current situation .

    But no matter how much he tried to recover his past memories, nothing woulde out .

    What he could barely visualize was himself fighting against a monster . He was defeating undead monsters, when he felt something and entered some woods, where he met something .

    His memories from then were hazy . He felt like he had seen some sort of light .

    ¡°It¡¯s too fragmented . And I can¡¯t even remember my own name yet¡­what the hell¡¯s going on . ¡±

    Even if but a fragment, his memory of fighting against monsters was clear . However, he couldn¡¯t remember anything about the most important thing, himself .

    ¡°¡­ . hm?¡±

    Just then, Wilhelm felt his right hand vibrate .

    He tried raising his right arm slightly, and noticed that ¡ºVakira¡»was slightly trembling . Part of the weapon¡¯s deep purple aura was burning red, asionally emitting sparks .

    ¡°What¡¯s going on now¡­?¡±

    Wilhelm let out a hoarse grunt . Because the right arm grasping ¡ºVakira¡»was not the one he recognized as his .

    The arm was covered in scales, his nails were sharper too¡­just like a Dragnil¡¯s .

    ¡°No, wait, this can¡¯t¡­I¡¯m supposed to be a Lord . ¡±

    ¡°(That is both right and wrong . )¡±

    ¡°!?! Who is this?¡±

    Wilhelm didn¡¯t expect his mumbling to receive a reply, and instantaneously pointed Vakira at the direction the voice came from .

    ¡°(Hey there, me . )¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . ?¡±

    That casual greeting hade from a Dragnil-like man .

    ¡°(Hey now, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t recognize me? Well, normally we wouldn¡¯t ever speak face-to-face like this . It¡¯s really amazing though¡­weapons made by a High Human can even pick up people¡¯s emotions, huh . )¡±

    The man kept talking to Wilhelm, who furrowed his brows .

    When he heard the words High Human, the silhouette of a man appeared in his mind .

    ¡°Answer me . ¡±

    ¡°(I told you, didn¡¯t I? I am ¡°me¡± . In other words, I guess I could say I¡¯m another you? But no, not a split personality or something . I am power itself, one of the powers you possess . I gained this form because of the High Human¡¯s techniques and the feelings poured by the brats in your spear . )¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you going on about?¡±

    ¡°(Its form is different now, but ¡ºBeinot¡» can only be created by infusing people¡¯s hopes and prayers . There were ridiculously pure prayers imbued in the Venom spear you used before . Incredible how so many could be gathered in it, really . )¡±

    ¡°Prayers¡­?¡±

    The man continued talking nonchntly .

    Brats, prayers, Beinot . Every time one of those words reached his ears, Wilhelm was reminded of people connected to him .

    ¡°(I¡¯m surprised how the brats don¡¯t get scared of a face like this, really . )¡±

    ¡°What? What¡¯s that, all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°(Acting all rough like that is just a way to attract attention . Well, maybe half of it is the honest you though . You make others dislike you on purpose to not let them see the more important sides of you . That¡¯s also the reason why you rarely go to the orphanage . )¡±

    ¡°Orpha¡­nage¡­? Gah!!¡±

    ¡°(Remember . You haven¡¯t forgotten, have you? That¡¯s the ce where you first became a ¡°person¡± . )¡±

    In reaction to the word ¡°orphanage¡±, a storm of memories and shbacks burst inside Wilhelm .

    ¡°Gh¡­aah, shit¡­¡­ . . I remembered . ¡±

    Wilhelm, who had been holding his head, looked again at the man . As if those words were the key to open thest lock, all his memories hade back .

    ¡°(That¡¯s good . We can¡¯t stay here long, after all . )¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°(Just look behind me . )¡±

    With some suspicion, Wilhelm looked beyond the man¡¯s shoulders . There he saw an even deeper patch of darkness, shaped like a hole .

    Wilhelm had been looking towards the man all this time, but only now realized its presence .

    ¡°(You don¡¯t need me exining, right? If you fall here, you¡¯re not going back anymore . )¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I figured as much . ¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m telling you because you almost fell in . You have your spear to thank for that . The prayers inside it kept you out . )¡±

    ¡°They kept me, huh¡­and? Your role was also to wake me up?¡±

    ¡°(No, what I have to do is to teach you how to use the power . Because even though you¡¯re a ¡®Critical¡¯ and all, you don¡¯t even use half of it . That¡¯s why you were done in by some untransformed demon . )¡±

    The man shrugged, almost disappointed .

    ¡°There¡¯s power in me that I¡¯m not using yet?¡±

    ¡°(You can use maybe one-third of it now . Usually one has 2 species bonuses, but a ¡®Critical¡¯ has 3, even 4 . Yours are especially powerful too . But that¡¯s one reason why you¡¯re not using your powers to the fullest . Your evil eye¡¯s ability of gathering magical power to increase your physical abilities too, you aren¡¯t using it efficiently at all)¡±

    You¡¯re too sloppy, the man said .

    The man spoke normally of things Wilhelm waspletely unaware of .

    ¡°I¡¯d like to know why you know all that, but maybeter . If you¡¯re another me, then tell me . How can I use that power?¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s simple, you just need to ept me . The body knows how to use that power . You just need to realize itter . )¡±

    ¡°You¡­? I don¡¯t think I ever denied my Dragnil powers . ¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s not what I mean . I told you, right? You can probably use one-third at best . If you fully manifest your Dragnil powers, you won¡¯t get away with just your eye changing a little . )¡±

    The man meant that Wilhelm would be closer to a Dragnil .

    ¡°(You still fear your power . They call you a ¡®Critical¡¯, but you¡¯re afraid you might be a ¡®Miscl¡¯*, something that could lose control any moment . )¡± (T/N: a hybrid species)

    ¡°Tch, looks like you really are me¡­can¡¯t hide anything, huh . ¡±

    ¡°(Well, yeah . I know what happened to make you think like that too . But I can tell you for sure, that you¡¯re not . You¡¯re not a fake like that . )¡±

    The man¡¯s words brimmed with confidence .

    ¡°¡­ . really now . ¡±

    ¡°(Really . And so . Use everything you can . This world is jam-packed with strong people . If you keep fearing you¡¯ll just lose it all . )¡±

    The man didn¡¯t specify what exactly .

    It was something he didn¡¯t need to express in words .

    ¡°(Come on, make your decision already . Keeping you here isn¡¯t hard, but the flow of time here is different . They don¡¯t have much time left . )¡±

    ¡°What does that mean . ¡±

    ¡°(Can¡¯t you hear a voice?)¡±

    ¡°A voice?¡±

    Wilhelm could think of one thing only .

    ¡°(Listen well . You should be able to hear it . It should be more than enough to light yourself on fire, I¡¯m sure . )¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­¡±

    ¡ª¨CSave me¡­or, rather¡­kill me .

    What are you saying?

    Wilhelm was about to ask this question, but his words died halfway .

    He heard it . All too clearly .

    It was a faint voice, an extremely weak tone, as if it was going to disappear any moment .

    ¡°Tch! So this is what it was! Do it already!!¡±

    He knew that voice .

    They only spoke a few times . But Wilhelm knew her .

    The girl with the same power as Millie . The power that caused her to be targeted by Bulk, and now she was begging him to kill her¡­it was that girl¡¯s voice .

    ¡°(That¡¯s what I was waiting for!!)¡±

    As if he was waiting for nothing else than those words, the man standing before Wilhelm started glowing bright red, gradually losing shape . As if trembling in the wind, it entered Wilhelm¡¯s body .

    ¡°GH¡­ . WOOOOOHHHHH!!!!¡±

    At the same time, power burst forth from deep within him .

    Was this the feeling of having molten iron poured into your veins? That¡¯s how powerful the scorching heat rushing through Wilhelm was .

    Feeling this burst of power, the geometrical patterns running on Vakira¡¯s surface started shing .

    ¡°Give me¡­a¡­break . . ¡±

    His clenched teeth produced a grinding sound .

    That woman is saying the same thing as before¡­anger was building inside him .

    ¡°Saying I¡¯m going to die, kill me, so easily¡­¡±

    The words that escaped his mouth expressed bitterness towards his other self, who had offered no exnations, and anger towards the resignation to despair in the voice that had reached his ears .

    ¡°GIVE ME A DAMN BREAAAAKKKKK!!!!¡±

    The red-hot blood coursing through his body made Wilhelm roar .

    As if in answer, Vakira¡¯s shing turned into a glow, dispelling the surrounding darkness .

    As if pushed by the light, Wilhelm¡¯s consciousness suddenly returned .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 7 Chapter 4.2: Chapter 4 Part 2

    Wilhelm¡¯s change was first noticed by Milt, who was crossing des with him .

    ¡°Hey, that weapon is ¡ºVakira¡», right? Since when did it have effects like those?¡±

    She did not expect a reply . But she couldn¡¯t help trying to speak with him .

    The dark purple aura enveloping ¡ºVakira¡» had already turned mostly red .

    Milt didn¡¯t know what it could mean, but her intuition told her that it wasn¡¯t something to fear .

    While twisting her body to avoid the iing thrusts, she parried with a sweep .

    Her hands gripped her subweapons, fit to fight in such a narrow environment: the Mythology-grade twin des ¡ºMirbal¡» .

    In the dim darkness of the room, ¡ºVakira¡»and ¡ºMirbal¡» shed and generated sparks .

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist felt such a burning hot de . I see, you¡¯re resisting, aren¡¯t you . ¡±

    His burning willpower was transmitted through the de . His spear technique grew sharper with every blow .

    That was not something a controlled puppet could aplish; it was the expression of a powerful self-consciousness .

    Fighting, nothing more, nothing less¡­Milt, who fought to the death for no other goal than the fight itself, could feel it .

    ¡°Hey, tell me your name . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡ºVakira¡», once again aimed to pierce Milt¡­stopped in mid thrust .

    The violet aura enveloping ¡ºVakira¡»was now no more; a red aura had burned to cinders not only the weapon¡¯s aura, but also the one surrounding Wilhelm .

    ¡°¡­Wilhelm¡­Avis . ¡±

    In stark contrast with the searing hot aura, the answer came from a rather calm voice .

    Wilhelm¡¯s eyes, hollow and staring into nothingness just moments ago, now hosted a clear willpower .

    ¡°Shht¡±

    With a faint whisper, Wilhelm swung ¡ºVakira¡» so as not to hit Milt .

    This strike dispelled the remaining aura, which dissipated in midair .

    ¡°Maybe I didn¡¯t even need to face you?¡±

    ¡°No, I have to thank you . Sorry to end this halfway, but there¡¯s something I have to do first . If you want to continue, let¡¯s do it another time . ¡±

    While answering Milt¡¯s question, Wilhelm readied ¡ºVakira¡» into a stance .

    ¡°I¡¯ll be d to, if we have the chance¡­ . . what?¡±

    Milt had but an instant to savor the anticipation for another battle . It felt as if a question mark appeared above her head .

    The reason was that Wilhelm¡¯s stance was not in preparation for thrusting, but for throwing his spear .

    ¡°You will pay¡­¡±

    The instant his stance waspleted, a sharp glint sparked in Wilhelm¡¯s eyes .

    The cid atmosphere of moments ago vanished into thin air, substituted by an eruption of rage .

    It was intense enough for Milt to feel goosebumps .

    Wilhelm¡¯s eyes were directed beyond Milt, towards Shin and the others .

    ¡°¡­for screwing with me!!!¡±

    ¡°Waah!! Shin, dodge!!¡±

    Milt caught on what Wilhelm was trying to do and immediately shouted .

    At the same time as Milt¡¯s warning, Wilhelm¡¯s hand blurred and Vakira flew through the air, leaving afterimages trailing in its wake .

    As if answering its wielder¡¯s will, ¡ºVakira¡»charged forward towards its target, without the slightest bend in its course .

    ¡°Gwoooohhh!!!¡±

    ¡ºVakira¡»had turned into a ck sh, piercing Adara, who had been locking swords with Schnee; he was blown away .

    ¡ºVakira¡» stood straight through his stomach, its red glow burning brighter and brighter .

    ¡°What the hell!? My strength¡¯s leaving me!¡±

    Possibly because he had been taken by surprise, Adara¡¯s face was a mask of pain, as he tried to pull ¡ºVakira¡»out .

    ¡°Ggh, damnit!!¡±

    The paining from the hand grabbing ¡ºVakira¡»contorted Adara¡¯s expression even more .

    Milt¡¯s eyes and ears felt the sound of the red aura eroding Adara¡¯s hand, a sound as if something was burning .

    ¡°Transforming my spear was a big mistake . ¡±

    After throwing ¡ºVakira¡», Wilhelm walked closer to Shin and the others .

    At the same time ¡ºVakira¡» glowed even brighter, enveloping Wilhelm¡¯s body with a crimson aura .

    ¡°Ggh, gwaaahhhh!!¡±

    Adara understood that wasting more time would be dangerous and forcefully extracted ¡ºVakira¡»from his body, attempting to destroy it with his des still floating in midair .

    But before he could, Wilhelm said just one word .

    ¡°Return . ¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    That very instant, ¡ºVakira¡»vanished from midair, as if made of mist . The next instant, it was safely in Wilhelm¡¯s hands .

    Thanks to Adara being blown away, Schnee could rescue Hermie .

    Holding his hands over Hermie¡¯s cor, Shin inquired to Wilhelm .

    ¡°Wait a second now, I don¡¯t remember ever adding a function like that?¡±

    ¡°That blonde guy there had the brilliant idea of messing with it . Now he knows how brilliant of an idea that was though . ¡±

    Wilhelm answered Shin while readying ¡ºVakira¡»in a stance again .

    Shin had already seen through that the weapon that stabbed Adara was ¡ºVakira¡» . His surprise was due to the fact that instantly returning to the wielder¡¯s hands via vocalmand was an ability that ¡ºBeinot¡»gained only through an event .

    ¡°So that¡¯s why it became ¡ºVakira¡»¡­anyway, being able to use both abilities is pretty close to cheating, I say . ¡±

    Other than its own basic abilities,¡ºBeinot¡»also had increased damage against demons and undead . But it wasn¡¯t a significant increase .

    On the other hand, ¡ºVakira¡»could absorb miasma to raise the user¡¯s stats . It was a weapon effective specifically towards miasma, so the increase was much higher than ¡ºBeinot¡» .

    ¡ºVakira¡»was wrapped in miasma, but did not generate it . It only looked like it did, as it kept gathering nearby miasma .

    Its ominous appearance and the fact that it requires miasma when forging it made its abilities not known; even some yers would have the wrong idea about it .

    It was clear to anybody that its abilities were best used with demons as opponents .

    Demons, essentially a mass of miasma, were nothing more than easy prey for ¡ºVakira¡» .

    ¡°Oh my, you look quite pathetic now . ¡±

    Scoruas spoke to the copsed Adara . While he himself was unharmed, he had just witnessed an attack that blew hisrade away . Nevertheless, he had not lost hisposure .

    ¡°What else could I have done? It was all timing . But hey, they¡¯re taking off your cor too, see?¡±

    The tone of Adara¡¯s answer did not show signs of pain either, despite the wound he had just suffered .

    ¡°You¡¯re still pretty damn confident, huh?¡±

    ¡°Oh, rest assured that I¡¯m surprised . I went and turned it to the negative side, but I see it¡¯s totally on ¡°this¡± side, huh? The weapons humans make are always so interesting!¡±

    Adara¡¯s stomach alreadycked any trace of damage . Being a high-ss demon, his recovery speed was also off the charts .

    ¡°And now they got our hostage¡­sacrifice too . They know of this ce too . Guess it¡¯s time to end this, huh?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true . With all the people present here, we can make some very good soil . ¡±

    Adara proposed abandoning the cave in a casual tone, and Scoruas approved just as nonchntly, apparently without giving it serious thought .

    ¡°Hey, Shin . ¡°All the people present here¡±, he said . ¡±

    ¡°Well, if they enter theirplete form, we¡¯ll end up buried alive deep underground . They¡¯ll grow to considerable size so they won¡¯t die, but normally we¡¯d be either crushed to death or suffocate, I guess . ¡±

    Shin answered Filma¡¯s words and entrusted Hermie to Konig, who hade after defeating the guard .

    Tiera, who had defeated the other guard, and Milt too were in a battle-ready stance .

    They did not know the actual depth of their position, but it was surely deep enough that the 10-20 mels within the scope of a upper-ss chosen one¡¯s abilities wouldn¡¯t be enough .

    Shin never had the chance to try nor did he ever think to, but if they were buried under great quantities of soil, he was not sure he could survive .

    There were skills to dive underground, but they were earth-type skills that only allowed digging 1 or 2 mels; it would have been nothing more than a gamble .

    ¡°Oh my, you saw through us already . We are roughly 100 mels underground, after all . Not even a chosen one could¡­gh!! I do not mind you resisting, but you should listen when someone speaks!¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s strike interrupted Scoruas¡¯ speech .

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less . Just looking at your faces makes me want to throw up . ¡±

    Scoruas had parried ¡ºVakira¡»¡¯s thrust with his left arm, but Wilhelm continued to attack without giving him pause .

    ¡°Shin!! You can cut them down like nothing, can¡¯t you!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer to give priority to healing Lady Hermie, though . This cor is much more dangerous than the one I saw before . I couldn¡¯t destroy it right away, so I have no idea how it¡¯s affecting her spiritually . ¡±

    Shin did not mean to waste time talking either . The eerie miasmaing from Hermie¡¯s cor emanated much higher danger than the one he removed at the church .

    At the church it only took him an instant to remove it, but now it was taking considerable time .

    Even if temporarily, he had turned his back on the enemy . But between Shin and the demons stood Filma and Shibaid, ready to battle and not leaving a single opening .

    ¡°What? All the more reason to finish off these bastards and focus on the healing!¡±

    After hearing Shin¡¯s words Wilhelm spat out words seething with rage . As if agreeing with him, ¡ºVakira¡»burned brighter .

    ¡°Yeah, I just needed time to destroy Lady Hermie¡¯s cor . We don¡¯t need to listen to them anymore . ¡±

    ¡°That is a problem . We need you all to die here, after all . Oh, I will be taking Lady Schnee and Lady Filma with me, so please do not worry . ¡ª¨COh?¡±

    As he was talking, Scoruas¡¯ sight left Shin¡¯s party and focused behind them .

    ¡°¡­ . this presence¡­¡±

    The smile finally left Scoruas¡¯ expression . His confidence was no more .

    ¡°¡­ . . Adara, the situation has changed . We must kill her . Cooperate . ¡±

    ¡°What? It¡¯s weird for you to be this tense . ¡±

    ¡°Just look at her and you¡¯ll understand . ¡±

    Saying this, Scoruas motioned towards Tiera .

    ¡°¡­ . ah, now I get it . Yeah, can¡¯t leave this one alive . ¡±

    Apparently understanding without the need for further exnations, Adara muttered these words and raised his speed .

    In the same way as Scoruas, he rushed towards Tiera with enough power as to crush the ground beneath his feet, paying no attention to Shin or anyone else .

    Their eleration was enough to leave behind afterimages . But Shin and the others wouldn¡¯t be ovee so easily .

    ¡°Hey now, what¡¯s the rush? Don¡¯t you dare ignore me now . ¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this after all that bragging, you know . ¡±

    Wilhelm stopped Adara, while Shin blocked Scoruas .

    Then, as if creating multiple walls, Schnee, Filma and Shibaid stood beside them, ready to assist at any time .

    ¡°¡­ . eh? Ah¡­¡±

    On the other hand Tiera, who had been targeted all of a sudden, let out a raucous whisper . She had been swept by a killing intent and crushing pressure the likes of which she had never felt before .

    ¡°Grururu¡­¡±

    ¡°Kufuuuh!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s body couldn¡¯t move, but Kagerou and Yuzuha, their fur standing up, stood in front of her as to protect her . Looking at their backs, Tiera copsed to her knees due to the overwhelming pressure .

    ¡°Are you okay? Do you recognize me?¡±

    ¡°Aah¡­ye . . s . . ¡±

    Milt helped Tiera stand, as she couldn¡¯t support herself .

    She seemed to have trouble breathing, but had not lost consciousness .

    Having enough mental strength not to faint under the effect of the killing intent of Grand Duke-ss demons was a feat in itself .

    ¡°Move . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in the way¡±

    Shin and Wilhelm answered the demons¡¯ words with taunting smiles .

    ¡°Let¡¯s just crush them . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that . ¡±

    Deciding that trying to break through would take too much time, Adara and Scoruas decided to return to their true forms .

    ¡°As if we¡¯d let you!¡±

    Close to the demons now attempting their transformations, Shin materialized an item from the item box . It was the crystal stone he once used in front of Tiera .

    ¡°Facing demons underground, you think I didn¡¯t make my preparations!?¡±

    Shin poured magic power in the crystal, without hesitation .

    As the magic skill engraved on the crystal activated, the surrounding scenery warped; the next instant, everyone present in the room was now outside, on a wide open in .

    They were now on the ins connecting the sacred ce Kalkia and castle town Balmel, near the woods where Shin and Rionne once lit a bonfire .

    Shin, having heard about the demons from Schnee after being blown to Kalkia, had marked the location, in case they would have to fight demons above a certain rank .

    He had already verified that these ins were scarcely visited by humans, as they were often traversed by monsters because of the ¡ºFlood¡» .

    ¡°Where is this¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exinter . Sir Konig, please take Lady Hermie away from here . And take this . ¡±

    Even if her cor had been removed, Shin did not want Hermie to stay in the battlefield .

    For added safety, he handed Konig a substitute-type item that would absorb damage inflicted to them, a monster repellent item and a barrier-creating item . After going a certain distance, they nned to use the ¡°Cloak of Hiding¡± to conceal themselves .

    ¡°You¡¯re always pulling surprising stunts, aren¡¯t you . ¡±

    ¡°I had heard about the demons from Schnee, you see . It was like an insurance, but now we can fight to our hearts¡¯ content, right?¡±

    Wilhelm looked very surprised by the development, but Shin answered him casually .

    In fact, Grand Duke-ss demons were not considered exterminated even if their human forms were defeated . There were exceptions, but very few .

    Most Grand Duke ss demons achieved their true form by cutting off the head of their human form .

    That was one reason why Shin had targeted Scoruas¡¯ arm .

    Before the party now stood the two demons in their true forms .

    ¡°Hey hey, I wasn¡¯t expecting this . Where are we anyway?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem . Our target is still here with us . ¡±

    Without paying the slightest attention to Hermie¡¯s entourage leaving the scene, Adara and Scoruas looked down at Tiera .

    Adara¡¯s transformation was a giant human-like figure . It was a type also called ¡°War God¡±: its appearance was human-like but it had 4 arms and 2 faces . It was roughly 25 mels tall and wore armor resembling a Chinese general of old . It wielded two long swords, a battleaxe and a mallet .

    As it resembled a human in appearance, it was also rtively easier to think of a way to fight it .

    On the other hand, Scoruas was more difficult . It was a Chimera-type, which made it difficult to imagine what it was originally .

    Its face was sharp and angr, as if crustacean shells formed an eel-like head . On both sides of the head there also were horn-like objects pointing forward .

    Its upper body was human-like and covered in scales, just like Magnamuc; from where his right arm would be sprouted three octopus-like tentacles, while in ce of the left arm he was equipped with two crab-like pincers .

    The lower body seemed like a mixture between a horse and a tiger¡¯s . It would take some effort, but by imagining the front part as the horse¡¯s and the back part as the tiger¡¯s, it could almost look like a nightmarish centaur . Counting the horse and tiger limbs, it had 6 legs in all .

    ¡°Yuzuha, I leave Tiera to you . Tiera, stay close to Yuzuha and assist us . They will probably target you, so put enough distance between you and them . And equip this!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°U-understood!¡±

    While giving directions, Shin threw a defensive item at Tiera . Among all present, Tiera was the only one at danger of instant death .

    ¡°This is getting pretty fun!! Shin, who will deal with who?¡±

    Excited at the appearance of such strong opponents, Milt had already put away the twin swords ¡ºMirbal¡» and drawn her main weapon, a low rank Ancient-grade poleaxe ¡ºBreogand¡», with its de wrapped in pale blue mes .

    Just its handle was as long as Milt was tall; at first nce, no one would think that it was a weapon she could wield .

    Shin knew, however, that all yers who underestimated her that way had been split in two .

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­Scoruas is probably a raid type . Schnee, Kagerou and I will deal with him . Filma, Shibaid, Wilhelm, Milt, go get Adara . Tiera, Yuzuha, prioritize evasion and give us assistance . The enemy¡¯s strong, never let your guard down!¡±

    As if in unison with Shin¡¯smands, the sounds of Scoruas and Adara¡¯s approaching footsteps grew louder . The teleportation had put some distance between them, but for the two giants it was a trivial problem . Shin and Schnee used stat boost skills on the whole party, which then split into two teams .

    ¡°First of all, we¡¯ll separate them! Kagerou, stand in front!¡±

    ¡°Gruu!¡±

    If they were close, the two enemies could have helped each other . Shin tried to stop that as first priority .

    Standing behind Kagerou, who had returned to his original form, Shin hid from Scoruas¡¯ sight and released all ¡¾Limit¡¿ .

    At the same time as he ran behind Kagerou, Shin cast ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to conceal himself and charged towards Scoruas at maximum speed .

    ¡°Time to fly!¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin¡¯s unforeseen full-power kick struck Scoruas¡¯ human-like part, in what would correspond to the pit of the stomach .

    Barehanded and windbination skill ¡¾Raging Arrow¡¿ .

    The mercilessly delivered kick was something beyond this world¡¯s nature .

    Along with the sound of the thunder, the 25 mels tall giant was sted high in the air .

    After a few seconds Scoruas crashed back down into the ground, creating a small crater and raising arge cloud of dust .

    The total distance the demon flew before crashing down was easily over 800 mels .

    The part kicked by Shin showed an abnormal wound; it wasn¡¯t clear if it had been struck or gouged .

    The attack¡¯s power was so impressive that even Adara, who had not been affected, stopped in his tracks . At the same time, the copsed Scoruas was still under attack .

    ¡°¡­¡­fall . ¡±

    A clear voice resounded through the battlefield . Following it, blue lightning bolts poured down from the sky .

    Lightning magic skill ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿ .

    The storm of lightning strikes which had burned to ashes the swarm of monsters that attacked Balmel, without a shred of pity, doused Scoruas¡¯ entire body in mes .

    In the game this magic skill couldn¡¯t be used in boss battles, but probably because his appearance seemed to be formed mostly by water-element monsters, Shin saw Scoruas¡¯ HP gauge decrease significantly .

    They had already caused damage for 10% of the total, in just 2 blows .

    Scoruas was a Raid-type monster . Originally he would be fought by several parties at once, each one shaving his HP little by little . Considering that, this damage was almost unreal .

    ¡°Let¡¯s crush him right away and go assist the others . ¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Gruaah!¡±

    The High Human Shin, High Elf Schnee, and divine beast Kagerou headed towards Scoruas .

    The difference in fighting power was crystal clear . Thus started the hunt for the Grand Dukes .

 Vol 7 Chapter 4.3: Chapter 4 Part 3

    ¡°Phew! Shin sure showed him who¡¯s boss! But we won¡¯t lose either!¡±

    Milt spoke while looking at Shin¡¯s entourage running off in the distance . She couldn¡¯t helpughing after witnessing the brutal feat of a Raid boss being kicked in the air .

    ¡°That was one hell of a first move . Let¡¯s take this guy down before they finish the other off . No holding back!¡±

    Holding ¡ºVakira¡» with one hand, Wilhelm released his inner power . As his other self had said, he understood how to control or release his power, without the need to be taught how .

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s heartbeat grew stronger and louder . An aura started flowing out of his body, dragon-like scales surfaced on his chest . His left pupil split vertically, while de-like translucent horns grew on his head .

    The aura, the scales, and the horns were all colored deep red .

    ¡°Fwooooh¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really interesting, aren¡¯t you . ¡±

    In this world, Wilhelm¡¯s new appearance was nothing but abnormal, but Milt simply smiled, enjoying the show .

    Looking at Milt and Wilhelm, who had not lost their will to fight after seeing Adara¡¯s true form, but instead be more enthusiastic, Shibaid and Filma smiled too .

    ¡°Hmm, the morale¡¯s pretty high . ¡±

    ¡°Of course, after seeing something like that¡­it¡¯s been awhile since I faced something this big, I¡¯m going to get serious too, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, you hear?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t . There¡¯s a clear difference in ability between us and the monster, after all . ¡±

    Their tone was casual, but their expressions were as serious as they could be .

    A Grand Duke-ss demon would normally be faced by several yers together; the frontline with STR and VIT over 700, the rear guard with INT over 700 .

    No matter how well-equipped the party may be, it was not an opponent 4 frontlinebatants, 1 assist unit and a beast could normally handle .

    ¡°I will attract the enemy¡¯s attention! Attack at will!!¡±

    ¡°Now this brings back memories!¡±

    ¡°The shield role is yours!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going down!!¡±

    In response to Shibaid¡¯s call, Filma, Wilhelm and Milt rushed towards Adara . A hastily formed party wouldn¡¯t make cooperated y possible . For that very reason, Shibaid decided to leave the decision to each member¡¯s prior battle experiences .

    ¡°Impressive that you think you can match me with so few numbers . I could rout you here and now, but unfortunately I have no time to waste with the likes of you . ¡±

    While deftly parrying Milt¡¯s ¡ºBreogand¡», Wilhelm¡¯s ¡ºVakira¡», and Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡» with his long sword, Adara kept his eyes on Tiera .

    Their opponent was a giant over 20 mels tall . If he proceeded ignoring them, Shibaid¡¯s party, which was less than 10% his size, couldn¡¯t stop him easily .

    ¡°What you want to do matters not at all . Your center of attention will be me . . ¡±

    Holding ¡ºcid Moon¡»in his right hand and ¡ºGreat Shield of Collision¡»in his left, and also equipped with his original Dragon gear set,  Shibaid stood between Adara and Tiera and used the Taunt skill ¡¾Mind Attract¡¿ .

    ¡°What are you looking at!!¡±

    ¡°Hngh, I¡¯m being dragged¡­! So you chose to face me from the front? Interesting!!¡±

    Adara was forced to change the target of his sights from Tiera to Shibaid .

    Different from ¡¾Shura Rush¡¿and its wide area of effect, ¡¾Mind Attract¡¿targeted only one monster, making the user the target of all of its actions .

    It affected physical and magical attacks, sight, and ¡°hate*¡±, making it a necessary skill to have for shield-role yers when fighting bosses such as Adara . (T/N: I think this refers to ¡°aggro¡±)

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to praise you if you can withstand this!!¡±

    The battle axe and mallet swung down towards Shibaid . The weapons themselves wererger than Shibaid himself, their mass more than double his .

    Facing a blow that would definitely rend the earth, Shibaid simply readied his great shield in a stance, without moving an inch .

    ¡°May the duel begin!!¡±

    An instant before receiving the attack, Shibaid activated the Shield-type Martial skill ¡¾Buster Fortress¡¿ . An emerald-green lightpletely enveloped Shibaid¡¯s body, which was then struck squarely by Adara¡¯s attack .

    A shock reverberated in the surroundings, shaking the ground around them and even creating a depression; shockwaves from the attack were released in all directions .

    However, Shibaid stood unharmed and the ground crushed under his feet .

    ¡°What!?¡±

    The surprise came from Adara . The battle axe meant to sweep off his enemy¡¯s torso, the mallet meant to crush his enemy to a pulp simply touched Shibaid and would not budge .

    The mallet appeared to be stopped by the shield, the battle axe by the armor; but looking closer, it became clear that they had both been stopped by the emerald light, and did not even brush against Shibaid¡¯s equipment .

    ¡°NGWAAAHHH!!!¡±

    With a chilling war shout, Shibaid moved one step forward and swung his shield . That simple motion was enough to knock away both Adara¡¯s battle axe and mallet .

    ¡¾Buster Fortress¡¿too was an indispensable skill for a shield role .

    It allowed the user to nullify all damage from any attack and inflict knockback that forced the attacker to retreat temporarily .

    It was effective for 10 seconds the first time it was used in a battle; after that, its duration and cooldown time depended on the damage that the blocked attack would have inflicted .

    It was more effective the stronger the opponent was, and conversely less effective against weaker opponents . It was a perfect skill for boss battles .

    ¡°He¡¯s open! Charge!¡±

    Milt and Wilhelm attacked Adara, who had lost his bnce because of ¡¾Buster Fortress¡¿ .

    Filma, thanks to her long-standing rtionship with Shibaid, went closer to Adara, avoiding the range of his attack, as soon as she saw Shibaid hold up his shield .

    ¡°We might be small, but you¡¯ll pay for underestimating us so much!¡±

    An arc-like swing from below by ¡ºRed Moon¡» . The deep crimson sh left a clear slice wound on the left leg of the demon Adara, who was still reeling backwards .

    From the sh wound on the demon¡¯s leg spilled out thick, mud-like blood . From the wound, crack-like effects spread all over the leg .

    The Sword-type martial skill ¡¾Bloody Torment¡¿ .

    Not only is its attack power high, it also slows the target¡¯s movements and actions .

    Adara, with one leg nearly paralyzed, saw his stance copse even more .

    Milt and Wilhelm wouldn¡¯t let such a chance pass by .

    ¡°aasssh Nooovaaaaa!!!¡±

    Milt swung ¡ºBreogand¡» down on Adara¡¯s leg, aiming at the wound Filma had just created .

    The skill she used was the Axe-type martial skill ¡¾sh Nova¡¿ .

    It was a skill which made use of centrifugal force to focus on dealing damage only, without additional effects .

    Also thanks to the cut that Filma had opened on Adara¡¯s leg, ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s giant de destroyed the part of the leg guard it hit; the wound couldn¡¯t be ignored anymore .

    ¡°EAT THIIIISSS!!¡±

    And then, with perfect timing, Wilhelm jumped in .

    ¡ºVakira¡», wrapped in the Spear and Lightningbination skill ¡¾Thunderhowl¡¿, went to stab the base of Adara¡¯s arm, the one wielding the long sword .

    This attack, aiming at a spot not covered by Adara¡¯s armor, easily pierced his defenses, allowing ¡ºVakira¡»to unleash its abilities to the fullest .

    ¡°Kh, again!?¡±

    A blow from ¡ºVakira¡», a weapon demons have terrible affinity against, damaged Adara and at the same time greatly lowered his attack and defense stats .

    It also exponentially increased Wilhelm¡¯s stats .

    Of course, normally¡ºVakira¡» doesn¡¯t have impressive attack power . It might be a weapon specialized towards demons, but its wielder was still just one person . If a boss that had to be defeated by several parties together could be crushed by less than one full party, the game would lose meaning .

    ¡°WOOOOOOHHHH!!!¡±

    Deep crimson lightning bolts swirl around ¡ºVakira¡» . It looked like a giant beast¡¯s jaw .

    The crackling sound of thunder sounded like a bestial roar, bent on ripping off the demon¡¯s arm .

    ¡°Gwoooooohhh!!! Don¡¯t¡­ . get¡­ . cockyyyyy!!!!!¡±

    Adara had beenpletely on the defensive until now, but he was still a Grand Duke .

    His primal roar, loud enough to silence ¡¾Thunderhowl¡¿¡¯s crackling, spread through the surroundings together with a physical shock .

    The beast¡¯s howl caused its 3 attackers¡¯ danger detection abilities to sound the highest alert .

    A pitch ck aura emerged from Adara¡¯s body, turning him straight back on his feet against allws of gravity .

    ¡°I¡¯LL CRUSH YOUUUUUUUU!!!!¡±

    What followed was a crushing attack by the demon¡¯s 4 weapons simultaneously . The attack¡¯s power was clearly much higher than before; Adara aimed to strike its 4 opponents at the same time .

    However, all attacks focused on Shibaid because of the effects of ¡¾Mind Attract¡¿ .

    4 attacks that would each rend the earth and create fissures lunged at Shibaid .

    ¡°I will not let you!¡±

    Tiera, who had been looking for an opening in the demon¡¯s defenses, judged it the best time to shoot her bow .

    She was holding the ¡ºSpirit Tree Resonance¡»bow, a weapon that manifested its full powers when wielded by specified Jobs .

    The flying arrows sparkled with the lightning strikes they carried . Shot after a brief pause, Tiera¡¯s arrows pierced the battlefield . They were faster and stronger than the one she had shot at Balmel .

    Tiera had shot three arrows . Adara had employed all of his weapons to attack; also because of the arrows¡¯ speed, he could not defend himself against Tiera¡¯s attack .

    ¡°Gwaaaahhh!!¡±

    The arrows turned into streaks of light and struck Adara¡¯s head, exactly as targeted . One of the three pierced Adara¡¯s right eye, causing a burning silver-colored sh to pour out from the wound .

    ¡°Ghaah! As I thought, you are¡­!!!¡±

    Because of Tiera¡¯s attack, one of the long swords Adara was holding stopped its assault towards Shibaid, as if it had lost all its power .

    Then, as if his arm had been paralyzed, the sword fell from Adara¡¯s hand and nted itself into the ground .

    ¡°Hmm? What is this power?¡±

    Shibaid knew well how strong a Grand Duke-ss demon was, making what was happening before his eyes all the more unnatural .

    Even if Tiera¡¯s attack caused status abnormalities, it was too early for its effect to appear, and its power was too high .

    Shibaid¡¯s calm assessment of the whole situation made him notice this abnormality right away .

    ¡°I¡¯m going too!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose either!¡±

    Thanks to Tiera¡¯s attack and Adara¡¯s slower reaction, Filma and Milt caught up . Milt stopped the long sword while Filma blocked the battle axe .

    Both their weapons were heavy types . Taking advantage of the centrifugal force, they drew arcs in the air .

    ¡°Superior Dunk!!¡±

    ¡°Impact sh!!¡±

    Among sword and axe skills, these two martial skills prioritized concussion over shing power . The skills ripped through Adara¡¯s arm and knocked his attack out of trajectory .

    The remaining mallet strikended, but Shibaid¡¯s shield withstood the impact without a flinch .

    ¡°What¡­? It¡¯s too light . ¡±

    The power was definitely there; Shibaid could also clearly feel the vibrationsing from his shield, and the pressure he felt was definitely a high-ranked demon¡¯s . However, thanks to his rich experience in battling monsters, he could feel that there was arge gap between the crushing sense of intimidation Adara emitted and his actual fighting power .

    Monsters dubbed ¡°Solo-type¡± were indeed monsters one could defeat individually . Such a name, when applied to bosses, sometimes gave the false impression that they weren¡¯t really strong .

    But that was just a misunderstanding caused by this title .

    In ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± raid bosses were loosely ranked by difficulty level .

    The ranks were 5 in total: bosses that low-level and mid-level yers could handle were rank 1 .

    Bosses that a party of high-level yers had a 70% chance of defeating were rank 2 .

    Bosses that even several parties of well-equipped high-level yers had but a 30% chance of defeating were rank 3 .

    Bosses that parties of high-level yers with exceptionally high stats could face, but would never be sure of defeating were rank 4 .

    Lastly, monsters of nearly invincible strength, or rather set by the creators as ¡°Fight me if you dare¡± bosses were rank 5 .

    ¡°Grand Duke ss demons should be at least rank 3 . ¡±

    Shibaid whispered to himself .

    Rank 3 monsters were the greatest quarry a single yer could defeat . Because of this status, rank 3 monsters were also called ¡°Solo-type¡± .

    Not even Shin, in the game era, could say with confidence that he could defeat a rank 4 on his own . In the case of rank 5, luck was heavily involved too .

    Most Grand Duke ss creatures were rampaging monsters of terrible strength in the game era as well . It was not rare for them to be rank 4, with some rare examples going as far as rank 5 .

    Even if they were rank 3, it absolutely did not mean that they would be weak opponents .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to suck up that miasma!¡±

    Ignoring Shibaid¡¯s doubts, the battle¡¯s situation changed .

    Wilhelm, who had not participated in the defense against Adara¡¯stest assault, took advantage of the opening after Adara¡¯s attack and jumped in close to the demon .

    His ¡ºVakira¡»struck without hesitation, almost as if he was aware of Adara¡¯s poor condition .

    The greatest reason for Adara¡¯s weakness was indeed ¡ºVakira¡»¡¯s presence .

    ¡ºBeinot¡»had changed into ¡ºVakira¡»because of Adara¡¯s miasma . Because of this, it had especially good affinity with the demon¡¯s miasma .

    Its miasma capacity, conversion rate, and absorption rate were much higher than normal when facing Adara .

    These values were more than double or triple the original stats .

    ¡°Show me all your poweeerrrr!!!!¡±

    ¡ºVakira¡» was enveloped in a burning red color, brought forth by Wilhelm¡¯s willpower .

    The fiery iron-melting mes turned ¡ºVakira¡»¡¯s tip red hot .

    Spear and mebination skill¡¾Crimson Lotus Fang¡¿ .

    Armor had no meaning before this blow . ¡ºVakira¡»¡¯s de easily melted the demon¡¯s defensive gear, delivering its burning heat through it .

    The demon¡¯s weakening, induced by the miasma absorption, proceeded alongside Wilhelm¡¯s power-up .

    The power-up Wilhelm was receiving was far higher than he expected, but he did not falter .

    He knew . He understood what ¡ºVakira¡»was causing and why the others¡¯ power was overflowing as well .

    The words of someone not present at the moment reached Wilhelm¡¯s ears .

    ¡°RRAAAHHHHH!!!¡±

    Wilhelm grabbed ¡ºVakira¡»as it stabbed the demon¡¯s body and forcefully performed a sweep .

    Wilhelm¡¯s reinforced muscr strength allowed him to force ¡ºVakira¡», while wedged in the demon¡¯s arm, to execute an arc-like motion, thus driving its heat further and shing half of the arm .

    The heat caused the blood to evaporate, as ¡ºVakira¡»continued to devour Adara¡¯s miasma .

    Every time the spear pierced Adara¡¯s armor and body his abilities decreased, while Wilhelm¡¯s increased further .

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a weapon made to fight demons, is it normal for it to be this effective? Do you know anything?¡±

    ¡°The¡ºVakira¡»I know doesn¡¯t have this kind of insane ability . ¡±

    Filma and Milt too, who had directly crossed des with the demon, noticed how Adara was clearly bing weaker .

    Judging from how the battle was going, they realized that the cause was Wilhelm¡¯s weapon, but they couldn¡¯t help wondering why the weakening and power-up it was causing were much more impressive than what they remembered .

    ¡°Well, we can always ask after we¡¯ve taken him down . ¡±

    ¡°If we don¡¯t hurry up Shin and the others wille back too . They left this to us, we better do a good job!¡±

    Even if they had doubts about the situation, there was no time to slow down their attacks .

    Even weakened, the giant demon¡¯s mass and muscr strength were a menace just by themselves .

    They couldn¡¯t let down their guard until they hadpletely defeated him .

    They could see Adara¡¯s HP gauge through¡¾Analyze¡¿ . Around 50% remained .

    One arm had be powerless because of Tiera¡¯s attack, while another had been deeply cut by Wilhelm .

    They were both right arms, thus leaving the demon¡¯s 2 left arms as the only ones usable .

    If Adara tried to change location, Tiera¡¯s arrows and Shibaid¡¯s shield would stop his progress .

    With no way to go, and his attacks forcefully directed towards Shibaid, it was obvious that he couldn¡¯t defend himself at the same time .

    Taking advantage of these openings, Wilhelm¡¯s ¡ºVakira¡», Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡», and Milt¡¯s ¡ºBreogand¡»mercilessly beat Adara¡¯s whole body .

    Filma, who had improved her abilities and stats by fighting alongside Shin . Milt, who had made her name famous as battle maniac . Wilhelm, who had gained his true power as a ¡®Critical¡¯ .

    Their attacks caused Adara¡¯s HP to decrease faster and faster .

    In addition to their attacks, Tiera¡¯s arrows (boosted by Yuzuha¡¯s support) continued to pierce the demon .

    Every time the arrows hit, Adara¡¯s body was bathed in silver light .

    In the same way as Wilhelm¡¯s ¡ºVakira¡», every time a silver sh burst the demon would lose his power .

    ¡°Gah¡­kuuh¡­agh¡­¡±

    Adara, overwhelmed by the damage sustained, fell down to one knee . Wilhelm, his bodypletely enveloped with aura, jumped the highest he could and brought down his weapon .

    ¡°HURRY UP AND DIE ALREADY!!!!¡±

    Adara was already covered in wounds . There was not enough strength in him to block Wilhelm¡¯s full-power attack .

    Wilhelm threw ¡ºVakira¡», now morphed into a crimson sh, towards the demon .

    The spear shattered his forehead guard, tore his flesh, and crushed his bones, pulverizing Adara¡¯s head from the mouth upwards .

    Filma and the others could see that the demon¡¯s HP gauge had reached zero .

    Yet Adara did not fall . Even with his head lost, the remaining mouth still moved .

    ¡°So¡­It¡­ends¡­heeeeeere¡­for meeeeeh¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    A second after Milt and Wilhelm expressed their disbelief, Adara¡¯s body copsed .

    Not only his body, but his gear too gradually turned into a thick goo-like liquid . Milt and Wilhelm stopped in their tracks .

    ¡°Buuut¡­juuuust disaaaappeeeearing liiiike thiiiissss¡­iiiiisn¡¯t likeeeee meeeeeeh¡­¡±

    Shibaid and Filma reacted instantly .

    ¡°It¡¯s noooot ffffuuunnnnn!!!!¡±

    At the same time of Adara¡¯s scream, his now liquid body lunged towards Tiera .

    It was the demon¡¯sst resort; while moving, his body was slowly disappearing from the edges .

    But beforepletely disappearing, it wanted to swallow Tiera and take her with him .

    ¡°No, Yuzuha! Leave me and run!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Tiera realized that she was the target and urged Yuzuha to flee .

    In response, as if refusing Tiera¡¯s request, Yuzuha focused more power in her four limbs and cried .

    ¡°It¡¯s still a bit too early to give up!¡±

    As Tiera and Yuzuha were talking, Filma and Shibaid reached them .

    Shibaid stood between what had be of Adara and Tiera, while Filma took a stance behind him, thrusting ¡ºRed Moon¡»towards the sky .

    ¡°You shall not pass!¡±

    With a bold shout, Shibaid firmly nted his ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡»into the ground .

    At the same time, the air before Shibaid trembled . A transparent, hexagonal barrier formed as to separate the space between Adara and Shibaid .

    It was one of the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡»¡¯s abilities, the creation of attack-repelling barriers .

    It was originally an ability intended as anti-air, but it was sufficiently useful against Adara¡¯s straight rush .

    ¡°It won¡¯tst long!¡±

    ¡°I just need 5 seconds!¡±

    Judging from the liquid nature of the monster, it was only a matter of time before it crossed over the barrier .

    Filma answered Shibaid while focusing her magic power in her de .

    ¡ºRed Moon¡»¡¯s de, held up high towards the heavens, started shining with a deep red light, which seemed to rise higher and higher .

    ¡°Orrahhh!!¡±

    Trying to stop the advance of the thing which Adara had be, Wilhelm performed a long-range skill . A lightning re and raging mes struck the demon and managed to slow his progress for a few moments .

    ¡°Milt, Wilhelm, get away from there!! You¡¯ll burn up too!!¡±

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s a huge one! You get away too!¡±

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Milt caught on what Filma was about to do from Shibaid¡¯s shout and urged Wilhelm to move too .

    Perceiving the magic power umting within ¡ºRed Moon¡», Wilhelm clicked his tongue but made use of his boosted physical abilities to the fullest and distanced himself .

    ¡°Now!!¡±

    ¡°Yes!!¡±

    After Filma¡¯s signal, Shibaid dispelled his attack-repelling barrier . Like a flood no longer blocked by a dam, the turbid stream Adara had turned into grew closer .

    ¡°This is the end!!¡±

    As if exchanging ces with Shibaid, Filma stepped forward and swung down her¡ºRed Moon¡» .

    Deep red streaks of light seared the earth, as if tracing the shing motion .

    Sword and Firebination skill ¡¾Shiden* ¨C Kagutsuchi¡¿ . (T/N: Shiden means Ultimate, remember when Girard used Zekka in his final duel against Shin? That¡¯s a Shiden-ranked skill)

    This skill, christened with the name of the mythological god of fire, unleashed heat worthy of its godly origins .

    The ground under the turbid stream rose up in mes .

    From the spot¡ºRed Moon¡» had been swung, the light disappeared for an instant, but in the next instant roaring mes scorched the earth, with speed higher than the pitch ck stream¡¯s advance . The moment the light soaring in the sky had wrapped the ck goo within itself, it had turned into hellfire .

    ¡°Aaah!!¡±

    Even if she was at a fair distance from the attack and Shibaid was shielding her, Tiera couldn¡¯t help but yell .

    Her skin had not been burnt by the heat . Nor had she been blinded by the light .

    But she couldn¡¯t restrain her voice after feeling the sheer intimidation contained in that attack .

    ¡°So this is the strength of a High Human¡¯s follower¡­damn near unbelievable power¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a skill thatbines sword and me techniques . You can¡¯t use it without a specificbination of user and weapon¡­both of them must be of the highest grade . ¡±

    Watching the torpid stream engulfed by the mes, Milt answered Wilhelm¡¯sment .

    The game¡¯s exclusive special effects were a sight to behold too, but the scenery before Milt¡¯s eyes now was something more divine and much more powerful .

    A holy me purifying corruption . That was what it suggested to the imagination .

    After the light grew dim, only the torn ground and a mineral emitting a red brilliance remained .

 Vol 7 Chapter 4.4: Chapter 4 Part 4

    ¡°Just what¡­power is that¡­?¡±

    Scoruas, still reeling from the kick he had received, whispered his astonishment while pulling up his body, scorched by lightning and mes .

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering too . Do you know anything?¡±

    While perceiving the energy from the other battle, Shin answered to Scoruas¡¯ mumbled words .

    As the lightning stopped, Shin kicked the ground and closed in on the demon .

    His right hand wielded ¡ºMoonless¡», the left one the newly unsheathed ¡ºOboro Muramasa¡» . Its grade was superior ancient, simr to ¡ºMoonless¡» . In this world, it was a masterpiece among katanas, regarded as a ¡°sword of the gods¡± .

    ¡°ThiSs poWeErr¡­are yOu rEeAlly hUmaN?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? In any case, you¡¯re going to die here, so you¡¯re fine not knowing, right?¡±

    Shin answered Scoruas while cutting through the octopus tentacles that stretched towards him .

    The tentacles were hard enough that Legend-grade weapons would simply bounce off them, but, before Ancient-grade weapons, they were as helpless as regr octopus tentacles .

    With ¡¾Limit¡¿ released, Shin¡¯s muscr strength was unbound, which, coupled with the des¡¯ sharpness, sliced through the tentacles like a hot knife through butter .

    ¡°Here¡¯s a little bonus too . ¡±

    After shing 3 of the tentacles in half, Shin activated the me and Windbination skill¡¾Echo Bomb¡¿ .

    What appeared was a ball of fire with a 1 mel diameter .

    The balls of fire quickly became 10, then 20, then rained on Scoruas¡¯ face .

    ¡°GwAAh?? nOT onLy pOweR, bUt MagIC toOo!? ¡±

    Scoruas tried to parry the fireballs with his pincer-like arms .

    The fireballs exploded as soon as they touched the pincers, thus inflicting damage to the monster¡¯s shell . Thepressed air within the fireballs was also carried by the st, sending its vibrations to the enemy¡¯s shell .

    As the directed sound waves hit the shell, they gradually caused cracks to appear on its sturdy surface .

    ¡¾Echo Bomb¡¿was a skill that caused damage both by sound waves and explosions, useful for damaging a monsters¡¯ hard skin and armor .

    The endless flood of fireballs crushed Scoruas¡¯ pincers and scales, which were starting to fall off .

    Continuous casting of this skill was a feat that not even several magicians could perform, even when taking turns casting .

    It only became possible when one managed to cast it without chanting, possessed enough magical power, and high enough stats .

    ¡°As expected of a Grand Duke, you¡¯re pretty sturdy . ¡±

    This fierce attack would have turned a normal field boss to ashes, but Scoruas¡¯ HP had barely decreased .

    Protecting himself with his pincers helped too, although Scoruas¡¯ defensive power was originally very high .

    With his previous kick, Shin had nned to crush the demon¡¯s organs . However, Scoruas¡¯ stomach was now only slightly dented and had already recovered to the point that it couldn¡¯t be said to have been sunk in .

    Shin¡¯s main priority had been to create distance between the two demons, but to withstand an overlimit kick showed that Scoruas¡¯ defenses were quite impressive .

    ¡°The scales form ayered armor, I see . ¡±

    Shin formed his guess while looking at the scales still falling from the demon¡¯s body .  New scales were created where fallen ones used to be, hiding the demon¡¯s skin from sight .

    ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t just lock you down . ¡±

    The newly formed tentacles knocked down ¡¾Echo Bomb¡¿before Shin¡¯s eyes .

    The 3 tentacles, huge inparison to the demon¡¯s body, moved all around and hit all the fireballs, barely missing any .

    The few fireballs left were blocked by the pincers .

    The recovery ability probably extended to the whole body, as the demon¡¯s lower body also began to move again .

    ¡°Not a chance . ¡±

    Shin, while keeping the magical skill active, rushed towards the horse legs that were trying to move .

    The trunk-like legs were nothing more than a target for Shin . He closed in and swung his swords down, attempting to cut them off in one fell swoop .

    The legs, however, noticed the sudden change before Shin could get close enough .

    Octopus-like tentacles began sprouting from the horse legs¡¯ surface .

    Every tentacle was roughly 15 mels long and as thick as a big rope . The tips were armed with knife-like shells, but the most notable thing was their massive numbers . The octopus leg-like appendages, easily numbering over 100, chased after Shin just like tentacles hunting their prey .

    ¡°Quit sprouting bizarre stuff!¡±

    ¡°dO noT thINk I wIlL juSt SIT BaCK aNd do NOThINg!!¡±

    Shin put some distance between him and the demon, all the while cutting down tentacles . After roughly 10 mels, the tentacles stopped their pursuit .

    In their ce, huge tentacles came crashing down on Shin¡¯s head .

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Shin swung¡ºMoonless¡»and ¡ºOboro Muramasa¡»in a cross, which was enough to blow away 3 tentacles sprouting from Scoruas¡¯ right arm .

    ¡°Oops!¡±

    The left arm¡¯s pincer came on the offensive as well . It was not impossible to sh it, but if he remained in ce he would have been thrown back .

    As Shin jumped to dodge it, he felt a stronger gaze pointed towards him .

    Shin faced upwards and found Scoruas, with his mouth wide open and pointed at Shin . Arge amount ofpressed water was already present inside the mouth .

    ¡°Kaaahhhhh¡­ . ¡±

    It was highly pressurized water breath ¨C  a wide range attack sea-dwelling monsters excelled at .

    But it could not be unleashed .

    ¡°GRUAAAAAAAA!!!¡±

    ¡°¡ª¡ª!?!¡±

    Kagerou had circled around the demon, jumped on its back and sank his ws on Scoruas¡¯ head .

    Returning to his original form, Kagerou had jumped while using¡¾Hiding¡¿, attacking Scoruas from his blind spot .

    After Shin had kicked Scoruas away, Kagerou had hid on Shin¡¯s shadow .

    Streams of water burst through the gaps of the demon¡¯s closed mouth . By forcing Scoruas¡¯ mouth to close just before the shot, the breath attack was unleashed within the demon¡¯s mouth .

    The leaked waterstreams cracked open whatever ground they touched, proof that the attack¡¯s power was not to be underestimated .

    ¡°YoU FiLThy BeASt . . !!!¡±

    Scoruas was now rampaging, trying to shake Kagerou off his back . He tried to reach around his back with his tentacles, but Kagerou had enveloped his whole body in lightning, thus burning the tentacles and preventing them from wrapping around him .

    Scoruas was a rank 3 boss, but close to rank 4 .

    Inparison, the Gruefago -the ordinary monster version- was roughly in the middle of rank 3 .

    Kagerou, however, was a mutated species, and his rank was more or less the same as Scoruas¡¯ .

    His physical abilities were more than enough to cause damage to the demon .

    ¡°GHAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!¡±

    Kagerou, his battle instincts nowpletely released, unleashed a roar that boomed throughout the surroundings . His lightning-d blow easily crushed Scoruas¡¯ scales and sank into the demon¡¯s flesh .

    The divine beast then attacked the pincers¡¯ base with his fangs, causing cracks to open on the monster¡¯s carapace with a loud creaking sound .

    ¡°Kagerou! Get away!¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice resounded through the battlefield .

    Scoruas was freed from Kagerou¡¯s attacks, but his relief was short-lived; secondster, the demon was once again under attack .

    Just as his attention was drawn to his back, crescent-moon-shaped des of ice targeted him from the front . The des were thin and almost invisible to the naked eye .

    The des were roughly 1 mel long: if they could be caught, they looked extremely fragile .

    ¡°Kh!¡±

    Scoruas tried to crush them with his tentacles, but felt that each de was imbued with magical power; he then quickly jumped away while using his shell-d left arm as a shield .

    ¡°My arM¡­is FReeZiNG¡­¡±

    The ice des did not cause much damage . Yet each spot they touched froze instantly, in a 2 mel radius .

    The chilling air affected not only the surface, but also deep within the carapace, robbing Scoruas of his mobility .

    ¡°I apologize for beingte . ¡±

    ¡°We were all waiting for you . ¡±

    Because of his physical abilities, Shin always struck first . In this situation, separating the two demons was of the utmost priority, so it was not a real problem .

    ¡°It looks like they are struggling less than expected . They might really defeat the enemy before we join them¡±

    ¡°Fantastic news . That Adara demon wasn¡¯t that strong, then?¡±

    ¡°It appears that Wilhelm¡¯s spear and Tiera¡¯s arrows had a greater effect than expected . They were much more powerful than I expect them to be . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s intriguing . We¡¯ll have to ask them after we take care of this one . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee drew closer to Scoruas, all the while conversing in a perfectly usual manner .

    ¡°The tentacles always get in the way . It¡¯ll be easier to use this too . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll borrow it, then . ¡±

    Shin passed a card to Schnee, who materialized it .

    What appeared in her left hand was a short sword with a transparent emerald-green de and dainty decorations . The de part was roughly 60 cemels long .

    The name of this superior Ancient-ss weapon was ¡ºSuirentou ¨C Kabutohana¡» .

    ¡°Here Ie . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s silhouette vanished in thin air . Moving quickly and gracefully as if dancing, leaving after-images in one¡¯s wake was a Kunoichi¡¯s specialty . It was fruit of thebination of the movement-type martial skills ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿and ¡¾Mirage Dance¡¿ .

    While the tentacles unsessfully tried to halt her advance, Schnee carved Scoruas¡¯ front left leg with her des . The weapons she wielded were both of Ancient grade; the carapace¡¯s defense power was nothing before them .

    At the same time, she had activated the Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Pomegranate Burst¡¿ .

    Scoruas¡¯ front left leg, struck by a storm of blue and green shes, had already lost half of its functionality .

    ¡°It won¡¯t go like before this time!¡±

    Shin was running towards the demon¡¯s front right leg .

    His attack was straight from the front; ¡ºMoonless¡»and ¡ºOboro Muramasa¡»repeatedly unleashed cross-like shes .

    It was the Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Brilliant Void Cross¡¿ .

    The Light and Dark elemental des felled the tentacles and carved cross-shaped scars on the demon¡¯s body . Scoruas¡¯ front right leg lost all of its functions roughly at the same time that the left one was crushed by Schnee .

    ¡°ThIS iS¡­ABsUrD¡­hOw coUld I¡­¡±

    Because of the damage to the legs and Kagerou¡¯s lightning attack received from behind, Scoruas was now slumped forward . Before his eyes stood Shin and Schnee, both with weapons at the ready .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with abination attack . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    The magical power focusing in their weapons caused even the atmosphere to emit a sharp, grinding sound .

    The concentration was so dense that all that Scoruas¡¯ pupils could register was a violet and blue shing light .

    ¡°ThIS lIGht iIIiiSS¡­!!!¡±

    Scoruas could not finish his sentence before the sh reached its target .

    Cooperation-exclusive skill  ¡¾Decapitation Spark¡¿ .

    It was a crushingly heavy sword sh,ing from a gigantic de-shaped energy, extending from  ¡ºMoonless¡»and ¡ºBlue Moon¡» .

    What they had unleashed was a single sh . A single cleave that cut through the arms Scoruas had raised to defend himself, his harder-than-steel carapace andyers of scales, as if they were nothing .

    The de descended as mercilessly as a real guillotine .

    The skill, possessing power unimaginable in the game era, cut Scoruas¡¯ head off in one fell swoop .

    ¡°Better safe than sorry . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee readied their des before the skill ended .

    Their opponent was a Grand Duke; even if its HP had be 0, they doubted it would just die like that .

    Scoruas¡¯ gigantic body was run through by sword shes, which crossed in its center and divided the demon¡¯s body in 4 parts .

    It was defeated, without a shred of a doubt; after some time, the demon¡¯s body turned into particles and started disappearing .

    ¡°How could I lose so easily¡­? Just who are you¡­?¡±

    ¡°You only have your head left, but you can still talk? Well, there¡¯s no reason for me to tell you though . ¡±

    Scoruas¡¯ sliced head had started speaking . It was a mystery where the voice came from, but its distorted tone had returned to a more human-like one .

    ¡°Someone who could subdue Schnee Raizar and a divine beast¡­haha, now I see, you are a hi¡ª¡±

    That was everything Scoruas managed to utter . It appeared he could not maintain his existence anymore; his head also turned into particles and disappeared .

    Items such as jewels and metals were the only things left where Scoruas¡¯ body had been .

    ¡°Demons drop items in this world?¡±

    ¡°The demon we defeated at the king¡¯s castle did not drop anything, though . ¡±

    On closer inspection, the dropped gemstones were all Unique ss . The metals too were rare kinds, such as Orichalcum and Mithril .

    Shin assumed that the items the demon created within its body were expelled when the demon passed, thus appearing just as dropped items would .

    They did not seem tainted by the miasma, but to be sure Shin purified them before converting them into cards and storing them in the item box .

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s rejoin the others . ¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they needed help after all . ¡±

    Adara was nowhere to be seen . While Scoruas was disappearing they perceived arge quantity of magical power and turned around, to find a deep red sh of light rising in the distance, signaling the conclusion of the conflict .

    The effect suggested that ¡¾Kagutsuchi¡¿had been activated .

    The group of 3 quickly started on their way back and re-joined with Shibaid¡¯s entourage .

    ¡°You wrapped things up pretty quickly . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my line, honestly . I thought your party would have needed more time, Shin . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were answered by a disappointed-sounding Filma .

    Based on the monsters¡¯ shapes, Adara was much easier to fight than Scoruas . Thetter would take longer to fight because of his many unpredictable attack patterns . Scoruas was also slightly higher than Adara in terms of level of ability .

    If both groups stopped the enemy while continuously adding damage, normally Filma¡¯s group would have finished their opponent sooner .

    ¡°We had the chance to power up a little, you see . Let¡¯s talk moreter . ¡±

    In order to regroup with Konig¡¯s entourage, which had gone a safe distance from the battlefield, Shin materialized the carriage from a card .

    A short while after the group¡¯s carriage departed, Konig¡¯s marker appeared on Shin¡¯s map .

    The ¡ºCloak of Hidden Threads¡»Konig was wearing was something Shin had lent him, so he would not be hidden from Shin¡¯s sight .

    Maybe because he had noticed the cloud of dust raised by the carriage headed in their direction, Konig had stopped moving .

    Shin left the reins and waved in Konig¡¯s direction, who unequipped his cloak .

    ¡°Apologies for the wait . We¡¯re going back to Balmel, so please get on board . ¡±

    ¡°I have a mountain of things I¡¯d like to ask¡­but first I suppose I shall do so . ¡±

    Konig was carrying Hermie on his back . She had regained consciousness, but her expression was still somber .

    ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°I am fine, thank you . I humbly apologize for all the trouble I caused you . ¡±

    ¡°No, we made some unexpected findings on our own, so please do not worry . ¡±

    If Hermie and Wilhelm hadn¡¯t been kidnapped, Shin¡¯s party would not have rushed to their location . In that case, Scoruas¡¯ n could have been sessful .

    For Hermie and the worried Lilish it was an unfortunate turn of events, but Shin was d they could crush the demons¡¯ ns . Of course, he kept such an opinion to himself .

    ¡°We will depart right away . ¡±

    The group nned to head towards Balmel, then travel by sea to a town close to Sigurd,stly reaching Sigurd with the carriage .

    Reasons for this route were also that the carriage alone would have taken too much time and Vizzy¡¯s dragons could not carry all of them .

    It would have been possible if they rode separately, but they were not in a rush like before, so Shin decided not to reveal to Konig that they can ride dragons .

    After they reached Balmel, Shin¡¯s party went directly to check the ship¡¯s timetable . They also had to stock up on food .

    Konig also left to send a message to the Church .

    Hermie, who was not feeling too well, stayed in the inn, with Wilhelm as her guard .

    ¡°I apologize to have you stay back for someone like me¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s brow furrowed after hearing such self-deprecating words . Hermie had spoken unusually belittling herself on the carriage as well .

    In the beginning he thought she felt down for having been kidnapped, but even so, her voice and expression were far too dark . It felt as if she was rejecting everything about herself .

    Wilhelm thought about what the reason could be .

    ¡°Did those bastards say something to you?¡±

    Scoruas, Adara, the Summit Faction members . Those were the possible answers .

    ¡°I am¡­ . no, because of me, many people were sacrificed . ¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, I seem to remember them saying something like that . But it¡¯s nothing for you to worry about, is it?¡±

    Wilhelm spoke lightly, as if it wasn¡¯t anything important enough to be burdened by .

    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­!! All those people, they . . ¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t save them either . Even Shin and the others didn¡¯t make it in time . Also, you can¡¯t fight . The moment they got caught by those bastards, it was obvious that they couldn¡¯t be saved . They were doing that stuff even before kidnapping you too . ¡±

    Hermie couldn¡¯t possibly be the reason why they were sacrificed .

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got enough free time to think nonsense like ¡°it was my fault¡± or whatever, think about what you can do from now on instead . There might be other people captured in that cave, after all . ¡±

    ¡°Concerning that, Konig, who canmand the Church¡¯s knights, is contacting the Church . Once he knows the reason, His Holiness the Pope will surely authorize them to act¡­¡±

    Hermie answered Wilhelm¡¯s words . The destruction of one of the Summit Faction¡¯s bases was surely advantageous for the Church . There was no reason to hesitate .

    ¡°Is there anything I could do¡­?¡±

    ¡°Who knows . They call you Holy Woman, though . I don¡¯t know what you can or can¡¯t do, but if you just say something, there are plenty people who can achieve something better, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Holy¡­Woman¡­ . am I really worthy of such a name¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well¡­before we talk about who¡¯s worthy or not, I don¡¯t even know why they call you that . ¡±

    Wilhelm knew that those called ¡°Holy Women¡± existed, but did not know why that was .

    Excluding Konig, among the current members the only ones that maybe knew were Schnee, Shibaid, and possibly Milt .

    In answer to Wilhelm¡¯s admission of not knowing the reason for that title, Hermie started talking in a feeble tone of voice .

    At first, people found her creepy . Someone from the Church heard rumors about her and came to pick her up, she learnt how her power can help others . With time, they started referring to her as Holy Woman .

    Hermie narrated her story, sometimes finding that the words died in her throat and wouldn¡¯te out .

    ¡°People treated you like a creep, and still you think about helping them, that¡¯s really something . ¡±

    ¡°If I was asked why I did, it would be difficult to give a clear answer . Maybe¡­I wanted to prove that even someone like me can be useful to others . ¡±

    ¡°And isn¡¯t that good enough? They call you Holy Woman because there are people that were saved by you, right?¡±

    ¡°Is what I did, right¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what they call a question with no answer . Maybe even if you weren¡¯t there they would have gotten by somehow, or maybe an even worse tragedy would have happened . In the end, we can only do what we believe in . ¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s words might have sounded banal, but they were the truth . To know all consequences one¡¯s actions could bring was something not even a Star Reader could do .

    ¡°Besides, a certain High Human said that even he can¡¯t save everyone . In other words, it¡¯s not possible even for a living legend . Just give up . ¡±

    During their serious conversation, Wilhelm mentioned it as if there was nothing they could do .

    ¡°A certain High Human¡­?¡±

    ¡°Once I was trained by Schnee Raizar, see, and she told me so . ¡±

    ¡°Is¡­that so . All the more reason to do our best, then . ¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear if she had believed Wilhelm¡¯s words or not, but she showed a different smile from before .

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much it . It¡¯s going to get busy now too . You better rest up while you can . ¡±

    ¡°I will . You really are the person I was told about¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? You were told about? By whom?¡±

    Hermie¡¯s words provoked a clearly annoyed look by Wilhelm .

    ¡°Let us just say that children watch the people around them more than we think . ¡±

    ¡°Tch . ¡±

    Wilhelm clicked his tongue, a grimace on his face . Seeing this, Hermie let out a chuckle .

    The group would now cross the sea towards Sigurd .

    To their ears then echoed a distant sneeze .

 Vol 8 Chapter 1: Chapter 1

    "If you''re feeling out of it, you could rest at the inn, you know . "

    "Kuu¡­"

    Yuzuha, curled in a ball on Shin''s shoulder, expressed that she was okay, so he just lightly patted her on the head .

    Since their battle with the demons that attempted to sacrifice the Holy Woman Hermie, Yuzuha would sometimes lean on his shoulders, maybe because she was not feeling too well .

    "Yourpanion does not seem to be feeling well . "

    "She''s saying she''s OK, though . It doesn''t look like she has a fever either, so I''ll just keep an eye on her for now . "

    Leaving Hermie to Wilhelm''s care, Shin and Schnee had gone to meet Berett at Balmel''s Golden Company, as they needed a ship to return to Sigurd .

    Many of the ships leaving Balmel''s port headed towards the northern part of the continent (Est) . Travel bynd would take too much time, so they decided to head by sea to a port town near Sigurd and then reach the city bynd .

    Using the dragons to travel by air was ast resort, so the party would not use them this time .

    "So, how are the arrangements for the ship going?"

    At Schnee''s question, Berett lowered his head apologetically .

    "I would love to help you, but unfortunately our guild''s ships are all out . There is, however, one ship heading towards Est . It will stop by another port for supplies on the way there, but it will certainly allow you to reach your destination faster than waiting for one of our ships . What do you say?"

    It was a ship that carried both trade goods and people . A rtively high social status was required to board it, but with Berett''s introduction the party would have been able to board it easily .

    "Using Tsuki no Hokora''s introduction or revealing our members'' identity would have been troublesome, so this really helps . "

    An introduction letter from Tsuki no Hokora would have been more than enough proof of status . Using Hermie''s name too would have probably made it easy to board the ship . But both methods would have created trouble down the line, so they wanted to avoid them as much as possible .

    An introduction letter from Berett, Golden Company deputy manager, had the same worth, but saying that they were business partners made it easier to use in their situation .

    Having an A-rank adventurer (Wilhelm) and a Church knight (Konig) with them, saying that they nned to do item transactions would make their travel more believable .

    "The ship''s departure is scheduled for tomorrow, would that be alright?"

    "Yes, we don''t have a lot of time to waste, so that''s perfect . "

    "I will contact youter about the current avable cabins . "

    "I would prefer a private one . There are some members that wouldn''t like their faces to be seen . "

    "Understood . Please wait a while . "

    Berett opened a drawer and began to write quickly on a piece of paper . He then inserted it into an envelope marked with the Golden Company''s logo and sealed it with wax .

    "Please show this to the captain . I will let them know . "

    "Thank you, and sorry for the trouble . "

    "It is a joy and an honor for me to be of help to High Humans . Do not worry . "

    Berett''s smiling expression as he bowed was honest and pure . There wasn''t the single trace of malice within it .

    Shin thanked the man again and left the Golden Company .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin''s entourage was at the Golden Company, Tiera, Filma and Shibaid were buying foodstuffs and items . Kagerou, as usual, stayed within Tiera''s shadow .

    Filma, who had awoken after a 500-year long sleep, was excited to see the streets'' hustle and bustle .

    "As expected of a town based on trade, there''s so many people here . They also look pretty happy too, it''s a relief to see . "

    "A relief?"

    Filma''s words caused Tiera''s puzzled question . After a chuckle, Filma answered .

    "I only remember until the era of reconstruction after the natural disasters . At the time, even a small earthquake was enough to send everyone into a panic . "

    There was no sorrow in Filma''s tone .

    "As the generations changed, they probably forgot about what happened then . But the present was born on the efforts of many people . Now and then, people are much more resilient than one would expect . "

    Shibaid, who was apanying them to prevent Filma from going too wild,mented with a smile .

    Not finding any words to say, Tiera kept quiet .

    "Yes, I feel that clearly . Anyway, that was nice of you to leave Shin and Schnee by themselves, Shibaid . You''ve be more perceptive, haven''t you?"

    "To be precise, there''s someone else with them . But I didn''t do it for a particr reason . I just made the decision that letting you go unattended was far more dangerous . "

    "And what would you mean by that?"

    "I''m speaking from past experience . Try to think about it and you''ll understand . "

    Shibaid was looking at Filma with half-opened eyes, clearly showing his disbelief at herst question .

    "Don''t treat me like a troublemaker now . Well, I''ve gone a little overboard sometimes in the past, I''ll admit . "

    Maybe because she recalled what Shibaid was talking about, Filma avoided looking directly at him .

    "Come on, both of you, that''s enough . Since we''re out in town and all, why don''t we check out the stores?"

    "That''s true too . We have the list of what we need, so let''s wrap that up quickly . "

    "Yes, yes¡­"

    Filma weed Tiera''s proposal, while Shibaid gave a wryugh . He didn''t want to fight either, after all .

    Filma quickly went to buy foodstuffs .

    "Tiera, are you good at picking the good from the bad here?"

    "More or less . I''ve been trained by master, after all . How about you, Filma?"

    "I can cook if it gets down to it, but I make no promises about the taste . So, the choice of the groceries is up to you . "

    Shibaid wasn''t one to be fussy about food either, so the only one among them who could tell the good groceries from the bad ones was Tiera .

    The huge load of foodstuffs they bought was then carried by Shibaid .

    "We really bought a huge amount¡­will you be all right?"

    Tiera was worried about Shibaid carrying therge bag of groceries by himself, but Filma casually brushed away her concerns .

    "No need to worry, he''s not the type of guy to buckle under this much weight . "

    "No problem, I will ce them in the item box as soon as we reach a ce without people around . "

    Shibaid was in fact holding the bag without the least bit of difficulty .

    "By the way, Tiera, there''s something I wanted to ask you¡­"

    "Yes, what is it?"

    "What''s your reason for traveling with Shin?"

    "Hmm, I have been wondering that too . And the divine beast you have with you is clearly superior to your abilities as a tamer, too . "

    Shibaid also joined in questioning Tiera .

    "Uhm, do I have to talk about that here?"

    "On the contrary, this is the ideal situation to . Crowded ces are the best to talk about secrets . "

    In a noisy and bustling street, as Filma said, it would be impossible to understand who was talking about what . Furthermore, neither Konig the Church knight nor Wilhelm the White Lion Lancer were around .

    "Shin and Schnee are close to me, that''s why I want to know . "

    Both Filma and Shibaid served directly under Shin, thus they wondered why Tiera, who was not under Shin''smand, was part of the entourage .

    Tiera understood that they didn''t just ask her on a whim, and nodded seriously .

    "I understand . Everything started when my master, Schnee, saved me . "

    Tiera than exined briefly what happened until Shin removed her curse .

    "¡­ . I see . It''s true that the "Cursed Gift" was usually removed in town before, so there was nothing else to do . "

    "Indeed . I too have attempted to research it, but could not find anything . "

    "Shin seemed to know about it, but both of you didn''t?"

    Tiera was surprised to know that, Schnee included, no one knew how to acquire the skill of ¡¾Purification¡¿ .

    "I knew that Shin had learned it though . I helped looking for the items needed to learn it, but thest part was done by Shin alone, so I don''t know the details . It wasn''t a skill used often to begin with, so it was enough for only Shin to learn it . I think it''s simr for the other people we know too . "

    "That''s right . That time, even if you did not learn it yourself you could have curses removed easily in the cities now called ''Sacred ces'' . It was not something to spend effort to learn . "

    "What can I say¡­it''s incredible . "

    The existence of cities where cursed people could freely enter and leave and easily be purified was something Tiera was not able to imagine .

    Shibaid and Filma, who knew how the world changed after the "Dusk of the Majesty", understood Tiera''s surprise .

    "By the way, Tiera, what do you think about Shin?"

    "Eh?"

    Tiera couldn''t help but voice her surprise at the sudden question .

    "I mean, you thought you wouldn''t ever leave that shop and he pops out of nowhere and dispels your curse without a single exnation . I honestly doubt that you aren''t the least bit interested in him, with all that happened . "

    Filma spoke with confidence and a strange gleam in her eyes . She couldn''t help pointing it out .

    "It wouldn''t be exaggerated to call him "a prince who saved the damsel just as she was about to give into despair", right?"

    "Well, um¡­of course I am thankful! But, er, you know it! Shin has master with him!"

    "Polygamy is the norm in this world, isn''t it? Elves don''t seem to like that too much though . But do you really feel only gratitude for him?"

    "Ah¡­um¡­ . "

    Tiera couldn''t find the words to answer Filma''s dead serious look . But her floundering for words without denying the allegations was an answer in itself .

    "Filma . It''s not proper to poke about in people''s love affairs . "

    "I know, and I''ll stop now . But Tiera, let me say just one thing . "

    "Y-Yes . "

    Filma wasn''t grinning anymore now, and talked with a very serious tone .

    "It''s better to make your feelings clear . If you do after you feel regret, it''s toote . "

    "!!!"

    Tiera found herself swallow her breath, feeling that Filma had seen right through her .

    "I''m sorry . I know this is none of my business . "

    "¡­no, honestly speaking, I can''t find the answer yet myself . "

    Tiera spoke with a small, wryugh .

    Filma was looking at her with a kind smile .

    (I wonder what Shin''s answer will be, then . )

    That was what Shibaid was thinking, apart from the two women .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    "First, we''ve secured a means of transport . "

    Shin''s entourage, back from the Golden Company, exined to the others about the ship to Sigurd .

    Not only Tiera, Filma and Shibaid, but also Hermie and Wilhelm, who had stayed back at the inn, plus Milt, who had gone out with Konig, were listening .

    "When will we depart?"

    Konig asked .

    "Tomorrow morning, in the ship called the Mediel . How were things on your end?"

    "I contacted the Church . As I said before, they shoulde meet us at the town called Leshelle . "

    Konig nodded to Shin''s inquiry .

    Most members of the grouping to meet them, however, would be heading to the "Summit Faction" base .

    The group,posed of Chosen Ones, was made to subdue the base in one fell swoop . It was a strategy possible only because Shin''s party had defeated the more powerful demons .

    "Aw, I wanted to go with Shin too¡­"

    "Didn''t you say that you would pay for the trouble you caused? You''ll have to work hard volunteering for a while . "

    Milt''sints were quickly shut down by Shin .

    Even if she had been manipted, it was a fact that she had kidnapped Hermie . For this reason, it was decided that Milt would serve the Church for a period . Starting, of course, from this base capture mission .

    "Well, is there anything else that needs to be said? If not, we have an early start tomorrow, so let''s go rest . "

    As no one had anything in particr to add, all members proceeded to their assigned rooms .

    The room division was Shin with Yuzuha and Shibaid, Schnee and Filma, Konig and Wilhelm, Tiera with Milt and Hermie .

    The bright and cheerful Milt had be good friends with Tiera and Hermie and could also act as bodyguard, so she was put in the same room . Kagerou was, as always, in Tiera''s shadow too, so the fighting power was more than sufficient .

    "Anyway Yuzuha, you''re still sick?"

    "Kuu¡­"

    "Monsters get sick too, huh . It''s not a status ailment, so I really have no idea what it could be¡­"

    Shibaid was worried too, but Yuzuha kept mentally signaling that she was all right .

    Shin told her again to let him know if her condition got worse and went to sleep .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next day, Shin''s eyes opened earlier than expected . The reason was a weight of unknown origins on his right arm .

    "I think this happened before¡­Yuzuha, is that you?"

    After confirming the situation with ¡¾Analyze¡¿, Shin looked at the young girl sleeping next to him .

    She was Yuzuha, transformed in human form . But her appearance was not the "small girl mode" Shin knew .

    She looked like she could be in her early teens . Her height was around 150 cemels, and her body now showed budding feminine curves . Her silver hair, stretched until her waist, sparkled in the sunlighting in through the window .

    Her ears and tail were the same as before .

    "Your feeling sick was because of this, then . "

    Shin pulled out the arm that Yuzuha was hugging and, with his free hand,id a nket over her . As he did so, Yuzuha slowly opened her eyes .

    "¡­ . where?"

    Staring at where Shin''s arm used to be, Yuzuha''s hands fumbled around in the now empty space . Maybe because she wasn''t fully awake yet, she hadn''t noticed that Shin had just slightly moved away .

    Her expression was just like a lost child looking for her parents .

    As she clumsily propped her body up, the nket over her fell down, revealing her naked figure .

    Mornings in Balmel are slightly cold . Shin picked up the fallen nket and wrapped Yuzuha with it .

    "¡­ . here . "

    Yuzuha didn''t even nce at the nket; with a mumble, sheid her head on Shin''sp and quickly slipped into slumber . Her expression was one of simple bliss .

    "Wait, you''re going back to sleep!?"

    It would be a problem to just leave her like that, so Shin wanted her to put some clothes on first of all . Previously she had turned in fox mode with clothes on, and when she had turned into a small girl again she had them still on, but for some reason it didn''t happen this time .

    Yuzuha''s clothes were on the ground next to her, in card form, so there was no need to pull them out .

    "Tell me what''s going on, first . "

    "Hm?"

    "Your looks, I mean . Is it because your power returned?"

    "Yes . I''m still not used to it, so this is my limit for now . "

    ording to Yuzuha, she had been feeling sick because alongside the recovery of her powers, a lot of new knowledge returned to her too . Arge quantity of memories had returned to her as well, so her head felt overloaded .

    Her powers apparently returned to 60% of their original state; if she got used to her newly recovered strength and more memories returned, her appearance would also grow some more .

    "Is that also the reason why your expression is so stiff?"

    "Kuu?"

    Yuzuha tilted her head to the side, puzzled by Shin''s question .

    Excluding her blissful expression while sleeping, her facial expressions barely changed . It was a perfect poker face .

    Shin checked Yuzuha''s status again, finding that her level now exceeded 600 and her stats had increased exponentially too . Even judging from the numbers alone, she was now at Raid rank 3 strength .

    "I guess we should let Schnee and the others know . Can you go back to fox mode? Some people might be surprised that you grew bigger all of a sudden, so that would be better . "

    "No problem . "

    Yuzuha answered positively and transformed right in front of Shin .

    After confirming her transformation, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat . He told Schnee, who was already awake, to call Filma too, while Shin himself woke up Shibaid .

    Tiera was with Hermie, so he decided to tell herter .

    "Ooh, you really got stronger . "

    Filma was impressed after seeing Yuzuha''s new level .

    "I suppose that her level will be 1000 eventually . "

    Schnee, her hand on her chin, was imagining Yuzuha''s final form .

    "Having an Element Tail as an ally is a great asset . "

    As he had battled one before, Shibaid knew what a reliablepanion she could be .

    "Nothing''s particrly different from before, so please treat her as you did until now . "

    "Please . "

    After finishing talking, it was now time to prepare for departure .

    Shin joined the others for breakfast on the ground floor . It was still a little early when they finished eating, but they decided to head to the harbor nheless .

    Shin was walking next to Wilhelm .

    "Hermie seems to feel a little better, right . "

    "So it seems . But why are you asking me?"

    "Isn''t it because you two stayed back at the inn? That she smiles like that now . "

    Hermie clearly looked in Wilhelm''s direction more often than before . It wasn''t hard to think that something must have happened . Next to Hermie now walked Konig and Milt, as protection .

    "We just talked a little, I tell you nothing happened . "

    "Looking at her tells me something else, though . "

    "Whatever . "

    Shin felt that it wouldn''t be good to pursue the matter further, so he dropped the topic . They kept walking, chatting casually, until they spotted the ship''s sails .

    Probably because the time for departure was close, the port was full of bulky men carrying supplies inside the ships .

    "It''s really packed! By the way, which one is our ship?"

    Milt asked while her eyes darted all around the port .

    "Thergest one, over there . I confirmed it yesterday, so there''s no mistake . "

    Shin pointed at one of the anchored ships . It was clearlyrger than the others around it, looking like it could carry arge quantity of goods .

    "It looks like there are people on board already . Shall we go too?"

    "We don''t have anything else to do anyway, let''s go . "

    Shin answered Tiera''s question and started to walk towards the ship . As the group drew closer, the crewmember in charge of the passengers'' check came up to them .

    It was arge, muscr man, who looked like he could break in bodybuilding poses any second .

    "Do you n to board the Mediel?"

    "Yes . "

    "Do you have the boarding pass or a letter of introduction?"

    The man''s intimidating appearance hid a perfectly polite demeanor .

    Representing the group, Shin handed the man the letter received from Berett . The man took the letter, opened it carefully and examined its contents .

    "¡­yes, this will do . Wee aboard the Mediel . Shall I guide you to your cabins?"

    "Please . "

    Berett said to show the letter to the captain, but apparently the crewmembers already knew of them too .

    The ship''s cabins reflected the overall size of the vessel; Shin''s request for a private cabin had been granted as well .

    Following the muscr man, Shin''s party proceeded through the ship and finally arrived before a room protected by a sturdy-looking door .

    The cabins were divided between men and women . Hermie was camouged, but they picked the farthest room from the entrance for her, to avoid others'' eyes as much as possible .

    "Guess I''ll go see the ship . "

    "Kuu . "

    Shin stood up and Yuzuha leapt on his shoulder with a small cry .

    "OK, let''s go together . "

    Shin called Shibaid too, then went on a walk through the ship . They checked the ship''s interior structure, what was located where, while paying attention not to get in the way of the stockers .

    After they checked most ces they had ess to, they heard the sound of a bell, the signal that the ship was about to depart . More time had passed than expected .

    Just as Shin thought that it was time to return to their cabins, they heard a voice from beyond the corner .

    "Finally, my sister''s sickness will be healed!!"

    "Yes, I am sure Lady Haruna will be very happy too . "

    The owners of the voices could not be seen, but from their high pitch Shin assumed they belonged to a little girl and her female attendant . As the ship was veryrge, they had already seen several passengers apanied by servants .

    They were now close to the guest rooms and the surroundings were fairly quiet, so they could hear the conversation clearly .

    Shin assumed the little girl had obtained a precious medicine for her sister . Even a stranger like Shin could tell that the girl''s voice was brimming with joy .

    "It was really hard to find it¡­aah!?"

    "Eh¡­ . ?"

    The girl beyond the corner had suddenly cried, so Shin stopped moving . Before him stood the little girl, with a look of utter surprise on her face . She looked like she was in her early teens .

    The girl was small in stature, around 140 cemels . Her me-like bright red hair, extending until her waist, were her most striking feature . Her ck, clear eyes looked straight at Shin .

    "Mdy?"

    Behind the little girl appeared a young woman who, from her clothing, resembled a Samurai . She was wearing gauntlets and shin guards, ck with patterns drawn in orange lines . On her shoulders she worerge protective tes called "Osode", while her chest was protected by a rtively small breast te .

    Her height was probably close to 170 cemels . Her waist-length ck hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail .

    "Do you have business with these gentlemen?"

    The woman looked towards Shin with eyes as deeply ck as her hair . Her sharp look eloquently signaled how she did not only look tough .

    "No, it''s nothing . It appears I was a little too excited . I didn''t catch their presence . My apologies, fellows . I didn''t pay attention, kindly forget about this . "

    "Er, yeah¡­"

    After the woman''s question, the little girl apologized to Shin .

    Even if his answer was vague, Shin was relieved to hear the girl''s words, because the woman''s eyes when looking at him appeared somewhat dangerous .

    "Ehm, so, I will take my leave . "

    "Yes, a good trip to you . "

    Shin gave a slight nod and headed towards Schnee''s room .

    As they arrived, they noticed everyone except 2 members were there .

    "Where are Hermie and Konig?"

    "Hermie started feeling sick as soon as the ship started moving, so Konig''s taking care of her . "

    Shin''s question was answered by Milt, who was drinking a ss of water . The horse carriage hadn''t made her feel sick, but the ship apparently did .

    "She wasn''t terribly sick, so she should be OK as long as she lies down . "

    Schnee added to Milt''s words .

    "Shin, you went looking around the ship, right? Anything caught your interest?"

    "No, nothing in particr . There weren''t suspicious passengers either . "

    Thanks to the map function, Shin had also verified that there wasn''t anyone hiding in ces such as the ship''s hold . In the game era there was an event in which NPCs would hide there, to attack from within when the ship was attacked by pirates .

    After briefly talking about the party''s next ns, all members went on their separate business .

    Shin headed towards the deck to see the scenery .

    "Ah, I''ming too . "

    "Me too . "

    Milt and Tiera quickly followed after Shin . Yuzuha was perched on his shoulder as usual .

    Shin had already visited the deck while inspecting the ship, but he had only checked the path which led to it and had not watched the scenery .

    "Coming on deck, you can feel the wind picked up . "

    "It feels really nice . "

    "Ah, there''s something there!"

    Tiera, who was looking at the sea from the edge of the deck, had found something .

    Shin and Milt went closer to the edge of the deck and looked in the direction Tiera was pointing to .

    "Oh, Hero Dolphins . "

    "As colorful as usual, too . "

    What Tiera had spotted were Hero Dolphins, dolphin-type monsters .

    Maybe they were inspired from certain superhero shows, because they always traveled in packs of 5 or 6; a red and blue one were always present, while the other colors were more varied, ranging between yellow, green, white, ck or pink .

    They were non-active monsters, a type that generally didn''t attack unless provoked .

    "Oh, that''s rare . There''s a gold one . "

    "Wow, it''s true . "

    Milt pointed at a pack of Hero Dolphins, led by a red one and followed by a blue, white, ck and gold one, all swimming parallel to the ship . It was really rare to witness a golden one .

    "It''s shining much brighter than the others . "

    "Its power should be about the same though . "

    If defeated, it could drop items slightly rarer than the others . It was said that if a yer found one, their luck would increase .

    "Hm? Hey, Tiera, what''s wrong?"

    Shin looked back at Tiera, to find her staring at the seawater .

    "Nothing, I just realized that now we aren''t touching the ground with our feet¡­"

    Apparently it was her first time on a ship, so she felt slightly uneasy .

    "We won''t sink unless something really big happens, so rest easy, I tell you . "

    A skill to increase resilience had been used on the ship, so even if charged by arge marine monster, it wouldn''t sink easily .

    "I know that in my head, but I won''t calm down until I get used to it, I guess . "

    It wasn''t something that could change instantly .

    After contemting the scenery for a while, Shin and the others returned to their cabins .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 8 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    ¡°If you¡¯re feeling out of it, you could rest at the inn, you know . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    Yuzuha, curled in a ball on Shin¡¯s shoulder, expressed that she was okay, so he just lightly patted her on the head .

    Since their battle with the demons that attempted to sacrifice the Holy Woman Hermie, Yuzuha would sometimes lean on his shoulders, maybe because she was not feeling too well .

    ¡°Yourpanion does not seem to be feeling well . ¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s saying she¡¯s OK, though . It doesn¡¯t look like she has a fever either, so I¡¯ll just keep an eye on her for now . ¡±

    Leaving Hermie to Wilhelm¡¯s care, Shin and Schnee had gone to meet Berett at Balmel¡¯s Golden Company, as they needed a ship to return to Sigurd .

    Many of the ships leaving Balmel¡¯s port headed towards the northern part of the continent (Est) . Travel bynd would take too much time, so they decided to head by sea to a port town near Sigurd and then reach the city bynd .

    Using the dragons to travel by air was ast resort, so the party would not use them this time .

    ¡°So, how are the arrangements for the ship going?¡±

    At Schnee¡¯s question, Berett lowered his head apologetically .

    ¡°I would love to help you, but unfortunately our guild¡¯s ships are all out . There is, however, one ship heading towards Est . It will stop by another port for supplies on the way there, but it will certainly allow you to reach your destination faster than waiting for one of our ships . What do you say?¡±

    It was a ship that carried both trade goods and people . A rtively high social status was required to board it, but with Berett¡¯s introduction the party would have been able to board it easily .

    ¡°Using Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s introduction or revealing our members¡¯ identity would have been troublesome, so this really helps . ¡±

    An introduction letter from Tsuki no Hokora would have been more than enough proof of status . Using Hermie¡¯s name too would have probably made it easy to board the ship . But both methods would have created trouble down the line, so they wanted to avoid them as much as possible .

    An introduction letter from Berett, Golden Company deputy manager, had the same worth, but saying that they were business partners made it easier to use in their situation .

    Having an A-rank adventurer (Wilhelm) and a Church knight (Konig) with them, saying that they nned to do item transactions would make their travel more believable .

    ¡°The ship¡¯s departure is scheduled for tomorrow, would that be alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t have a lot of time to waste, so that¡¯s perfect . ¡±

    ¡°I will contact youter about the current avable cabins . ¡±

    ¡°I would prefer a private one . There are some members that wouldn¡¯t like their faces to be seen . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . Please wait a while . ¡±

    Berett opened a drawer and began to write quickly on a piece of paper . He then inserted it into an envelope marked with the Golden Company¡¯s logo and sealed it with wax .

    ¡°Please show this to the captain . I will let them know . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you, and sorry for the trouble . ¡±

    ¡°It is a joy and an honor for me to be of help to High Humans . Do not worry . ¡±

    Berett¡¯s smiling expression as he bowed was honest and pure . There wasn¡¯t the single trace of malice within it .

    Shin thanked the man again and left the Golden Company .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin¡¯s entourage was at the Golden Company, Tiera, Filma and Shibaid were buying foodstuffs and items . Kagerou, as usual, stayed within Tiera¡¯s shadow .

    Filma, who had awoken after a 500-year long sleep, was excited to see the streets¡¯ hustle and bustle .

    ¡°As expected of a town based on trade, there¡¯s so many people here . They also look pretty happy too, it¡¯s a relief to see . ¡±

    ¡°A relief?¡±

    Filma¡¯s words caused Tiera¡¯s puzzled question . After a chuckle, Filma answered .

    ¡°I only remember until the era of reconstruction after the natural disasters . At the time, even a small earthquake was enough to send everyone into a panic . ¡±

    There was no sorrow in Filma¡¯s tone .

    ¡°As the generations changed, they probably forgot about what happened then . But the present was born on the efforts of many people . Now and then, people are much more resilient than one would expect . ¡±

    Shibaid, who was apanying them to prevent Filma from going too wild,mented with a smile .

    Not finding any words to say, Tiera kept quiet .

    ¡°Yes, I feel that clearly . Anyway, that was nice of you to leave Shin and Schnee by themselves, Shibaid . You¡¯ve be more perceptive, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°To be precise, there¡¯s someone else with them . But I didn¡¯t do it for a particr reason . I just made the decision that letting you go unattended was far more dangerous . ¡±

    ¡°And what would you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m speaking from past experience . Try to think about it and you¡¯ll understand . ¡±

    Shibaid was looking at Filma with half-opened eyes, clearly showing his disbelief at herst question .

    ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a troublemaker now . Well, I¡¯ve gone a little overboard sometimes in the past, I¡¯ll admit . ¡±

    Maybe because she recalled what Shibaid was talking about, Filma avoided looking directly at him .

    ¡°Come on, both of you, that¡¯s enough . Since we¡¯re out in town and all, why don¡¯t we check out the stores?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too . We have the list of what we need, so let¡¯s wrap that up quickly . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±

    Filma weed Tiera¡¯s proposal, while Shibaid gave a wryugh . He didn¡¯t want to fight either, after all .

    Filma quickly went to buy foodstuffs .

    ¡°Tiera, are you good at picking the good from the bad here?¡±

    ¡°More or less . I¡¯ve been trained by master, after all . How about you, Filma?¡±

    ¡°I can cook if it gets down to it, but I make no promises about the taste . So, the choice of the groceries is up to you . ¡±

    Shibaid wasn¡¯t one to be fussy about food either, so the only one among them who could tell the good groceries from the bad ones was Tiera .

    The huge load of foodstuffs they bought was then carried by Shibaid .

    ¡°We really bought a huge amount¡­will you be all right?¡±

    Tiera was worried about Shibaid carrying therge bag of groceries by himself, but Filma casually brushed away her concerns .

    ¡°No need to worry, he¡¯s not the type of guy to buckle under this much weight . ¡±

    ¡°No problem, I will ce them in the item box as soon as we reach a ce without people around . ¡±

    Shibaid was in fact holding the bag without the least bit of difficulty .

    ¡°By the way, Tiera, there¡¯s something I wanted to ask you¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your reason for traveling with Shin?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I have been wondering that too . And the divine beast you have with you is clearly superior to your abilities as a tamer, too . ¡±

    Shibaid also joined in questioning Tiera .

    ¡°Uhm, do I have to talk about that here?¡±

    ¡°On the contrary, this is the ideal situation to . Crowded ces are the best to talk about secrets . ¡±

    In a noisy and bustling street, as Filma said, it would be impossible to understand who was talking about what . Furthermore, neither Konig the Church knight nor Wilhelm the White Lion Lancer were around .

    ¡°Shin and Schnee are close to me, that¡¯s why I want to know . ¡±

    Both Filma and Shibaid served directly under Shin, thus they wondered why Tiera, who was not under Shin¡¯smand, was part of the entourage .

    Tiera understood that they didn¡¯t just ask her on a whim, and nodded seriously .

    ¡°I understand . Everything started when my master, Schnee, saved me . ¡±

    Tiera than exined briefly what happened until Shin removed her curse .

    ¡°¡­ . I see . It¡¯s true that the ¡°Cursed Gift¡± was usually removed in town before, so there was nothing else to do . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed . I too have attempted to research it, but could not find anything . ¡±

    ¡°Shin seemed to know about it, but both of you didn¡¯t?¡±

    Tiera was surprised to know that, Schnee included, no one knew how to acquire the skill of ¡¾Purification¡¿ .

    ¡°I knew that Shin had learned it though . I helped looking for the items needed to learn it, but thest part was done by Shin alone, so I don¡¯t know the details . It wasn¡¯t a skill used often to begin with, so it was enough for only Shin to learn it . I think it¡¯s simr for the other people we know too . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . That time, even if you did not learn it yourself you could have curses removed easily in the cities now called ¡®Sacred ces¡¯ . It was not something to spend effort to learn . ¡±

    ¡°What can I say¡­it¡¯s incredible . ¡±

    The existence of cities where cursed people could freely enter and leave and easily be purified was something Tiera was not able to imagine .

    Shibaid and Filma, who knew how the world changed after the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±, understood Tiera¡¯s surprise .

    ¡°By the way, Tiera, what do you think about Shin?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t help but voice her surprise at the sudden question .

    ¡°I mean, you thought you wouldn¡¯t ever leave that shop and he pops out of nowhere and dispels your curse without a single exnation . I honestly doubt that you aren¡¯t the least bit interested in him, with all that happened . ¡±

    Filma spoke with confidence and a strange gleam in her eyes . She couldn¡¯t help pointing it out .

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be exaggerated to call him ¡°a prince who saved the damsel just as she was about to give into despair¡±, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, um¡­of course I am thankful! But, er, you know it! Shin has master with him!¡±

    ¡°Polygamy is the norm in this world, isn¡¯t it? Elves don¡¯t seem to like that too much though . But do you really feel only gratitude for him?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­um¡­ . ¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t find the words to answer Filma¡¯s dead serious look . But her floundering for words without denying the allegations was an answer in itself .

    ¡°Filma . It¡¯s not proper to poke about in people¡¯s love affairs . ¡±

    ¡°I know, and I¡¯ll stop now . But Tiera, let me say just one thing . ¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes . ¡±

    Filma wasn¡¯t grinning anymore now, and talked with a very serious tone .

    ¡°It¡¯s better to make your feelings clear . If you do after you feel regret, it¡¯s toote . ¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Tiera found herself swallow her breath, feeling that Filma had seen right through her .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I know this is none of my business . ¡±

    ¡°¡­no, honestly speaking, I can¡¯t find the answer yet myself . ¡±

    Tiera spoke with a small, wryugh .

    Filma was looking at her with a kind smile .

    (I wonder what Shin¡¯s answer will be, then . )

    That was what Shibaid was thinking, apart from the two women .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°First, we¡¯ve secured a means of transport . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s entourage, back from the Golden Company, exined to the others about the ship to Sigurd .

    Not only Tiera, Filma and Shibaid, but also Hermie and Wilhelm, who had stayed back at the inn, plus Milt, who had gone out with Konig, were listening .

    ¡°When will we depart?¡±

    Konig asked .

    ¡°Tomorrow morning, in the ship called the Mediel . How were things on your end?¡±

    ¡°I contacted the Church . As I said before, they shoulde meet us at the town called Leshelle . ¡±

    Konig nodded to Shin¡¯s inquiry .

    Most members of the grouping to meet them, however, would be heading to the ¡°Summit Faction¡± base .

    The group,posed of Chosen Ones, was made to subdue the base in one fell swoop . It was a strategy possible only because Shin¡¯s party had defeated the more powerful demons .

    ¡°Aw, I wanted to go with Shin too¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you would pay for the trouble you caused? You¡¯ll have to work hard volunteering for a while . ¡±

    Milt¡¯sints were quickly shut down by Shin .

    Even if she had been manipted, it was a fact that she had kidnapped Hermie . For this reason, it was decided that Milt would serve the Church for a period . Starting, of course, from this base capture mission .

    ¡°Well, is there anything else that needs to be said? If not, we have an early start tomorrow, so let¡¯s go rest . ¡±

    As no one had anything in particr to add, all members proceeded to their assigned rooms .

    The room division was Shin with Yuzuha and Shibaid, Schnee and Filma, Konig and Wilhelm, Tiera with Milt and Hermie .

    The bright and cheerful Milt had be good friends with Tiera and Hermie and could also act as bodyguard, so she was put in the same room . Kagerou was, as always, in Tiera¡¯s shadow too, so the fighting power was more than sufficient .

    ¡°Anyway Yuzuha, you¡¯re still sick?¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    ¡°Monsters get sick too, huh . It¡¯s not a status ailment, so I really have no idea what it could be¡­¡±

    Shibaid was worried too, but Yuzuha kept mentally signaling that she was all right .

    Shin told her again to let him know if her condition got worse and went to sleep .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next day, Shin¡¯s eyes opened earlier than expected . The reason was a weight of unknown origins on his right arm .

    ¡°I think this happened before¡­Yuzuha, is that you?¡±

    After confirming the situation with ¡¾Analyze¡¿, Shin looked at the young girl sleeping next to him .

    She was Yuzuha, transformed in human form . But her appearance was not the ¡°small girl mode¡± Shin knew .

    She looked like she could be in her early teens . Her height was around 150 cemels, and her body now showed budding feminine curves . Her silver hair, stretched until her waist, sparkled in the sunlighting in through the window .

    Her ears and tail were the same as before .

    ¡°Your feeling sick was because of this, then . ¡±

    Shin pulled out the arm that Yuzuha was hugging and, with his free hand,id a nket over her . As he did so, Yuzuha slowly opened her eyes .

    ¡°¡­ . where?¡±

    Staring at where Shin¡¯s arm used to be, Yuzuha¡¯s hands fumbled around in the now empty space . Maybe because she wasn¡¯t fully awake yet, she hadn¡¯t noticed that Shin had just slightly moved away .

    Her expression was just like a lost child looking for her parents .

    As she clumsily propped her body up, the nket over her fell down, revealing her naked figure .

    Mornings in Balmel are slightly cold . Shin picked up the fallen nket and wrapped Yuzuha with it .

    ¡°¡­ . here . ¡±

    Yuzuha didn¡¯t even nce at the nket; with a mumble, sheid her head on Shin¡¯sp and quickly slipped into slumber . Her expression was one of simple bliss .

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re going back to sleep!?¡±

    It would be a problem to just leave her like that, so Shin wanted her to put some clothes on first of all . Previously she had turned in fox mode with clothes on, and when she had turned into a small girl again she had them still on, but for some reason it didn¡¯t happen this time .

    Yuzuha¡¯s clothes were on the ground next to her, in card form, so there was no need to pull them out .

    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on, first . ¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Your looks, I mean . Is it because your power returned?¡±

    ¡°Yes . I¡¯m still not used to it, so this is my limit for now . ¡±

    ording to Yuzuha, she had been feeling sick because alongside the recovery of her powers, a lot of new knowledge returned to her too . Arge quantity of memories had returned to her as well, so her head felt overloaded .

    Her powers apparently returned to 60% of their original state; if she got used to her newly recovered strength and more memories returned, her appearance would also grow some more .

    ¡°Is that also the reason why your expression is so stiff?¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha tilted her head to the side, puzzled by Shin¡¯s question .

    Excluding her blissful expression while sleeping, her facial expressions barely changed . It was a perfect poker face .

    Shin checked Yuzuha¡¯s status again, finding that her level now exceeded 600 and her stats had increased exponentially too . Even judging from the numbers alone, she was now at Raid rank 3 strength .

    ¡°I guess we should let Schnee and the others know . Can you go back to fox mode? Some people might be surprised that you grew bigger all of a sudden, so that would be better . ¡±

    ¡°No problem . ¡±

    Yuzuha answered positively and transformed right in front of Shin .

    After confirming her transformation, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat . He told Schnee, who was already awake, to call Filma too, while Shin himself woke up Shibaid .

    Tiera was with Hermie, so he decided to tell herter .

    ¡°Ooh, you really got stronger . ¡±

    Filma was impressed after seeing Yuzuha¡¯s new level .

    ¡°I suppose that her level will be 1000 eventually . ¡±

    Schnee, her hand on her chin, was imagining Yuzuha¡¯s final form .

    ¡°Having an Element Tail as an ally is a great asset . ¡±

    As he had battled one before, Shibaid knew what a reliablepanion she could be .

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s particrly different from before, so please treat her as you did until now . ¡±

    ¡°Please . ¡±

    After finishing talking, it was now time to prepare for departure .

    Shin joined the others for breakfast on the ground floor . It was still a little early when they finished eating, but they decided to head to the harbor nheless .

    Shin was walking next to Wilhelm .

    ¡°Hermie seems to feel a little better, right . ¡±

    ¡°So it seems . But why are you asking me?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you two stayed back at the inn? That she smiles like that now . ¡±

    Hermie clearly looked in Wilhelm¡¯s direction more often than before . It wasn¡¯t hard to think that something must have happened . Next to Hermie now walked Konig and Milt, as protection .

    ¡°We just talked a little, I tell you nothing happened . ¡±

    ¡°Looking at her tells me something else, though . ¡±

    ¡°Whatever . ¡±

    Shin felt that it wouldn¡¯t be good to pursue the matter further, so he dropped the topic . They kept walking, chatting casually, until they spotted the ship¡¯s sails .

    Probably because the time for departure was close, the port was full of bulky men carrying supplies inside the ships .

    ¡°It¡¯s really packed! By the way, which one is our ship?¡±

    Milt asked while her eyes darted all around the port .

    ¡°Thergest one, over there . I confirmed it yesterday, so there¡¯s no mistake . ¡±

    Shin pointed at one of the anchored ships . It was clearlyrger than the others around it, looking like it could carry arge quantity of goods .

    ¡°It looks like there are people on board already . Shall we go too?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have anything else to do anyway, let¡¯s go . ¡±

    Shin answered Tiera¡¯s question and started to walk towards the ship . As the group drew closer, the crewmember in charge of the passengers¡¯ check came up to them .

    It was arge, muscr man, who looked like he could break in bodybuilding poses any second .

    ¡°Do you n to board the Mediel?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    ¡°Do you have the boarding pass or a letter of introduction?¡±

    The man¡¯s intimidating appearance hid a perfectly polite demeanor .

    Representing the group, Shin handed the man the letter received from Berett . The man took the letter, opened it carefully and examined its contents .

    ¡°¡­yes, this will do . Wee aboard the Mediel . Shall I guide you to your cabins?¡±

    ¡°Please . ¡±

    Berett said to show the letter to the captain, but apparently the crewmembers already knew of them too .

    The ship¡¯s cabins reflected the overall size of the vessel; Shin¡¯s request for a private cabin had been granted as well .

    Following the muscr man, Shin¡¯s party proceeded through the ship and finally arrived before a room protected by a sturdy-looking door .

    The cabins were divided between men and women . Hermie was camouged, but they picked the farthest room from the entrance for her, to avoid others¡¯ eyes as much as possible .

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll go see the ship . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu . ¡±

    Shin stood up and Yuzuha leapt on his shoulder with a small cry .

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s go together . ¡±

    Shin called Shibaid too, then went on a walk through the ship . They checked the ship¡¯s interior structure, what was located where, while paying attention not to get in the way of the stockers .

    After they checked most ces they had ess to, they heard the sound of a bell, the signal that the ship was about to depart . More time had passed than expected .

    Just as Shin thought that it was time to return to their cabins, they heard a voice from beyond the corner .

    ¡°Finally, my sister¡¯s sickness will be healed!!¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am sure Lady Haruna will be very happy too . ¡±

    The owners of the voices could not be seen, but from their high pitch Shin assumed they belonged to a little girl and her female attendant . As the ship was veryrge, they had already seen several passengers apanied by servants .

    They were now close to the guest rooms and the surroundings were fairly quiet, so they could hear the conversation clearly .

    Shin assumed the little girl had obtained a precious medicine for her sister . Even a stranger like Shin could tell that the girl¡¯s voice was brimming with joy .

    ¡°It was really hard to find it¡­aah!?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­ . ?¡±

    The girl beyond the corner had suddenly cried, so Shin stopped moving . Before him stood the little girl, with a look of utter surprise on her face . She looked like she was in her early teens .

    The girl was small in stature, around 140 cemels . Her me-like bright red hair, extending until her waist, were her most striking feature . Her ck, clear eyes looked straight at Shin .

    ¡°Mdy?¡±

    Behind the little girl appeared a young woman who, from her clothing, resembled a Samurai . She was wearing gauntlets and shin guards, ck with patterns drawn in orange lines . On her shoulders she worerge protective tes called ¡°Osode¡±, while her chest was protected by a rtively small breast te .

    Her height was probably close to 170 cemels . Her waist-length ck hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail .

    ¡°Do you have business with these gentlemen?¡±

    The woman looked towards Shin with eyes as deeply ck as her hair . Her sharp look eloquently signaled how she did not only look tough .

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing . It appears I was a little too excited . I didn¡¯t catch their presence . My apologies, fellows . I didn¡¯t pay attention, kindly forget about this . ¡±

    ¡°Er, yeah¡­¡±

    After the woman¡¯s question, the little girl apologized to Shin .

    Even if his answer was vague, Shin was relieved to hear the girl¡¯s words, because the woman¡¯s eyes when looking at him appeared somewhat dangerous .

    ¡°Ehm, so, I will take my leave . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, a good trip to you . ¡±

    Shin gave a slight nod and headed towards Schnee¡¯s room .

    As they arrived, they noticed everyone except 2 members were there .

    ¡°Where are Hermie and Konig?¡±

    ¡°Hermie started feeling sick as soon as the ship started moving, so Konig¡¯s taking care of her . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s question was answered by Milt, who was drinking a ss of water . The horse carriage hadn¡¯t made her feel sick, but the ship apparently did .

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t terribly sick, so she should be OK as long as she lies down . ¡±

    Schnee added to Milt¡¯s words .

    ¡°Shin, you went looking around the ship, right? Anything caught your interest?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing in particr . There weren¡¯t suspicious passengers either . ¡±

    Thanks to the map function, Shin had also verified that there wasn¡¯t anyone hiding in ces such as the ship¡¯s hold . In the game era there was an event in which NPCs would hide there, to attack from within when the ship was attacked by pirates .

    After briefly talking about the party¡¯s next ns, all members went on their separate business .

    Shin headed towards the deck to see the scenery .

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ming too . ¡±

    ¡°Me too . ¡±

    Milt and Tiera quickly followed after Shin . Yuzuha was perched on his shoulder as usual .

    Shin had already visited the deck while inspecting the ship, but he had only checked the path which led to it and had not watched the scenery .

    ¡°Coming on deck, you can feel the wind picked up . ¡±

    ¡°It feels really nice . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s something there!¡±

    Tiera, who was looking at the sea from the edge of the deck, had found something .

    Shin and Milt went closer to the edge of the deck and looked in the direction Tiera was pointing to .

    ¡°Oh, Hero Dolphins . ¡±

    ¡°As colorful as usual, too . ¡±

    What Tiera had spotted were Hero Dolphins, dolphin-type monsters .

    Maybe they were inspired from certain superhero shows, because they always traveled in packs of 5 or 6; a red and blue one were always present, while the other colors were more varied, ranging between yellow, green, white, ck or pink .

    They were non-active monsters, a type that generally didn¡¯t attack unless provoked .

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s rare . There¡¯s a gold one . ¡±

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s true . ¡±

    Milt pointed at a pack of Hero Dolphins, led by a red one and followed by a blue, white, ck and gold one, all swimming parallel to the ship . It was really rare to witness a golden one .

    ¡°It¡¯s shining much brighter than the others . ¡±

    ¡°Its power should be about the same though . ¡±

    If defeated, it could drop items slightly rarer than the others . It was said that if a yer found one, their luck would increase .

    ¡°Hm? Hey, Tiera, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Shin looked back at Tiera, to find her staring at the seawater .

    ¡°Nothing, I just realized that now we aren¡¯t touching the ground with our feet¡­¡±

    Apparently it was her first time on a ship, so she felt slightly uneasy .

    ¡°We won¡¯t sink unless something really big happens, so rest easy, I tell you . ¡±

    A skill to increase resilience had been used on the ship, so even if charged by arge marine monster, it wouldn¡¯t sink easily .

    ¡°I know that in my head, but I won¡¯t calm down until I get used to it, I guess . ¡±

    It wasn¡¯t something that could change instantly .

    After contemting the scenery for a while, Shin and the others returned to their cabins .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 8 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    The sea travel proceeded smoothly; except a brief stop at a port town, nothing worth mentioning happened.

    The only thing notable was that they met the young girl and her attendant a few more times. As it was inconvenient to not know each other¡¯s names, they briefly introduced each other.

    The young girl with the unique speech style was Kujou Kanade, a level 159 Archer.

    The samurai-like woman¡¯s name was Saegusa Karin, a level 221 Samurai and Kanade¡¯s escort.

    Even without fighting, Shin felt that those two had strength surpassing their ages. They could even be Chosen Ones.

    ¡°The weather¡¯s pretty bad today.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, you can feel a storm brewing.¡±

    Whispered Shin, while looking at the cloudy sky. Kanade nodded in reply, Karin was standing next to her too.

    It was almost dusk, but the setting sun was hidden by thick clouds.

    ¡°You two are headed to Hinomoto, was it?¡±

    ¡°Indeed we are.¡±

    ¡°I too would like to visit it if I have the chance, what kind of country is it?¡±

    Shin thought it was a good chance to ask about Hinomoto. Both the country name and the two women¡¯s names reminded him of Japan.

    ¡°It is said that Hinomoto came to be when, at the time of the natural disasters, inds detached from the continent were conquered by several groups of people. At present the two representative families of Kujou and Yaejima rule over its eastern and western regions.¡±

    The guilds that Gaien -the Dragnil Shin met during the escort mission to Beirun- talked about apparently only ruled over parts of the country.

    ¡°I see¡­oh? Lady Kanade, you are a Kujou too, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I am indeed. I might look like just a little girl, but I am one of the Kujou, the rulers of east Hinomoto.¡±

    ¡°Mdy, you are aware that we should not mention such things in public.¡±

    Kanade¡¯s words were met with a reprimand by Karin.

    ¡°I know that full well, but we do not need to fret if it¡¯s them.¡±

    For some reason, Kanade seemed to ce some trust in Shin¡¯s party after a few conversations. He didn¡¯t feel Karin¡¯s piercing look anymore either.

    Incidentally, Shin had to address Kanade politely because not doing so would have attracted intimidating looks from Karin.

    ¡°It¡¯s a country overflowing with nature.¡±

    ¡°It reminds me of my homnd. But is it alright for ady of such a household to leave the country? Having just Karin as an escort seems odd too, to be honest¡±

    ¡°In truth, I left the country in secret. The situation is¡­ratherplex.¡±

    ¡°For a member of the Kujou house to be an adventurer is unheard of, after all.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. You know well there was no other choice, Karin, that¡¯s why you apanied me. Am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, that is correct, but¡­¡±

    Judging from Karin¡¯s grim expression, one could assume that the plex situation¡± Kanade mentioned could not be solved without leaving Hinomoto.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough. We obtained what we were seeking after all. We just need to return now.¡±

    Ships for Hinomoto leave from the port Shin¡¯s party will disembark at.

    ¡°It started raining.¡±

    They expected it to rain, considering the amount of clouds in the sky. What they didn¡¯t expect was the force with which the rain battered the ship, and the sudden increase of the wind.

    Just seconds after the first raindrops, an incredible deluge started pouring down, followed by powerful gusts of wind that stirred the sea.

    Around the same time, a group of monsters entered Shin¡¯s perception field. They were closing in on the ship at an rming speed.

    ¡°Monsters. They¡¯reing straight towards this ship.¡±

    ¡°Is that true? Karin, can you feel it?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing at all.¡±

    Shin¡¯s perception field was quiterge, thanks to thebined use of skills. Shin didn¡¯t know the range of Karin¡¯s field, but it would likely take a little more time until she could detect the monsters.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you will believe me or not, but I detect 10 units, and quiterge ones at that.¡±

    While exining to Kanade and Karin, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat.

    Schnee and the others had also detected the monsters¡¯ arrival; she replied that Filma had gone to talk with the captain.

    Shibaid, Wilhelm, and Tiera were also headed to Shin¡¯s position.

    ¡°Mypanions wille soon. Lady Kanade, what will you two do?¡±

    ¡°If they are headed towards the ship, barricading ourselves in our cabin will do little good. Fortunately, I have some skill with the bow. I shall lend you my aid.¡±

    ¡°I too offer what little strength I have.¡±

    Kanade pulled out a card from her drenched kimono and materialized it.

    The next instant, the middle Legend-grade bow ¡ºFiery Diamond¡»appeared in her hand.

    It was arge weapon, close to a longbow size, which came apanied with the quiver. Its long range was its major characteristic.

    Karin materialized her battle gear as well; her left hand was holding a katana with a red sheath.

    It was the middle Legend-grade ¡ºVermilion Orchid¡», a fire elemental katana.

    ¡°Did we make it?¡±

    ¡°Just in the nick of time.¡±

    ¡°T-too fast¡­¡±

    Shin had just drawn his¡ºKakura¡» when Shibaid, Wilhelm, and Tiera arrived on deck.

    At Tiera¡¯s feet were both Kagerou and Yuzuha. They were all members capable of defense and long distance attacks.

    ¡°What about the others?¡±

    ¡°Lady Hermie is in her room. For added safety, I had Milt and Konig stay with her. Filma went to speak with the captain, and Schnee wille after bolstering Lady Hermie¡¯s defenses.¡±

    Milt, a water spirit user, was a powerful ally on the seas.

    ¡°Have you noticed anything?¡±

    ¡°The monsters appeared roughly at the same time as when the weather turned rough. From that, I suppose that they are either serpent or mollusk types.¡±

    Shin quickly answered Wilhelm¡¯s questions with his hypothesis.

    There are monsters that influence the weather when they appear. The types of monsters mentioned by Shin often cause storms with theiring.

    ¡°Esteemed passengers! We shall deal with the situation, please return to your cabins!¡±

    Maybe they heard from Filma, or detected the presence themselves, but the crew members came to advise Shin and the others to take shelter.

    The crew probably also acted as a monster protection team; they were carrying bows, rods, harpoons, and other weapons.

    ¡°We shall help too.¡±

    ¡°But sir¡­.!? I understand. Thank you for your assistance!¡±

    The crew members were reluctant at first, but changed their mind after seeing Shin¡¯s party¡¯s postures and equipment.

    The ship, battered by the waves, made it difficult to stand straight. While it also depended on the opponents, the more numbers they had the better their chances would be.

    ¡°They¡¯reing!¡±

    Moments after Shin¡¯s warning, the seawater swelled greatly. Then, from the raging sea emerged the silhouettes of several monsters.

    ¡°Gale Serpents!¡±

    The monsters appeared from the sea and red at the ship were Gale Serpents, also called ¡°Dragon of the Seas¡±. Part of the dragon category, this monster favored attacks such as water breath, roar, and tackles.

    Its level usually ranged from 500 to 600, but facing it in an unstable battlefield such as the sea made it more powerful than the level indicated.

    ¡°What numbers!¡±

    ¡°And just when we needed to return to Hinomoto¡­!¡±

    Kanade and Karin reacted with frustration at the sight of the Gale Serpents, emerging one after the other. No matter how sturdy the ship was, under the attacks of 10 Gale Serpents it was inevitable for it to sink, or so they probably thought.

    In fact, the crew members that came on deck also stood still, pale after seeing the monsters.

    ¡°Wilhelm, Tiera! Don¡¯t let them get any closer! Shibaid, block their long-range attacks!!¡±

    While shouting these orders, Shin let his¡ºKakura¡»sh.

    The Mallet and Windbination skill ¡¾Bestial Drive¡¿ created a fierce gust of wind which blew away the rain and wind with a single hit, while also crushing the head of one of the Gale Serpents surrounding the ship.

    Even among the battering wind and rain, the sound of the skill¡¯s impact boomed clearly through the deck and the ears of everyone present.

    In the span of a few seconds, the Gale Serpent with the smashed cranium gradually sank below the waves.

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly!¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose either!¡±

    After Shin¡¯s attack, Wilhelm threw his Hell Spear ¡ºVakira¡»and Tiera started shooting arrows.

    The Gale Serpents, stopped in their tracks by the sudden fall of theirrade, tried to avoid the attacks¡¯ trajectory with agility ill fitting their huge bodies.

    Their response, however, had been too slow; the Gale Serpent closest to the ship was hit by an arrow on one eye and by ¡ºVakira¡»on its body.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!?!¡±

    The monster did not die on the spot, but unleashed a scream like grinding metal and copsed among the waves.

    ¡°You are far from the average traveler, I see.¡±

    Not just the monsters were surprised by Shin¡¯s movements. While aiming an arrow at a Gale Serpent poking its face from below the water, Kanade talked to Shin.

    Shin replied that he was just amon traveler and focused again on his perception field. The Gale Serpents were swimming around the ship, alternatively getting closer and farther.

    ¡°Is it just me, or is the ship shaking more and more?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably caused by the monsters.¡±

    Karin also felt something was off, and agreed with Shin¡¯s observation.

    ¡°Tch, the bastards went underwater and won¡¯t show up anymore!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Shin!! The ship isn¡¯t going to turn over, is it!?¡±

    Even if she hade closer, Tiera¡¯s voice was almost drowned out by the ever stronger storm¡¯s howling winds. Her concern was well ced, as even the crew members could barely stand without support, that¡¯s how violently the ship was shaking. They all grabbed handrails or sail masts, sticking their weapons on the floor to keep standing.

    Only Shin and Shibaid still managed to stand straight.

    ¡°Shin! Looks like they¡¯re going to attack!¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s words made Shin look all around himself, only to find 9 Gale Serpents emerging from the waves, open their jaws wide and point them at the ship.

    ¡°A breath attack, huh. Shibaid, take care of the ones in front. I¡¯ll handle the rear.¡±

    While sprinting through the shortest path on the ship, Shin pulled out the same shield Shibaid had equipped, the¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡». Then, he activated a fully-powered anti-air barrier.

    A barrierposed of interlocked hexagons appeared in midair and repelled the Gale Serpents¡¯ water breath.

    ¡°Shit, the rain and wind make it hard to aim¡­¡±

    Shin unleashed several magic attacks while holding up the barrier, but because of the storm rocking the ship and the distance between him and the targets, none reached their intended destination.

    Even bow users such as Tiera and Kanade could not reach the monsters with their attacks.

    Seeing this, Yuzuha made a proposition.

    ¡°Should I support?¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    Shin earnestly asked for help.

    ¡°I should have lowered the numbers more with the first attack.¡±

    Fighting on a ship during stormy weather was even harder than Shin had expected.

    The clouds kept the sunlight from filtering through, making the surroundings constantly dark. The rocking ship made it hard to stand, but they had to fight off the monsters and protect the ship at the same time.

    Shin¡¯s party would survive even if the ship sank, but they couldn¡¯t save all the crew members and passengers. If things continued like this, their situation would get worse little by little.

    Shin regretted choosing the wrong skill for the first attack.

    ¡°Kuu.¡±

    Yuzuha cried and activated a skill, which caused the rain and wind to temporarily weaken.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to hesitate anymore. Yuzuha, cover me!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    Taking advantage of the instant the breath attacks stopped, Shin leapt from the ship.

    ¡°Sir Shin!?¡±

    He turned back to see Kanade and Karin, hanging onto the ship handrails, looking at him. They had left the front to the reinforcements and rushed to his aid.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go falling into the sea!¡±

    Thinking that he didn¡¯t need any help, Shin gave a short warning and kicked the sea.

    ¡°What in the¡­!?¡±

    Apanied by Karin¡¯s exmation of surprise, Shin rushed towards the Gale Serpents while causing bursts of water.

    As long as the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Water Passage¡¿was active, one could fight using water surfaces as footholds.

    The first monster Shin targeted was the one hit in the eye by Tiera¡¯s arrow. Shin swung ¡ºKakura¡»from the monster¡¯s blind spot and chopped off its neck.

    ¡°One down!!¡±

    At the same time, Shin spun and kicked the Gale Serpent¡¯s fallen head sending it crashing into the next Gale Serpent.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!?!¡±

    As the Gale Serpent lost its bnce, Shin activated the Light-type magic skill¡¾Avraid Ray¡¿. Thanks to the weakened storm, the light ray pierced two serpent heads.

    ¡°Two down!!¡±

    There were 7 remaining Gale Serpents.

    As Shin was searching for the next monster, an explosion echoed from the front of the ship.

    In the dim darkness, a silver sh reverberated.

    Looking at the map, Shin could verify that, among the 5 serpents in front of the ship, 3 had already disappeared. As Shin expected, the reinforcements had arrived.

    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this once and¡­.hm?¡±

    As he was about to say ¡°for all¡±, Shin detected that something else wasing closer.

    2 new signals were closing in on the ship, much faster than the other Gale Serpents.

    ¡°(Schnee! Shibaid! Two moreing!)¡±

    While taking down another serpent, Shin informed Schnee and Shibaid via Mind Chat about the two iing monsters.

    ¡°(We have sensed them as well. Who would have expected such an assault though.)¡±

    ¡°(Indeed, were we not on board, the ship would have sunk by now.)¡±

    Shin received a somewhat jaded response via Mind Chat. The location made it difficult to fight, but they did not feel particrly cornered.

    With Schnee and Shibaid on deck, the ship would be sufficiently protected.

    ¡°They split, huh.¡±

    The new monsters¡¯ signals separated along the way; they were now heading one towards the front and one towards the back of the ship.

    The sea swelled even higher than before, sending water spraying all around and revealing the silhouette of a Gale Serpent almost twice the size of the previous ones.

    ¡°I see, the Queen and King showed up.¡±

    Even before using¡¾Analyze¡¿on the new monster, clearly different from the 10 Gale Serpents which appeared before, Shin had seen through its identity.

    ¡°Gale Serpent Queen ¨C Level 702¡±

    The monster¡¯s details appeared at the same time as Shin¡¯s words.

    As expected, the monster name included the word ¡°Queen¡±. The King was likely headed to the front.

    Many monsters had ¡°King¡± or ¡°Queen¡± in their names, and most of them were escorted by monsters of the same species.

    ¡°I guess they built a nest around here.¡±

    It was confirmed that monsters too, had the notion of territory. Considering their ¡°King¡± and ¡°Queen¡± names, these monsters were probably a couple. If so, the serpents that attacked the ship first could have been their children.

    ¡°Why did theye and attack the ship I wonder. There should be plenty of other prey.¡±

    Maybe they were chased by a bigger monster, or wanted to practice hunting. Shin couldn¡¯t know what the reason was, but in any case, what they had to do didn¡¯t change.

    The prey retaliating against the hunter was also a fact of nature.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we can¡¯t let you sink this ship.¡±

    Shin ran towards the Queen.

    He was about to strike it with¡ºKakura¡», while avoiding the breath attacks it unleashed, when the sea showed an unnatural movement.

    The rumbling sea created a gigantic wave between Shin and the Queen, forcing them apart.

    Then, as if in response to the giant wave, a series of 60 cemels long harpoon-like jets of seawater shot towards Shin.

    ¡°¡¾Aqua Lance¡¿, huh? Sorry, that won¡¯t work on me.¡±

    Shin made thences,ing at him from all sides, focus on one point, then leapt away.

    As it used real seawater, this ¡¾Aqua Lance¡¿had a higher number ofnces, power, and resistance to magic than an ordinary one, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop Shin.

    With one swing of¡ºKakura¡», Shin blew past the barrage of waternces created by ¡¾Aqua Lance¡¿. It wasn¡¯t necessary to deal with all of them.

    ¡°Sorry to do this when you just arrived, but¡­¡±

    Shin dodged a newly unleashed water breath, shed through the giant wave and closed in on the Queen.

    He then held ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s hilt with both hands, gripping it forcefully.

    ¡°The curtains are already closing!!¡±

    With a shout, Shin pounded ¡ºKakura¡»into the Queen¡¯s cranium. With a thunderous sound that silenced the winds, the Queen¡¯s skull visibly caved in.

    The power of the attack strengthened by the Mallet skill ¡¾Fierce Impact¡¿was not something even a Queen could sustain.

    It was a superior species, with a shell that acted as a helmet, so its head was not crushed to bits. The shock did not kill it on the spot; the Queen¡¯s body swung down to sea level, floating powerlessly on the waves.

    ¡°W-What in zes is going on!?¡±

    Kanade, who had been watching Shin¡¯s battle, lost her bnce because of the sudden shaking. Shin looked back and saw the shadow of a Gale Serpent beneath the ship.

    ¡°Trying to sink the ship now? You got a good beating, time to retreat.¡±

    Of course, Shin would not let the monster seed.

    Shin immediately dove underwater to punch away the Gale Serpent before it could tackle the ship

    Thanks to the marine environment, however, the serpent was not killed right away and slithered away from Shin.

    ¡°Guess it doesn¡¯t work as well as aboveground.¡±

    This was Shin¡¯s first underwater battle aftering to this world. The response he felt on his fists was also lighter than usual.

    ¡°The currents are a pain too.¡±

    He had to move while kicking the water to prevent his body from being dragged away. The invisible water currents were swirling all around Shin.

    In an underwater environment, without a solid foothold, even Shin who still retained his memories of his experiences during the game era had to focus at all times or he would lose track of the direction he had to face.

    Shin returned temporarily to the sea surface, and jumped in midair while kicking up jets of seawater.

    In the same instant, he saw Kanade as she was about to jump into the sea.

    ¡°Hey, what are you doing!?!¡±

    Following Kanade, Karin jumped into the water too.

    Shin then noticed that the ship was severely tilted. He wanted to chase Kanade and Karin right away, but couldn¡¯t leave the ship like that.

    As Shin tried to get closer to the ship with the Movement-type Martial skill¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, the seawater around the bottom of the ship suddenly froze.

    The ice spread as to cover the ship, acting as a floating tube with the surrounding seawater.

    The waves were still tall, but not enough to knock over the ship now supported by the ice. Unless the frozen surface was crushed, the ship would not sink.

    ¡°I see they¡¯re almost done too.¡±

    From his position in midair, Shin saw Filma unleash crimson sword shes towards the King and felt positive that the battle would be over soon .

    ¡°Then I will¡ª¨C!?¡±

    Shin turned to quickly chase after Kanade and Karin, when a breath attack was unleashed in his direction. It was from the serpent that he had failed to defeat just before.

    ¡°I¡¯m busy enough already!¡±

    Shin kicked the air to dodge the breath attack, then pointed a finger towards the Gale Serpent, which was preparing another water breath, to activate a magic skill.

    A light blue beam froze the Gale Serpent along with the surrounding water, instantly creating an ice pir.

    It was the Light and Waterbination skill¡¾Freezing Ray¡¿.

    This beam of light, characterized by high activation speed and freezing properties, froze the Gale Serpent until deep within its body.

    Secondster, the frozen pir broke off inrge and small blocks of ice.

    ¡°It made me waste too much time¡­they¡¯ve already gotten far.¡±

    Shin checked for Kanade and Karin¡¯s signals and fell down to the water while grumbling. The two women had been swept away farther than he had expected.

    ¡°(Schnee, I¡¯m going to pick up two women that fell into the sea. Can I leave the rest to you?)¡±

    ¡°(Understood. We will eliminate the remaining monsters very soon. Be careful.)¡±

    Shin exchanged a Mind Chat with Schnee and kicked the water. Gaining distance by moving through the air, he rushed on the seawater while jumping to avoid the waves.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t much time left.¡±

    Kanade and Karin were apparently trapped in a sea current and were moving towards the edge of Shin¡¯s perception field.

    They were probably getting swept away by the current. Their signals were moving in a fixed reaction, but the trajectory was highly unstable.

    ¡°If I chase after them like this, we won¡¯t be able to return to the ship.¡±

    Shin considered their movement speed and the distance to the ship, then reached a conclusion.

    Kanade and Karin were in the perfectly opposite direction to the ship. The ship would disappear from his perception field before he reached the two women¡¯s signals.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Hermie and the others, but I have to go.¡±

    The option of prioritizing the return to the ship and abandoning the two women did not exist for Shin.

    During the sea trip, they had exchanged words several times. He couldn¡¯t think of them as strangers and leave them alone anymore. For this reason, Shin decided to prioritize rescuing them.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Karin first.¡±

    Since she had jumped into the seater, Shin managed to reach Karin first.

    Shin deactivated¡¾Water Passage¡¿as he hit the water and dove into the sea. He proceeded while cutting through the currents swirling around him and caught Karin as she was being tossed about by the waves.

    ¡°There¡¯s not much time left.¡±

    Shin cast¡¾Dive X¡¿on Karin and sped up.

    Shin was holding her torso with an arm and keeping her still, but there was no response from Karin. Considering how much time had passed since she had jumped into the sea, it was not possible for her to be still breathing.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I came to rescue them and they¡¯re both dead¡­!!!¡±

    With a shout, Shin charged through the water. As soon as Kanade entered his sight, he drew the white-sheathed katana ¡ºHakuramaru¡»from the item box and swung it vertically very quickly, easily oveing the water¡¯s resistance.

    Katana and Waterbination skill ¡¾Deepwater Cleave¡¿.

    As if tracing the sh itself, the sea was cleft in a V-shape.

    Shin, carrying Karin over his shoulders, jumped in midair and kicked the horizontal sea surface.

    In the air, Shin kicked again. He rushed towards the center of the sliced V, towards Kanade.

    ¡°Here too?¡±

    Shin, with ¡ºHakuramaru¡»in his mouth, carried Karin with his right arm and Kanade with his left. Before the cleft seawater returned to its original state, he kicked against the horizontally sliced sea surface. After jumping back in midair, Shin activated ¡¾irvoyance¡¿and looked around.

    As he was focused on chasing the two women, He didn¡¯t know where he currently was. He looked around to see if there was anynd in the surroundings, and found a promising shadow on the right.

    ¡°Hang on, please!!¡±

    Shin ran as fast as he could.

    A mad rush straight towardsnd, leaving water spouts in his wake.

    Maybe because the rain clouds had not reached this stretch ofnd, the waves near the coast Shin reached were very calm.

    Shin reached the sandy beach, quicklyid the two women down and checked their breathing and pulse.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t tell me.¡±

    They were both in a state of cardiac arrest.

    Trying to suppress his growing impatience, Shin thought of a way to solve the situation.

    With¡¾Analyze¡¿, he saw that both women¡¯s HP were slowly reaching zero. The decrease speed was more or less the same, but Karin seemed to have incurred damage somewhere, as she had 10% less HP.

    The only solution Shin came up with at the moment was to cast¡¾Heal¡¿and then perform CPR on both.

    He first performed CPR on Kanade. Even if slightly, she had jumped into the sea earlier than Karin. As she was younger, Shin decided that she was the more urgent case.

    ¡°Cough! Cough!!¡±

    ¡°Great, one¡¯s done!!¡±

    With relief at a resurrection quicker than expected, Shin put Kanade in a morefortable posture and made her spit out the water.

    He then left her and performed CPR on Karin. It didn¡¯t go as well this time, so Shin, relying on a hazy memory, tried to perform a heart massage.

    ¡°¡­.h¡­n¡­? What¡­are you¡­?¡±

    Shin was too focused to hear what Kanade was saying.

    Was her breathing adequate? Was the heart massage¡¯s strength and rhythm correct? Was there still time for her toe back to life?

    That was all Shin could think about.

    ¡°Kah!! Cough!!¡±

    ¡°Yes!!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s emergency procedure seemed to have worked, as Karin sprang back to life as well.

    Looking at Karin spitting out the seawater, Shin let out a shout and, at the same time, felt all his strength leave his body.

    ¡°So this is what it means to be scared to death¡­¡±

    Shin mumbled after a deep sigh. Life support procedures are not to be made while relying on hazy memories.

    Karin¡¯s breath had stabilized and she had woken up, so Shin told the two women to rest while he went to gather dry wood.

    It apparently had not rained in their location, so he was able to quickly gather a good quantity of dry wood.

    At the same time, Shin looked for any huts or caves where they could rest.

    ¡°Oh, this ce looks just right.¡±

    It was at a fair distance from the ce they came ashore, but he found a naturally formed cave. It was also deep enough that, even if it rained, they would be protected.

    Shin ced the dry wood in the item box and returned to the beach.

    ¡°There¡¯s a cave over there. I think it¡¯s better to move before the sun sets, but can you walk?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m all right, but I suppose that Karin would still have trouble walking.¡±

    The two women had fallen into the sea at roughly the same time, but Karin was more exhausted.

    Shin had cast healing magic at the time he performed emergency procedures, so their HP was recovered, but both of them were not in good condition. Recovering HP did not mean that one¡¯s condition returned to normal as well.

    The sun was already setting over the beach, so after asking permission, Shin carried the still exhausted Karin on his shoulders.

    Kanade had recovered enough to be able to walk without problems, so they walked towards the cave at a pace rxed enough not to tire her.

    As they arrived at the cave, Shin let Karin down and prepared to light a fire.

    ¡°Let¡¯s use a small Fire spell and¡­OK, it lit up. Lady Kanade, please use this to warm¡­¡­what-are-you-two-doing?¡±

    What Shin saw when he turned around was Karin, stripped of her armor and wearing only her kimono.

    Her wet hair, sticking to her cheeks, and half exposed chest emitted, in total contrast with their current situation, an aura of sensuality. Karin was apparently the type that looks leaner when clothed.

    Judging from the situation, Kanade had probably removed her armor.

    ¡°I certainly can¡¯t leave her in those drenched clothes. It is quite unbing to show skin in front of a gentleman, but warming Karin up takes priority.¡±

    ¡°Definitely. Then allow me to offer new clothes, a towel, and a cloth for her to lie on.¡±

    In a situation like this, Shin wouldn¡¯t just keep staring at Karin. Prepared for the fact that he might be interrogated about itter, he materialized several items from cards.

    The mantle Shin took out for Karin to lie on possessed an HP recovery effect. He didn¡¯t know if it could help relieve her exhaustion, but it was still better than nothing.

    ¡°From the number of cards you possess, I am more positive that you certainly are not an ordinary traveller.¡±

    ¡°Rather than that, I suggest that you rest for now. You must be fatigued too. I will stand guard, so please try to rest.¡±

    Shin¡¯s clothes were generally equipped with an underwater mode too, so they weren¡¯t wet at all. He hadn¡¯t lost much energy.

    ¡°Atchoo!¡±

    Kanade¡¯s sneeze, echoed within the cave, as she warmed up beside the fire. No matter how close she was to the fire, as drenched as she was, her body couldn¡¯t not feel cold.

    Shin told Kanade to also change into another kimono and went outside.

    While they were changing, he used a monster repellent item to prevent monsters and wild animals froming closer to the cave.

    Some monsters coulde closer despite the item, so for added security Shin set some traps that would damage them the instant they stepped into the cave.

    ¡°You may return!¡±

    Shin returned inside the cave to find a changed Kanade and Karin sleeping, wrapped in a nket.

    First, Shin tied the ends of a rope to two short daggers and stabbed them in the cave¡¯s walls, to hang the wet kimonos from this improvised clothesline.

    ¡°We are in your debt.¡±

    ¡°As they say, when in trouble people should help each other. Lady Kanade, you should also sleep a little. Are you not tired?¡±

    ¡°However¡­¡±

    ¡°I will stand guard. First priority is recovery now.¡±

    Kanade¡¯s eyelids were already closing. She was probably at her limit.

    ¡°I will repay you for everything one day¡­¡±

    Shin made sure that Kanade started sleeping too and sat down near the fire.

    (Even if they almost drowned, their fatigue is too much for someone who simply fell into the sea. Is this normal when someone nearly drowns? Or not?)

    This was the first time Shin had seen someone nearly drown before his eyes, so he didn¡¯t know if their condition was normal or not. But more than 10 minutes had passed between when they fell into the sea and Shin began emergency treatment on them.

    He didn¡¯t know how long they had been in cardiac arrest, but Shin thought that the possibility of not saving them must have been higher.

    (Both of them are probably Chosen Ones. Maybe when stats and level are high, at times like this the survival rate increases too?)

    While dwelling on such thoughts, Shin waited for them to wake up. Until then, he decided to try contacting Schnee.

    ¡°(Shin here. Can we talk now?)¡±

    ¡°(Are you alright? Here the storm passed and the ship departed again. Are the people who fell into the sea safe?)¡±

    The Gale Serpents must have been exterminated. Other than Shin and the two women, no one else fell into the sea, fortunately.

    Shin exined their current situation and told Schnee to give priority to protecting Hermie.

    ¡°(Understood. Please let us know your location once you know where you are. Let¡¯s choose where to meet then. Also, Yuzuha is quite restless, could you summon her by your side?)¡±

    ¡°(Yuzuha?)¡±

    ¡°(She seems to feel down because although you had left those twodies in her care, they fell into the sea.)¡±

    ¡°(Ah¡­.I don¡¯t think that was Yuzuha¡¯s fault in any way. Anyway, I understand.)¡±

    Shin confirmed his understanding of what Schnee rted.

    Rather than falling, Kanade had thrown herself into the sea, so Yuzuha didn¡¯t have to feel responsible. Yet Yuzuha herself certainly didn¡¯t think so.

    Shin contacted Yuzuha via Mind Chat and called her with a Tamer skill.

    ¡°Kuuu¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel so down, that wasn¡¯t your fault Yuzuha.¡±

    Yuzuha cried weakly, and Shin patted her head while talking.

    For Shin too, it was aplete mystery as to why Kanade had leapt into the water like that.

 Vol 8 Chapter 1.3: Chapter 1 Part 3

    ¡°Hmh¡­¡±

    The two women woke up roughly 2 hourster .

    Karin woke up first, then Kanade a littleter .

    Perhaps because their bodies had rested, or because of the equipment¡¯s effects, their conditions had improved greatly .

    ¡°I offer you my most heartfelt thanks for saving my mistress¡¯ life . ¡±

    ¡°I do too . If you weren¡¯t there, we would be sleeping among fish and seaweed . ¡±

    ¡°It would have felt bad to just abandon you, that¡¯s all . Rather than that, it¡¯s almost time for dinner . ¡±

    Both had lowered their heads in thanks, but Shin replied that such excessive politeness was not needed, and handed them arge bowl instead .

    He had made some stew while they were sleeping . It was simple ¨C he just cut the ingredients and let them boil in the roux he materialized from a card .

    ¡°Allow me to thank you again . . ¡±

    ¡°And this is quite the delicacy too . I feel my whole body getting warmer . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a simple dish, I just cut the ingredients, boiled them, and put in some seasonings . ¡±

    While saying so, Shin poured himself another bowlful . Yuzuha, of course, had her share too .

    The two women were surprised at first by Yuzuha¡¯s presence, but understood when Shin exined that he could call her because they were bound by a contract . Apparently, users of a simr technique were also in Hinomoto .

    After the meal, they decided to talk a while before sleeping .

    ¡°First, tomorrow shall we see if we can find a dwelling or some sort around here?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Without knowing where we are, we can¡¯t decide where to go . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, at the very least I know in which country we are . ¡±

    Shin interrupted the women¡¯s conversation . He had seen a particr mountain when he had exited the cave .

    ¡°Is that so . Tell us then, where are we now?¡±

    ¡°Hinomoto, your homnd . ¡±

    ¡°Sir Shin . May I ask how you know?¡±

    ¡°When I went outside, I saw the sacred Mount Fuji . Is it not Hinimoto¡¯s symbol?¡±

    Shin, who had heard this piece of information in Balmel, had understood right away where they were .

    Sacred Mount Fuji was a map added in the 5th update, ¡°Banquet of des¡± . It had been reproduced with such precision that it was almost identical to the real Mt . Fuji, so Shin understood at a nce that what he saw was Mt . Fuji .

    ¡°Indeed it is . In such a case, we can have a rough idea of our current location?¡±

    ¡°Yes . If we are in Hinomoto, we can find a way back . ¡±

    Shin thought of heading to a certain port town and meeting with Schnee and the others .

    Kanade and Karin¡¯s equipment had not been lost, so they did not need to be apanied .

    ¡°Now that we have a destination, there is something I need to ask, Lady Kanade . ¡±

    Also thinking of Yuzuha, Shin decided to ask the question right away .

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Why did you jump down from the ship? I am sure you knew it would put you in mortal danger . ¡±

    Shin had a few theories about the reason, but nothing more .

    Kanade appeared to hesitate, but maybe thought that she couldn¡¯t keep silent either, so she nervously started to speak .

    ¡°In truth, the medicine we had obtained for my elder sister had been blown away by the wind . I always kept it with me in order to not lose it, but that proved to be my undoing¡­I owe you both an apology . ¡±

    Saying so, Kanade lowered her head towards Shin and Karin . She knew it was dangerous, but moved without thinking .

    ¡°Even so, in the end only this much remained . ¡±

    What Kanade was holding were green colored leaves with a hint of red .

    The name of the nt was ¡°Mimic Dead Snake Grass¡± . As the name suggests, it was a nt that looked very much like  ¡°Dead Snake Grass¡±, but was apletely different species .

    Shin had seen the nt name disyed via¡¾Appraisal¡¿and felt something was off, but couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, so he urged Kanade to continue .

    ¡°My sister has contracted quite a unique disease you see . She doesn¡¯t have much time left anymore . This medicinal herb can specifically cure it, but it cannot be found in our country, nor did any merchant have it . We had finally managed to obtain some . ¡±

    A unique illness, a specific medicine, Dead Snake Grass¡­Shin triedparing the pieces of information found in the conversation with his own knowledge .

    ¡°However, this much can only prolong her life a little longer¡­¡±

    ¡°Mdy¡­¡±

    Karin tried to console the downhearted Kanade . The country¡¯s merchants had done everything they could too .

    (I think I¡¯ve already heard about this¡­a quest, maybe?)

    Shin took a thinking pose and opened the menu via mental control . Inside the menu, he picked the ¡°Event History¡± option .

    This mode allowed Shin to browse, in detail, the past events he participated in during the game era: the contents, the item rewards, and other information .

    Among them, Shin looked for events that required Dead Snake Grass .

    (There¡¯s just one¡­did I hit the jackpot?)

    Among the events that required Dead Snake Grass, only one was rted to a sickness .

    In the events guilds could participate in during the game era, there was one that involved concocting medicine for a viger .

    It was mainly aimed at yers with alchemist jobs, but Shin took it for the rewards .

    (Now I¡¯m not sure if I should say it or not though . )

    Shin looked at the event details and grimaced, careful not to be noticed by the two women .

    If the illness was the same as the one he looked up, Kanade¡¯s Mimic Dead Snake Grass would have no effect at all .

    Not knowing the sister¡¯s symptoms, though, he could not talk lightly . Even if he talked now, he would just dash their hopes of prolonging Kanade¡¯s sister¡¯s life .

    ¡°I apologize for the depressing story . We should go to sleep to be ready for tomorrow . We will watch the fire tonight, so please go ahead and sleep sir Shin . ¡±

    ¡°I and my mistress will take turns standing guard . Please rest well sir Shin . ¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t let you¡­¡±

    ¡°It must have not been easy to pull us up from the sea . You must be weary too . I assure you, we are better trained than the average person, we shall not sumb to mere monsters . ¡±

    Kanade smiled, full of confidence .

    Shin was not excessively tired, but realized that even if he insisted he was fine, they would not be convinced, so he decided to rest .

    Around 20 minutes after Shin went to rest, Kanade and Karin headed towards the entrance of the cave .

    Shin, who stayed awake in case of an emergency, noticed it and checked the surroundings just in case, but did not perceive signals of monsters or the like .

    (¡­someone¡¯s crying?)

    In the silent night, except for the sound of bonfire, the sound of someone crying reached his ears .

    ¡°¡­but why¡­!!¡­ . . a little¡­ . more and¡­ . help¡­ . my sist¡­ . . this can¡¯t¡­ . ¡±

    It was Kanade .

    She must have kept it all inside while she was talking to Shin .

    She had left her house, her country, to save a person¡­and just when she thought she had achieved her goal, the Gale Serpents attacked .

    Without enough medicine left to save her sister, it was natural to feel like crying .

    Furthermore, Kanade was still a child . It wouldn¡¯t be weird for her to feel heartbroken .

    ¡°(Kanade, crying¡­sad?)¡±

    ¡°(Well, who wouldn¡¯t¡­)¡±

    Yuzuha had heard too . Shin patted her head lightly, telling her not to mind and go to sleep .

    (If I could¡­ . leave her alone, I wouldn¡¯t be concerned like this¡­)

    Sighing at himself for not being able to cut her off as someone he had no rtion to, Shin decided to help the two Hinomoto women .

 Vol 8 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    The next day, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat after breakfast .

    ¡°(¡­and so, I¡¯m going to help them for a while . I¡¯m sorry, but please take care of Hermie and the others . )¡±

    ¡°(Don¡¯t be, we¡¯re just waiting for the ship to reach port here . I doubt that the ship will be attacked again like yesterday after all . )¡±

    Shin told Schnee that he was going to help Kanade and entrusted Hermie and the others to her . Even if they were subjected to an attack of simr magnitude, they had enough fighting power to withstand it, so he wasn¡¯t particrly worried .

    Shin ended the Mind Chat with Schnee and spoke to Kanade .

    ¡°Lady Kanade, about what we talked about yesterday¡­could you tell me the name of the herb you went looking for?¡±

    ¡°This? It¡¯s called Dead Snake Grass . Depending on the concoction, it can be a potion, or so they say . ¡±

    Hearing the name of the herb, Shin was more and more confident that the situation could be just like the quest he remembered .

    ¡°¡­I apologize in advance for such a personal question, but could you tell me in detail what symptoms your sister has? Ever since I saw that medicinal herb, something was bothering me, and I finally remembered what it was . I might be able to help in curing your sister¡¯s sickness . ¡±

    As Shin finished his sentence, Kanade and Karin looked at him with astonishment .

    ¡°I am nothing but thankful for such a proposal, but are you sure? We essentially fled from the main house, I doubt we can properly reward your assistance . ¡±

    ¡°I realize this might seem suspicious, but there is nothing in particr that I want . A friend of mine lost her life because of a sickness, so I am weak to such circumstances . ¡±

    The shadow of Marino, Shin¡¯s passed girlfriend, appeared in his mind . He also thought that he being too kind, but he couldn¡¯t ignore a situation like this after all .

    ¡°I see¡­ . to be frank, we would grasp at any straw in our current situation . We dly ept your offer . ¡±

    Maybe because she felt something in Shin¡¯s expression, Kanade spoke about her sister¡¯s symptoms after a few moments of silence .

    Karin had probably felt how serious Shin¡¯s expression was too, as she did not even try to stop Kanade .

    A few minutester, Kanade stopped talking . What Shin heard was extremely close to the quest he had remembered .

    ¡°I see¡­this is difficult for me to say, but if what I know is true, the medicinal herb you have will be of little use . ¡±

    ¡°!? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Sir Shin, please do exin!!¡±

    Shin calmed down the surprised women and proceeded to exin .

    ¡°Lady Kanade, you think that those leavese from Dead Snake Grass, correct?¡±

    ¡°Indeed I do, but from your words, I suppose you mean that this is not the case?¡±

    ¡°I do not know if you have been deceived or the person who sold it to you did not know either . But that is Mimic Dead Snake Grass, not a medicinal herb but a poisonous one . If you doubt me, please have someone with the skill ¡¾Appraisal¡¿ examine it . ¡±

    ¡°What did you say!?¡±

    Yes, Dead Snake Grass was an herb used to make grade 4 potions, but Mimic Dead Snake Grass was nothing but a toxic herb, which would inflict the status ailment Poison III to anyone unfortunate enough to ingest it .

    ¡°The merchant who sold it to us said it was Dead Snake Grass, without a doubt . ¡±

    ¡°The appearance is almostpletely the same, after all . The base of the leaves, here, is colored purple, isn¡¯t it? The real one is red though . ¡±

    Looking at the exnation disyed by ¡¾Appraisal¡¿, visible only to Shin, he exined the difference between Dead Snake Grass and its Mimic counterpart .

    ¡°How can this be¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir Shin . Do you have any idea where we can find a recement?¡±

    ¡°I have some myself, but not enough to make medicine with . I could ask some acquaintances, but is it really not possible to find within Hinomoto? I heard that it should grow spontaneously near the peak of sacred mountain Fuji . ¡±

    Shin mentioned his game knowledge as if he had heard it from someone .

    In the quest history page, one could find the locations items had been retrieved in as well .

    As the geography was now different, most information was not useful anymore, but if the location corresponding to the original map was still there, there was still a chance .

    However, Kanade¡¯s answer was not a hopeful one .

    ¡°That is indeed so, however¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°The peak of Mt . Fuji is a forbidding area, which does not allow human presence . It is shrouded by mist at all times, which sways the senses not only of humans but of monsters too . In olden times, many brave warriors challenged the peak, but none returned . Even now it is one of the most perilous zones of Hinomoto, where no one dares go to . ¡±

    Karin exined the current status of Mt . Fuji¡¯s peak for Kanade . But when Shin had looked at the mountain he had seen the peak too, without any mist, so he felt somewhat doubtful .

    ¡°If from afar, looking at the peak is possible . No one knows the reason why though . ¡±

    Kanade answered while shaking her head when Shin revealed his doubts . Shin could not remember any quest corresponding to the situation the two had described .

    ¡°In any case, it seems that the only way of saving Lady Kanade¡¯s sister is to go to Mt . Fuji . That mist you speak of intrigues me too, so I suggest we pass by it on our way back . ¡±

    ¡°What are you saying now? To willingly go to a ce none have ever returned from is pure folly . I am thankful for your concern about our circumstances, but do not be hasty . I do want my sister to heal, but I would never just send you to your death so easily . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s casual proposal had prompted Kanade to stop him sternly . Her eyes showed how she couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard .

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to go, and if it looks like things won¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll give up . If we could at least get rid of the mist we wouldn¡¯t get lost . I will contact my acquaintances about it too of course . ¡±

    In the game era, the monsters on Mt . Fuji were around level 500 . Their unique characteristic was that the level increased together with the altitude . The boss monster was a phoenix-type residing on the peak, Kagutsuchi .

    This was an important monster, as it dropped an item essential to learn the skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Kagutsuchi¡¿, which Filma had used in the battle against the demon Adara .

    At the very least, the typical monsters wouldn¡¯t be a problem .

    What Shin was concerned about was the presence of unique monsters such as the Skullface Lord, which he had encountered in the past at Wraith ins . The situation was different now from that time, but as a phenomenon not present in the game era, it was still on his mind .

    ¡°Mdy, I propose that we at least try to go there . From the battle on the ship, we clearly know that sir Shin¡¯s fighting prowess is out of the ordinary . There might even be the chance to break through the mists . ¡±

    ¡°Of course, I would be the first to request for his help if it was possible¡­but are you really sure? Your party¡¯spanions are not with you now, are they?¡±

    Kanade and Karin, who had traveled alone until now, knew well the dangers of adventuring solo .

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha cried as to protest against Kanade¡¯s words . She might look like a baby fox, but her fighting capabilities were far above the average monster . In addition, Demon Foxes excelled in illusion magic . There was a high probability that she could do something about the mists said to sway human senses .

    ¡°I have my partner here, so I¡¯m not really on my own . She might not look it, but she is pretty strong too . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well, if it is the partner of a formidable warrior such as you, I should not judge her by her youthful looks . ¡±

    Even while saying so, Kanade was eagerly stroking Yuzuha¡¯s fur .

    ¡°By the way, when we were on the ship I remember she used a powerful magic spell . If I didn¡¯t witness it with my own eyes, I would doubt that such an adorable creature could perform such a feat . ¡±

    Karin was just looking at Kanade at first, but probably lost to the temptation and started stroking Yuzuha too . Cute things were their weak point too it seemed .

    The group left the cave and walked along the coast . After roughly an hour, they reached a small fishing vige .

    There they asked about their current location and the directions to Mt . Fuji, and once again departed on their journey to the sacred mountain .

    ¡°How is your condition, you two?¡±

    Just after they lost sight of the vige, Shin inquired to hispanions .

    ¡°Nothing out of the ordinary . Rather, I must say I feel even more lively than usual . ¡±

    ¡°I have nothing to report either . Is something the matter?¡±

    Shin wondered if they were tired, as they had taken turns standing guard the night before, but the answers he received were very reassuring .

    Looking at them, he didn¡¯t feel they were putting up a facade either .

    ¡°Well, walking at this leisurely pace is nice too, but considering yourdy sister¡¯s sickness, I think we should speed up a bit . Judging from our battle on the ship, I don¡¯t think either of you are average adventurers; if we raise our pace a little, we can shorten the travel time considerably . ¡±

    ¡°You had seen through us, after all . Yes, while not as far removed as you are, neither I nor Karin are simple adventurers . ¡±

    ¡°People such as I and Mdy are called ¡°Returned Ancestors¡± in Hinomoto . Sir Shin, I assume you are familiar with the term ¡°Chosen Ones¡±?

    As expected, they were both Chosen Ones .

    When they introduced themselves to Shin they both mentioned to be rank C, but other than their levels, the weapons they equipped were of Legend grade .

    They also carried equipment that required stats impossible to achieve only through level up, so he was sure they had to be Chosen Ones .

    Judging from their speech and equipment, it was not difficult to imagine that they came from a household of high rank .

    ¡°You too must be a Returned Ancestor, I suppose . I have the ability to read others¡¯ level and job type, but in your case the information I see does not match your actual abilities at all . For someone with your strength to be under level 200 sounds like a joke . ¡±

    Kanade could use ¡¾Analyze¡¿, apparently . Shin¡¯s status was modified by skills, so for Kanade, who had seen the battle on the ship, it must have seemed unnatural .

    ¡°To tell the truth, there are skills that allow you to hide your status . In the guild of the country where I registered as an adventurer, I was told that there are few people of high level with an appearance close to mine . When appearance and actual ability do not match, in some cases unnecessary trouble urs . That¡¯s why I¡¯m hiding it . ¡±

    Shin had until now taken part in the extermination of the irregr Skullface monster, the ¡°Great Flood¡± at Balmel, Hermie¡¯s rescue at the Church . . all events that would attract a great deal of attention, so he wasn¡¯t sure anymore that hiding his status served any real purpose .

    ¡°Indeed . An adventurer¡¯s ability cannot be judged by appearance, but those who will judge a book by its cover can be found everywhere¡­¡±

    ¡°We are sometimes treated lightly as ¡°just a woman and a kid¡± as well, so we understand how you must feel . ¡±

    ¡°So you had a simr experience toody Kanade . ¡±

    They looked like sisters with a wide age gap, after all . People probably thought that even if they could fight monsters, they could only defeat small ones .

    ¡°Just punishment was administered to anyone who acted improperly towards us . Mainly by Karin though . ¡±

    ¡°It was troublesome to see how many uncouth people there can be . ¡±

    ¡°I can imagine . ¡±

    From Kanade¡¯s words, Shin had imagined that Karin wouldn¡¯t keep quiet if someone had dared to look down on them .

    His prediction seemed to have been correct; Karin looked sour as she was recalling such situations .

    ¡°By the way, are there guild branches in Hinomoto? It ispletely separated from the maind after all . ¡±

    Compared to the maind, Hinomoto was just a small ind country .

    Shin was wondering how many branches the guilds had located in it . Kanade, as a good representative of one of the ruling houses of the country, answered after pondering for a few moments .

    ¡°Certainly there are . Hinomoto¡¯s government structure however, is slightly different from countries; because of this, guilds are only present inrge cities . ¡±

    ¡°There are guild branches in the city at the foot of Mt . Fuji . Sir Shin, do you have business with them?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing in particr . If there are guilds, in case of necessity we could sell materials to obtain funds for our journey, so I wanted to make sure it was possible, that¡¯s all . ¡±

    The reward Shin had obtained after Balmel¡¯s ¡°Great Flood¡± had been split with Schnee and the others, with everyone managing their part on their own . Shin was carrying a considerable amount, so there was no risk of finding himself without funds for the road .

    There was always the possibility of sudden expenses though, so he wanted to know if there were guilds to change materials into money .

    ¡°Now that Shin¡¯s doubt has been cleared, let us depart soon . Fortunately, the path is simple enough that we run little risk of losing our way . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then . ¡±

    Kanade was in the lead, with Karin and Shin in tow . As expected of Chosen Ones, their running speed was faster than a horse¡¯s .

    As they could always see their destination, Mt . Fuji, in the worst case they would pass through the forest, but the rtively well-maintained road was naturally easier to run on .

    Shin¡¯s entourage of three thus kept running towards the mountain, while surprising passing travelers and carriages with their speed .

 Vol 8 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    ¡°Shall we seek an inn in this town to spend the night?¡±

    ¡°Are you alright? You looked pretty exhausted . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, rest assured . Perhaps I felt a bit too excited . ¡±

    While they took breaks every now and then, the group had run for almost a full day, so Kanade¡¯s voice was not as energetic as it was in the morning . Karin, who was probably more experienced, looked just a little tired .

    ¡°Let us look for the best inn avable . Any fatigue left would weigh upon us tomorrow . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true . I¡¯ll go gather information, so please wait in that tea shop, have something to drink and rest . ¡±

    Shin pointed at the first tea shop he had seen in town and invited his twopanions to rest .

    ¡°Sorry for the trouble . ¡±

    ¡°I am thankful for your concern . ¡±

    Shin watched them enter the tea shop, then headed to the first item store he found . The range of goods avable was one rank above the store he visited in Bayreuth . Even if some products were the same, their quality was higher here .

    ¡°This must be the artisan blood in me boiling¡­¡±

    From the oriental patterns of its equipment to its name, Hinomoto really resembled Japan . Maybe because of that, like a Japanese artisan, Shin was also very particr about the quality of items .

    However, Hinomoto¡¯s towns were not only simr to what one could see in history-themed TV series, as Shin had imagined, but there were also Western-style buildings .

    Shin thought that maybe the ce they had visited was special, but Kanade had said that it was not the case .

    The oriental-style and western-style architecture mixture was jarring, but no one other than Shin seemed to pay any mind .

    The citizens of Hinomoto didn¡¯t seem to find this kind of scenery unusual at all .

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like one is better than the other anyway . ¡±

    It might look unusual, but it wasn¡¯t inconvenient .

    Shin picked up several items and headed to the register . While paying, he asked for any inn rmendations .

    ¡°I apologize for the wait . Oh, and I¡¯ll have a dango . ¡±

    Shin finished his shopping and joined Kanade and Karin . The seat next to Karin was open, so he sat down and ordered a dango for himself too .

    ¡°Did you learn anything?¡±

    ¡°It looks like the inn called ¡°Kasumitei¡±, located down this road, has a fairly good reputation . ¡±

    After a short break, they headed to the inn rmended by the clerk .

    Kasumitei was a historical inn built in traditional Japanese-style architecture .

    Lodging for one night cost an expensive price of 5 gold Jul coins, but the services provided well justified the price . Shin¡¯s entourage spent the night and departed again for Mt . Fuji the next morning .

    The 2nd day after they started their journey to Mt . Fuji, they arrived at therge forest area surrounding the mountain, Aokigahara .

    (From now on, we can¡¯t just go forward normally¡­)

    Aokigahara was, as its name suggested, a map modeled after the Aokigahara ¡°Sea of Trees¡± around the real Mt . Fuji . In the forest, the yers¡¯ map function is severely limited: leaving it without marking one¡¯s progress or using special guide items was extremely difficult .

    By the way, it is also possible to reach Mt . Fuji without going through Aokigahara .

    ¡°Let us camp near the forest for today . There¡¯s something abnormal about it . ¡±

    ¡°Ooh, you perceived it? This forest is indeed different from any other . For some unknown reason, it¡¯s almost impossible to feel the presence of monsters when within . Entering and leaving it is possible once one is used to its geography, but I hear that many have fallen victim to surprise attacks by monsters in it . ¡±

    It seemed that the feature of monster signals not appearing on the map was still present .

    To lose your way inside the forest, be ambushed by monsters, ande back dead was one of themon patterns of return from Aokigahara .

    ¡°What shall we do? Go around the forest?¡±

    ¡°No, that will not be necessary . I have an item to let us pass through . ¡±

    Kanade had been thinking of challenging the mountain already, but only as ast resort .

    For Shin it would have been a reckless n, but considering her reasons, it was noughing matter .

    After taking a brief rest just before Aokigahara, they proceeded into the forest, with Shin in the lead and Karin taking the rear .

    The map disyed at the edge of Shin¡¯s field of view became smaller and monster signals disappeared .

    It was, however, still possible to to use various detection skills at the same time, a technique avable in the new world, so they ran no risk of being ambushed .

    ¡°I say, we are proceeding with impressive ease . ¡±

    Kanade made her surprisedment as they were following the light showing them which direction to take, disyed by the item ¡°Wings of Beckoning¡± .

    Any monsters drawing closer would flee after Shin sniped them with a shot of killing intent, so there was not any actual fighting either .

    ¡°I think that is better though?¡±

    Shin thought that the fewer obstacles they had the better, as he replied to Kanade . He wasn¡¯t hoping to find any obstacles, naturally .

    ¡°That is obviously true . But while things had been going all too well, we found an unexpected obstacle right at the end¡­so I can¡¯t help but think that this might be the signal that something will happen¡­¡±

    ¡°I see what you mean¡­or rather, I feel that what you said just now raised a g¡­¡±

    ¡°A g? I don¡¯t see any gs?¡±

    ¡°Not an actual one, I¡¯m referring to words or actions that decide things that will happenter . Doesn¡¯t it happen sometimes? Before going to a battlefield, whoever says ¡°Once wee back, I will do this or that¡± will have a high chance of dying for example¡­¡±

    Shin used amon example of Death g to exin .

    ¡°Hmm? I cannot say I ever heard of such a thing . Have you, Karin?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, I think I have heard something simr once from Sir Kankurou . When one goes to battle, one should never talk about what they want to do after returning . Promises of marriage are especially taboo¡­¡±

    An honest to goodness death g .

    Shin thought that this Kankurou person could very well be a former yer .

    ¡°What kind of person is he?¡±

    ¡°One of the greatest samurai in Hinomoto . He was alive since before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±, a true living testimony of that age, we could say . He¡¯s an extremely strong warrior . ¡±

    Hearing that he had been alive since before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±, Shin thought that he could have been someone¡¯s support character .

    As far as Shin knew, former yers only appeared after the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡± . There might be exceptions, but Shin knew most of the advanced yers caught in the death game, especially if they were samurai like him .

    ¡°I¡¯d like to meet¡ª¡±

    Shin stopped while he was expressing how he would have liked to meet him one day .

    Herees the result of the gs¡­a signal wasing closer to them .

    ¡°Sir Shin? Why have you stopped all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°It looks like the obstacle that Lady Kanade mentioned ising . We have 12 signalsing from behind . And they¡¯re not monsters . ¡±

    After hearing Shin¡¯s words Karin drew her weapon . Slightlyter, Kanade did too .

    The 12-strong group heading straight towards Shin was using both the magic and martial versions of ¡¾Hiding¡¿ . That was the reason why Karin, second only to Shin in signal perception, had not noticed their presence .

    ¡°Allow me to confirm, do you know of any ninja equipment-d group that would attack you?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . not exactly, but we have been attacked in the past by a simr group . They were clothed like bandits though . We were attacked during our travels, after all¡­we heard that such ruffians aremon outside Hinomoto . ¡±

    Shin asked Karin too; apparently their attackers until now were not anything special in terms of equipment or ability, and they had never been attacked by a clearly bizarre group such as this .

    It was difficult to decide whether or not the earlier attacks were connected to the group currently closing in .

    ¡°I see we cannot make the situation clear . Let us go ahead and ask them . ¡±

    ¡°But they are four times our numbers, are they not?¡±

    ¡°Well, just wait and see . Lady Kanade, please hide yourself for a while . ¡±

    After saying so, Shin used illusion magic and ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to hide Kanade and Karin from the ninja group closing in on them, recing them with illusions .

    He then had Yuzuha hide traps in the trees and bushes nearby, then waited for the group to arrive .

    The group of ninjas reached Shin¡¯s location roughly 3 minutester .

    Despite their looks, their jobs were not all the same: 8 ninjas and 4 hunters . Their average level was a little over 200 .

    ¡°I know you are hiding . I just want to talk with you, could you show yourselves?¡±

    The group seemed to be already aware that they had been found . The 4 hunters came before Shin .

    ¡°Hand over the women . ¡±

    ¡°What if I refused?¡±

    ¡°You will die . ¡±

    As they said so, the men threw knives painted in ck towards Shin .

    Then, with purposefully dyed timing, the ninjas behind them threw their kunai towards Shin .

    ¡°Too slow . ¡±

    Shin dodged the flying knives and kunais; in exchange, his right hand was holding a throwing knife imbued with paralysing properties . He pulled out a simr knife with his left hand and threw them at the 2 opponents closest to him .

    ¡°Guuh!¡±

    2 ninjas fell to the ground at the same time groaning . They fell from a tree, but considering their level they would not die from that level of damage .

    Among the remaining six, four had already been caught by Yuzuha . She had paralyzed them with lightning magic and caught them .

    ¡°So now there are the trap victims left . ¡±

    Thest 2 had lost consciousness because of the traps that Shin had Yuzuha set up . They could do little before the mental/negative statusbination trap .

    ¡°Well, honestly, I didn¡¯t expect things to be over so soon . ¡±

    ¡°Agreed . ¡±

    It wasn¡¯t weird for Kanade and Karin toment about the situation in this way .

    The ninja job specialized in assassination attacks and was an advanced scouting job . It was normally unthinkable for not only their ambush to be seen through, but also for them to fall so easily to a counterattack .

    ¡°First, let¡¯s tie them up and see what they have to say . We should be able to gather some information . ¡±

    As their opponents were ninjas, Shin had Kanade and Karin wait while he walked closer to one of them . He was just a few steps away when he suddenly stopped .

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Shin felt not a look, but a feeling of something pointed towards him, and his eyes narrowed .

    There was nothing on the map . His skill-enhanced perception field, however, showed the signal of someone boosting their own magic power at the entrance of Aokigahara .

    Shin used ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ and focused . He found a man d in equipment many levels greater than the group that attacked them, raising his hands towards Aokigahara . Countless fireballs were floating around him .

    ¡°Yuzuha!! Come back!!¡±

    Shin swiftly called back Yuzuha and ran towards Karin and Kanade . He broke open the bushes they were hiding behind and grabbed them .

    ¡°What is going on??¡±

    ¡°Si-sir Shin!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but please keep quiet for a while!!¡±

    Ignoring their questions, Shin started dashing away to put as much distance possible between them and that ce .

    After Yuzuha caught up andnded on his shoulder, he elerated even more .

    ¡°I have a question!! Do you know anyone who could shoot countless fireballs at once!?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what is going on, but I know someone who would be capable of that!!¡±

    ¡°Anyone that would target your life, Lady Kanade!?¡±

    ¡°None that I know of!!¡±

    ¡°Rather than that, sir Shin!! Let us down!!¡±

    ¡°Just a little bit more patience!!¡±

    While conversing loudly with the two, Shin expanded his perception behind him . The fireballs were flying towards the location Shin had been attacked .

    After a few instants, the booming echoes of consecutive explosions rocked the forest . The vibrations shook the ground under Shin¡¯s feet .

    ¡°The group that attacked us is probably dust and ashes by now . ¡±

    ¡°The explosion just now¡­was an attack?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Countless fireballs stormed the location we were in just now . ¡±

    The explosions and vibrations had let Kanade and Karin realize the situation . Kanade looked at the billowing smoke, furrowing her brow .

    ¡°So their objective was to block our progress and serve as target for the attack . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s possible . It was already nned for them to be defeated . I don¡¯t think¡­anyone is chasing us now . It would be difficult . ¡±

    Even before verifying the results of the attack, the caster had left the entrance of Aokigahara .

    Shin¡¯s perception field registered one signal only, moving away from Aokigahara at high speed . A Chosen One, probably .

    ¡°They attack enemies by using their allies as targets¡­?¡±

    ¡°Lady Karin, do you have any idea who they could be?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly¡­but I know of a family under themand of the west¡¯s Yaejima house, the Rokuhara . They have a family of ninjas at theirmand, and rumor has it that if their master wills it, they will use whatever method possible in order to assassinate their target . ¡±

    Karin repeatedly states that it was only a rumor .

    Regardless of the truth, orck of it behind the rumor, Shin felt that this mission had suddenly evolved beyond a simple herb-picking quest .

    ¡°It will be better to pay attention to such ambushes too from now on . Let us proceed towards Fuji for now . At least, I doubt we will be attacked again soon . ¡±

    Maintaining a high level of alertness towards his surroundings, Shin quickly started to head toward the mountain again . Once they exited Aokigahara, it was a straight path to Mt . Fuji .

    In the town at the foot of the mountain, they stayed in the inn with the highest security, with one person awake to stand guard .

    ¡°Just to be sure . ¡±

    Without Kanade and Karin knowing, Shin activated the skill ¡¾Wall¡¿ .

    That night, however, no assants appeared; Shin¡¯s entourage left for Mt . Fuji at dawn .

    As they were already at the foot of the mountain, it didn¡¯t take long until they reached it .

    ¡°It looks like the mists start appearing in the middle of the mountain . ¡±

    Shin voiced his thoughts while looking up at the mountain .

    Just as Kanade had said, ashen mists invisible from a distance could now be seen hanging on the mountain . It would be difficult to proceed without some sort of countermeasure .

    ¡°What do you say? Can you do anything?¡±

    As they arrived at a distance dozens of mels from the mists, Kanade asked for Shin¡¯s opinion, a mixture of expectation and concern in her voice .

    ¡°Seeing through them isn¡¯t a problem . To know if we¡¯d get lost or not, we have to go inside first . ¡±

    Shin replied while looking towards the other side of the mists .

    He asked for Yuzuha¡¯s thoughts via Mind Chat, and she replied that the mists had the same effect as monsters¡¯ illusion techniques . It was a pretty powerful one too apparently .

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to go inside first . I will decideter if it¡¯s possible to pass through or not . ¡±

    ¡°What if you can¡¯te back anymore?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we spend some more time inspecting the mists from outside first? We wouldn¡¯t be able to help you after all . ¡±

    They probably found his proposal reckless . Kanade and Karin cautioned Shin to be more careful .

    ¡°I will tie one end of a rope to my body, and you will hold the other end . Like this, if anything happens you can pull me out . I¡¯m going to check only if it¡¯s possible to pass without getting lost, so I don¡¯t n to go in too deep, it should be all right . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I suppose this method could work?¡±

    ¡°If we were to get pulled inside ourselves, we would have no choice but to let go of the rope though¡­¡±

    ¡°In that case, just let go . I will handle things on my own . ¡±

    It would be different if he had no idea about what could happen, but thanks to Yuzuha¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ Shin knew there would be no problems, so he told Karin that they could let go of the rope .

    The two women were still not entirely convinced, but they decided to trust Shin¡¯s promise of not doing anything reckless, and firmly held onto the rope .

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m off then . Please wait a while . Yuzuha, stay on the lookout . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha cried in reply and Shin turned around to head inside the mists . At his level of ability, seeing through such visibility-limiting mists was not difficult at all .

    ¡°Monster signals are¡­few, but they are there . If it¡¯s the same as it was in the game era, even those two would be fine by themselves . ¡±

    Shin walked as much as the rope allowed, then looked towards the peak of Mt . Fuji .

    Most signals he could perceive were repeatedly moving and stopping, typical signals of ordinary monsters .

    ¡°This feeling¡­is not normal . Why is Kagutsuchi not there, anyway?¡±

    Shin¡¯s perception field extended until the peak . What he perceived there gave him concern .

    On the peak, he felt a small signal and a veryrge one . In the location where normally Kagutsuchi used to be, he didn¡¯t feel anything .

    Both signals were standing firmly on the peak, not moving an inch .

    As they weren¡¯t on the map, he couldn¡¯t see the color of their markers; thinking about it from a game perspective, he decided they probably were boss monsters, present in ce of Kagutsuchi .

    ¡°The medicinal herb is supposed to be near the peak, so we have to get closer in any case¡­I don¡¯t suppose they¡¯ll just ignore us if we do . ¡±

    If the monster was still the Kagutsuchi Shin knew, there were ways to pick up the Dead Snake Grass without being noticed .

    It was impossible to know, however, what kind of perception ability the monsters now residing on the peak had . Some bosses did not attack unless challenged, but Shin was having a hard time deciding on whether to bring Kanade and Karin with him or not .

    If the mysterious ninja squad had not attacked them he would have left them outside, but he couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of the fireball shooting man trying something again .

    Would it have been better to keep them within his sights, or to give them a defensive item and have Yuzuha guard them? While pondering this dilemma, Shin returned to where he had left them .

    ¡°How was the situation inside? It does not appear like there were any serious problems?¡±

    ¡°There is nothing in particr limiting movement inside . Rather than that, something else intrigues me . ¡±

    Shin informed Kanade and Karin about the unmoving signals on top of Fuji .

    ¡°I assume they are the monsters ruling over Fuji . ¡±

    ¡°I see, I see¡­I find it peculiar that there are two though . ¡±

    ¡°Legend says that a divine de rests on the peak of Mt . Fuji . Could they be there as its protectors?¡±

    A legendary weapon in a ce where no one dares tread¡­a prettymon tale .

    However, as far as Shin knew, no hidden weapons such as the one Karin mentioned was supposed to be found on Fuji¡¯s peak .

    ¡°We have no intentions of fighting, so it would be ideal if they left us alone, but there¡¯s the possibility that they won¡¯t . I could go on my own, but the possibility of an attack like the one before is still present¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it possible for our senses not to be swayed by the mists, like yours, sir Shin? If so, we could use it to hide our presence . ¡±

    ¡°I also thought about doing that, but I don¡¯t know how these mists confuse human senses . If we moved together, I could pull you forward if need be . ¡±

    If they didn¡¯t move, they wouldn¡¯t get lost either . If they simply focused on defending themselves, Shin could take them back after the fighting ended .

    It was difficult to decide which method was safer .

    ¡°Mdy, I propose we follow sir Shin . I shall handle any monsters that attack us . ¡±

    ¡°We would make Shin worry, but waiting here is a possibility to consider too, is it not?¡±

    ¡°I am ashamed to admit that I could not perceive the magic attack that targeted us before . If something simr were to happen, I could not handle it by myself . It seems to be possible to perceive enemy signals even within the mists, so I think that the chances of being ambushed are lower there than here . ¡±

    All possible developments considered, Karin proposed to Kanade to go inside the mists with Shin .

    ¡°You are quite correct too . O Shin, could you allow us to apany you?¡±

    ¡°Yes . We will avoid confrontations with monsters and use the shortest route avable . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Kanade¡¯s question . Just in case, he lowered his ¡¾Limit¡¿ to level II, bringing himself to a status close to the time of the Death Game .

    They would stay away as much as possible from the bosses . In order to lower the chances of being found, they decided on the simple strategy that two would wait just before the herb¡¯s location, and then they entered the mists .

    ¡°I cannot say I enjoy this kind of progression . ¡±

    ¡°We cannot tie each other with the rope after all . Please have patience . ¡±

    In the mist, the three humans walked while holding hands . Shin was the lead, Kanade in the middle, and Karin took the rear . Because of this, both of Kanade¡¯s hands were upied .

    Kanade, forced in the same situation as a child holding hands with her parents so as not to get lost, was understandably a little vexed .

    ¡°Just a little more patience . ¡±

    ¡°Please do not worry . If any monsterse out, I will be your shield . ¡±

    ¡°O Karin, that is not what I am talking about . ¡±

    It seems that Karin thought that Kanade was concerned by the fact that if monsters attacked, she couldn¡¯t wield her weapon .

    It¡¯s true that it couldn¡¯t be pleasant to walk in an area where monsters could appear without being able to wield a weapon, but Shin thought that Kanade was really meaning something else .

    ¡°Oops, a monster is heading towards us . This way . ¡±

    Shin perceived the monstering closer and headed to a nearby crag . A few minutester, Kanade and Karin perceived the monster¡¯s signal too and hid in the rocks¡¯ shadow .

    After a few more minutes passed, the ground started to shake slightly .

    Heavy, rumbling steps gradually closed in on the crag where Shin¡¯s entourage was hiding .

    (Must be a golem . )

    The monster walking towards them with booming footsteps, possessing arge body measuring over 4 mels of height, was the Bullrock Golem .

    Its appearance was simply roughly carved rocks assembled together to vaguely resemble a human shape, while its head resembled a bull¡¯s . As its rock-solid looks suggested, its physical attacks were extremely powerful .

    Its level was in the range of 400-500; being hit by the metal bat-like rock b it wielded would have meant sudden death even for frontline jobs, depending on the equipment . Basically, the apex of focusing on physical attacking .

    Except in dungeons, it usually appeared on mountains and within mines .

    Its perception skills are very low: as long as one didn¡¯t make loud sounds or attack it, it was easy to avoid .

    The Bullrock Golem which hade closer to Shin¡¯s entourage disappeared again in the mists, without showing any signs of having noticed them .

    ¡°It¡¯s all right now . Let¡¯s go on . ¡±

    After making sure that the Bullrock Golem was far enough, Shin stood up .

    The three kept climbing the mountain at a fast pace, while avoiding all monsters .

    After roughly 2 hours, they arrived just before the peak .

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin, who was in the lead, noticed that the mists disappeared at a certain point of the path leading to the peak .

    ¡°Sir Shin, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°It looks like the mists disappear a bit further ahead . ¡±

    ¡°Could it be?¡±

    Kanade reacted to Shin¡¯s words . Looking at the peak from below, it looked shrouded in the mists like the rest of the upper side of the mountain .

    What Shin noticed was that inside the mist there was a perfectly clear location .

    ¡°I see, if we proceed onwards we won¡¯t be hidden anymore . ¡±

    Shin stopped a step before the end of the mists and guessed the reason why the mist would let up there .

    ¡°To not let any intruders in, I see . ¡±

    ¡°(Kuu, there¡¯s, something . )¡±

    They were being watched .

    Shin immediately noticed that several sets of eyes, which were not even trying to hide their powerful presence, were pointed at them .

    Yuzuha¡¯s ears perked up and she looked towards the source of these signals .

    ¡°We are being watched, are we not?¡±

    ¡°To think that such a powerful intimidation was possible by simply looking¡­¡±

    Kanade and Karin had also realized that someone was watching them .

    Karin, with a stern expression, touched her de¡¯s hilt, but Kanade seemed overwhelmed by the watcher¡¯s aura .

    ¡°Will you wait here?¡±

    ¡°No, I believe it is best to proceed together . I think they know that there are three of us . If we separate, they might be even more alert . I don¡¯t feel hostilitying from them . We did note to fight, so I think it¡¯s best not to provoke them . ¡±

    Karin spoke with a very serious expression, and Kanade nodded .

    Shin and his entourage proceeded upwards, alert of their surroundings . After roughly 30 minutes, they reached what looked like a small shrine .

    ¡°Sir Shin, I feel a bizarre presence . ¡±

    ¡°Therger monster¡¯s signal is right before us, isn¡¯t it . ¡±

    The map clearly showed the monster¡¯s signal, but what they could see was just rocks, the ground, and some nts . The smaller signal was deep within the small shrine .

    As the three stopped, their ears picked up the sound of two hard objects rubbing against each other .

    ¡°Ah, so this is the source of the signal . ¡±

    Shin looked towards the origin of the sounds and nodded, seemingly understanding what its source was . His materialized ¡ºKakura¡» was still hanging from his hips .

    ¡°Shin, isn¡¯t this dangerous¡­?¡±

    ¡°Mdy, if anything happens, I will buy time for you to escape . ¡±

    Inplete contrast to the impressed tone of Shin¡¯s words, Karin and Kanade turned pale and prepared to run away at any time .

    Their reaction was very natural, as on top of the shrine were 8 gigantic snake heads, bent forward and ring at them .

    The snakes¡¯ mouths wererge enough to devour an adult human in one bite .

    3 of the 8 heads hade closer, and the sound of the air hissing in their mouths reached the party¡¯s ears .

    What they thought was a boulder was actually the snake¡¯s body .

    ¡°Eight-headed Orochi¡­isn¡¯t it . It¡¯s not a monster that¡¯s supposed to dwell in these parts though . ¡±

    ¡°How can you be so calm?¡±

    ¡°Just as Karin said, I feel no hostility . If it wanted to attack us, it would have done so before we noticed its presence . ¡±

    The marker on the map was the green of neutrality . This eight-headed Orochi was not doing anything in particr and simply kept looking at the 3 humans and the fox .

    ¡°(Very, interested?)¡±

    ¡°(Looks like it . It surely doesn¡¯t look like it wants to battle . )¡±

    Maybe also because Shin and hispanions were not wielding their weapons, the Eight-headed Orochi did not seem to be particrly wary of their presence .

    It simply continued to stare at them, as if to look deep into their hearts .

    ¡°Do we have guests? Yachi, do not look at them so much, you¡¯ll scare them . Step back a little . ¡±

    The moment Shin thought to say something to it, a female voice was heard from within the shrine .

    In response to the voice, the snake slowly drew back its heads, which rested back on its body .

    After a few moments, they could see someone emerge from the shrine .

    ¡°We must have surprised you . If you don¡¯t try anything funny, you will not be attacked . Be at ease . ¡±

    From the shrine emerged a beautiful maiden d in a tinum armor with blue borders .

    Her ck hair, extending until her hips, glistened in the sunlight . Her right hand held a helmet, her left a katana .

    ¨D¨D¨D¨D¡ºOne of the Five Supreme des ¨C Munechika ¨C Level 929¡»

    ¡°¡­ . our apologies . We were just at a loss of what to do . ¡±

    Shin, after staring nkly for an instant at the name disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿, muttered an apology .

    ¡°Hum . Generally, people either wield their weapons, thinking they will be attacked, or flee, but you are clearly different . What is your goal?¡±

    Munechika spoke to Shin without showing any wariness of them herself . Her sharp look though, made Shin feel as if he was under interrogation .

    ¡°We came to look for an herb called Dead Snake Grass, as we heard it grows on the peak of this Mt . Fuji . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, that . Indeed, it does grow here . ¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Kanade could not help but gulp after hearing Munechika¡¯s words .

    Shin¡¯s information was more than 500 years old . Relying on it and going to Mt . Fuji to find Dead Snake Grass was partly a gamble .

    ¡°Could you possibly share some with us? We have no intentions of harming you . As soon as we gather some Dead Snake Grass, we will be on our way . ¡±

    ¡°It is not something of great value to us . Letting you have some is not a problem . ¡±

    Munechika¡¯s words seemed to imply something else . Her eyes were aimed at Shin .

    ¡°T-then we can¡ª¡±

    ¡°However . This area is under our rule . If you want to take away something from here, you will have to give something in return . ¡±

    Munechika cut off Kanade¡¯s words and spoke clearly .

    ¡°¡­what do you desire¡­?¡±

    Shin, feeling Munechika¡¯s eyes on him, inquired her intentions .

    Munechika was an NPC/Monster implemented in the 5th update ¡°Banquet of des¡±¡¯ main event, ¡°Trial of the Noble Sword¡± .

    The event consisted of defeating the human form of certain weapons; once defeated, one would obtain the original weapon . In her case, as the name suggested, the Ancient-grade katana ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» would be avable for use .

    As the grade suggests, it was one of the weapons with the highest attributes in THE NEW GATE .

    Its gender when facing it was random; it was impossible to know if it transformed into male or female before fighting it .

    Incidentally, when Shin fought it during the game era, it was a slim, handsome young man . Every single time .

    ¡°An unused weapon can only rust . Finally, someone worthy matching des against has appeared . I ask for a duel . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . what would happen if I refused?¡±

    ¡°I would not allow you the herbs . Do not fret, I do not ask for a duel to the death . I will hold back . I promise to stay my de if it would inflict a fatal wound . ¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help reacting to Munechika¡¯s words .

    Their genders were different, but Shin had fought against Munechika not once, but multiple times during the game era . Munechika¡¯s fighting power was so high that not even a fully maxed Shin could win .

    His stats and equipment were not as good as they were now, and he tasted defeat many times .

    He managed to win only once, by a stroke of luck, just before the event ended .

    ¡°¡­¡­Lady Kanade, Karin, please stay back so as not to be involved in the fighting . Yuzuha, I¡¯m counting on you . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shin carefully checked for the presence of any attackers, then told the two women to stand away .

    For added safety, he asked Yuzuha to watch over them .

    ¡°Your presence is different now . Better than I expected . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve fallen plenty of times already because of you . This time, you won¡¯t say that I won out of luck . ¡±

    Shin drew out a card and materialized it .

    ¡°Fallen? But moreover¡­ . that is¡­?¡±

    ¡°I cannot lose with this . No need to hold anything back . ¡±

    What Shin was holding while he made his deration was ¡ºHakuramaru¡» .

    He won¡¯t use ¡ºKakura¡» . Or better said, he can¡¯t . ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s attributes were not high enough to withstand Munechika¡¯s weapon .

    The ¡¾Limit¡¿ was still II . If Eight-headed Orochi also attacked, he would need to go at full power, but this was just a duel, so he chose to face it in the state he could control best .

    ¡°To think there still were such weapons in this world¡­but now is not the time to talk . ¡±

    Munechika wore the helmet she was carrying in her right hand and gripped the hilt of the katana she held with her left .

    Munechika herself drew the weapon which could be described as its clone: ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» .

    ¡°Here Ie . ¡±

    As the words left her lips,  Munechika stepped right before Shin¡¯s eyes .

 Vol 8 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    The distance between the two was roughly 10 mels . For a boss monster on Munechika¡¯s level, a distance like that meant nothing . Her de drew an arc while closing in on Shin, which he countered with his ¡ºHakuramaru¡» .

    Two silver lines shed in the space between the two opponents .

    ¡°Karin, could you see what just happened?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s frustrating to admit, but all I saw were after-images . But, aside from that, Mdy, it¡¯s dangerous, so please stand back a little more . ¡±

    Karin tried to pull back Kanade, who had be excited at the sight of the two warriors¡¯ rapid sword shes .

    Battles between opponents of high abilities were dangerous to watch, if one were too close .

    Karin, who understood the power of the strike they just witnessed, was sure that they needed to stand further back or they would not be safe .

    ¡°Good response, and enough muscr strength to withstand my de I see . ¡±

    ¡°I have trained you know . ¡±

    ¡°Show me your technique then . ¡±

    After Shin¡¯s casual retort, Munechika crouched, as if sliding on the ground . At the same time, a sword sh flew at Shin from the lower left .

    Shin, who had been observing Munechika¡¯s movements while standing still, parried the attacking de with ¡ºHakuramaru¡» .

    The two des grinded against each other,unching sparks all around .

    ¡°Not bad at all . ¡±

    With a slight smile on her lips, Munechika deftly handled her repelled weapon .

    Sustained by a strong sword arm fitting of a level 900, a storm of sword slices attacked Shin like a silver torrent .

    ¡°Fuuh!!¡±

    Shin parried the shes with his ¡ºHakuramaru¡», each powerful enough to rend the ground .

    The continuous sound of shing metal continued to reverberate in the surroundings .  However, the shes were so fast that, to Kanade and Karin¡¯ ears, they arrived as one continuous sound .

    Each time the des shed, the silver torrent produced fiery red sparks, while the ground around Shin was cleaved by traces of sword slices .

    (She fights differently, after all . )

    Shin analyzed Munechika¡¯s fighting style as he repelled her attacks .

    Not all weaponsbeled with the name ¡°katana¡± were the same length . Those like ¡ºMikazuki Masamune¡» had des roughly 80 cemels long . On the other hand, the category of katana ¡ºHakuramaru¡» belonged to had des 70 cemels long .

    Munechika¡¯s fighting style focused on attacks from a distance, taking advantage of the difference in length of the des .

    Even just 10 cemels felt much longer from Shin¡¯s point of view during the battle .

    Each of the female Munechika¡¯s attacks were heavy, but generally she was more focused on quantity .

    The male Munechika that Shin had fought in the past was more focused on the power behind each attack, using a fighting style focused on high attack power .

    He, or she, had been programmed based on the movements of masters of the sword; Shin remembered that they were much stronger than their level implied .

    ¡°So you can match this too . But is defending all you can do?¡±

    ¡°Of course not . I wille very soon!¡±

    Shin parried the opponent¡¯s de with more intensity than before . He couldn¡¯t go as far as throwing Munechika off bnce, but he seeded in creating space between them .

    Taking advantage of that space,sting less than an instant, Shin slipped closer .

    Partly in retaliation towards Munechika, Shin closed in the distance between them in one breath . In the opposite fashion from before, ¡ºHakuramaru¡» turned into a silver sh and attacked, only to be stopped by Munechika .

    ¡ºHakuramaru¡»¡¯s de was shorter than ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡», and the difference in their materials made ¡ºHakuramaru¡» lighter too . On the other hand, this allowed it to be swung deep into the opponent¡¯s space with higher speed .

    ¡°Ssshh!!¡±

    Munechika tried to step back to gain distance and space . Shin however, stepped in even faster .

    The scene of a few seconds ago was repeated, but attack and defense had switched ces .

    ¡°Hnng¡­!¡±

    Munechika grunted while parrying Shin¡¯s blow . She had barely managed to parry Shin¡¯s sh, which was faster than she had expected .

    ¡°As expected of you!¡±

    Shin¡¯s attacks were fast indeed, but barely failed to reach Munechika .

    Munechika, despite her inferior speed, could keep up with Shin simply thanks to her ability with the sword .

    Maybe because of the way she had been programmed, or how much she had honed her skills in 500 years, Munechika¡¯s ability was higher than Shin¡¯s .

    Shin¡¯s fighting style with the katana was born from the teachings he received from someone who actually practiced swordy -not Kendo- during the game era . He honed it during the Death Game and all the way to the present .

    He had made it faster, stronger, more efficient .

    Honing his skills in actual battle gave Shin a new strength impossible to attain through simple training .

    However, Shin had no particr talent in martial arts .

    In many battles, he woulde on top thanks to his higher stats; he had received teachings for less than a year, and even though it had been an intense period, he was far from those who could be called masters of the sword .

    ¡°To think you could do so much! Interesting!¡±

    ¡°Honored to satisfy your expectations!¡±

    Shin¡¯s shes, most of which followed a straight path, were systematically parried by the arc-like motions of Munechika¡¯s sword .

    The deflected shes failed to affect Munechika, carving the rocks behind her with their aftershocks instead .

    In just a few seconds, they had already shed more than 10 times, but both warriors were still unscathed .

    The cycle of attack and defense seemed like it would continue unchanged, but Shin suddenly changed his attack pattern .

    From a distance ideal to attack with¡ºHakuramaru¡», he pushed even closer .

    ¡°Hmh!?¡±

    The same moment Munechika noticed his advance, Shin¡¯s right leg leapt forward .

    Faced with a sudden kick, Munechika used her left arm to stop it .

    The sound of shing metal echoed, as Munechika slid 10 mels backwards, leaving two straight tracks on the ground .

    ¡°Who would expect a kick at that moment? Unpredictable fellow . ¡±

    ¡°Relying too much on weapons would leave one defenseless if without one . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s fighting style was never reliant on the katana . He had strictly practiced physical skills, especially in case he had been disarmed and lost his weapons .

    It was also possible tobine this style with swordy .

    ¡°You figured that even if we kept crossing swords, nothing would change, right?¡±

    ¡°You found me out . As far as technique is concerned, I am a step below you after all . ¡±

    ¡°To realize the level of one¡¯s technique is not something bad¡­¡­that is fine . It¡¯s been a long time since I crossed swords properly . I shall bring you the Dead Snake Grass, wait a moment . ¡±

    She was satisfied, or so it seemed . Munechika casually sheathed her sword, so easily that it caught Shin by surprise .

    Even if it was just a skirmish, he thought that even if skills weren¡¯t used, a fiercer sh of swords would have been inevitable .

    ¡°Er¡­we are finished?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that will do . I haven¡¯t had a worthy opponent for 100 years after all . And if we continued any more, I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold back . ¡±

    Munechika spoke with a smile . Maybe because the battle¡¯s excitement still lingered in her, she emanated an aura so bewitching that it was hard to imagine that she was a transformed weapon .

    ¡°I understand, if so I will dly ept your kindness . ¡±

    Perceiving the aura and presenceing from Munechika, Shin took a step back . A duel was one thing, but if they fought seriously, the surrounding geography would change greatly .

    ¡°Here, this is what I promised . ¡±

    Munechika returned around 10 minutester, holding a more than a sufficient amount of Dead Snake Grass in her hands .

    ¡°Thank you very much . ¡±

    ¡°If you have the chance,e again . I wish to speak to you some more . ¡±

    ¡°I see . We are hurrying right now, but one day I will . ¡±

    Shin rejoined Kanade and Karin, and together they quickly descended Mt . Fuji .

    Kanade was happy and excited, the Dead Snake Grass in hand .

    In apletely different fashion, Karin was staring at Shin¡¯s back while he kept walking straight ahead .

    Shin, feeling her eyes fixed on his back, wondered what reaction she would show .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Aftering down from the mountain, they meant to return straight to the Kujou house to deliver the medicine to Kanade¡¯s sister¡­but it was not to be .

    Maybe because of the trying schedule of their journey, or because obtaining the Dead Snake Grass had relieved her, as they reached the foot of the mountain Kanade was unsteady on her feet .

    ¡°Let us go back to town and find an inn first . ¡±

    ¡°My apologies¡­¡±

    They could not make her walk any more, so Shin carried Kanade on his shoulders .

    Yuzuha hopped down from Shin¡¯s shoulders and walked on the ground alongside them .

    After a few minutes of walking, the sound of Kanade¡¯s sleeping breath reached Shin¡¯s ears .

    ¡°She fell asleep . Fortunately it does not seem she has a fever, she must have been very tired . ¡±

    ¡°She had been tense all this time, so that¡¯s likely . At Mt . Fuji she had been red at by Orochi too, so she was probably at her limit mentally as well . ¡±

    During the descent from Mt . Fuji, Shin learned that Kanade could not see Eight-headed Orochi¡¯s level .

    It was not a mystery why: Orochi¡¯s level was 833, enough to match a Grand Duke-ss demon .

    With the ability to perceive an opponent¡¯s power, but utterlyck the power to defeat them, Kanade must have been unconsciously tense .

    Add the appearance of an opponent at a totally different level like Munechika, and it was no wonder that her tension had reached maximum levels .

    This also exined her unusual tone when she joined in Shin and Munechika¡¯s conversation .

    ¡°Our first priority is to recover our strength, right . I will stand watch, so please rest Karin . You were tense too, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    Even if their levels of strength were different, Kanade and Karin¡¯s positions were almost the same . On the contrary, it could be said that Karin¡¯s duty of protecting Kanade had probably made her feel even more pressure .

    ¡°I am deeply thankful for your consideration . I am embarrassed to admit that I am not perfectly calm right now . The battle between sir Shin and Munechika¡­even just one aftershock could cause grave injuries, but I was filled with emotions I can¡¯t describe¡­I suppose I am not normal . ¡±

    Karin voiced her inner thoughts, her cheeks slightly flushed .

    As far as Shin could see, she was not unwell like Kanade . Being a samurai like him, she must have felt something special .

    As they arrived in town, the group headed straight for the inn .

    It was the same inn they used before heading for Mt . Fuji, and Yuzuha could stay the night inside too .

    They paid for one night and went to their rooms .

    ¡°Is yourpanion ill? If necessary, we can call a doctor . ¡±

    The inn owner noticed the sleeping Kanade and asked out of worry .

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I think she is just tired because of the trip . If her condition worsens, we will bring her to the doctor ourselves . ¡±

    Shin refused politely so as not to offend the owner,id Kanade down in her room, and let her sleep .

    ¡°I¡¯m in the next room . Let us watch over her, and if she feels better we will depart . Make sure you rest well too, Karin . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much . ¡±

    Shin turned his back to Karin and headed to his room . Using his detection skills to the maximum, he thoroughly checked the surroundings .

    He had not felt the presence of anyone following them . The map did not show any red markers either .

    If enemies did not clearly show hostility or attack, however, they were not regarded as such . Markers could not be trusted too much .

    ¡°Yuzuha, do you feel anything?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? Kuu¡­no, nothing . ¡±

    Yuzuha closed her eyes and perked her ears up, but apparently did not feel anything either .

    It was already dusk .

    Shin hesitated to leave the two women alone to go eat outside, so he decided to lie on the bed for a while .

    Their inn was a high-quality one, so the bed was bothrge andfortable .

    ¡°She didn¡¯t ask anything in the end . ¡±

    Karin¡¯s silhouette appeared in Shin¡¯s mind .

    Ever since they started descending Mt . Fuji, Shin felt Karin¡¯s eyes on him¡­

    Maybe it was because of Kanade¡¯s poor condition, or that the timing wasn¡¯t right, but it was a mystery to Shin why Karin hadn¡¯t said a word on their way back from the mountain .

    As if to interrupt these thoughts, while he was sprawled out on the bed, Yuzuha jumped up to dive straight on his chest .

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Oof!!¡±

    She had turned again into young girl mode, so her dive forced a whimper out of the rxed Shin¡¯s mouth . Thest time she had turned into a girl Shin had her put clothes on, so at least this time it wasn¡¯t a naked dive .

    Thebination of Yuzuha¡¯s shrine maiden robe, with its vivid contrast between red and white, and her shoulder-length silver hair and silver tail attracted Shin¡¯s attention . There were 6 tails poking out of her crimson skirt . He began to wonder where and how they were attached to her body .

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why the sudden jumping?¡±

    ¡°Shin, all mine¡±

    Yuzuha answered in the slightly disconnected way that she had started talking in after taking this form .

    Usually she would cuddle up in a ball on the side of the bed, but now she rested her head on Shin¡¯s chest and closed her eyes .

    When Shin was traveling with Schnee, Tiera, and Kagerou, Shin and Yuzuha slept in the same room, and sometimes she would sneak in the same bed as him, half-asleep .

    It didn¡¯t happen anymore after Shibaid joined them, but apparently it was because she was holding back .

    (She might look grown up, but inside she¡¯s still a kid . Well, this situation is barely eptable though¡­)

    It could be excused when she was in little girl mode, but now that her looks were those of a teenager, soon this behavior couldn¡¯t just be called ¡°adorable¡± .

    If she grew any more, it would be difficult to just y with her as a ¡°little sister¡± .

    (¡­ . little sister, huh¡­)

    Yuzuhay still on top of Shin, probably asleep . Shin found himself thinking of his little sister in the real world . As if triggered by that, he started recalling many other memories of his former world .

    His parents, his grandmother, his other siblings . His high school friends, his university circle members . The faces that appear and disappear in his mind are, for some reason, all smiling .

    ¡°¡­ . . atchoo! Hey Yuzuha! Don¡¯t poke my nose with your tails! Your fur! Up my nose!!¡±

    The mncholic mood was destroyed by Yuzuha¡¯s sudden attack .

    The ends of her wagging tails were poking Shin¡¯s nose .

    ¡°Kuu . ¡±

    ¡°No kuu-ing now, littledy . What¡¯s with you all of a sudden . ¡±

    ¡°You think, strange things . ¡±

    Yuzuha retorted while puffing up her cheeks . Her tails¡¯ movements were meant to pull Shin¡¯s attention back to her apparently . She hadn¡¯t fallen asleep after all, and was not happy being ignored .

    Shin¡¯s hands moved to calm her down, but were caught by her tails and brought over her head .

    ¡°Sorry, sorry . I just remembered some things¡­so, should I pat your head now?¡±

    Shin gently caressed Yuzuha¡¯s head, thinking that she was still a little kid after all .

    ¡°Kuu¡­ . ¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s tails zipped up, down, left, and right .

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but think she looked like a puppy dog . It was a really soothing view .

    ¡°¡­ . . crap, I got too rxed¡­I¡¯m getting sleepy . ¡±

    Shin was also rather exhausted, so loosening his nerves let a powerful drowsinesse over him .

    Because of a past habit, he instantly casted a barrier-type skill to secure the safety of the room .

    ¡°Kuu? Shin, sleep?¡±

    ¡°Sorry Yuzuha¡­we should get something to eat¡­¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t, no good . ¡±

    Saying this, Yuzuha returned to her fox form .

    Yuzuha had grown due to her stat increases, and was now around 1 mel in length .

    ¡°Ah¡­ . . this is¡­ . bad¡­ . . ¡±

    Shin was struggling against his heavy eyelids, but Yuzuha¡¯s fluffy fur gave him the coup de grace . Before her warmth and soft touch, it was only a matter of time before Shin drifted into slumber .

 Vol 8 Chapter 2.5: Chapter 2 Part 5

    The next morning .

    Shin was swinging ¡ºKakura¡» in the garden in front of the room assigned to him .

    The reason was that he had painfully learned the limits of his technique during the battle against Munechika .

    ¡°I know that I can¡¯tpare to a master, but¡­¡±

    Shin was aware that he did not possess a natural talent for the sword . Even so, he could improve with effort . Imagining an enemy standing in front of him, he was sometimes dodging, sometimes swinging down ¡ºKakura¡» in slow motion . It was a training method he learned from the person that taught him the sword .

    ¡°Fuuuuh¡­¡±

    This training¡¯s movements might be slow, but they ced a burden on the body . He had lowered his stats on purpose, so¡ºKakura¡» weighed heavily on his whole body .

    Sweat dripped down Shin¡¯s cheeks .

    ¡°¡­ . I focused too much . ¡±

    Shin noticed that Karin¡¯s presence was close, stabbed ¡ºKakura¡» in the ground, and took a deep breath . The shirt he was wearing as a training suit was drenched in sweat .

    ¡°I apologize for disturbing your training . ¡±

    ¡°No, I had lost track of time, so it¡¯s good that you came . ¡±

    Karin looked apologetic, but Shin replied that there was nothing to worry about .

    She hade to call him because the meal was ready .

    Shin wiped his sweat, changed and had his meal; as he finished, someone knocked at the Saegusa gate .

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it is . ¡±

    The visitor was a messenger from the Kujou house .

    Shin, led by Karin, went to the mainpound of the Kujou house, castle Kujou . Yuzuha was left at the Saegusa residence .

    In the residence where he was led to, Shin found Kanade, Kuyou, and Kankurou waiting .

    Kanade had pleaded for Shin to stay because she was grateful to him, but also because she knew he would have been summoned for an inspection .

    Kanade herself exined so when she went to meet Shin along with their guide .

    Some timeter, a man appeared and sat on the seat reserved for the person with the highest standing . The man had shaved hair, thick eyebrows, and a katana scar in the middle of his face . His physique was not bulky, but well trained .

    The man was the head of the Kujou house, Kujou Tadahisa .

    ¡°Raise your heads everyone . ¡±

    All the guests present had bowed their heads when the man appeared, and now raised them back . Shin had followed the others¡¯ example as well, and calmly raised his head again .

    ¡°Your name is Shin, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    The deep voice addressing Shin echoed .

    ¡°First of all, I must give you my thanks . I am grateful for everything you have done from the bottom of my heart . ¡±

    Seeing Tadahisa thank and bow his head, Shin and all vassals present-except Kankuro- were restless .

    For the head of the house to bow his head to a stranger was something normally unthinkable .

    ¡°Thanks to the medicine, concocted with the herb we could obtain through your assistance, my daughter has dramatically recovered from her illness . The doctor says that as long as she recovers her strength, she will be able to return to her normal lifestyle . ¡±

    ¡°Ooh!!¡±

    Tadahisa¡¯s words now caused a new type of restlessness among those present . The vassals had not been informed yet, apparently .

    Kanade¡¯s sister must have been really loved by her subordinates; some vassals could not resist and broke out in tears .

    ¡°Sir Shin, I wish to express my gratitude to you somehow . Is there anything you wish?¡±

    ¡°No, I do not wish for anything in particr . If I had to ask for something, it would be for a roof to use until myrades arrive here . ¡±

    ¡°Hm, exactly as I heard from Kanade, you truly have no material desires . ¡±

    ¡°I had nned to part ways as soon as we arrived in thisnd after all . As you may have heard, a person dear to me died because of an illness . I helped just because of that, you do not need to worry about me . ¡±

    The conversation between Tadahisa and Shin caused whispers among the vassals .

    Shin talked while recalling the historical dramas he had seen . He thought he might have said something disrespectful, but could not think of anything in particr .

    ¡°If so, you may continue to lodge in the Saegusa residence . Kuyou, Karin, I entrust him to you . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Kuyou and Karin lowered their heads after receiving Tadahisa¡¯s order . They were not surprised, probably because it had already been decided who would have taken care of Shin .

    ¡°Personally, I would dly wee you to serve in my household though . I have heard of your prowess with the sword . You and yourpanions as well . What do you think?¡±

    ¡°Sir, my physical abilities are all I have, there are many much more skilled than me with the sword . I have no intention of serving anyone . ¡±

    No matter how promising the conditions might be, entering into someone¡¯s service was not an option for Shin . He stated his refusal clearly .

    ¡°Then, could I ask for the chance to match my strength against yours?¡±

    As the conversation between the two had died down, Kankurou suddenly joined in . His expression was as peaceful as always, but his aura suggested he was trying to find out more about Shin .

    ¡°Oh, now this is unusual, for Kankurou to spontaneously speak in a situation like this . ¡±

    ¡°I am aware of myck of manners . There is, however, something that drew my interest . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, sir Shin, what do you say? I shall prepare a separate reward for this . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . there is no need for rewards . If I am allowed to speak my mind frankly, there is something that drew my interest as well, and wished to ask for a match myself . ¡±

    This match had no particr merit for Shin . But even so, he epted Kankurou¡¯s plea .

    Shin himself was interested in something about the man .

    ¡°How should we set the victory conditions?¡±

    ¡°Both have said to be interested in something about the other . I say we continue until that something is grasped . ¡±

    After changing locations to the soldiers¡¯ training area, Shin and Kankurou faced against each other, surrounded by soldiers and vassals .

    Considering that they were both Chosen Ones, the spectators to their match gathered at the edges of the training area .

    As he had done before the battle with Munechika, Shin set his ¡¾Limit¡¿ to II .

    ¡°Shall we take the first move?¡±

    Kankurou took the initiative . With a step as light as if he were simply going on a walk, he reduced the distance between himself and Shin in an instant . He was wielding a special wooden sword made for Chosen Ones .

    Kankurou¡¯s swing was parried by Shin with the same wooden sword ¨C after which, he took a step back .

    ¡°As good as expected . ¡±

    Saying so, Kankurou changed the arc his wooden sword was drawing in the air into a thrust and aimed it at Shin .

    The wooden sword, attacking again without the slightest dy, gave Shin the impression that it had a will of its own .

    ¡°I have taken the first strike, but I shall let you have the first question . ¡±

    Kankurou spoke to Shin in a calm tone that hardly matched their ferocious sword shes .

    ¡°I will go straight to the point then . How did you acquire the katana at your waist?¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you must be a connoisseur to pick this up . I have received this from the former lord, its name is¡­¡±

    ¡°¡ºck Moon¡», isn¡¯t it? The stronger version of ¡ºRipple de¡», with all capacity points used in erging the attack range . ¡±

    ¡°!!! So you really found out¡­!¡±

    As Shin talked about the sword in detail, the speed of Kankurou¡¯s swing increased . His smile now was different than the usual, he seemed to be enjoying the situation .

    From the speed of his swings and the impact created from their skirmish, Shin thought that Kankurou was the person with stats closest to his among all the people he had met until now . At the very least, his stats were much higher than Rionne¡¯s .

    They were still lower than Munechika, the boss of Mt . Fuji, but other than his technique, his experience in fighting other humans was incredibly rich . Shin had not felt much difficulty in fighting Munechika, but against Kankurou he felt it vividly .

    Shin had heard from Karin that Kankurou was a powerful warrior born before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡± . He had undoubtedly experienced many battlefields .

    ¡°To think that you would know so much . Nowadays, such details are known only by me and the former lord¡­no, now that I think about it, there was someone else too . ¡±

    Kankurou spoke while knowingly adding pauses between his words .

    ¡°The Dark cksmith¡­the man that forged my beloved de would naturally know such things . ¡±

    The words hinting at Shin¡¯s real identity were spoken at the same time of a more powerful sh of the two men¡¯s swords, and did not reach anyone else¡¯s ears .

    As their swords were still locked, Kankurou asked Shin .

    ¡°Well, sir Shin . May I ask something too?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever heard of the name Jinkurou?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . yes, I have . As a samurai myself, we went along rather well . ¡±

    Jinkurou was the name of the guild master of a Japanese-style guild during the game era, ¡°Kachou Fuugetsu¡± . As they were both samurai, he and Shin were well acquainted .

    More than anything, he was the person Shin had given ¡ºck Moon¡» to . He would never forget him .

    After hearing all that, Shin remembered Kankurou .

    As Schnee was Shin¡¯s main support character, Kankurou was the first name toe up when mentioning Jinkurou¡¯s support characters .

    Kankurou¡¯s species was High Lord . He had survived the age of natural catastrophes and was a living witness of its history, the same as Schnee .

    ¡°I was under themand of that person . Thus sir Shin, I know very well who you are . I remembered your face, yes, but considering the disappearance of Tsuki no Hokora, sir Girard¡¯s death, sir Shibaid¡¯s departure from the empire¡­it could not be just someone acting like you . ¡±

    Thinking of Kankurou¡¯s expression when he first saw Shin, it was clear that he had figured out his identity from the start .

    ¡°Lord Jinkurou gave me this before passing away . Sir Shin, why have you returned?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t exactly returned¡­to be honest, I would also like to know the reason why I am here . ¡±

    Shin knocked away Kankurou¡¯s diagonal sh and answered with a sigh .

    ¡°Is that so . It could be that there is something you yourself do not know, sir Shin¡±

    ¡°Something, you say?¡±

    ¡°Yes, did you know, sir? The people that served those once called yers forget those they served after a certain time passes . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin¡¯s sword arm slightly trembled after hearing Kankurou¡¯s words . He forcibly parried it thanks to his stat advantage, but could not deny to be shaken .

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Memories, they grow fainter and fainter . Or rather, I should say that one does not focus on them anymore . The memories do not fade away, but the loyalty, affection, everything previously felt bes of little to no importance . I too must say I am subject to this . I would have never thought of serving the Kujou house in the period following Lord Jinkurou¡¯s departure . ¡±

    Kankurou spoke matter-of-factly, but with a tinge of sadness .

    The sound of their shing swords became slightly fainter .

    ¡°Why did you tell me all this?¡±

    ¡°I had the chance of meetingdy Schnee around 50 years ago . I thought she would be in the same situation as me . Her feelings towards you, however, seemed unchanged . Wondering about it, I went to meet others that were in your service, sir Girard and sir Shibaid . But the result was the same . ¡±

    No one had lost their feelings towards Shin¡­ . as he spoke about this, Kankurou¡¯s eyes gleamed with jealousy .

    ¡°In my travels outside Hinomoto, I had the chance of meeting others who served ¡°Rokuten¡± . Their lifestyles might have been different, but all of them were invariably loyal to their masters . That might be tied to the reason why you returned, sir Shin . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°Sir Shin . Please, do reward their loyalty . That is all I wanted to say . ¡±

    As he stated these words, Kankurou stopped swinging his sword .

    Shin followed suit and stopped his sword arm as well . This unexpected truth had left his expression sour .

    ¡°Let us conclude the match here . ¡°

    ¡°Yes, let us . You have really surprised me though . I had never heard of any of this before . ¡±

    ¡°I doubt anyone would realize it, without being aware as I was¡­ . but rather than that, I shall keep your identity hidden for now . Revealing it could cause unneeded trouble . You have no intention of openly stating it, do you? ¡±

    ¡°Yes, it would be a great help if you did so . ¡±

    Shin headed towards Tadahisa while talking with Kankurou . He was feeling conflicted within .

    They received words of praise from Tadahisa for their battle, then Shin left the Kujou house .

    Karin, who was walking next to him, spoke first .

    ¡°Sir Shin, during the battle you were talking about something with sir Kankurou, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well¡­I thought I had seen the katana at his waist somewhere before . But I was wrong . ¡±

    ¡°What katana did you think it was?¡±

    ¡°The ¡ºRipple de¡», a katana with the effect of extending the range of its shes . Sir Kankurou said that it was its enhanced version . I was really surprised¡­what did he say its name was? Maybe ¡ºck Moon¡»?¡±

    Shin had no intention of talking about his conversation with Kankurou, so he decided to talk about his katana while avoiding the subject .

    ¡°They say that no other katana in Hinomoto can surpass it . It is indeed a sword among swords, some even call it a divine de . Lord Kankurou said that the legendary Dark cksmith forged it, but because of that, there have also been troubles . ¡±

    ¡°Trouble you say? Yesterday I heard about some session problem, is that rted maybe?¡±

    ¡°Lord Kankurou said that he should soon hand it down to the next generation¡­they say that the greatest sword arm in Hinomoto will inherit it . Of course, lord Kankurou excluded . ¡±

    Karin added that the title ¡°Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten¡± is given to the best katana users of Hinomoto . Shin had heard this term from Kankurou before .

    Among those awarded with the title, their position was designed with the term 1st seat, 2nd seat, and so forth . Currently, Kankurou was the 1st seat, while Karin was 3rd seat .

    ¡°Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten¡± was a title given to those excelling in the use of the katana, so there were lower members of the Brave Ten that were more powerful than their superiors, if total fighting prowess was considered .

    The separation between higher and lower members was around seat 5 . But even among them, Kankurou was a special case .

    ¡°He is famous for episodes of bravery such as charging by himself into an enemy battalion and cutting down 1000 enemies for example . From his silhouette wielding the ck-sheathed white katana ¡ºck Moon¡», some call him the ¡®White Haired Sword Demon¡¯ . ¡±

    ¡°White Haired Sword Demon, huh¡­¡±

    Once one bes famous, such nicknames cannot be avoided apparently .

    Shin, whose nickname of ¡°Dark cksmith¡± had spread far and wide, could understand .

    ¡°Who is the favored candidate at present?¡±

    ¡°The 2nd to 4th seats are evenly matched for now . As defeating someone carrying a seat would let you make your name known, I have been challenged several times . ¡±

    Karin looked at the sky, as if she was remembering a distant memory, and sighed . It was a rather troublesome situation for her it seems .

    As the news of her return to Hinomoto spread, such duels would probably increase once again .

    As the two arrived at the Saegusa house while talking, something flew towards Shin .

    ¡°Kuu!!!¡±

    ¡°Whoa there, what¡¯s wrong Yuzuha?¡±

    What had flown toward Shin¡¯s chest was Yuzuha in fox mode . Her fur was wet for some reason .

    ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s no good little Yuzuha . I have to wash you¡ª-oh,dy Karin, Lord Shin . Wee back . ¡±

    Chiyo came out of the residence after Yuzuha, carrying a brush .

    ¡°What were you doing Chiyo? This poor thing is all scared . ¡±

    ¡°My, I was just giving it a bath . ¡±

    ¡°What are those suspicious hand movements¡­?¡±

    Chiyo replied, surprised and hurt to be used, but Karin looked with worry and voiced her concern .

    The fingers of the hand not holding the brush were repeatedly bending then extending again, at very high speed .

    Shin also agreed that hands didn¡¯t move like that when giving baths .

    ¡°(The hands, the haaaands!)¡±

    ¡°Calm down Yuzuha . Well, I¡¯ll do the rest . These things should be done by the one she is bound to via the contract after all . ¡±

    Shin made his proposal while calming down the almost weeping Yuzuha . He felt things could turn ugly if he let Chiyo handle it .

    ¡°Oh no¡­!!¡±

    ¡°Chiyo¡­why do you look so desperate . ¡±

    Chiyo looked thoroughly disappointed, and Karin talked to her with a tired sigh . Judging from Karin¡¯s expression, Shin imagined that simr episodes had happened before too, andughed wryly .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin and the others were engaged in this smallmotion, in the Kujou residence all vassals except Karin were assembled .

    ¡°Thus, Kankurou . I trust you will exin why you requested a duel with that man . ¡±

    Tadahisa¡¯s aura was not as peaceful as when he met Shin, but was instead strongly intimidating .

    In a way, Tadahisa¡¯s daughter Haruna owed her life to Shin, and Kankurou had challenged him to a duel in that situation . Anyone other than Kankurou would have been thrown out of the residence .

    ¡°Yes . There was something I absolutely had to confirm . I am deeply thankful for your permission . ¡±

    Kankurou replied to Tadahisa in his usual calm and collected tone .

    He had made such a proposal out of confidence; Shin would not be angry over something like that, as Kankurou well knew .

    ¡°Both his appearance and aura closely resembled a friend of myte Lord Jinkurou, so I suspected he might be that very friend¡­and I was right . ¡±

    ¡°A friend of your former lord¡­judging from how he fought, that is not surprising . ¡±

    Tadahisa included, all vassals present nodded .

    Many of those who witnessed the battle watched Shin with a bitter expression as he not only parried, but even easily beat back Kankurou¡¯s attacks .

    Even among the experienced ranks of the Kujou house, few could take Kankurou from the front in training . The speed at which Shin and Kankurou crossed swords exceeded their abilities .

    ¡°He is quite a unique young man, at that level of skirmish it is still possible to talk . This and another reason, a more important one . ¡±

    ¡°And what would that be?¡±

    ¡°That young man will definitely serve no one . If anyone among those present here was thinking of putting him in his service, it is not advisable to use coercion . In the worst case, all of Hinomoto could crumble . ¡±

    Kankurou¡¯s words caused surprise in all present, because of how great the consequences could be . Some of them looked jaded, thinking that it was some bad joke .

    Even if his sword arm was on par with Kankurou, it was overly exaggerated to put him above the whole country of Hinomoto others thought .

    ¡°¡­ . I do not think you would joke in a situation like this . ¡±

    ¡°Lord Tadahisa, you have met Schnee Raizar and Girard Estaria in the past, yes?¡±

    ¡°I have, before bing head of the n . ¡±

    ¡°You do know how powerful they are, do you not?¡±

    ¡°I have been witness to a battle where Schnee Raizar participated . Her annihtion of a swarm of monsters by herself was truly impressive, even terrifying . I do believe her power surpasses human ability . It is certainly not folly to think that she could take down an entire country . ¡±

    Maybe because he was recalling that past episode, Tadahisa¡¯s already strict expression had be even more bitter . He had been witness to Schnee destroying a whole swarm of monsters without receiving a single wound .

    ¡°Sir Shin¡¯s power is on the same level¡­no, even superior to theirs . I might have some advantage over him with the use of the sword, if he fought with all his means there would be no way of stopping him . If he fought seriously, simply stalling him for a few minutes would be a great sess . ¡±

    ¡°You would go so far?¡±

    ¡°Without a doubt . Lord Tadahisa, you know of the High Human legends, yes? The vast majority of those legends as they are narrated today is true . As they say, the world before the Dusk was popted with warriors so powerful it was uparable to the world now . In the same way, sir Shin cannot be contained in our current parameters andmon sense . Lost skills, hidden arts¡­I doubt he knows only 10 or 20 of those . Fortunately, his personality would not let him draw the sword unless something really serious happened; as long as we treat him normally, there is no concern of provoking his anger . ¡±

    The words of Kankurou, the man considered Hinomoto¡¯s strongest even before the Dusk, were nothing tough at . His expression did not contain the slightest hint that he could have been joking .

    For a while, no one spoke a word .

    No one could take the situation lightly after hearing such serious words from the 1st seat of Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten .

    Shin was not to be touched . This conclusion was already set in stone .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    At the same time that Shin¡¯s party arrived in Kujou territory, in a certain residence, two men and one woman were talking .

    The higher seats were upied by arge Type Bear and a beautiful woman emanating a certain decadent atmosphere .

    The other man, d in ck robes, was kneeling before them, his head down .

    ¡°So you failed . They shouldn¡¯t have had high defenses against magic though¡­did they have some countermeasure?¡±

    ¡°No, but a man was traveling with them as well . It appears that he detected the danger . ¡±

    The man d in ck reported on what had happened .

    ¡°Who was that?¡±

    ¡°An adventurer called Shin . He is bing more known recently for greatly damaging a swarm of monsters that attacked a city in the maind . He is a Returned Ancestor, without a doubt . ¡±

    Rumors of Shin¡¯s feats in Balmel were spreading wider than he thought . Information regarding powerful ones spread without their knowledge, as always .

    ¡°I tried observing him while blending into crowds, but he is surely dangerous . His appearance is that of a good-natured man, but the stench of bloodys heavy upon him . He is closer to us . ¡±

    The man in ninja clothes slightly trembled as he spoke . His unique senses as an inhabitant of underground society had made him feel how dangerous Shin can be via his smell .

    ¡°Oh my, the great Kai, the Rokuhara¡¯s number one man, fears some adventurer?¡±

    The woman next to the man sitting in the higher seat spoke in his ce . As she slightly turned her neck sideways, her long white hair and animal ears rustled .

    Behind the woman, six white furred tails, extending from her behind, were moving gently .

    ¡°If I am allowed to stake my life on the line, I shall take him . ¡±

    ¡°Do not fret, it is still not the right time to use your life . If we cannot eliminate the sessors of the Kujou house, it is all meaningless . ¡±

    With a chilling tone, the man sitting on the higher seat curbed the words of the man called Kai .

    His body, 2 timesrger than the average Type Bear, and the scars carved on it, reinforced his intimidating aura even more .

    Kai bowed even more deeply after hearing his words .

    ¡°Tamamo . Can¡¯t your techniques do anything? If they enter the castle, we cannot act easily . ¡±

    ¡°Lord Juugo, I will dly lend you my power . ¡±

    Tamamo showed a bewitching smile while leaning coyly towards the man . Her smile had charming properties, and was influencing both Juugo¡¯s and Kai¡¯s thoughts, little by little .

    If she hadn¡¯t, they would never think that her 6-tailed appearance, impossible for a Type Fox, was normal .

    ¡°Heh, after the death of their precious daughter, the Kujou house won¡¯t be able to keep their peace . The sister is not long to this world either, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the illness will surely im Kujou Haruna¡¯s life very soon . I would have loved to eliminate the first born brother too, but regretfully there are no chances of getting close to him . ¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s start from the closest targets . Hinomoto cannot stand divided forever . ¡±

    Juugo¡¯s eyes began to sparkle with something resembling madness .

    Tamamo and Kai both noticed, but said nothing .

    Sparks of fire began to smolder within Hinomoto¡­

 Vol 8 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    The day after the visit to Kujou Tadahisa .

    Shin had been swinging ¡ºKakura¡» since early morning, with his ¡¾Limit¡¿pletely removed .

    ¡°Fuuh!!¡±

    His abilities were nowpletely unrestrained, but he was obviously careful not to damage the surroundings .

    If he used his full strength it would be more difficult to control himself, but as long as he rxed it was easy enough . His ¡¾Limit¡¿ had also been removed when he fought Barlux, Bayreuth¡¯s guild master, after all .

    Little by little, he put more strength into his swings, carefully monitoring any changes . He still couldn¡¯t grasp itpletely, but between understanding and not understanding how to control the de, a small difference in power was born .

    At that moment, he wasn¡¯t thinking if, in the future, he would have had to hold back his strength at full release mode .

    ¡°Kuu . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, is it time?¡±

    Shin had told Yuzuha to check the time so he could put things in order and change before breakfast .

    ¡°Ehm, you maye out, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . so you noticed . ¡±

    Shin spoke towards the edge of the veranda, and an embarrassed Karin showed herself .

    ¡°I did all I could not to bother you¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right . I just noticed that you were there, you didn¡¯t distract me . ¡±

    Just like the time before, Shin had noticed that Karin was close . And just like the time before, she had been careful not to bother him .

    ¡°I think it¡¯s still early for breakfast though?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, I was just curious to see what kind of training you did . After all, your match yesterday against sir Kankurou was truly impressive . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, I see . I didn¡¯t do anything special though¡­by the way, what did you think of my fighting style?¡±

    Shin was concerned about it, so he took advantage of the opportunity to ask Karin¡¯s opinion .

    ¡°What I think?¡±

    ¡°My sword arm, I mean . I have to admit, I have received some training in the art of the sword, but most of it is self-taught . ¡±

    As a yer, Shin was more than powerful enough .

    However, in a sword fight with no stats differences, he would not have matched Kankurou or Karin, who had spent much more time honing their technique .

    The basis of Shin¡¯s strength was not only his extensive experience in battles against monsters and other humans, but also the great variation of magic spells and skills at his disposal .

    His job did not have any weapon limitations, so he could use many main weapons: swords, spears, bows, etc .

    This is because he generally battled solo . He would quickly change weapons to strike the opponent¡¯s weak points and conduct the fight in his favor .

    Some think that mastering one type of weapon would make one stronger, but Shin did not choose that path .

    To learn without being taught, and increase one¡¯s ability by leaps and bounds¡­Shin had not been blessed by such an overwhelming form of talent .

    In a way, it could be said that Shin¡¯s sword was the fruit of his great talent in studying .

    ¡°¡­ . I think it would be presumptuous and arrogant of me to talk, but¡­well, something that concerned me was your body¡¯s movements . ¡±

    ¡°My movements?¡±

    ¡°Yes . In the Saegusa style handed down in my family, we focus our whole body in each swing of the de . A precise, flowing sh, under the full control of our will, is considered the apex of the Saegusa style . Inparison, your de seems to waver, following your body¡¯s movements . I suppose you probably did not make your body remember each technique¡¯s form, but only fought in actual battles?¡±

    ¡°Amazing, that¡¯spletely true . ¡±

    After being taught the sword, Shin spent little time training . Most of his technique had been honed on the battlefield . After all, since he was within a game, even if he didn¡¯t perform the best, most ideal movements, as long as the system judged it effective he could cause damage .

    Soon Shin¡¯s movements became more refined, and he stopped caring about the techniques¡¯ form .

    ¡°Sir Shin, your physical abilities are exceptional . Slight unsteadiness has never been a problem, I¡¯m sure . ¡±

    ¡°But from here on out, I can¡¯t keep saying that, can I . ¡±

    In the current world, the old damage judgement system is gone . The slight unsteadiness that Karin pointed out would influence the damage inflicted .

    ¡°Here on out?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t have my body be in control forever . ¡±

    He had no intention of defeating any master of the sword, but simply bing able to fully handle his own power .

    Since he felt he was not using his strength properly, Shin wanted to perfect his control over his power, now that he had the time .

    ¡°Well¡­if you would be satisfied with me, I could teach you some of the basics . You will stay in our house until yourpanions arrive, so I think it could be useful to you . ¡±

    ¡°I would be more than grateful, but is it alright to teach an outsider?¡±

    Shin cast doubt to Karin¡¯s sudden proposal .

    ¡°I believe that you would not use my teachings for any wrong purpose . What sir Shin needs now is understanding and control of his physical abilities . I would not impart to you teachings concerning our school¡¯s techniques, and doubt anyone would be outraged at just some private lessons . I teach the basics at other dojos too, after all . ¡±

    No, someone probably would¡­thought Shin . Though to be trained by the 3rd seat of Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten was something he hadn¡¯t even hoped for, so he chose to not worry about small things .

    ¡°Well then, let us start training right after breakfast then . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much . ¡±

    After breakfast, the two moved to the Saegusa dojo . The ce Karin led Shin to was a quiet dojo: apparently the lessons for their students were held in another one .

    Shin lowered his stats with ¡¾Limit¡¿ and had Karin point out where he wascking . Probably because he had been self-taught for a long time, Shin had more weird quirks than he thought .

    ¡°You use many other weapons other than the katana, I think that is one reason too . ¡±

    Karin exined that using many weapons had created a hotbed for the birth of quirks in his fighting style .

    ¡°Kuaaa¡­¡±

    Yuzuha yawned as she watched over the two .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    One evening, a few days after Karin had started giving private lessons to Shin .

    Sitting on the veranda outside the room assigned to him, Shin was listening to Schnee¡¯s report .

    ¡°(¡­ . I see . So there weren¡¯t any major troubles after that . )¡±

    ¡°(Yes . We could escortdy Hermie safe and sound . For safety, Wilhelm is with her, but I¡¯m sure she will be alright unless something extraordinary happens . )¡±

    Milt had been sent to attack the Summit Faction base, so only Wilhelm had remained to guard Hermie . He was the one she had opened her heart to the most during their travels, so excluding battle prowess, he was the best choice .

    ¡°(That¡¯s reassuring . Nothing in particr is going on here at the moment, but I have a few concerns . Don¡¯t let your guard down when youe, just in case . )¡±

    ¡°(I know . See you soon . )¡±

    Shin cut the Mind Chat after Schnee¡¯sst words, spoken with a cheerful tone . It also depended on the winds, but their arrival to Hinomoto would be about one weekter .

    Shin gazed at the sky, thinking that it would be nice to use this opportunity to do some sightseeing in Hinomoto . A beautiful full moon was hanging in the darkness .

    ¡°A garden in the moonlight¡­not bad at all . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful moonlit night . ¡±

    Shin had talked to himself, but he heard someone answer . He had noticed it already, so he wasn¡¯t surprised; it was Karin, wearing an indoor kimono . Her silky ck hair gleamed in the moonlight .

    ¡°Father gave me some good sake, so I thought of bringing you some . ¡±

    Karin was carrying a tray with a bottle and small cups .

    ¡°I see . We have a beautiful moon out too, let¡¯s enjoy some moonlight sake then . ¡±

    Shin was not a big drinker in the real world, so this was his first time to enjoy the tradition of drinking sake while gazing at the moon .

    ¡°Here you go . ¡±

    ¡°Eh? Oh, thanks . ¡±

    Before Shin could take the bottle to pour himself a cup, Karin did it for him . There were two small cups, so she would probably drink too .

    After she poured the sake for him, Shin did the same in return .

    It was probably ¡°THE NEW GATE¡¯s¡± type of sake . Its sweet aroma reminded Shin of the Ginjo style of vor .

    Recalling how he had tried it at a gathering in university, Shin put the cup to his lips, feeling a faintly sweet aroma and a firm, clean taste . Shin was not an expert by any means, but thought it was really delicious .

    The moonlit sky seemed to make the sake even more pleasant . Maybe it was also because a beautiful girl like Karin was pouring it too .

    ¡°So beautiful . ¡±

    ¡°Yes!? Ah, er, that¡¯s right! The moon is really beautiful!¡±

    ¡°?¡±

    Karin¡¯s surprised reaction made Shin turn to look at her, but she was looking straight at the sky .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing at all¡­ . ¡±

    She seemed really nervous .  The graceful, elegant demeanor she had until a moment ago had gone away somewhere .

    ¡°Does it have anything to do with the two people behind the pir?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . so you had noticed . ¡±

    ¡°Well, I think it would be harder not to¡­¡±

    Shin had detected that, at the edge of the veranda just behind a corner, Kuyou and Kayo were hiding . Kuyou¡¯s eyes emanated a faint killing intent . Anyone who had experience of battle would have realized .

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­actually, mother told me to get to know you more . ¡±

    ¡°Know me more?¡±

    The sake served the purpose of facilitating conversation, probably .

    ¡°I wonder why, did I do anything disrespectful?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, actually¡­ . what I¡¯d like to know is¡­ . what food you like, what things you like, what kind of¡­ . women you like . ¡±

    Thest words left Karin¡¯s lips in a whisper .

    ¡°Aaah¡­I see, that¡¯s what it is? She wants me to do a marriage interview?¡±

    Why would Karin¡¯s mother Kayo ask her daughter to gather that information? Shin had guessed the reason, but avoided saying it outright .

    During his stay in the Saegusa house, Shin had had the chance to learn more about Hinomoto¡¯s warrior families .

    As it had been the case with Kayo, Hinomoto women tended to marry young, and it was not strange to give birth in theirte teens .

    For someone like Karin, who was female and part of the Brave Ten, it would be natural to have a fiance .

    The Saegusa house however, ced a great focus on battle ability: Kuyou wouldn¡¯t approve of acking candidate, but to find someone that he, 2nd seat in the Hinomoto Brave Ten, would ept was a difficult feat .

    ¡°Mother, well, she said that sir Shin would surely pass¡­¡­ . and father also seemed to ept¡­ . ¡±

    It seemed that thanks to his duel with Kankurou, Shin had satisfied their expectations . Judging from Karin¡¯s words, Kayo was the main instigator behind it all .

    ¡°Did he really ept? The killing intenting from him is getting gradually stronger¡­¡±

    Kuyou¡¯s killing intent was gradually growing as time passed . Even if he had epted, his feelings as a father were a different thing .

    ¡°Well, you see¡­I am really sorry, but I already have a fiancee . I¡¯m afraid I cannot ept that proposal . ¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­ . . ? Oh, I see . Of course! A man like you would surely have at least one fiancee!!¡±

    After hearing Shin¡¯s reply, Karin opened her eyes wide for an instant, then showed an exaggerated reaction .

    She was partly surprised, partly relieved¡­mixed feelings swirled inside her, and for Shin it was difficult to read her expression for a while .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bringing up something so weird . It¡¯s a beautiful night, and I almost ruined it . ¡±

    ¡°Personally, I feel honored to have you serve me sake . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m d to hear that . ¡±

    Karin bowed, then walked away in Kuyou and Kayo¡¯s direction . Their presence disappeared too, probably thanks to Karin .

    ¡°Marriage, huh¡­¡±

    In the former world too, there existed the concept of marriages focused on households or bloodlines, but Shin had never had anything to do with such things .

    If Karin had really fallen in love with him, it would be understandable for them to talk to Shin about marriage, now that he knew about the Saegusa house¡¯s circumstances . Shin, however, had no recollection of any episodes that could have turned her ¡°like¡± into ¡°love¡± .

    There were happenings that might have made her think of Shin that way, like when he performed CPR and a cardiac massage on her .

    ¡°It¡¯s too early for a student like me to think about that¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s original ¡°status¡± was university student . Marriage wasn¡¯t something too far off in the future, but still it didn¡¯t feel realistic yet .

    ¡°¡­ . sigh¡±

    After leaving Shin, Karin shoved Kuyou and Kayo in their bedroom, then returned to her room .

    Her body, which felt strangely heavier than usual, lying in the futon, she stared at the ceiling .

    ¡°A fiancee¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s battle prowess is extremely high . Outside Hinomoto, he could be a very sessful adventurer .

    Karin knew that Shin¡¯s name was actually starting to be known .

    Tadahisa had forbidden anyone to forcibly pull Shin to their side, but in case of mutual affection there would be no problem .

    ¡°I should be happy that a troublesome thing has been taken care of, and yet¡­¡±

    Karin had always focused on swinging her sword, without caring to practice bridal duties . She had left Hinomoto as an adventurer, so she could cook and sew to an extent, but Karin had never considered the possibility of marriage .

    ¡­ . at least, that¡¯s how it was supposed to be .

    ¡°¡­ . . sigh . ¡±

    She wouldn¡¯t stop sighing after going back to her room .

    Maintaining one¡¯s condition was also a warrior¡¯s duty . Yet after talking with Shin, she found herself unable to .

    She knew what this feeling was .

    The identity of the weariness enveloping her body . It was ¡°loss¡± .

    A sensation felt after losing something of importance . A sensation simr to powerlessness .

    That was strange, though . She hadn¡¯t lost anything .

    ¡°Beautiful, huh¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were looping inside Karin¡¯s mind .

    Looking at Shin, it was clear enough that those words had not been directed at her . Despite that, she was almostically surprised by them .

    Her face still felt flushed .

    At the same time, she could feel a clenching pain, deep in her chest .

    Karin knew this sensation too .

    ¡°Am I¡­ . attracted to sir Shin¡­?¡±

    She had seen him for the first time on the ship they had boarded to return to their homnd . She understood he was a man of great ability, but he was still just another passenger .

    As they talked, she simply had the impression that he probably wasn¡¯t a bad person .

    She was surprised at his strength during the battle against the Gale Serpents .

    Then, after diving into the sea to follow Kanade, when she regained consciousness the first thing she saw was Shin¡¯s back .

    ¡°It was really big¡­¡±

    Karin could faintly remember when he was carrying her . Shin was of rather lean build, but his back was bigger andrger than she thought, and she didn¡¯t feel uneasy at all when leaning against him .

    Then, he helped them look for the medicinal herb for Lady Haruna; on top of Mt . Fuji, he stood fearlessly before a giant 8-headed snake monster, and won the herb with his sword .

    Karin remembered the burning sensation in her chest as she watched Shin face the female warrior d in tinum armor .

    However, she thought that it was a sensation born from watching two powerful warriors engage in battle¡­

    ¡°To fall in love while watching him cross swords in battle¡­there¡¯s something wrong with me . ¡±

    She was starting to worry about her sensitivity . She had been focused on the sword all her life, that¡¯s true, but even so that was too violent a beginning .

    Something else that could have triggered it all¡­

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    She came up with something else .

    The decisive episode that made her think about Shin .

    Karin lightly passed her fingers on her lips .

    ¡°The kiss . ¡±

    Shin had desperately exined that he had done that to save her, and Karin did not doubt his words .

    But it was still true that she had been kissed . And ording to Kanade, he had touched her breasts too .

    She knew she was more developed than other people her age . She also knew that when she was out adventuring with Kanade, men would often gaze at her chest .

    She felt nothing but disgust then, but in Shin¡¯s case the disgust disappeared .

    Rather, she even¡­

    ¡°Aaaah!! What am I thinking about!?!¡±

    Karin couldn¡¯t help but raise her voice .

    Her heartbeat was getting annoyingly noisy . Her thoughts refused to be put in order .

    The more she tried not to think about it, the more Shin¡¯s silhouette upied her mind .

    The slightly silly expression he had when they first met .

    The brave expression he showed when he blew away the Gale Serpent¡¯s head .

    His kind expression when he was worrying about her .

    His serious expression while he swung the sword .

    ¡°To realize it after being turned down¡­there really is something wrong with me¡­¡±

    She would barely sleep that night .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    3 days after Karin talked about marriage to Shin, a letter was delivered to the Saegusa house .

    Chiyo, who had received it, said it hade from the Kujou .

    ¡°It¡¯s for me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,dy Haruna expressed the wish to meet you . The sender isdy Kanade . ¡±

    I am aware of the rudeness of my request . But could you make it possible to meet my sister once¡­was the content of the letter .

    Considering Kanade¡¯s personality, she would rather show up personally to talk about it, but as she had been absent from Hinomoto for a long time, she likely had been caught by a servant on her way out .

    ¡°Lady Haruna is a very reasonable person . She surely would not think well of requesting the person she owes her life to toe visit her . But just ending things with a thank-you letter isn¡¯t something that she¡¯d ept either . ¡±

    Shin had already received a letter of gratitude for the assistance he had lent .

    It was rich in old-fashioned expressions and hard to read, but her feelings of gratitude were clearly expressed .

    ¡°I have already been thanked by lord Tadahisa too, I don¡¯t think she should concern herself with it though¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s also unusually stubborn you see . Sir Shin, wouldn¡¯t you givedy Haruna a chance to express her thanks?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have much to do until myrades arrive after all . If she will be relieved, then it¡¯s fine for me . To be honest, I¡¯m the one feeling nervous though¡­¡±

    Kuyou wrote the letter of eptance and handed it to the waiting messenger .

    They would go visitdy Haruna the following day .

    ¡°Ehm, I think it is best to review the visit protocol¡­¡±

    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±

    As they were walking towards the Kujou residence, Shin talked to Karin, but received an awkward reply .

    The day after their marriage conversation, Karin was too restless and they couldn¡¯t continue their usual training .

    Now, after a few days had passed, she seemed more calm .

    By the way, Yuzuha had stayed back at the residence .

    As they arrived to the residence where Haruna was said to be, they showed the gate guard the proof of passage they had received with the reply to their letter .

    The proof of passage had half of a seal;bined with the other half, which the gate guard had, it matched perfectly and emitted a faint glow . In order to avoid counterfeiting, a magical defense mechanism had been ced on it as well .

    As they were waiting for someone to guide them into the residence, Kanade herself appeared .

    ¡°I thank you foring . Come in, this way . ¡±

    ¡°Lady Kanade . The noble daughter of the Kujou house should not behave like that in public!!¡±

    Ady in her 40s, who arrived right after Kanade, reprimanded her . She was Kanade¡¯s tutor and her name was ¡°Ei¡± .

    ¡°I apologize for my rudeness . I shall apany you inside . Only several days have passed since ourdy Haruna rose from her sickbed, thus I pray you not to tire her too much . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Ei bowed deeply to them, and Shin nodded in reply . Her illness might have been cured, but Haruna had been sick in bed for a long period, naturally they did not want to be a burden to her .

    After they walked for awhile, Ei stopped in front a room with a veranda . Kanade, who had gone back before them, was already inside .

    Ei kneeled on the floor and called to who was beyond the sliding doors .

    ¡°Lady Haruna . Lord Shin and Lady Karin have arrived . ¡±

    ¡°Let them inside . ¡±

    After Haruna¡¯s reply, Ei opened the sliding doors . Shin and Karin were encouraged to go inside andplied .

    ¡°Let me thank you foring all the way here to visit me . ¡±

    Alongside Kanade, in the room there was another young woman, adorned in a gorgeous kimono .

    Shin¡¯s attention was caught by the woman¡¯s captivating waist-length ck hair and her eyes, ck like polished obsidian gems .

    Her facial features were very Japanese-like, with a reserved kind of elegance typical of traditional Japanese beauty .

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand around like that, have a seat . You shouldn¡¯t make my sister wait . ¡±

    ¡°You have even less restraint than usual I see . ¡±

    There was no doubt that the youngdy before them was Haruna .

    As Shin sat on the cushion prepared for him, Haruna adjusted her posture, then deeply lowered her head to him .

    ¡°I wish to give you my deepest gratitude for saving my sister and her friend¡¯s lives . Thanks to you, the illness afflicting me has been cured as well . I shall never forget the debt of gratitude I owe you for the rest of my life . ¡±

    ¡°Raise your head, please . I simply followed my heart . Your feelings of gratitude have already reached me very well . ¡±

    Shin felt a bit uneasy, doubting that it was proper for the daughter of the family¡¯s head to bow like that to a mere adventurer .

    He appreciated her gesture of thanks, of course, but being treated so formally had the inverse effect of making him nervous .

    Being born and raised in modern times, Shin found Haruna¡¯s reactions exaggerated .

    ¡°I also wish I could show my gratitude to you somehow¡­¡±

    ¡°No, please, you really should not concern yourself with that . Er¡­oh, yes! Seeing Lady Haruna smile would be more than sufficient!¡±

    ¡°My smile?¡±

    ¡°I do not know how you normally are, of course, but your expression now is, how should I say¡­stiff,dy Haruna . I do not need things or glory, nothing like that, but if possible, I would like to see a more cheerful expression from you . ¡±

    Shin went with an idea that had suddenlye to mind, but while talking he was almost annoyed with himself at that totally out of character request .

    He knew that when he would recall his actions and wordster, he would want to kick himself .

    ¡°I say, I also love my sister¡¯s smile very much . ¡±

    Saying so, Kanade hugged Haruna .

    ¡°I do not know how valuable my smile can be, but I shall not refuse such a request . I have not had much to smile about after being bedridden, so I hope it is not too awkward . ¡±

    While caressing Kanade¡¯s head, who had jumped on herp, Haruna replied to Shin . Her words gave him a small relief .

    Haruna¡¯s expression as she cuddled Kanade appeared as if illuminated by sunlight .

    ¡°¡­ . lending my help has been worth it . ¡±

    Thanks to the warmth he felt from looking at Haruna cuddling Kanade, Shin¡¯s uneasiness was gone too .

    After exining briefly what had happened in their travels, they excused themselves from Haruna¡¯s quarters . The tutor Ei had reminded them not to stay too long after all .

    Karin had not spoken much, but apparently she had already met and talked with Haruna, whom she counted as a close friend .

    ¡°I have been steadily recovering, but everyone¡¯s such a worrywart . ¡±

    ¡°I heard you have been bedridden for a long time, so it can¡¯t be helped . ¡±

    After consoling the disappointed-looking Haruna, Shin stood up . Haruna didn¡¯t want to see them go yet, but there was nothing else they could do; A presence was clearly sending a ¡°It¡¯s time to let thedy rest¡ª¡± message from outside towards Shin, probably Ei .

    ¡°I shall take my leave then . Please take care not to push yourself too much, as you just recovered . ¡±

    Realizing again how loved she had to be by those around her, Shin bid farewell to Haruna .

    ¡°Will it be possible to meet again? I am eager to know more about the world outside Hinomoto . ¡±

    ¡°I am imposing in the Saegusa house until mypanions arrive, so it will be possible until then . Although I fear the vassals will be opposed to the household¡¯sdy meeting a mere adventurer like me . ¡±

    ¡°It will be wise to do it without creating any unpleasant rumors, by having someone else with you during the visit, I think . ¡±

    The Kujou house was the ruler of east Hinomoto . If people started rumoring that its first-born daughter was intimate with an unknown adventurer, Haruna¡¯s reputation was more at risk than Shin .

    Karin thus suggested that they avoided meeting by themselves .

    ¡°I understand, but it is truly regretful . ¡±

    ¡°s, it is how Shin and Karin said . Now that you have recovered, the storm of marriage proposals will start again too . ¡±

    Shin thought that Kanade¡¯s prediction was surely on the spot .

    Her household and appearance were excellent, talking to her showed a person with a serene personality, clearly quite intelligent too . With so many excellent conditions all together, there will surely be multitudes of men willing to marry her .

    As she had just recovered, it was likely that no such topic had been mentioned to her, but sooner orter they surely would . It wasn¡¯t something Shin could do anything about .

    ¡°Well then, if there will be the chance, let us meet again . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you again foring . ¡±

    ¡°Yes,e again!¡±

    Ei, who was waiting outside Haruna¡¯s quarters, led them back to the entrance gate .

    ¡°Thank you very much for sparing your precious time for Lady Haruna today . ¡±

    ¡°Not at all, a mere adventurer like me was unworthy of such honor . ¡±

    Normally, an attendant would apany guests from the small gate in the hedges surrounding the residence until therge gate at the entrance of the Kujou estate, but this time Karin assumed that role .

    Even if it was a person they owe great gratitude to, they wouldn¡¯t let strangers walk on their own around the mainpound after all .

    While thinking about this, Shin realized that since he had entered the Kujou domain, every time he left the Saegusa residence he was apanied by someone .

    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s obvious . ¡±

    He whispered this to himself and looked towards therge gate, when he saw someone other than the guard before it .

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, sir Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Sir Kankurou¡­you have business withdy Haruna as well?¡±

    Kankurou, who was dressed the same way as when he fought Shin, shook his head .

    ¡°No, I simply had some free time, so I was taking a walk, and I perceived your presence . I do not have very much time, but would you join me for some conversation?¡±

    ¡°No problem for me, but what about you Karin?¡±

    ¡°That is fine for me too . I see sir Toshiro is here too, what about you?¡±

    ¡°I do not have any pressing duties either . ¡±

    In the direction, Karin looked at stood Yaejima Toshiro . He was not wearing armor, but only grey and deep green formal wear .

    ¡°However, if time allows it, I would like to ask sir Shin for a match . ¡±

    ¡°A match?¡±

    Ever since they first met, when Shin was with Karin and Kanade, he hadn¡¯t felt any amitying from Toshiro . What he felt almost made him feel like he was considered an enemy instead .

    He was slightly surprised, then, to be challenged to a duel in such a direct manner .

    ¡°I have heard the rumors . You are receivingdy Karin¡¯s teachings in the way of the sword, yes?¡±

    ¡°There are such rumors?¡±

    Shin raised his eyebrows at Toshiro¡¯s words .

    Karin was the Saegusa family¡¯s first-born daughter and the 3rd seat of the Hinomoto Brave Ten . If word of her teaching a stranger the art of the sword spread, it would definitely cause amotion . Shin would have hated to return Karin¡¯s favor with trouble .

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I spoke about it with anyone though . ¡±

    ¡°I have not heard a word of it either . By the way, Toshiro, recently you seem to strangely disappear rather often, don¡¯t you?¡±

    After hearing Karin and especially Kankurou¡¯sments, Shin casted a suspicious nce at Kankurou, thinking that he might have been spying on them .

    ¡°I just heard it fromdy Chiyo! I was told not to say it to anyone else, nor have I any intention to!! I am just all too env-ahem!!!¡±

    The more they talked, the more Shin¡¯s opinion of Toshiro changed .

    ¡°Ehm¡­sir Toshiro?¡±

    Karin looked puzzled at Toshiro, she didn¡¯t seem to have noticed his affection for her yet .

    ¡°In any case!! I shall put you to the test and see how much your skills have grown!!¡±

    ¡°My apologies . Toshiro is infatuated withdy Karin, and you see¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, I kind of realized it too . ¡±

    ¡°T-that has nothing to do with this!!!¡±

    Toshiro yelled at Kankurou and Shin¡¯s whispered conversation .

    ¡°?¡±

    Karin, who had not heard the conversation, looked even more confused .

    Shin thought that maybe, this Yaejima Toshiro wasn¡¯t a bad person .

 Vol 8 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    As they did not have anything urgent to do, Shin and Karin followed Kankurou to the Toudou house¡¯s dojo .

    It was a separatepound, used only by Kankurou, Toshiro, and a few others .

    In the same way as the Saegusa house, the dojos were separated between teaching use and personal use .

    ¡°Some wish to focus on personal training without being bothered by their surroundings . This dojo is also used sometimes for matches such as this . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I suppose they don¡¯t want to be seen . ¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, that would be better . ¡±

    Shin and Toshiro then both wielded wooden swords .

    As Kankurou had told Shin on their way to the dojo, Toshiro was close in level to the Hinomoto Brave Ten . The aura Shin felt emanating from Toshiro convinced him that it had to be the truth .

    While they were talking, Shin regarded Toshiro as a guy he couldn¡¯t help but like, but now the man before him was nothing but a proud swordsman .

    ¡°Here Ie . ¡±

    With this short deration, Toshiro stepped forward . Without any pre-emptive movements, he closed in on Shin as if sliding on the ground .

    Toshiro¡¯s sword arm might have seemed to be moving leisurely, but an instantter it was already prating Shin¡¯s space .

    ¡°Shah!!¡±

    Shin swung his sword in response to Toshiro¡¯s strike . The sh of the two wooden swords produced a dull sound that echoed through the dojo .

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Looking at the two fighters, Kankurou was deep in thought, his chin resting on his hand . He felt that Shin¡¯s movements had be much sharperpared to when they fought a few days before .

    (¡­ . he¡¯s already changed so much?)

    Even more so than Kankurou, Shin was surprised at his own movements .

    Karin¡¯s teachings resulted in Shin eliminating unnecessary motions from his movements .

    They didn¡¯t do any training for actual fighting, she had just observed him swinging his sword and re-enacting skills with his body movements .

    ¡°I see you have grown damn well already . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised myself . ¡±

    Shin was so surprised by the results that he answered exactly what he was thinking .

    Toshiro¡¯s first strike was meant to be a test; the second and third strike that followed were much heavier and faster .

    They might have been inferior to Kankurou¡¯s, but most Chosen Ones would have had trouble parrying them .

    Shin, however, deflected them all with ease .

    It was also thanks to the speed boost granted by his high stats, but more than anything, his body felt really light .

    He had not changed the ¡¾Limit¡¿ on his status, but he felt the distance linking each one of his strikes had shrunk . The speed of his swings had increased . Each strike¡¯s weight had changed too .

    ¡°To think that it can all change this much . ¡±

    He might have felt the change more clearly thanks to his high stats .

    Even so, the clear results showed that, he had to admit, his former movements were riddled with unnecessary motions .

    The sound of the impact between the two men¡¯s wooden swords grew progressively louder, the pause between shes shorter .

    (sh downwards from the right, then sh up right away from the left¡­no, stop halfway and thrust forward!)

    Shin dodged, parried, blocked the wooden de attacking him .

    The two des shed again, this time locked, grinding against each other .

    ¡°Fuuh!!¡±

    Toshiro tried to push forward by pressing his weight into the sword, but, after a brief moment, suddenly retreated .

    His rapid movements gave the illusion that the floor under Toshiro had slipped away . The distance he had retreated was the exact distance needed for the tip of his sword to reach Shin .

    The de formed an arc in mid-air and swung down, aimed towards Shin¡¯s left side .

    ¡°Not so fast!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t dodge or parry, but stepped in closer to Toshiro before his blow couldnd . He charged forward, with the intent of shoving Toshiro away .

    ¡°Guh!!¡±

    Toshiro probably judged he couldn¡¯t make it in time; he pulled back his sword at the same time as Shin¡¯s tackle .

    Shin elerated his charge against the swing while Toshiro was retreating . Naturally, the former won .

    Toshiro avoided the fate of losing bnce and falling down, but because of that he couldn¡¯t defend himself against Shin¡¯s following attack .

    Toshiro tried to twist his body to avoid Shin¡¯s wooden sword aimed at his neck .

    Shin, ready to intercept such struggle, brought down his sword on Toshiro¡¯s neck, then stopped just as the de touched it .

    ¡°¡­ . what?¡±

    Toshiro regained his bnce and questioned Shin .

    Shin answered while looking not at Toshiro, but the dojo entrance .

    ¡°Someone ising . Two people . ¡±

    ¡°Hm, looks like it . ¡±

    Kankurou had also perceived it, and nodded at Shin¡¯s words . Karin too felt the new presence, and turned to look in the same direction as Shin .

    After a little while, two men appeared at the dojo¡¯s entrance .

    ¡°Did we interrupt something?¡±

    ¡°Brother! Why are you here!¡±

    Toshiro yelled to one of the two men, who looked apologetic .

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, his name was Yaejima Shiden, a young man in histe twenties .

    He had ck hair mixed with white, red eyes, and was around the same height as Shin, about 180 cemels . In contrast to his soft speech and gentle expressions, both his arms and legs were very thick; to Shin they looked like bundles of steel .

    His job was samurai and his level, quite high, was 238 .

    ¡°I thought that you would be here Toshiro . I have sir Tadahisa¡¯s permission to move within the castlepound . Lord Kankurou, I am d to see you too . Lady Karin, I see you have returned from the search for Lady Haruna¡¯s medicine . ¡±

    ¡°I am d to see you in good health, sir Shiden . ¡±

    ¡°It has been a long time . ¡±

    Kankurou and Karin each answered the man¡¯s greetings . Obviously enough, the three all knew each other .

    ¡°Sir Kanezuka, I trust you are well too . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm . ¡±

    After greeting Shiden, Kankurou spoke to Kanezuka Araki .

    He was a man between histe thirties or early forties . He seemed to be of rather short stature, maybe because he was standing next to Shiden .

    His job was cksmith, as manifested by the very developed muscles on his arms . His level was 166 . His grey hair was cut short, his ck eyes fixed on Kankurou¡¯s ¡ºck Moon¡» .

    ¡°This man is sir Shin, correct?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me, but why do you know my name?¡±

    Shiden looked at Shin and inquired about his identity . His expression was very serious as he did so .

    ¡°I have been informed that you have assisted in the search for the medicinal herbs to curedy Haruna¡¯s illness . Oh, I have yet to introduce myself, have I . I am the first-born of the Yaejima house, Yaejima Shiden . ¡±

    ¡°Er, as you already know, my name is Shin . ¡±

    He was apparently aware of Shin¡¯s status as guest, and had been informed about what Shin looked like .

    ¡°What brings you here today then? As sir Shiden came in person, I can imagine what the matter might be though . ¡±

    ¡°I think many are aware of the whispers that there are suspicious movements in the west . I would like to say that they are all groundless rumors¡­but I received a report that the Ichinose house, one of our vassals, is making suspicious moves . I came to inform sir Tadahisa that our Yaejima house, along with 3 other houses, are investigating this matter at the moment . ¡±

    After Shiden finished talking, Toshiro interjected .

    ¡°The Ichinose house!?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that house always sought to unify Hinomoto . But would they move only by themselves, I wonder?¡±

    Kankurou, after pondering for a moment, voiced his doubts .

    ¡°Our investigation being still underway, I cannot say anything yet . However¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ehm, excuse me!¡±

    Shiden and Kankurou were continuing to discuss the matter, ignoring the surprised Toshiro, when Shin interrupted them .

    ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°Sirs, please, you know you can¡¯t talk of such delicate matters with an outsider like me around!¡±

    Kankurou looked at Shin as if he had a question mark over his head, without the slightest concern on his expression .

    ¡°I have heard from sir Tadahisa anddy Haruna that you are a man worthy of trust, sir Shin . You have no intention of talking about this to anyone, correct?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Shin regarded this excessive trust with suspicion .

    ¡°Sir Kankurou says that you are someone that can be trusted . I have no reasons to doubt you . Moreover, sir Shin is someone even sir Kankurou said he cannot win against¡­I would never want such a person to think of us as enemies . I know sir Kankurou¡¯s strength very well after all . ¡±

    Both the eastern and western families trusted Kankurou¡¯s word apparently . The reason for this trust came from Shiden¡¯s own experience . No one would want to turn a powerful warrior into an enemy for no reason after all .

    ¡°I see that you have crossed swords with Toshiro too . How did my brother fare?¡±

    ¡°He was quite strong, I think . I wonder if it is wise to trust so easily though . ¡±

    ¡°I have heard the sound of your swords shing . Your sword swings straight and true . Sir Kankurou¡¯s words and the sound of those sword shes, as a samurai myself I cannot mistrust you . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin was somewhat at a loss for words .

    He had heard that masters couldmunicate without words, through their fists or their des .

    During his battle against Girard, Shin had understood his feelings . But that time, his mental state was in a kind of extreme condition, and he managed to do it because he knew his opponent very well .

    To understand someone he never met before only through the sound of sword shes was something utterly impossible for Shin .

    ¡°You are trusted, isn¡¯t that enough?¡±

    ¡°Well, it is better than to be suspected . ¡±

    Araki spoke to the speechless Shin . His expression told him to ¡°stop sweating the small stuff . ¡±

    ¡°By the way, I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet, right . I¡¯m Kanezuka Araki, a cksmith . Today I came here to admire sir Kankurou¡¯s ¡ºck Moon¡» . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, here you are . ¡±

    Kankurou nodded, took ¡ºck Moon¡» from his waist and handed it to Araki .

    Araki sat down on a corner of the dojo and, using a cloth to be sure not to touch it directly, stared intently at ¡ºck Moon¡»¡¯s de .

    The user limitation had been removed apparently .

    ¡°What is he doing?¡±

    ¡°I am coborating with sir Kanezuka in order for him to forge a divine de like ¡ºck Moon¡» . I suppose you have heard that I am looking for someone to inherit ¡ºck Moon¡», yes?¡±

    ¡°Only in passing . I know thatdy Karin, my host, is a candidate too . ¡±

    ¡°At present, ¡ºck Moon¡» is the only katana bearing the ¡°divine de¡± moniker . I do not know who will inherit it, but there have been squabbles about it¡­if it will be kept by the eastern or western forces . Of course, it will be the side the inheritor belongs to, but many worry that it could tilt the bnce between the two forces . ¡±

    It might be just one de, but it was not to be underestimated .

    The stat bonuses given from the katana to the owner were high, but the long-range attacks it could unleash, paired with high stats, could easily surpass average skills in power .

    ¡°Thus I thought that having another divine de could be a solution, but apparently even for sir Kanezuka, Hinomoto¡¯s finest cksmith, forging an Ancient-grade katana is no easy feat . ¡±

    He observed ¡ºck Moon¡» to find hints, researched documents and oral traditions and continued to forge, through a process of trial and error .

    ¡°Do you know what the materials are? It¡¯s quite difficult to obtain them . ¡±

    ¡°We have some of the materials left by lord Jinkurou . We don¡¯t know, however, how more than half of them should be used . I am aplete novice in the cksmith profession after all . ¡±

    Shin whispered to Kankurou, who he thought would be knowledgeable in the art of forging . Shin thought that it would have been a very difficult, if not impossible, feat; as expected, sess seemed very far .

    ¡°Personally, I hoped we could receive some words of advice¡­¡±

    Kankurou, who knew of Shin¡¯s real identity, hoped that Shin, a cksmith himself, could offer some advice .

    Looking at Araki¡¯s bloodshot eyes, Shin had already understood that he was close to a dead-end .

    ¡°If I just said something out of the blue, would he believe me? He looks like a hardcore artisan type, I doubt he¡¯d pay any mind to a youngster like me . ¡±

    ¡°Those of rtively high social status already know that you are a Returned Ancestor, what the Adventurers¡¯ Guild calls Chosen Ones . Because of this, I think he will listen to you, at least a little . Even the tiniest hint would suffice . ¡±

    Kankurou wasn¡¯t ordering Shin to show all his skills and knowledge as a cksmith .

    It would be far too easy if it was possible to forge an Ancient-grade weapon only after hearing some advice .

    Looking at Araki, desperately trying to draw the tiniest bit of information from ¡ºck Moon¡», Shin felt solidarity as a cksmith . Thus he decided to give him some help .

    ¡°I might be able to say something if I saw him forging . cksmithing techniques vary greatly from school to school, and the methods I know are influenced by one¡¯s ability . I would at least be able to understand if there are techniques that could be used in this case . ¡±

    ¡°Let us do just that then . ¡±

    Kankurou went closer to Araki and exined the situation . Araki looked at Shin first with surprise, then with a re so sharp Shin felt like he could be sniped down any moment . After staring at Shin for several moments, Araki gave a small nod .

    ¡°¡­ . . you¡¯re knowledgeable about cksmithing?¡±

    Toshiro, who had been excluded by the recent developments, asked Shin .

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do anything special, but I might be of some help . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s techniques were instinctive, born from his experience during the game era . It was difficult for him to exin crafting processes with words, so he decided to think after looking at Araki¡¯s forging first .

    Shin was capable of forging strong weapons not only because of his technique, but also because of his magic powers, so he wasn¡¯t absolutely sure he could be of help .

    ¡°Our match ends here then . ¡±

    ¡°Is that alright with you?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about what that man said about bnce or whatever . But sir Kanezuka is betting his own life on the order he received . Holding you back here would mean being in his way . Who could do something so uncouth?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I see . ¡±

    He was more reasonable than expected . Despite his frustration, he managed to keep his feelings under control .

    Shin¡¯s opinion of Toshiro changed yet again .

    ¡°What will you do now brother?¡±

    ¡°Return to the Yaejima house of course . I have duly delivered father¡¯s message to sir Tadahisa and could also observe your growth . I could say that my objectives are fulfilled . ¡±

    Shiden, saying that his duties were over, went towards the castle town with the Kujou soldiers waiting outside the dojo .

    Shin¡¯s group of 5 moved to the smithy .

    Kanezuka Araki was the chief cksmith of the Kanezuka school; they would use his personal facility this time . It was equipped with the highest quality furnace and tools .

    They arrived at a smithy equipped with a single furnace . It was not very wide, and apparently had been built with the sole purpose of forging the divine katana .

    Araki told his disciples to not get close and beckoned Shin to enter .

    The other 3 were told to wait outside . The smithy is a territory with the sole purpose of passing down cksmithing techniques . When forging weapons, only the cksmith and those in the same field were allowed inside .

    ¡°I will forge trying to create the divine katana . When I finish, tell me what you thought . ¡±

    After saying only that, Araki started swinging his hammer .

    Shin was looking at him silently, and realized that Araki used next to no magic power when swinging his hammer .

    As he had expected, the magic power contained in the katana came only from the materials and the slight quantity present in the surrounding atmosphere, the moment the hammer hit the materials .

    The speed at which the mass of iron changed shape was also much slower than that of Shin . Araki appeared to be using skills, but they weren¡¯t at the level of Shin¡¯s, who could make ingots change their shape at will .

    Looking at the way the man crafted, Shin estimated that Araki¡¯s crafting level was around VII . If he could use the same techniques as Shin, he could easily create Mythology-grade weapons .

    Shin, however, had heard that Araki¡¯s masterpiece was a Legend-grade weapon . The reason was the way he forged . If one focused only on the ability to strike iron, the stats of the produced weapon can only go so high .

    Shin didn¡¯t know if the Legend-grade weapon Araki had forged was Higher or Lower, but to forge that sword without using magic, as Araki did, would have been impossible, at least in the game era .

    (Either he¡¯s a genius, or it¡¯s a product of his life-long focus on cksmithing and techniques¡­possibly both . )

    Some use the expression ¡°to breathe life in one¡¯s work¡±, but in Araki¡¯s case saying ¡°to pour one¡¯s own lifeblood in one¡¯s work¡± would have been more urate .

    The energy and aura he infused in every swing of the hammer was so powerful, one would think that he was shaving away his own lifespan to do so . ¡°To work as if possessed,¡± an expression that fit him perfectly .

    After the whole process ended, what remained was only to polish the de .

    He would leave this work to an expert polisher .

    After the polishing waspleted, a katana with a beautiful de was born .

    Its appearance was average, but its grade was middle Unique . For Shin, to be able to forge such a de from imperfect materials made him understand how Araki forged a Legend-grade weapon .

    ¡°¡­ . I failed . ¡±

    Araki spoke with a sour expression .

    He was aiming at forging a de on par with the Lower Legend-grade katana ¡ºck Moon¡» . Considering this, he had not only failed to reach the peak, but didn¡¯t evene close to the foot of the mountain . Araki¡¯s expression remained sour not only because of the katana¡¯s quality .

    ¡°What do you have then?¡±

    ¡°A few things concerned me . I would like to ask you a few questions first, if that¡¯s possible . ¡±

    ¡°As long as you won¡¯t ask me to teach you my secret techniques, say anything you want . ¡±

    ¡°I will, then . First, why don¡¯t you pour magic in the katana?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Araki¡¯s eyes became slits after hearing Shin¡¯s question .

    ¡°If a cksmith pours magic power into the katana, its sturdiness and sharpness increase . As far as I know, there is no other way to forge a katana of Legend grade and above . ¡±

    ¡°Just honing one¡¯s skill of striking metal is not enough, you say?¡±

    ¡°Yes . It is also not enough to simply pour in magic power . It¡¯s difficult to put in words, but one must first pour magic in the hammer, then pour it into the katana as the hammer strikes it . That¡¯s a very general way to exin the process . To be perfectly honest, being able to forge a Legend-grade katana in this situation makes you, sir Kanezuka, truly exceptional . ¡±

    Without a certain level of cksmithing skills, of course, one could not forge good weapons, no matter how they poured their magic .

    But if one considered only the ability in manipting magic power, Pixies and Elves would have been more apt at cksmithing .

    ¡°¡­ . that is probably a technique that was lost before being handed down . I hear that when Hinomoto was still engulfed in the mes of war, there were many more skilled cksmiths than today . There were also weapons with much higher quality than the present ones as well . ¡±

    Many techniques had been lost during the war apparently .

    cksmithing techniques never left their respective schools after all . If a whole school disappeared during the war, their techniques refined through the generations would vanish alongside them .

    ¡°I would never have thought to hear about one of the lost secret techniques¡­I swear on the honor of the Kanezuka that I will speak of this to no one . ¡±

    ¡°Sir, I have no intention of keeping techniques hidden; as long as you do not mention that you heard it from me, that is enough . It¡¯s a technique that existed in the past, so someone, somewhere, could revive it at any time, or rather, it could be still alive somewhere . ¡±

    It would be not be strange if someone like Kankurou, formerly serving a yer, could use it .

    Shin also felt that Araki¡¯s seriousness and focus were not inferior to theirs .

    ¡°It would be hard for me to exin in detail with words, so I think it will be faster if you just watch me . May I borrow your tools?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . use anything you need . ¡±

    Practice more than theory, watch and learn . Techniques such as those could not be exined fully just through verbal exnations and theory .

    That is why Shin decided to show his craft .

    He only performed several strikes, using the ¡°Tamahagane¡± steel he found in the smithy . Before it could be calledplete Shin heated it into the furnace, hammered it and gradually formed the katana¡¯s shape .

    He was infusing his magic power in the hammer, so after every strike sparks of different colors burst from the Tamahagane .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Araki stared at Shin¡¯s movements, not missing the slightest motion . The aura he emitted was as if he was swinging the hammer together with Shin .

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯ve finished . Now it only needs to be polished . ¡±

    The de had beenpleted, at unnatural speed . Shin could havepleted it to the point that it didn¡¯t need polishing, but that would go beyond simply being a capable cksmith, so he didn¡¯t go that far .

    Through the work of the same polisher who had handled the katana that Araki forged before, Shin¡¯s katana gained its shine . It was a middle Unique-grade, the same as the katana that Araki had just forged .

    ¡°You forged this on purpose¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s just a coincidence . But it¡¯s better for us . I would like you to see what¡¯s different between them, but would it be alright if the katana you forged before became unusable?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . that is fine . Let me see just how worthy it is . ¡±

    Shin took his newly forged katana and held it still, with the de pointing upwards .

    He told Araki to stand back, then swung the katana that Araki had forged onto the de he had made .

    ¡°!?!¡±

    Araki looked wide-eyed at the result .

    The katana Araki had forged, which Shin held firmly in hand, had been cut off in the middle . The katana Shin was holding still, on the other hand, did not have the slightest cut .

    ¡°To be of the same grade, and yet be so different¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir Kanezuka, you arrived to this level without using magic . I am sure you can forge much superior katanas . The weapons called ¡°Magic Swords¡± are called such because magic envelops their des . ¡±

    After saying so, Shin handed the de he had held still to Araki . As Shin had said, its de was covered in faint magic power .

    ording to the game rules, Unique-grade weapons could not really be called ¡°Magic Sword¡± or ¡°Magic Katana¡± . It was probably because Shin had forged it, that the katana now in Araki¡¯s hands had specs worthy of the ¡°Magic¡± moniker .

    ¡°A true Magic Katana, huh¡­it is true that both the katana I forged once and ¡ºck Moon¡» have magic power shrouding their des . I felt something different than just a Magic Katana from ¡ºck Moon¡» though . ¡±

    ¡°I think that the materials might be the reason . I used Tamahagane as the material this time, so only the katana¡¯s specs as a weapon increased . But I have heard that different materials can add all sorts of effects . I don¡¯t know what that means in detail though . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough . Young man¡­no, sir Shin, I owe you very much . If you need my help in anything, just say the word . ¡±

    ¡°First of all, as I said before, I would like you to keep the source of all this information a secret . Other than that, there is nothing I need at the moment . ¡±

    He had been seen by several Kanezuka disciples, so he knew of the possibility that they would guess that the information came from him .

    He didn¡¯t think that Araki would bber about Shin being the source, but he wanted to be sure .

    ¡°You may pass this technique to anyone you deem worthy, sir Kanezuka . It is not something I obtained on my own after all . ¡±

    ¡°Is that really alright?¡±

    ¡°Even if I hid it, someone might be spying, and it was a techniquemonly used in the past after all . I just hope that the katana built this way will be used to protect others . ¡±

    Katanas were nothing more than tools . Depending on the user, they could be des of protection or of ughter .

    Shin gave some more pieces of advice to Araki, who said he would forge another de, then left the Kanezuka residence .

    He returned with Karin and Toshiro . Kankurou had been called by Araki and stayed back in the Kanezuka residence .

    ¡°¡­ . did you teach him something?¡±

    ¡°I told him about some techniques I know . The divine katana¡¯s creation will progress a bit, I think . ¡±

    Toshiro inquired about what had happened in the Kanezuka residence while they were going back to the Saegusa house .

    ¡°Uhm, I have heard that such techniques are kept secret though . ¡±

    ¡°I do not belong to any particr school or tradition, so I do not have any intention of keeping techniques for myself . Though, I would not spread them to just anyone . ¡±

    Karin still flushed slightly when talking to Shin, but he tried to talk with her as normally as he did before .

    ¡°I have never seen sir Kanezuka make that expression before though . It must have been quite an impressive technique . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . is that so? I couldn¡¯t tell, to be honest . I just meant to give him some advice, but then I saw him swing his hammer so intensely¡­as a cksmith myself, I couldn¡¯t stop at just a word or two . ¡±

    Shin could have given a usible exnation, but chose not to .

    For someone who had seriously trained in the art of cksmithing, the techniques that Shin acquired through the game would seem like cheating . That was partly why Shin respected the cksmith Kanezuka Araki, who had reached that level of skill while being a normal person .

    ¡°What are you, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Just an adventurer and a busybody, nothing more . ¡±

    ¡°I, I think he¡¯s a good man¡­¡±

    ¡°What the¡­ggh¡­ . ¡±

    Karin¡¯sment following Shin¡¯s words made Toshiro¡¯s teeth grind . He must have realized that Karin looked quite different from the usual .

    ¡°Then, can I ask something too?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ . what?¡±

    ¡°Sir Toshiro, you belong to the Yaejima house, correct? I have heard that the Yaejima are a great n ruling over west Hinomoto . If so, why do you stay alongside Kankurou, a servant of the Kujou house?¡±

    Shin felt this after hearing about the two forces ruling over Hinomoto .

    Shin, who had studied Japanese history in school, for a second thought that he might have been a hostage, but Toshiro seemed far too free to be one .

    ¡°I am one of sir Kankurou¡¯s disciples . He¡¯s a man who imparts his teachings without care for social status, and lord Tadahisa gave his approval as well . ¡±

    However, if the Yaejima house did something to stir conflict in Hinomoto, Toshiro¡¯s life would be forfeit .

    ¡°I believe that neither my father nor my brother would ever do something so foolish . But if it ever happened, I would simply offer my life . ¡±

    Toshiro spoke every word with conviction, without turning away his eyes .

    If they were nning something, having him go on a rampage within the Kujou house would be an ingenious n .

    In case of real danger, one might suddenly hold on to dear life .

    Shin, however, did not think Toshiro capable of any such things . That could be said of everyone following Kankurou, too .

    In Hinomoto, there was a trust that went beyond reason . That¡¯s what Shin felt looking at Toshiro .

    After Shin left, in the smithy where now the furnace did not burn anymore, Araki and Kankurou were talking .

    ¡°Did sir Shin say anything helpful for crafting a divine katana?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can tell you because I feel you know already¡­but he imparted to me one of the techniques that had been lost in history . ¡±

    Thanks to his experience as a support character, Kankurou knew of such techniques, even without detailed exnations from Araki .

    ¡°With this, I will probably get closer to the divine katana, however¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there any problem?¡±

    Kankurou noticed that Araki¡¯s expression looked even more bitter than usual .

    The cksmith¡¯s reply arrived in a feeble tone .

    ¡°The divine katana is not something I can forge . Not only me, but no other cksmith in Hinomoto could I fear . ¡±

    ¡°And for what reason would that be?¡±

    ¡°Probably¡­no, definitely, sir Shin knows techniques we do not possess . And not only one or two¡­sir Shin would surely be able to forge a de on par with ¡ºck Moon¡» . I heard he¡¯s a samurai, but I know that he is not a man on the side of those who ¡°use¡± weapons . He¡¯s someone who ¡°makes¡± them . ¡±

    Araki, thanks to a life spent crafting weapons, understood .

    During the game era, in fact, Shin¡¯s nickname was ¡°Dark cksmith¡± . The other Rokuten members also had aliases such as ¡°Red Alchemist¡±, ¡°White Cook¡±, and ¡°Golden Merchant¡± .

    They all came from the fact that, like Shin, their true nature was that of ¡°creators¡± .

    ¡°Even among Returned Ancestors, only very special individuals could manage it . He might think he was only forging something simple, but his craft was so refined that I clearly understood how I could neverpare with him . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . In that case, we can not postpone the inheritance ritual any more than this . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . Discounting the miraculous birth of a Returned Ancestor extremely specialized in cksmithing, I conclude that the divine katana could not be forged even 100 years from now . It would be pointless to dy the inheritance further . ¡±

    Araki gave his conclusion with an expression void of spirit, as if what possessed him had now left him emptied .

    Then, without thinking, his hand grabbed his hammer .

    ¡°Oh, even if you reached the conclusion, you temper swords again?¡±

    Kankurou spoke to Araki as if to a young warrior focused on his harsh training .

    ¡°Because I could catch a glimpse of the peak . Even if I know that I will never be able to reach it, I cannot stop climbing¡­that¡¯s what a cksmith is . Haha, to think that I would be a challenger again even at this age¡­I would have never expected it, that¡¯s for sure . ¡±

    Araki lit the fire in the furnace, with apletely serene expression on his face .

    ¡°Well well, looks like I need to thank sir Shin again . ¡±

    After this, the sound of hammered iron echoed from the smithy for a while .

 Vol 8 Chapter 3.3: Chapter 3 Part 3

    ¡°(Schnee here . I have arrived at the town ruled by the Kujou . But, where are you at Shin?)¡±

    At noon the day after Shin taught Araki about infusing magic power when forging, Shin received a Mind Chat from Schnee .

    ¡°(I will exin the situation ande meet you . Please wait near the castle gates . )¡±

    Shin thought that they would need more time, so he was a little surprised . He exined the situation to Karin, who was coaching him as usual, and headed to the gates .

    Once he passed the gate, Shin found Schnee, wearing the equipment she had used in Falnido . As soon as she noticed Shin¡¯s presence, she ran up to him smiling .

    Her tail, provided by the transformation set, swayed left and right .

    ¡°You arrived quite fast . Where are the others?¡±

    Schnee was waiting beside the gate by herself . The other members were not present .

    ¡°I came ahead of others . You would get involved in all sorts of unnecessary troubles on your own, after all . Filma and the others agreed too . ¡±

    She hade by crossing the sea with ¡¾Water Passage¡¿ . The wind and waves meant nothing to her .

    Shin was a little hurt at thisck of trust .

    ¡°¡­looks like I need to reconfirm what everyone thinks of me . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s cry sounded like she was saying ¡°That¡¯s not how it is?¡± to Shin .

    Truthfully, he had climbed Mt . Fuji and his identity had been found out by Kankurou, so the situation could not be called exactly peaceful, so Shin could notpletely deny Schnee¡¯s words .

    ¡°You are Saegusa Karin, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, your name isdy Yuki, is that right?¡±

    The two women had barely met before, but they remembered their respective names and faces .

    They seemed to be talking in a friendly way, but there was a certain tense atmosphere between them .

    From Schnee¡¯s conversation with Shin, Karin had instinctively perceived that the woman harbored some affection towards the man .

    Schnee, on the other hand, found that Karin¡¯s expression while looking at Shin was different from before, and now contained a sort of affection .

    ¡°You have taken good care of Shin . Now that we are reunited, we will stay at an inn in town . ¡±

    ¡°There is no need for concern . Since you came all this way, please stay at my residence until your otherpanions arrive . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    Schnee was trying to take Shin out of the Saegusa house, while Karin was trying to keep him in .

    Shin was unsure about what to do with the two women and the figurative sparks darting from their eyes .

    He knew that a careless intervention would have made him the new target of their battle, but he couldn¡¯t leave things like that .

    ¡°(Yuzuha, help!)¡±

    ¡°(Impossible . )¡±

    Shin pleaded to Yuzuha for help, but her refusal came instantly . She knew how dangerous the situation was .

    ¡°H-hey, Yuki . Even if I were to leave the residence, I think we should at least thank the master of the residence, don¡¯t you agree? Even after that, it would not be toote to leave, right?¡±

    Shin gathered his courage and spoke to Schnee .

    It didn¡¯t have to be decided then and there whether he would leave the residence or not .

    ¡°¡­ . that¡¯s true . Understood . ¡±

    Schnee nodded, then they returned to the Saegusa house .

    Kuyou would not be back untilte at night, so Kayo weed them in his ce .

    ¡°Oh my, what a beautifuldy . Being Shin¡¯spanion, I imagined you would be his lover . ¡±

    ¡°It is true that she is my fiance, but there are otherpanionsing . She is Yuki, she just arrived before them . ¡±

    ¡°My name is Yuki, pleased to meet you . ¡±

    ¡°I am Kayo, wife of the head of the Saegusa family . If your otherpanions are not here yet, please stay in our house . ¡±

    Schnee had greeted Kayo politely, and was invited to stay in their residence together with Shin .

    ¡°It would not do to impose for such a long¡ª-¡±

    ¡°My daughter¡¯s life has been saved by him, this is barely enough to express my gratitude . ¡±

    Kayo¡¯s words were spoken with apletely innocent tone: it was difficult to think that she was the same person that tried to make a couple out of Karin and Shin .

    Her feelings of gratitude towards Shin were genuine . Shin too, through his experience staying in the Saegusa house, had no reason to doubt that . Kayo would sometimes show a humorous side, but deep down she was an honorable person, who would not leave debts of gratitude unpaid .

    ¡°¡­ . . understood . Allow me to be your guest . ¡±

    ¡°I am d to hear that . ¡±

    After a brief exchange, Schnee agreed: the twopanions and their fox would stay in the Saegusa residence together .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The situation evolved that very night .

    ¡°The inheritance ritual?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was supposed to be postponed, but we have decided to hold it 10 days from now . ¡±

    At dinner, Kuyou mentioned that a formal match would be held to decide the inheritor of the divine katana ¡ºck Moon¡» . The Hinomoto Brave Ten would gather at the Kujou residence and engage in battle until one victor remained .

    For a tournament battle there would be onepetitor without an opponent, so Kankurou would participate and allow his opponent to pass if they had shown a sufficient degree of ability . Kuyou also added that several candidates had already expressed that they would not participate .

    Kankurou¡¯s species was one of long life expectancy, but most Hinomoto citizens were the opposite . They must have thought that even if they inherited ¡ºck Moon¡», they would not fight with it for long .

    Kuyou, though, hoped Karin would do her best in the tournament .

    Kuyou was the 2nd seat of the Brave Ten . He might not match Kankurou in ability, but his sword arm was not to be underestimated .

    His advanced age, however, meant that he was long past his physical peak . Thinking about the future, he decided to leave room for the younger generations .

    ¡°Tomorrow the notice will reach all the territories . It¡¯ll be like a festival . ¡±

    When events like this are held, all sorts of kiosks and stalls are set up, creating a festival-like atmosphere . It¡¯s one type of entertainment .

    Ordinary people can¡¯t watch the formal matches . The battles¡¯ results are announced immediately, and they say that some people bet on predictions of the results .

    As it can serve as stress release for the citizens, many lords turn a blind eye .

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a shame that we can¡¯t see it though . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, so would youe too, sir Shin? I could reserve seats for you . ¡±

    ¡°No, I would prefer not to stand out, so allow me to decline . ¡±

    Receiving special treatments would not be an advantage for him . He knew that because of his match against Kankurou, he was already talked about .

    ¡°Hmm . If you came, I¡¯m sure that Karin would truly give her all though . ¡±

    ¡°F-father!? What are you saying!?¡±

    Karin¡¯s face grew bright red after Kuyou¡¯s words . Maybe because he now knew that Shin wasn¡¯t interested, Kuyou teased Karin from time to time . It was never in bad humour though, just a kind ofmunication between father and daughter .

    To see that reaction from Karin after refusing her put Shin in a tight spot though .

    The next day, news about the formal matches had already spread throughout the castle town, and part of the town was already in a festive mood .

    Spectators from the houses serving the Kujou already started gathering .

    Shin proposed to go walk around the castle town because of the asion, and Schnee agreed to apany him .

    Karin wanted to join them too, but Kuyou brought her to the dojo to practice for the formal matches .

    Shin changed and waited at the gate for about 15 minutes, when Schnee arrived .

    ¡°¡­ . Kimono and animal earsbination . Fantastic . ¡±

    ¡°(Schnee, so pretty!)¡±

    Shin let out a mumbledment, charmed by the sight of Schnee in a kimono . Yuzuha cried in agreement .

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Schnee looked at him, slightly puzzled . Her dog ears shook .

    She was wearing a brilliant blue kimono with a design of scattered white petals which stressed its elegance .

    As they walked side by side, her hair tied behind her head would sometimes show her pale neck, a sensual glimpse inside her neat appearance .

    ¡°No, nothing . The kimono looks very nice on you, and¡­well, I-I was charmed, that¡¯s all . ¡±

    ¡°¡­oh, thank you . ¡±

    Schnee smiled, her cheeks slightly flushed . Needless to say Shin was charmed again .

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t been to the castle town since the day I first arrived here . ¡±

    While walking through the town, Shin was surprised at how bustling it was . The first time he came, he barely had time to look around, since they went straight inside the castle walls .

    ¡°Oh, really?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want people looking at me suspiciously, and I used all the free time I had for training . ¡±

    The Saegusa residence was located inside the Kujou castle walls . The mood inside was not so light as to allow him to take walks at leisure .

    He knew there was someone watching over them, but Shin decided to use this opportunity to look around a typical Hinomoto town .

    He knew that wearing adventurer clothes would have made him stand out, so he changed into something fitting of Hinomoto .

    Shin was wearing a traditional garb, deep green in color . It was a verymon attire in Hinomoto . The colorbination was pretty somber, so Schnee¡¯s brilliant elegance stood out even more next to him .

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s make the best of this opportunity and enjoy the festival . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s . ¡±

    The festival meant a great number of stalls . The two walked around at leisure, stopping at Hinomoto¡¯s characteristic stalls .

    The people around them looked bright and cheerful . Shin didn¡¯t know how far the rumours of the west¡¯s suspicious movements had spread, but the people were in a truly festive mood, as if they wanted to dispel those ominous whispers .

    ¡°(By the way, do you know anything about the Five Supreme des?)¡±

    Shin recalled his encounter on top of Mt . Fuji and inquired to Schnee via Mind Chat . Looking at a stand selling swords had reminded him of Munechika .

    He had already talked to Schnee about his battle with Munechika, but had forgot to ask her if she knew anything .

    ¡°(I¡¯m afraid I have never heard of that name . If they appeared in town they would certainly cause a bigmotion, so, like the Munechika you met, maybe they dwell in uninhabited locations? Their usual stance is to wait for thoseing to challenge them after all . )¡±

    ¡°(Now that you mention it, that¡¯s true . She looked like she was protecting something, and there might also be a reason why Kagutsuchi wasn¡¯t there anymore . )¡±

    Shin nodded, thinking that Schnee might have had a point . There was also the possibility that Kagutsuchi was inside the small shrine on the peak, after all .

    As Schnee had answered, anthropomorphized des such as them did not go around searching for challengers .

    It was a theory based on the game era, thus they couldn¡¯t bepletely sure, but if there weren¡¯t any rumors about them in 500 years, it was likely to be as Schnee said, or so Shin thought .

    ¡°Well, no need to think about that . Oh, sir, you have some nice goods here . ¡±

    Thinking that it was not a topic to bring up while enjoying a festival, Shin changed the subject by talking to the owner of the stall they happened to be in front of .

    The 40-something man, wearing work robes, sold all sorts of essories .

    ¡°Er, Shin?¡±

    Schnee was a bit confused by Shin suddenly striking a conversation to the store owner, but Shin signaled to her to wait a moment .

    ¡°Oh! You have a good eye, young man! I made all of these with my hands, carefully picking what materials to use! They¡¯re a wee bit more expensive than the other shops around here, but the quality¡¯s guaranteed!¡±

    As the man had said with a tone full of confidence, the essories here were of higher quality than the simr ones sold in the nearby stalls .

    Shin picked one of the disyed items .

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­I¡¯ll take this . ¡±

    ¡°You really have keen eyes to go and pick that one . But it¡¯s a bit more expensive than the others, you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right . I think this one fits mypanion best . ¡±

    Saying this, Shin looked at Schnee . The stall owner followed his eyes and nodded as in agreement .

    ¡°Haha!! I see! For that beauty over there, this one fits the most indeed! Okay then, normally I¡¯d ask 5 gold jul, but I¡¯ll let you have it for 4 . ¡±

    ¡°Is that alright?¡±

    ¡°essories like this can end up standing out even more than the one who wears them, but yourpanion is not inferior in terms of presence! She¡¯s fitting to wear it . I like her!¡±

    The stall owner was rather pleased .

    Shin thanked him and paid, then turned again towards Schnee .

    ¡°And so, will you wear this?¡±

    ¡°Ehm, is it really ok for me to?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, you¡¯re not allowed to refuse . Please do!¡±

    ¡°¡­ . understood . ¡±

    Schnee couldn¡¯t hide her surprise at the sudden present, but she was certainly happy .

    What Shin had chosen for her was a two-pronged hairpin with a transparent blue pearl as decoration . From the base of the pearl hung a flower-like ornament made in silver .

    Schnee removed the simple pin she was using to hold her hair and reced it with Shin¡¯s present .

    ¡°How¡­how do I look?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s was slightly embarrassed as she asked her question .

    ¡°Just wonderful, If I say myself, miss . ¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would have looked so beautiful myself . ¡±

    The words popping up in Shin¡¯s mind were all too simple: ¡°it looks good¡± and ¡°pretty¡± .

    Those who had witnessed their purchase at the stall looked at the two with celebration (20%), envy (50%), and jealousy (30%) in their eyes . The two quickly left the scene and mingled among the crowd .

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so many people would be looking at us . I was focused and didn¡¯t notice . ¡±

    When Schnee reced her pin, they heard voices from the crowd and realized they were the center of attention .

    ¡°(Shin, charmed . Focus, scattered . )¡±

    ¡°Mmgh!¡±

    ¡°The stand owner was rather loud, too . I suppose he meant to attract customers too . ¡±

    ¡°I see . Using you to promote himself¡­he¡¯s got guts! But good choice!¡±

    ¡°Ehm¡­¡±

    ¡°(We lost Shin . )¡±

    Shin spoke with conviction, but Schnee wasn¡¯t sure if he was angry orplimenting her . To her it seemed obvious that they would attract attention .

    Yuzuha was kind of annoyed at this Shin, though .

    ¡°Hm? What?¡±

    He pretended not to hear Yuzuha¡¯sstment .

    epting that they couldn¡¯t avoid the fact that Schnee attracted people¡¯s attention, they resumed their walk . As they were passing through arge avenue, they heard amotion from the front .

    They looked beyond the crowd with a skill and found arge horse carriage slowly proceeding in the middle of the street . In Hinomoto, horse carriages were probably the main means of transport .

    Among the voices they heard, some were mentioning the name ¡°Ichinose¡± .

    Inside the carriage was arge bear beast, a female beast next to him, with a human man sitting across from them .

    ¡°Schnee, can you see?¡±

    Shin asked hispanion . Schnee felt that Shin¡¯s mood had changed and looked towards the carriage, understanding what he meant to say .

    ¡°Yes, it appears it was true that something is going on . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Yuzuha, the only one incapable of using¡¾Through Sight¡¿, couldn¡¯t follow .

    ¡°Ichinose Juugo, Rokuhara Kai, no problem here . But that Tamamo is different . She¡¯s not human . ¡±

    ¡°Tamamo?¡±

    Yuzuha reacted before Schnee could . Still in fox mode, she spoke not via Mind Chat but through her voice .

    ¡°Do you know her?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I think, I¡¯ve heard the name . ¡±

    Yuzuha tried to remember, but then whimpered as she ultimately couldn¡¯t .

    ¡°Well, we know that things probably won¡¯t end peacefully . ¡±

    Tamamo¡¯s species was White Tail . Like Yuzuha, it had a human form, but it was without a doubt a monster .

    As far as they could see, however, the other passengers of the carriage -Juugo and Kai-had no status ailments .

    ¡°They¡¯re not being controlled¡­I suppose?¡±

    ¡°Certainly doesn¡¯t look like it, they¡¯re not affected with ¡¾Charm¡¿ . ¡±

    Seeing a monster mingling among humans was a bad sign, but they couldn¡¯t do anything at the moment .

    Shin knew that certain monsters, like Yuzuha, coexisted peacefully with humans .

    ¡°We can¡¯t confirm anything now, so I¡¯ll talk with Karinter . There are more important things to do now . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true . ¡±

    Shin talked while looking away from Juugo, and Schnee nodded in response .

    On Shin¡¯s map, there was a symbol heading in a straight line to the Kujou mainpound, ignoring people and buildings . It was a neutral green color, but the fact that it was hiding its presence was terribly suspicious .

    ¡°At first nce, it does not seem too fearsome, but what should we do?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go after it . It would be great if it was just a spy, but for it toe right after seeing that White Tail¡­I have a bad feeling about this . I¡¯m sorry to say this during the festival . ¡±

    ¡°We looked around a bit, and you gave me a present . It¡¯s enough . ¡±

    Schnee understood that it could be troublesometer to ignore it, so she had no objections . Thanks to the present, her mood was perfectly happy too .

    From the symbol¡¯s movements, they predicted that it was moving on the rooftops: Shin and Schnee then went to a solitary alley and used ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to conceal themselves .

    They didn¡¯t change their clothes, but Schnee reced the hairpin with the original one .

    As they followed the symbol, they saw a group d in very simr clothing as the ninja squad that had attacked Shin before . Ninja clothing often have simr designs, so at first nce it isn¡¯t possible to distinguish them .

    ¡°Hm? This isn¡¯t the way to the mainpound . ¡±

    Shin was following the ninja group, but realized that they were not heading towards the mainpound . The most important building in that direction was the residence where Haruna was resting .

    ¡°Their target isdy Haruna!?¡±

    The first ninja group had targeted Kanade and Karin . It would not be strange if they targeted Haruna, a daughter of the Kujou house like Kanade .

    Shin¡¯s prediction was correct: the ninja group drew their weapons and a 3-cemel wide spherical object, then prated the residence without a sound .

    ¡°Don¡¯t let even one run away . We¡¯re hunting them down . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    One of the group pointed a de at Ei, who happened to be passing .

    Before the weapon could strike her however, Shin appeared behind the attacker and struck him down, burying him underground .

    At the same time, he released an aura of crushing intimidation towards the other invaders, to oppose their infiltration of the residence .

    ¡°W-what!? S-sir Shin!?!¡±

    ¡°I will exinter . I¡¯ll go crush the attackers, please gather everyone in the residence and protectdy Haruna!¡±

    ¡°!! Understood!! Intruders here in the residence!! Come out, men!!!¡±

    Ei was wide-eyed in her astonishment, but quickly grasped the situation and loudly called for help .

    They probably had a fixed protocol for emergency situations: less than 30 seconds after Ei¡¯s call, armored men came out in a rush .

    ¡°No need to capture them alive¡ªcut them down!¡±

    As soon as themander-looking man spoke, the men around him assumed the look of warring demons .

    Shin thought that they might have had a difficult time against the enemies¡¯ smokescreens, which had the effect of causing poison and paralysis, but the residence¡¯s soldiers dealt with them without trouble .

    Some men matched the intruders¡¯ des within the smokescreens, then countered and sliced the enemies¡¯ necks .

    Othersunched their spears to pierce the intruders¡¯ torsos .

    Others would face intruders, protected by their ninja des and gauntlets, and cleave them in half, protective gear and all: the difference in fighting power was overwhelming .

    Maybe because of Haruna¡¯s presence, it appeared that seasoned veterans had been stationed there .

    Some of the intruders with higher levels had been defeated by Shin and Schnee, so the attack by this mysterious group was quelled in an instant .

    ¡°We thank you for your assistance . ¡±

    ¡°I have had the honor of meetingdy Haruna once . I could not stand by and ignore these people¡¯s foul ns . I must ask though, would you not have wanted to capture at least one alive?¡±

    ¡°Preservingdy Haruna¡¯s wellbeing is of higher priority . In Hinomoto, no assassins that knew their sender¡¯s identity would ever operate like this . ¡±

    Some would even allow themselves to be captured, then use skills to explode within enemy lines . Even if captured, they wouldn¡¯t leak information and could cause damage and casualties, so they were always cut down on the spot .

    After Shin and Schnee exined why they were tracking the attackers, Karin arrived . She had apparently rushed there as fast as she could, so her breathing was slightly ragged .

    ¡°Lady Haruna!?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯spletely safe and sound . ¡±

    Shin felt that this information had arrived too quickly, but chose not to say anything .

    Because even after the battle ended, the man he thought to be themander of the residence¡¯s soldiers kept his eyes on Shin, without letting his guard down one second .

    Shin had exined that their presence was a coincidence, but themander was still wary of them .

    It certainly wasn¡¯t pleasant to be doubted, but for men in charge of security as they were, keeping the stance of never letting one¡¯s guard down was important .

    ¡°What about the intruders?¡±

    ¡°We have dealt all of them . We could not find anything to determine where they came from . ¡±

    They had already checked if there was any information to be extracted from the corpses . They only used equipment and tools that could be found pretty much anywhere .

    Shin heard that it was not possible to find out where the ninjas hade from by using the ¡¾Listen¡¿ skill . He talked about what happened to Karin, then Shin, Schnee, and Karin returned to the Saegusa house .

    ording to Kuyou, despite the attack on Haruna¡¯s residence the inheritance ceremony would be held without dys .

    ¡°I think they will increase security though . ¡±

    Few ruffians would think of targeting the Kujou, but still few was not zero . It was an unavoidable fate for such arge n .

    No matter the era, there are always those dissatisfied with the people governing .

    In Hinomoto there existed an organization specialized in assassinations, which would target anyone upon request .

    Shin heard about such criminal groups in the maind too, so he wasn¡¯t surprised .

    Taking advantage of the opportunity, he asked about Ichinose Juugo .

    ¡°Sir Juugo, huh . You have heard that the Ichinose family holds the ideal of an unified Hinomoto, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard it mentioned¡­¡±

    ¡°After the Kujou and the Yaejima divided the country under their respective rule, for a while the Ichinose showed intentions of bing independent . The Yaejima and other houses of the west restrained them, but it looks like the current head is nning something . We have received reports that soldiers in the Ichinose domain are on the move . They might be nning to do something during the inheritance ceremony . ¡±

    ¡°And it will be held even if you know that?¡±

    ¡°Expert warriors from all over Hinomoto will gather for the inheritance ceremony . Average soldiers wouldn¡¯t hold a candle to them . Even if something happened, it wouldn¡¯t even be a battle . ¡±

    In the past, during a simr ceremony, someone had simrly nned dirty deeds . ording to Kuyou, the plot had been squashed immediately .

    They were not acting out of arrogance, but excessive security would be a burden . They had no proof that the Ichinose were really plotting something after all .

    Just in case, Shin decided to tell them about Tamamo .

    ¡°Hmm, I never heard that sir Juugo had a female partner . ¡±

    ¡°Really . I only saw this with a skill, so I have no actual proof of her presence, but I am sure that I did not see wrong . I thought that it would be better for you to know . ¡±

    ¡°I am grateful for your advice . I will try to look into this too . ¡±

    Kuyou did not doubt Shin¡¯s words .

    ¡°Oh, on a different subject, is ¡ºck Moon¡»usable by anyone? I heard that certain high-grade weapons choose who can equip them, so this was on my mind . ¡±

    ¡°You are truly knowledgeable . I heard that once there was such a limitation, but not anymore . ¡±

    Having stats higher than a certain level or ignoring the decrease in the weapon¡¯s power due to insufficient stats would allow anyone to wield it .

    After talking with Kuyou, Shin gave four cards to Karin, who was walking beside Schnee .

    ¡°Sir Shin? These are¡­¡±

    ¡°Please keep them with you, just in case . After what happened today, I have a bad feeling . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . understood . I will definitely return them to you . ¡±

    Karin checked the cards¡¯ illustrations, then held them against her chest while nodding . Her cheeks were slightly flushed .

    ¡°!?¡±

    The next instant, a severe chill ran down Shin¡¯s spine . What he saw after slowly turning around was Schnee smiling and looking at them .

    ¡°(Just in case! Just in case, okay!? I don¡¯t have any weird intentions!!)¡±

    ¡°(Oh my, I haven¡¯t said anything, though?)¡±

    Schnee¡¯s smile was terrifying . As they say, eyes can speak as clearly as the mouth¡­but in Schnee¡¯s case it was not only her eyes: her Mind Chat, expression, and presence all showed how bad her mood was .

    Shin, almost panicking, shook his head left and right and exined himself frantically . He could have given the cards to Karin in secret, but the situation would have turned even worse, or so he instinctively felt .

    ¡°Kuu kuu¡­¡±

    While looking at the three, Yuzuha cried as if saying ¡°there we go again¡­¡± .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    5 days after Schnee¡¯s arrival .

    Shibaid, Filma, Tiera, and Kagerou also arrived at Shin¡¯s location .

    As they had now be arge group, they thought of moving to an inn in town, but after Kayo¡¯s plea, it was decided that they would all stay at the Saegusa house .

    They nned to stay in town until the inheritance ceremony was held, so that time limit was the condition . They could not impose on the Saegusa forever after all .

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened! Aah, we sent Schnee first for nothing!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You were always traveling as 3 people or more, right? So I thought to let you two stay by yourselves for a while . I should have told Schnee to take it more seriously . ¡±

    Filma sighed, looking disappointed . She had no intention of hiding her n apparently .

    ¡°It was Filma that proposed Ie here first, to be clear . ¡±

    ¡°Just what do you have in mind!?¡±

    ¡°I heard that she waited 500 years . Is it bad for Schnee to have a good time once in awhile? Or do you have some other maiden in mind?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t, but the situation here isplex and¡­ but if we really were by ourselves, I cannot say that nothing would have happened¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t deny that?¡±

    All party members knew of Schnee¡¯s affection towards Shin . If they had stayed in an inn by themselves, the chances of something happening between them was not zero .

    Shin had expressed his ns to return to his original world, but it was not something he wanted to achieve no matter what .

    Only the gods would know if he would be able to dodge Schnee¡¯s approach .

    ¡°I think I know the kind of person I am . I couldn¡¯t say that I would never go with the flow in such situations¡±

    Shin was not insecure or undecided, but his will wasn¡¯t unshakable steel either .

    ¡°Oh, now that¡¯s a good thing to know . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re nning something again, you¡¯ve got it written all over your face¡­¡±

    ¡°Definitely not a wholesome n . ¡±

    ¡°She never learns, does she . ¡±

    ¡°Hey!! Shibaid, you too!?¡±

    Shibaid spoke through a sigh, probably tired of their conversation .

    ¡°So, when will that inheritance ceremony thing start?¡±

    Shin had already informed Shibaid and the others of the inheritance ceremony . Also because the divine katana Shin had crafted was the final reward, Shibaid was interested in the oue .

    ¡°5 days from now . I¡¯m sorry to say this after you just arrived, but some trouble happened . A battle might break out . ¡±

    ¡°Eh, what? I heard that Hinomoto¡¯s a peaceful ce though?¡±

    Tiera was surprised to hear the word battle . She had heard about how safe and peaceful Hinomoto usually was .

    Shin exined about the circumstances .

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand . Why are they so fixated on uniting the country?¡±

    ¡°Who knows . Even if they did so through military power, it¡¯s not like governing it would be any easier . What do you think Shibaid?¡±

    It was not exactly like Japan¡¯s Warring States period, but as Hinomoto was now in a simr situation, Shin asked for Shibaid¡¯s opinion, who had participated in the founding of the Empire .

    ¡°Without understanding the head of the Ichinose family, I cannot say anything . Such things change depending on who is leading the various groups . In the era after the natural disasters wrecked thend, many countries were founded, but each underwent a different fate . ¡±

    ording to Shibaid, several countries had tried invading others hoping to unify the continent under their rule .

    The areas where monsters spawned and the natural barriers formed by mountains, however, led to the current situation . Despite this, some countries still haven¡¯t given up their ambitions apparently .

    Some countries governed while thinking of their citizens¡¯ well-being, others had be military states, so it was not possible to give one single answer .

    ¡°Well, I have just heard that the Ichinose are acting suspiciously, but I don¡¯t know anything decisive . It would be great if nothing happened, but please stay alert . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, understood . ¡±

    Both Filma and Tiera nodded to Shin¡¯s words .

    In the end, the identity of Haruna¡¯s attackers was aplete mystery .

    Shin, however, did not think that Juugo, Kai, and the monster Tamamo would simply sit back and do nothing .

 Vol 8 Chapter 4.1: Chapter 4 Part 1

    The inheritance ceremony.

    As the name suggests, this ceremony seeks to determine the person fit to inherit the relics passed from generation to generation in Hinomoto.

    This time, the relic to be inherited is the divine katana ¡ºck Moon¡», a national treasure of Hinomoto.

    The challengers are the valiant warriors whose names are included in the Hinomoto Brave Ten.

    Excluding the 1st seat and current owner of the katana, Kankurou, and those-such as Kuyou- who declined to participate to give the opportunity to the new generations, the participants are 6.

    The 3rd seat, Saegusa Karin.

    The 4th seat, Yaejima Shiden.

    The 5th seat, Kujou Akitaka.

    The 6th seat, Ichinose Juugo.

    Lastly, the twin sibling swordsmen: the 7th seat Shijou Tsugumasa and the 9th seat Tsuguho.

    ¡°The formal matches will start now. Show your prowess in battle and prove your worth as rightful sessor of the divine katana!¡±

    The participants silently nodded to Kujou Tadahisa¡¯s words.

    The first round was 3rd seat Saegusa Karin VS 9th seat Shijou Tsuguho.

    With ck hair tied behind their head and a sharp piercing look, the two female warriors even shared a simr physique. Without a word, they headed to the center of the arena, then took their respective stances.

    Both used the ¡°Seigan¡± stance, holding their swords at waist height, the de pointed at the opponent¡¯s eyes.

    Their aura, one with their weapon, exuded a certain refinement that would cause all spectators to feel chills down their spines.

    ¡°Fight!¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    As the signal of the start of the battle was sounded, the two duelists¡¯ silhouettes blurred, the arcs drawn by their wooden des in mid-air crossing each other.

    Both contestants performed one single swing.

    They now stood in the opponent¡¯s starting point, as if they had switched ces, their backs facing each other.

    A few seconds pass, then the wooden sword fell from Tsuguho¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Match finished! The winner is Saegusa Karin!¡±

    The battle was decided in an instant.

    Tsuguho¡¯s strike had barely scraped Karin¡¯s shoulder, while Karin¡¯s strike had cleanly hit Tsuguho¡¯s right arm.

    3rd seat and 9th seat. They were respectively in the higher and lower positions in the hierarchy.

    Even if they were both part of the Hinomoto Brave Ten, the difference in ability was evident.

    ¡°I could not reach you, after all.¡±

    ¡°You have improved again.¡±

    Karin expressed praise for the dejected Tsuguho. The Tsuguho Karin knew wouldn¡¯t have been able to touch her shoulder.

    ¡°No, I still have much to learn. I will keep improving and temper myself again.¡±

    Because of her youth and straightforward personality, Tsuguho showed both frustration and peace of mind at the result.

    The two bowed to each other and left the arena.

    The 2nd round was 5th seat Kujou Akitaka versus 7th seat Shijou Tsugumasa.

    They were both young, but in Tsugumasa¡¯s case it was more evident.

    Compared to Akitaka¡¯s virile looks and well-built physique, Tsugumasa appeared very young and physicallycking.

    Even without considering their difference in ability, Tsugumasa appeared childish before his opponent.

    However, the two swordsmen were unconcerned about being young. Beyond the impression given by their appearances, the shing of their swords¡¯ auras was stinging the spectators¡¯ skin.

    ¡°The rumored genius swordsman, huh. This is our first bout face to face, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I have often heard rumors about you too. I am eager to see how much my de can match yours.¡±

    After a brief exchange, they took their stances.

    Akitaka used an upper stance, while Tsugumasa a lower one.

    ¡°¡ª-fight!!¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Just like the first round, their des also pierced the air at the same time as the start signal. The difference was the loud shing sound produced by the wooden swords, which repeated 3 times.

    Each fighter had drawn three arcs in mid-air. Akitaka and Tsugumasa¡¯s wooden swords were grinding against each other, sending wooden fragments dancing around.

    ¡°To be so skilled at such a young age. I¡¯m looking forward to your future.¡±

    ¡°Well, thank you very much!¡±

    In contrast to Akitaka¡¯s confident tone, Tsugumasa raised his voice loudly while charging at him again.

    Akitaka parried each and every attacking from Tsugumasa, attacks different than what was taught at the dojo.

    Even though he was constantly attacking, Tsugumasa¡¯s expression gradually contorted. It was the result of both duelists understanding the extent of their respective abilities during the first exchange.

    Tsugumasa¡¯s sword arm was fast, its patterns difficult to read. Despite being just over 16 years old, his sword arm was worthy of being called genius: Akitaka acknowledged it too.

    However, it was not enough.

    He might have been able to match an ordinary soldier or a swordsman with some skill, but to reach Akitaka, strictly trained as the Kujou family¡¯s first-born son, Tsugumasa needed experience in actualbat ¡ªespecially against opponents stronger than himself, which he severelycked.

    ¡°Ssshh!!¡±

    The connecting point between two shes.

    Akitaka did not miss the small gap in Tsugumasa¡¯s barrage created by his impatience.

    Akitaka¡¯s wooden sword blew Tsugumasa¡¯s away. Tsugumasa¡¯s weapon spun in mid-air, thennded behind him.

    ¡°Match finished!! The winner is Kujou Akitaka!¡±

    Kankurou announced the winner.

    The two duelists assumed a proper stance and bowed silently.

    ¡°Good fighting style. Let us battle again one day.¡±

    ¡°Yes, absolutely.¡±

    After nodding at each other, Akitaka and Tsugumasa left the field.

    The 3rd round was the 4th seat, Yaejima Shiden, versus the 6th, Ichinose Juugo.

    Different from Karin and Tsuguho or Akitaka and Tsugumasa, this time the spectators felt prickled by the turbulent auraing from the contestants.

    While they both held wooden swords, the tension hanging in the atmosphere was as if they were using real swords.

    ¡°You¡¯re even more intense than usual.¡±

    ¡°I might be a servant of the Yaejima, but today I fight as a swordsman. I will not hold anything back!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right. I too would hate to make people think that I didn¡¯t give it my all.¡±

    As in response to the murderous intent emanated by Juugo¡¯s sword, the aura of Shiden¡¯s de grew sharper and sharper as well.

    Differently from the two previous duels, which contained a certain pure aura, the current contestants seemed to be participating in a duel to the death.

    They both took upper stances, sharing also the trait of holding the sword slightly bent to the right.

    ¡°¡ª-fight!!¡±

    The signal of the start of the duel echoed throughout the surroundings.

    The beginning of this match is very different from the two previous bouts.

    There was no sh of swords, thought to start as soon as the signal was sounded: the two contestants did not move an inch. They both stared at each other, their bodies moving ever so slightly, searching for something in their opponent.

    The Yaejima house, rulers of the west, and the Ichinose studied schools of swordy which shared the same roots. Because of this, they could both predict what the opponent¡¯s moves would be.

    The wooden sword¡¯s angle, leg motions, the position of the center of gravity, how to use space in battle¡­everything.

    They could predict the opponent¡¯s strike from looking at their movements, thus mentally preparing how to counter.

    If the tip of Juugo¡¯s sword was slightly lowered, Shiden took half a step backwards.

    If Shiden stepped in range, Juugo lowered his center of gravity.

    Though it was not visible to the eye, the small, almost imperceptible movementsprised a formidable series of exchanges taking ce between the two of them.

    Those gathered for this ceremony were warriors capable of such feats.

    ¡°The contestants with the least difference in rank. Will sir Juugo match sir Shiden though I wonder?¡±

    ¡°Now, Tsugumasa. Don¡¯t speak out of line.¡±

    Shiden¡¯s strength was known throughout Hinomoto. His title of 4th seat in the Brave Ten was not for show.

    Juugo was the 6th seat, but the fact that there was arge power gap between the seats smaller and bigger than 5 was also well known.

    ¡°Hmph, as I thought, I am not one to y reading battles.¡±

    ¡°Saying that means that you could lose winning battles, you know?¡±

    ¡°None of¡ª¨Cyour business!!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear if he had talked before moving, or vice versa. That¡¯s how quickly Juugo had stepped in, close to Shiden.

    The movement itself reminded of the 1st round of Karin versus Tsuguho, but the speed was definitely higher.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shiden, who had sparred against Juugo in the past, was taken aback by his opponent¡¯s speed. He blocked the swinging sword with his, but was pushed back.

    Juugo was a bear-type beastman, and the wooden sword he wielded was thicker, in ordance with his build. However, it simply added mass and could not fill the gap in their muscr strength.

    Juugo¡¯s swing, however, had enough power to cause Shiden¡¯s feet to sink into the ground for blocking it.

    ¡°Gh¡­! How heavy¡­!¡±

    ¡°¡­so this is all you can do.¡±

    His voice now filled with self-assurance, Juugo withdrew his sword and, at the same time, moved behind Shiden¡¯s back. Before Shiden could react, the tip of Juugo¡¯s sword had been thrust at his neck.

    ¡°Match finished!! The winner is Ichinose Juugo!¡±

    The inferior in rank bested the superior.

    It was not something unheard of, but those that knew of Juugo¡¯s abilities were astonished of the performance he showed in the battle.

    Bear-type beastmen generally focused on power rather than speed. Even considering that Juugo was a Returned Ancestor, the speed at which he had moved behind Shiden¡¯s back had been excessively fast.

    ¡°Hmm, it does not look like you used status boosting herbs or magic.¡±

    Considering the possibility of foul y, Kankurou viewed him with ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but there was no sign of boosted stats.

    Thanks to the game¡¯s system still existing, any status boosts via herbs or other methods would be discovered immediately.

    ¡°I never neglect my training. That produced results, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Well, there is nothing I can say to that.¡±

    Kankurou knew, however, that there were things that his ¡¾Analyze VIII¡¿ could not disy, based on the target¡¯s status.

    They had performed tests to prevent illegal activities, but despite the suspicion aroused by Juugo¡¯s exceptional increase in ability, there was no concrete proof to denounce it.

    The matches continued: the remaining three contestants would fight until one was left standing.

    Because of her high rank in the hierarchy, Karin was treated as seed.

    The 4th match was Akitaka and Juugo. But exactly as it happened to Shiden, Akitaka could not adapt to Juugo¡¯s movements and suffered defeat. There was a clear difference between the Juugo of the past and present.

    Juugo, after all, was one of Hinomoto¡¯s Brave Ten. Even without this mysterious increase in power, he was a warrior of considerable power.

    The formal tournament reached the final match.

    Karin and Juugo faced each other.

    ¡°¡ª¨Cfight!¡±

    After the signal for starting hostilities, Juugo moved first. He swung down his sword with the power that had overwhelmed Akitaka.

    Karin reacted by striking the side of Juugo¡¯s de with hers, to deviate it from its course. She could not parry the full power of the swing, however, and slightly lost her bnce.

    ¡°Kh¡­¡±

    Juugo followed with another attack, a storm of air-rending blows which Karin withstood with her solid guard.

    Watching Akitaka¡¯s match made her understand that she was at a disadvantage in terms of strength and choose a strategy of looking for an opening.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, daughter of the Saegusa. Staying on the defense will not make you win.¡±

    ¡°I have no intention of losing, so no need for concern.¡±

    Juugo talked to Karin during his barrage of attacks, but she replied without changing her expression. It could be said that she was forcing herself, but she kept a poker face, not wanting to show any weakness.

    ¡°Heh, impertinent little girl.¡±

    As the words left his mouth, Juugo¡¯s silhouette disappeared. Karin however, could react to his strikeing from behind.

    ¡°I have seen this already.¡±

    The speed was unthinkable for the past Juugo. But in terms of speed, Karin still had a chance of winning.

    She parried the swinging de while spinning and thrust her de at Juugo¡¯s stomach while moving to his side.

    ¡°As expected from the 3rd seat, I should say.¡±

    Karin¡¯s strike was supposed to have struck its target, but Juugo had parried it while jumping to the side.

    He was superior to Karin in both speed and power. It was now clear to everyone watching.

    From then, the match became -while not overwhelmingly one sided- a clearly unbnced one.

    Karin withstood Juugo¡¯s fierce attacks and used any openings to counter.

    Juugo dodged her counters and resumed his storm-like barrages of shes and thrusts.

    The match continued for 20 minutes, when finally, Karin¡¯s wooden sword was broken by Juugo, who thrust his at her neck, ending the match.

    ¡°¡ª-match finished! The winner is Ichinose Juugo!¡±

    The two contestants bowed to each other and left the arena.

    The winner was now decided, leaving only the conferment of the divine katana.

    Ichinose Juugo was the head of the Ichinose family, recently subject of suspicious rumors; his victories in the matches, however, meant that he was to receive the divine katana.

    ¡°Ichinose Juugo, I confer to you the divine katana. Come forward.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡ºck Moon¡» would be presented by its current wielder, Kankurou.

    Juugo epted the katana with both hands and¡­

    ¡­.proceeded to unsheathe ¡ºck Moon¡», then and there.

    ¡°¡¾Infiltrator de¡¿!¡±

    ¡ºck Moon¡» was swung down and unleashed a red sh.

    The long range sh created by the Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Infiltrator de¡¿, powered by ¡ºck Moon¡»¡¯s effects, turned into a crimson killing de.

    The target of the sh was the head of the Kujou house, Kujou Tadahisa.

    ¡°Hmgh!!¡±

    While all stood frozen by the unexpected happening, a shadow leapt between Juugo and Tadahisa to stop the flying sh.

    ¡°You could parry that?¡±

    ¡°Well well, now I would have never expected you to take such a direct approach here.¡±

    Kankurou spoke to Juugo with a jaded expression, holding his short sword in a backhand grip.

    ¡°There is no better opportunity. With that de you could only stop me one more time. Do not stand in my way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannotply. Allow me a question instead, how did you think you could escape this ce, after everything you did?¡±

    ¡°As I am now, that much is nothing.¡±

    Juugo put something in his mouth after talking. The next instant, a white, bright aura rises from his body.

    ¡°Sir Juugo. That cannot be¡­!?¡±

    ¡°So you know of this. You must also know that you cannot stop it then!!¡±

    Juugo¡¯s ¡ºck Moon¡» turned into a blur. A red sh appeared in midair, causing severe damage to all who were charging towards him, weapon in hand.

    Akitaka and Shiden suffered wounds on their arms, their katana broken. The same had happened to Tsuguho and Tsugumasa.

    Kuyou and the other Brave Ten who had avoided the sh hesitated to attack, as they knew of ¡ºck Moon¡»¡¯s abilities.

    In such a situation, Karin charged in to attack from behind, a step after the others.

    Her speed was much higher than what she had shown during the match.

    ¡°Nngh!!¡±

    ¡ºck Moon¡»¡¯s dark de shed against the white de of Karin¡¯s katana.

    Even when shing against ¡ºck Moon¡», which could slice even Legend-grade weapons in two, Karin¡¯s katana did not suffer even a single scratch.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be!?¡±

 Vol 8 Chapter 4.2: Chapter 4 Part 2

    ¡°Lord Kankurou!! I will deal with him!!¡±

    Karin was wielding a katana of the Ancient grade, like¡ºck Moon¡»: ¡ºHakuramaru¡» .

    ¡ºck Moon¡», crafted as a test de when creating ¡ºTrue Moon¡», was a weapon with high specs . However, ¡ºHakuramaru¡» had been upgraded by Shin and possessed abilities high enough to match it .

    ¡°This weight!? Just what is going on!?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I would answer?¡±

    Karin chose to mock the growling Juugo .

    The weight of Karin¡¯s shes was growing not only thanks to the status boosts provided by ¡ºHakuramaru¡» .

    The status boosts were also provided by another card that Shin had given her, the Morning Star Hairpin . It was an Ancient-grade item which boosted STR, VIT, and DEX .

    After hearing the rumors concerning the Ichinose, Shin had made Karin get used to the item while receiving her training, so she wouldn¡¯t be overwhelmed by the status boost .

    Karin stepped back for a moment, then used her speed to go back on the offensive .

    ¡ºck Moon¡» and ¡ºHakuramaru¡» shed again, scattering sparks all around .

    ¡°A katana that does not suffer damage even if struck by the divine katana . So you did not leave Hinomoto simply to go looking for herbs!¡±

    Karin did not answer Juugo¡¯s frustrated shouts . Wondering if he expected her to deliberately divulge where the de hade from, she added power to her grip .

    Every time the two des crossed, sparks danced around the two warriors .

    The tournament¡¯s arena was already nearly destroyed by the long-range shes Juugo would sometimes unleash . The ground was carved, the buildings cleaved from front to back .

    The soldiers who had rushed to the location because of themotion could only stand and watch the formidable exchange of blows .

    The people around them had prioritized their safety, so no one wounded was present, but there was no one that could join in Karin and Juugo¡¯s battle . Their physical abilities were not sufficient, but more than that, they had no weapons capable of matching them .

    It did not mean, however, that everybody simply stood there wringing their hands .

    ¡°¡¾Shadow Bind¡¿!¡±

    ¡°¡¾Arc Bind¡¿!¡±

    Amidst the nging sounds of the crossing des, clear voices resounded . At the same time, a shadow writhed at Juugo¡¯s feet, and a chain of light reached down from the air .

    ¡°Nngh!?¡±

    The binding spells had been cast by Kayo and Haruna . Hinomoto favored directbat strategies, but magic was not in disuse .

    Juugo, locked in battle with Karin, had reacted to the spells, but could not avoid thempletely and was affected by the binding .

    One chain of light and three shadow bindings were clinging to Juugo¡¯s body . Two of the shadow bindings already showed cracks .

    The light chain was almost shaken off .

    ¡ºck Moon¡»did not have any particr special features, in fact it was almost featureless,  but being an Ancient-grade weapon, it could somewhat influence magic skills in its natural state .

    ¡°That was not something to try here, was it . ¡±

    Karin slipped in close to the restrained Juugo .

    Focusing on the binding chains had created a decisive opening .

    ¡ºHakuramaru¡»¡¯s de cut through Juugo¡¯s abdomen in a rising diagonal sh . The cut sliced across his chest, above his heart, and through his shoulder .

    The samurai job usually does not possess DEF bonuses .

    Generally, average defense gear is mere paper before Ancient-grade weapons, but the participants to the formal matches wore nothing but formal wear .

    Even for a Returned Ancestor, one sh would prove fatal .

    ¡°Gwaahh!!¡±

    Juugo fell down backwards, screaming in pain . The spraying blood doused Karin and the arena .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¨Ca¡ª¨Cn¡ª¡ª¡±

    The sound he whispered as he drew hisst breath failed to form into words, remaining just vibrations in the air .

    ¡ºck Moon¡» fell from Juugo¡¯s now powerless hands . The conclusion had arrived suddenly and unexpectedly .

    That too was one of the possible ways for a battle between masters to end though .

    Considering the weapon¡¯s power, it was impressive that the beastman¡¯s abdomen had not been sliced in half .

    ¡°Sir Juugo . Was this world so unbearable for you to live in?¡±

    Kankurou whispered while picking up ¡ºck Moon¡» and returning it to the sheath .

    No answer would, however, return .

    (The mes of war, once again¡­)

    Juugo¡¯sst thoughts, who failed to form into words, had reached Kankurou .

    ¡°In any case, what caused sir Juugo¡¯s incredible strength?¡±

    ¡°That is a forbidden medicine that shaves away one¡¯s own lifeforce . However, I do not know the reason behind his power before using it . Maybe he knew of a reinforcement method unknown to us . ¡±

    Kankurou answered Toshiro¡¯s doubts about Juugo¡¯s strength . It was another question they could not know the answer to now .

    ¡°Rather,dy Karin, that¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Report!!! A messenger just came in saying that arge battalion of Ichinose soldiers has invaded our domain!!¡±

    A soldier hade shouting in the arena, as to interrupt Kankurou¡¯s question .

    ¡°Ichinose soldiers? Is this true?¡±

    ¡°Yes! We have confirmed the presence of an estimated 5000 soldiers and several 3-mel tallrge beasts . The beasts appear to be monsters, but they do not seem to be attacking the Ichinose troops . ¡±

    Tadahisa had interrogated the soldier, whose words in reply left all present with troubled expressions .

    The country of Hinomoto typically had few Tamers, and even fewer could controlrge monsters as the ones reported .

    Furthermore, the Ichinose house was known for valuing individual strength . They would focus on improving themselves rather than learning to tame monsters .

    Because of this, they could not help but doubt the report stating that there were monsters among the troops .

    ¡°Truly bizarre . Are those troops really from the Ichinose?¡±

    Kuyou expressed his doubts that the described troops really belonged to the Ichinose house . No one else had said it, but everyone had thought the same question .

    ¡°Are there any known characteristics about the monsters?¡±

    ¡°Yes, their bodies are colored differently, but their appearance is unmistakably that of the demon fox species . The number of tails is different for each unit, usually 4 or 5 . ¡±

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s pretty clear . ¡±

    After hearing about the monsters¡¯ characteristics, Kankurou seemed to have reached a conclusion .

    ¡°Kankurou, do you know anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes . During the past unification wars, there was one member of the demon fox species who tried to take control of Hinomoto . It happened more than 100 years ago, so I suppose few remember it anymore . ¡±

    ¡°The disaster-bringing demon foxes spoken about in the chronicles¡­I thought they were extinct . ¡±

    Tadahisa replied to Kankurou¡¯s words .

    Among everyone present, only Kankurou was alive at the time, but those events had been reported in chronicles .

    ¡°It could be a survivor, or someone with a different goal . The mastermind then had 7 tails, with 6-tailed foxes at its service . ¡±

    ¡°How much difference does it make?¡±

    ¡°Against the beasts mentioned in the report, the Brave Ten would be enough . Against a 6-tailed one, at least 3 would be necessary . Against a 7-tailed one, I and 6 other people on my same level could maybe win . In the past battle against one of those, 4 of us died . ¡±

    Kankurou¡¯s words caused everyone present to swallow their breath .

    4 people out of 6 died, 4 people as strong as Kankurou, whose ability was unmatched in Hinomoto . It meant clearly that even if the Brave Ten fought all together, they would not stand a chance .

    ¡°Is there a possibility that such powerful beasts are being kept out of battle for now?¡±

    ¡°I could not rule it out . In the previous conflict, we were attacked from the front, but if they know that, they could be using a feint to strike from the rear . But this is also just a guess . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . In any case, we must do something . Everybody¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Report!!! We received an emergency report of arge army of monsters approaching the Futaba and Shijou domains!!¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Tadahisa¡¯s orders were interrupted by another soldier who rushed into the arena .

    A shiver of unease ran through everyone present .

    ¡°3 locations attacked at the same time¡­are the monsters demon foxes?¡±

    ¡°The reports tell of 6-tailed demon foxes leadingrge numbers of monsters . There is one fox per group, apparently . ¡±

    ¡°Kuyou . You said that the demon fox woman who was with Juugo disappeared, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Tadahisa had already been informed of Tamamo¡¯s disappearance .

    ¡°The name is different, but a demon fox capable of transforming into a human¡­is likely connected to the past disasters . The units leading the monsters are probably high-ranked ones, close to the mastermind . If they knew that we would gather here, they might have chosen to strike this location . ¡±

    The 6-tailed monster that, as Kankurou said, 3 of the Brave Ten would be necessary to fight . The possible presence of a 7-tailed monster loomed in everyone¡¯s minds .

    ¡°Would it be impossible to stop a 6-tailed beast without the Brave Ten?¡±

    ¡°I would not say impossible . But considering that together with the 6-tails, other monsters are also present¡­¡±

    There is no telling of how much damage and casualties there would be .

    ¡°¡­ . there is no other way out . The Brave Ten will have to be split . ¡±

    Even if concerned with the possible existence of a 7-tails, Tadahisa chose not to abandon the other domains .

    To the Shijou domain would go the 10th seat, Futaba Akara, Kujou Akitaka and Shiden of the great n of the west, the Yaejima .

    To the Futaba domain, the Shijou house¡¯s Tsugumasa and Tsuguho with Karin .

    ¡°What shall we do if a 7-tails appears?¡±

    ¡°Survive as long as you can . I will not allow you to die in vain . ¡±

    The possibility of a 7-tails appearing in the Kujou domain, the most prosperous in Hinomoto, was not low .

    Even so, Tadahisa spoke without hesitation .

    Even if the 7-tails appeared and the Kujou domain ravaged, every house¡¯s bloodline would still survive . For the Yaejima, Toshiro would stay .

    ¡°All of you, to your duties!! Give it your all!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!!¡±

    After Tadahisa¡¯s order, all reinforcements headed to the domains they had been assigned to .

    The ones who remained made preparations to attack the approaching Ichinose Army,posed of soldiers and monsters .

    ¡°Lady Karin . Could that katana be¡­¡±

    ¡°It is as you imagine, sir . ¡±

    ¡°I see, there is one more thing I must thank him for then . ¡±

    He did not say the name outright, but Kankurou had realized who had given ¡ºHakuramaru¡» to Karin .

    ¡°Karin . I am going to send people too, but if you see sir Shin on the way, please ask them to lend us a hand . If they helped us, we could even take down a 7-tails . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Karin nodded to Kuyou, then ran off .

    Tsuguho and Tsugumasa followed after her, taking recements for their broken katana from the Kujou armory .

    ¡°Lady Karin, who is this Sir Shin that Sir Kuyou spoke about?¡±

    Tsuguho asked about the name she heard in Kuyou and Karin¡¯s conversation,pletely new to her .

    ¡°He helped us during our search for the medicine to curedy Haruna . He¡¯s someone Sir Kankurou says to be stronger than himself . Hispanions are very skilled warriors as well . If we could obtain their assistance, as father said, even a 7-tails would not be a threat . ¡±

    ¡°Such a person is in the city now!? Please do tell me what he looks like . I will go look for him too . If he helped us, the casualties would surely decrease . ¡±

    Tsugumasa¡¯s expression lightened up after hearing Karin¡¯s confident words . In the west, only Shiden knew of Shin at this point .

    ¡°We cannot spend too much time looking for him though . ¡±

    ¡°Father said that he would send people from the Saegusa house to look for him . Our first priority is the reinforcements to the Futaba domain . Let¡¯s just look around us carefully as we go . ¡±

    After these words of caution to Tsuguho, Karin raised her running speed .

    Running on the rooftops, they cross the main avenue in a huge leap .

    Karin said to look for Shin only if they could, but her eyes darted everywhere to find him .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While the inheritance ceremony was being held, Shin and Schnee were looking at the results posted in the main avenue .

    ¡°The higher ranked seats won in the first two matches, I see . In the third¡­Ichinose won, hmm . ¡±

    Looking at the results, Shin thought that something might have happened . The results for the 4th match, posted shortlyter, reinforced his suspicions .

    Because Juugo had defeated two superior Brave Ten members in a row, Shiden and Akitaka .

    ¡°Unexpected results?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, as far as I¡¯ve been told, the two that lost to that Ichinose Juugo are both ranked higher than him . His opponents should have been stronger . ¡±

    Shin answered Filma¡¯s question about Juugo, who he had seen in town before .

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s intriguing for sure . ¡±

    ¡°Maybe he took some kind of boosting device? Here you go . ¡±

    ¡°Thanks . I think Kankurou would notice something like that though . But seeing that the matches are continuing, I suppose they didn¡¯t find any trace of foul y . ¡±

    Shin took the dango offered by Schnee and waited for the results of the next match .

    Most matches until now had been brief, so he expected the next results toe soon too .

    Shibaid and Tiera were also looking at the result postings, while munching on dango .

    ¡°I expected it all tost longer, but it¡¯s been surprisingly quick . ¡±

    ¡°It depends, but¡­ Ichinose¡¯s movements were probably different than what his opponents expected . Kuyou also said that there¡¯s a clear difference in level between them, so I guess they got caught by surprise?¡±

    Shin tried to put together a usible exnation . If the cause was Juugo¡¯s real ability, then the items he had entrusted would not be needed .

    ¡°It¡¯s taking longer this time . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . that¡¯s true . It¡¯s already been a while, though . ¡±

    Shibaid talked while looking in the direction of the arena, as the results from the 4th match onwards did not arrive .

    20 minutes had passed already . The other people around them seemed to be thinking the same thing: voices of expectation and curiosity about the results reached Shin¡¯s ears .

    Shin checked the map and saw two light dots repeatedly getting closer and farther from each other . The battle seemed to be still going on .

    Shin looked away from the map after confirming just that .

    ¡°Oh, the results are out¡­!? Ichinose won, huh . ¡±

    Many in the surrounding crowd expressed their disappointment at the result . As they lived in Kujou territory, they probably wished for Karin¡¯s victory .

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t look like a good sign . ¡±

    ¡°I agr¡­ . bingo . Something¡¯sing . ¡±

    ¡°Something ising?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll reach your perception field in a minute or so, Schnee . It¡¯s monsters and arge crowd of people . Seems like we can¡¯t take it easy anymore, folks . ¡±

    Shin talked while looking towards the opposite direction of the results¡¯ postings board .

    As he had predicted, after about 1 minute an army-like group entered Schnee¡¯s perception field .

    At the same time, they heard the sounds of something crumbling and a cloud of dust arose from the arena .

    ¡°Kuu! Kuu kuu!!¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    As to sound the rm to the already alert group, Yuzuha started barking all of a sudden .

    After they calmed her down, Yuzuha said that a powerful force was drawing closer to Mt . Fuji .

    ¡°(Something bad!! There!!)¡±

    ¡°(Something bad? A demon?)¡±

    ¡°(No . But the presence is nasty!!)¡±

    Yuzuha talked frantically while beating on Shin¡¯s shoulders .

    Yuzuha¡¯s unusual behavior made Shin think that she had perceived a special opponent, so he looked towards the direction she mentioned . He could not detect anything in his range, but Yuzuha seemed absolutely sure that there was something .

    ¡°The Kujou soldiers are on the move . Perfect, someone that should know what¡¯s going on ising . I¡¯ll be right back . ¡±

    Karin was not by herself, so Shin told Schnee and the others to wait and jumped on a roof . He was looking towards Karin, hastily moving on the rooftops like him .

    Two other people were following her .

    ¡°Sir Shin!!¡±

    ¡°You seem in a rush, did something happen?¡±

    Karin was relieved at seeing Shin .

    He already had an idea of what could have happened from the sounds and clouds of dusting from the arena, but seeing that ¡ºHakuramaru¡» was dangling at Karin¡¯s waist, his suspicion became certain .

    ¡°I am really d I could meet you . There is something I must ask you . ¡±

    Karin talked about the reports she had heard in the arena .

    ¡°I see, the Ichinose . Tamamo was not there, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, if possible I would like to request you and yourpanions¡¯ assistance¡­¡±

    ¡°No problem for me, but let me talk about it with mypanions first . There¡¯s something that concerns me . I will catch up with youter . ¡±

    The Futaba domain Karin mentioned was close to Mt . Fuji . Shin was concerned about the monster forces drawing closer to it, but he could not put Yuzuha¡¯s words aside .

    The direction was the same, so Shin decided to solve Yuzuha¡¯s concern, then join Karin¡¯s reinforcements .

    ¡°I heard what happened . Listen up, everyone . ¡±

    Shin reported what he heard to Schnee and the others . He used ¡¾Silent Domain¡¿ to soundproof the area around them, so the surrounding crowd did not hear anything .

    ¡°Monsters, is it . Could the ¡°bad thing¡± Yuzuha talked about be the now disappeared Tamamo?¡±

    ¡°Could be . I¡¯m going there . I would like to ask you all to go to each domain as reinforcements . ¡±

    ¡°I will go to the Futaba domain . Once things have been taken care of, I wille to Mt . Fuji . ¡±

    Schnee chose the location close to Shin¡¯s, without hesitation . As she boasted the highest speed in the group, she could act faster than anyone else regarding the matter of Yuzuha¡¯s worry, the most unpredictable element .

    ¡°I shall stay here . It is shameful to say, but I am the slowest among us . ¡±

    As Shibaid expressed his intention of staying, Filma made her decision .

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to the Shijou territory with Tiera then . If we physically reinforce Kagerou¡¯s legs, we¡¯ll arrive there quickly . ¡±

    ¡°Un-understood!¡±

    Shibaid also had concerns . He mentioned the reason for staying behind is his slow movement speed . However, with Filma¡¯s cooperation they avoid getting Tiera involved in a war between humans .

    Shibaid mentioned his reason for staying as his slow movement speed, but -with Filma¡¯s cooperation- he meant to avoid involving Tiera in a war between humans .

    If the Ichinose soldiers had started their march on their own free will, a different kind of battle than the simple survival against monsters would take ce .

    It was also different than fighting thieves or bandits . It would be true war, a bloodbath, multitudes of people killing each other .

    Shibaid and Filma thought that Tiera, who had only experience fighting monsters, should not be exposed to a war between thousands of people just yet .

    ¡°Things might turn harsh here, but will you be alright, Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°I have experienced this type of battle plenty of times . I do not know if theye of their own will or are being manipted, but if it¡¯s thetter I will save as many as possible . I despise this way of doing things, after all . If theye at me with intent to do battle, however, I will have to react ordingly . ¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s statement implied that he would not hesitate to cut his opponents down, would their actions demand it .

    ¡°That is perfectly fine . Everybody, we¡¯re off!¡±

    With Shin¡¯s words as a signal, the party of four (plus one fox) set on their respective tracks .

 Vol 8 Chapter 4.3: Chapter 4 Part 3

    The first one to reach the battlefield was, obviously enough, Shibaid .

    The Kujou soldiers were in formation, ready to meet the Ichinose-monster allied army .

    Alongside the Ichinose troops there were 6 monsters in total . They included 3 Green Tails around level 500 and 3 Yellow Tails around level 400 .

    There were no other monsters to be seen, maybe because they were acting alongside humans .

    ¡°It does not seem like they are being manipted either . ¡±

    Shibaid, who had survived countless battlefields, knew very well the taste of the air on the field of battle . He had cut down manipted soldiers, and those who were fighting on their own will .

    Because of this, he instinctively felt that the Ichinose troops were not manipted when he looked at them . He also confirmed it with ¡¾Analyze¡¿ .

    They appeared to be in the typical excited frenzy soldiers felt before battle, but no one was affected by status ailments such as ¡¾Charm¡¿ or ¡¾Confusion¡¿ .

    ¡°Are they possessed by the battle?¡±

    Shibaid whispered after looking over the troops . They were a mixture of many different races and species, but they had one thing inmon .

    No one young was among them . Even Elves and Lords, who typically did not change much as they aged, looked like they had already passed middle age .

    Among the others, there were many who appeared to be in their early elderly years . Their eyes, however, sparkled bright with the intent to battle .

    Shibaid was reminded of berserker warriors who would not stop fighting until theirst breath .

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    He saw one man from the Kujou camp head towards the Ichinose troops . He was carrying a katana, but no armor .

    It was an unthinkable thing to see on the battlefield, but Shibaid knew who the man was .

    ¡°Hinomoto¡¯s strongest swordsman, huh . ¡±

    The man¡¯s name was Toudou Kankurou .

    As Kankurou was walking towards the Ichinose army, a man on horseback, d in superb-looking armor, galloped closer to him .

    ¡°That¡¯s quite arge entourage you came with . Unfortunately, we received no announcement of your visit . ¡±

    ¡°Of course you haven¡¯t . This is war . ¡±

    Kankurou knew the man well: he had once been appointed battalionmander in the Ichinose army .

    ¡°Why are there monsters with you? Are they not beasts to be defeated?¡±

    ¡°Who knows what those creatures think? They have their own ns too, I assume . Nothing that concerns us . ¡±

    The man answered clearly and boldly . He did not seem to be lying .

    Kankurou thought that they were allied probably just because they shared simr goals .

    ¡°Why would you do something like this?¡±

    ¡°We were born among the mes of war . Withrge battles ceasing to exist, some of us simply pass away in silence . But we wish to die on the field of battle! We will not just wait to pass away in our beds!¡±

    ¡°You n to kindle the fires of war in Hinomoto for such a reason?¡±

    ¡°You mayugh and call us foolish . All who came here today are such fools . Battle-crazy fools who cannot ept these times of peace . ¡±

    The man thenughed . A pure, clearugh, without a shade of doubt in it . A ferocious smile on his lips .

    The men behind him shared the same expression .

    ¡°The Ichinose house originally formed and grew from a gathering of such people . If not now, then in the near future, but this day was inevitable . Personally, I thought I was going to find some understanding from you . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the slightest idea of what you mean . ¡±

    ¡°In Hinomoto, no man has seen as many battlefields as you, killed as many as you have . O ¡°White haired sword demon¡± . I give thanks to the heavens that myst battle will be against you . ¡±

    The man held up his spear, readying for battle .

    His fighting spirit and murderous intent mingled together, prickling Kankurou¡¯s skin .

    ¡°¡­ . so this is a warrior¡¯s way of life?¡±

    ¡°Hah . Nothing more thancency . ¡±

    The man¡¯s lips sealed shut after those words .

    We shall speak through our des now, is what his eyes expressed . .

    ¡°So be it then . I, Toudou Kankurou, shall be your opponent in this final battle!¡±

    Before men who viewed death as a righteous boon, Kankurou¡¯s atmosphere changed .

    Waves of murderous intent silently spread throughout the battlefield .

    ¡°Here Ie!!¡±

    Although pressured by Kankurou¡¯s murderous intent, the man unleashed a thrust enveloped in violent winds .

    A single sharp thrust, which did not betray the man¡¯s old age . It was his coup de grace, a powerful blow which had felled many an opponent in the past .

    This time, however, his spear¡­did not meet its target .

    ¡°Won¡­derful¡­¡±

    As the man fell from his horse and into the ground, the tip of his spear, which had been cut off and blown away, stabbed the ground beside him .

    The arc ¡ºck Moon¡» had drawn in the air disappeared, the metal sound apanying the katana¡¯s return to its sheath was overwhelmed by the trampling sound of the approaching cavalry troops .

    The men rushing on their horses, the men marching on the ground, no one bore expressions of sorrow on their faces . Their expressions well fit battle-crazy warriors, as the man had called them .

    ¡°Well well, to face such numbers of soldiers ready to die will be quite troublesome . ¡±

    The Kujou soldiers were not weak by any means . But against soldiers who do not fear death, or rather, soldiers heading towards death, even the most powerful soldier will be burdened with exhaustion .

    For Kankurou, it was a group he could easily defeat, provided he had the time .

    However, considering the possibility of the 7-tails¡¯ presence, he wanted to avoid both using too much time and exhausting his troops .

    ¡°Let me offer my assistance then . ¡±

    Kankurou was pondering how to break through the situation, when a Dragnil carrying a ck halberd appeared before him .

    The fighting spirit he emitted casted an overwhelming pressure on the surroundings .

    ¡°Well now, you are sir Shin¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir Kankurou . I shall participate in this battle . ¡±

    ¡°My, it is a true honor to fight side by side with one of sir Shin¡¯spanions . ¡±

    Kankurou naturally knew of Shibaid and his position in Shin¡¯s service . Kankurou had witnessed him fight during his travels in the continent .

    ¡°I believe you have more speed than me, sir Kankurou . I will hold the soldiers back, I ask you to deal with the monsters . ¡±

    ¡°That is a very wee proposal . I shall go hunting then, please wait a while . ¡±

    Kankurou nodded at Shibaid¡¯s proposal and quickly ran off .

    He was running among thousands of troops searching for just a few monsters, but his expression was not clouded .

    ¡°Be ready . ¡±

    Kankurou¡¯s path was opened by streaks of red shes, created by the same skill Juugo had used, ¡¾Infiltrator de¡¿ .

    Its power, however, was much different . Maybe because of his stats, or because of his expertise . The army was torn apart, as the armored men and horses on Kankurou¡¯s path were cleaved in two .

    ¡°It¡¯s the de demon!! The de demon ising!!¡±

    Crimson sh . That was another name for Kankurou on the battlefield .

    His sword arm alone could decide the fate of a battle . That was the symbol of Hinomoto¡¯s strongest swordsman .

    ¡°Do not enter the path of his sword!! Surround¡ª¡±

    ¡°I beg your pardon . ¡±

    A captain-looking man tried to give out instructions, as Kankurou¡¯s shes cut through the army¡¯s formation .

    But before he could finish barking his orders, Kankurou appeared behind him .

    At the same time, the man¡¯s body was ran through by the same crimson shes .

    ¡°!?¡±

    The man¡¯s torso, cut off from the rest of his body, slowly fell to the ground .

    His dying expression, much like the spear-wielding man Kankurou had cut down before, seemed satisfied .

    ¡°So strong¡­¡±

    ¡°A truly worthy opponent!!¡±

    The army was losing its officers one after the other, but its morale was not falling, instead rising even higher . A phenomenon that normally would never happen when facing an overwhelmingly superior opponent .

    Kankurou, slicing through the enemy formation, now pointed his de at one of the monsters, a Green Tail . The monster was swinging its tails towards Kankurou .

    Before a beast so huge one had to look up to see properly, Kankurou swung ¡ºck Moon¡» without a word . The monsters¡¯ tails, sweeping through the surroundings-Ichinose soldiers included- were sliced away .

    The instant after, the Green Tail wailed in pain, Kankurou was at its feet, the monster¡¯s blind spot, holding the sheathed ¡ºck Moon¡» at his hip, ready to attack .

    ¡°First one . ¡±

    ¡ºck Moon¡» was unsheathed, once again crimson shes flew .

    One sh was enough to cut off the Green Tail¡¯s head: soon after, the beast¡¯s huge body, muchrger than a horse¡¯s, crumbled to the ground, causing a small tremor .

    A cloud of dust rose, the soldiers stopped in their tracks for a moment . But even that would not stop them . As their actions showed, they did not count on the monsters from the beginning .

    ¡°Are you looking for a ce to die? The country and age might not be the same, but those who live by the de all share the same destination, don¡¯t they . ¡±

    Shibaid quietly whispered while sweeping away those who aimed to strike Kankurou from the back .

    Even if he was not using any skill, the soldiers around Shibaid were blown away as if an explosion had gone off right next to them .

    In the 500 years of Shibaid¡¯s life, he met many who thought of nothing except how to die .

    Girard, who had battled and died at Shin¡¯s hands, was not too different, a berserker who only thought about himself .

    One of the destinations of those who live by the de was now spreading before Shibaid .

    Witnessing his formidable sweeps, many soldiers recognized Shibaid¡¯s great ability and gathered around him .

    While silently countering their assaults, Shibaid shot a skill towards one of the Yellow Tails .

    ¡°Hnngh!¡±

    ¡ºcid Moon¡» was held high, then came crashing down .

    Spear/Windbination skill ¡¾Storm Hammer¡¿ .

    Differently from Kankurou¡¯s ¡¾Infiltrator de¡¿, the spherical hurricane born from ¡ºcid Moon¡»¡¯s tip blew the soldiers far away, carved into the ground and through the battlefield, also damaging those outside the skill¡¯s range .

    The hurricane, ravaging the battlefield in a fan-like shape, imed the lives of 2 Yellow Tails, which happened to be close to its path . At the same time, Kankurou finished off his second Green Tail .

    Then, among the chaotic ranks of the Ichinose soldiers, the Kujou troops finally arrived .

    ¡°To battle!!!¡±

    The cavalry broke through the enemy troops, then the foot soldiers struck the separated groups of enemy soldiers . Their well-nned movements were the clear sign of the strict training they went through .

    Corpses piled upon corpses on the reddening ground,  riddled with broken weapons and crushed armor .

    In such a scenery, the two oldest veterans of the battlefield simply continued to swing their des in silence .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The second to arrive to the battlefield was Schnee .

    After joining with Karin, Schnee separated from Shin -who was heading to Fuji- and went on to ambush the monsters approaching the Futaba domain from the rear .

    After self-introductions, Schnee had exined that she would fight alongside them .

    When Shin said that Schnee woulde with them instead, Karin was not exactly convinced, but after hearing that there was something unusual going on at Mt . Fuji, she did not inquire further .

    ¡°Well then, as we discussed, I will take the first move . ¡±

    ¡°Please do . ¡±

    After this exchange with Karin, Schnee raised a hand in the direction of therge monster army .

    They were about 1 kemel from the monsters . Tsuguho and Tsugumasa furrowed their brows, wondering what Schnee was nning on doing, but the next instant the twins¡¯ expressions were filled with surprise .

    ¡°Woooh!! W-what¡¯s that!?¡±

    Tsugumasa let out an exmation, startled by the cold wind that had suddenly started to blow .

    His eyes were fixed on the ins before his eyes, now covered in tinum white ice .

    ¡°Lady Karin, just who is she¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡ª-an ally . You do not need to think any deeper than that for now . ¡±

    Karin gave a matter-of-fact answer to Tsuguho¡¯s question, pronounced with a mixture of fear and awe .

    She was not as surprised because, during the battle on the ship leading to Hinomoto, she had been witness of Schnee¡¯s crushing victory over the Gale Serpents .

    The skill Schnee used was the Water-type magic skill ¡¾Cocytus¡¿, a spell with a wide area of effect .

    It was not magic exclusive to battles against guilds like ¡¾Blue Judgement¡¿ .

    However, its caster was Schnee, who had undergone a power-up during Filma¡¯s rescue . The spell¡¯s power was something beyond the imaginations of Karin and the others, who were running beside Schnee .

    Naturally, she had adjusted the spell¡¯s effect in order not to cause damage to the Futaba forces .

    ¡°With this, the enemy army¡¯s rear has been taken care of . Let us go assist those fighting on the frontlines . I will take that White Tail . ¡±

    ¡°Regarding that one, we could¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, I believe it is best if it is you who informs the Futaba soldiers that we came to help,dy Karin . I do not wish to cause confusion in their ranks . My apologies, but now let us prioritize a speedy extermination of the monsters . ¡±

    Karin realized that it would be faster and more people could be saved if Schnee used her magic, rather than if Karin¡¯s group of three went around ying monsters .

    However, due to the abrupt use of ¡¾Cocytus¡¿, a considerable amount of confusion was produced on the frontlines .

    Just like what Schnee said, if the messenger announcing that reinforcements arrived was between Karin, one of the Brave Ten, or a nameless adventurer, there would surely be different reactions .

    The present problem was that the frontlines were already engaged in a chaotic battle . It would be difficult even for Schnee to eliminate only the enemy monsters .

    ¡°¡­ . Understood . I leave that to you then . Please be careful . ¡±

    The Futaba soldiers were not weak troops that would be trampled without resisting, but they were in severe numerical disadvantage .

    Karin, who had heard the approximate numbers of the monster units, feared that they would bypass the Futaba troops and directly invade the towns .

    Because of this, she swallowed her pride and agreed to Schnee¡¯s proposal .

    ¡°You too . ¡±

    Schnee replied to Karin with a small nod and headed in a different direction . Using the frozen monsters as footholds, she closed in on the White Tail, which was heading for the frontlines .

    ¡°Too slow . ¡±

    Schnee unsheathed ¡ºBlue Moon¡» and released a skill .

    It was the Water/Katanabination skill ¡¾Frozen White Arc¡¿ .

    A  tinum white sh sprang forward from ¡ºBlue Moon¡» .

    The crescent moon-shaped de of ice, which had frozen even the arm of raid rank 3 demon Scoruas, cut off 2 of the White Tail¡¯s tails: the monster had reacted at thest moment at Schnee¡¯s slight killing intent .

    The tails froze in midair beforending, while the freezing affecting the other tails was expanding towards the monster¡¯s legs .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!?!¡±

    A scream, which failed to be words, made the surrounding air tremble .

    The White Tail wildly swung its remaining tails, attacking humans and monsters without distinction .

    ¡°¡­ . just what is this supposed to be?¡±

    Schnee whispered while looking at the White Tail, which had lost all reason because of the pain and anger .

    Based on level and monster rank, the White Tail before her was supposed to be the peak of its kind . But in actuality it didn¡¯t match such a description at all .

    The monster was simply iling wildly and did not show any trace of intellect, which should increase as the monster¡¯s level did .

    Not all monsters were like that, but as far as Schnee knew, the intelligence of Demon Fox monsters tended to increase along with their level .

    ¡°I suppose Yuzuha¡¯s ¡°hunch¡± is right on the money, huh?¡±

    Schnee stood on the monster, now with neck and tails cut off, and looked towards Fuji .

    However, thatsted no longer than a few seconds, she immediately nced at the battlefield once more and pointed her de towards the monsters .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Filma and Tiera, riding on Kagerou¡¯s back, arrived in Shijou territory at the time Schnee¡¯s group had started fighting, when Shibaid and Kankurou had finished exterminating the Ichinose troops and monster army .

    Akara, Akitaka, and Shiden, who were also headed towards the Shijou territory, had not arrived yet .

    Even if they were guests in the Saegusa house, Filma and Tiera had not even met the Saegusa heiress, let alone knowing anyone from the Futaba or Yaejima .

    Because of this, even if they knew that there were othersing that way, they did not go talk to them .

    For Filma they would have only been in the way, and Tiera was not certain that they were heading to their same destination .

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s smokeing from behind the defensive walls¡­¡±

    The soldiers seemed to be fighting back the invaders, but part of the frontlines appeared to have been breached . A 6-tailed Demon Fox monster was sweeping through the soldiers .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take down the one with 6 tails, so please take care of the small fry, Tiera . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . I¡¯ll draw them away as much as I can . ¡±

    After their conversation, Kagerou charged headfirst towards the monsters¡¯ pack . Casting a wall of thunderbolts in its path while charging through with his huge body, Kagerou reduced the monsters to ashes in an instant .

    ¡°Okay then, my turn!¡±

    Using the recoil from Kagerou¡¯s braking motion, Filma jumped high in the air . Bathed in the sunlight, the unique armor covering only her chest and waist area ¨C named ¡ºMagic Armor of Hollow Lacquer¡»- gave a dull gleam .

    On the surface of ¡ºMagic Armor of Hollow Lacquer¡»a geometrical pattern emerged . The pattern was painted with two pigments of purple . Purple that was almost ck, and purple that had a brilliant reddish tint .

    The part in green was describing the type of purple, and I separated them into two different sentences . Too much info for a single sentence .

    These patterns, which made it seem as if wings had grown from Filma¡¯s back, were proof of one of the armor¡¯s abilities, magic power release .

    This allowed the user to consume MP and use magic power as a booster or thruster, thus achieving higher speed .

    After using it, it was no longer possible to perform quick changes in direction and its MP consumption was high, so it was a function no one used . ording to Shin however, it was simply an ability that ¡°chose its users¡±: the right person would surely be able to tame it .

    As she ran freely through the air, almost like she was really flying, Filma readied her ¡ºRed Moon¡» .

    The soldiers around the fox were just surrounding it while limiting its movements . As no one was especially close to the monster, the timing was just right .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this all of a sudden, but you¡¯re out . ¡±

    upied with the human soldiers, Filma attacked the demon fox from the sky, which became its blind spot . She came down with the momentum of a falling star .

    No one managed to react in time . Both the soldiers and the demon fox stood still before the raging me falling from the sky .

    The soldiers increased their distance because of the heat levels, while the fox wailed loudly because of the strike that had pierced its body .

    ¡°W-what!? What the he¨C!?¡±

    The soldiers who regained their bearings after the sudden fireball attack raised their voices . But they couldn¡¯t finish their sentences .

    Inside the me that had in the fox, a shadow was moving .

    ¡°Something¡¯sing out¡­¡±

    The more the shadow came closer, the more it looked human . In the end, the mes split as of their own will, and from the fire whirlpool appeared Filma .

    Despite being in the middle of searing hot mes, neither her skin nor her armor showed any burn marks .

    Emerging from the mes in that manner, the soldiers both feared Filma and were charmed with her beautiful appearance .

    The armor she was wearing could hardly be said to be battle-oriented . No one, however, felt like pointing it out .

    It looked good on her, and from the patterns rising from it, anyone would understand that it was no ordinary armor .

    ¡°You¡¯ll forgive me for snatching your little prey, yes? ¡ªhm? Can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°EH!?! No, well, we were struggling in fact, you saved us . May I ask who you are though?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m reinforcements . My buddies are rampaging over there, but don¡¯t attack them by mistake, okay?¡±

    Filma pointed towards therge monster army .

    What the soldiers saw when they turned was arge wolf-like monster routing the other packs of monsters . In addition, the person riding it was releasing attacks like shes of light .

    ¡°Are you, allies?¡±

    ¡°Of course, didn¡¯t I say that I¡¯m reinforcements? Okay then, I¡¯m going that way so I leave this to you . It¡¯s the ce you live in, you better protect it well . ¡±

    After saying all that, Filma gracefully leapt towards the masses of monsters .

    The monsters turned to ck ashes as her waves of mes spread at unbelievable speed .

    Looking at this, the soldiers even started thinking that the demon fox they had been fighting until then maybe wasn¡¯t that strong .

    ¡°Filma is really amazing¡­in a totally different way than master . ¡±

    Tiera felt somewhat at a loss for words, looking at Filma¡¯s performance of leaping over the monster hordes and attacking the demon fox .

    Tiera¡¯s head was filled with questions, like what were those wing-like things that sprouted on Filma¡¯s back, what was up with her armor, which barely covered anything¡­but for now she put them away and shot her bow .

    Her enemies were monsters: there was no need to hesitate .

    ¡°I¡¯m stronger than before, after all . ¡±

    Maybe because of the fragments absorbed within her body when Filma was freed, Tiera felt that her bow had be very light . If she infused just a bit of magic power in it, her arrows pierced through monsters with much more speed and power than before .

    In the Barmel battle, she only managed to shoot arrows with Kagerou and Yuzuha¡¯s help, but now she could could fly with just her strength, and with more power than before .

    Combined with her original abilities, Tiera¡¯s fighting power had increased exponentially .

    ¡°GRUAAAAAAAAA!!!¡±

    As if encouraging her sniping, Kagerou roared . A mad dance of thunderbolts erupted in their surroundings, turning monsters into ashes .

    Because of this overwhelmingly superior presence, even the monsters heading towards the Shijou city now proceeded more slowly .

    In addition, the demon foxmanding them was now gone . The monster army was on the verge of copse .

    ¡°I was worried that they would think we were enemies, but it doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re going to attack us . ¡±

    Tiera looked in the direction of the fighting soldiers and felt a little relieved .

    She was a bit apprehensive when Filma had charged into the demon fox like that .

    ¡°!?¡±

    Just after this brief relief, Tiera prepared another arrow to shoot, but something other than monster corpses entered her line of sight .

    That mostly torn and eaten thing she saw was a human corpse .

    It was not the first time for Tiera to see a dead body . But the sight of that body, ravaged and destroyed to the point that it barely retained its original shape, was horrifying enough to make her swallow her breath .

    ¡°¡ª-I¡ª-I won¡¯t allow any more of this!!!¡±

    Tiera inhaled briefly, then looked straight at the scenery before her eyes .

    Maybe because the soldiers¡¯ numbers were too few, she understood that some monsters had entered the town . But that would end now . Filma had crushed the monster¡¯smander, and Kagerou was lowering their morale with its intimidating aura .

    To lower casualties as much as possible, Tiera aimed at the units with higher levels .

 Vol 8 Chapter 4.4: Chapter 4 Part 4

    ¡°What¡¯s with these numbers?¡±

    Shin had parted ways with Schnee and headed towards Fuji, but the formation of demon foxes he found around the mountain made him raise a brow . Almost all units were around level 700, with 6 or 7 tails . For Shin it was nothing special, but for this world it was close to a natural disaster .

    Such monsters were now surrounding Mt . Fuji . They were also clearly expressing hostile intentions .

    ¡°Kuu!! Tamamo, not here!!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, I can¡¯t pick up any presence that could be hers . What¡¯s this about, anyway? There are the 8-headed Orochi and Munechika on top of Fuji . No matter how many boss-level monsters you gather, with their fighting power they¡¯re just going to get annihted . ¡±

    The gap between the level 900 Munechika and the level 700 demon foxes was just toorge .  That¡¯s what their difference in fighting power meant .

    Because of the demon foxes¡¯rge numbers, Munechika could maybe suffer some injuries, but if they fought they would be surely exterminated .

    Despite that, the demon foxes were unmistakably heading towards the mists covering the mountain .

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Among the demon foxes climbing up Mt . Fuji, Shin detected a small presence moving up as well .

    It was not being attacked despite being right next to the demon foxes, so it was likely to be an ally .

    Shin thought it could be Tamamo, and asked Yuzuha for confirmation, but she denied that possibility .

    ¡°Yuzuha, I¡¯m going to see this sneaky one before dealing with them . What are you going to do?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I feel a bad presence from there . Yuzuha, go there . Shin, go to Fuji . ¡±

    After a short pause, Yuzuha turned to a direction different than the mountain .

    ¡°Will you be fine by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to Yuzuha!!¡±

    Yuzuha hopped down from Shin¡¯s shoulder, transformed into little girl mode, and puffed up her chest .

    Shin would have been worried until a while ago, but her level was now higher and her control over her powers were much better .

    Shin looked at Yuzuha, who was looking back at him with straight and honest eyes, and nodded .

    ¡°¡ª-got it . Take these with you, just in case . ¡±

    Shin took an essory that would take damage instead of the user and items to heal status ailments from the item box .

    Yuzuha took them, put them in her robes, then ran off in fox form .

    ¡°OK, time to do my part . ¡±

    After whispering to himself, Shin went on his way .

    While concealing his presence with ¡¾Hiding¡¿, Shin drew closer to the dot moving among the demon foxes .

    When he came close enough to see, he spotted a man d in ck ninja wear head to toe .

    The name disyed via ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was Rokuhara Kai, the man who was with Juugo .

    Shin jumped in front of Kai and deactivated ¡¾Hiding¡¿ .

    ¡°!?! You are the man from that time¡­!?¡±

    Kai reacted to Shin¡¯s sudden appearance by drawing his ninja de . He was clearly wary of Shin after recognizing him .

    ¡°Do you mean, the time at Aokigahara?¡±

    ¡°Who can say!¡±

    Before even an attempt to conversation was made, Kai casted a magic spell towards Shin .

    What flew towards Shin was the me-type magic skill ¡¾Fireball¡¿ . It was a basic offensive magic, widely used by beginners and experts alike .

    However, magic used by a ninja like Kai, whose job leaned more towards physical attacks, could not work on Shin .

    The ¡¾Fireball¡¿ flying towards Shin vanished into nothingness just before hitting him .

    ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like to know why you are doing this . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . to once again spread the mes of war in Hinomoto . ¡±

    ¡°¡ª-I¡¯m surprised to receive an answer . But why? I hear that there is much to lose in the mes of war . What would you gain in doing this?¡±

    Shin did not expect any answers, but as he received one instead, he expressed another doubt .

    ¡°¡­ . . Hinomoto has had continuous conflicts, all within this small ind country . One needed to be strong, lest everything be taken away from them . Because of that, in those times everyone was strong . But now the people forgot those times of war, and became weak . The Brave Ten as well, none of them can even match sir Kankurou now, they are just brats with nothing more than their Returned Ancestor status going for them . If peace continues on like this, Hinomoto will eventually grow weak . ¡±

    ¡°As someone who saw the continent¡¯s adventurers and soldiers, I can tell you that Hinomoto soldiers are clearly stronger than them . ¡±

    Shin said what he honestly thought . Even in Balmel, a city exposed to the dangers of the Flood¡¯s monster hordes, the soldiers¡¯ quality was lower than Hinomoto .

    ¡°It is not enough for soldiers to be strong . The lords governing its domains, the soldiers serving under them, the people inhabiting itsnds¡­all of them need to be strong, or a small country like Hinomoto has no future . ¡±

    ¡°Even so, is setting monsters on the people an eptable way? It would just cause a burden on those precious soldiers and citizens . ¡±

    ¡°If they fall because of something like that, it means that they were worth that much in the first ce . This was one of the truths in the era of wars . ¡±

    ¡°You speak as if you saw it with your own eyes . ¡±

    Based on his experiences until now, Shin thought that Kai¡¯s race was Human .

    Humans have short life spans . No one from this race could have witnessed the age of wars and still be alive .

    ¡°Because they showed it to me . ¡±

    ¡°They ¡°showed¡± it?¡±

    ¡°The one who controls these beasts did . They seem to have different goals, but no matter if we are being used or not, our wish will be fulfilled . ¡±

    Kai spoke while pointing at a Blue Tail among the demon foxes surrounding them .

    Shin never heard of abilities allowing the user to see the past, but before that, he could not know if the past Kai saw was the truth or not .

    ¡°I will not ept a unification scared of sacrifices . Hinomoto will be a strong country only if the truly strong rule over it . ¡±

    ¡°The man called Ichinose Juugo is already dead . Even so, do you continue?¡±

    ¡°Do you think I would stop now?¡±

    ¡°I suppose not . ¡±

    Kai¡¯s killing intent grew more intense . In response, Shin¡¯s hand reaches to the katana ¡ºMoonless¡» at his waist .

    ¡°¡­ . . I did not think it would be possible to talk like this . Are you sure it was fine to leak all that information?¡±

    ¡°It makes no difference . Dead men tell no tales . ¡±

    ¡°That man might be you though, you know?¡±

    ¡°That is fine too . The strong live, the weak perish . That is all . ¡±

    Even his own death was an eptable oue . Kai¡¯s eyes as he said so were straight and true, despite the haziness within them .

    ¡°¡­were the days of peace so painful?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    Shin¡¯sst words were the only ones Kai did not reply to .

    Wielding his ninja de, Kai disappeared into the shadow of a Red Tail .

    The monsters surrounding Shin were 3 Red Tails and 3 White Tails . The former were around level 600, thetter level 700: all boss-ss monsters .

    There were also other monsters of the demon fox species, but except those heading towards Shin, they were all proceeding towards the peak .

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame . ¡±

    Shin spoke in response to Kai¡¯s silence . The echo of these words was so cold, it would have ran chills down the spines of whoever heard them .

    Shin then unsheathed ¡ºMoonless¡» while shifting his line of sight to the right .

    As he drew a silver arc in the air with the de, a sound of shing metal followed and 3 kunai fell on the ground, split clean in half .

    Even if he had concealed himself, Kai¡¯s ¡¾Hiding¡¿ was inferior to Shin¡¯s perception abilities .

    ¡°Did you think you were hiding?¡±

    Shin¡¯s line of sight uncovered Kai¡¯s position .

    Because Kai felt a chill down the back of his spine he turned towards the origin of this savage thirst for blood . Even though his facial expression became stiff, it also changed into a smile .

    ¡°What I sensed that time was no lie, I see . ¡±

    Even if he had epted death as positive, some things could not be ovee .

    The stench of blood Kai had sensed from Shin was not something that would emanate from someone who only battled against monsters .

    It was proof that his hands were stained with the blood of countless people .

    Kai looked downward towards the rattling sound that had reached his ears . He found his right arm, the one holding his de, shaking .

    The demon foxes around Shin too, intimidated by his killing intent, could not move .

    Even the other demon foxes heading towards the peak turned towards Shin, their bodies trembling .

    ¡°Heh, this is how true war must be . ¡±

    Kai pulled out a round pill from his robe and swallowed it, then charged towards Shin .

    Kai¡¯s after-images split and attacked Shin .

    It was a techniquebining high-speed movement and illusions, by using the skills ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿ and ¡¾Mirage Dance¡¿ . The round pill allowed Kai to move at a speed easily surpassing the average Chosen One .

    Thisbination, which Schnee often uses too, served to enhance all of Kai¡¯s techniques, also taking advantage of his boosted physical abilities .

    However¡ª- .

    ¡°A ninja should never attack from the front,e on . ¡±

    Before Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡», it was all meaningless .

    No matter how deftly Kai hid within the illusions, Shin¡¯s eyes could see through them . Attacking him from the front was a poor strategy, no matter how boosted Kai was by the round pill .

    In the blink of an eye, Shin closed in on one of Kai¡¯s copies: it was the real one .

    Even if wide-eyed in surprise, Kai tried to dodge with all his might . Maybe because of his long experience in battle, his body moved before he could think .

    Thanks to this, the air-rending sh performed by ¡ºMoonless¡» stopped at slicing the ninja¡¯s left arm off .

    ¡°I alone am no match, I see . ¡ª-Attack!!¡±

    After Kai¡¯s order, the demon foxes, frozen still because of Shin¡¯s killing intent, started moving . They targeted Shin with fangs and ws, taking advantage of theirrge bodies .

    They had already understood, from watching the exchange between Kai and Shin, that magic would not work .

    ¡°You¡¯re in the way . ¡±

    The White tail and Red Tail¡¯s ws were approaching Shin from both the left and right side . Shin responded indifferently by swinging ¡ºMoonless¡» .

    Two silver shes run through the air . As they disappeared, the HP of two demon foxes reached zero .

    Their heads and front legs fell to the ground secondster .

    Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Beast Hunt¡¿ .

    Thanks to the skill¡¯s increased damage against animal-type monsters such as the demon foxes, two units fell with ridiculous ease .

    Shin lightly swung ¡ºMoonless¡», still not stained with a single drop of blood, and spoke .

    ¡°I will cut down everything . Give up . ¡±

    In the space of one single breath, Shin yed the White Tail approaching from behind . He then took the killing intent he had been focusing on his surroundings to intimidate the monsters and released it to the fullest, without limiting it .

    His opponent being shifted from humans to monsters, his intent also shifted from defeating to killing .

    Differently from a bandit or ruffian, in Shin¡¯s eyes Kai was acting with a clear objective .

    He seemed to have been influenced by something, but as also disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿, he was not underplete maniption .

    He did not know what the reason was, but Shin felt that for both Kai and Juugo, deep down their own will was behind their actions . After his conversation with Kai, Shin¡¯s supposition turned into certainty .

    If their will desired war and killing though, for Shin there was no other choice .

    Excluding the monster¡¯s involvement, amotion like this would have happened sooner orter .

    For the present Hinomoto, their position was that of heretics . Their ways and thoughts would never be understood .

    Even if in a contorted form, their love for their country was at the heart of it all .

    That too was a way of thinking . But no matter what their reasons were, Shin would not ept Juugo and Kai¡¯s way of doing things .

    And thus, he cuts .

    The killing intent emanating from his body, as chilling as a deathly cold breeze, spoke to those facing Shin, telling them to prepare to die .

    ¡°After a life spent in the darkness, for myst opponent to be someone of such might¡­I am thankful . ¡±

    A smile widening on his lips, Kai leapt and ran through Shin¡¯s killing intent .

    Normally he could have closed the distance in an instant . However Kai¡¯s body, although boosted by the round pill, could not keep up with his mind .

    Shin was looking in Kai¡¯s direction, but did not move a step .

    He held ¡ºMoonless¡» straight in front, its tip pointed forward, quietly staring at Kai . There were no openings in his stance .

    ¡°Gwah¡±

    As he was running towards Shin, Kai¡¯s legs creaked . His long battle experience told him that something was wrong with his bones . Then, as if provoked by that, his legs and arms produced strange noises .

    ¡°I see the recoil hase . ¡±

    Shin said while looking at Kai .

    After looking at Kai¡¯s status disy, Shin had guessed what the pill Kai swallowed had to be .

    Shin¡¯s decision of cutting down Kai was out ofpassion: having him destroy himself would have been too pitiful of an ending .

    ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since Ist saw someone use a forbidden drug . ¡±

    ¡°But even if I did, look at me now . ¡±

    What Shin called forbidden drug was actually an item with the official name of ¡°Miracle Drug of Blinking Life¡± .

    Using it would instantly raise all stats by several stages, but in exchange HP would decrease at a fixed rate, the yer dying after a few minutes .

    In addition, recovering lost HP or reviving right after dying was not possible: as penalty for dying, the yer would also be forcefully transported to their hometown .

    In the game, it was an item used only in battles between yers .

    Even if one defeated a boss using it, the system would prevent any EXP or loot gain, so the yers that just enjoyed adventuring did not even know of its existence .

    ¡°This is the end . ¡±

    Kai¡¯s HP was already close to zero . Even in such a state, the techniques he unleashed were not weakened in the least .

    The ninja de¡¯s attacks continued . Kai¡¯s katana, painted ck to be used in stealth missions, was met by Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡» .

    The tinum and gleaming ck weapons crossed paths . Shin and Kai stopped moving, their backs to each other .

    ¡°Im¡­pressive¡­¡±

    After this onest word, Kai fell . The katana he still held in his right hand had its de cut in half .

    ¡°¡­can¡¯t say this feels right . ¡±

    When Shin turned around, Kai had already drawn hisst breath .

    Looking at his somehow pleased-looking expression, Shin scratched his head, perplexed .

    Possibly finding an opening in his now rxed guard, Shin was attacked by a mass of me and ice . However, it was enough to attract his attention . The attack was canceled by his magic resistance .

    ¡°So it¡¯s not like he was inmand, huh . You should at least know thatying a hand on me or Fuji would be the end of you though . ¡±

    As he finished talking, at Shin¡¯s feet lied the corpses of 1 Red Tail and 1 Blue Tail .  His opponents were now only monsters, so he swung his sword without the slightest hesitation .

    Shin directed his perception towards Fuji and noticed a dot of light moving rapidly around the demon foxes . It was Munechika .

    As the small dot came closer, the big ones would disappear . The speed at which they were annihted was overwhelming: the 8-headed Orochi did not even move from the peak .

    ¡°There are still plenty of them; guess I¡¯ll lend a hand . ¡±

    Shin started hunting down the demon foxes from the direction opposite to the dot he thought to be Munechika .

    After less than an hour, most of the demon foxes that had gathered on Fuji had been exterminated .

    As Shin took down thest unit, the sparkle of tinum armor appeared before him .

    ¡°So it was you, Shin . ¡±

    What appeared was the katana and person carrying the name of One of the Five Supreme des ¨C Mikazuki Munechika . As she was battling, she was wearing her helmet, but not her flowing ck hair nor her armor were stained by enemy blood .

    ¡°I see you did not have trouble either . ¡±

    ¡°Monsters of that level are nothing to me . Curious to see you appear at the same time as the monsters¡¯ assault though . Do you know something?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much in detail, but I¡¯ll tell you all I can . ¡±

    Shin briefly exined about Juugo, Kai, Tamamo and the n they had put into action .

    After he finished talking, Munechika thought for a while, holding her fingers to her lips, then she looked towards the peak of Fuji .

    ¡°The demon foxes¡¯ goal for attacking was probably what we are protecting on top of the mountain . Not only the demon foxes, but many of Hinomoto¡¯s monsters with a certain degree of intellect came to attack Fuji . ¡±

    ¡°Is there something of much importance there? I did think it was strange that the mountain¡¯s master Kagutsuchi wasn¡¯t there, but¡­no, I do not mean to pry . You don¡¯t need to answer . ¡±

    ¡°Heh, I know that . I suppose I could tell you . Because your partner, the Element Tail, probably noticed already . ¡±

    ¡°Eh? You knew Yuzuha was an Element Tail?¡± .

    Shin was also surprised that Yuzuha apparently knew the reason behind Kagutsuchi¡¯s absence, but Munechika¡¯s knowledge of Yuzuha¡¯s species was even more astonishing to him .

    ¡°The energy of the Ley lines has a peculiar aura . I heard from Kagutsuchi that Element Tails have the ability of influencing Ley lines, as well . ¡±

    Judging from Munechika¡¯s words, it didn¡¯t look like Kagutsuchi had been in .

    Just like Yuzuha, it was apparently possible tomunicate with it . During the game the battle would always start without any actual conversation, so Shin found it a bit surprising .

    ¡°Well, this is not the time to stand around chatting . Go to your partner . And one more thing, you haven¡¯t forgotten the promise to return to me, have you? I cannot im to be patient, I will wait for only 10 years at most . ¡±

    ¡°I will go now then . Rest assured, I have no intention of making you wait that long . ¡±

    Shin replied thinking that for an impatient person, that was a pretty long time span .

    Strictly speaking, Munechika was like a spirit hosted within a sword, so there was no concept of lifespan for her, or so Shin reflected .

    ¡°I am looking forward to it then . ¡±

    Shin thanked Munechika, who told him the direction Yuzuha was in, and headed off .

 Vol 8 Chapter 4.5: Chapter 4 Part 5

    While Shin was talking with Munechika after the battle, Yuzuha was running over the ins, at thergest size she could currently take .

    She was already considerably far from Fuji . Even though she still wasn¡¯t in her perfect form, the Element Tails¡¯ proverbially high physical abilities were serving her well enough .

    ¡°¡­ . . there . ¡±

    Yuzuha was looking towards a forest located from the path leading to Fuji .

    The nasty presence she had felt while traveling with Shin was getting closer and closer .

    She had already perceived the being behind this presence . It too should have noticed Yuzuha¡¯s approach .

    The owner of the presence was deep in the forest and not moving . It appeared to be waiting for Yuzuha .

    ¡°Kuu . ¡±

    Thinking that it was even better if it didn¡¯t run away, Yuzuha proceeded into the forest, mindful of any traps .

    After a few minutes, she arrived in an open area without any trees .

    It was an area roughly 50 mels wide, where only 10 cemels tall grass grew .

    In that deserted ce, there was one shadow other than Yuzuha¡¯s . Long white hair reaching to the ground, gently flowing in the wind . A woman was standing there, alone .

    Perfectly proportioned features that 10 people out of 10 would surely describe as beautiful, animal ears of the same color as her hair . As she was loosely wearing her kimono, her bountiful breasts and the captivating whiteness of her thighs sometimes peeked from her clothing .

    On her back, from her waist sprouted 6 white tails, softly swaying left and right .

    The woman¡¯s name was Tamamo .

    ¡°Kuu! Found you!¡±

    Yuzuha was growling, her fur standing because of the auraing from Tamamo, whose appearance made her look like a person from the Fox Tribe .

    Yuzuha knew that Tamamo wasn¡¯t actually a person from the Fox Tribe . No member of that species would have 6 tails .

    ¡°Hehe, and I was here wondering who wasing¡­it was the Element Tail after all . My, you look quite weakened, though . ¡±

    Inplete contrast with the hostility Yuzuha openly disyed, Tamamo¡¯s expression showed her confidence .

    As the strength of a demon fox was disyed by the number of tails, Yuzuha was suspicious of the fact that the 6-tailed Tamamo was acting on her own .

    Among the demon foxes on Fuji, there were ones with 7 tails as well .

    Normally, those would be themanding officers .

    ¡°Kuu, you give, bad aura . ¡±

    Yuzuha spoke while taking human form .

    ¡°Bad aura, hmm . Could it maybe be¡­ . this!?¡±

    A ck ball of fire shot out of Tamamo¡¯s hand . Yuzuha dodged it instinctively and looked at where the ball of firended . She saw the ground dyed in purple where the ck mes burnt the grass .

    Something different from miasma was tainting thend . Yuzuha understood it through her intuition .

    ¡°You!! Inside, different! This person, container!¡±

    ¡°So YoU CAn UndERstaND ThAT mUCh . YeS, thIS BODy iS VErY vERy GoOD!¡±

    Tamamo¡¯s voice was gradually distorting . The sounds it emitted, which could barely be understood as words, were human speech no more .

    Yuzuha¡¯s eyes saw the pitch ck silhouette of another demon fox rise behind Tamamo .

    The contour of this figure was blurred here and there, but it was obviously a demon fox .

    When Yuzuha had seen Tamamo, together with Juugo, in Kujou territory, she had not perceived this presence .

    Furthermore, Yuzuha knew of only one thing who matched this presence .

    ¡°Disaster-bearing Demon Fox, Tamamo . The corrupted form of an Element Tail, who possesses other people . ¡±

    ¡°Kah KAh! THaT Is ME iNDEed . We mEEt LiKE tHIs fOR ThE FiRSt tIme, yEs . O eSTeEmEd ¡°pROgENItoR¡± oF aLL uSs eLEMeNt tAiLs!¡±

    Knowledge of each other came out of their mouths . But only a handful in this world couldprehend what was said .

    In the game era, Tamamo was just an event boss and the Element Tails were hidden bosses that only a handful of advanced yers knew of .

    There was a clear gap in their strength, but the yers did not know that there was a clear difference in the strengths of these individuals .

    Even if the yers did not know, the difference in strength was certainly there . Consequently, Yuzuha and Tamamo were personally aware it was so .

    ¡°Kuu! Why you do these things!¡±

    ¡°ThAt¡¯S a cURiOUs tHInG To aSk . I cAMe tO THis wORLd To bRinG fOrTH dISAsTEr! To kIlL aNd To dEsTRoY iS My rEAsOn fOr eXIStINg! aFTeR tHEsE lONg yEArS, YOu hAve fORGoTTen eVeN tHAt?!¡±

    The ck shadow trembled, the demon fox possessing Tamamo roared .

    To invade cities and bring terror to the people . To be defeated by yers, to be reborn, to do so again .

    That endless cycle is what let Tamamo be Tamamo . It was somethingpletely natural, as natural as people breathing .

    However, now that the world had be reality, it was nothing more than a curse imnted in the cycle of life .

    ¡ª-Moveed ¡°however¡± .

    ¡°Kuu, that is not necessary now¡±

    ¡°I cARe nOTHinG aBOut tHat . I SHAalL fULFiLl mY eXISTenCe . THIs bOdY haS aLREaDy lOst aLl seNSe oF seLf . IT wAs bETRraYEd, It hATed, It oFfeReD itSeLF To Me . ITS bEAUty liES oNly in itS aPPEAraNCe nOw . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . kuu . ¡±

    Yuzuha cried with mncholy while looking at Tamamo .

    The manipted woman was smiling . Tamamo said that it did not have a sense of self anymore, but that expression seemed to convey that she had no regrets .

    Yuzuha thought that a great many people would have been charmed by her, if it weren¡¯t for the red tears flowing down her cheeks .

    ¡°If you wish to stop me, use your strength to annihte my body . O progenitor of the Element Tails, surely you can!!¡±

    The ck demon fox returned inside the woman¡¯s body . Then, the six tails stood up, swaying as always, and became covered in ck mes .

    Yuzuha understood that the woman¡¯s negative feelings fed Tamamo and increased its power .

    ¡°Hnn!!¡±

    As if in response to Tamamo¡¯s grunt, the tails attacked Yuzuha .

    The 6 tails, spreading in a fan-like motion, moved as if they had individual will and surrounded Yuzuha, as to cut off any possible escape route .

    ¡°Kuu!!¡±

    Yuzuha responded by casting a magic spell with quick activation . She then enveloped her own tails in different magic spells, repelling Tamamo¡¯s tails, half of which had turned into ck mes .

    The most effective tails were the ones wrapped in light-type magic and divine-type magic .

    ¡°¡­ . you can sleep, now . You don¡¯t have to, fight . ¡±

    ¡°Nonsense!!¡±

    Tamamo¡¯s tails repeatedly went on the offensive, while Yuzuha only defended herself .

    Maybe because of the demon fox¡¯s higher pressure, the attacks that Yuzuha couldn¡¯t fully defend herself from ripped Yuzuha¡¯s shrine maiden clothes .

    ¡°You understand too, do you not?¡±

    Tamamo¡¯s tails increased after this question .

    Suddenly, 2 tails madepletely of ck mes had appeared . They were attached to her waist, just like the others .

    ¡°Juugo and Kai have died?¡±

    Tamamo whispered with an expression mixed with envy and sadness .

    Their rtionship consisted in using each other, but it was not maniption via Tamamo¡¯s infusion of power .

    The power Tamamo had given them returned to its owner, making it even stronger .

    Yuzuha now faced even fiercer attacks: she countered 6 tails with her own and 1 with the mes she spewed from her mouth .

    However, she could not counter thest one and tried to avoid it with a jump, but the ck mes managed to singe Yuzuha¡¯s body .

    ¡°If you will do nothing, then die!!¡±

    The 8 tails attacked again . If they hit directly, they would cause considerable damage even to Yuzuha . Before the attack, the item Shin gave her activated .

    A transparent membrane appeared all around Yuzuha and stopped Tamamo¡¯s attack .

    ¡°A barrier¡­but I know well, that it won¡¯tst long!!¡±

    Tamamo¡¯s tails repeatedly struck the barrier . Exclusively, as the tails made of ck mes hit it, tiny cracks start appearing on its surface .

    Yuzuha could not see the barrier¡¯s resistance decreasing . But the gradually increasing cracks showed that its limit was now close .

    ¡°Kuu¡­¡±

    The sound of the cracking barrier canceled Yuzuha¡¯s cries .

    Just like snakes eyeing their prey, the ck me tails pierced the ground where Yuzuha was .

    ¡°¡­ . you¡¯re finally getting serious . ¡±

    As if in response to Tamamo¡¯s whispered words, the ck mes were repelled away .

    The ck mes and dust of clouds were mixed together in the air, within that mixture several silhouettes could be seen .

    Yuzuha had transformed into the Adult form of an Element Tail with 9 gently swaying tails .

    ¡°I cannot return for long, you see . ¡±

    Silver waist-length hair, transparently violet eyes, animal ears of the same color of her hair standing briskly up .

    Along with a breathtaking beauty that would charm anyone who saw her, Yuzuha -who had regained her original powers- quietly stared at Tamamo .

    ¡°Is hastening your death important too?¡±

    ¡°That is my only desire . Come on, o originator, wielder of powers the legends sing of!! Show them to me!!¡±

    After Tamamo¡¯s scream, the 8 tails once again targeted Yuzuha . Their power and momentum were at their highest .

    ¡°¡­ . you poor thing . ¡±

    Yuzuha whispered as the 2 ck me tails and 6 tails enveloped in ck mes approach her with frightening speed . Following her whisper, her silver tails became shes of light and pierced the space between the 2 .

    A sh of silver and ck, with thetter as the loser .

    The ck mes scattered and vanished, the tails were torn to shreds .

    Tamamo had 8 tails, Yuzuha 9 . Along with the 8 tails who won the sh, the unattended 9th tail closed in to Tamamo .

    ¡°Gwaaahhh!!!¡±

    Tamamo crossed its arms in defense, but it made little difference before an attack that tore to shreds tails filled with power . Tamamo wasunched into the air .

    Both arms were torn and severed from Tamamo¡¯s body, its insides broken and ripped .

    It seemed like a lie that until a few instants ago, Yuzuha was locked in defense . That¡¯s how overwhelming her superiority was .

    This was temporary for Yuzuha, but her original power was clearly above Tamamo .

    ¡°¡­ . kh¡­¡­kh¡­ . ¡±

    Tamamo came crashing down on the ground and was now lying face up . The only sound to be heard was her ragged breathing .

    She was not dead yet, but her body was on its final throes . Even if left alone, it would havested a few minutes at most .

    As she was looking at Tamamo, a golden me appeared over Yuzuha¡¯s head .

    Tamamo was roused as her line of sight got fixed onto Yuzuha¡¯s figure . The mere sight of that divine me would be enough to bring anyone to its knees, due to its imensurable heat .

    ¡°¡­ . you may pass on now . ¡±

    A few secondster, apanied by Yuzuha¡¯s words, the golden me swallowed Tamamo .

    Tamamo¡¯s body turned into molten ashes in seconds .

    The veryst instant, her expression seemed to sketch a smile .

    ¡°Phew¡­¡±

    The mes disappeared as Yuzuha breathed quietly . Nothing but a scorched ground remained, where Tamamo¡¯s body used to be .

    After the mespletely disappeared, a silver light leaked from Yuzuha¡¯s body .

    Her body progressively returned to the teenager-like form it had until a few moments before, just like a video yed in reverse .

    ¡°Kuu¡­ . . ¡±

    She then returned in fox mode and plopped down on the ground .

    Even if she had regained some of her powers from the location where Filma had been trapped, it was still notplete . Focusing her strength to return to her adult form would onlyst for a few minutes .

    Furthermore, even if she temporarily regained that form, she could not retrieve the memories and knowledge amassed throughout the years .

    It was a sort of ace up the sleeve to use in emergency situations .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    As she closed her eyes to recover her strength, Yuzuha felt a familiar presence approaching .

    She slowly tried to stand up, then remembered something and fell down again .

    ¡°!? Yuzuha!?¡±

    The approaching presence was Shin .

    As soon as he saw Yuzuha lying on the ground, he rushed to her with enough speed to leave behind after-images . He gently picked her up in his arms and checked her condition .

    ¡°Her HP and MP don¡¯t seem to have decreased much . The item¡¯s broken, she seems to be powerless¡­what crazy things did you do?¡±

    Yuzuha had barely received any damage, but the recoil of returning to her adult form had robbed her immature body of its energy .

    ¡°Defeated, Tamamo . ¡±

    ¡°Still you went too far!! What would happen if you died¡­ . ?¡±

    Yuzuha judged that what she did was something bad . As she couldprehend from Shin¡¯s voice that he was really worried . To tell you the truth, she actually had enough energy left to stand and walk .

    Oblivious of Yuzuha¡¯s actual condition, Shin gently held her in his arms .

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    Wrapped by the warm sense of security provided by Shin¡¯s arms, Yuzuha emitted a small cry .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The invasion of several domains acted by the Ichinose soldiers and monsters had been on arge scale, but it had been suppressed before it causedrge damage .

    Special mention should be made to the reinforcements sent to the various regions .

    Toudou Kankurou, 1st seat of the Hinomoto Brave Ten, and the ck-scaled Dragnil who performed actions on par with him .

    Saegusa Karin, Shijou Tsugumasa and Tsuguho, also from the Brave Ten, and the silver-haired Elf who appeared with them .

    The red-haired Lord who fought the monsters attacking the Shijou domain even earlier than the Brave Ten, along with the huge wolf-like monster and the ck-haired Elf .

    After showing performancesparable with the Brave Ten, they all simply vanished without a word after the battle .

    Many tried looking for them, obviously, but for some reason no one seemed to remember what they looked like .

    Among Hinomoto¡¯s soldiers, some rumor that they were spirits of the age of wars, who appear when the country is in peril .

    In reality it was all due to concealment skills . The only ones capable of remembering were the few who met them and spoke face to face . And these few too were ordered by their superiors not to speak about these reinforcements to anyone else .

    These mysterious helpers were now in front of the gates of the Saegusa house . They did not have much luggage with them but were all equipped for traveling .

    Shin¡¯s group had no more reason to stay with the Saegusa .

    They had no pressing reason to go anywhere, but as the battle ended, they decided it was the right timing to depart .

    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality . ¡±

    Along with the Saegusa house members (Karin, Kuyou, Kayo, Chiyo), Kankurou too hade to see Shin¡¯s party off .

    ¡°Must you truly depart? We owe you the gratitude of saving Hinomoto from the mes of war . If only we could express our thanks somehow¡­¡±

    Karin, reluctant to see them go, had the proud ¡ºck Moon¡» at her waist .

    As Juugo¡¯s foul y was discovered, thest remaining contestant, Karin, was chosen to be the divine katana¡¯s sessor .

    ¡°You are already keeping the ¡ºHakuramaru¡» matter a secret for me . I thank you too for your cooperation, sir Kankurou . If word spread that I had that katana, the country itself coulde after me . ¡±

    Shin replied to Karin and bowed his head to Kankurou .

    Ancient-grade weapons were sought after by anyone, individuals and countries alike .

    Shin had given ¡ºHakuramaru¡» to Karin as he feared something would happen during the inheritance ceremony, but he did not regret that choice .

    ¡ºck Moon¡» was a katana tempered by Shin . Average weapons would not be able to match its de .

    To all who saw that Shin was in possession of ¡ºHakuramaru¡», they exined that he was traveling to return it to its rightful owner, clearly stating that it was not possible to obtain it from Shin .

    Kankurou had concluded by stating that Shin was to be treated with maximum courtesy, so there was no particr attempt at negotiation .

    ¡°We have not been able to thank you properly for Lady Haruna¡¯s matter either, though . Is there really nothing we could do?¡±

    ¡°I discussed this with everyone else too, but there is nothing we require at the moment . Thus, if in the future we will need help or assistance, please lend us your aid . I am sure there could be matters, besides war, that we cannot solve on our own . ¡±

    Shin answered clearly to Kuyou¡¯s question and its serious tone . In case of necessity, having human connections would surely help .

    ¡°In that case, we shall do our utmost when that timees . I look forward to our next meeting . ¡±

    ¡°We will be counting on you then . ¡±

    Schnee and the others too bid their farewells, and the party left the Kujou domain .

    ¡ª¡ªtheir destination was Hinomoto¡¯s sacred mountain, Fuji .

 Vol 9 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    After quelling the revolt in Hinomoto, Shin headed towards the Sacred Mountain Fuji to fulfill his promise with Mikazuki Munechika, one of the Five Supreme des .

    Once outside Kujou territory, Shin¡¯s party proceeded to their destination with a horse carriage . Running on foot would have been faster, but they didn¡¯t have any particr reason to hurry .

    They were traveling at a lower speed than when they had traveled to the Futaba and Shijou territories to suppress the revolt, but their carriage was still much faster than average .

    ¡°¡ª¨Cso why does this Supreme dedy, with a name that screams nothing but danger, want to talk to you?¡±

    Filma asked Shin, who was sitting on the coachman¡¯s seat .

    In the game era, support characters could not fight the Five Supreme des, so not only Filma, but also Schnee and Shibaid didn¡¯t know how powerful Munechika was .

    However, hearing from Shin about her level and equipment, they could measure the level of danger she posed .

    Above level 900 and equipped with Ancient-grade gear . Even for Schnee and the others, who possessed overwhelming strength by this world¡¯s standards, she was not an opponent they could afford to face without preparation .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason why, to be honest . But she¡¯s been around ever since before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡±, she could have something important to say, no?¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t there be any danger?¡±

    ¡°We talked and crossed swords in a match, but there was nothing particrly suspicious . Even if she was hungry for a serious battle, she was keeping herself under control . ¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question while remembering how Munechika had withdrawn her wooden sword before gettingpletely serious .

    It could not be said that she did not desire to fight, but Munechika was not the type to only talk via battle .

    Even if Karin and Kanade had visited her by themselves, she would have probably requested something else in exchange for the herb, or nothing at all .

    ¡°I¡¯m asking just in case, but she isn¡¯t going to say she fell for you like Karin did, right?¡±

    ¡°Come on, Filma, the arranged marriage thing was something Karin¡¯s mother pushed by herself¡­¡±

    ¡°I heard that already . But her eyes were those of a maiden in love, you know? You aren¡¯t going to tell me that you had no idea now, are you?¡±

    ¡°I kind of¡­noticed, yeah . ¡±

    Any normal person would have noticed if she expressed it that clearly . Shin was no exception, but at the same time he found it strange .

    ¡°Karin¡¯s behavior changed after I refused the arranged marriage thing . I don¡¯t really understand why that happened . Why do you act like you¡¯re in love after you¡¯ve been refused? Isn¡¯t it the opposite usually?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around it .

    ¡°I bet she didn¡¯t realize her feelings untilte . She had this ¡°I live for the sword¡± aura and all . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . I don¡¯t get it after all . ¡±

    Shin knew how it felt to like someone, but he couldn¡¯t understand Karin¡¯s circumstances .

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about past things . So, what kind of person is this Munechika?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know her well myself . The first time I met her was¡ª-¡±

    Shin talked about how he brought Karin and Kanade to the peak of Fuji and how he fought Munechika for the medicinal herb .

    ¡°She was strong . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, as Yuzuha said, her sword arm was something else . I couldn¡¯t win in a pure match of sword skills . If everything was allowed though, it would be different . ¡±

    Shin talked while remembering his match against Munechika . If he could use magic and skills, there was no way he could lose .

    ¡°Hmm, yes, an unshackled Shin would surely find a way to win, even if inferior in sword ability . ¡±

    ¡°Shin never loses after all . ¡±

    In contrast to Shibaid¡¯s rational analysis of Shin¡¯s strength, Schnee retorted as if she found the very consideration of Shin losing preposterous . She looked so adamant that Tiera couldn¡¯t help reacting .

    ¡°Ehm, master¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­ahem . We¡¯re almost at Fuji . ¡±

    After coughing to change the subject, Schnee noted they had reached their destination .

    Fuji stood imposingly before the horse carriage . .

    As always, a thick fogid heavily all around the peak .

    ¡°I heard that the fog doesn¡¯t disappear, but the woods appear to be pretty quiet . ¡±

    Tiera whispered after looking at the mists, then the forest .

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re close to the World Tree forest . I suppose mysterious forces are at work . ¡±

    Schnee answered Shin¡¯s question while looking at the forest extending at the foot of Fuji, just like Tiera .

    ¡°I heard there are high-level monsters around here too, but is it true?¡±

    ¡°On average monsters are at level 500, the same as before . But the Eight-Headed Orochi on the peak is a whole other category . Level 833 . ¡±

    Shibaid grumbled after hearing Shin¡¯s reply .

    ¡°It might be lower than Munechika, but still it¡¯s not an opponent we can underestimate . ¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to fight, so I think it will be all right . When I visited Fujist time it wasn¡¯t belligerent either . ¡±

    Some heads looked at Shin with curiosity, others were even sleeping: it looked like each head had a distinct personality . It was a powerful monster, but as Shin had only seen such behavior, to him it seemed more cute than dangerous .

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s start climbing . We don¡¯t have to worry about the monsters with the members we have here, but don¡¯t let your guard down . ¡±

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll take the lead going up . ¡±

    Schnee was walking in the lead, with Shin and the others behind her . Looking at the party from above, Tiera was in the center, Shin on the right, Filma on the left and Shibaid took up the rear . Yuzuha was riding on Shin¡¯s left shoulder .

    With Kagerou around, there was no need to focus on protecting Tiera, but they assumed that formation naturally .

    Tiera equipped a bow as main weapon . Taking a formation focused on rear support had be almost second nature for Shin¡¯s party .

    ¡°We¡¯re entering the mists . ¡±

    The group prated the area hidden by the fog, their formation unbroken .

    Differently from when Shin hade with Karin and Kanade, they didn¡¯t move stealthily this time; but thanks to Schnee¡¯s precise guidance, they passed the fog area without encountering any monsters .

    Maybe because it had sensed the approach of Shin¡¯s party, after emerging from the mist they found Orochi¡¯s heads awaiting them .

    ¡°H-huge¡­¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t hide her surprise at the monster¡¯s towering figure . Just likest time, Eight-Headed Orochi was looking at Shin¡¯s group with curiosity .

    Maybe because they were many, or because it had felt their high levels, this time all 8 heads were fixated on them .

    ¡°It¡¯s true, I feel no intimidation or hostility from it . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I suppose we do not need to be wary . ¡±

    Schnee and Shibaid rxed their stances after looking at Orochi .

    ¡°Rather, I¡¯m more concerned about over there . ¡±

    Differently from Schnee and the others, Filma was looking towards the interior of the small shrine .

    A few moments after herment, something sparkled from within the shrine .

    ¡°You came earlier than expected, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°I said I would not make you wait . ¡±

    The source of the light was the armor Munechika was d in . She was walking towards the party, holding her helmet with her left hand .

    ¡°There is no need to act so formal, considering our rtionship . ¡±

    Munechikaid a hand on Shin¡¯s shoulder, her faceing closer to his . Surprisingly close .

    ¡°Well¡­I only remember we crossed swords once, that¡¯s it . ¡±

    Shin had no idea why she would act so intimate with him, and squeezed out a response despite his confusion . He had recently assisted her in defeating the demon foxes, but he didn¡¯t think that was enough to cause her to act so affectionately .

    ¡°Ah, now that I think about it I had not talked about it yet . ¡°You made me fall a lot, I won¡¯t let you say that I won by chance¡±¡­you said things like these before ourst match, right? After you left, I thought about those words . It took me a few days, but I clearly remembered . ¡±

    ¡°Could it be that you recalled the memories from the game era?¡±

    It was something from more than 500 years before . It wasn¡¯t something one would normally remember .

    ¡°It would probably be impossible without some trigger . I did not think I could recall them so clearly either . ¡±

    Munechika exined how she had not recalled just by looking at him during their match . Shin¡¯s words were what acted as trigger .

    ¡°That day, I said that I wanted to talk to you again¡­maybe because I had unconsciously remembered . ¡±

    ¡°How much do you know of me?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know a lot about you personally from the start . But I remember how burning hot your de was when we fought, you know?¡±

    The hand resting on Shin¡¯s shoulder moved towards his face .

    ¡°There are people other than you that defeated me . But no one challenged me as many times as you did . The more I remembered, the more my chest felt hot and¡­well, isn¡¯t this quite uncouth of you?¡±

    Munechika¡¯sst words, directed at the person who had suddenly appeared before her, were spoken as her shoulders dropped .

    The person cutting in the progressively decreasing distance between Shin and Munechika was Schnee .

    ¡°My apologies, but it will be a problem if youe any closer to Shin . ¡±

    ¡°A problem, hmm . Don¡¯t you mean to say that you¡¯d be envious?¡± .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    Munechika¡¯s taunting words were met by a sharper look from Schnee .

    ¡°Okay, okay, stop, stop I say! Schnee, you calm down too, she¡¯s not serious anyway . Munechika, enough with the jokes!¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you know how it is . I had just put a hand on your shoulder, but I felt such a fearful look from over there¡­of course I would want to tease a little . And now your formal tone disappeared too, right?¡±

    ¡°Give me a break¡­¡±

    Shin sighed, his hands on Schnee¡¯s shoulders to calm her . He wholeheartedly wished for them to stop making the mood dangerous .

    ¡°Well, I have to say she¡¯s pretty different from what I expected . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this is not what Shin¡¯s words suggested . ¡±

    Witnessing the scene, Filma and Shibaid were puzzled .

    They had confirmed her level and were positive that she had to be really strong . But the feeling of intimidation often associated with powerful warriors was nowhere to be found, hence theirments .

    ¡°Ehm, Shin? I think you should have taken your hands off by now . ¡±

    ¡°Hm? Ah, aah! I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    Shin looked in front of himself after hearing Tiera¡¯s remark, only to find Schnee frozen in ce,pletely red .

    ¡°¡­ . that¡¯s not, a problem . ¡±

    Maybe embarrassed to be seen blushing like that, Schnee mumbled while keeping her head down .

    ¡°Haha, you folks are never boring to look at . ¡±

    ¡°And whose fault is it? Well, let me hear the rest of the story . ¡±

    ¡°Apologies, it had been a while since I had so much fun . Let us get to the point, Shin . I believe I know both your original fighting power and personality . As such, there is something I wish to ask of you . ¡±

    Munechika was smiling at the start, but as she approached the heart of the topic her expression turnedpletely serious .

    ¡°Is that something mypanions can hear too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, not a problem . After all, as youmand an Element Tail, you are notpletely unrted to this . ¡±

    Munechika spoke while looking at Yuzuha . Hearing that it was something rted to Element Tails, Shin imagined it was rted to Ley lines .

    ¡°Come . There is something I wish to show you . ¡±

    Following Munechika, who had turned around, the group entered the shrine .

    After about 5 minutes, a red light entered their field of sight .

    ¡°This is Fuji¡¯s original master, Kagutsuchi . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Looking at the source of the light, everyone became speechless .

    The red light came from a phoenix-shaped red crystal .

    The crystallized Kagutsuchi, wings spread as if protecting something, emitted a red light that brightly illuminated the room .

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°In the past, miasma seeped in the Ley lines . In order to restore bnce to the Ley lines, it turned like this . Despite the appearance, Kagutsuchi isn¡¯t dead . You cane out now! These people aren¡¯t dangerous!¡±

    Munechika shouted towards the crystal . Shin was wondering what she was doing, when something moved from the shadows behind the crystal .

    A small creature the size of a fist jumped down from the crystal, pping earnestly its small wings, andnded on Munechika¡¯s head .

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    ¡°Bad! Land on my shoulder, not my head, how many times have I told you?¡±

    Spreading its wings dering its presence on Munechika¡¯s head was a little bird with red plumage .

    It was a bit big for a baby bird, but it was like a slightlyrger chick painted red, very fluffy-looking .

    ¡°Pii!!¡±

    ¡°¡°Wee, o fellow Element Tail¡± is what it said . 2 times . ¡±

    To Shin¡¯s party it only sounded like it was crying, but ording to Yuzuha the two ¡°Pii¡± had said the same thing .

    ¡°You understand what it says?¡±

    ¡°More or less . ¡±

    Yuzuha exined that maybe because they both can influence Ley lines, they can alsomunicate .

    ¡°It might look like this now, but this is Kagutsuchi . At least, a part of it . ¡±

    ¡°It can do something like that?¡±

    ¡°It retains little strength, though . It can justmunicate, that¡¯s it . ¡±

    ¡°Pii! Pii!¡±

    The baby Kagutsuchi poked Munechika with its rounded beak . Munechika didn¡¯t look like she was hurt in the least .

    ¡°I know . More than that, what happened to Tssugu and Mitsuyo? We should talk to them too . ¡±

    It appeared that Munechika also understood Kagutsuchi¡¯s speech .

    The names mentioned by Munechika, Tssugu and Mitsuyo, were the names of Supreme des like her .

    ¡°There are others from the Five Supreme des?¡±

    ¡°Only two, though . I¡¯ll exin . ¡ª¨CHere they are . ¡±

    2 silhouettes appeared from the corridor next to the crystallized Kagutsuchi .

    The first was an old man probably over 60 years old, judging from his appearance .

    His slicked back hair was a silvery grey . He was observing Shin¡¯s party while stroking his unkempt beard, but did not show a single opening . He wore samurai-like protective gear on his shoulders, legs and around his waist .

    The other sword was a young girl in herte teens who, like Munechika, wore armor on her whole body, helmet excluded .

    She was not very tall and looked rather thin as well . Her twin pigtails and pretty features made her seem very cute, but her sharp, cold stare destroyed this impression .

    Despite looking young, she seemed eager to fight; her yellow-bordered ck armor had a design different from Munechika¡¯s .

    ¡°Hoho, we just came because of Kagutsuchi¡¯s call, who knew we had guests too . ¡±

    ¡°Munechika? You allowed people here without our permission?¡±

    ¡°Because it involves Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna . And suppress that killing intent a little, Mitsuyo . If they were dangerous, whether I was here or not, Kagutsuchi wouldn¡¯t havee out, would it?¡±

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    Right after her appearance, the young girl created a tense mood . Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed her name as Oodenta Mitsuyo .

    The old man who appeared with the girl was Juzumaru Tssugu .

    Mitsuyo¡¯s level was 908, Tssugu¡¯s 941 . Both their names came from the swords they were based on .

    ¡°Look at the Element Tail on this man¡ª¡ªon Shin¡¯s shoulder . No Element Tail would ever follow someone who disrupted the flow of the Ley lines . They are the people I talked about before, that we could request to help us . Further, in regards to Shin, this is not your first time meeting him . Mitsuyo, you even lost to him once . Try to remember . ¡±

    Munechika had already talked about Shin¡¯s party to them, apparently . She looked at the Element Tail as Munechika said and, with a growl-like grumble, suppressed her killing intent .

    Munechika¡¯sst words, however, prompted her to look at Shin even more sharply .

    ¡°As they do not have impure thoughts, they might indeed be worthy of trust . Kagutsuchi said the same too, so I¡¯ll believe that .  But there is one thing that I cannot just ept . I have lost!? What exactly do you mean!?¡±

    ¡°Do not raise your voice, Mitsuyo . Good grief, the only one among us who did not lose is Tssugu . ¡±

    ¡°An old man like me? It is true that I can count the times I lost on the fingers of one hand¡­hmm . Young man, try to show me your killing intent . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin was dumbfounded at the sudden request to release his killing intent .

    ¡°You see, this old man here is bad at remembering names and faces . ¡±

    ¡°I see, I understand then . Here I go . ¡±

    Shin looked at Tssugu with some killing intent . Other than Tssugu¡¯s reaction, Mitsuyo too opened her eyes wide .

    ¡°Hoho, I see, I see . I felt this killing intent a very long time ago . I did not lose, but I did not win either . I don¡¯t remember killing you . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I felt I couldn¡¯t match you and ran away right away . ¡±

    In the battles against the anthropomorphized swords, if moving was possible fleeing was possible too, as the swords could not leave a specified battle range .

    Losing to a weapon and dying would naturally mean to receive a penalty for dying, so many yers fled rather than risk it . Few managed to flee sessfully, though .

    ¡°Kahah! That was some mighty fine running!¡±

    In the game era, Shin had managed to obtain four of the Five Supreme des .

    He had obtained ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡»shortly before the event ended, and time ran out on ¡ºJuzumaru Tssugu¡» . The ¡ºJuzumaru Tssugu¡»Shin now carried was something he had obtained in a revival event .

    Judging from the three swords¡¯ conversation, they did not have memories of the revival event .

    ¡°What! You say you defeated me, and you didn¡¯t defeat Tssugu!? Beat us all properly!!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! I barely managed to take Munechika down before time ran out . I could have fought a few times, but there wasn¡¯t enough time . ¡±

    Mitsuyo, dissatisfied that the person who had defeated her didn¡¯t defeat Tssugu, a Supreme de like her,ined to Shin .

    Shin had attempted to study his attack patterns, like when fighting a boss, but he didn¡¯t have enough time to carry it out .

    Considering his stats and equipment at the time, even if he had plenty of time it would have probably been difficult . Shin did not yet possess his current power .

    ¡°So, did you remember? Mitsuyo . ¡±

    ¡°Hngh, well, I think we fought before¡­¡±

    Mitsuyo nodded while mumbling something . She did not mention having lost, but frustration was clearly visible on her expression .

    ¡°But! Maybe that happened in the past, but it doesn¡¯t mean he must be strong now too . It happened 500 years ago, after all . ¡±

    ¡°I made sure to check that by crossing swords with him . His sharpness increased and I didn¡¯t feel impurities that would lead him to be contaminated by miasma . If anything strange had happened to Shin, I doubt they would just sit by and do nothing too . ¡±

    Munechika answered Mitsuyo¡¯s remark by looking over towards Shin¡¯s group .

    What her eyes found were a slightly blushing Schnee, silently observing Filma and Shibaid, then Tiera, who was intently trying to keep up with the conversation .

    ¡°Ehm, so in the end, what is it that you want us to do? You said I¡¯m not unrted?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry . It¡¯s my fault that we were not exactly of the same page on my side . ¡±

    ¡°Well, if Munechika says there are no problems, then I believe so too . Mitsuyo, you should stop sulking . ¡±

    Next to the apologizing Munechika, Tssugu nodded in eptance . At the same time, however, he added an unnecessaryment, met by an angry shout by Mitsuyo .

    ¡°Who¡¯s sulking!?¡±

    ¡°Pii!!¡±

    ¡°Hnngh¡­ . I get it . Go on . ¡±

    Because of baby Kagutsuchi¡¯s reproach, Mitsuyo reluctantly urged Munechika to continue talking .

    ¡°I¡¯ll continue, then . What I wished to request to Shin and his group was to help us look for two of our fellow Supreme des . ¡±

    ¡°All 5 swords¡­no, 5 people¡­aren¡¯t here?¡±

    Shin had not expressed it in words, but was wondering why only 2 of them, Mitsuyo and Tssugu, hade out .

    The answer was, because they were not there in the first ce .

    ¡°I think that your Element Tail probably knows . It happened roughly 500 years ago, when the crust shifted . In that period, miasma suddenly seeped into the Ley lines . ¡±

    Munechika exined that the demons probably did something when the Ley lines were in a state of chaos .

    ¡°Great multitudes of monsters appeared, peculiar areas formed too, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Exactly . We were dragged in it too . ¡±

    The contamination of Ley lines and corruption of Sacred ces via the miasma was also an event in the game era . In the game it was sufficient to defeat the monsters and demons causing the phenomenon, but in this world things would not be that simple .

    The territory around Fuji repeatedly moved up and down because of the crust shifts, causing the Five Supreme des, normally always apart from each other, to gather in one ce .

    Munechika continued by recounting how, thanks to Kagutsuchi¡¯s power, they managed to restore bnce to the Ley lines, but then the incident happened .

    ¡°The Ley lines were supposed to have calmed down, when suddenly thick miasma entered them . To restore them again, Kagutsuchi took this current form, but Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna were swallowed by the miasma and disappeared . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s incredible¡­it¡¯s true that Yuzuha also suffered because of the miasma, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Kuu, maybe it happened, all around the world . ¡±

    Yuzuha, who like Kagutsuchi used her powers to suppress the crust shifts, talked with some restlessness in her voice .

    ¡°In that case, however, I can¡¯t just ept it easily . Do you have any clues?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t exactly do nothing all this time . We Five Supreme des can sense each other¡¯s presence . It took a while because of the miasma, but we have found the general location they should be in . ¡±

    Munechika answered Shin¡¯s doubts . That information was more than what he expected .

    ¡°Let me ask just for confirmation, but it wasn¡¯t possible for one of you to go meet them, or rather, bring them back?¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be asking you if we could!!¡±

    ¡°Easy, Mitsuyo . Don¡¯t start biting at any chance you get . I understand what the boy means, though . We cannot, however, move beyond a determined radius . You know what I¡¯m talking about, don¡¯t you boy?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I see, that¡¯s why you said that the Supreme des, which would normally never be together, have gathered . ¡±

    The Five Supreme des not being able to move beyond a certain radius was one of the event¡¯s rules . Unrted to the developers¡¯ intentions, this had been applied to the current world too, as Shin understood from Tssugu¡¯s words .

    ¡°Fuji is also different from the game era . We are bound to thend . Because of that, we cannot go look for Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna . But because we are bound to thend, we could gather together because of thend¡¯s movements . If we had been suddenly released from such bonds, we probably would not havee all the way to the region ruled by Kagutsuchi . In that case, no one could have protected this ce: Fuji would have be a den of monsters . Whether it was fortune or misfortune, in the end, I cannot say . ¡±

    Tssugu spoke while fiddling with his unkempt beard .

    ¡°Can¡¯t say, that is true . ¡±

    ¡°Well in any case, we can only do what we can now . Apologies for cutting in . Munechika, continue . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, so¡­we have more or less traced Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna¡¯s location . We would like to ask you to go pick them up . ¡±

    ¡°I see . I understand that it¡¯s something you can¡¯t ask to the people here . ¡±

    The Five Supreme des were opponents that even Schnee and the others would have a rough time facing one-on-one .

    Now that Shin had renewed their equipment and they had powered up they might be able to go toe to toe with them, but for Shin¡¯s former support characters, as they were in the past, it would be a very dangerous battle .

    At the same time, for the denizens of the current world it was a nearly impossible request .

    Even former yers that could get on par with them were limited in numbers .

    ¡°I would cooperate if we know the location, what do you think everybody?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow you, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°What Schnee said . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, if miasma is involved I couldn¡¯t leave it alone . ¡±

    ¡°I too think it¡¯s better to ept it . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu! Go!!¡±

    The whole party answered positively to Shin¡¯s question, albeit with different reasons .

    Kagerou would follow Tiera, so everyone agreed naturally .

    ¡°It¡¯s decided then . The closest one first¡­no, which one should be picked up the soonest?¡±

    Shin changed his question halfway through .

    If they were corrupted by miasma, it was better to prioritize whichever was tainted more .

    ¡°That I do not know . I was thinking of having you go toward the closest one . ¡±

    Munechika stated again that all they could tell was the general distance and direction .

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped . Where is the closer one, then?¡±

    ¡°Closer, well, it¡¯s in the depths of the dungeon below this very mountain . I suppose that saying ¡°secret dungeon¡± will make it easy for you to understand . ¡±

    ¡°Fuji¡¯s¡­secret dungeon?¡±

    Munechika¡¯s words took Shin by surprise . He had heard rumors of a hidden dungeon beneath Fuji, but no one had actually ever gone there or even seen it .

    There was also the possibility that whoever found it had hidden it .

    ¡°You were a yer, so you should know that much, no?¡±

    ¡°So the rumors were true . But then you could go save¡ª-oh, I see . The dungeon is considered a different area . ¡±

    ¡°Correct . It lies at our very feet, yet we could do nothing¡­that was truly vexating . ¡±

    Just like Munechika as she spoke these words, Mitsuyo and Tssugu¡¯s expressions became clouded too . Their pain of not being able to go save theirpanions was clear even if they didn¡¯t put it in words .

    ¡°Got it . The depths of the dungeon, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes . As long as my and Kagutsuchi¡¯s perceptions are not wrong, Yasutsuna is somewhere in the lower floors of the dungeon . The hidden dungeon too, however, is affected by the miasma . It could be hidden somewhere, so if you go to the deepest part but still find nothing, we will have to think about what else to do . ¡±

    The Fuji dungeon was originally under Kagutsuchi¡¯s control, so it knew of its internal structure, albeit notpletely .

    However, they could not discard the possibility that it had been warped by the miasma: thus even Kagutsuchi¡¯s usually energetic ¡°pii!¡± cries now sounded like a feeble ¡°pii¡­¡± .

    ¡°Roger . This time, we¡¯ll have to explore as if we wanted to map the whole dungeon . If we use detection-type skills, it might take some time but it¡¯s possible, after all . ¡±

    ¡°I apologize for burdening you with this . If I could go personally, I would be able to detect a more precise position . ¡±

    Munechika stated that if they could get closer to the target, the precision of their detection would increase too . If only they could bring Munechika, who was bound to the present location, with them¡­ thinking this, a question popped up in Shin¡¯s mind .

    ¡°Say, Munechika . Your original form is the sword ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡», right?¡±

    ¡°That it is . The sword I carry is, while very simr to it, a fake . Even so, its stats and effects are the same . If I release my human form, the real sword appears . That¡¯s my original form¡±

    ¡°Pretty much as I expected . Then I ask, can the one I have take human form?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ . ¡±

    Shin took an item from the item box . The item was one of the Five Supreme des, ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» .

    ¡°Why do you have something like that!?¡±

    ¡°Why of course, 500 years ago you won against me . There¡¯s nothing strange in you having it . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to say something a bit weird, but I was thinking if this couldn¡¯t be used as a substitute . ¡±

    If Munechika and the ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» in Shin¡¯s possession were one and the same, Shin thought that maybe thetter could enter the dungeon in ce of Munechika, who couldn¡¯t move from Fuji .

    If the consciousness dwelling within this ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» also wished to save herpanions, that is .

    ¡°I see . It is true that if I am bound to a master, I can go where the master goes . But my master now is Kagutsuchi, so I cannote alongside you, Shin . Further, I cannot perceive any aura from the ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» you hold . Even if it is the same sword as I am, the moment it became the possession of a yer, it probablypletely became just a weapon . ¡±

    ¡°I see¡­if you coulde with us, we would be able to move with more precision, is what I thought . ¡±

    ¡°Wait, though . That line of thinking could hold some truth . ¡±

    ¡°It could? What do you mean?¡±

    Shin was about to put ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» back in the item box, as it didn¡¯t look like it could be of use, but Munechika stopped him . She was looking at ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡», now in card form .

    ¡°Can you let me have that for a moment? There is something I wish to try . ¡±

    ¡°Of course . ¡±

    Munechika received the item card from Shin and materialized the de . She then closed her eyes to focus .

    ¡°¡­hmm, as I thought . Rejoice, Shin . It appears I can apany you . ¡±

 Vol 9 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    Roughly 3 minutes had passed .

    Munechika opened her eyes and made this deration .

    ¡°Er, what does that mean exactly?¡±

    ¡°This sword does not host a consciousness . But I can transfer mine into it . Leaving my original form here . ¡±

    ¡°Is it alright to do something like that?¡±

    Listening to Munechika¡¯s exnation, Shin was reminded of a videogame¡¯s VR technology .

    To leave the real body behind and move with only one¡¯s consciousness as a VR avatar was simr to Munechika¡¯s proposal of transferring her consciousness to another sword, he thought .

    ¡°T-that¡¯s right . Isn¡¯t it dangerous to do something like transferring your consciousness?¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t seem like there would be any trouble . Because this too is ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» . I know that even before trying . ¡±

    Munechika firmly nodded to Shin and Mitsuyo¡¯s questions .

    ¡°Let me confirm, just in case . What would happen if you were defeated after transferring your consciousness?¡±

    ¡°If the host disappears, my original form would simply awaken . Of course, my original form would be defenseless while my consciousness is transferred elsewhere, though . ¡±

    ¡°What if the host was contaminated by miasma?¡±

    ¡°I would not be able to transfer my consciousness anymore, or I would be trapped by it, I suppose . I cannot say with certainty unless that actually happens . ¡±

    What she knew was simply that she could transfer her consciousness into Shin¡¯s ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» . That even after transferring her consciousness she could detect Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna¡¯s presences . Lastly, that if the host body was broken her consciousness would return to the original one .

    Shin tried to ask her the tricky question of how she could know all that, but Munechika simply replied ¡°somehow¡± .

    ¡°This is just a hypothesis, but the sword you hold is also me, in a way . I do not know if we can consider it and me as one and the same, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong to consider it as something born from myself . ¡±

    ¡°In other words, there are multiple containers for you?¡±

    ¡°That could be a way to put it . To inhabit them, though, I would need permission from the holder . I could not inhabit just any unknown stranger¡¯s ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» . ¡±

    To inhabit a weapon, first it was necessary to align one¡¯s wavelength with it, exins Munechika . She could not just inhabit any weapon as she pleased .

    ¡°It¡¯s turned into something huge . ¡±

    Tiera was listening silently, but in the end blurted out ament . Filma nodded in agreement .

    ¡°To inhabit other bodies with one¡¯s consciousness¡­anthropomorphized weapons sure can do amazing stuff . ¡±

    ¡°We are aware that we are unusual beings . We can also alter our appearance to a degree . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we might be weapons but we also host a soul . I don¡¯t imagine such bizarre creatures exist anywhere else . ¡±

    Munechika spoke seriously, while Tssugumented whileughing . Their reactions were different, but they both seemed toprehend what kind of beings they were .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°Hm? Why the sudden silence, Shin?¡±

    ¡°No, I just wanted to ask something else . Could you inhabit this weapon even if it had been reinforced?¡±

    ¡°Reinforced?¡±

    ¡°Yes, being an event item it doesn¡¯t have many capacity slots, but ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡»can still be reinforced . I thought that since we¡¯re going to use it, it¡¯d be better to boost it up while we¡¯re at it . ¡±

    Shin thought that if the weapon Munechika carries in human form has the same stats and effects as her original form, if the original weapon was powered up maybe the human form would be strengthened as well .

    ¡°Wait just a moment there . You are aware that ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» is one of the Five Supreme des, right? Maybe Munechika recognized your ability, maybe you¡¯re an incredible guy, but don¡¯t just say you can ¡°reinforce¡± it so casually!¡±

    ¡°No, I mean that it¡¯s not a proble¡ª-don¡¯t re like that, please . ¡±

    Shin could onlyugh wryly before Mitsuyo¡¯s using stare .

    ¡°Calm down, Mitsuyo . That¡¯s true, something unexpected might happen, I cannot refuse to be reinforced . I do not know what would happen if you fiddle with my main body, but I have no objections . As long as I can keep my form as the weapon ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡», being reinforced is not a problem . ¡±

    ¡°I see . The sun will set soon, so we will leave the exploration for tomorrow and do the reinforcing today . Do you have any requests in what way you would like to be reinforced, by the way?¡±

    Weapon reinforcement contained many options: sturdiness boost, attack power increase, attack range extension, element attachment, etcetera .

    The times a weapon could be reinforced too had different patterns: depending on the strength of the effect applied, many different ones could be added, or it was also possible to focus on a single element .

    Based on how it was reinforced, a weapon could change to the point of bing like apletely different one .

    ¡°Hmm . Personally, I would favor sharpness and sturdiness . Because the ideal katana never breaks, never bends, and slices well . Besides, adding unique effects could make me feel weird when I return to my original body . ¡±

    ¡°I see, roger then . I¡¯ll use the clearing in front of the shrine for a while . ¡±

    After obtaining permission, Shin materialized Tsuki no Hokora . Shin headed straight to the smithy, but for some reason, behind Shin¡¯s group, the 3 Supreme des and the baby Kagutsuchi were following .

    ¡°Wait, why are you alling?¡±

    ¡°What? Is that a problem or something?¡±

    ¡°Well now, is that not the ce where weapons, what we would call a part of ourselves, are tempered? It is not something we can see every day . It is not strange for our interest to be piqued . Or are women forbidden to enter a smithy?¡±

    Depending on the age, some locations were forbidden to women . Munechika¡¯s question to Shin was probably because she knew this fact .

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t particrly care about things like that . I understand Munechika, but I didn¡¯t think that Mitsuyo and Tssugu, and even Kagutsuchi woulde . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to boast, but we are not weapons that average cksmiths can handle . I cannot deny I am interested . ¡±

    Tssugu spoke with an innocent smile .

    In the game era, Shin had very rarely let others see him work in the smithy .

    The residential area and smithy of the Tsuki no Hokora weren¡¯t essible to any yer outside the Rokuten members; keeping one¡¯s ideas and methods hidden was alsomon practice .

    Furthermore, having people watching made him feel a little awkward too .

    (Maybe because of the people present, it feels pretty different from the time at Falnido . )

    Probably because of the presence of Munechika¡¯s group, weapons with a consciousness, it was different from having Girard¡¯s attendants or Tiera watching . Shin felt a kind of nervousness he couldn¡¯t quite put into words .

    Munechika especially, waspletely serious . Even the baby Kagutsuchi resting on her head, which would normally brighten the mood, had a deadly serious expression now .

    ¡°Then, I¡¯m starting . ¡±

    With these words, Shin started the fire in the furnace .

    He checked the appearance of the magic power-imbued mes, impossible to generate in reality, then took out ingots of Orihalcum and Scarletite from the item box .

    He ced them in the furnace and waited several minutes . A mineral sparkling with a mix of silver and red was formed .

    ¡°Is that¡­¡±

    Mitsuyomented, impressed .

    ¡°Something we call Chimeradite . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it hasn¡¯t be a weapon yet, but I already feel a peculiar intimidation from it¡­¡±

    ¡°Is it something you can use without problems?¡±

    Tssugu and Munechika both stared intently at the Chimeradite ingot, after feeling its magical power .

    ¡°No problem at all . I have already used ingots like this to reinforce weapons . ¡±

    Shin understood their feelings, now that the world had be reality . Normal minerals do not possess magical power, and even unique minerals for cksmithing would not emit unusual magical energies like Chimeradite does .

    ¡°I will focus on tempering now . I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to answer anything even if you ask me, so please keep it in mind . ¡±

    Everyone in the smithy felt the atmosphere changed after Shin spoke these words using a serious tone .

    ¡°¡ª-I¡¯m starting . ¡±

    Shin first took ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» out of the item box and removed its hilt from the de . Holding it with tongs, Shin heated the de over the furnace, turning it gradually whiter .

    The magic power-imbued mes depended on the magic power of the cksmith that had ignited them . Because of this, they could have various effects, depending on the cksmith¡¯s will .

    This time the weapon was gradually reaching the most suitable temperature for reinforcing it .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    After about 20 seconds, Shin silently removed the de from the furnace and ced it on top of the Chimeradite ingot atop the anvil .

    The white hot de, with the sharp side pointing down, cut through the Chimeradite like a knife through butter . When the de reached the center of the ingot, Shin lowered his hammer .

    ¡°¡­ . hnngh!¡±

    The hammer swung down on the ingot .

    Every time the hammer struck, a long, bright sound of struck metal echoed in the smithy . At the same time, like ripples in ake, the magic power imbued in the hammer spread through the ingot and the de .

    ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s this magic power¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, now this is impressive . ¡±

    Looking at Shin performing cksmith work, feeling the echoing sounds and the magic¡¯s ripple, Mitsuyo and Tssugu couldn¡¯t help but to voice their surprise and admiration .

    Munechika simply stared at Shin, without a word .

    ¡°As usual, Shin is really amazing when he does cksmith work . ¡±

    ¡°Of course he is, cksmith is his second name after all . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true . His strength stands out more, but originally this is what Shin is best at . ¡±

    Following Tiera¡¯s words, spoken while her body trembled because of the ripples of magic power, Filma replied jokingly, while Schnee did with pride .

    ¡°It looks like it will beplete soon . ¡±

    Shibaid, who had been nodding silently,mented too .

    As Schnee and the others turned their eyes back on Shin, the Chimeradite on the tip of Shin¡¯s hammer had be very small, as it had been gradually absorbed into the de, and had mostly disappeared .

    ¡°Shhh!¡±

    The metallic echoes resounded one more time, stronger than before . With thisst blow, the Chimeradite waspletely absorbed by the de .

    Supported by the tongs, the de was not touching the anvil and was held in midair . The silver aura surrounding the katana was clearly denser than before the reinforcement .

    ¡°Phew, it¡¯splete . ¡±

    With a small sigh, Shin reattached the hilt to the de .

    The katana¡¯s appearance had barely changed, but he understood that its attack power and resilience had grown by 20% . The name had also changed to ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡» .

    ¡°Here we are . Just in case, check if everything¡¯s all right . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I will¡­it¡¯s all right . ¡±

    Munechika closed her eyes holding the sheathed ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡», then nodded with conviction . A small grin on her lips suggested her excitement .

    ¡°I will try to transfer my consciousness right away . Mitsuyo, take care of my body . ¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me . ¡±

    ¡°Here I go . ¡±

    Munechika¡¯s body glowed silver, then after a few seconds turned into light itself, vanishing in the air . From inside the light, a katana just like ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» before the reinforcement appeared .

    As Mitsuyo grabbed the katana that appeared in midair, it fell in her hands, as if it had lost whatever was supporting it .

    On the other hand ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡» was floating, in the same position as when Munechika was holding it . At the same time as Mitsuyo had grabbed the materialized ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡», ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡» started to glow .

    Silver light gathered around the reinforced katana, gradually forming a human-like silhouette .

    After a while, it morphedpletely into a human .

    ¡°¡­ . phew, looks like there really are no problems . ¡±

    ¡°Er, what?¡±

    ¡°Hmm . ¡±

    ¡°Mitsuyo, Tssugu, why are you surprised? Hmm? Shin, you all too?¡±

    Not only Mitsuyo and Tssugu were surprised to see Munechika as she appeared again in human form .

    Their reactions, though, were a mixture of awkwardness and looking pointedly at Shin .

    ¡°If no one talks, I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to react . ¡±

    ¡°Well, er¡­yes, I think it¡¯s faster if you take a look yourself . ¡±

    Shin materialized a hand mirror from the item box and gave it to Munechika .

    Even if still puzzled, Munechika took it in her hands .

    ¡°Oh? I see, so this is the reason . ¡±

    Looking at herself in the mirror, Munechika nodded in understanding .

    ¡°What!? Is that it!?! Why are you more beautiful than before anyway!?¡±

    Mitsuyo loudly voiced what everyone other than Munechika was thinking .

    Munechika was already considerably good-looking, but her beauty seemed to have been upgraded too .

    Her waist-length ck hair had acquired an even shinier gloss, making her pale skin stand out even more . Her well-defined eyes expressed a proud elegance blooming from her beauty .

    It seemed that even her chest, pushing up her armor, had be more ample than before .

    ¡°It looks like being reinforced also influenced my appearance . ¡±

    ¡°Hey, Munechika!! Why are you so calm and collected!! This is just weird!! Not only did you get prettier, but your curves improved too!?¡±

    She might be a weapon, but now she was a woman . She apparently harbored the desire to be prettier, so Mitsuyo questioned Munechika .

    ¡°Wait, Mitsuyo, that¡¯s not something I can answer . Shin, do you know what could have caused this?¡±

    Shin was the author of the reinforcement, but even he could not exin this phenomenon .

    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t . If you transfer your consciousness to a reinforced weapon you can be more beautiful¡­I had no idea this would happen!¡±

    ¡°Maybe you put in even more effort because Munechika is a beautifuldy?¡±

    ¡°He-hey now, Tiera! Stop saying things that could cause misunderstandings . I really, really don¡¯t know why this happened!¡±

    Shin desperately exined himself to Tiera¡¯s suspecting gaze .

    Next to her, Schnee was looking at him with eyes clearly saying ¡°that¡¯s not the case at all, is it?¡± To Shin, this was the bigger menace .

    ¡°This too must be a feat the ¡°Dark cksmith¡± can do, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°It could be . The quality has improved after all, it would be difficult to say they are unrted . ¡±

    In contrast with themotion that broke out on Shin¡¯s side, Filma and Shibaid nodded to each other in understanding, while Yuzuha and Tssugu were simply impressed .

    ¡°Kuu, Shin, amazing!¡±

    ¡°Amazing indeed . Even more than expected . ¡±

    ¡°Anyway! The reinforcement isplete! Tomorrow morning we¡¯re exploring the dungeon . Let¡¯s get some rest!¡±

    Shin shouted to forcefully end the conversation .

    Tiera also let it go, maybe because she didn¡¯t feel like pressing him further . Schnee sighed in relief .

    ¡°Yes, Shin is right . ¡±

    ¡°But I just can¡¯t ept it . ¡±

    ¡°Hehe, Mitsuyo is a bitcking in that kind of growth after all .

    ¡°¡­ . what did you say?¡±

    ¡°Hoho, my my, so scary . ¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s killing intent leaked towards Tssugu¡¯s s direction .

    She still seemed dissatisfied, but had not forgotten their primary goal . She knew that today they wouldn¡¯t push themselves into exploring the dungeon . That¡¯s one reason behind her reactions .

    ¡°Tomorrow, then . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do the necessary preparations . ¡±

    After seeing Munechika¡¯s group off, Shin called Filma and Shibaid .

    He meant to let the other members rest first, but as they were interested, Tiera and Yuzuha remained too .

    Only Schnee, who understood the situation, went to make preparations for dinner .

    ¡°Do you still have something to do?¡±

    ¡°I already had Schnee do it, but please look at this . ¡±

    Shin pulled out ¡ºTrue Moon¡» from the item box and showed it to the two .

    ¡°¡ºTrue Moon¡» was broken!? Who the heck did you fight against?¡±

    Filma looked at ¡ºTrue Moon¡», her eyes wide open in surprise . She knew well how sturdy it was, so she couldn¡¯t believe that it had been broken .

    ¡°Could that be¡­¡±

    ¡°Shibaid can probably guess the cause . This happened when I fought Girard and it shed against ¡ºCrushing Moon¡» . ¡±

    Shin exined how he tried to fix it multiple times, and how he felt that a piece was restored when Schnee poured her magic power in the katana .

    ¡°Schnee and us, meaning it¡¯s the number of those who serve under you?¡±

    Shibaid made his guess after hearing that 3 pieces were missing .

    The pieces Shin vaguely felt to be missing and the former support characters who had not poured their magic power in ¡ºTrue Moon¡» were the same number .

    ¡°Probably . That¡¯s what I felt when Schnee infused her magic power in it . If this wasn¡¯t tied with my support characters, then I would have no idea what else it could be . ¡±

    ¡°Pour magic power in it, right? Let¡¯s get it done then . ¡±

    After listening to Shin, Filma received ¡ºTrue Moon¡» from him and closed her eyes to concentrate . As she did so, the glow emitted by ¡ºTrue Moon¡» changed from violet to red .

    As the red light was absorbed by ¡ºTrue Moon¡», Filma let out a sigh .

    ¡°My part is done . This sure takes a good chunk out of you . ¡±

    ¡°Then my turn is next . ¡±

    Shibaid took ¡ºTrue Moon¡» from Filma and concentrated . The katana started glowing in a ck light mixed with silver .

    The light shone a little longer than Filma¡¯s, but when it disappeared Shibaid too let out a small sigh .

    ¡°I can¡¯t do it as Filma did . But my magic power is definitely within it too now . There¡¯s only one remaining now . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still someone?¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s words provoked a question from Tiera .

    Schnee, Filma and Shibaid, then Girard . With so many powerful members already present, she was surprised that there was still someone else .

    ¡°A party could contain up to 6 members, after all . Shin had 5 support characters . Thest one is a girl called Sety . She was born a bitter than us, so she was like a little sister . You can¡¯t get ahold of her now, right?¡±

    The Sety Filma talked about was thest one of Shin¡¯s entourage . Support character no . 5, High Pixie Sety Lumiere .

    Different from the closebat-type Filma and Girard, the wall-type Shibaid and the all-rounder Schnee, she was a rear support type mainly specialized in magic .

    ¡°Yes,pletely lost . I don¡¯t have a single clue . ¡±

    Shin answered making a gesture of surrender .

    Just like Filma, Sety was acting freely on her own . She had not be famous like Schnee or Shibaid, so they did not have any idea where she could be .

    ¡°Shibaid, haven¡¯t you or Schnee ever managed to reach her?¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t . Just like with you . ¡±

    Shibaid looked at Filma with a certain tired annoyance in his eyes .

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it, could I?¡±

    Like Filma, she might be in need of help, so Shin had already made a search request to the Golden Company through Berett .

    ¡°Either she¡¯s stuck somewhere like Filma was, or she has no intention of answering, I guess . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­but isn¡¯t there also the possibility that she¡¯s sleeping?¡±

    Filma added one option to the possibilities Shin thought about Sety¡¯sck of a response .

    ¡°Sleeping? Ah, that¡¯s true . ¡±

    Long-living species such as Elves and Pixies sometimes slept for dozens of years at a time . It was one of the game¡¯s features . There also was a quest about waking up a NPC Pixie, so it wasn¡¯t impossible .

    ¡°That makes it hard to join with her, though . ¡±

    ¡°Right . We found Filma purely by chance too . For Sety, all I know is that she could maybe be in a  faerie vige . ¡±

    Faerie viges, home bases for Pixies, existed in several locations . Some were open to contact with the outside world, while others weren¡¯t; if Sety was in one of thetter type, it would have been difficult to look for her .

    The barrier protecting faerie viges was something not even Shin could detect without being very close .

    ¡°If she is in one of the viges thatmunicate with the outside world, there would be at least some informationing in . But only those with high rank know the location of those sleeping, supposedly . We can only go directly and make sure . ¡±

    ¡°In any case, we can just wait for information from Berett . If we don¡¯t learn anything by the time this mission is done with, I¡¯m nning to go to Garden first . ¡±

    Shin replied to Shibaid . After meeting Girard again he was always involved in some trouble and had not had time, but he knew that he needed to make the time for this .

    Inside it there should be Oxygen and Hydro, a High Pixie-High Lord duo serving under the Red Alchemist Hecate .

    They were both research maniacs who would not take a step outside for years at a time, hadpletely different attitudes depending if they were interested in something or not¡­when Shin heard of the characteristics Hecate had created them with, he couldn¡¯t help being perplexed as to why she would create them like that .

    ¡°Those two, if we¡¯re lucky, are just immersed in their research . I looked at it from far away, but Garden didn¡¯t appear to be damaged . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to object to that line, but I really can¡¯t . ¡±

    ¡°I understand that I should be worrying, really . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were said in a joking manner to hide his worry, but Shibaid and Filma did not understand them like that .

    They could not imagine Oxygen and Hydro, inside Garden, to be in any sort of trouble .

    Shin only knew them from the game era, so he did not know how their personalities were now that the game had be reality . Looking at Filma and Shibaid¡¯s reactions gave him an idea though .

    If they didn¡¯t change from the game era, they were likely still pursuing their research: they could probably even say that they didn¡¯t notice the Dusk of Majesty had happened .

    Abundant food and supplies, ample research material and facilities,bined with the high protection of being a Guild house . They had all they needed to shut themselves in it, so Shin wasn¡¯t too worried either .

    If they used the items within Garden, they could even deal with the powerful poisons surrounding it . Shin thought that they could havee out if they wanted .

    ¡°Well, no use talking about that here and now . Let¡¯s settle this Supreme des business first . ¡±

    Their opponent was someone that, based only on strength, could rival Schnee .

    As Shin¡¯s party was superior both in numbers and ability, they had no risk of losing, but it was already a situation that was not present in the game . To be ready for any situation, he decided to review items and equipment before sleeping .

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s recover our energy with Schnee¡¯s dinner now . We can really look forward to her cooking . ¡±

    Everyone present knew of Schnee¡¯s cooking skills .

    As they entered the dining room, the food was already ready, while the table was being prepared .

    ¡°And¡­why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Because Kagutsuchi said it wanted to eat here . The High Elf there gave us her permission, by the way . ¡±

    Mitsuyo answered Shin¡¯s question while pouting .

    She was looking at the baby Kagutsuchi, sitting in the middle of the table .

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s saying, I shall grant you the honor of feeding me . ¡±

    ¡°Very high and mighty, but still a chick¡­¡±

    These words would feel appropriate if said by Kagutsuchi¡¯s original form, but the current fluffy chick had little authority to show . They had no reason to chase it out, however, so Schnee made dinner for Mitsuyo too .

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    ¡°Truly a delicacy . You have my praise¡±, it said . ¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m honored . ¡±

    Kagutsuchi cried while pecking happily at the food, and Schnee answered with a smile .

    Kagutsuchi was not the only one lost in the pleasure of Schnee¡¯s food . Mitsuyo too, who had apanied Kagutsuchi and sat at the table almost against her will, had been relentlessly and silently serving herself since the start of the meal .

    Looking at the smile her lips formed, there was no need to ask for her impressions .

    The dinner with such unusual guests continued: after it ended, Kagutsuchi and Mitsuyo returned to the small shrine .

    After dinner all members proceeded to their respective rooms and prepared for the next day .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­ . . kuu . ¡±

    After everyone else had fallen asleep, Yuzuha cried softly on the bed .

    She was remembering Filma and Shibaid pouring their magic power in ¡ºTrue Moon¡» .

    Shin said that there were 3 pieces missing: after Filma and Shibaid, just another one .

    Even in its broken state, ¡ºTrue Moon¡» was a superior Ancient-grade weapon . If more magic power than just thest missing person¡¯s part was poured in, it could surpass any other existing weapon .

    Even if her knowledge was still limited, the Element Tail Yuzuha knew that .

    What Yuzuha was concerned about was whether ¡ºTrue Moon¡» had capacity for her to pour magic power in or not .

    Being his partner, Yuzuha also wanted to be of help to Shin . But if ¡ºTrue Moon¡» didn¡¯t have room, there was nothing she could do .

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    I want to be stronger . So Yuzuha thought .

    If she recovered all her powers and used all of her knowledge, she might be able to do something .

    These were the thoughts that started to sprout in Yuzuha¡¯s mind .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    At the same time, Tiera was still awake .

    Sharing simr emotions as Yuzuha, she was thinking of Filma and Shibaid .

    ¡°¡­ . . haah . ¡±

    She could only sigh .

    She had be unmistakably stronger . Yet she was still far from matching Schnee and the others . Even if she poured magic power in ¡ºTrue Moon¡»like them, the resulting boost would surely be minimal .

    ¡°I¡¯d¡­ . hate that¡­¡±

    Her thoughts spilled into her words .

    Tiera was aware she was the least powerful of the current members .

    But even so, she wanted to be useful to Shin .

    Tiera couldn¡¯t yet decide if that desire came for the gratitude to him for dispelling her curse or for another feeling that was slowly taking shape within her .

    She hated not being able to do anything though .

    ¡°I want to¡­be stronger¡­¡±

    She didn¡¯t want to be a burden .

    She didn¡¯t want them to keep looking out for her .

    She knew that it was an arrogant wish, but as of now they were not on equal standing .

    I want to stand¡­at his side .

    ¡°¡­haah . ¡±

    Her feelings were strong . But reality wasn¡¯t that easy .

    The difference in strength was overwhelming, she did not know what she should do .

    But even so, her feelings remained .

    ¡°Sniffle¡­¡±

    It would take a while before she could sleep that night .

 Vol 9 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    ¡°Hey, Tiera. You don¡¯t look too well, is everything alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just had some trouble sleeping.¡±

    The next morning, Shin and Tiera bumped into each other as they left their respective rooms, and Shin inquired about Tiera, who looked less lively than usual.

    Her answer also felt less energetic than normal.

    Shin thought she might have been sick, but Kagerou, ever present at Tiera¡¯s feet, did not seem to be worried.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ would not disy small changes in one¡¯s condition, but, if Tiera had been pushing herself, Kagerou would have reacted in some way, so Shin chose not to pursue the matter any further.

    Tiera headed to the bathroom before breakfast. When she came back, she looked the same as always.

    ¡°And¡­you¡¯re here in the morning too.¡±

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes were pointed at the fluffy, red ball of feathers, baby Kagutsuchi, as he spoke. Roasted fish just out of the oveny on the te before the bird.

    As Shin and the others started eating, baby Kagutsuchi started pecking away at the fish too.

    The fish was much more than baby Kagutsuchi¡¯s size seemed to allow, but baby Kagutsuchi ate until the fishbones had been picked clean.

    Baby Kagutsuchi gave a small cry while patting its stomach, which had be rounder than before.

    ¡°Truly a delicacy, he says.¡±

    Mitsuyo tranted Kagutsuchi¡¯s cry while she was eating in a slower, more polite manner.

    ¡°Kuu, ball of feathers, acting so high and mighty.¡±

    ¡°PYO!?¡±

    Maybe because she didn¡¯t appreciate Kagutsuchi¡¯s attitude, fox-mode Yuzuha tried to push down its head with her paws.

    Surprised, Kagutsuchi dodged the sudden attack at thest second and raised its small wings to intimidate the opponent.

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    A bizarre battle had broken out in the middle of the table.

    ¡°What are those two doing?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? ying with each other as entities rted to the Ley lines?¡±

    Watching the fight out of the corner of their eyes, the group continued eating their meal.

    The bout between Kagutsuchi and Yuzuha was concluded with a lightning bolt from Schnee.

    ¡°By the way, Mitsuyo, are you Kagutsuchi¡¯s caretaker?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d love to say no, but yes, I pretty much am. In theory, it¡¯s a task that rotates between Munechika, Tssugu, and me. But rather than that, that¡¯s a rather familiar way of addressing me, without honorifics or anything. It is true that we requested for your help, but it¡¯s quite irritating to be treated as inferior.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m sorry. A long time ago, when I was discussing battle strategies with myrades, we called you without honorifics, so¡­¡±

    Having been programmed with the movements of martial arts masters, the Five Supreme des were not opponents beginners or yers with just some experience could hope to handle. But as they were ultimately programs, even their refined movements contained patterns.

    At the time, Shin studied these movements and snatched victory by a hair. As they had met and fought many times, he ended up talking to her with familiarity.

    ¡°You look younger than the other two, so maybe he felt closer to you?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Filma!¡±

    Shin reprimanded Filma because Mitsuyo seemed to be sensitive about her appearance. But Mitsuyo herself did not seem to care much.

    ¡°¡­..well, that¡¯s fine. I remembered you after all, so I¡¯ll let you call me as you like. I¡¯ll address you the same way though. That¡¯s fine, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. call me what you want.¡±

    ¡°By the way, there was something I wanted to confirm, may I?¡±

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°What you did to Munechika yesterday, can you do it to other Supreme des too?¡±

    Mitsuya probably referred to Shin¡¯s reinforcing of the ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡»he possessed.

    ¡°I can do the reinforcement itself. But in regards to ¡ºJuzumaru Tssugu¡», I acquired it in a slightly different way, so I don¡¯t know if the consciousness transfer can be done.¡±

    ¡°I see. If you can, then it¡¯s alright.¡±

    Mitsuyo did not add anything after that. ¡°Lend me your reinforced ¡ºOodenta Mitsuyo¡»¡±, or ¡°I will being with you¡±¡­Shin was expecting a development like this, so he was a little taken aback.

    After breakfast, Shin and his group headed to the shrine. At the entrance, Munechika and Tssugu were already waiting.

    ¡°Sorry, did we make you wait?¡±

    ¡°No, we just arrived as well. Then let¡¯s enter the dungeon immediately. I shall show you to the entrance. Follow me.¡±

    The group followed Munechika inside the shrine.

    When they arrived in front of the crystallized Kagutsuchi, Munechika turned around.

    ¡°We will be transported to the dungeon from here. Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°No problem. Anytime you want.¡±

    Shin nodded firmly to Munechika¡¯s final confirmation.

    As they had little information about the dungeon, they could not prepare for specific situations. Shin¡¯s item box, however, included enough supplies to handle any kind of situation.

    Concerning recovery items, each member¡¯s item box had been provided with a sufficient quantity.

    Tiera couldn¡¯t use the item box, so she carried items in card form in a pouch at her waist.

    ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    ¡°Pii!!¡±

    ¡°Kagutsuchi wishes you fortune in battle too. Come back in one piece, you hear.¡±

    Munechika replied in a clear, powerful tone to Tssugu and Mitsuyo, who would stay in the shrine to protect it, and baby Kagutsuchi, who couldn¡¯t fight for itself.

    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±

    Her answer did not contain the slightest hint of worry.

    ¡°Kuu¡­.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Yuzuha. You¡¯re the only one that can help with Ley lines right now.¡±

    Because of Shin¡¯s group¡¯s entrance into the dungeon, the miasma that had swallowed Dojigiri Yasutsuna could have had unfathomable effects on the Ley lines inside the dungeon.

    Because of that Yuzuha, who, like Kagutsuchi was capable of influencing Ley lines, would stay outside.

    Influencing Ley lines was also possible inside the dungeon, but rather than inside a warped dungeon, staying in Kagutsuchi¡¯s shrine would allow them to influence the Ley lines from a safe location.

    Shin promised the unhappy Yuzuha to brush her aftering back, then walked towards Munechika.

    ¡°I shall start the transfer then.¡±

    As Munechika¡¯s spoke, the scenery before Shin and his group blurred.

    Compared to teleportation using the crystal stone or the one at Bayreuth, the transfer waspleted after a slight feeling of intoxication.

    ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡±

    The instant after they transferred, a sauna-like heat attacked the party. Sweat would start trickling even without doing anything in particr.

    For a dungeon located in a natural cave, its insides were extremely wide. 2 parties could be formed within it without problems.

    Thanks to the wide space, it was not necessary to pay special care to the fumes of hot steam spouting from the walls, boulders, and ceiling.

    Because of the white steam generated in the already humid cave, the temperature was very high. The steam could alsoe from the floor too, so they had to proceed with care.

    Shin was protected by powerful gear, but he didn¡¯t feel like trying to see what would happen if he was hit.

    ¡°Uuh, I feel sick¡­¡±

    Different from Shin, who was disconcerted by the heat and humidity, Tiera was holding her hands over her mouth, unsteady on her feet.

    Shin had just felt a slight disorientation from the transfer, but the effects appeared to have been greater on Tiera. The sweat on her forehead was not just from the heat.

    Next to Tiera, Kagerou was crying out, worried.

    Schnee cast ¡¾Heal¡¿ on the pale Tiera and gently rubbed her back.

    ¡°I too felt a kind of intoxication. Let¡¯s take a small break, just in case. Tiera, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I feel much better already.¡±

    Herplexion seemed to look a bit better, perhaps because of Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Heal¡¿.

    After generating a barrier skill to guarantee their safety, all party members took a rxed posture.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t feel like that when we used the crystal stone. Munechika, do you know what the reason could be?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but it could be the miasma. Even a weapon like me felt a little uneasy. I imagine that human types like you are more heavily affected.¡±

    Everyone thought that the cause could be the miasma, but no one knew why Tiera was the only one to show such a strong negative response.

    For 15 minutes they talked while waiting for Tiera to recover.

    Tiera announced that she felt better, and Schnee also confirmed that she had recovered enough, so the group resumed the exploration of the dungeon.

    Fuji¡¯s secret dungeon was officially named ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±.

    ording to Munechika, as the name suggests many fire-elemental monsters dwell in it; without resistance to fire, just being inside the dungeon would gradually sap one¡¯s energy.

    ¡°We could cut off the heat with a barrier, but moving will be troublesome.¡±

    Dungeons where simply walking makes your HP decrease are truly harsh.

    As Shin¡¯s experience told him, item usage increased and in some cases, MP management became more difficult too. There were possible countermeasures, but if one wasn¡¯t of high enough level struggling was inevitable.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know what could happen, better be fully ready.¡±

    Shin took 7 cards out of the item box. They were all the same: when materialized, a bracelet adorned with red gems appeared. It was the ¡ºEnra Bracelet¡», an essory that nullified fire-elemental damage.

    ¡°To think that it would affect even me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in human form, so I suppose the item identifies you as human too?¡±

    Shin answered to the surprised Munechika. It was possible to apply external options to weapons, so that might be the reason why this was possible.

    ¡°It¡¯s fantastic that not only it stops damage, but blocks the heat too. If our hands slipped because of the sweat it would be a problem.¡±

    Filma spoke while lightly wielding her sword. In the game, sweat wouldn¡¯t weaken the weapon¡¯s grip, but now that was a factor to think about.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it a bit of shame for you, Shin?¡±

    ¡°What is?¡±

    Filma seemed to havee up with something and whispered it into Shin¡¯s ear.

    ¡°If the heat continued, the sweat would have made Schnee¡¯s clothes see-through¡­right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ridic¡­.wait, they don¡¯t work like that, probably.¡±

    In the game, armor would not get ripped or broken even if drenched or attacked. But things were different now.

    Schnee was now wearing Ancient-grade gear hand-made by Shin, the ¡ºMoonlight Silver Maid Uniform¡». Whether it would be see-through or not was unknown, but it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it stuck to her skin and entuated her curves.

    ¡°Anyway, jokes at a time like this?¡±

    ¡°This much wouldn¡¯t shake you, would it Shin? Besides it helped you rx, right?¡±

    ¡°Even if I had been nervous, I don¡¯t think this would have helped.¡±

    ¡°Filma, don¡¯t trouble Shin too much.¡±

    Maybe tired of the exchange, Shibaid lightly rebuked Filma.

    Even while joking, neither Shin nor Filma neglected to be wary of their surroundings.

    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly rxed even in this situation. No, I suppose it¡¯s normal for Shin¡¯s party to be like this.¡±

    ¡°Having a sense of tension is important, though. We just entered into the dungeon. If we were tense all the time, we wouldn¡¯tst until the end.¡±

    After the start of the Death Game, Shin explored dungeons alone most of the time.

    Compared to that, having Schnee and the others with him made the current situation much easier to handle. At the very least, he felt rxed enough to roll his eyes at Filma¡¯s jokes.

    ¡°Okay then, looks like we have to wee our first guest soon.¡±

    Shin detected an enemy presence and announced it to Munechika and the others. The simple map disyed 5 red markers.

    Parts of the cave¡¯s walls and ceiling were red hot, so illumination was guaranteed to a degree, but they could not at all say that there was enough visibility.

    Shin used a magic skill for lighting and prepared to confront the enemy.

    ¡°As expected, they¡¯re fire-elemental.¡±

    Appearing before Shin¡¯s party was a group ofrge monsters and smaller ones.

    The first type were 2 roughly 4-mel tall golems which looked like they had been made with the cave¡¯s boulders, named Sledge Heat. The second, 3rge spiders about 1-melrge, with hair like mes, were called Molten Spider.

    The Sledge Heats were walking closer, shaking the ground with their steps. Above them, the Molten Spiders were looking down at Shin¡¯s group while crawling on the ceiling.

    The Sledge Heats¡¯ levels were 434 and 422, the Molten Spiders 369, 366 and 361.

    ¡°A small test to start with I guess. Let¡¯s do it!¡±

    Following Shin¡¯s call, Shibaid, Filma, and Munechika stepped forward.

    The all-rounders Shin and Schnee could have gone forward too, but the frontlines would have be too crowded, so this time they stayed with Tiera in the rear guard, whichcked numbers. Kagerou was Tiera¡¯s exclusive protector.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to suppress them first. Shibaid, everyone, take care of any monster that sneaks through!¡±

    After giving hismands, Shin used the water-type magic skill ¡¾Ice Bullet¡¿.

    The magic skill caused several ice shards the size of a fist to appear around Shin and Schnee.

    Using the shards, floating thanks to their emissions of cold air, Shin aimed at the Heat Sledges, while Schnee sniped the Molten Spiders.

    The shards, flying at a speed exceeding Tiera¡¯s arrows, pelted the Heat Sledges and Molten Spiders like bullets from a machine gun.

    Their offensive power was too high for the monsters: the Sledge Heats broke down in pieces, while the Molten Spiders retained little of their original form.

    ¡°¡­.listen, you two. If you don¡¯t hold back a little, we won¡¯t have anything to do here.¡±

    ¡°No wait, they were too frail, seriously. I thought that monsters in a secret dungeon would have a bit more backbone.¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess this is the obvious result though.¡±

    ¡°Master¡¯s and Shin¡¯s magic power is so high that the monsters became nothing but shooting targets. Normally ¡¾Ice Bullet¡¿ doesn¡¯t have this kind of power either¡­¡±

    Tiera put away the arrows she had prepared andmented while looking at the frozen and shattered monsters.

    Once squeezed, the fragments broke down in small crystals. They werepletely frozen and became brittle too.

    ¡°Anyway, did it have the effect of freezing the opponent?¡±

    ¡°It should have, at least a little. High magic power can amplify added effects. Depending on the opponent, wouldn¡¯t it be the same even if Filma or I had shot them?¡±

    ¡°Shin and Schnee¡¯s stats are high all around, after all. As we just saw very clearly.¡±

    Shibaid suggested an answer to Tiera¡¯s doubts about the magic¡¯s power.

    In the end, that result had been caused by the difference in stats with the opponents. Golems like the Sledge Heats have low resistance to magic. The Molten Spiders were justpletely inferior opponents for Shin and Schnee.

    Inversely, it would have been absurd if a clean hit from Shin and Schnee didn¡¯t kill them on the spot.

    ¡°How very reliable.¡±

    Witnessing the group proceeding while instantly sweeping away any monster they came across, Munechikaughed wryly.

    Maybe because the rule of ¡°weaker monsters appear in the beginning of the dungeon¡± remained, all monsters appearing were under level 500.

    Monsters of that level would fall after one hit of Shin and Schnee¡¯s magic.

    Rarely, some monsters would escape their magic attacks, albeit never unscathed: they would then fall prey to Tiera¡¯s arrows.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even feel like I¡¯m fighting, but my level keeps going up¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all low-level units for us after all. By the way, how are your stats?¡±

    Shin inquired to the surprised Tiera.

    Schnee and Filma had already reached the upper limit and their levels wouldn¡¯t increase anymore.

    But Tiera was different. Leveling up increased her stats further.

    Her parameters¡¯ values did not increase greatly, but she was undoubtedly growing stronger.

    ¡°Hmm, when I absorbed that light I told you that each parameter grew by about 200, right? Since then, I grew 11 levels, my status¡¯¡­decks? (DEX) and¡­ants? (INT) grew by about 40, the rest by about 20. I also learned some skills. But is it normal to learn them so easily¡­?¡±

    In the mysterious ce where Shin¡¯s party reunited with Filma, Schnee and everyone else received a stat increase. On the other hand, only Tiera can level up.

    ¡°Seriously? Your growth rate increased too. Your skills as well.¡±

    Apart from the boost granted by the resurrection bonus, level up boosts were not as big as yers believed. The increases Tiera reported, however, were muchrger than what Shin knew.

    In addition, Tiera had received thergest among the boosts granted by the light all members had absorbed.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I wonder if we have been influenced somehow as well.¡±

    ¡°Schnee and the others can¡¯t level up anymore after all. It¡¯s not a bad effect though, so isn¡¯t it fine like this? To be stronger at a faster rate than normal is a good thing, I think.¡±

    Shin did not absorb the light, but he felt that Tiera¡¯s absorption of one of the lights, despite her not being one of his support characters, must have had some meaning.

    The world was infested with powerful monsters. There was nothing to lose in bing stronger.

    ¡°Well, bing stronger is a good thing, of course. It¡¯s just a little scary that we don¡¯t know what that was. I know it sounds ungrateful since I¡¯m enjoying the bonuses that light granted me.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, judging from your words, haven¡¯t you simply received the Ley lines¡¯ blessing?¡±

    Munechika, who had been silent until now, suddenly voiced her opinion.

    ¡°The Ley lines¡¯ blessing?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Their size may vary, but Ley lines are spread throughout most of the world. People, monsters, nts, animals, all sorts of creatures¡­their magic power and things like fragments of their consciousness seep into those Ley lines. Maybe because of this, the so-called heroes or saviors of each species sometimes are granted boons by the Ley lines. We call that ¡°Blessing of the Ley lines¡±.¡±

    ¡°Who knew something like that existed¡­but looking at Schnee and Shibaid, I can see that.¡±

    Shin was surprised to learn somethingpletely new to him. But he could agree with part of the exnation.

    ¡°I can see why too, rted to master and the others, who are in a High Human¡¯s service. I don¡¯t understand why I would be blessed, though.¡±

    ¡°I do not know that either. As Kagutsuchi said, blessings are not given only following people¡¯s will. Tiera, your species is Elf, thus animals¡¯ and nts¡¯ will might be rted as well. It is not something bad. It is a precious blessing, it will not hurt you to ept it.¡±

    ¡°I understand. But in that case, I¡¯d think Shin would have been blessed too.¡±

    ¡°In my case, being someone from the distant past, maybe I was grouped together with the other yers?¡±

    Shin knew that High Humans were partly treated as a myth, so the thought that he hadn¡¯t been treated as an individual, or was outside the circle eligible for blessings. The definition of blessing was ambiguous too, so he decided not to think too deeply about it.

    ¡°OK, looks like we can¡¯t take it easy anymore.¡±

    Shin spoke looking forward, as to signal the end of the conversation. Tiera followed him, raised her head, then, dumbfounded, whispered.

    ¡°What is¡­that¡­?¡±

    Before Tiera¡¯s eyes flowed a stream ofva. The cave was wider still, so a path was present, but an even fiercer heat awaited Tiera and the party.

    ¡°If Shin hadn¡¯t given us those bracelets¡­I get cold sweats just thinking about it.¡±

    ¡°Without fire resistance, just going closer to this would kill you.¡±

    Tiera swallowed her breath, and Shin agreed with her statement. In the game era HP would just decrease at fixed intervals, something that seemed an extremely small obstacle now.

    Around Shin and the group the temperature was kept at the level that would make one sweat a bit after doing some exercise.

    Though, that was all due to the ¡ºEnra Bracelet¡». The temperature reached by hot steam was nothingpared tova.

    Shin knew well that they were proceeding at a distance that, in reality, would be prohibitive without heat-resisting clothing.

    Once again, Shin felt how incredible items were.

    ¡°By the way, what would happen if we fell into theva?¡±

    The doubt suddenly surfaced in Shin¡¯s mind. In the game, status permitting, it was possible to dive in poisonous swamps orva pools, something absolutely impossible in reality.

    ¡°If we equipped gear protecting the whole body, we could move freely until the endurance pointsst, I think.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second, don¡¯t tell me that someone tried it?¡±

    Shin had just mumbled his doubt, but Schnee heard and replied about what would happen. Hearing the answer, Shin couldn¡¯t help but being surprised at the recklessness of whoever provided this piece of information.

    ¡°That person was wearing full-body Legend-grade armor. Maybe because of the magic power, nova prated inside the armor, apparently. It started melting after 30 minutes or so though.¡±

    ¡°Was that person alright?¡±

    ¡°It was a Chosen One with high defensive power, if I recall correctly. In your case, Shin, you¡¯ll be OK even if it touches your skin, I think. After all, you have higher defense than a dragon with its scales.¡±

    ¡°Even if I know that it¡¯d be OK, I definitely don¡¯t want to try it.¡±

    Shin shook his head firmly: touchingva with his bare hands was something he would never want to do.

    At the same time, he thought that he was well beyond human limits. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of high defense.

    ¡°Does that mean that Chosen Ones like us wouldn¡¯t be cut even if sliced by a de?¡±

    Shin asked the question to Schnee as they were crossing theva stream.

    Ever sinceing into that world, Shin hadn¡¯t received any real damage. Even when he faced Girard, an attack pierced his armor and caused damage, but he hadn¡¯t sustained any actual wounds.

    ¡°It depends, but generally that¡¯s correct. Even if a de is pressed against the skin, people of our level wouldn¡¯t be injured by a normal de. It wouldn¡¯t even cut a little. If we did so with the intent of cutting, we would be able to, though.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why the needle pierced when I made the guild card.¡±

    Shin remembered when he bled in order to create his guild card. If his high defensive power prevented him from being injured, a powerful weapon would be needed to make him spill blood.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s continue this conversationter. Looks like there¡¯s a monster inside theva.¡±

    Shin detected a presence while walking over theva and directed the party¡¯s attention to it.

    ¡°Eh, are you serious¡­?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s question was born out of her difficulty of believing Shin¡¯s words, as nothing but molten rocks floated before her.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably protecting its body with magic power, or something simr. Monsters don¡¯t always fit the ¡°animal¡± definition, after all.¡±

    Creatures that would never exist in reality or defy thews of physics often appear in games. These monsters are born from the mysterious energy called ¡°magic¡±.

    Shin and Schnee are used to such beings, and did not show any particr surprise. The less knowledgeable and experienced Munechika and Tiera couldn¡¯t help being somewhat nervous.

 Vol 9 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    ¡°A monster dwelling in a liquid that melts even iron . I heard about such creatures from Kagutsuchi, but it is curious indeed . ¡±

    ¡°This is nothing special, pay attention to theva and it¡¯s the same as any other monster out there . Besides, if it¡¯s a fish type it¡¯ll be really delicious . ¡±

    ¡°Heh, I am relieved to hear that . I shall make sure to cut it ready to be served, then . ¡±

    With a smallugh, Munechika readied her de .

    Each party member proceeded forward, their weapons at the ready . After about 5 minutes, a fish fin-looking object emerged from the molten stream .

    The object, which emitted a metal-like glimmer, was about 1 mel long .

    ¡°A Kiral Laava, huh . Judging from the fin, it¡¯s probably 4 mels long . If it jumps in the air, it will shoot ¡¾Fireball¡¿ from its mouth, so be careful!¡±

    Kiral Laava was an orca-type monster .

    It attacked in mainly 3 patterns: tackles using its massive body, fang attacks, or fireballs . As it dwelt withinva, fire-elemental attacks had little effect and it was also resistant to physical attacks .

    What made it most troublesome was the fact that it attacked in groups .

    ¡°There are 4 of them, I see . I¡¯m going to lure them out, attack them then!¡±

    Shibaid, the tank, swiftly attracted the Kiral Laavas¡¯ attention with taunt skills .

    2 of the 4 Kiral Laavas jumped in midair, while the other 2 charged towards Shibaid .

    The 2 that jumped in midair, uncaring of the possibility of hitting their fellow monsters, shot ¡¾Fireball¡¿ at Shibaid .

    ¡°This much is nothing!¡±

    Shibaid held the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» in front and ran forward towards the ¡¾Fireball¡¿ attacks and the Kiral Laavas . The very instant before shing against the monsters, he activated the Shield-type martial skill ¡¾Eclipse Fall¡¿ .

    An emerald green, 3-mels wide transparent shield was formed with ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» at its center and blew away the charging Kiral Laavas as well as the fireballs .

    Shibaid had the lowest AGI among all the support characters, but he was still faster than the average Chosen One . As the one tasked with stopping enemies, his STR was very high .

    His body¡¯s build was good and, in addition, his main job was Holy Knight . No matter how huge the Kiral Laavas were, Shibaid would never lose in a sh against them .

    The orca monsters were thus blown back, their boulder-like scales shattered to pieces .

    The 2 monsters that had shot ¡¾Fireball¡¿ attacks were still descending and couldn¡¯t assist theirpanions .

    ¡°Yes, as expected . ¡±

    Being blown in midair, the monsters werepletely open except the front, from where they could shoot ¡¾Fireball¡¿ . Not missing this opportunity to strike, Filma closed in to cut down the monsters still floating in midair .

    Momentster, Munechika shed the de of the katana she wielded and, like Filma, cleaved the Kiral Laava in two with one sh .

    The monsters sliced in two squirmed for a few seconds, but quickly stopped moving .

    ¡°The rest are fleeing, I see . ¡±

    Probably judging that they had no chances of winning against Shin¡¯s party after seeing theirpanions defeated so easily, the other 2 Kiral Laava disappeared into theva stream .

    Shin looked at their markers on the map: they were moving away, as to go far from the river .

    ¡°This river doesn¡¯t have only one course then?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The two monsters that fled just now were swimming in a ce that clearly wasn¡¯t this river . There¡¯s probably a passage leading to some other location hidden by thisva stream . ¡±

    Shin answered Tiera¡¯s question by exining the Kiral Laavas¡¯ movements .

    ¡°So that¡¯s why they don¡¯te out . Swimming away inside that makes them really hard to chase down¡­not that I want to fight them . ¡±

    ¡°After all, the monsters are usually hard to fight . I thought we would have to battle them until the end, but I guess that even at that level they run, huh . ¡±

    The Kiral Laava¡¯s level was 500 on average .

    At that level, as far as Shin knew, most monsters fought until the bitter end . He thought they would attack again, so their escape caught him by surprise .

    ¡°The less fighting, the better . We¡¯re almost in the middle of the dungeon, the miasma¡¯s effect is getting stronger too . Be careful everyone . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, the real thing is starting now . ¡±

    After Munechika¡¯s remark, Shin and the others focused anew .

    They had all noticed how their surroundings changed as they proceeded through the dungeon . Unnatural ck dots had started appearing on the rocks .

    When Shin tried throwing a pebble at them, the pebble turned ck the instant it struck the ck dot, then shattered .

    ¡°They¡¯re clearly tainted . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, this aura is miasma, without a doubt . ¡±

    Munechika agreed to Shin¡¯s assertion . Part of the dungeon turning ck was one of the game¡¯s unchanged features .

    As they proceeded towards the depths of the dungeon, Shin¡¯s detection picked up monster presences yet again . The detected units were 6, but their movements were clearly erratic .

    ¡°There are monsters up ahead, but there¡¯s something odd about them . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Their presences get closer, then get farther again . I think that the monsters might be fighting among themselves . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, monsters fighting monsters over territory is not that unusual, though . ¡±

    Munechika casted her doubts after hearing Shin¡¯s exnation . Monsters also had enemies among their own, and sometimes would fight each other while ignoring the yers .

    ¡°That is true, but¡­¡±

    ¡°No, monsters inside dungeons never fight among themselves, do they? The monsters that dwell inside dungeons, even if their forms are different, are said to be of the same tribe . ¡±

    Schnee answered Munechika in ce of Shin, who was at a loss for words .

    Monsters only fought each other in the field outside . Monsters inside dungeons, different from the ones scouring the fields, were not hostile to other monsters .

    Shin¡¯s knowledge, however, was limited to the game mechanics; he could not give a definite answer .

    ¡°Even species that battle each other outside cooperate inside dungeons . Considering this, that is an unusual phenomenon indeed . ¡±

    ¡°In any case, we will encounter them if we go on like this . Let¡¯s go see with our own eyes . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s party proceeded while erasing their presence and gradually came to hear shing noises . There was a boulder ideal to use as hiding spot, so they peeked forward from behind it .

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    What they saw was a giant scorpion-like monster, with half of its body painted ck, named Schuberc, and a creature that looked like several monsters forcefully fused together .

    ¡°That¡¯s a Chimera Invader . ¡±

    The aberration born from monsters corrupted by miasma was the Chimera Invader .

    Created from the fusion of monsters tainted by miasma, its horrific appearance was disliked by female yers .

    ¡°What is that¡­supposed to be?¡±

    ¡°You know that monsters transform because of miasma, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have heard as much from Kagutsuchi . It is my first time to see one in the flesh though . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the fusion of such monsters . Though, I have no idea why it turned into a form that makes it harder to move . ¡±

    Chimera Invaders did not have a fixed form, but changed based on the fused monsters .

    The Chimera Invader fighting against the Schuberc was mainly formed of Kiral Laavas; from the right side of its abdomen sprouted a Golem-like arm, next to its dorsal fin there was the face of a dog-like monster, snake tails poked out next to its mouth, 8 spider-like legs from the left side of its abdomen .

    Its fusion was so chaotic it was almost impossible to describe .

    The creature¡¯s fighting style did not possess the slightest regrity .

    It deftly jumped using the golem arm and spider legs, struck the Schuberc with the snake tails, spewed fire from the dog-like face, faked a tackle then punched with the golem arm¡­it waspletely unpredictable .

    The biggest problem was that every time the Chimera Invader struck, the miasma¡¯s corruption on the Schuberc¡¯s carapace increased in intensity . If things continued like this, the Schuberc would also turn into an Invader and would be assimted by the Chimera Invader .

    ¡°The more monsters it assimtes, the more the level and fighting power of the Chimera Invader increase . ¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of it before it assimtes the Schuberc . ¡±

    The whole party nodded to Shin¡¯s words and stepped forward .

    First, Shibaid activated ¡¾Eclipse Fall¡¿ and charged towards the monsters .

    The two beasts, which were locked in a clinch, were blown away together and forcefully separated .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to suppress their movements . Munechika, the Schuberc is yours . Let¡¯s take down the Chimera!¡±

    As Shin gave his instructions, globes of light appeared around him . The light bullets shot at high speed crushed the Chimera Invader¡¯s golem arm and ripped through its spider legs .

    Twisting its body, the monster tried to distance itself from the group,  but the light bullets that had initially missed performed sharp turns in midair and shot the beast down .

    The Light-type magic skill Shin had unleashed, ¡¾Ray Stinger¡¿, was originally anti-air magic . Hitting the Chimera Invader, which only iled in one direction, was not difficult .

    ¡°Ssshh!¡±

    Munechika¡¯s battle against the Schuberc waspletely one-sided too .

    There was a difference in level and stats between them, but more than anything the sharpness of the ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡», as tempered by Shin, was something to behold .

    Schuberc swung down its massive pincers, only to see them cut off by ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡» . The katana¡¯s cuts were so sharply clean, it was even possible to see the cross-sections of the monster¡¯s insides .

    ¡°If I get used to this, I¡¯ll probably find my original weaponcking . ¡±

    Cleaving through the tail that had attempted a surprise strike from above, Munechika closed in on the Schuberc .

    Insect-type monsters had high lifeforce . Simply cutting away parts of their body was not enough to weaken them .

    The Schuberc came charging at Munechika, trying to blow her away .

    Before its sturdy carapace-d body could sh with Munechika¡¯s body however, her de -unsheathed as she leaped in the air- sliced through the monster¡¯s head .

    The Schuberc, now with half of its body cleaved in two, stoppedpletely after twitching for a few instants .

    ¡°Shin¡¯s group has finished too I see . ¡±

    As Munechika turned around, Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡»shed through the Chimera Invader, pinned to the ground by the light bullets shot by Shin and Schnee .

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Even if torn apart, however, the Chimera Invader did not die . Its abdomen, now split in two, squirmed forward and attacked Shin¡¯s group again .

    ¡°I was ready for this!¡±

    Tiera had been warned that the Chimera wouldn¡¯t die easily and quickly struck down the right abdomen with a thunderd arrow, as it leapt through the air avoiding the light bullets .

    Her arrows, expressing how much stronger they had be since Balmel, caused the abdomen to explode as soon as they pierced it .

    The remaining left abdomen was burned to cinders by Filma¡¯s follow-up attack .

    As the Chimera Invader turned to dark dust in the air, the tension within Shin¡¯s group slightly eased .

    ¡°Still as tough to kill as always I see . Anyway, your arrows¡¯ power sure is something, Tiera . Its weak points should be only Light magic and Divine magic, I thought¡­?¡±

    ¡°Even if you ask me¡­for the record, I am barely capable of attaching skills to my shots . The lightning before was thanks to the bow you gave me, and Kagerou . ¡±

    Thanks to the boost granted by the light she absorbed, or maybe because of level-up bonuses, Tiera had learned several skills . However, her ability to attach magic power to her bow had not grown so conveniently .

    The mystery of her high damage remained, but it was useful nheless .

    ¡°Anyway, from here onwards it will probably be infested with Invader-type monsters . ¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of those, then¡­honestly speaking, they are pretty disgusting . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Tiera¡¯s clear dislike of Invader-type monsters .

    ¡°Some change their forms even without being Chimeras . Plus, they be stronger and cause weapons to be worn more quickly¡­a bonus we really don¡¯t need . ¡±

    While it was harder to notice with Ancient-grade weapons such as the ones Shin and his group had, Legend-grade weapons risked being consumed if these monsters were engaged in long battles .

    ¡°Munechika, do you know how far Yasutsuna still is?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still some distance . Definitely in the lower area though . ¡±

    Kagutsuchi had told them how many floors the dungeon was supposed to have . Shin¡¯s group was now in the floor acting as a border between the middle and lower area .

    The miasma¡¯s effects were apparently stronger in the lower area: as Shin¡¯s group proceeded, all the monsters they faced were of the Invader type .

    In some cases Chimera monsters appeared in groups, making their pace slower than what it was in the middle area .

    ¡°If we go on like this, it¡¯ll be night when we arrive in the lower area . It might be dangerous to spend the night in an area where Chimeras appear frequently, so how about we return to the slightly safer middle area and rest there?¡±

    ¡°Agreed, our pace is extremely fast already . We don¡¯t need to fret . ¡±

    Shin proposed to rest in the middle area, where the miasma¡¯s influence was smaller; Munechika was the first to agree followed by everyone else .

    The area that wasn¡¯t subject to visible effects of the miasma was the upper one, but going all the way back there would consume too much time, so they decided to take a brief rest, with someone standing guard .

    Even if physical abilities increase through level up, the mental side is different . Going without rest for extended periods of time would decrease concentration .

    ¡°I¡¯ll activate ¡¾Wall¡¿ and ¡¾Barrier¡¿ just in case, so I think we will be alright . If anything happens, wake me up . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . Take a good rest . ¡±

    ¡°Unless something extraordinary happens, Shibaid and I can take care of anything in seconds . ¡±

    The shifts would be 2 hours long, with the first one being Shibaid and Filma . The next would be Shin and Schnee, then thest Munechika and Tiera .

    Shinid out some simple tents within the barrier skill¡¯s area, where they would rest .

    Munechika, being a weapon, did not particrly need to rest, but said she would contact Kagutsuchi during her rest time .

    It happened 4 hours after the rest time started, during Munechika and Tiera¡¯s shift .

    ¡°Lady Tiera, there is something I would like to ask you, if that is alright with you . ¡±

    ¡°Me? Ehm, what is it?¡±

    Munechika talked to Tiera after making sure that Shin and the others were sleeping .

    Tiera had not the slightest clue about what Munechika would want to ask her, so she could only tilt her head with curiosity .

    ¡°Lady Tiera, you are not just a normal Elf, are you?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Tiera found herself unable to answer Munechika¡¯s question, as her body stiffened . Her reaction clearly showed that she felt those words could be true .

    ¡°From you, I feel energies different than your partner¡¯s, the Gruefago Kagerou . One of those is something I know well, something close to the power of the Ley lines . I would assume that you are some sort of priestess? One with very high ability too . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Tiera remained silent to Munechika¡¯s questions . What that silence meant was assent .

    ¡°To avoid any misunderstandings, let me say that I do not mean to interrogate you . I simply wanted to tell you that those like me, familiar with the power of the Ley lines, could detect that in you, that is all . ¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s all right . You asked when we were alone so that Shin and the others wouldn¡¯t hear, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct . All I know about priestesses is what I heard from Kagutsuchi . But I understand that priestesses are worthy of admiration and respect, as I know that their existence is kept hidden . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . thank you very much . Outside my family, only master knows that I am a priestess . ¡±

    Tiera answered in a feeble voice, holding Kagerou -now in wolf cub mode- in her arms . In answer to his worried cries, Tiera caressed him gently .

    ¡°Well, I suppose you have your reasons and circumstances . For a priestess to leave the ce where she should be and participate in battle is unthinkable, after all . ¡±

    ¡°I do possess the abilities of a priestess, but strictly speaking am not one anymore . Even using the ¡¾Analyze¡¿ Shin gave me to see my status, the Priestess job is not disyed anymore . ¡±

    Tiera spoke with a mixture of sadness and loneliness in her voice .

    ¡°Besides, someone else took my ce . In the vige, they probably think I¡¯m already dead . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I see . I apologize for making you recall such painful things . ¡±

    ¡°No, I also thought I should say it . But I can¡¯t juste out with it¡­¡±

    Tiera herself thought that Shin and the others probably thought something was off with her . Her high growth at level up, skill acquisition, absorption of the Ley lines¡¯ energy, the miasma-purifying effect attached to her arrows .

    More than anything else, the fact that she controlled a Divine Beast, a creature which would coborate with people, but never form a contract with them .

    Someone legendary like Shin was an exception, but Tiera thought that she didn¡¯t possess much power herself .

    Kagerou said he wanted to repay her for the kindness received in his younger days, but Tiera felt that there was something else to it .

    ¡°I will keep what we talked about tonight within my heart . I understand it is not my ce to say, but please do not torment yourself too much . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you very much . ¡±

    After Tiera¡¯s words of gratitude, silence filled the surroundings . They exchanged small talk every now and then, until their shift ended too .

 Vol 9 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    The next morning, when all members were awake they ate a small meal and resumed their exploration of the dungeon . As they knew the route to take already, they quickly arrived at the point they had stopped at the previous day .

    Maybe because they had in all monsters they had encountered the day before, they did not find many this time .

    ¡°Good, we¡¯re going to finish this today . ¡±

    Everyone nodded in agreement to Shin¡¯s words .

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, the same skill he had used during the exploration of the Summit Faction¡¯s base, gradually filled the unexplored spots of the map . The skill¡¯s range was reduced because of the miasma¡¯s effects, but its waves of magical power did their job effectively .

    The group proceeded while making sure that the map was being updated . Naturally, the Invader-type monsters roaming the dungeon would sometimes attack .

    They were, however, struck down by Shin, Schnee, and Tiera¡¯s magic and finished by Filma, Shibaid, and Munechika¡¯s attacks: before this simple but overwhelming power, they were all crushed with barely any chance to resist .

    As their opponents were often close to level 600, Tiera¡¯s level increased in an interesting way today too .

    ¡°To think that I¡¯d reach level 200¡­I¡¯m starting to feel sorry towards the people that level up seriously¡­¡±

    ¡°Really? Yes, this looks a bit like power leveling, but you¡¯re not leeching off us by any means, so I don¡¯t think you should worry about it . You¡¯re damaging the Chimeras without a doubt too, I mean you even felled one in one blow just now . This might sound weird, but this is a good hunting area for you, Tiera . ¡±

    As Shin said, Tiera¡¯s arrows were extremely effective against miasma-tainted monsters . The damage was considerable too, but also the fact that Invader-type monsters were paralyzed after Tiera¡¯s arrows struck them, making their movements duller .

    Against Chimeras and their unpredictable movements, Tiera¡¯s arrows were incredibly useful .

    Even Shibaid, who had not talked much since they entered dungeon, mentioned how she was a true asset to their fighting capabilities .

    ¡°As Shin said, we are having an easier time thanks tody Tiera . There is nothing you need to be concerned about . ¡±

    ¡°Er, thank you, very much . ¡±

    As they descended further through the dungeon¡¯s lower area, the space became gradually narrower .

    ¡°Looks like Yasutsuna will be in the lower area¡¯s boss room, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed . As we said before leaving, we also think that the possibility of Yasutsuna being in the deepest part of the dungeon is high . Even now that we are in the lower area, I feel its presenceing from below . I do think that prediction is correct . ¡±

    Munechika agreed with Shin¡¯s thoughts as they walked on through a corridor .

    The ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡± were structured like a reverse pyramid: the lowest floor consisted of just the boss¡¯ chamber .

    Yasutsuna was far stronger than the dungeon¡¯s boss, so it would not be strange for it to be in ce of the boss .

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel like the miasma is growing thicker? I¡¯m starting to feel kind of sick . ¡±

    On their way down, only Tiera seemed to perceive a change in the miasma in the atmosphere .

    ¡°I can¡¯t feel any particr difference . But Tiera is sensitive to miasma, better use some countermeasure . Materialize this card from the ones I gave you . ¡±

    During their exploration of the Summit Faction base too, Tiera had shown to be sensitive to things difficult to determine and identify, such as miasma and the voices of the dead .

    Considering this, Shin pulled out a card from the item box and showed it to Tiera .

    ¡°Schnee and everyone else as well, please materialize one of these and swallow it . I don¡¯t know if it will affect you Munechika, but try just in case . This allows you to act even within thick miasma for one hour . We don¡¯t know what awaits us down here, so let¡¯s take it regrly . ¡±

    What was materialized was a round white pill less than 1 cemel in size .

    Named ¡±Miracle Drug of Holy Skies¡±, it was an essential item when exploring areas infected with miasma for an extended time .

    Swallowing the pill prevents miasma-caused status ailments for 1 hour . Depending on its usage, it could also serve as a means of attack .

    Shin had prepared it for added safety when he heard that the miasma was powerful enough to swallow even an Ancient-grade weapon .

    ¡°It¡¯s incredible, I feel better already . Is this what you were throwing at the Chimeras?¡±

    ¡°Yeah . In case of emergency, just throw one of these at the enemy . If it¡¯s an Invader-type, this pill alone can cause serious damage . ¡±

    Shin had prioritized making arge quantity of them, so he did not have time to test their effectiveness before: that¡¯s why he tested them directly on Invader-type monsters .

    Shin had a natural high resistance to miasma, so swallowing the Miracle Drug of Holy Skies wouldn¡¯t change his condition much . But he confirmed with Schnee that the pill was effective, so he told Tiera to swallow it right away .

    ¡°This too is effective even on me . Asdy Tiera said, incredible indeed . ¡±

    Munechika was even more surprised than Tiera . Her true form was a weapon, but she was subjected to the effects of miasma like any other person .

    Swallowing the pill, however, allowed her to suppress such symptoms, just like the other members of the group .

    ¡°It is truly helpful to be able to fight without worrying about miasma after all . ¡±

    Munechika thought that depending on the situation she might not have been able to assist them in fighting, so she was relieved .

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for it to affect you too, Munechika . Oh, looks like we reached our destination . ¡±

    Normally, Shin¡¯s group would find stairs leading to the lower floor at this point .

    The corridor they were following though, led to a giant door decorated with a painting of arge bird-type monster, probably Kagutsuchi .

    Two candle stands were erected at the sides of the door: they had surely been burning for a long time, but ck mes still danced on them .

    Large gates were always found before boss chambers, like a sort ofndmark . In game terms, it was a way to show that a powerful enemy awaited .

    In the current real world though, it intimidated and pressured any visitors . It silently warned them that they needed to be prepared to die if they wanted to go past it .

    ¡°OK, I¡¯m opening it . ¡±

    After making sure that everyone else nodded in response, Shin pushed the doors .

    The thick door had some resistance at first, but after moving it a little it naturally openedpletely . The scenery inside, apanied by the doors¡¯ metallic creaking sounds, slowly showed itself to the eyes of Shin and his group .

    ¡°What an impressive wee . ¡±

    Before he activated ¡¾Analyze¡¿, Shin noticed several shadows .

    A pack of Ogres, all with bodies mostly painted ck . Their appearances showed that they were not regr Ogres, but a mix of different species, such as High Ogres and Warrior Ogres .

    Behind all the Ogres stood a unitpletely different from the rest .

    The first thing that came to Shin¡¯s mind after seeing it was ck Oni .

    It was twice the size of the other Ogres . Its torso was naked and adorned with powerful muscles which were like an armor protecting the monster .

    Its body was fully tainted ck with miasma: only its eyes shone bright red .

    From the forehead of a face which could be described with the word Oni, the demon of Japanese folklore fame, sprouted a pair of horns .

    The lower half of its body was covered by a yellow and ck striped cloth .

    The beast¡¯s single piece of clothing, reaching until its ankles, was ragged and ripped, maybe because of the miasma .

    ¡°¡­ . Shin, it¡¯s holding Yasutsuna in its right hand . ¡±

    Munechika spoke while keeping her feelings suppressed, looking at the katana the monster was wielding in its right hand, swirling with a ck aura .

    ¡°!?!¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes opened wide one instant, then his look became even sharper .

    The katana¡¯s de was severely damaged, even cracked in parts . Rust could be seen in the joint between the de and the hilt, its decorations-which surely were a work of art-discolored and indistinguishable anymore .

    Its state was so horrible that one wouldn¡¯t even wonder if it still cuts or not . Could it even be called a weapon now?

    It was as good as dead as a katana . Its Ancient grade was the only thing that kept it from breakingpletely .

    ¡°What is that¡­ . !? What the hell is that!?¡±

    Deep, menacing words, very different from the usual, came out of Shin¡¯s mouth . He felt clearly what Munechika was feeling, as one of the Supreme des herself .

    The hand holding Munechika¡¯s sword was slightly trembling .

    Seeing herpanion being treated that way would undoubtedly rouse her anger .

    ¡ª¡ª ¡°Ogre Invader ¨C Level 723¡±

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed the ¡°Invader¡± word . Shin wasn¡¯t really concerned with it until now, but this time it really grated his nerves .

    Maybe it was because Shin knew that the katana had a consciousness, or maybe because of his contact with Munechika and the others . Shin himself was surprised at how much the sight of the ravaged ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» made him furious .

    In the current world, It was the first time for Shin to see a weapon corrupted by miasma at this point .

    He couldn¡¯t exin why, however, the scenery before his eyes disgusted him so much .

    As Shin¡¯s party entered the room, the doors behind them closed . But neither Shin nor Munechika, nor anyone else, cared about something like that .

    ¡°I will kill the Ogre without breaking ¡ºYasutsuna¡» . I¡¯ve been in the rear guard until now, but I¡¯m going forward this time . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . I find that repugnant as well . ¡±

    ¡°Definitely, it¡¯s just disgusting . ¡±

    Shibaid and Filma replied to Shin¡¯s announcement, spoken in an unusual tone of voice because of his anger .

    Munechika, Tiera, and Schnee did not speak, but all shared the same sentiment .

    ¡°¡­ . I am thankful . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it . As a cksmith, I cannot allow something like that . I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever felt so disgusted . ¡±

    As if corresponding to Shin¡¯s thoughts, the de of the katana he was wielding, ¡ºMoonless¡», emitted a dull glow .

    ¡°We¡¯re going to take care of the other Ogres . Shin,dy Munechika, the boss is yours . ¡±

    Schnee told Shin and Munechika to go forward .

    If it was just about defeating the boss, Schnee, Shibaid, Filma, anyone of them would have sufficed . Tiera too, with Kagerou¡¯s support, would have been able to damage it .

    But that was not the most important part .

    Defeating it was just a prerequisite . More importantly, facing that boss here and now was something Shin and Munechika had to do, as a cksmith and as a sword, or so judged Schnee .

    ¡°Help it as soon as you can . ¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!! Let¡¯s go, Munechika!¡±

    ¡°Yes! You shall taste the de of Mikazuki Munechika!¡±

    Shin and Munechika kicked the ground to jump high in the air towards the boss, which was standing idly behind the monsters¡¯ group .

    They ignored the pack of Ogres in the middle of the room and attacked the boss right away .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the state the weapon is in . Even if the boss attacks with it, don¡¯t sh with it too hard!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    The very moment theynded, Shin attacked the monster¡¯s upper body, Munechika the lower body .

    A simultaneous strikeing from both right and left .

    An average Ogre would have been sliced in three without even being able to react, but this Ogre was the secret dungeon¡¯s boss .

    The boss naturally reacted, parried Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡»with Yasutsuna while retreating, then dodged Munechika¡¯s ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡» by raising its legs in the air .

    Parrying Shin¡¯s blow in that state, however, was not a good idea .

    ¡ºYasutsuna¡» was pushed back, knocking the monster off bnce, easy prey for ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡»¡¯s following attack .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª!!¡±

    The de, aimed at the monster¡¯s legs, changed direction in a sharp angle and cut through the Ogre¡¯s left arm .

    The boss¡¯ left hand had been cut off, forcing it to retreat further while screaming in pain . Its right hand, though, still gripped ¡ºYasutsuna¡» firmly .

    Even if it was an Ancient-grade weapon, Shin didn¡¯t know how much durability remained in it . Because of this, when the boss took a stance to parry with ¡ºYasutsuna¡» Shin held back on his attack .

    He had not inflicted great damage, but instead noticed something .

    ¡°This response¡­it still has some durability left . ¡±

    Maybe because of his cksmith skills, Shin understood indirectly that ¡ºYasutsuna¡» retained more durability than what its appearance suggested .

    While its appearance made it seem like less than 10% remained, actually the katana still retained at least 30% of its durability .

    ¡°You can tell?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s still at around 30% . At the very least, it won¡¯t break after just parrying an attack . If it¡¯s necessary, we can cross swords with it without worrying . ¡±

    ¡°It is a relief to hear that . But attacks from an enemy of this level will not hit, and I have no intention of spending time on fighting it . ¡±

    After understanding that ¡ºYasutsuna¡»¡¯s durability, their greatest concern, was not at risk, Shin and Munechika¡¯s movements improved .

    Even if they defeated the boss, but ¡ºYasutsuna¡» broke, they didn¡¯t know if they could fix it . They could not be cautious enough .

    But things were different if the katana¡¯s durability was not in danger .

    The Ogre Invader became much more vignt towards the two as it distanced itself from them . Was it because it felt that Shin and Munechika¡¯s hesitation had disappeared?

    ¡°Too slow!¡±

    Shin and Munechika spoke at the same time .

    Thanks to the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿, the two warriors stepped right next to the boss in a sh .

    Even if powered up by miasma, for Shin and Munechika, the Ogre Invader was a clearly inferior opponent . Without any reason to hesitate to attack, they would never struggle against it .

    ¡°Shah!¡±

    Shin¡¯s de struck the monster¡¯s left arm and leg¡­

    ¡°Fuuh!!¡±

    Munechika¡¯s sh cut through the monster¡¯s right arm; all its limbs were thus cut off and blown away .

    ¡ºYasutsuna¡», finally freed, was still in midair when Munechika safely caught it .

    ¡°We have no use for you anymore . Die already!¡±

    Its left leg cut off, the monster copsed on the ground, but Shin¡¯s de struck relentlessly .

    A white visual effect signaled the activation of a skill: three de streaks were drawn in midair .

    Katana-type Martial skill ¡°Continuous Flower Wheel¡± .

    An upward sh, a downward sh, another upward sh . The first sh originally served to knock the opponent¡¯s weapon upwards, while the other two would strike directly . The boss was already off bnce even before receiving the first blow, so it had no way of dodging any of Shin¡¯s blows .

    Shin¡¯s shes cut the monster¡¯s head and torso in two .

    No matter how much its Invader transformation progressed, being cut into so many pieces prevented it from recovering or resurrecting . As its HP reached 0, the monster¡¯s body crumbled away in dust .

    ¡°The others are already finished I suppose?¡±

    Even if they were fighting the boss, Shin and Munechika were not attacked by its Ogre minions . The reason was that Schnee and the others had already done away with all of them .

    The floor of the boss¡¯ chamber was littered with the rods and great swords previously held by the Ogre monsters .

    ¡°I see you have finished too . How is Yasutsuna¡¯s condition?¡±

    ¡°Its durability is alright at least . But it¡¯s corrupted by miasma, so I have to take a closer look before I can say if it¡¯s safe or not . ¡±

    Shin answered Schnee and looked at ¡ºYasutsuna¡»in Munechika¡¯s arms . It happened the next instant .

    ¡°Kh¡­looks like it was too early to rx¡±

    ¡°!? Hey, what¡¯s going on!?¡±

    ¡ºYasutsuna¡», now held by Munechika, emitted a turbid aura . The tainted substance wrapped around Munechika¡¯s arm, as if it possessed a will of its own .

    Munechika grimaced, as if she had received damage, and ¡ºYasutsuna¡» fell from her hands .

    ¡°Ggh¡­the source of the miasma that corrupted the cave was Yasutsuna itself it seems . ¡±

    After these words, Munechika fell to her knees . Even if ¡ºYasutsuna¡» was no longer in her hands, the miasma did not leave her arm .

    ¡°Wait just a second . I¡¯ll dispel it right away . ¡±

    Shin took Munechika¡¯s hand and activated the skill ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿ . It was a skill to purify miasma, necessary when facing Demons or visiting locations affected by miasma .

    The transparent light that appeared at the same time of the skill¡¯s activation caused the miasma enveloping Munechika¡¯s arm to vanish . Even so, Munechika¡¯splexion was as sickly as before .

    ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°I apologize . I did not think that Yasutsuna had been so¡­¡±

    Munechika was looking at ¡ºYasutsuna¡», stabbing the ground before her . Its appearance was nothing but a katana on the verge of breaking .

    As Shin touched ¡ºYasutsuna¡»¡¯s hilt, the turbid aura that attacked Munechika appeared again . Yet as it touched upon the gauntlets equipped by Shin, it disappeared as if blown away .

    It was a secondary effect of the ¡ºHades Gauntlets¡» Shin had equipped .

    Powerful Ancient-grade equipment would not be tainted easily, even if it came into contact with miasma .

    Ancient-grade gear, especially if crafted by a high-level cksmith like Shin, could dispel miasma via simple contact if it was in perfect condition .

    That is the reason why Shin could hold ¡ºYasutsuna¡» without being affected in any way .

    ¡°As I expected, this equipment prevents it from affecting me . Then, how about this?¡±

    Shin activated ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿ on the ¡ºYasutsuna¡» he was now holding . Doing so dispelled the miasma lingering in the katana¡¯s de .

    Yet as Shin deactivated the skill, miasma started creeping out of the de again .

    The only part of the katana that did not leak miasma was where Shin was holding it, as it was under the effect of Shin¡¯s ¡ºHades Gauntlets¡» .

    If Shin released ¡ºYasutsuna¡», the hilt would also probably start leaking miasma .

    ¡°It won¡¯t work even if you keep casting skills? Is destroying it the only way out?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know . Either I keep casting ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿ and the miasma disappears or we have to destroy ¡ºYasutsuna¡» itself . Honestly speaking, I cannot decide . ¡±

    Even under Munechika¡¯s imploring gaze, Shin did not answer with hopeful predictions or change the subject .

    Different from de and weapon analysis, miasma was a field he knew very little about . Shin had no idea about what move he could make .

    Schnee was the same: the only way she could think of was purifying the miasma .

    In the case that miasma kept appearing even if ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿ was cast, they always stopped it by destroying the source of the miasma .

    ¡°Ehm, could I?¡±

    ¡°Tiera?¡±

    Among the silence the group had fallen into, Tiera timidly raised her hand and spoke .

    ¡°Well, first I would like to confirm something withdy Munechika¡­this room is directly above a Ley line, correct?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Why do you¡­no, let us set that aside . Yes, we are above a Ley line, no mistake about it . ¡±

    ¡°Then it might be possible . I cannot say for sure though . ¡±

    ¡°Tiera?¡±

    Tiera, after receiving Munechika¡¯s confirmation, moved closer to Shin and put her hand over his and ¡ºYasutsuna¡» .

    ¡°In my vige, there is a method of purifying miasma handed down through the generations . Shin, please keep casting the skill, I¡¯ll try doing most of the work . ¡±

    ¡°Will you be okay?¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me¡­ . don¡¯t worry, this isn¡¯t my first time . ¡±

    With a calm expression, Tiera nodded, a tinge of sadness in her eyes .

    Her eyes looked straight at Shin .

    ¡°¡­ . . got it . I believe in you . Munechika, what do you say?¡±

    ¡°She is trying to save one of mypanions . There is no other way . ¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided . Schnee, everyone, please stay alert of the surroundings just in case . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Schnee and the other members readied their weapons and focused on the surroundings . Miasma could sometimes give birth to demons, so they could not afford to lower their guard .

    ¡°I¡¯ll start now . ¡±

    Tiera whispered softly .

    ¡ºYasutsuna¡»¡¯s purification thus began .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C . ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª . ¡±

    What Shin heard was a clear and serene melody, a chant not spelt with words, rising from Tiera¡¯s lips .

    Its echo had a mysterious charm to it, enough to make Shin almost forget that they were in the depths of a dungeon .

    ¡°!!¡±

    As the melody started, Tiera¡¯s body started glowing . Her ck hair flowed as if blown by a breeze, brimming in a transparent light .

    The light emanating from Tiera¡¯s body affected Shin too, as she had put her hands over his . The transparent light started enveloping Shin¡¯s body as well .

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡±

    Shin let out a small exmation . Something warm and cold at the same time, an indescribable sensation, permeated him .

    There was no change to his status, and excluding that curious sensation, nothing was happening to him .

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    What changed was ¡ºYasutsuna¡» . The miasma leaking from the de started squirming and writhing .

    It really looked as if it was suffering, so Shin became more alert .

    Coursing through Tiera and Shin¡¯s hands, the light came into contact with the miasma .

    It was rejected once, as if their contact caused a violent reaction, but the second time it overcame the miasma and enveloped the whole de .

    ¡°¡ª¨Cn¡ª¡ª . ¡ª¡ª¨C . ¡±

    As the light and the miasma shed, the rhythm of the melody sang by Tiera was disturbed . Large sweatdrops formed on her forehead and her expression was twisted in pain .

    But even so, Tiera continued to sing the melody .

    ¡°Hm¡­ . ?¡±

    Shin was thinking of a way he could help Tiera .

    Then suddenly, his eyesight shook violently .

    A forest .

    A human-like silhouette, copsed on the ground .

    Someone kneeling down next to it .

    Ple¡­¡­se¡­¡­¡­ . . ! ¡­¡­¡­An¡­¡­!!!¡­¡­¡­se!! I¡¯m¡­¡­ . don¡¯¡­¡­ . . ave¡­ . me¡­¡­ . . one!!

    Broken images appeared before Shin¡¯s eyes, a voice of someone not present reached his ears .

    The visions that appeared before his eyes were out of focus, the silhouettes that appeared in them dark and blurry .

    The voice was disturbed by noises, all he could make out were broken pieces of words .

    Shin was still confused by what was happening when, as abruptly as they began, the visions and sounds ended .

    ¡°Ugh¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    Before he realized, the light had disappeared and Tiera copsed .

    Shin held her body from falling, instinctively .

    Tiera, breathing heavily, slowly stood back up, supported by Shin¡¯s arms .

    ¡°Now it, should be alright, I think . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . so it looks like . ¡±

    The purification seemed to have been sessful: even if Shin released ¡ºYasutsuna¡», its de did not exude miasma anymore .

    Shin looked at Schnee and the others, wondering if they had experienced the same thing he did, but their expressions did not show any confusion . Did only he and Tiera see those visions?

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s grab Yasutsuna and exit the dungeon . We can¡¯t talk at leisure here . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, no objections here . Will Yasutsuna be alright?¡±

    ¡°I cannot say anything before I take a closer look . It¡¯s not broken and it doesn¡¯t look like its durability decreased, so I want to say that it¡¯s OK, but¡­I can¡¯t yet . ¡±

    Munechika looked at ¡ºYasutsuna¡»with concern .

    Their objective was nheless achieved, so after making sure that there were no other sources of miasma in the boss¡¯ chambers, Shin¡¯s group exited the Depths of Hellfire .

 Vol 9 Chapter 2.4: Chapter 2 Part 4

    Shin and his party left the dungeon and returned to Fuji¡¯s shrine . Mitsuyo, who had been sitting waiting for them, came running as soon she saw the group .

    ¡°That was pretty quick . Did something happen?¡±

    Maybe because she had noticed Munechika¡¯s sicklyplexion, Mitsuyo seemed to think that some ident happened .

    ¡°Something happened, that¡¯s for sure . For starters, we recovered Yasutsuna . ¡±

    Shin answered somewhat awkwardly, then showed ¡ºYasutsuna¡», which had not been changed to a card . The miasma had vanished, but the katana¡¯s hilt and de were still in terrible condition .

    ¡°What¡¯s¡­that¡­?¡±

    The sight of ¡ºYasutsuna¡» left Mitsuyo speechless .

    ¡°It was already in this state when we found it . The miasma has been purified, but I don¡¯t know what happened to its consciousness . Maybe Kagutsuchi could know something?¡±

    ¡°This way!¡±

    Mitsuyo grabbed Shin¡¯s hand and ran off . Transparent teardrops flowed from her eyes .

    As they moved from the dungeon portal to the crystallized Kagutsuchi¡¯s chambers, Yuzuha, who had probably detected their arrival from the sound of their footsteps, came running to meet them, baby Kagutsuchi and Tssugu in tow .

    ¡°Lord Kagutsuchi, Yasutsuna is¡­ . Yasutsuna is¡­¡±

    Mitsuyo ran up to Kagutsuchi, but words wouldn¡¯t leave her throat .

    Looking at Mitsuyo¡¯s tearful expression, Kagutsuchi and Tssugu¡¯s expressions both darkened .

    ¡°Calm down, Mitsuyo . What happened?¡±

    ¡°I will exin . Please look at this first . ¡±

    Shin came forward from behind Mitsuyo and showed ¡ºYasutsuna¡» .

    ¡°I see, so this is how it is . ¡±

    ¡°Pii¡­ . . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu, all worn out . ¡±

    They all understood right away the reason why Mitsuyo was crying .

    For Mitsuyo and Tssugu, Yasutsuna was one of their few brethren . Seeing it in such a state was more than enough cause to be emotional .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know in what state Yasutsuna¡¯s consciousness could be right now . I thought that maybe Kagutsuchi could know . ¡±

    ¡°Pii!¡±

    ¡°He says he wants you to show him the katana closely . Right, please ce it on that pedestal there . ¡±

    Tssugu tranted Kagutsuchi¡¯s message . After Shin did as he was told, Kagutsuchi touched the de with its small wings .

    ¡°Piyo! ¡­ . . pii . ¡±

    ¡°Is that really so!? No, but at least there is still hope¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Kagutsuchi was quiet for several minutes, then cried loudly . The words Tssugu spoke in reaction contained both relief and discouragement . Mitsuyo, eyes looking down to the ground, was silent .

    ¡°Yuzuha, what did it say?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very, exhausted . Like this, the consciousness will, fade away . But there is still, a way . ¡±

    ¡°And what is this way?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . another one . With a container to transfer its consciousness to, it could be saved . ¡±

    Tssugu spoke in Yuzuha¡¯s ce . The consciousness hosted within the weapon should be able to transfer itself .

    ¡°Another one? Aah, so that¡¯s wha¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Please!! Give us your ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡»!!¡±

    Tssugu seemed to be uncertain about making the request or not, but Mitsuyo shouted in his ce .

    She ced her hands on the ground and lowered her head, prostrating towards Shin .

    ¡°Wait, what are you doing!? I knew that you¡¯d ask me to give it to you! I¡¯d never say no in a situation like this!¡±

    Shin spoke while urging Mitsuyo to raise her head .

    ¡°But Ancient-grade weapons are rare items that could be impossible to find anymore . A cksmith like you surely knows how much they are worth . Even so, you would give it away?¡±

    Mitsuyo was aware how much Ancient-grade weapons were worth . She thought that no samurai or cksmith would ever part ways with one .

    ¡°I know that it¡¯s precious . But honestly, right now I¡¯m using it only as a collector¡¯s item . Besides, I¡¯m someone who can reinforce ¡ºMikazuki Masamune¡», not your average cksmith¡­if I need an Ancient-grade weapon, I can just forge myself a new one . I forged this one too, you know?¡±

    Shin talked while pointing at the weapon he had at his waist . Resting in its sheath was a genuine Ancient-grade katana, ¡ºMoonless¡» .

    ¡°If possible, let us do it right away . Please look and see if you can . ¡±

    Shin put his materialized ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» on the pedestal where he had ced Yasutsuna .

    The baby Kagutsuchi already started spreading its wings .

    ¡°Pii¡­ . ¡±

    Kagutsuchi carefully examined the two des for several minutes, then cried softly and shook its head . Shin understood what it meant even without Mitsuyo¡¯s trantion .

    ¡°No!! But why!?¡±

    ¡°Piyo¡­¡±

    ¡°How can this be¡­¡±

    Baby Kagutsuchi said something else, and both Mitsuyo and Tssugu lowered their heads .

    ¡°What did Kagutsuchi say?¡±

    Looking at Kagutsuchi¡¯s gestures, anyone would have understood that Shin¡¯s ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» couldn¡¯t be used . The reason was still unknown though .

    ¡°This katana is filled with your magic power, so it apparently can¡¯t be used as a container . Like Munechika, its original body is separate, so the only thing possible is transferring its consciousness for a time¡­¡±

    ¡°I see . So what we would need is a ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» without anything unnecessary mixed in it, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly¡­but where could we find something like that!?¡±

    Mitsuyo, unable to restrain herself, struck the pedestal . Maybe because of her power, the struck pedestal crumbled .

    Only part of the pedestal crumbled, so Yasutsuna was still safe . She had not lost control at the point of endangering it too .

    ¡°Shin, can¡¯t anything be done?¡±

    The question hade from Tiera . Shin turned towards her, to find Schnee and the others looking at Shin too .

    ¡°¡­there is one thing, that could be attempted . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    In response to Shin¡¯s words, Mitsuyo let out a rather dazed reaction . All present eyes focused on Shin and his serious expression .

    Then, Shin spoke clearly .

    ¡°To forge another ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» . ¡±

    ¡°You can do something like that?¡±

    Tssugu was surprised by Shin¡¯s words, but couldn¡¯t hide the skepticism in his eyes . Creating Ancient-grade weapons was truly difficult after all, that¡¯s why they were so precious and rare .

    ¡°Honestly speaking, I am notpletely confident . ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» is an event-only item, so its creation recipe doesn¡¯t exist . So I have to start from zero and do trial & error from there . But I have recipes for other Ancient-grade weapons, which I can use as reference; it should help things to a point . Moreover, excluding the fact that it¡¯s filled with my magic power, we have the real thing here . If I analyze this, I should be able to forge something simr right away . ¡±

    During the time he was holding Yasutsuna, Shin had already analyzed itsposition to a degree .

    As he had perceived Yasutsuna¡¯s remaining durability just by shing against it, until now phenomena unexinable only with the words ¡°it¡¯s thanks to the skills¡± had happened, time and again .

    Shin wondered what the reason could be, but there was no point in worrying about that now .

    ¡°This is my first time, so I don¡¯t know how much time it could take . First, give me a few days for analysis and trial creation . ¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t be of assistance to you for that, so I suppose we will wait while thinking of any ideas . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we are not weapon specialists, we wouldn¡¯t know what could be useful after all . ¡±

    Shin proceeded to materialize Tsuki no Hokora right away and go to the smithy .

    Filma and the others, while looking for anything that could prove useful, stood guard at Fuji and its surroundings alongside Mitsuyo and Tssugu .

    Schnee instead set out with Tiera for some special training .

    ¡°Well then, let us start from grasping your physical abilities, improved by the recent level ups . It will be better to examine your skills, yes?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­well, m-master, I am sure I could do that by myself, there is no need for you to bother¡­¡±

    Tiera slowly backed from Schnee while saying this . The sweat forming on her forehead clearly showed her current state of mind .

    ¡°What are you saying now? There are many things that need to be ascertained . Let us start with a simple sparring match . ¡±

    ¡°Eeek!! Master, wait!! Please waaaaaiiitttt¡­ . . ¡±

    Tiera¡¯s voice trailed as she was dragged away . Shin and the others silently prayed in their hearts for her safe return .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Time to start, then . ¡±

    Shin was in the smithy and started with Yasutsuna¡¯s analysis .

    First he detached the de from the hilt, separating them . Then, with a small palm-sized hammer, gently struck the de . High-pitched metallic sounds rang through the smithy . After hearing the sound resounding through his ears, Shin proceeded to the next activity .

    He extracted several ingots from the item box, putting them close to ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» , one after the other . Some of the ingots sparkled when close to the katana .

    ¡°No durability recovery made me suspicious but as I thought, there really is a small ratio of Scarletite . ¡±

    The sparkle of the ingots allowed Shin to know what minerals were used in the de and their approximate quantity . Finally, he ced ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» on his hands and closed his eyes .

    This series of actions, unchanged from the game era, allowed one to obtain a creation recipe .

    There were several ways to acquire a weapon recipe: the main methods were buying it, obtaining it from someone, finding it in a dungeon treasure chest, or analyzing the weapon to create it by oneself .

    Mysteriously enough, as Shin closed his eyes the weapon¡¯sposition and materials gradually appeared in his mind . In the game era, the recipe would have appeared before his eyes, so it seems that things had changed somewhat .

    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s still full of holes . Though understanding 60% of an Ancient-grade weapon¡¯s recipe so quickly is a sess in itself I suppose . ¡±

    Analyzing a weapon can not provide aplete recipe . The recipe¡¯s holes need to be filled through trial & error .

    It¡¯s a long, grueling task, which requires the patience of repeating the same steps many times and the financial leeway of using up many items and precious minerals while looking for the correct ingredients¡¯ ratio .

    ¡°Orichalcum¡­ . 60%¡­no, 62% maybe? Adamantine is¡­ . 20%¡­ . no, 30¡­change the values and¡­¡±

    Shin was throwing ingot after ingot in the furnace, mumbling to himself in the process .

    The minerals used were created in Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s generator . The ingots in the item box were permeated with Shin¡¯s magic power, so they could not be used .

    Shin kept following the recipe, filling its holes with his intuition and experience .

    Two hours after starting, he finally reached thest step beforepletion, the final stage .

    Shin materialized a ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» from the item box . The gemstone, transparent yet shining with the seven colors of the rainbow, appeared in Shin¡¯s hand .

    ¡°As I thought, swords and katana need a coating treatment . ¡±

    The ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» was an indispensable item when creating Ancient-grade weapons . Depending on the treatment used on it, the weapon¡¯s status changed .

    An external coating would make the weapon physical-focused, using it as core or center would make it magic-focused, if it was melted with the other ingredients the weapon would turn out bnced between both .

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡» and Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡» were bnced, while Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡» and Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºcid Moon¡» were physical-focused .

    Shin submerged the ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» in a special liquid . As he did, the ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» melted within the liquid, which assumed rainbow-like colors .

    ¡°¡­ . looks like it¡¯s working fine . ¡±

    After saying this, Shin took thepleted de and soaked it into the liquid . The liquid¡¯s sparkle changed, as if absorbed by the de: soon after, it returned to its original color .

    After confirming that the sparkle had vanished, Shin removed the de from the liquid and wiped it with a cloth .

    As if tempered by this action, the de now shone with a dull sparkle .

    The first test creation had beenpleted .

    ¡°¡­ . no good . ¡±

    Shin looked at the de and let out a sigh . As to confirm his words, the name disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna ¨C Dull¡» .

    He had followed the recipe, so it was at least recognized as a Yasutsuna . But the word ¡°Dull¡± after it negated everything else .

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s to be expected for the first test to go like this¡­hmm? The door¡¯s open!¡±

    The knock at the door came with perfect timing . The door between the smithy and the residential space wasn¡¯t locked, so after Shin¡¯s words the door slowly opened .

    Then Mitsuyo came inside .

    ¡°¡­ . did something happen to Yasutsuna?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it, don¡¯t worry . Kagutsuchi said it wouldst for at least a month too . ¡±

    Shin was relieved to hear those words . Thinking that it would be best to start working as soon as possible, he had not confirmed how much time he had .

    ¡°I see . So do you need something?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t want to bother, but¡­is work going well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m at around 60% for now . I have a general idea now, so all that¡¯s left is minor adjustments . Though, that¡¯s what takes the most time . ¡±

    What mineral was used, and in what quantity . Adjusting this was the mostplex part .

    Regarding the crafting process, weapons of the same type shared many simr points . It was thus much quicker than finding the correct ratio of used minerals .

    ¡°I will definitely craft it within the allotted time . So please give me a little more time . ¡±

    Shin did not actually know if it was possible to re-create the same weapon in this world . Even so, he made his statement . It was to make Mitsuyo feel better and also a little for his own pride .

    ¡°¡­ . okay, I won¡¯t doubt you anymore . I¡¯m going then . ¡±

    Mitsuyo turned around and put a hand on the handle of the smithy¡¯s door . Her expression had no trace of the mistrust she felt at the time of their first meeting .

    Just before closing the door behind her, Mitsuyo turned around and whispered softly .

    ¡°Do¡­do your best . ¡±

    The door closed as Mitsuyo¡¯s whisper trailed off .

    Shin had already turned his eyes back to test creation #1, so maybe she thought he hadn¡¯t noticed .

    The smithy, however, was not particrly noisy . The words of encouragement whispered by Mitsuyo duly reached Shin¡¯s ears .

    ¡°¡­ . let¡¯s do this . ¡±

    Feeling even more eager than before, Shin first melted test creation #1 in the furnace .

    The special furnace built in the Tsuki no Hokora melted the weapon, which despite being a test creation, was still an Ancient-grade one, and returned the materials used in the craft as ingots .

    Only one third of the materials used could be retrieved, but it was still better than nothing . The item box and Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s warehouse still contained a great quantity of materials, but Shin had no idea when they could re-stock them .

    Crafting test creations requiredrge quantities of materials . Repeating to himself to save as many as possible, he once again took ingots in hand, to craft the next katana .

    He finally seeded in re-creating ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» two weekster .

    ¡°I¡­I did it . ¡±

    After a never-ending session of trial creations, Shin finally seeded in creating a satisfying result . He hadn¡¯t received Kagutsuchi¡¯s confirmation yet, but Shin¡¯s intuition told him that it was perfect .

    If someone unaware of the circumstances saw this silhouette,ughing holding a katana up high, they would surely think Shin was at its mental limits though .

    ¡°Ehm, are you alright¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m so sleepy I could die¡­¡±

    Schnee hade to check on him, at the best time, and voiced her worry . Shin then changed fromughing eerily to wobbling, unsteady on his feet .

    Bags were clearly visible under his eyes; he had been pushing himself as much as he could .

    ¡°First, show this to Kagutsuchi . It should, work out . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . I understand very well, so please rest!¡±

    Schnee epted ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡», but couldn¡¯t bear watching Shin like that and urged him to rest . Maybe because of her words, or because the tension within him had eased afterpleting ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡», Shin fell asleep instantly .

    ¡°Shin, you really work too hard¡­¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear if Schnee¡¯s whisper had reached Shin¡¯s ears or not .

    His head buried in Schnee¡¯s chest, who had quickly moved closer to support him, Shin was already sleeping peacefully . He had kept crafting, neglecting to eat and sleep, so he was not likely to wake up soon .

    ¡°¡­ . . good night . ¡±

    With a small smile, Schnee stood there for a while, affectionately embracing Shin .

 Vol 9 Chapter 2.5: Chapter 2 Part 5

    ¡°Hngh¡­?¡±

    Feeling the warmth of sunlight, Shin opened his eyes . He understood right away that he was in his room, inside of Tsuki no Hokora .

    As he pulled himself up, he noticed something silver next to him .

    ¡°Schnee¡­wait, why?¡±

    Seeing Schnee, sleeping while lying on the bed, fully woke up Shin .

    His memories before falling asleep were hazy . He rememberedpleting ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡», but he couldn¡¯t remember what happened after . He only remembered the feeling of being buried in something soft .

    After a few minutes of racking his brain, he managed to recall having entrusted the katana to Schnee .

    ¡°What happened then?¡±

    He was concerned whether ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» could be used as a container . Shin¡¯s senses deemed it perfect, but he couldn¡¯t be sure unless Kagutsuchi confirmed it .

    As there was no other way, he decided to wake Schnee and ask her .

    ¡°Schnee, wake up, Schnee . ¡±

    ¡°Hn¡­ . n? ¡ª¡ª!?¡±

    Schnee woke up as Shin called her name and shook her shoulders . She emitted a half-asleep mumble at first, but after noticing Shin was awake she sprang up to her feet .

    ¡°Ah, er¡­ . how are you feeling!?¡±

    ¡°Just fine, so please calm down . How long was I asleep?¡±

    Staying in the smithy for a long time, Shin had lost track of time . Gradually, he wasn¡¯t able to tell if it was morning, day, evening, or night anymore .

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, you have been sleeping since yesterday morning, so one full day, I¡¯d say . Kagutsuchi said that the katana you made can be used as a container . They should already be starting the transfer of consciousness . ¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ . aaah, that was hard!¡±

    With a big sigh, Shin dropped back down on the bed .

    Thanks to Schnee telling him what he wanted to know, Shin felt as if arge weight had been removed from his shoulders . As he was now, he couldn¡¯t craft a better version of that katana .

    Focusing sopletely on cksmithing made him realize that there were parts of the cksmith skill that he hadn¡¯tpletely mastered .

    ¡°It¡¯s just time for breakfast . Will you eat too?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic . I¡¯m actually starving . ¡±

    Shin nodded while passing a hand over his stomach .

    He hadn¡¯t noticed how empty his stomach was while crafting, but now hunger was attacking him in full force . His stomach would start growling very soon .

    Shin and Schnee moved to the living room and found Mitsuyo putting tes on the table . As her eyes met Shin¡¯s, she looked away for some reason .

    ¡°Er¡­good morning¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right¡ª¨Cgood morning . ¡±

    After that curt greeting, Mitsuyo disappeared into the kitchen . Shin¡¯s head was full of question marks because of this reaction .

    ¡°Isn¡¯t she pretty different than the usual?¡±

    ¡°Is she? To us, it doesn¡¯t look like she changed much though . ¡±

    Schnee tilted her head to the side, not understanding what Shin could be referring to .

    ¡°Ah, Shin! Did you rest enough?¡±

    As Mitsuyo left the room, Tiera came into the living room from the kitchen . The tes she was carrying contained bacon and scrambled eggs .

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine . I don¡¯t see Shibaid and the others, though¡ª-¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re with Kagutsuchi, to see the consciousness transfer process . Mitsuyo is helping with preparing breakfast . They should finish any moment, I think . ¡±

    Shin asked while looking around the living room and Tiera replied . She then added that Yuzuha was assisting the process, so she was with them too .

    ¡°I see . I¡¯m sorry for having you do everything here, but can I go there too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if Mitsuyo helps . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take Shin there then . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee headed to Fuji¡¯s shrine, as Tiera saw them off with a smile .

    After crossing several forks in the path inside the shrine, they arrived in a room roughly 20 square melrge .

    On the pedestal in the center of the roomy two ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡»; the one Shin¡¯s party had recovered from the dungeon and the one he crafted .

    Baby Kagutsuchi and Yuzuha were on the pedestal too . Around the pedestal stood Filma, Shibaid, Munechika and Tssugu, silently observing the process .

    ¡°Piyo¡ª¡ª-!!!¡±

    The process seemed to be reaching its conclusion . As baby Kagutsuchi cried loudly, a faint light rose from the tattered ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» . As the small light left, the katana quickly deteriorated and turned into a lump of iron, as if the flow of time around it had suddenly elerated .

    The light slowly floated in midair and was gradually absorbed by the ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» Shin had crafted .

    ¡°Piii¡ª-yo¡ª¨C¡±

    As the light was fully absorbed by the new katana, Kagutsuchiy down, visibly exhausted . Its ball-like fluffy body was rolling back and forth on the pedestal .

    ¡°Kuu, you worked hard . ¡±

    As to praise it for a job well done, Yuzuha supported Kagutsuchi¡¯s body to prevent it from rolling around . They didn¡¯t appear to be on especially good terms before, but maybe they found something inmon .

    ¡°Thus, was it a sess?¡±

    ¡°Pii¡­ . ¡±

    Just as Kagutsuchi cried in reply to Tssugu¡¯s question, something changed .

    The new ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» rose in midair and shining with light . As the light dissipated, a ck-haired young man in armor appeared in its ce, with ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» hanging at his waist .

    The handsome young man and his straight, proud posture exuded the atmosphere of a natural born warrior .

    ¡°Yasutsuna!!¡±

    ¡°¡­hm? Munechika and Tssugu? This is¡­hm, who are those people? What happened to lord Kagutsuchi?¡±

    The young man Yasutsuna opened his eyes after hearing Munechika¡¯s call . He seemed to be perfectly conscious . After confirming Munechika and Tssugu¡¯s presence, he cast a sharp nce in the direction of Shin¡¯s group .

    His worry about Kagutsuchi signified that his memories, up until being swallowed by miasma, were intact too .

    ¡°Calm down, Yasutsuna . These people are our saviors, they put forth their utmost efforts to save you . ¡±

    While calming Yasutsuna down, Munechika exined how Shin¡¯s group explored the dungeon to retrieve him, how Shin attempted and seeded in crafting an Ancient-grade weapon to save him .

    ¡°Is that true!? I might have been ignorant of it all, but how could I act so disrespectfully to my saviors! My deepest apologies¡­!¡±

    After hearing the exnation, Yasutsuna bowed his head energetically . Maybe a symbol of his serious personality, his body was angled in a perfect 90 degrees bow .

    ¡°Lord Shin, Lady Schnee, Lady Filma, Lord Shibaid, noble divine beasts . I offer you my most heartfelt gratitude for assisting me and my fellows in this endeavor . If you were ever in need of my strength, please do not hesitate to say the word . ¡±

    Yasutsuna spoke fervently, his head still bowed .

    At that same time, Tiera and Mitsuyo entered the room .

    ¡°I see everything went well, I¡¯m relieved . ¡±

    ¡°¡­good grief, don¡¯t make people worry like that . ¡±

    The sight of the young man she had not seen before made Tiera realize that Kagutsuchi¡¯s process had seeded . Next to her, a sullen-looking Mitsuyo let her sharp tongue loose .

    ¡°I am sorry, Mitsuyo . I am perfectly fine now . You aredy Tiera I suppose . You have my gratitude for everything you have done for us . ¡±

    ¡°I am just d you are safe and sound . ¡±

    Yasutsuna spoke to both neers with a smile . He had heard all the names of the members of Shin¡¯s group, so by elimination, he had guessed that the person next to Mitsuyo was Tiera .

    ¡°By the way, Munechika, I don¡¯t see Kunitsuna . ¡±

    ¡°Because Kunitsuna is not here . I don¡¯t know if you remember, but you two were swallowed by miasma . We¡¯re going to go rescue Kunitsuna next . ¡±

    ¡°¡­is that so . That time¡­¡±

    Apparently, Yasutsuna still retained memories of that moment . He then spoke with a saddened expression .

    ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡±

    ¡°Do not fret . You have just transferred to a new body, you surely are not familiar with it yet . You have to start from mastering your new body . ¡±

    Yasutsuna offered to help, but Tssugu dissuaded him . Having just transferred his consciousness, he couldn¡¯t move his body as freely as before yet . Tssugu rted Kagutsuchi¡¯s message, that he needed time to familiarize himself with it .

    ¡°Hmm, it is true that it still feels unnatural . I suppose I would weigh you down if I came with you as I am now . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about . I¡¯m going with them next time . ¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s announcement was followed by Yasutsuna¡¯s dejection .

    ¡°What are you saying? The one going will be me again, obviously . ¡±

    ¡°Munechika, you touched Yasutsuna when he was still tainted by the miasma and are not in your best condition, right? We know that my ¡ºOdenta Mitsuyo¡» can be reinforced too, so I will go . ¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s question to Shin a few days before had been caused by her consideration of the possible effects of miasma .

    She knew that miasma could taint weapons, so she had been waiting outside the dungeon in case something happened to Munechika and she had to be reced .

    ¡°Kh, now you said it¡­¡±

    ¡°In that case, this old man will¡­¡±

    ¡°You stay quiet, Tssugu . ¡±

    ¡°My my, they can¡¯t take a joke, can they . ¡±

    Tssugu¡¯s proposal was met by razor-sharp looks from the two, which gave him cold sweats . Taking a couple steps away from them, he mumbled ¡°S-So scary!¡± .

    ¡°Er¡­ . Kagutsuchi seems pretty tired too, why don¡¯t we go eat for now?¡±

    Shin¡¯s proposal directed the group¡¯s eyes to Kagutsuchi, lying on the pedestal as before . They couldn¡¯t just leave it there, so they decided to continue the conversation after breakfast .

    Tiera had been a little intimidated by Munechika and Mitsuyo¡¯s aura though .

    ¡°So, which one will it be?¡±

    After breakfast, the two finished their discussion and went to see Shin . Though, looking at Munechika¡¯s regretful expression and Mitsuyo¡¯s beaming smile, already gave away the answer .

    ¡°I¡¯m going . I¡¯m sorry for my impudence, but I would like you to reinforce ¡ºOdenta¡» . ¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s expression turned serious as she made her request, her head low .

    Munechika was still slightly affected by the miasma, but if she transferred her consciousness to ¡ºMikazuki Munechika ¨C Shinuchi¡», Munechika would be even stronger than before; in addition, Tssugu ¨C Fuji¡¯s most powerful warrior ¨C was still present . Now that Yasutsuna was back too, Fuji would have been safe even without Mitsuyo .

    ¡°Got it . I more or less grasped how to do it thanks to Munechika, so just wait a while . ¡±

    Shin did not have any objections about reinforcing ¡ºOdenta¡» either . He proceeded straight to the smithy to begin the reinforcement .

    Mitsuyo transferred her consciousness to the ¡ºOdenta¡» now in its Shinuchi form .

    Mitsuyo, enveloped by light, took human form again . She appeared to have grown a bit .

    Her hair was now tied in a ponytail, her appearance resembling a youngdy who still retained traces of childishness but was one step from bing an adult . Depending on her behavior, the impression she gave could changepletely .

    ¡°W, why¡­¡±

    Mitsuyo, however, had not grown as much as she hoped . With a hand over her chest, she seemed to be conflicted .

    Shin¡¯s ears caught the words she was mumbling to herself: ¡°It¡¯s bigger, sure¡­ . it¡¯s bigger, sure, but¡­!¡±

    Maybe because of her physical growth, her armor had grown in size as well, its design changed too .

    Munechika¡¯s armor was very practical, one a general of the Japanese middle ages would wear; in contrast, Mitsuyo was something closer to the cosy one could find at a convention .

    The upper half of the body was sturdily protected, but the lower half was something akin to a skirt; her greaves guarded only her shins and knees . Her rather long socks extended just above her knees, thus charmingly showing her thighs .

    ¡°Let me say this to avoid any misunderstandings . I didn¡¯t design your appearance or design of your armor, okay?¡±

    ¡°Uuh¡­I know that!! My abilities have definitely increased, I¡¯m really thankful! Thank you very very much!¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help a wryugh after Mitsuyo¡¯s somewhat desperate words of gratitude . He then left the smithy and headed to Tsuki no Hokora, trying to calm Mitsuyo down as they went to join Schnee and the others .

    ¡°Hmm, I see everything went well . ¡±

    ¡°I see, Mitsuyo changed just like Munechika did . ¡±

    Tssugu and Yasutsunamented on the sight of the grown Mitsuyo . The preparations seemed to be alreadyplete .

    ¡°I suppose you expected something different, did you Mitsuyo? I have to say, your armor¡¯s shape changed very much . ¡±

    ¡°The childishness that bothered her seems to be gone, so I do think what you said isn¡¯t warranted, lord Tssugu . Hmm, your armor certainly became very¡­interesting . ¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d be like this either, my legs exposed and all!!¡±

    Mitsuyo noticed that herpanions were looking at her legs and tried to hide them as much as possible by stretching the cloth .

    Her cheeks were flushed out of embarrassment .

    ¡°But is that not a good result? Even without the adult charms Munechika possesses, with that appearance you will surely attract sir Shin¡¯s att¡ªwhoops!¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s ¡ºOdenta¡»was swung before Tssugu could finish the sentence .

    ¡°Tssugu, what might you be saying, all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Just a joke, dear . You look very different from before, now sir Shin surely won¡¯t think of you as a child . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m sorry, Yasutsuna . I leave the protection of Fuji to you and Munechika . ¡±

    ¡°Whoa!? M-Mitsuyo, please calm down!! I apologize, lord Shin . Could you please assist me in soothing her!?¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s face hadpletely lost all expression after Tssugu¡¯s repeated jest . Yasutsuna, who was next to her, hurriedly pleaded for Shin¡¯s assistance .

    Mitsuyo¡¯s eyes did not show the slightest hint that she was joking, so Shin grabbed her from behind to restrict her movements .

    ¡°Wait wait wait!! Don¡¯t go attacking our biggest defense here!¡±

    ¡°Kh, let me go, Shin!! I can¡¯t cut Tssugu down like this!!¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t cut him down anyway!¡±

    ¡°There are things you can say and things you cannot¡­ . wait, where are you touching!?¡±

    ¡°Whoa!?¡±

    Shin was focused on trying to calm Mitsuyo down, but his face was suddenly attacked by her cranium .

    ¡°E-even if I¡¯m wearing armor, don¡¯t just go and touch a woman¡¯s chest!!¡±

    Shin backed away in a hurry, as Mitsuyo shouted at him, her arms crossed on her chest .

    Shin didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of doing that . Touching her chest over the armor wouldn¡¯t have made him feel the slightest sensation, as he almost wanted to point out .

    ¡°What exactly are you doing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know too¡­¡±

    Shin could not find any other answer to Schnee¡¯s weary question .

    After themotion was finally resolved, The group descended from Fuji, sent off by Kagutsuchi, Tssugu, Yasutsuna, and Munechika .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Once the group passed the forest and reached a roadrge enough for carriages, Shin materialized their horse carriage from the item box .

    They then headed due north, relying on Mitsuyo¡¯s detection ability .

    Yasutsuna had been found very close, in Fuji¡¯s secret dungeon . However, ording to Munechika and Mitsuyo, things were different for Kunitsuna .

    ¡°It¡¯s getting cold . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . The nights have been getting rather cold . ¡±

    Tiera and Shin remarked at how the temperature had dropped as they headed north . Fuji¡¯s shrine, despite being on top of the mountain, was not too cold .

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s simr to Tohoku or Hokkaido . ¡±

    ¡°Tohhok? Hokado? What are you talking about?¡±

    Mitsuyo had heard the words mumbled by Shin, so she inquired their meaning as she was looking at the scenery . Tiera also looked towards Shin .

    ¡°They¡¯re ces in the ind country where I used to be . It gets colder as you go north and warmer as you go south . It¡¯s a country simr to Hinomoto . ¡±

    He would be troubled by further questions, so Shin gave a very general description of Japan . He added that he didn¡¯t know exactly where it was, to sway the conversation .

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Hinomoto gets colder as you go north and warmer as you go south, yes . I just heard though, I¡¯ve never seen it with my own eyes . ¡±

    Mitsuyo told how most things she knew came from Kagutsuchi¡¯s knowledge . Being bound to a specific area meant that she couldn¡¯t travel freely .

    ¡°I want to see that snow you talked about too . By the way, master¡¯s false name is Yuki, a word for snow, right? Is there some connection?¡±

    As if she had suddenly recalled something, Tiera asked her question .

    ¡°The name Schneees from a word that means ¡°snow¡± too . I¡¯m not sure of the exact origin though . *¡±

    Shin had not exined to Tiera in detail about support characters, so he answered as if he had heard it from Schnee .

    As he answered, Shin noticed how Schnee, who was sitting on the coachman¡¯s seat, reacted through her ears perking up every now and then . He and Tiera were inside the carriage, so their voices would surely reach Schnee¡¯s ears .

    Noticing Schnee¡¯s reactions sparked a me of trickery in Shin¡¯s heart .

    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason why master often uses ice magic?¡±

    ¡°She started by training in water magic, which is connected to ice, and lightning magic, after all . Raizar alsoes from a word meaning ¡°thunder¡± it seems . I know it¡¯s weird for me to say it, but isn¡¯t it a beautiful name? I think it matches the color of her hair and eyes . ¡±

    Shin nced towards Schnee as he answered Tiera¡¯s question . Her ears had stopped moving, but in exchange had turned bright red all the way to the tips .

    ¡°That¡¯s true . I think it¡¯s wonderful to have a name with such meaning . ¡±

    Tiera was facing towards Shin, so she hadn¡¯t noticed the change in Schnee¡¯s condition; while slightly puzzled at the grin on his face, she agreed with him .

    ¡°Hmph¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡±

    The other party members showed different reactions to the scene .

    Expressing frustration after understanding what Shin was looking at was Mitsuyo, her consciousness transferred into the newly crafted ¡ºOdenta Mitsuyo ¨C Shinuchi¡» . Her expression clearly showed how she found the situation quite unpleasant .

    In contrast, Filma was thoroughly enjoying it all .

    She was sitting next to Schnee and fully understood Shin¡¯s intentions; after he finished talking, she gave him a thumbs up, making sure only he could see it .

    Shibaid was watching the whole scene with a somewhat jaded expression: finally Yuzuha, her ears pointed at themotion, was curled into a ball on Shin¡¯sp .

    (T/N: When Shin exins about the origin of Schnee¡¯s name, in Japanese he actually says ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you exactly read it, originally it¡¯s ¡°Schnii¡± or ¡°Schnee¡±, implying that Schnee¡¯s actual name is a deformation of the German word, not exactly the word ¡°Schnee¡± itself . It would beplicated if not impossible to exin it properly in English, especially since Schnee¡¯s name has been tranted like this, so I cut Shin¡¯s line short . )

 Vol 9 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    ¡°It¡¯s s-so cold¡­¡±

    ¡°Put this on . ¡±

    Shin took out a fur-lined coat and gave it to the shivering Tiera . On the other side, Yuzuha cuddled closer to her to warm her up .

    Thanks to Kagerou¡¯s limitless energy, the horse carriage kept running onward, at a speed surpassing even that of a car . Because of this, they had already traveled a considerable distance .

    ording to Mitsuyo, they had already covered half of the distance from Fuji to Kunitsuna¡¯s location .

    As they proceeded northward, they began to see traces of snow two days after leaving Fuji . Now, a silvery white world spread all around them and the scenery around the carriage became visibly different three days after their departure .

    They couldn¡¯t even see the bare ground because of the snow, but Kagerou had no trouble proceeding .

    ¡°To think that we had to turn the carriage into a sled¡­¡±

    ¡°Looks like our destination will be covered in snow . ¡±

    Shin had moved to the coachman¡¯s seat and exchanged words with Schnee . Both were wearing heavy, furry coats and thick trousers . They also wore gloves and anti-freezing boots, making them well-equipped for the cold from head to toe .

    No matter how resistant the body was to the cold, even if it didn¡¯t hinder movement, the feeling of being cold would remain .

    Schnee imed to be perfectly alright in her normal clothing, but the other party members protested that just looking at her made them cold, so she wore thicker clothing too .

    Furthermore, to ride through snowyndscapes without any countermeasures for the cold would make them look unusual in any strangers¡¯ eyes; especially Filma with her high ratio of exposed skin .

    The inside of the carriage had been remodeled and was warmer than outside, but because of the materials used it still felt chilling . For these reasons Tiera, Filma, and the others wore warmer clothing too .

    On the other hand Shibaid, who equipped a low-quality full body armor to hide his identity, simply wore a coat over it .

    Mitsuyo, being a weapon, said she would not need anything, but Shin and the others forced her to change her attire and wear a coat . A kimono and winter coats would be an absolute mismatch .

    ¡°Oh, a pack of Snow Fangs¡­just ran off . ¡±

    A group of white wolf-type monsters appeared in Shin¡¯s detection range, but ran off scared of Kagerou¡¯s presence . Their course until now had been a continuous series of such events, as Shin¡¯s party proceeded straight ahead towards their destination, without the smallest skirmish .

    ¡°Mitsuyo, is this the correct direction?¡±

    ¡°Yes, straight ahead . Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Looks like we need to pass through a forest . Everyone, we¡¯re getting off for a while . ¡±

    The carriage stopped just before the forested area and the party started walking .

    Because of the heavy snow, the party proceeded at a rtively slow pace . From the depths of the forest, from inside the snow, monster eyes were fixated on them . They seemed to understand that they would be no match for the group: after a short nce, they all quickly left .

    Among them, certain presences kept following them at a distance .

    ¡°We¡¯re surrounded . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . They¡¯re maintaining a circle surrounding us . Their presence suppression and coordinated movements are far too good for mere robbers . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee, while continuing to walk on, verified the numbers of the group chasing after them .

    Filma, Shibaid, and Mitsuyo acted naturally, but were ready to draw their weapons at any time .

    ¡°There aren¡¯t supposed to be any viges around here, right?¡±

    Tiera, being sensitive to other people¡¯s gazes, also noticed that they were being observed . Speaking without letting her breathing be irregr, she tightened the grip on her bow .

    ¡°There might be something near our destination . Or maybe they¡¯re just a band of thieves . We¡¯ll see when we get there . If we keep going forward like this, there¡¯ll be some reaction sooner orter . ¡±

    Reassured by the optimistic Shin, the party continued to walk through the pathless forest .

    Their surrounding continued for about another 15 minutes: as they arrived close to a mountain, an arrow struck the snow next to Shin¡¯s feet .

    ¡°Looks like they won¡¯t let us go any further . ¡±

    ¡°Hmph, if they¡¯re thieves they will just taste our des . ¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s hear what they have to say first . One of them is getting closer . ¡±

    After trying to make the hot-blooded Mitsuyo cool down, Shin faced towards the approaching presence .

    What appeared from between the trees was a young girl, dressed in ck and red ceremonial garb, which Shin felt he had already seen before .

    She was also wearing an overcoat on her robes .

    Well-defined facial features and animal ears on her head . The young maiden¡¯s ears, colored light brown like the hair tied behind her neck, pointed straight up because of her nervousness .

    ¡°That¡¯s an ¡°¡ºImmacte Robe¡», isn¡¯t it . It¡¯s my first time meeting an Onmyoji here . ¡±

    ¡°As I thought, you are not simple travellers who got lost in the forest . ¡±

    The young girl wearing ck priestess clothing seemed to have heard Shin talking to himself and replied, her diffidence clearly expressed in her tone of voice .

    ¡°¡ª¡ªRindou Suzune   Level 210   Onmyoji¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed the girl¡¯s information . Based on their level, she was probably the most experienced in the group surrounding them .

    ¡°We came here to find a certain katana located somewhere ahead . We have no hostile intentions towards you all . Won¡¯t you let us go?¡±

    ¡°A katana? ¡­ah!? Do you mean that your target is that? In that case, we cannot let you pass . ¡±

    For reasons unknown to Shin and his party, Suzune took an enchanted charm from inside her robe and assumed a fighting stance .

    Her reaction told Shin and the group that trouble was brewing .

    ¡°A fighting stance so suddenly? That¡¯s quite aggressive of you . ¡±

    ¡°I had predicted that someone woulde for Onimaru . But as long as we stand, you will not do as you please!!¡±

    Suzune¡¯s tone became more and more belligerent . Having clearly heard her say the name Onimaru, Shin realized they wouldn¡¯t have been able to avoid having to deal with her .

    The surrounding circle gradually grew smaller and smaller . Figuring it was the only way, Shin talked again to Suzune .

    ¡°You, could you be from ¡°ck Priestess Shrine¡±?¡±

    ¡°Do not feign ignorance . Who else would wear robes such as these!?¡±

    ¡°ck Priestess Shrine¡± was the name of a guild in the game era, hence Shin¡¯s question .

    ¡°I just wanted to make sure . If I was wrong, it¡¯d cause trouble . Let me ask one more thing, then: is Kuchinashi still around?¡±

    ¡°!? How do you know that name!?¡±

    Suzune¡¯s expression became even sharper because of her heightened surprise and caution .

    The name Shin had mentioned, Kuchinashi, was the name of ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildmaster . She was one of the yers who had died during the Death Game, so Shin mentioned it thinking that it might be connected to the present situation .

    Judging from Suzune¡¯s reaction, it was clear that she at least knew the name .

    ¡°For now, we will not go any further than this . In exchange¡­yes, please report that the master of ¡°Demi Eden¡± hase with his entourage . ¡±

    After finishing his request, Shin took his hand off the hilt of his weapon, showing hisck of hostility . He wouldn¡¯t go as far as put the weapon away, though .

    ¡°¡­ . fair enough . Ayame, you were listening, right? Go!¡±

    ¡°Should I?¡±

    ¡°I request you to, by my authority . ¡±

    Following Suzune¡¯s order, one of the units surrounding the group left towards the direction Shin¡¯s party was headed in .

    ¡°Is it okay to just let her go?¡±

    ¡°The Kuchihashi I know wouldn¡¯t resort to violence . Let¡¯s just take a short rest . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . if you say so, then all right . ¡±

    Mitsuyo saw Shin rx his stance and sighed; she had grown tense for nothing .

    ¡°Let me make some tea, so that we don¡¯t get too cold . ¡±

    Schnee proceeded to take a teapot and teacups from the item box .

    Suzune was surprised to see that, but Schnee paid no mind to her and went on to create an oven with earth magic, then lit a fire to boil water .

    Shin took out a table and chairs and the whole party sat at leisure . Only Tiera was still a little tense .

    ¡°What is wrong with you people¡­¡±

    Suzune looked absolutely perplexed at the group¡¯s nonchnce, despite the fact that weapons were still pointed at them .

    ¡°I said that we have no intention of fighting, didn¡¯t I? Do you guys want a cup too? I bet the cold is chilling you too . ¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! Who would ever ept that offer!?¡±

    Suzune¡¯s retort was almost a roar; she probably thought they were making fun of her .

    After about 30 minutes of waiting, the girl called Ayame returned .

    ¡°¡­ . Really? Understood . Thank you . ¡±

    Ayame rted her report without letting Shin and the others hear . Suzune thanked her and let her go back to her post .

    ¡°Lady Kuchinashi will see you . Come with me . ¡±

    Her dissatisfaction clearly visible on her face, Suzune turned her back to Shin¡®s group and ran off .

    ¡°Looks like she¡¯ll be our guide, let¡¯s go . ¡±

    ¡°Does this mean thatdy Kuchinashi crossed ¡°over here¡± too?¡±

    ¡°Judging from their reaction, looks like she did . Kuchinashi is a high elf like you, Schnee, so even if she arrived here 100 years ago, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to still be alive . ¡±

    Shin and the others talked between themselves while following Suzune . She was clearly used to traveling through the forest, as she chose the easiest courses to proceed on .

    As they emerged from the forest, the scenery changedpletely .

    ¡°What is¡­ . this¡­?¡±

    ¡°Looks like the guildhouse never changed . ¡±

    Shin reacted inly to Tiera¡¯s utter surprise at the view before them . .

    What surprised Tiera so much was that, signaled by a Torii gate, there seemed to be an invisible wall, beyond which the scenery changedpletely .

    There was not a single trace of snow in the area beyond the Torii, which instead showed an idyllic spring-like scenery .

    Production facilities could be seen such as fields and rice paddies, then buildings reminiscent of smithies too . Thanks to it being located at a slightly higher altitude, Shin and the group could see a shrine¡¯s main building and prayer hall in the distance .

    ¡°Mitsuyo, what¡¯s Kunitsuna¡¯s direction?¡±

    ¡°Straight this way . Beyond therge building over there . ¡±

    Mitsuyo replied while pointing towards the shrine . Shin thought at first that the presence of the guildhouse in the direction they were heading could have been a coincidence, but now changed his mind .

    At the very least, Suzune must have known something .

    ¡°I see the entrance is still the Torii . ¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re also dressed the same as before . ¡±

    Shibaid and Filma casuallymented after seeing the guildhouse . All of Shin¡¯s support characters, Schnee included, knew the ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildhouse from the game era .

    ¡°Kuu, shrine, good . ¡±

    Yuzuha, whose territory once hosted a shrine, seemed happy at the sight .

    As the group followed Suzune through the gate, the stinging cold instantly turned mellower . The winter wear worn by Shin and the group was excessive now, so they all took off their heavy coats and other gear, returning to lighter attires .

    ¡°Lady Kuchinashi awaits here . Be sure to show proper respect . ¡±

    Suzune had led them to the shrine¡¯s prayer hall, as Shin thought she would .

    Only its external appearance was that of a prayer hall, though: the interior waspletely different . Being a guildhouse, it contained several facilities such as warehouses, and of course traps to hinder monsters and enemy attacks .

    Even under many pairs of watchful eyes, Shin did not miss this opportunity to map the interior of the building .

    After turning several corners, following a maze-like course, they arrived in the room farthest from the entrance, the guildmaster¡¯s quarters .

    Suzune spoke to the priestess in charge of security, and after a few seconds of silence the door opened .

    The room, decorated with Japanese-style ornaments and objects, was immersed in silence . The footsteps and rustling of clothes Shin and the party caused echoed louder than normal .

    The room¡¯s owner was sitting at a small table, apparently engaged in battle against paperwork .

    ¡°Wee . I thought it was someone pretending to be you at first, but I see we have the real Shin here . I¡¯m d to see that your support friends are well too . Two of them I¡¯m not familiar with though . ¡±

    So spoke the woman as she wrapped up the paperwork: Kuchinashi, former yer and guildmaster of ck Priestess Shrine .

    Her waist-length red hair gently waved as she stood up . Eyes ck like the night, resembling obsidian gemstones, looked straight at Shin from behind under-frame sses .

    Looking at her, Shin thought that while she was originally pale-skinned, herplexion was somewhat sickly .

    ¡ª¡ª¨CKuchinashi   Level 255    Purification Priestess

    The information disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was just as Shin remembered .

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time . I did not think I would have the chance of meeting you again . Did you lose some weight?¡±

    ¡°I believe that¡¯s where you ask ¡°Aren¡¯t you more beautiful than before?¡±, instead . ¡±

    Kuchinashi raised her eyebrows and rebuked Shin . Her expression showed that she hadn¡¯t expected Shin to notice .

    ¡°Anyway, I know it¡¯s strange for me to say this, but was it alright to let us inside? I think that you know me from when I was in a rather dangerous state¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­concerning when Ist saw you . But I knew that deep inside you, there was no hate . ¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s judgment had been caused by her seeing Shin before and after the change .

    ¡°Even if you were an impostor, if you meant to harm me within the guildhouse, you¡¯d need to at least be on par with Schnee, as far as fighting prowess goes . In the current world, it¡¯s pretty impossible for many people of that level to be in the same party . They would be famous in a sh too . And well, my woman¡¯s intuition told me so too . ¡±

    Raising her index finger in a told-you-so gesture, Kuchinashi chuckled .

    Guildhouse masters¡¯ abilities were powered up inside their guildhouses . Kuchinashi had realized that this Shin was not an impostor thanks to the name and level disyed by her reinforced ¡¾Analyze¡¿ .

    Facing a fully prepared guildmaster inside their guildhouse would be very difficult without arge difference in stats .

    ¡°So, I heard that you¡¯re looking for a katana?¡±

    Shin knew Kuchinashi and what kind of person she was, so he briefly exined that one of the Five Supreme des was supposed to be in the area .

    ¡°I see¡­when I saw the name of the ponytail girl I had a hunch, but in this case, I¡¯ll tell you what I know . In short, we know where it is . But some time ago we made a series of mistakes and¡­were now undecided about what to do . Now that you¡¯re here, though, we should be able to solve this . ¡±

    ¡°Leave it to us . By the way, the girl that guided us here seemed to know about Onimaru too . ¡±

    Suzune had mentioned Onimaru¡¯s name, showing great hostility towards Shin . Maybe she was connected somehow .

    ¡°Suzune, right . OK, I¡¯ll exin about her too, so will you stay and listen?¡±

    Kuchinashi motioned to Shin and the others to sit down and ordered the priestess outside to bring something to drink .

    After the priestess brought tea with sweets and left, Kuchinashi started talking .

    ¡°First, we confirmed the presence of ¡ºOnimaru Kunitsuna¡», one of the Five Supreme des, around 5 years ago . It was in the depths of ¡°Cadaver Realm¡±, a dungeon that appeared close to our guild house . It¡¯s a dungeon with an entrant limit, only 4 people are allowed inside at the same time . ¡±

    In the game era too, dungeons that could be explored only by obeying specific conditions (limits on party members, weapons, etc) existed . The dungeon where Onimaru was located appeared to be of this type .

    Kuchinashi continued by saying that when the ck Priestess Shrine members explored the dungeon, they didn¡¯t know about Onimaru¡¯s presence .

    ¡°Shin, do you know the word ¡°Chosen One¡±?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it refers to whoever has a resurrection bonus, right? The stats change from person to person though . ¡±

    ¡°Exactly . The members who explored the dungeon that time were all Chosen Ones . The War Priestess Kotone, especially, had STR and DEX over 700 . It was supposed to be a party of considerable fighting power, and yet¡­¡±

    Despite this, only one member returned alive .

    ording to the survivor, although they suffered casualties they managed to defeat the boss that wielded Onimaru, but the boss¡¯ corpse released a ck mist-like substance, which swallowed both Onimaru and Kotone .

    ¡°After that, I chose other members and had them inspect the boss room again; they reported seeing Kotone, Onimaru in hand, standing in the middle of the room . It looks like she has been made part of the dungeon and acts as its boss now . When they tried to talk to her, they were attacked . ¡±

    Kuchinashi had ordered the scouting members toe back as soon as anything happened, so they retreated right away .

    Defeating her could probably bring her back to her senses, but because of thebination of Kotone¡¯s abilities and Onimaru¡¯s stats, no one could best her .

    Kuchinashi could be considered an advanced yer, but because of therge difference in equipment, she didn¡¯t have enough confidence to step up to the challenge .

    Furthermore, there was also the possibility that what happened to Kotone could affect Kuchinashi too, so many were against the idea of the guildmaster facing Kotone in person .

    ¡°Some members tell me that they would like to try to face her, but only 3 of them could be suitable, ability-wise . Suzune, the girl who guided you here, is the most able of the three . Suzune is also Kotone¡¯s younger sister, so she trained desperately to hone her skills, in order to save her . . ¡±

    ¡°I see . When we were surrounded, she was the only one to show a kind of excessive reaction¡­so that was the reason . ¡±

    Freeing Onimaru meant defeating Kotone . Shin¡¯s party, ignorant of her circumstances, could have dealt with Kotone thinking she was just a monster .

    Shin thought that Suzune¡¯s concern about this risk had been expressed through her reaction .

    ¡°This is all the information I can tell you . And so, there is something I would like to ask you to do, Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°To recover Onimaru and save Kotone, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly, but I would also like you to bring Suzune with you . She is one of the Chosen Ones with the highest abilities here and can also use ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿, so I am sure she can prove herself useful for the rescue . ¡±

    Being an Onmyoji, she could prove herself useful in various ways,manding spirits both to locate enemies and in battle . Kuchinashi reassured Shin that, at least against the monsters in the dungeon, she wouldn¡¯t be a burden .

    ¡°If possible, I would like for all 4 members to be from my group though . ¡±

    Shin, obviously, then the all-purpose type Schnee, Mitsuyo from the Five Supreme des, then Tiera, who seeded in purifying Yasutsuna . These would have been the best members .

    ¡°I thought that the Supreme de counted as weapon, though . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I wonder . I don¡¯t know how that works either . If Mitsuyo is not counted as one of the 4, we can take Suzune with us . After all, someone under foreign control could wake up if a family member calls to them . Thinking about our current situation, I don¡¯t think that things like that can be disregarded . ¡±

    Shin was experiencing a real world created exactly like a video game after all .

    No one can tell what might or might not happen . Thus a miracle like that was very possible .

    ¡°Let us verify if Suzune cane with you or not first then . If it¡¯s possible, we can discuss how to work togetherter . ¡±

    Kuchinashi called to someone outside the room, ordering them to lead Shin¡¯s group to the dungeon .

    The priestess in charge of guiding them, Ayame, exited the guildhouse grounds via a Torii gate located opposite from the one Shin¡¯s party to used to enter .

    Taking a long time just for a confirmation seemed pointless, so they started running and arrived at the dungeon in about 15 minutes .

    In the middle of the forest lied a run-down fort . Possibly to contain the effects of the miasma, the trees all around the fort were tied together with votive rope and blessed charms were attached to their trunks .

    ¡°If you enter the fort and proceed straight you will find the entrance to the dungeon . ¡±

    Ayame informed the group in detail about their destination and they headed towards the entrance .

    In order to check what Mitsuyo would be ssified as, Shin, Schnee, Tiera, Shibaid, and Mitsuyo tried to enter the dungeon together .

    ¡°¡­ . doesn¡¯t look like there are any problems, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, it appearsdy Mitsuyo is not counted as a person . ¡±

    Shibaid looked around and answered Shin¡¯s question .

    They were 5, Mitsuyo included . Yet the dungeon supposedly identified them as 4 people and 1 weapon .

    ¡°So this means that we can take Suzune with us too . Well well, let¡¯s see what happens next . ¡±

    Shin mumbled to himself as they traced back their steps out of the dungeon .

    The entrance to ¡°Cadaver Realm¡± remained fully open, as if inviting Shin and the party inside .

 Vol 9 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    After confirming the dungeon¡¯s situation, Shin and the party quickly returned to the ck Priestess Shrine guildhouse.

    ¡°We can bring her. I¡¯d like to talk about how we¡¯re going to work together then.¡±

    Until now, Shin had been fighting with Schnee and Shibaid,panions he knew very well, and Tiera, who solely focused on rear support, so they never practiced seriously how to fight as a team.

    Munechika and Mitsuyo were originally veterans of closebat, so they found it simple to fight alongside others. Shin also knew their fighting styles well, so coordinating with them was not a problem.

    The new member, Suzune, was an Onmyouji, a rather tricky job.

    They needed to know her fighting style, what she could do and what she couldn¡¯t, before starting the exploration.

    ¡°I know. Please wait a moment.¡±

    Kuchinashi gave orders to summon Suzune, and after a few minutes a knock was heard at the door. After obtaining permission, Suzune stepped inside.

    ¡°Lady Kuchinashi, if you summoned me here does it mean that I am allowed to apany them?¡±

    Suzune saw the members present in the room and understood the reason behind the summoning. Kuchinashi nodded and started talking.

    ¡°Correct. I will have you go with them. But you are forbidden from acting on your own.¡±

    ¡°I know that well, you do not need to tell me.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, what is the youngdy who tried to sneak inside just 8 days ago saying now?¡±

    Suzune answered with a grimace, but Kuchinashi¡¯s retort struck her down. She had already once done what she was being warned of.

    While listening to their conversation, Shin regretted a little to have decided so quickly.

    He understood her tendency to run ahead on her own for her sibling¡¯s sake. But to act on one¡¯s ord in a dungeon would cause trouble to all other party members.

    Thinking that he had to make that clear, Shin focused even more and prepared for the discussion.

    After doing introductions, Shin inquired about Suzune¡¯s fighting style.

    ¡°In general, I use one spirit each for attacking and defending. I can also use enchanted charms for support.¡±

    ¡°Also, she can also perform ¡°Spirit Possession¡± for a short time.¡±

    ¡°Ldy Kuchinashi!!¡±

    ¡°I understand that you¡¯d rather keep your trump card hidden, but he already knows pretty much all Onmyoji skills, dear. It¡¯s pretty much pointless to hide.¡±

    Kuchinashi put a hand on Suzune¡¯s shoulder, advising her to give up, much to the young girl¡¯s dismay.

    ¡°Eh, you aren¡¯t a samurai?¡±

    ¡°Kuchinashi is the one who told me about them though. I use a katana in closebat, but I can also use magic on par with a mage. You can count on me when the need arises.¡±

    ¡°What!? What are youdy Kuchinashi, they are Chosen Ones too?¡±

    Suzune¡¯s disbelief was very natural: what Shin had just inly stated was something next to impossible in the current world. She, however, quickly realized what it had to mean.

    ¡°Well, something like that. Schnee over there is a jack of all trades like Shin too. Mitsuyo is a closebat type, as you can see by her appearance. Tiera, you¡¯re a Hunter, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°Ehm, to be precise I¡¯m a Tamer. This is my partner, Kagerou.¡±

    ¡°Growl.¡±

    As they were indoors, Kagerou came out of Tiera¡¯s shadow in wolf pup mode.

    ¡°That¡¯s bizarre though, I never heard that it was possible to tame divine beasts.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t see the stats¡­¡±

    ¡°Er, he¡¯s a good boy, you know? He won¡¯t get angry even if you do this.¡±

    To Kuchinashi¡¯s surprise and Suzune¡¯s caution, Tiera picked up Kagerou with her left hand and, with her right, moved its front right paw up and down.

    Thinking that she was going to y with him, Kagerou licked Tiera¡¯s cheek.

    Appearance-wise, Kagerou was just like any puppy dog.

    ¡°Your party members are outside the norm as usual, Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a sufficient exnation though¡­¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s smart and understands perfectly what we say and mean. I personally mainly support with my bow. Though, I also have some skill with short swords and hand-to-handbat.¡±

    Tiera described her abilities with humility, but as she had undergone Schnee¡¯s training, she couldn¡¯t possess just ¡°some¡± skill.

    ¡°There is onest thing I need to confirm.¡±

    ¡°What might that be?¡±

    Shin waited for the moment when the conversation ended to talk.

    In contrast to the peaceful mood, his expression was now deadly serious as he looked at Suzune.

    Suzune unconsciously took a step back and returned Shin¡¯s stern gaze when she noticed his stare.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the current boss of the dungeon is Suzune¡¯s elder sister, Kotone. I mean to save her and will move with the intention of doing so. But if it bes impossible to save her, can you swear that you will not stand in our way?¡±

    Shin did not ask Suzune if she can kill Kotone or not. He didn¡¯t want to force her to kill a family, and there was arge difference in fighting power between Kotone and Suzune.

    He thought that either he or Schnee would give her the final blow, in that case.

    Hence the question. If it turns impossible to save Kotone, do you swear that you will not attack us from behind?

    ¡°¡­.I swear. I will not stand by and watch my sister turned into a monster by the miasma.¡±

    Suzune waspletely silent for a few seconds after Shin¡¯s question, then answered, her pupils trembling slightly.

    There was still doubt in her heart. So the answer suggested, but Shin replied that he understood and closed the conversation. They would know if Suzune was truly prepared or not only when that moment came.

    There was meaning, however, behind asking such a question at that time.

    Shin couldn¡¯t know what would happen if she had to face her own sister¡¯s death. But it was important to think about it now.

    If Suzune had to face such a situation unprepared and ended up not being able to move because of indecision, her life would be in danger.

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s do a sparring match on the training grounds then.¡±

    In order to change the mood, Shin spoke in an overly bright tone.

    The group headed to the facility¡¯s training grounds, led by Kuchinashi. The priestess posted before the guildmaster¡¯s quarters also came with them, as an ¡°escort¡±.

    After several practice matches, performed in order to grasp each other¡¯s prowess, the group called it a day.

    The next day, the group gathered all information they had about the dungeon and prepared rations and equipment.

    As it was possible to use the cheat-level useful ability called Item Box, the preparations wereplete in a sh.

    They used the remaining time to rest at leisure, to prepare for the exploration starting the next day.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re off. If anything happens on your end, just send a message.¡±

    ¡°Shin, please take care of Suzune.¡±

    ¡°Lady Kuchinashi!?!¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t just understand like that!¡±

    Suzune had somehow be a teasing target, and as such reacted to Kuchinashi and Shin¡¯s exchange.

    Mitsuyo and Tiera looked at the three, silently wondering what they were doing.

    ¡°You¡¯re feeling less nervous now, aren¡¯t you? Kuchinashi¡¯s worried too, you know.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you found me out.¡±

    ¡°Kh¡­I understand. I will be careful.¡±

    Suzune was aware that she was feeling nervous, so she looked the other way, her cheeks flushed.

    ¡°Kuu, standby, again¡­¡±

    Yuzuha muttered a lonely sigh while looking at the three.

    The guild was equipped with countermeasures against monsters and miasma, but there was no Kagutsuchi there.

    Because of that, if anything happened Yuzuha and her ability to influence Ley lines was vital.

    ¡°Sorry, Yuzuha. I¡¯m going to make it up to you when Ie back.¡±

    Shin made a promise to Yuzuha, thinking that this time brushing wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    ¡°Take care. Come back soon, kuu.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I await good news.¡±

    Sent off by Yuzuha, Kuchinashi, and the escorting priestess, Shin¡¯s group stepped inside ¡°Cadaver Realm¡±.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Cadaver Realm¡±, just like Fuji¡¯s ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, was a cave-like dungeon full of craggy rocks and boulders.

    The greatest difference was itsck of steam and heat waves.

    The cave¡¯s walls and ceiling were studded with bright gemstones, so lighting and sight were assured too.

    ¡°There¡¯s better visibility than I expected.¡±

    Shin and Mitsuyo acted as the group¡¯s front guard, while Suzune and Tiera were in the center and Schnee took the rear.

    Suzune activated her spirits as soon as they entered the dungeon. A doll-like spirit around 30 cemels in height floated near her shoulders, while a spirit like a wolf made of origami was next to her feet, keeping track of the surroundings.

    About 5 minutes after they entered the dungeon, Shin¡¯s detection field reported the presence of monsters.

    The cave was 6 mels wide and 5 mels tall, posing no problems for battle in a team of 4.

    The first encounter was with bat-like monsters, always present in cave dungeons.

    The monsters¡¯ name was Edge Shade.

    Its appearance was like darkness in a bat-like shape, with a glowing red core located on the forehead. Itsrge wings spread to almost 1 mel and its level was also rtively high at 422.

    The monster possessed two main methods of attack: sh-like attacks with wings or spells causing abnormal statuses,unched while flying over the yer¡¯s head.

    Its HP was rather low, but unless they were defeated through a spell with wide area of effect they could prove to be troublesome opponents.

    ¡°It¡¯s not in Invader form. I heard that the whole dungeon is heavily affected by miasma though?¡±

    ¡°It does look like a normal dungeon for now. I suppose it was a darkness-type dungeon originally. The gemstones that sometimes drop are all of the darkness type, and Edge Shades only appear in locations with strong darkness affinity.¡±

    Dungeons could have several affinities. ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, through its name and interior, was a clear example of a fire-type dungeon.

    ¡°Theck of miasma influence is intriguing, but in any case we need to defeat them to proceed. There¡¯s a lot of them too, as usual¡­I¡¯ll wipe them out myself.¡±

    There were members with low resistance to status effects in the current party, namely Suzune and Tiera, so Shin decided to eliminate the monsters with magic.

    The spell he chose was one often used against darkness-type monsters, the Light-type magic skill ¡¾sh Bomb¡¿.

    As he activated the spell, light started gathering on Shin¡¯s palms.

    After the light formed a full globe, Shin shot the light bullet towards the monsters¡¯ pack.

    The light globe aimed straight at the center of the pack, releasing a white visual effect soon after. The transparently white light spread for about 5 mels, erasing the Edge Shades in its wake.

    The light gradually grew fainter and disappeared, but its effects remained: the Edge Shades that charged in before the light disappeared were also erased.

    The light would persist for 5 seconds: Shin, who had noticed another pack of Edge Shades beyond the ¡¾sh Bomb¡¿, shot another light bullet, which took care of the new pack.

    A decent quantity of drops and treasures piled up before Shin¡¯s group.

    ¡°Item drops¡­.? Wait, this didn¡¯t happen in ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, right?¡±

    In dungeons, monsters disappear immediately after being defeated and drop items at a set rate.

    Shin heard that this rule remained in the current world, but asked confirmation from Schnee about it not happening in Fuji¡¯s dungeon.

    ¡°Kagutsuchi said that it was because of the miasma. I¡¯m sorry, I heard it while you were focusing on crafting, so I forgot to tell you.¡±

    ¡°Aah, I see. Well, nothing changes anyway. It doesn¡¯t really affect us now whether items drop or not.¡±

    Shin started to not really care, as he was not expecting anything from item drops.

    As their exchange ended, Suzune started talking.

    ¡°There were no drops here before either. This is just my opinion, but I think that the miasma might be concentrated where my sister is.¡±

    ¡°Miasma concentrated? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I heard from the survivor that this dungeon¡¯s original boss was a menace because of its numbers. Meaning that each unit¡¯s strength was not much. As such, I doubt it could generate miasma forever: after my sister defeated it, there was not enough miasma to taint both my sister and the dungeon at the same time.¡±

    Shin nodded in deep thought as he listened to Suzune¡¯s theory.

    Maybe for the sake of preserving the game¡¯s bnce, in ¡°THE NEW GATE¡±, in case of bossesposed of many units, each unit¡¯s strength was not very high. There were also exceptions, but they mainly consisted in the defeated units turning into a boss, not to fight both at the same time.

    ¡°My sister is a very strong Chosen One. The stronger one¡¯s will is, the harder is it for miasma to taint it. In order to keep her as a boss in ce of the defeated one, there wasn¡¯t miasma to be spared to affect the dungeon too.¡±

    ¡°I see, you might have a point. In that case, if we could get rid of the miasma somehow it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to save Kotone too, I suppose.¡±

    Shin had seen monsters changed by miasma, but had never known of them bing dungeon bosses. If there was a chance to save Kotone though, he wanted to prioritize it above anything else.

    Shin¡¯s group quickly recovered some of the treasures, then proceeded onwards.

    ¡°Cadaver Realm¡±¡¯s structure contained the corridor Shin¡¯s group was located in andrge hall-like clearings, about 50 mels wide. The halls were connected by a series of corridors like the one Shin and the others were exploring.

    Watched from the side, it would likely resemble an anthill.

    Everyrge hall was connected to many corridors, so choosing the wrong path would make it difficult to return to the surface.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sure that you know this already, but don¡¯t use too much magic power so early, okay?¡±

    Just as Shin thought they were advancing smoothly. Suzune¡¯s reprimand came after Shin defeated a 20-strong pack of ck Hounds, wolf-like monsters, in their fifth hall after entering the dungeon.

    ¡°Er, what exactly do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I was watching you fight from behind you, but you¡¯re always using skills and never arts. You use skills even in closebat, so if you keep using spells like crazy you¡¯ll run out of magic power in no time.¡±

    Shin was lost, unable to grasp what she meant, and Suzune continued. She was worried about his pace of magic usage.

    ¡°I see. But I get back the magic power used via natural recovery, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    ¡°Whaat? You¡¯re a Human, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re not a Pixie or an Elf, so if you keep using magic like that there¡¯s no way for natural recovery to catch up to your magic consumption. In dungeons, using skills against bosses or strong enemies only and dealing with weaker enemies with arts, to save MP, is the basic among basics. I thought you were using only skills on purpose during practice, but¡­this isn¡¯t your first dungeon, right?¡±

    The ratio of magic power recovered naturally depends on one¡¯s max MP.

    In terms of races, as Suzune stated Pixies and Elves recovered faster, while Dwarves and Dragnils were slower. Humans and Lords were around the middle, while Beasts changed widely depending on their species.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you it¡¯s alright, so please rest easy. You didn¡¯t know that when someone has high basic magic power, they also recover more? Besides, there are also skills to increase recover ratio quantity and speed.¡±

    The people Shin had met until now also used skills in rapid session, so he hadn¡¯t noticed how peculiar his usage was.

    In addition, another fundamental problem was that Shin couldn¡¯t use arts. Maybe because they were techniques unique to this world, he didn¡¯t seem to be able to learn them as he wanted.

    ¡°Just how much magical power do you have? Then, maybe your main job is actually Mage?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, my main is Samurai, sub is cksmith. I¡¯m going to take care of the small fry from now on, so you keep your magic usage to a level you can take back with natural recovery, Suzune.¡±

    ¡°I will, thank you very much. ¡ª¨Cjust for confirmation, is everyone else in your group like you?¡±

    With a sigh, Suzune stopped supplying magic power to her wolf-like spirit. The spirit changed back to its enchanted charm form, then Suzune put it back in her robe¡¯s pocket.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination. At the very least, the members here now won¡¯t do something stupid like running out of magic power, rest assured.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you say there are no problems, then fine.¡±

    Suzune looked towards Schnee after Shin dodged the question, but didn¡¯t press further.

    ¡°You two, chat time is over.¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s voice called to them. A new monster wasing towards them.

    They didn¡¯t fail to notice the enemy¡¯s arrival, though, so they quickly prepared for the encounter.

    ¡°Skullface, huh. It¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    ¡°It looks much more mellow thanst time. Its equipment is different too.¡±

    Shin mumbled something at the sight of the monster and Schnee alsomented, with a somewhat nostalgic tone of voice.

    The time when Shin found Yuzuha and also when he reunited with Schnee, he had encountered arge quantity of Skullfaces. That was the reason why they had left a particr impression on him.

    The newly appeared monsters were Skullfaces of Jack, Queen, and King variety.

    As Schnee mentioned, normally they equipped European-style armor, long swords, kite or tower shields, but these wore gear reminiscent of Oriental warriors. Their weapons were spears, katana and nagamaki-like weapons: they also had changed following the armor¡¯s example.

    The area Shin¡¯s group had reached was directly after one of the halls and was the size of arge field. It was more than 2000 mels long, with the ceiling at about 10 mels height.

    It was a wide enough area for even the Skullface Kings¡¯ gigantic bodies to move at ease.

    Seeing the Skullfaces advance towards them in formation, as if they were in wait, made Suzune¡¯s hand unconsciously reach for the spirit charms in her pocket.

    ¡°Okay then, their equipment is a bit different than the usual; because of their current armor ¡¾sh Bomb¡¿ won¡¯t have much of an effect. Me and Mitsuyo are going to cut them down, you three give us support.¡±

    ¡°My turn, finally. I was starting to get rusty since you destroyed all monsters in a sh with your magic.¡±

    Mitsuyo unsheathed ¡ºOdenta Mitsuyo ¨C Shinuchi¡», her eyes glimmering with fighting spirit.

    Until this point, they had dealt with all monsters through Shin or Schnee¡¯s magic and Tiera¡¯s arrows. Mitsuyo, while keeping alert, had just been spectating and was rather fed up with it.

    ¡°We have to let you move a bit after all. Don¡¯t go overboard, okay?¡±

    ¡°I hope it¡¯ll be enough to qualify for a warm-up.¡±

    Leaving her words trailing behind her, Mitsuyo instantly sped up.

    It happened the instant after she leaned forward. Only Shin and Schnee could see it; even the Chosen One Suzune could only see Mitsuyo¡¯s silhouette blur and then simply vanish.

    The Skullfaces, naturally, could not register her movements.

    Before the Skullface realized anything, Mitsuyo¡¯s sword arm blurred.

    A silver arc-like sh passed through the armor-d body of the Skullface King which happened to lead the group.

    ¡°!?!¡±

    An instant passed, and both the King and its heavy gear turned to pieces.

    Its de, taller than Mitsuyo herself, and its intricately decorated armor too were cleaved in half. The core inside had also been cut in two.

    Leaving the pieces of its armor behind, the King disappeared.

 Vol 9 Chapter 3.3: Chapter 3 Part 3

    ¡°Wow, so fast . ¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t help but voice her thoughts about Mitsuyo¡¯s impressive speed . She was simply amazed that there was someone else capable of attaining a speed on Shin and Schnee¡¯s levels .

    Munechika was fast too, but very few in the current world were capable of such movements .

    ¡°It¡¯s not a speed humans can achieve . ¡±

    Suzune, who was next to Tiera, spoke her opinion too, but her voice contained more concern than awe .

    Suzune¡¯s sister, Kotone, was in possession of Onimaru . She was afraid that because of this, she would be able to move like Mitsuyo .

    Mitsuyo¡¯s current abilities were the result of Shin¡¯s reinforcement, but as Suzune did not know this, she couldn¡¯t help but look sour .

    ¡°As expected of a Supreme de . These monsters mean nothing to her . ¡±

    Unaware of Suzune¡¯s feelings, Shin swung his ¡ºMoonless¡» . He wasn¡¯t using his full power, but nevertheless unleashed sword slices on par with Mitsuyo¡¯s, which cut effortlessly through the Skullfaces .

    When Shin had battled a Jack-grade unique monster with a rather low-grade type of katana, he had spent considerable time on a single unit . Now that his weapon was an Ancient-grade one, even Kings could be defeated with one or two sword strokes .

    The monsters could have tried to parry with their weapons, or rely on their armor, but Shin¡¯s sword could not be stopped .

    ¡°Shah!¡±

    Shin cut down a Queen as he stepped next to her, then sliced through another as he returned his de to the sheath .

    A King unleashed a sh attack from behind the Queens, caring little about hitting itspanions in the process, but Shin repelled it and even knocked away the monster¡¯s katana .

    Shin¡¯s de then pierced the monster¡¯s wide-open abdomen; its core was still disappearing when the katana moved to the next foe as if dancing .

    Thanks to the guidance received from Karin, Shin¡¯s swordsmanship had improved greatly . Because of this, the speed at which he defeated the monsters was not inferior to Mitsuyo, who had spent her life pursuing the path of the de .

    Suzune rubbed her eyes while looking at Shin, as if she had seen something incredible .

    ¡°This is weird¡­Shin¡¯s movements seem like a blur¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s group had been routing the monsters until now, but with the emergence of a group of Skullfaces, Suzune thought that the rear guard¡¯s turn had finallye and took a fighting stance .

    Compared to Shin¡¯s party, the Skullfaces were not high-level monsters . Suzune was wary of the additional power the ck Lacquer gear could have given to the monsters .

    As the monsters¡¯ grade increased, their gear¡¯s stats would too, as would their skill with their weapons .

    They were not monsters one could look down on as mere Undead anymore .

    The way to fight them was radically different than the beast monsters who normally appeared in the area .

    Despite all this, Mitsuyo and Shin were exterminating the Skullfaces with inhuman speed . It was a cakewalk not unlike all their previous encounters .

    The monsters¡¯ armor turned to shreds like paper . Their spears and des snapped and blew away like twigs . Levels and grades meant nothing . Ending each battle unscathed was the norm . Shin and Mitsuyo continued to bury one Skullface after another, as if they were racing to see who defeated more .

    Less than 10 minutes after the battle started, all Skullfaces had been brought down .

    ¡°Closebat battles take more time after all . I guess I¡¯ll blow them away with magic next time . ¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s best, yes . They were so pathetic, I feel even less satisfied after fighting . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, er, you two, that¡¯s enough . ¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t help a wryugh as she saw Suzune looking bbergasted at Shin and Mitsuyo¡¯s exchange .

    Tiera had witnessed Shin and Schnee¡¯s battle styles, so she understood well how Suzune had to be feeling .

    ¡°I finally understand the reason why Lady Kuchinashi was not worried at all¡­¡±

    Suzune let out an exhaustedment . As a Chosen One herself, she was baffled to see movements far exceeding what Chosen Ones could do .

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell that you can move like that too?¡±

    ¡°Master probably can, but it¡¯s impossible for me . ¡±

    Tiera firmly shook her head at the thought of beingpared to them . Kagerou, the divine beast lying as always in Tiera¡¯s shadow, would be a challenging fight for Shin . Inparison to Shin, though, Tiera was like an average person .

    ¡°Shin¡¯s power is far beyond our reach . This is still far from him fighting seriously . ¡±

    ¡°You mean that he¡¯s holding back¡­ . ?¡±

    To Schnee¡¯s answer and smile, Suzune could only react with a long sigh . At the same time, a sort of feeling of security spread in her chest .

    If people as strong as Shin and Mitsuyo were avable, it was highly likely that they could restrain Kotone even if she went on a rampage .

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going . Different types of monsters will start appearing on the next floor, so be careful . ¡±

    After Shin¡¯s words of warning, the party advanced through the dungeon .

    Their exploration of ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡± required mapping the whole dungeon, so it took a long time, but this time they had the map provided by ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s scouts . They knew that both Onimaru and Kotone were in the deepest part of the dungeon, so as soon as they found stairs or passageways leading further down the dungeon, they took them without hesitation .

    ¡°Hm? Everybody stop!¡±

    As they were walking down a corridor, Shin suddenly told the party to stop .

    Mitsuyo had apparently predicted Shin¡¯s order, so she stopped right way . Suzune and Tiera stopped after a few moments .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°There are monsters right in front of the exit of this corridor . ¡±

    Shin had detected the monsters¡¯ presence clearly . Mitsuyo simply nodded in agreement, without showing any particr reactions .

    ¡°They¡¯re not many, maybe 3 at most . ¡±

    ¡°Exactly . There¡¯s a high chance to be ambushed . Schnee and I will take the lead this time while concealing our presence . Mitsuyo, everyone, pleaseeter . ¡±

    Shin left Tiera and Suzune in Mitsuyo¡¯s care, then alongside Schnee concealed his presence with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ . As they carefully proceeded through the corridor and into the following hall, 2 monsters appeared before them .

    ¡°Nues, huh . The monsters are all Japanese-style because we¡¯re in Hinomoto?¡±

    Shin recognized the monsters even before using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ .

    Monkey head, tiger body, a snake as a tail; that was the monster Nue . It was a dangerous opponent, known for its venomous ws and tail snake, high attack power and speed .

    ¡°The ones in front are a decoy it seems . ¡±

    ¡°Perfect for an ambush, I guess . ¡±

    Above the entrance connecting the corridor and the hall, hidden from view of whoever entered the hall, another Nue was lying in wait . It was a mystery how it had sensed their arrival, but it was apparently ready to stage a surprise attack on Shin¡¯s party .

    It probably nned to take out the rear guard or give them status effects via surprise attacks, probably to defend itself against its weakness, long-range attacks like magic spells .

    ¡°Schnee, please take out the one above . I¡¯ll handle the ones in front . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    As per Shin¡¯s orders, Schnee ran up the hall¡¯s wall .

    Many monsters were difficult to ambush while using ¡¾Hiding¡¿, but Nue was not one of them .

    In addition, Schnee¡¯s main job was Kunoichi . She enjoyed added bonuses from concealment-type skills, preventing her from being noticed even by monsters with high detection abilities .

    Schnee moved behind the Nue, which was waiting immobile, its ws firmly grasping the wall . Her ¡ºBlue Moon¡» struck swiftly, without hesitation .

    The de, d in blue light, cut through the Nue¡¯s neck without dy . The monster¡¯s head fell shortly after .

    Schnee confirmed the disappearance of the monster¡¯s body and turned her eyes to Shin, in the exact moment when ¡ºMoonless¡» sliced through the other two Nue¡¯s bodies, cutting them cleanly in half .

    The Nues¡¯ monkey faces showed how they had failed to understand what just happened .

    As the two monsters disappeared, fur and fang-like items remained in their ce .

    ¡°Anyway¡­did Nues always n ambushes like this in dungeons?¡±

    Monsters never positioned themselves near the entrance of corridors or halls . It was a fact, ever since the game era .

    ¡°They were originally monsters skilled in ambushes, so I do not think it is too strange . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too . I still can¡¯tpletely shake off the feeling I had in the game era . ¡±

    Suzune, who only knew the current world, remarked with a slightly pungent tone that it was normal to expect attacks from any direction in dungeons .

    ¡°I have barely explored any dungeon you know . ¡±

    While replying with what sounded like just an excuse, Shin wondered if he shouldn¡¯t pick a random dungeon to explore at leisure .

    There were many differences from the game era that he hadn¡¯t felt yet . Even though he had Schnee to ask for confirmation, like this time in some cases the game¡¯s experience still influenced his thoughts .

    ¡°By the way, your first dungeon was ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, wasn¡¯t it . ¡±

    ¡°That was a hidden dungeon, so it didn¡¯t have many floors and it was alsopletely corrupted by miasma . Instead, here the effects of the miasma might be strong in the deepest floor, but around here it¡¯s like a normal dungeon, so this might be my actual first time . ¡±

    ¡°Cadaver Realm¡±, however, did not possess many floors either . Shin predicted that the area still resembling a normal dungeon would be over soon .

    As if to confirm his prediction, the monsters around floor 20 and beyond stopped producing item drops .

    ¡°So the area under the effects of the miasma starts here . ¡±

    ¡°The appearance is the same, but the atmosphere here does feel ominous . ¡±

    Tiera looked at the surroundings, a grimace on her face . Shin also felt his skin tingling .

    ¡°I feel the same . Let¡¯s proceed with caution . ¡±

    As they started noticing traces of miasma corruption on the walls and ceiling, suddenly Kagerou jumped out of Tiera¡¯s shadow and started howling loudly .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what, but looks like there¡¯s something lurking ahead . ¡±

    Kagerou went as far as showing himself to warn them . Shin and the party advanced with extreme caution, knowing that the possibility of danger was high .

    After around 10 minutes, Shin¡¯s nose picked up a smell he had never felt before then .

    ¡°¡­ . hey, could it be that Kagerou warned us about this smell?¡±

    ¡°Looks like it . We should still be far, but it¡¯s a really foul stench . ¡±

    Tiera answered Shin¡¯s question, her face again distorted in a grimace, but for different reasons than before .

    Near the stairs in front of Shin¡¯s group, which were leading to the lower floor, a terrible stench filled the air . It was different from the smell of rot, but in the same way it caused nausea and vertigo to the party .

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything about foul odors like this . ¡±

    ¡°This is weird . I never heard anything either . ¡±

    Schneemented on the situation, her eyes semi-closed in disgust . Suzune answered her, tears in her eyes .

    Shin was barely affected because of his high resistance, but it seemed that the extent of the effects varied from person to person .

    ¡°Let¡¯s retreat for now . There¡¯s not only the awful smell in the air, but also poison, I think . ¡±

    Shin stopped in his tracks to talk .

    Maybe because they had only breathed a little quantity, or there was just a small quantity of poison in the air, no one had been affected by status abnormalities yet .

    ¡°Poison you say!?¡±

    Suzune covered her mouth with the sleeve of her priestess robes and stepped back .

    Even among Chosen Ones, few possessed resistances as high as Shin and Schnee . If they ended up being paralyzed, they would be at the monsters¡¯ mercy, so they were much more wary of status effects than Shin and the others .

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay if we are this far . I¡¯m going to do some countermeasures now, so calm down . ¡±

    After reassuring Suzune, Shin pulled out 3 cards from the item box and gave one each to Suzune, Tiera, and Mitsuyo .

    What materialized was a rhombus-shaped pendant the color of amber .

    ¡°This is ¡ºWorld Tree¡¯s Amber¡» and ¡ºGranite Ring¡», I gave them to you to increase your resistance to all status effects, but not by much . But with this you can have strong resistance against poison and paralysis . ¡±

    He could have given them an item that nullified status effects, but Suzune wouldn¡¯t be able to equip it .

    Tiera was the same; if the reason was thought in game terms, it was because theycked the stats to do so .

    When Shin was in Balmel he tried the same thing with Hibineko and Shadow, but they couldn¡¯t equip it either . Shin knew more or less the extent of their status, so Shin thought that the reason had to be insufficient stats .

    Before entering ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, Shin had given Schnee an ¡ºExcelsior Ring¡» which, like his ¡ºHades Ring¡», prevented status ailments .

    A certain ¡°trouble¡± happened when he gave her the ring, but now the silver jewel, decorated in blue, hung from Schnee¡¯s neck, dancing on her chest, tied to a thin white chain .

    ¡°For some reason, the smell doesn¡¯t bother me as much either . ¡±

    Saying so, Suzune slowly stepped forward . Thanks to the pendant, her expression changed from crying to only slightly grimacing .

    Afterpleting the countermeasures, the party proceeded towards the depths of the corridor .

    What they found next was a hall where several swamps of a forbidding poison-like liquid were formed . Purple smoke rose from the swamps, which was thought to be the source of the awful stench .

    ¡°Growl¡­¡±

    Kagerou, who was next to Tiera, growled faintly and submerged again in her shadow . Even if he would not be affected by status ailments thanks to the item, the foul odor must have been too much for his sensitive nose .

    He would be out again right away in case of battle, so Shin decided to proceed .

    The party proceeded by making use of the small space avable between the poison swamps .

    At the same time, they detected the presence of something within the swamps .

    ¡°There are monsters inside the swamps . They¡¯re scattered all over . Stay on your toes, just in case . ¡±

    Tiera reacted .

    ¡°Yes, I bet there are . But what do you mean, just in case?¡±

    ¡°Well, situations like these are when Schnee shines . Am I right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, leave it to me . ¡±

    Smiling in response to Shin¡¯s proud statement, Schnee stepped forward .

    ¡°I will use a magic spell with a wide area of effect, so please do not move unless necessary . ¡±

    After warning Suzune and the others, who had no idea about what she was going to do, Schnee slowly raised her right hand .

    ¡°Ooh, you sure are something too . ¡±

    Mitsuyomented, impressed, about the quantity of magic power that was being gathered . She didn¡¯t know about Schnee¡¯s fighting ability yet .

    Behind her, Suzune whispered her honest thoughts, her face tense .

    ¡°¡­ . . we have another monster here . What¡¯s up with this party, seriously?¡±

    After several seconds, Schnee lowered her right hand and a crackling sound, like breaking ss, resounded at her feet .

    Suzune looked at the ground and noticed a white mist arising from the terrain, which had changed color because of the poison swamps . From the cold sensation arising from the ground, she understood that it was chilled air .

    The crackling sound was produced by the freezing of the ground and the swamps .

    The whole hall was being enveloped in extremely cold air, with Schnee at its center .

    ¡°With this there should be no risk of being attacked from the swamps . ¡±

    The freezing reached deep within the swamps, so the presences Shin had felt seemed to have been frozen too . The map still disyed them, but their hostility markers had disappeared .

    ¡°From here, we might encounter things we have no information about . ¡±

    ¡°I wonder if they detected our presence and are changing the dungeon¡¯s interior because they feel in danger? We are a presence that puts their survival at risk after all, so it wouldn¡¯t be weird for them to react, I guess?¡±

    It couldn¡¯t be said that miasma possessed a will of its own, but if presences that could purify it, like Shin and Tiera, were close, it was possible that it tried to resist . Because of its corruption of Kotone, it was also possible that it acquired some degree of intellect, or so continued Mitsuyo .

    ¡°Another possibility is the presence of someone else acting as the brain . ¡±

    If thick miasma was present, there was always a possibility that it had given birth to a demon .

    Shin mentioned that it was worth considering that someone could stand in their way as they tried to rescue Kotone .

    With renewed caution, the party proceeded through the hall to the floor below .

    The following hall was also riddled with poison swamps, which Schnee froze before they passed .

    ¡°Hey, we haven¡¯t encountered a single monster for a while, is this normal?¡±

    After they passed the 7th hall, Mitsuyo asked her question while looking around .

    As Mitsuyo had stated, the party had not encountered any monsters since the poison swamps . Shin¡¯s detection field did not register any monster presences either .

    ¡°No, monsters always prowl in dungeons . Even if their numbers are reduced, they start appearing from the walls, from the ceiling, even from nothing . Even if they are all exterminated, after awhile they start appearing again . ¡±

    Shin answered while ncing at the walls and the ceiling .

    This was something he had already verified . Even if all the monsters in a dungeon were defeated, they would either break in through the walls, the ceiling, or even the floor, or magic power would concentrate in one point and create one . It was the same in ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡± too, so it had to be one of the world¡¯s rules .

    ¡°Could they be gathered somewhere?¡±

    ¡°They could have formed a train, as a trap or something . Or maybe something is attracting the monsters on purpose . ¡±

    The word ¡°train¡± refers to the situation when a yer flees, drawing more and more monsters which eventually be a pack . Therge group of monsters chasing the yer is reminiscent of a train, hence the term .

    Trains were usually caused by yers¡¯ actions, but in THE NEW GATE they also happened for other reasons .

    Monsters that called upon reinforcements when receiving damage, because of traps or other causes, received damage and called for help . The summoned monsters would also receive damage from the trap and call for help themselves, increasing the numbers more and more .

    Even outside on the field, rival groups of monsters could continually call for help while fighting, thus causing a train .

    This ¡°automatic train¡± phenomenon was thought to be a bug at first, but was then found out to be intentional . In a dungeon, where escape routes are limited, it wasn¡¯t any different from a monster house .

    Monster groups prowl through the dungeon, attacking yers on sight . Even if it looked like there weren¡¯t any monsters in the surroundings, lowering one¡¯s guard would be a huge risk .

    ¡°The dungeon is changing, so both are possible . If we find a train, isn¡¯t it better to retreat for a time?¡±

    ¡°No problem . Even if we find a train, all we have to do is take them all down . Considering the level of the monsters around here, our killing speed is higher than whatever momentum they might have . ¡±

    The dungeon indeedcked in escape routes, but that also meant that the directions the monsters would attack from were limited too .

    With party members like Shin and Schnee, clearly stronger than the monsters, trains were nothing more than a way to umte experience points .

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to pay special attention whenever we arrive in a ce with many entrances and exits . ¡±

    Halls not only had stairs leading to the lower floor, but were also connected to many big and small corridors . In halls with many corridors, there was the risk of being attacked from all directions, thus the party had to be especially careful .

    Shin¡¯s group proceeded through several more halls .

    ording to the information provided by Kuchinashi, they were supposed to be less than 3 floors away from the bottom, but even then monsters were still nowhere to be seen . There were only a few units acting on their own; even the monsters which usually appeared in groups were on their own, apparently separated from the herd .

    ¡°They¡¯re all packed together one step before thest floor, huh . ¡±

    Shin stated this observation, with a tone both jaded and annoyed, on the floor above the boss¡¯ chamber . He had picked up arge number of monster responses at the edge of his perception field .

    ¡°It¡¯s really a pain if there are so many . ¡±

    Mitsuyo agreed, her shoulders dropping in dejection .

    The floor where the monsters were lying in wait, being thest floor before the final one, was rather small and narrow . It was surely filled with monsters to the point of barely leaving any room to stand .

    Shin thought that it would be great if they just fought and defeated each other like that .

    ¡°This is¡­pretty incredible . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s perception field also detected the monsters, and the High Elf¡¯s brow furrowed at their numbers .

    ¡°They¡¯re way too many for a skirmish before the boss, seriously . It would take forever if we knocked them down little by little in closebat¡­Schnee and I will blow them away with arge-scale spell, you snipe any survivors Tiera . Mitsuyo, Suzune, I want you to watch our backs and be wary of any surprise attacks . ¡±

    ¡°I doubt I¡¯ll have much to do, but leave it to me . ¡±

    Tiera knew that dodging Shin and Schnee¡¯s magic barrage was no easy feat . She nodded as she pulled an arrow from the quiver .

    ¡°Not having many long-range attack methods is something this party has to work on, I guess . I¡¯ll take the rear this time too, but rest assured that anyone ambushing us will be cut in half . ¡±

    ¡°Going overboard like that is kind of concerning too¡­but I¡¯ll make sure I fulfill my role . ¡±

    Mitsuyo and Suzune also had their weapons at the ready .

    After making sure that everyone was prepared, Shin stepped into the corridor leading to the floor below .

    Maybe because of the high-density monster group awaiting them, a foul stench, a mix of blood and beastly odors, leaked from the other end of the passage .

    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s show them . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Monsters were closing in on the group like a torrent of water breaking through a dam .

    Quick four-legged monsters led the pack, insect-types crawled on the ceiling, and flying types swooped through the space between floor and ceiling .

    Behind them, monsters such as Ogres and Nues could be spotted too .

    Towards the phenomenon that could be aptly described with the words ¡°monster wave¡±, Shin and Schnee calmly raised a hand, their palms facing the horde .

    Magic power focused on their hands through their arms, and a bluish-white globe started forming in the center point between their palms .

    ¡°¡¾White Cannon¡¿!¡±

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s voices resounded at the same time . The moment they pronounced the spell¡¯s name, the globe elerated instantly, flying towards the monsters .

    Leaving after-images as it shot forward, the white globe sped through the center of the corridor .

    The flying-type monsters probably thought they could easily dodge it, and just tilted their bodies slightly as they kept flying .

    After the globe¡¯s passage, however, even apparently untouched monsters burst into mes, instantly turning into ashes .

    The burning speed was so fast that rather than ¡°going up in mes¡±, it looked like they were crumbling from the edges .

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    Suzune couldn¡¯t help but voice her surprise and incredulousness at the extent of the spell¡¯s power . It wasn¡¯t only the monsters flying close to the globe that had disappeared .

    Thebination-only skill ¡¾White Cannon¡¿ was a white globe of light with an invisible damaging aura all around it . An aura of scorching, searing hellfire .

    The aura normally had a small area of effect, but the two casters¡¯ magic power had expanded it to an extremely wide range .

    The invisible mes had filled the whole corridor, not leaving any room for escape, not even on the floor nor on the ceiling .

    The monsters had fallen in utter confusion, as some tried to avoid the impending destruction as others kept pressing forward .

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel sorry for the monsters¡­¡±

    ¡°Growl¡­¡±

    Tiera and Kagerou looked at the screaming monsters with mixed feelings .

    ¡°Tiera, Suzune, close your eyes . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    The light globe continued onwards, incinerating the monsters in its wake . As it reached the end of the corridor and the hall, Shin gave this order to Tiera and Suzune .

    They didn¡¯t understand what Shin meant, but both had a bad feeling about it and immediately closed their eyes .

    It happened the next instant .

    Upon reaching the hall, the globe unleashed all the energypressed within itself .

    A pure white me zed through the hall, reaching all the way to the corridors . The magic barrier Shin put up in protection turnedpletely white, and then not a single monster was in sight anymore .

    As the mes died down, Shin released the barrier . As he did, the heat wave he had blocked blew past him, towards the rear .

    ¡°Let¡¯s cool down a bit . ¡±

    Shin used a water spell to bring down the temperature in the burning hot corridor and hall .

    After the torrid air had changed to a cool breeze, Shin and Schnee proceeded forward .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Let¡¯s go . ¡±

    ¡°Eh, yes, okay . ¡±

    Still affected by witnessing ¡¾White Cannon¡¿ and its power, Suzune replied with a shrill tone of voice .

    When the mes had begun to decrease, Suzune opened her eyes a little; even after witnessing the party¡¯s fighting style throughout the dungeon, the scenery before her eyes left herpletely speechless .

    ¡°For Shin and the others, that¡¯s just normal¡­¡±

    Tiera had felt Suzune¡¯s shock and tried to calm her down, putting a hand on her shoulder . She then added ¡°I got used to it already¡±, and Suzune felt again that Tiera was a person on ¡°her side¡± of the world .

    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on our goal, together . ¡±

    Behind Shin and Schnee, the two girls felt a curious sense ofmunity between each other .

 Vol 9 Chapter 3.4: Chapter 3 Part 4

    Shin briskly walked forward, unaware of what was happening between them . As they entered the hall, they noticed that, just like the corridor, part of the floor, ceiling, and walls had melted .

    Shin cooled down these parts with a water skill and secured a path to walk on .

    ¡°OK, the real thing starts now . Are you ready?¡±

    Before the heavy door signaling the entrance to the boss¡¯ chamber, Shin stopped and asked this question to Suzune . Beyond the door awaited Kotone and Onimaru .

    ¡°I can go anytime . ¡±

    Suzune once again evoked the spirits she had returned to the charms and nodded .

    She now had summoned a floating straw doll type, a wolf type, and a warrior type wielding two katana .

    ¡°I¡¯m opening the door . ¡±

    Shin ced his hands on the door and pushed . After moving it a bit towards the interior of the room, the door opened the rest of the way by itself .

    The room beyond was a veryrge hall . Swords, katana, spears, and other weapons were stabbed on the floor, walls, and ceiling, to the point that it was almost difficult to find somewhere to walk on .

    In the back of the hall, only one ce was not stabbed with weapons, a kind of stage marked with tatami mats . There stood a single silhouette: the boss .

    ¡ª¡ª-¡¾Rindou Kotone Level 255 War Priestess¡¿

    ¡ª¡ª- Affected by ¡¾Miasma Corruption ¨C Large¡¿

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ revealed the silhouette¡¯s identity . As expected of the boss: even if the dungeon had changed, its location had not .

    ¡°¡­ . Sister . ¡±

    Suzune mumbled under her breath .

    Sitting on the tatami, with katana in hand, her eyes staring into the void, this was how they found Suzune¡¯s sister, Kotone .

    She did not appear to have transformed, unlike the Ogre boss in ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡± .

    Her priestess robes were torn and tattered, revealing her still white skin; her arms and legs did not appear to have changed shape either . If it wasn¡¯t for the aura emanating from her body, she would appear to have been just wounded in battle .

    ¡°Pull yourself together!! She¡¯s heavily corrupted by miasma . There¡¯s no time to space out . ¡±

    ¡°I know . I won¡¯t hold back . ¡±

    As Suzune renewed her focus, the color of the magic power enveloping her spirits became more entuated . The spirits had been reinforced by the additional magic power poured into them .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    Maybe because she had detected the increased magic power, Kotone¡¯s eyes went from staring into nothingness to looking at Suzune . At the same time, the atmosphere in the whole room felt as if it was rumbling .

    ¡°Her aura changed . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, looks like she¡¯s ready to throw down too . ¡±

    Shin replied to Schnee and readied his ¡ºMoonless¡» . The aura emanating from Kotone clearly expressed hostility .

    Probably in response to this change, the weapons stabbed into the ground, walls, and ceiling one by one floated in midair, gathering before Kotone with sounds of shing metal .

    In a few seconds, a cracked skull-like creature of steel was formed .

    ¡ª¡ª-¡¾Mad Sword Legion Level 811¡¿

    Mad Sword is a monster formed by swords possessed by hateful emotions . When many of them gather in one ce, Mad Sword Legion is born .

    The highest risk it represents is that its level depends on the number and quality of the weapons that form it . The higher the quality of the weapons forming it is, the higher its level is .

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t a Skullface Bushido supposed toe out here?¡±

    ¡°The boss changed, so the monsters changed too, I guess . This one looks stronger . ¡±

    As Mitsuyo stated, Mad Sword Legion was far stronger than the unique samurai-like monster Skullface Bushido .

    As they had not received any information about the Mad Sword Legion, Shin thought that it was probably born after the scouts¡¯ inspection .

    ¡°It¡¯sing!!¡±

    A few seconds after Schnee¡¯s warning, Mad Sword Legion shot the floating weapons like bullets .

    Shin, Schnee, and Mitsuyo repelled them with their own weapons, while Tiera dodged riding on Kagerou . Suzune had the warrior spirit counter the attack .

    Both the parried weapons and the dodged weapons, after stabbing the ground, returned to Mad Sword Legion .

    ¡°There¡¯s a fair number of Mythology-grade weapons in it . There could be even some Ancient-grade ones too . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s assessment was based on the weapons thrown at them . As proof, the katana of Suzune¡¯s warrior spirit, the weakest member among them, was very close to breaking .

    ¡°It¡¯s alright! I just need to pour some more magic power and¡­¡±

    It can go back the way it was . That is what Suzune meant to say, but her words died in her mouth .

    She had not lowered her guard . She had not neglected to be wary .

    Her focus, however, swayed for an instant . In that opening, less than one second long, Kotone -who was supposed to be standing behind Mad Sword Legion- was in front of Suzune .

    She had moved instantly thanks to the Movement-type martial skill ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿ .

    Her stats as a Chosen One, the bonuses granted by equipping ¡ºOnimaru¡», and the stat upgrades caused by the miasma, Kotone was much faster than Suzune remembered .

    In the blink of an eye . There was no more fitting expression for Kotone¡¯s movements .

    When Suzune realized what was going on, ¡ºOnimaru Kunitsuna¡» had already been drawn from its sheath, its de closing in on Suzune¡¯s neck .

    ¡°!?¡±

    I¡¯m going to die¡ª-

    The moment Suzune instinctively closed her eyes, the sound of shing metal reached her ears .

    ¡°I¡¯m impressed that the scouts managed to flee . ¡±

    When Suzune opened her eyes, a ck coat was fluttering in front of her .

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there!! Call to her!!¡±

    Shin shouted while blocking ¡ºOnimaru¡» with ¡ºMoonless¡» .

    Kotone¡¯s equipment appeared to be only the closebat weapon ¡ºOnimaru¡» . Thus, Shin was wary of her, thinking that she wouldn¡¯t just stay behind Mad Sword Legion .

    Shin, who had reinforced the Supreme des Munechika and Mitsuyo, knew that his ¡ºMoonless¡» was superior as a weapon .

    However, the miasma-possessed ¡ºOnimaru¡» did not seem to be losing durability, even if locked in a sh against ¡ºMoonless¡» .

    ¡ª¡ª¨C¡¾Rindou Kotone level 904¡¿

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed information different from before . A yer¡¯s maximum level was 255; barring special exceptions, only monsters could exceed it .

    Apparently Kotone now possessed properties both human and monster-like .

    ¡°Shah!¡±

    Mitsuyo attacked Kotone, who was trying to push Shin down, from behind . She had also promised to do whatever she could to save Kotone, and swung ¡ºOodenta Mitsuyo ¨C Shinuchi¡» after activating the skill ¡¾Nonfatal de¡¿ .

    The sh of des resounded again; it was the sound of Mitsuyo¡¯s katana being repelled .

    Kotone, who had been wielding ¡ºOnimaru¡» with both hands, switched the grip to her right hand, picked up another sword with her left hand and parried Mitsuyo¡¯s strike with it .

    ¡°Shin!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡±

    Having switched to a one hand grip, Kotone¡¯s strength wielding ¡ºOnimaru¡» weakened .

    Shin had continued locking swords with Kotone to give Mitsuyo the chance to attack her by surprise; but as now it was not necessary anymore, Shin activated a skill .

    ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of your weapon first . ¡±

    A powerful shock burst between the shing ¡ºMoonless¡» and ¡ºOnimaru¡» .

    Shin had activated the Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾Empty Strike¡¿ . This skill had the effect of blowing away the opponent¡¯s weapon, rendering it temporarily unusable .

    The force of the impact generated between the two katana blew away Kotone¡¯s ¡ºOnimaru¡» . As a secondary effect, the movements of the arm Kotone used to wield ¡ºOnimaru¡»became more sluggish too .

    ¡°You¡¯re mi¡ªwhat?¡±

    Shin had rapidly closed in on Kotone, but detected a wave of hostility approaching and swung ¡ºMoonless¡» down on the spot .

    The hostility hade from part of the weapons forming Mad Sword Legion . Apparently the monster could control its weapons separately too, so it had sent some weapons to assist Kotone .

    ¡°And it was so close! These things are so irritating!¡±

    Mitsuyo too, like Shin, was sweeping away the weapons attacking her .

    ¡°It¡¯s attacking us while dealing with Schnee and the others at the same time, huh . I wonder if having good weapons increased its intellect too?¡±

    The monster carefully separated its weapons to avoid Schnee¡¯s magic, deftly moving itsrge body .

    As it was not onerge unit, but something made of many small ones, its attack patterns were infinitely varied .

    Schnee and the others¡¯ attacks were destroying its weapons, so the monster was less than half the size it was in the beginning, but it would still take some time before it could be defeated .

    ¡°Sister¡­¡±

    Suzune didn¡¯t seem to know what to say to her sister, who was controlling the multitude of weapons in midair .

    If Shin hadn¡¯te between them, she could very well be dead by now . Kotone might have been affected by miasma, but seeing her beloved sister almost murder her had shaken Suzune deeply .

    ¡°I told you there¡¯s no time to space out!!¡±

    ¡°Aah!!¡±

    While still pointing ¡ºMoonless¡» towards Kotone, Shinnded a chop on Suzune¡¯s head . The sudden blow caught her by surprise .

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you not to be shaken, but focus on the battle while there¡¯s still hope . ¡±

    ¡°W-what are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Just look at her face . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s de pointed at Kotone, who was wielding ¡ºOnimaru¡» and another sword she picked up; more precisely, at her left eye . Transparent tears were flowing from it .

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t crying or anything when we came in here . She might still be fighting against the miasma . Don¡¯t give up . ¡±

    Shin then readied ¡ºMoonless¡» once again and charged against Kotone .

    Possibly taking advantage of Shin leaving her side, the weapons in midair flew toward Suzune, but were knocked down by Mitsuyo, who hade closer to her .

    ¡°Leave this to me!¡±

    Reassured by Mitsuyo¡¯s words, Shin attacked Kotone .

    Kotone used her right hand¡¯s ¡ºOnimaru¡» and the katana in her left hand to block Shin¡¯s shes . Probably because of the difference in weapon level, however, the left hand¡¯s katana snapped after the second sh .

    ¡°¡ª-!!¡±

    Kotone stepped back and flung the broken katana at Shin, then grabbed one of the other ones dancing in midair . The new weapon exuded an aura clearly different from the others around it; it was the Ancient-grade katana ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» .

    ¡°As I thought, there were Ancient grades too . ¡±

    Shin swept away Kotone¡¯s iing sh and thrust his left arm forward .

    At the same time, he activated the Barehanded-type Martial skill ¡¾Water Mirror Impact¡¿, aiming at Kotone¡¯s chest .

    Not even the greatest Chosen One could move quickly if they had trouble breathing . Such a thought prompted Shin¡¯s attack, but Kotone managed to parry at thest second, using ¡ºOnimaru¡» .

    ¡°What?¡±

    Weapons with thin des like katana couldn¡¯t avoid suffering damage after blocking attacks with the body of the de . Unless the katana was especially sturdy, it was a defense method to avoid at all costs .

    For ¡ºOnimaru¡» it was possible, but even so it couldn¡¯t be safe to block one of Shin¡¯s attacks like this .

    Shin was wondering the meaning of this when he saw Kotone¡¯s expression warped in pain . The miasma surrounding ¡ºOnimaru¡» grew thicker, and despite Shin not doing anything, a fragment of the katana was broken off .

    ¡°Damn, it did it on purpose!?¡±

    When he first saw ¡ºOnimaru¡», Shin was bothered by the fact that it looked pristine and unaffected by miasma . In ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡±, the boss¡¯ ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» was in awful condition .

    Kotone¡¯s actions just now suggested that Shin¡¯s theory, ording to which ¡ºOnimaru¡»¡¯s good condition was an obstacle for the miasma, could very well be true .

    Ancient-grade weapons are originally resistant to miasma . It would not be strange for the Five Supreme des gathered around Kagutsuchi to be even more resistant .

    ¡°What happens if we purify the miasma without damaging the katana?¡±

    Shin attacked Kotone again . While swinging his ¡ºMoonless¡», he activated a Katana-type Martial skill .

    ¡°How about this!¡±

    ¡ºMoonless¡»unleashes a powerful sh of silver light; the miasma wrapped around ¡ºOnimaru¡» was blown away and, at the same time, Kotone¡¯s body visibly lost its strength .

    The silver sh, caused by the Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾Cleave Omen¡¿, had the same effect as ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿ . Once it shed with ¡ºMoonless¡» as it was shrouded in the skill, the miasma enveloping ¡ºOnimaru¡» would temporarily lose its effects .

    Shin once again knocked ¡ºOnimaru¡» away from Kotone¡¯s hands, then parried her left hand¡¯s ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» with ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯ hilt .

    Before ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡», now flying through the air, returned to Kotone, Shin struck it twice .

    Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾Fang Cry¡¿ .

    The V-shaped shes struck ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» cleanly, and the katana¡¯s body broke in three fragments .

    Shin had no time to be surprised by the katana¡¯s unexpected frailty, because the broken ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» instantly turned into sand and disappeared . Bing part of a monster¡¯s body had likely consumed most of its sturdiness as a weapon .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª-!?¡±

    Immediately after Shin¡¯s destruction of ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡», an unnatural sound of shing metal came from Schnee¡¯s direction .

    Shin nced in that direction and saw that part of the weaponsposing Mad Sword Legion¡¯s body was behaving erratically, as if it had lost control .

    The ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» Shin had destroyed was probably one of the weapons near Mad Sword Legion¡¯s core .

    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t let you go . ¡±

    Kotone had attempted to flee, taking advantage of the small opening born from Shin¡¯s destruction of ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡», but Shin pinned her down to the ground . Tears were still flowing from her eyes .

    ¡°You¡¯re going to stay still here for a while . Just a little patience is all I need . ¡±

    As Shin spoke these words, a seven-colored globe of light appeared over his head .

    The red of me skills, the blue of water skills, the brown of earth skills, the green of wind skills, the yellow of lightning skills, the white of light skills, the ck of darkness skills . The globe¡¯s colors expressed the elements of all magic spells .

    ¡°¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿¡±

    Beams of all the colors of the globe extended towards Kotone and ¡ºOnimaru¡» .

    The beams, moving as to avoid Shin, wrapped themselves around the possessed priestess and her katana .

    In this condition, they would temporarily be unaffected by outside attacks, but could not move in any way . This did not change even if the target was tainted by miasma .

    Depending on the caster, the target could break free right away, but if Shin was the caster, even the over-level 900 Kotone could not move .

    Divine-type magic was not included, but maybe because the skill included 7 magic elements, it managed to suppress miasma as well .

    ¡°If only it was faster, though¡­¡±

    Shin stopped pinning down Kotone and stood up while mumbling to himself .

    ¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿ was an extremely useful skill, but the beams of light it released were much too slow; they would definitely miss if used by themselves .

    Because of that, in the game era the quick ¡¾Shadow Bind¡¿ and ¡¾Arc Bind¡¿, whichbined both speed and strength, were both used more often .

    Shin made sure that Kotone couldn¡¯t move and asked Mitsuyo to recover ¡ºOnimaru¡», which was lying on the ground at a small distance .

    Thanks to ¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿ sealing the miasma and the effects of ¡°Miracle Drug of Holy Skies¡±, nothing happened even if Mitsuyo touched ¡ºOnimaru¡» .

    Turning towards Kotone, Shin saw that Suzune was desperately calling to her .

    ¡°OK, thest nuisance is that guy then . ¡±

    Shin looked towards Mad Sword Legion, which had be much smaller due to Schnee and the others¡¯ attacks .

    Shin didn¡¯t know how much of a will the main Mad Sword Legion had, but it looked like it was frantically trying to avoid Schnee, Tiera and Kagerou¡¯sbined attacks .

    If Schnee and the others used their full power, they would have defeated it long ago .

    It was still alive thanks to its particr multi-unit structure and because they were fighting in a closed space, so Schnee and the others didn¡¯t use wide-range attacks, out of concern of hitting their allies too .

    Now that they had captured Kotone, though, Shin wanted to start the purification immediately, so he did not feel like shaving off the monster¡¯s body little by little .

    ¡°Schnee! Protect everyone but me!¡±

    Schnee nodded to Shin, and he picked the skills he wanted to use .

    ¡°¡¾Continuous Casting¡¿, ¡¾Gun Fire¡¿!!¡±

    The skill he used first allowed to cast the skill used after it as long as MP allowed; this time, Shin chose the me-type Magic skill ¡¾Gun Fire¡¿ .

    A great number of fireballs formed around Shin, then shot one after the other towards Mad Sword Legion .

    The size of each fireball was about 15 cemels; as they were not very fast, the weapons floating in midair could easily avoid their trajectory .

    Just as it looked like they passed by without doing anything, the fireballs suddenly burst, scattering small 5-cemels fireballs all around .

    The fireballs exploded all together, filling the space with smaller fireballs and turning the weapons forming Mad Sword Legion into ashes and dust .

    It was an attack that targeted friend and foe indiscriminately, but the ice barrier Schnee created prevented their allies from taking damage .

    The Mad Sword Legion, the number of its weapons already reduced by Schnee and the others¡¯ attacks, now saw all its weapons destroyed; like ¡ºMudou Kanemitsu¡» before, they turned into dust .

    All that was left were the bound Kotone and ¡ºOnimaru¡» .

    ¡ºOnimaru¡» was tended to by Mitsuyo .

    ¡°Tiera! The purification, please!¡±

    Tiera hurried to ¡ºOnimaru¡»¡¯s side after hearing Shin¡¯s shout .

    ¡°¡­ . you should hold her hands . ¡±

    Tiera whispered this piece of advice to Suzune as she passed next to her and Kotone, then started ¡ºOnimaru¡»¡¯s purification .

    Differently from the ¡°Depths of Hellfire¡± boss, this time Kotone had to be purified too: thus this time Shin would use ¡¾Dispel Omen¡¿ on ¡ºOnimaru¡», while Schnee did the same to Kotone .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C¡±

    The miasma shrouding ¡ºOnimaru¡» gradually disappeared . At the same time, a strained voice leaked from Kotone¡¯s lips .

    ¡°Sister! Kotone!¡±

    Kotone winced in pain, and Suzune kept calling her name desperately . She was trying to break free, but Shin¡¯s ¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿pletely sealed her movements .

    ¡°Phew, it¡¯s over . ¡±

    After some time, Tiera announced she had finished, while wiping sweat from her brow . She was steady on her feet this time: the purification had been less taxing than the previous one .

    ¡°The rest is up to you, Shin . Please . ¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me . ¡±

    Tiera passed¡ºOnimaru¡»to Shin, who gave it a long, careful look .

    Its durability had decreased by about 20%, butpared to Dojigiri it had suffered surprisingly little damage . Shin concluded that the situation wasn¡¯t as critical asst time .

    Shin rted ¡ºOnimaru¡»¡¯s state to Mitsuyo, and her expression softened with relief .

    ¡°Okay then, you¡¯re next . ¡±

    Shin entrusted ¡ºOnimaru¡» to Mitsuyo and turned towards Kotone . He didn¡¯t know how the miasma had affected her, so she was still bound .

    Shin asked Suzune to step back just in case and checked Kotone¡¯s condition . ¡¾Analyze¡¿ didn¡¯t disy her as boss anymore . The miasma¡¯s corruption seemed to be no more as well .

    Possibly because she had lost consciousness, her eyes were now closed .

    ¡°At first nce, it doesn¡¯t look like there are problems . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t feel any miasma anymore, so I think you can release her now . ¡±

    Tiera, the most sensitive member to miasma, gave her approval too, so Shin followed her proposal .

    ¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿ caused Kotone to float in midair, so Shin prepared to support her as not to let her fall to the ground .

    ¡°Hn¡­¡±

    Kotone mumbled, maybe the impact of falling into Shin¡¯s arms had woken her up .

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Uuh¡­ . I¡­am¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sister!! Koto!!¡±

    Having heard her sister¡¯s voice, Suzune rushed to her side, opposite to Shin¡¯s . No one felt it was appropriate toment about how Suzune changed the way she called her sister .

    ¡°It¡¯s me!! Suzune!! Do you recognize me!?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I do . ¡±

    She appeared to have fully regained her senses as she talked with Suzune: a kind smile appeared on Kotone¡¯s lips, to Suzune¡¯s relief .

    ¡°Can you stand?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my body is sti¡­¡±

    ¡°Sti?¡±

    Kotone was hiding her face out of embarrassment, and she stopped talking mid-sentence .

    Shin inquired what was wrong, and Kotone¡¯s body started shaking .

    ¡°W-w-why am I dressed so shamefully!?¡±

    She apparently had not yet noticed the state her clothes were in .

    While she was bound the beams of light hid it, but now that they had disappeared, it was clear that her priestess robe was so torn and tattered that it could hardly be called clothes .

    Her current state was thus even more seductive than being naked, prompting Kotone to try desperately to twist her body to hide it .

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­w-why!?!¡±

    Maybe it happened because temporarily, she was ssified as monster .

    Or maybe twisting her body gave the coup the grace . Kotone¡¯s robe turned into sand and vanished, just like Mad Sword Legion did .

    What was left was just Kotone herself, in her most natural state, still held by Shin .

    Shin quickly looked away, but he couldn¡¯t avoid to see Kotone¡¯s ample bosom and curves, which upied his field of view before he looked elsewhere .

    ¡°Use this!¡±

    Schnee rapidly pulled out new clothes and covered Kotone with them .

    ¡°Anyone, please, switch with me!¡±

    Shin had turned his neck all the way away in reaction to the sudden situation, but was close to his limits, so he asked for help .

    Thanks to Schnee, the front side of Kotone¡¯s body was covered, but her back was still bare . He didn¡¯t notice it when she was still clothed, but now that she was naked the sensation of touching her skin was transmitted vividly to his hands .

    Shin let Suzune, who was in front of him, support her sister and immediately backed away .

    ¡°Shin, we have to talkter . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯d prefer to solve this peacefully . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s smile was scarier than the miasma right now .

    Despite their mission being aplished, Shin somehow didn¡¯t feel relieved at all .

    The group had seeded in saving Kotone and recovering ¡ºOnimaru¡», so they headed to the exit of Cadaver Realm . Kotone still couldn¡¯t move well, so she was transported by one of Suzune¡¯s spirits .

    ¡°Anyway, good thing the contents of the item box were safe . ¡±

    Kotone¡¯s clothes had crumbled to dust, but now she had changed to clothes she had in her own item box . A rare urrence for an inhabitant of this world, Kotone possessed one too .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for¡­showing you¡­something so shameful¡­¡±

    Kotone¡¯s face was fiercely red as she answered . She would sometimes peek at Shin, then hide her face out of shame .

    ¡°Ah, er¡­ . I think it¡¯s better to just forg¡­whoops!¡±

    He meant to say ¡°forget it¡±, but was interrupted by the sudden attack of a flying spirit . After dodging it, Shin noticed that Suzune was ring at him with a certain amount of killing intent in her eyes .

    She was walking next to Kotone, hidden from Shin¡¯s view, but moved between them with frightening speed .

    ¡°If you even whisper the fact that you saw my sister naked, I¡¯lle for your head . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying a word¡­hey, I couldn¡¯t even if I wanted to¡­¡±

    Shin answered with a small sigh .

    The reason why Suzune was so belligerent was that Kotone, after realizing she had been seen naked by a man,mented that ¡°I can¡¯t marry anymore now¡­¡± and asked Shin, the cause behind it all, ¡°won¡¯t you take me as your bride?¡± .

    Maybe because she had seen the exchange between Shin and Schnee, while still being embarrassed Kotone showed what appeared to be a teasing side . Suzune, however, didn¡¯t take it as a joke and became extremely wary of them .

    The two priestesses were orphans and were each other¡¯s only blood rtive . Even if she felt gratitude towards Shin, she wouldn¡¯t ept that her sister married him just because he had seen her naked .

    ¡°I¡¯m never letting you marry my sister!!¡±

    ¡°Wait!! I told you that I don¡¯t have the least intention of doing that from the beginning, didn¡¯t I!? I¡¯m getting scary looks already, so don¡¯t say that!!¡±

    Even if Kotone had been serious, Shin wouldn¡¯t have epted . He was instead worried that Suzune would cause an even biggermotion .

    ¡°You truly are very nice people . ¡±

    Kotone looked at Shin and Suzune¡¯s exchange with a peaceful expression on her face .

    ¡°If you think so, then please do not trouble Shin too much . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I was just happy that he reacted like that even to someone like me . ¡±

    Kotone honestly lowered her head in response to Schnee¡¯s rebuke .

    Kotone was aware that, having been corrupted by miasma, she would be shunned . Her expression was somewhat shadowed too .

    ¡°Well¡­in small doses, it¡¯s okay . ¡±

    ¡°You will forgive me?¡±

    When Shin saw Kotone naked, Schnee was the one to exude the most frightening aura . Kotone had noticed it, so Schnee¡¯s reaction surprised her .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to have him spoil me too a bit in return . ¡±

    Kotone was perplexed for a moment by Schnee¡¯s reply, said with a very serious tone, thenughed softly .

    ¡°Hehe, then I think I¡¯ll tease him a little more . ¡±

    Afterward, Kotone faintly said ¡°You would touch even a body as tainted as mine?¡±, so Shin¡¯s position became even more difficult .

    ¡°No, well, it¡¯s not tainted or anything, isn¡¯t it? The miasma has been fully purified, you are totally pure, Kotone . That was something like force majeure¡­or so I¡¯d like you to think . ¡±

    Shin looked distressed, as Kotone was looking at him with imploring eyes, transparent teardrops glistening from their edges .

    Looking at her expression, Shin even ended up thinking that she could be serious .

    ¡°What, my sister isn¡¯t enough for you!?¡±

    ¡°Wait, are you in favor or against it?!¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help pointing out the inconsistency in Suzune¡¯s angry words .

    ¡°I see you get along well with Suzune . ¡±

    ¡°He does!? Sister, are you sure you aren¡¯t still sick somewhere?¡±

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t seen you express your emotions so openly in a long time . ¡±

    Saying this, Kotoneughed softly .

    ¡°Kh, my back feels targeted¡­¡±

    Throughout this conversation, an extremely annoyed aura emanated from Tiera and Mitsuyo, in the rear of the group .

    Even if it happened coincidentally, it was a fact that Shin saw Kotone naked, so he took her teasing in stride .

    Mitsuyo and Tiera¡¯s annoyed mood was, however, clearly visible on their faces, and Schnee¡¯s smile,pletelycking any intimidation, was the scariest one .

    (Why isn¡¯t there a teleportation point in the boss room, just like the game¡­?)

    Shin ended up wishing that feature remained .

    Shin knew it would just postpone the problem, but he wanted to escape the current situation as soon as possible .

 Vol 9 Chapter 3.5: Chapter 3 Part 5

    ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s been tough, in more ways than one . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, it was tough for sure . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s party managed to exit the dungeon with barely any monster encounters and returned to the ck Priestess Shrine guild house .

    Having learned of Kotone¡¯s return, many priestesses gathered in the guild house .

    Shin¡¯s party, on the other hand, was in the guildmaster¡¯s room, reporting in detail what had happened in the dungeon .

    ¡°It looks like Kotone managed to maintain her consciousness thanks to Onimaru . On the physical side too, abnormal incident like mutated or missing body parts did not ur either . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m having her checked here too, just in case . I was worried because she was imprisoned for 5 years, but thankfully the doctor said that there¡¯s nothing wrong with her . ¡±

    There were many methods of healing in the world, but Arts such as ¡¾Heal¡¿ or ¡¾Cure¡¿ or Potions were not present everywhere . ck Priestess Shrine members also possessed medical techniques not relying on such methods .

    Suzune had apanied Kotone to take her tests, so she was not in the room either .

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like you to tell me the reason not to dispel Onimaru¡¯s bind . ¡±

    After the report about Kotone ended, Shin asked this question to Mitsuyo .

    In the dungeon, the purification had beenpleted and Shin thought that Onimaru Kunitsuna would now be alright; yet for some reason Mitsuyo said to wait before releasing the bind, and the katana was still restrained .

    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no helping it . If possible, I actually wanted to bring it back like this . ¡±

    ¡°No, if there are any problems I¡¯m not going to force you, you know . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to say that you or the others did anything wrong . As we are both Supreme des, we canmunicate through our consciousness, and I¡¯ve already verified that Kunitsuna retains it . ¡±

    ¡°So, what¡¯s stopping you?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯ll let Kunitsuna answer that . ¡±

    Mitsuyo didn¡¯t want to answer herself, apparently, so she handed Onimaru, still affected by ¡¾Elemental Bind¡¿, back to Shin .

    There was nothing dangerous behind it though, or so Mitsuyo said .

    ¡°¡­ . okay, I¡¯m removing the bind then . ¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s behavior gave Shin a bad feeling about it, but there was no reason to keep the katana bound .

    Once freed, Onimaru shed and assumed human form . It was a female type, like Munechika and Mitsuyo .

    Her appearance was about 20 years old . Her eyes were still closed, so they couldn¡¯t tell what color they were, but her shoulder-length hair had a beautiful ck luster that did not lose to Munechika¡¯s .

    Onimaru was what one would call a traditional Japanese beauty . Within her ck hair, two of her bangs -one on the left and one on the right of her face- were bright red . Looking at them, Shin pictured an Oni¡¯s horns .

    She was wearing a hakama, but her shoulders and torso were also protected by pieces of armor, forming a rather unusualbination . ¡ºOnimaru Kunitsuna¡» was firmly equipped at her waist .

    Once she opened her eyes, red pupils -different from any other Supreme de- looked straight at Shin .

    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintance . I am one of the Five Supreme des, Onimaru Kunitsuna . Allow me to offer you my gratitude for everything you have done for me . ¡±

    Kunitsuna then politely bowed her head .

    Shin had been prepared for anything to happen, so he felt slightly disoriented .

    ¡°I would also like to inquire something . Who matched des withdy Kotone among you? Other than Mitsuyo . ¡±

    ¡°That would be me . ¡±

    ¡°Aah! So it was really you, sir!!¡±

    Shin replied, and Kunitsuna walked closer to him, a full smile on her lips . Mitsuyo had stepped in between them, but Kunitsuna dodged her instantly . Shin was surprised by the agility of her movements, but then Kunitsuna took his hands in hers, ced them on her chest and said something he couldn¡¯t have predicted .

    ¡°I beg of you, please be my master!¡±

    ¡°¡­ . what?¡±

    Shin needed a few seconds before he could grasp the meaning of Kunitsuna¡¯s request .

    ¡°Enough!¡±

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    As Shin and the others were frozen in ce by Kunitsuna¡¯s words, Mitsuyo -who had expected them- gave her a light whack over the head . As Kunitsuna¡¯s grip on Shin¡¯s hands weakened, he took the opportunity to step away from her .

    ¡°Mitsuyo, please exin what¡¯s going on . ¡±

    ¡°Exactly what you heard . Basically she wants you to be her¡­Onimaru Kunitsuna¡¯s wielder . ¡±

    Shin asked Mitsuyo, not Kunitsuna, for an exnation, and Mitsuyo obliged with a sigh .

    As he heard her reply, Shin finally understood why Mitsuyo didn¡¯t want to remove Kunitsuna¡¯s bind .

    ¡°No one has ever been so rough with me¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about now!?!¡±

    With no regard for Mitsuyo¡¯s rebuke, Kunitsuna looked straight at Shin . To Shin, her eyes appeared to be almost sparkling .

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s an interesting girl if I ever saw one . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed . If her body is a weapon, however, to seek the most able wielder is certainly not a problem . ¡±

    ¡°You two over there, don¡¯t talk like this doesn¡¯t concern you . If we¡¯re talking about wielders, you two are perfectly good candidates too . ¡±

    Shin scoffed and replied to the honestly impressed Shibaid and Filma . In regards to ability, all of Shin¡¯s support characters, Schnee included, possessed more than enough to qualify .

    Incidentally, Schnee was whispering ¡°there¡¯s no way Shin will ept¡± .

    ¡°Lady Kunitsuna, I am truly sorry, but I have decided that the weapon I wield is ¡ºTrue Moon¡» . Thus I cannot be your wielder . ¡±

    ¡°Is¡­that so . That¡¯s a sh¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Good, Kunitsuna¡¯s nonsense is now over, so let¡¯s get on with the discussion . ¡±

    Mitsuyo interrupted the disappointed Kunitsuna and urged the group to resume their talks . It was a fairly crude treatment, but probably as they hadmunicated earlier too, this result had been predicted .

    ¡°You¡¯re cruel, Mitsuyo . ¡±

    ¡°I told you this would have happened . So, what are we going to do next?¡±

    ¡°Next, hmm . Well, we did everything we had to . ¡±

    Shin continued saying that they could go straight back to Fuji, but Kuchinashi stopped him .

    ¡°If so, won¡¯t you join our celebrations?¡±

    ¡°Celebrations?¡±

    ¡°There have been casualties among us, but Onimaru was finally recovered from the dungeon and Kotone returned safe and sound . Furthermore, our greatest concern, the miasma, has disappeared . We had to borrow your strength, but it is a great result for us . Everyone didn¡¯t show it, but ever since Kotone¡¯s group failed their mission, the mood had been pretty quite dark, or rather hopeless, I¡¯d say . So, to wipe it awaypletely, I thought of organizing a celebration . ¡±

    If the valiant warriors who had lent a hand to this sess were absent from the celebration, the festive mood would be partly tarnished . Kuchinashi thus requested the presence of Shin¡¯s party in the celebrations .

    ¡°Personally, I¡¯d like to avoid having my name and face became more well known . ¡±

    ¡°I heard what happened in Balmel . To be brutally honest, I doubt there¡¯s any meaning in hiding now . On the contrary, if they knew that ¡°that famous¡± Shin had done it, everyone would just nod and ept it . ¡±

    ¡°Did it really spread that much? Trying to avoid all possible trouble, I haven¡¯t visited the adventurer¡¯s guild once after leaving Balmel . ¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s argument about it being toote was reasonable too .

    On the other hand, going around defeating small fry and clearing miasma-infested dungeons was very different . Shin knew that it was impossible to keep people from talking, but he still wanted to make an effort toy low .

    ¡°Half truth, half exaggerated rumors, though . But even the exaggerated rumors mention things that you could do easily Shin . After all, people of the right trade could track you down right away anyway . ¡±

    ¡°Nothing I can do about that, I guess . A number of people saw us head north, so if they gather information they¡¯d easily start thinking that we¡¯re suspicious, too . ¡±

    Their movements had not been perfectly concealed by any means, so Shin decided to ept the situation, as sooner orter he¡¯d be discovered anyway .

    ¡°I understand . Don¡¯t hide anything and openly say that I did it then . We¡¯ll probably be involved in all sorts of things from now on too anyway, so it¡¯s just a matter of time . ¡±

    ¡°Okay, you¡¯ll be at the center then Shin . ¡±

    It will be unavoidable for the party members to receive attention too, but Kuchinashi promised to make sure the information spread with Shin at its center .

    ¡°Then, about our gratitude, I mean the reward¡­¡±

    ¡°Reward? We never talked about that, did we? We came of our own will, and you also let us enter into the normally inessible ck Priestess Shrine territory too . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s group wished to recover Onimaru . Kuchinashi and her followers wished to save Kotone .

    The method to aplish their objectives was the same, so they cooperated .

    Shin and Kuchinashi had a friendly rtionship, so it was just a matter of form, but since their agreement had been such, Shin was puzzled .

    ¡°That won¡¯t do, though . You saved one of our preciousrades, but we let you go without any reward¡­that would be dishonorable . There are those who know that we tried and failed to clear the dungeon . We need to at least a put on  ¡°performance¡± to show that we paid you adequately for your work . Something we both agreed upon, based on a formal contract . Of course, I will keep the fact that we know each other hidden . ¡±

    ¡°If that piece of information spreads too, some people coulde here, hoping to reach and use you through me . ¡±

    ck Priestess Shrine was not governing their territory through their strength alone; they had been entrusted with it through a pact with the Kujou house . Even so, they still had frictions with neighboring territories and could not disregard the diplomatic rtions with them, sighed Kuchinashi .

    The saving grace was that, as ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s role could not be performed by anyone else, they weren¡¯t normally bothered by their neighbors .

    It was the burden due to being the host of many priestesses, as Kuchinashi hinted .

    ¡°Well, for the reward, just something formal is fine . But don¡¯t go using us for your diplomacy now . ¡±

    ¡°I know that . I¡¯m not that ungrateful . ¡±

    Afterward, they talked about the formal reward and the group¡¯s lodging, then Shin¡¯s group left the room .

    Kuchinashi was apparently sure that they wouldn¡¯t fail the mission; a few hours before the banquet, Shin knew that she had prepared two rewards: one in case Kotone had been saved and another one in case only purification had been possible .

    The hectic preparations continued; being the main event, Shin and Shibaid were forced to wear elegant kimono, to their extreme displeasure . Then, their femalepanions appeared .

    ¡°Oooh¡­as expected, priestess robes look good with ck hair . ¡±

    They were wearing white and red, traditional priestess robes, different from the ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s typical uniforms . The first to appear dressed in this outfit was Tiera .

    Her golden eyes and the silver streaks in her hair were unusual elements considering the attire, but her long ck hair perfectly fit the priestess robes .

    Her lightly flushed cheeks, maybe out of embarrassment from being the center of attention, added even more charm to the whole, at least ording to Shin .

    ¡°Don¡¯t stare so much now . ¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to . But it looks good on you, you can¡¯t me me for looking a bit, no?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine¡­I¡¯m just the opening act for master and the others, anyway . ¡±

    While fiddling with the silver tips of her hair, Tiera looked towards the door she hade from .

    The next ones toe out were Kotone and Filma .

    The ck-haired, ck-eyed Kotone was exactly what Shin pictured from the word priestess . Her delicate gestures,bined with the robe, gave a perfectly graceful impression .

    On the other hand, Filma¡¯s stance was almost too proud; she almost looked like a foreigner doing cosy .

    ¡°How do I look? Not too bad, right?¡±

    Used to Filma¡¯s usual armor and its high skin exposure, Shin and Shibaid thought that the priestess robe and its low ratio of exposed skin made Filma look more seductive .

    ¡°Hmm, as they say, beauties are beauties no matter what they wear, but this is a prime example indeed . I get an impression pretty different than the usual . ¡±

    ¡°Your usual colors are red and purple, so the red hakama looks really good on you . And like Shibaid said, there¡¯s a curious gap¡­¡±

    Kotone inquired as well .

    ¡°If I may ask too, what do you think of me?¡±

    ¡°Honestly speaking, I¡¯d be hard pressed to find words other than ¡°it looks good on you¡±¡­you are exactly what I picture when I imagine a priestess, you see . ¡±

    A beautiful ck-haired, ck-eyed priestess . The impact of her coy look was imensurable .

    ¡°We¡¯re here too, if you care . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna, why are you wearing priestess clothes too? Well, no, you look good, of course¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s attention had been upied by Filma and Kotone, when Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna, also wearing priestess robes, called to him from behind .

    They normally wore armor, but picturing different clothes in mind could let them change to a degree, they said . Because of the asion, they decided to wear priestess robes too .

    Maybe affected by the colors of their armor, the sleeves of Mitsuyo¡¯s robe had ck and golden patterns, while Kunitsuna¡¯s were red and ck .

    ¡°We thought to entice lord Shin with our charms¡­but I see we have many fierce rivals . ¡±

    ¡°Shut up . And that¡¯s not how it is anyway . ¡±

    Kunitsuna held her hand to her cheeks, looking troubled, while Mitsuyo pouted and looked away . The Five Supreme des were truly a trove of strong personalities .

    ¡°Hey, Shin . The main event is starting . ¡±

    Filma called for Shin¡¯s attention . As he turned back, Schnee appeared too .

    Schnee had also changed from her usual clothing to a priestess robe; she came walking calmly into the room, her silver hair flowing while following her movements .

    Like Tiera and the others, she had applied some make-up after taking a bath, making her smile, a normal sight for Shin, even more bright than usual .

    ¡°¡­ . beautiful . ¡±

    A single word escaped Shin¡¯s mouth .

    He could have talked forever, just piling up words of praise . But he felt that it would be all unneeded .

    That¡¯s how much he had been charmed by her .

    ¡°I knew it¡­that¡¯s how it always ends . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Along with Tiera¡¯s dejected words, Shin feels a jolt hitting his legs . Back from his charmed trance, Shin looked at his feet and found Yuzuha, in her usual priestess robe, puffing her cheeks . She was still kicking Shin with her thin legs .

    ¡°Yuzuha, ignored, no good!¡±

    Aftering back from the dungeon, Shin had been busy talking with Kuchinashi and preparing for the celebrations, thus he had found no time for Yuzuha; she thought he had forgotten his promise .

    Her growth should have increased her mental age too, but now Yuzuha was back to being a little girl . Maybe she was only acting more mature .

    ¡°I worked hard, here! Praise!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry, so stop sticking to my face! I can¡¯t see in front!¡±

    Yuzuha, still in human form, jumped on Shin¡¯s head, covering his face .

    It was a surprise attack using her over level-600 physical abilities to the fullest . Being still under the effect of Schnee¡¯s charm, Shin couldn¡¯t have avoided it .

    When Shin managed to get Yuzuha off him, his hair had be a mess .

    ¡°¡ªthen, this happens?¡±

    ¡°You had her stay back a lottely, after all . You could treat her specially at least today . ¡±

    Schnee smiled at them .

    The celebrations¡¯ banquet hall was already crowded with priestesses .

    Shin and the group were led to the main guests¡¯ seats; Yuzuha, still in human form, took position on hisp .

    She grinned proudly while holding his arms,ughed and talked excitedly . After growing up, her expressionless face had apparently vanishedpletely .

    ¡°So lovely, may I pet you?¡±

    ¡°Kuu, you may! Shin pet too!¡±

    Her tone was smug, but the fox ears on her head twitched happily . Their movements clearly showed how she wanted to be petted quickly, making Yuzuha even more adorable .

    In the main guest seats, Shin was sitting in the seat of honor, with Schnee, Tiera, Mitsuyo, Kunitsuna, Filma and Shibaid sitting on the left side . Kagerou was next to Tiera .

    On the opposite right side sat Kotone, Suzune and Kuchinashi .

    The priestesses¡¯ eyes were concentrated on Shin¡¯s group: the mysterious fox girl being cuddled on Shin¡¯sp, between two beauties such as Schnee and Kotone, attracted the most attention .

    ¡°Now, let us begin!!¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s words brought total silence into the hall . She had used a Wind spell to carry her voice throughout the venue .

    The eyes of all present went from Shin to Kuchinashi .

    ¡°I am sure many of you already know about Kotone¡¯s return . She was saved from the dungeon we have had trouble clearing, Cadaver Realm . Now I will introduce to you the adventurers who saved Kotone and cleared the dungeon . ¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s hand pointed towards Shin and hispanions .

    As they previously discussed, the members who actually went into the dungeon -Shin, Schnee, Tiera and Mitsuyo- stood up . As they did, thunderous apuse filled the hall .

    Shin was surprised by the intensity of the cheering; he did not expect for the response to be so big .

    ¡°Everyone already knows about your feats in the battles in Balmel . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . ¡±

    It wasn¡¯t exactly a ¡°set-up¡±, but Kuchinashi had apparently already given some information to the priestesses . Shin felt that it had spread all too fast though .

    In addition, the words ¡°That¡¯s the shing Hammer¡­¡± that sometimes reached his ears enhanced his bad feeling .

    ¡°Ehm, I keep hearing the words ¡°shing Hammer¡±¡­what does that mean?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know? It¡¯s Shin¡¯s ¡°new¡± nickname . He shes monsters apart with dull weapons, so people started referring to him as ¡°Shin the shing Hammer¡± . ¡±

    ¡°Oof¡­¡±

    Shin felt a dull blow in his gut, knowing how this nickname had spread without his knowledge . What kind of name is shing Hammer¡­ he couldn¡¯t help but sigh to himself .

    ¡°Tonight we celebrate Kotone¡¯s return, the conquest of the dungeon and these brave adventurers!!¡±

    Kuchinashi spoke again after the apuse died down .

    There was no toast; after another brief apuse, all participants freely started to enjoy food and beverages .

    ¡°Here you are . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, thanks . ¡±

    Noticing that Shin¡¯s ss was empty, Kotone raised a bottle of Sake to offer him .

    Schnee too was paying attention to serving him, but as Shin held his ss with his right hand, Kotone was closer .

    ¡°You even have my sister serve you¡­!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like I¡¯m forcing her to!!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know how others saw it, but Kotone had served him out of her own free will .

    ¡°Shin, feed me, feed me!¡±

    Completely unaware of Kotone and Schnee¡¯s small war and Suzune¡¯s pestering, Yuzuha kept ordering what she wanted to eat .

    Shin felt bad about leaving Yuzuha back oftentely, so he prioritized feeding Yuzuha over eating himself .

    ¡°Can¡¯t help it . Here, say aah!¡±

    ¡°Yummy~¡±

    Shin used a pair of chopsticks and brought Yuzuha¡¯s order to her mouth . Yuzuha took a big bite and showed arge smile .

    Shin had younger siblings in the real world; heughed wryly at Yuzuha¡¯s spoiled attitude, but followed her orders to the letter .

    ¡°My, how cute . ¡±

    Looking at Yuzuha fed by Shin, Kotone squirmed .

    ¡°Then, I suppose I shall do it to Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin¡¯s chopsticks were busy with feeding Yuzuha . Seeing this, Schnee quickly used hers to pick food from a te and carry it to Shin¡¯s mouth .

    ¡°Here, say aah . ¡±

    ¡°Sure, aah¡­¡±

    Schnee started it herself, but couldn¡¯t help blushing a little .

    Shin noticed it and became nervous . The food she had brought him, though, was very delicious .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°My my, there¡¯s no space to fit in between those three, is there . ¡±

    ¡°She might be a monster, but she looks just like a child . ¡±

    Looking at Shin and those around him, Filma and Shibaidughed and drank merrily .

    Since they didn¡¯t participate in the dungeon mission, they wondered whether they should participate in the celebrations, but Kuchinashi overwhelmed their objections, saying that it was always a party .

    ¡°Won¡¯t you go to lord Shin¡¯s side?¡±

    ¡°Me? Well, even if I went¡­¡±

    The question to Filma had been asked by Kunitsuna, who was looking at Shin too . He had refused to be her wielder, but as her savior, she addressed him with ¡°lord¡± .

    In reaction to her question, Filma tilted her ss in her hands, a troubled expression on her face .

    ¡°Schnee and I, we have a different stance towards Shin¡­we feel different things . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I thought that conquering the strong and being served by the beautiful was a gentleman¡¯s way of life . It appears thatdy Schnee anddy Tiera fancy lord Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Ahaha, anyone would see Schnee does . ¡±

    Tiera took another swig,ughing heartily .

    ¡°For Tiera, it looks too early for you to say so, though . ¡±

    ¡°Women are more sensitive about this stuff¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Mitsuyo and Munechika are a bit dull, though . Their way of thinking is more simr to a man¡¯s . ¡±

    ¡°Hey, Kunitsuna, don¡¯t just insult so casually!¡±

    Mitsuyo, sitting beside Kunitsuna, couldn¡¯t let those words go without reacting . I know that much too, her pouting lips expressed .

    ¡°Hmm, as they say in Hinomoto, three women together make a ruckus¡­I see it¡¯s true even with weapons . ¡±

    Looking at Kunitsuna and Filma teasing Mitsuyo, Shibaid whispered this to himself and poured himself another ss .

    ¡°My, you won¡¯t ask about my feelings, Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°You are a High Lord, but your heart is simr to a Type Cat¡¯s . Even if I asked, you would not say what you really feel . We arepanions under the same master, I do not need to be a woman to understand . ¡±

    ¡°Hmph, so that¡¯s what you say to me, huh . ¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s words and look seemed to see through Filma; this time it was her lips¡¯ turn to pout .

    ¡°There is no need for reservation between us, is there . Lady Kunitsuna, you do not need to hold anything back with Filma . She¡¯s not the type to be concerned by things like that, so speak to her freely . ¡±

    ¡°I shall do as you say, then . ¡±

    ¡°Do let me add one thing, though . I heard you asked Shin to be your master, but I tell you that asking us will give you the same result . Because we have received our weapons from Shin . ¡±

    Shibaid had heard about it from Schnee, so he made sure Kunitsuna let go such thoughts . As Shin had said, Shibaid and the others had more than enough ability to wield Kunitsuna .

    ¡°Oh my, did you find out I was aiming at you? Lord Shin has unfathomable prowess, but the same can be said for you all . It might be a strange thing to say but,dy Schnee included, I feel that you all exceed the limits of strength an individual can hope to attain . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all part of serving a High Human . I wouldn¡¯t lose to any average warrior . ¡±

    ¡°Truly . Were the master to give the order, the servant needs to be able to overthrow even a divine beast . ¡±

    Despite her yful tone, Kunitsuna¡¯s speech was serious; Filma and Shibaid gave their answers, each with a slightly different atmosphere .

    Only Mitsuyo, who had stayed with them for a certain time and was following their exchange, noticed this small change .

    ¡°Kunitsuna, enough with your jokes . ¡±

    ¡°I know . I won¡¯t go any further . I apologize, I am afraid I overstepped my bounds . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry . It happened a lot in the past . ¡±

    In the period when the High Human¡¯s abilities were still unknown, the number of reckless yers who had faced Shin to test his strength was not small .

    As Shibaid and Filma were with him during such battles too, they were sensible to the gaze of who wanted to estimate their strength .

    In Kunitsuna¡¯s case, they felt how she was also wary of them, so they released some of the pressure they were keeping suppressed .

    ¡°We¡¯re here to celebrate . Let¡¯s enjoy the rest of the banquet . ¡±

    They all nodded to Shibaid¡¯s words .

    Forgetting about time passing, all present enjoyed the party .

 Vol 9 Chapter 4.1: Chapter 4 Part 1

    Once the banquet drew to a close, the main guests -Shin and his group- went to their assigned rooms inside the guildhouse . They had one room each, but as expected Yuzuha slipped into Shin¡¯s room .

    ¡°I guess I got a little tipsy . ¡±

    Yuzuha had curled up into a ball on the bed as soon as they entered the room, and Shin left to take a walk in the guildhouse to sober up .

    Shin knew Kuchinashi and her guild from before, so he was also familiar with the structure of the guildhouse to a degree . Given his familiaritybined with the map, he wouldn¡¯t lose his way .

    Even if he bumped into other guild members, his name and face were already well known, so as long as he avoided any ces where only guild members were allowed, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems .

    ¡°Hm? This presence is¡­¡±

    Following the presence disyed on the map, Shin arrived in a part of the guildhouse resembling a garden .

    The square-shaped garden was about 20 mels wide . The walls hid it from the rest of the building, so it was well suited to practicing with weapons and techniques .

    It was already well into the night; the moon and stars were shining gently on the garden¡¯s grass and flowers .

    ¡°So it was really you, Tiera . ¡±

    He had felt her presence already, but as the map showed, there was already someone in the garden .

    The moonlight was shining on Tiera¡¯s silhouette, alone in the darkness of the night . She was looking at the sky, still d in the priestess clothes she wore at the banquet .

    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t change yet? ¡­ . . Tiera?¡±

    Shin called to Tiera, who was still looking up to the sky, a distant look in her eyes, but received no response .

    Shin felt something was off, and called her again; Tiera then finally moved .

    Slowly, she raised her arms, then opened them wide . As she did this, she lightly spun on her feet .

    Afterward, without stopping, she continued dancing, as if she was ying with some invisible creature .

    ¡°Is this Kagura¡­the dance offered to the gods?¡±

    Priestess robes, a silhouette bathed in the moonlight that felt almost otherworldly, movements apparentlycking any regrity .

    Looking at Tiera¡¯s flowing ck hair, Shin was reminded of the Kagura, a dance offered to the gods of Shinto shrines, which he had seen on TV in the past .

    That Kagura dance was very slow-paced, but he felt that Tiera¡¯s dance shared a simr atmosphere . Her expression also suggested that she had fallen into a sort of trance .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Without realizing it, Shin had lost track of time, absorbed in Tiera¡¯s dance .

    How much time had passed? As if repeating the first movements in reverse, Tiera lowered her arms while spinning, then stoppedpletely .

    She was looking at the sky again, just like she did when Shin had arrived . Her position and posture were also identical; if Shin had not seen her dance, he would think she had just continued looking at the sky all the while .

    If something had changed, it was the moonlight, which seemed to shine on Tiera more brightly than before .

    ¡°The stars are really beautiful . ¡±

    ¡°Hm? Oh¡­yeah, that¡¯s true . ¡±

    When had she noticed him? Tiera turned towards Shin and talked to him .

    Tiera¡¯s faint smile gave her an almost mystical aura . As if the person Shin was now looking at was someone else .

    ¡°Shin, did youe to look at the stars too?¡±

    ¡°No, I just wanted to feel the night breeze a bit . And¡­I didn¡¯t mean to peek, but I saw your dance . I¡¯m not going to ask what it was, nor will I talk to anyone about it, so rest easy . ¡±

    He was a little undecided first, but Shin then opted to tell her the honest truth .

    Shin had decided to wait until she said the word before he talked about her circumstances . Thus he told her that he had no intention of inquiring any further .

    ¡°I see . But, I think that it¡¯s alright if it¡¯s you, Shin . It could even be that I called for you . ¡±

    Tiera walked towards Shin, smiling to tell him that there was nothing to worry about . At the same time, she said something cryptic .

    ¡°You were calling? Can I ask what that means?¡±

    ¡°Wait just a little more, please . Or I can¡¯t exin well enough . ¡±

    Tiera extended a hand towards Shin¡¯s cheeks while speaking . She touched him gently, as if handling something broken .

    ¡°Tiera¡­no, you are¡­¡±

    The feeling Shin had of something being off grewrger andrger . What he thought was just his imagination became reality .

    With eyes that seemed lost into space, she looked straight towards Shin . He returned the look, trying to grasp what was hidden deep within her eyes .

    Her eyes were golden, but also contained hues different from the color yellow . What her slightly transparent pupils reflected was the ck-haired man he always saw in the mirror¡­? Not this time .

    ¡°!?¡±

    Not him, someone wrapped in mist, was looking back at him . As he tried to uncover the identity of that mysterious figure, something soft and warm touched Shin¡¯s lips .

    ¡°Hnn¡­ . . mmh¡­ . . nnh¡­¡±

    What had touched Shin¡¯s lips was Tiera¡¯s . All his focus was concentrated on her eyes, and he hadn¡¯t noticed hering closer and closer .

    Her hands, which had been gently caressing his cheeks, were now holding them firmly . A passionate kiss, unthinkable for the usual Tiera, united the two together .

    A single teardrop escaped Tiera¡¯s eyes as they were kissing . Her expression, differently from before, was both earnest and charming .

    ¡°!!¡±

    The sudden event had stopped Shin¡¯s thought process, but after a few seconds it started again .

    Thinking that this could not be allowed to continue, he put his hands on Tiera¡¯s shoulders and tried to break free .

    ¡°Hn¡­?¡±

    Fortunately, his hands touched Tiera¡¯s shoulders just as she had pulled back slightly to breathe . That moment, the light of reason returned to Tiera¡¯s eyes .

    She seemed to bepletely unaware of what was happening and just stood there, frozen . Before her eyes, however, was a long thread uniting Shin and Tiera¡¯s lips .

    The thread shining in the moonlight was a product of Shin¡¯s, or Tiera¡¯s, or both of their saliva .

    ¡°Ah¡­? W-why¡­ . ?¡±

    Tiera seemed absolutely confused and would just repeat ¡°why?¡± over and over .

    If this was daytime, her violently blushing face would be clearly visible .

    ¡°I-I¡­did I really¡­Shin¡­?¡±

    She didn¡¯t say what she did . Or rather, she couldn¡¯t .

    Her hands, holding Shin¡¯s face .

    A distance so close they could feel each other breathing .

    The thread hanging between their lips .

    Adding all of these elements, it was more than clear what had just happened .

    ¡°Ni¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°Tiera, first of all, hear me ou¡­¡±

    ¡°NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    Upon reaching the apex of confusion, Tiera could not hear Shin¡¯s words and ran away as fast as she could . Just like a veteran ninja, she deftly slipped away from Shin and ran off, totally oblivious of her priestess robes .

    Her screams echoing through the guildhouse, Tiera ran through the corridors at a speed that would make the average Chosen One grow pale . In just a few seconds she had turned the corner and disappeared .

    ¡°What in the¡­¡±

    Considering what happened, Shin couldn¡¯t just go after her and just stayed behind; for a while, all he could do was just stand there, dumbfounded .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next morning, Shin took Yuzuha to the breakfast hall, rubbing his still half-closed eyes .

    Still sleepy, Yuzuha held onto Shin¡¯s hand, almost dozing off while they walked .

    In the guildhouse, breakfast was served at a specific time; Shin¡¯s group would eat it alongside the other members .

    As he was heading towards the hall, Shin met Filma and Tiera . Filma greeted him as usual, but Tiera turned violently red as soon as she saw Shin and hurried on towards the hall .

    ¡°¡­ . hey, Shin . Something happened to Tiera yesterday, right?¡±

    Filma could not fail to notice Tiera¡¯s crystal clear reaction . She could not let it go either, so she pressed Shin, smiling .

    ¡°Something happened, yeah you can say that . But I can¡¯t wrap my mind around it either . I wanted to ask her about it yesterday, but she ran off before I could . ¡±

    ¡°You did something to make her run away, right? Something so embarrassing that she turned red like that . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like I¡¯m the bad guy! I don¡¯t get what¡¯s going on either!¡±

    Filma¡¯s face wasing closer and closer, but Shin pushed her away .

    As it wasn¡¯t possible to ask Tiera about what happened, Shin could think of only one person to ask for help . But in that case, he had to exin what happened the night before .

    ¡°I can¡¯t just let this go, though¡­I¡¯d really rather not, but I¡¯ll go talk with someone who might know what happened . I¡¯ll leave Yuzuha to you . ¡±

    Shin entrusted Yuzuha to Filma and headed to Schnee¡¯s room . When he passed in front of the room assigned to Schnee, he had felt her presence inside .

    When Shin knocked on the door, Schnee came out right away; she was about to go out too .

    ¡°Shin? I don¡¯t see Yuzuha with you, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to ask you about Tiera . There¡¯s still some time until breakfast, will you hear me out?¡±

    ¡°Something happened, I suppose . Doe in . ¡±

    Shin followed Schnee inside . The room¡¯s interior was very simr to Shin¡¯s room, with just the furniture¡¯s cement being a little different .

    Shin sat on a cushion and told what happened the night before .

    About Tiera¡¯s dance, about her looking like a different person, about the person looking at him from within her eyes . Finally, about the kiss .

    ¡°¡­so that¡¯s what happened¡­¡±

    ¡°She regained her senses halfway through, though . Looked like she didn¡¯t remember what happened, and because of that she ran off before I could ask her anything . I thought you might know something, so¡­¡±

    Shin talked while avoiding to look straight in Schnee¡¯s eyes .

    Schnee¡¯s intimidating aura had vanished on their way back from the dungeon, but her mood didn¡¯t seem to have improved much .

    ¡°I see, I understood the situation . I cannot talk in detail about this if Tiera isn¡¯t here too, but I can say that at the very least it isn¡¯t something bad . You could say it¡¯s rted to Tiera¡¯s unique nature . ¡±

    ¡°Well, just by looking at her you can tell that she¡¯s not a normal Elf . I imagined she came from a special lineage, or something . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a wrong way to see it . Let us let Tiera talk about it herself . Of course, the decision to do so or not rests upon her . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right . I¡¯m just relieved that it isn¡¯t something dangerous . ¡±

    Shin drew a sigh of relief . It doesn¡¯t look like Tiera was possessed by something, at least .

    Together with the relief, Shin felt his stomach rumble, in perfect time for breakfast .

    ¡°Shall we go get breakfast, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­but, before that¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh? Eh? What?¡±

    Shin had turned around to exit the room, but Schnee grabbed his hand and made him turn back towards her .

    Shin looked timidly at Schnee, fearing that the time for the explosion of her umted stress hade . But Schnee¡¯s expression seemed to contain somethingpletely different from his predictions .

    ¡°I can¡¯t just let this go without saying anything¡­do you think that I wouldn¡¯t feel anything after what you just told me?¡±

    ¡°Aah, er, well¡­I don¡¯t, that¡¯s why it was a bit difficult to tell¡­¡±

    Even if he knew what he had to do, actually doing it was a different matter altogether .

    Curiously enough, Shin clearly understood that Schnee was pouting, from her expressions and her gestures .

    ¡°Considering what happened with Kotone too¡­Shin, you have too many ¡®openings¡¯ . ¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Shin could not say anything back, except apologies . Schnee never came off so strongly in front of others .

    ¡°If you really feel sorry¡­¡­¡­p-please hug me . ¡±

    After a few moments of silence, Schnee opened her arms and spoke .

    ¡°Ehm¡­is that, enough?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like to be always left out . ¡±

    Schnee moved her arms up and down a little while talking . That movement was remarkably simr to Yuzuha¡¯s ears during the banquet, urging Shin to hurry and pet her .

    Feeling embarrassed after making such a clear request, Schnee closed her eyes, but her cheeks had turned bright red .

    Shin finally embraced her gently .

    ¡°Hn¡­¡±

    The instant he hugged her, Schnee¡¯s body twitched . Then, with some hesitation, she wrapped her hands around Shin¡¯s torso .

    The embrace had probably taken away her nervousness, because she started hugging Shin tightly .

    A faint, sweet scent reached Shin¡¯s nostrils . At the same time, a warm, soft sensation spread on his arms and chest .

    ¡°It¡¯s so strange¡­I feel so peaceful now . ¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­that¡¯s good . ¡±

    Looking at Schnee¡¯s serene expression, Shin breathed a sigh of relief .

    The ¡°incident¡± wasn¡¯t over yet, however .

    ¡°Please, hold me tighter . ¡±

    Schnee looked peaceful at first, but after some time she expressed her desire for Shin to embrace her with more strength .

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure about how to control his strength, so he hugged her just a little tighter . With Shin¡¯s current muscle strength, even a little difference should have let her feel a significant difference .

    ¡°More¡­more, please¡­¡±

    It wasn¡¯t nearly enough for Schnee, though . The tighter he held her, the more she pleaded him to .

    Schnee wasn¡¯t an average elf either, so using more strength wouldn¡¯t hurt her . But it wasn¡¯t possible for nothing to have changed .

    Because of their tight embrace, the two soft mounds on Schnee¡¯s chest changed shape, the sensation pressing even more clearly on Shin¡¯s chest .

    In addition, looking at Schnee rubbing her face on his shoulders was robbing Shin of his capacity of rational thinking at rming speed .

    ¡°Do it¡­ . more¡­ . ¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t look at Schnee¡¯s face . The words she sultrily whispered to his ears sounded almost like pillow talk .

    A warning saying ¡°It¡¯ll be bad to go any farther than this here!¡± resounded in Shin¡¯s head . But despite his thoughts, his body wouldn¡¯t move .

    ¡°Schnee¡­ . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s feelings overcame his reason .

    Shin¡¯s hands caressed Schnee¡¯s back, and her body responded by trembling slightly, and then¡ª-

    ¡°(You guys, meal time is ending!!)¡±

    ¡ª-Filma¡¯s voice resounded in their heads .

    ¡°!?¡±

    The sudden call caused both Shin and Schnee to leap away from each other .

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    Shin, who had his back to the door, suffered a spectacrly clean hit on the back of his head . He didn¡¯t receive any actual damage, but was struck by a certain self-loathing, wondering what he was even doing .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I got a little, carried away¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I was the same, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to stop¡­¡±

    Their mood had gotten over both of them . Shin and Schnee apologized to each other and headed directly to the hall, after telling Filma that they would be there soon .

    ¡°Ehm, Ms . Schnee? May I ask why we are holding arms?¡±

    ¡°Let me linger, just a little bit . I¡¯ll have to say it because you don¡¯t seem to realize it¡­but there are too many beautiful women around you, Shin . For me, it means never being able to rx, you know?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m gathering them or anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Keep more distance from them then . ¡±

    Probably because they were alone walking through the corridors, Schnee protested towards Shin while holding his arm .

    Thinking that it was pretty daring behavior for Schnee, Shin searched the nearby presences, but found out that, miraculously, there was no one in the path ahead . Schnee had probably verified this before Shin .

    Shin could, of course, forcefully break free of her hold . The soft sensation pressed on his arm, however, won over him .

    ¡°Am, I, clear?¡±

    ¡°G-Got it¡­¡±

    Shin cowered before Schnee¡¯s pressure . He understood what Schnee was feeling, so he had nothing to object .

    Satisfied of Shin¡¯s answer and nod, Schnee released her hold and walked on . Shin followed her as he wiped his cold sweat .

    The breakfast hall was next to the previous night¡¯s banquet hall .

    When they arrived, they found that the other party members had all already started eating . More than half of their tes¡¯ contents had already disappeared .

    ¡°Oh, that was fast¡ªI see Schnee¡¯s in a pretty good mood, did something happen?¡±

    Filma talked as they took their seats . The second part was spoken in a whisper to Shin, so that Schnee, sitting on the other side of the table, wouldn¡¯t hear .

    ¡°Well, I asked what I had to . Tiera . ¡±

    ¡°Ah! Yes! W-what is it¡­?¡±

    Shin stopped Tiera, who had stood up with food remaining on her te, before she could slip away .

    No matter if she wanted to talk or not, he wanted to tell her about what happened the night before .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to exin clearly about what happened yesterday . Please wait in your room . ¡±

    ¡°Ehm, er, yes, ok, I got it . ¡±

    Shin watched as Tiera awkwardly left the room, then ate his breakfast .

    Filma and the others, who did not know what happened, were puzzled by this exchange, but did not say anything . Tiera¡¯s behavior was clear proof that something must have happened .

 Vol 9 Chapter 4.2: Chapter 4 Part 2

    After breakfast, Shin and Schnee went to Tiera¡¯s room .

    As they knocked, Tiera timidly opened the door, as bright red as she was in the hall .

    ¡°Shin and¡­master? You don¡¯t mean that¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Er, yes, we do . ¡±

    Tiera seemed to be thinking of something, as seeing Schnee behind Shin surprised her .

    ¡°We came to talk about what happened to youst night . Won¡¯t you hear us out?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . okay . Come in . ¡±

    With a serious expressionpletely different to when she opened the door, Tiera let the two inside .

    Shin then told Tiera about everything he saw and heard .

    ¡°I see¡­ . so that¡¯s what happened to me¡­¡±

    ¡°I heard from Schnee that it¡¯s probably not something bad . That¡¯s all I came to say . ¡±

    ¡°Wait . The chance is right, it¡¯s time for me to talk about what I¡¯ve been hiding . ¡±

    Shin had stood up after he finished talking, but Tiera stopped him .

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to push yourself, all right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine . It¡¯s time I stop hiding things from you and the others after all . ¡±

    She probably felt bad about it . In a way, Tiera felt relieved that she could finally talk .

    ¡°Munechika also told me that it¡¯s something certain people can perceive easily . Mitsuyo might have felt it too . ¡±

    ¡°Really? Well then, I¡¯m listening . ¡±

    ¡°Could you please call Filma and the others too? They¡¯re your followers after all, I want to talk about it with everyone . ¡±

    Shin agreed to Tiera¡¯s proposal and told Filma and the others toe to Tiera¡¯s room .

    After a few minutes, in addition to Filma and Shibaid, Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna arrived too . Shin asked Tiera if it was alright for them to hear too, and Tiera replied that since she had talked about it to Munechika, it was not a problem for Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna to know too .

    ¡°I have no intention of stringing you along, so I¡¯ll say the most important thing first . ¡±

    Tiera took a deep breath and started talking, her expression suggesting the importance of the decision she had made .

    ¡°I am a priestess of the World Tree . In a n that has the unique ability tomunicate with the Sacred Tree, which has its roots in the Ley lines and miasma purification, I am a particrly special existence¡­no, I was . ¡±

    ¡°Was? You mean that you aren¡¯t anymore?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s words were ultimately in the past tense .

    ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t be called a priestess of the World Tree as I am now . Well, that title itself, ¡°Priestess of the World Tree¡±, is something unique to the vige I used to live in, though . ¡±

    She didn¡¯t know how those with the same powers as hers were called elsewhere, added Tiera .

    ¡°The vige that was created when elves gathered around the Sacred Tree, a pseudonym for the World Tree, is the ce I was born . My n, the Lucent n, was originally a n with especially sharp senses for magic . The n members with the highest magic senses were chosen as priestess . I think that by now, the next priestess probably already assumed her duties . That¡¯s what I meant when I said I ¡®was¡¯ . ¡±

    Even among the n, not all members couldmunicate with the World Tree . At the time, Tiera seemed to possess the highest potential of all the n members .

    ¡°At the beginning, I just had very sharp senses for magic, but gradually my ability specialized inmunicating with the World Tree, so now I¡¯m a little more sensitive than the average elf . They used to say I have talent, but in the end if they¡¯re not close to the World Tree, priestesses can¡¯t use much power . The miasma purification I used was possible just because the depths of the dungeon were close to the Ley lines too . ¡±

    Tiera stated that her sensitivity towards the Ley lines was a remnant ability of her connection with the World Tree . She could use the miasma purification technique only because it was close to the Ley lines .

    ording to Tiera, she had powered up too when Filma was freed because she had fulfilled her duty as priestess, or so she thought .

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s how it is . I did feel some sort of aura from you . ¡±

    ¡°I suppose that the other Supreme des felt it too . ¡±

    Mitsuyo nodded in understanding and Kunitsuna, holding her chin, stated her conclusion .

    ¡°Munechika had asked me about this too . She also told me to be careful, as those with power to influence Ley lines could find out about me . ¡±

    Without any more reasons to hide it, Tiera also talked about her exchange with Munechika .

    ¡°Kuu? Purification?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, maybe you already heard about it, but Tiera purified both Dojigiri and Onimaru¡¯s miasma . ¡±

    Shin exined briefly about Tiera¡¯s purifications to the puzzled Yuzuha .

    ¡°Tiera, amazing! Kuu¡­¡±

    Yuzuha praised Tiera, the tails poking out of her priestess robe and her ears twitching . Even for Yuzuha, what Tiera did was worthy of praise .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for cutting in . Is what you said the reason behind your fast growth or the fact that Scoruas and the demons targeted you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the growth, but that¡¯s probably it for the demons . The World Tree purifies the impurities of the earth, which makes it a natural enemy of the demons . Those human-like demons probably felt the remains of the World Tree¡¯s powers still lingering within me . ¡±

    ¡°Its power is still inside you?¡±

    ¡°Because I used tomunicate with the World Tree very frequently . In order tomunicate more deeply, part of priestess¡¯ magic bes simr to the World Tree¡¯s magic . Only part of my hair turning silver could have been caused by the World Tree¡¯s magic power influencing the curse . It wasn¡¯t caused by miasma, but the World Tree¡¯s magic power reacts strongly to impurity and curses . ¡±

    Tiera continued talking while fiddling with her silver bangs .

    However, because of the World Tree¡¯s great powers, Tiera¡¯s position as priestess changed drastically after she received the ¡°Cursed Gift . ¡±

    ¡°The priestess, a cleanser of impurity, ended up being cursed . It was an unprecedented situation . ¡±

    Tiera¡¯s expression darkened as she was reminded of her past .

    ¡°But, it¡¯s weird you know, even after receiving the ¡°Cursed Gift¡±, I couldmunicate a little bit with the World Tree . It was different from before though, it was like listening in to someone else¡¯s conversation . I can still remember it clearly . ¡±

    Tiera added that themunication was usually just a hazy exchange of thoughts, which wouldn¡¯t express clear words or symbols . The priestess¡¯ task was to trante such unclear thoughts for people to understand .

    ¡°I think I heard fragments of words . Though, I don¡¯t remember what they were . ¡±

    She wasn¡¯t in the right state of mind to focus on something like that, after all .

    ¡°Hey, Tiera . What does it actually mean tomunicate with the World Tree? Is it just a trantion of the World Tree¡¯s thoughts? That¡¯s not all it is, right?¡±

    Shin tried to shift the topic so Tiera wouldn¡¯t focus too much on her expulsion from the vige .

    ¡°It also depends on what you are good or bad at, but it¡¯s possible to control the weather in a limited range, create barriers, scry far away locations, and all sorts of things . It varies a lot from person to person . I heard that one of the past priestesses could even predict the future . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . it¡¯s kind of simr to the ¡®Star Reader¡¯ title . ¡±

    What the words ¡°predict the future¡± reminded Shin of were Millie¡¯s words, which predicted Yuzuha¡¯s danger . The World Tree could probably grant this ability even without a title .

    ¡°What were you good at, Tiera?¡±

    Hearing that abilities depended on individual talent, Filma asked Tiera about her particr talent .

    ¡°My talent was spirit channeling¡­to temporarily bring back the spirits of the dead . I¡¯m not sure if I could actually do it though . ¡±

    During channeling, she would be almostpletely unconscious, so she could only learn the results from others .

    Tiera added that one of her most important duties was to channel past priestesses to borrow their powers and to recall the spirits of those who died from idents or disease, so they could say theirst words to their loved ones .

    ¡°So you were channeling someone that time? It did feel like it wasn¡¯t actually you . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t see clearly, but when your face came closer, I saw someone else in your eyes, looking at me . Well¡­I didn¡¯t feel any hostility though . ¡±

    ¡°She came in for the kiss, after all¡­she wouldn¡¯t if she was hostile, right? But it really is weird¡­why kiss?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me! But she was crying too . Well, Tiera was the one actually crying, but those tears were caused by that person¡¯s emotions, no?¡±

    Shin took advantage of Filma¡¯s interruption to express one of his doubts .

    It was difficult to talk about the kiss itself, but he could probably get away with the current flow of the conversation .

    ¡°One possibility is that you simply mistook who you saw . Or it was someone you know . I¡¯m sorry to say, though, but that person is probably already¡­¡±

    ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry . That¡¯s not something you need to concern yourself with . ¡±

    Tiera hid her face apologetically, but Shin replied in the most cheerful way he could .

    Channeling a spirit meant that the target had to be already dead . Tiera had exined that it was not possible to call upon the spirit of someone still alive .

    ¡°That¡¯s bizarre though . My ability shouldn¡¯t work away from the World Tree . Why is this happening even though I¡¯m not a priestess?¡±

    ¡°Maybe you only think it shouldn¡¯t work, and it actually does . Could it be possible?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but¡­like this time, maybe it happened already and I just don¡¯t remember . ¡±

    It was difficult to detect when Tiera¡¯s ability manifested .

    Even if someone was channeled through Tiera, as long as that person didn¡¯t do something unusual, it would be difficult to notice .

    ¡°You can¡¯t use that power by yourself?¡±

    ¡°I could if the World Tree was close . But I can¡¯t even feel its presence around here . I tried in Tsuki no Hokora too, but never seeded . ¡±

    Tiera answered negatively to Mitsuyo¡¯s totally reasonable question .

    ¡°Schnee, do you have any idea what this could be?¡±

    ¡°¡­no, nothing unfortunately . At least, I have never witnessed something like what Shin talked about . ¡±

    Even Schnee, who had lived with Tiera, answered contrary to Shin¡¯s expectations .

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped . While master trained me and taught me about the store in the beginning, she normally was busy somewhere else, so even if my ability had manifested she wouldn¡¯t have been there to see it . ¡±

    Tiera saw Shin thinking deeply and mistakenly thought he was dejected, so she hurried to defend Schnee .

    ¡°Hmm? Ah, no, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not feeling down or anything . I was just thinking that if it didn¡¯t happen in Tsuki no Hokora, it must have been caused by youing here . ¡±

    Even close to Bayreuth -where Tsuki no Hokora was located- there was Yuzuha¡¯s territory, which had decently sized Ley lines .

    That territory had been tainted by miasma, but the mutated monsters had been defeated by Shin before Tiera coulde close . Furthermore, the miasma had already disappeared along with the monsters .

    Because of that, Tiera -who couldn¡¯t leave Tsuki no Hokora- did not have the chance to go to such an area, as it happened this time, or so Shin thought .

    ¡°Is this ce that special? I know it¡¯s weird that it¡¯s full-blown winter outside while it¡¯s spring in here, but being a guildhouse, it¡¯s understandable . ¡±

    ¡°The earth has been revitalized thanks to the Ley lines . It¡¯s probably due to the power of this guildhouse . Nothing of this degree happened at Fuji after all . ¡±

    Tiera presented a theory in response to Filma¡¯s question . Elven senses were even capable of perceiving the earth¡¯s activities .

    ¡°That¡¯s incredible¡­Schnee, can you feel it too?¡±

    ¡°My senses are not that sharp . I can feel something through nts, that¡¯s it . I think this is also rted to Tiera¡¯s natural abilities . ¡±

    Schnee exined how elves¡¯ senses depended on the individual too . Senses as sharp as Tiera¡¯s were notmon by any means, apparently .

    ¡°There might be something else, something that not even Tiera herself is aware of . ¡±

    ¡°Could it be¡­?¡±

    Something other than her natural abilities as priestess . Tiera tilted her head, failing to understand what Schnee¡¯s hypothesis could mean .

    ¡°What about miasma purification? Isn¡¯t that something you do through the World Tree¡¯s powers?¡±

    Shibaid, who had been silently listening finally spoke .

    ¡°That¡¯s the correct way of doing it, originally . But when the World Tree¡¯s power isn¡¯t enough, I use the Ley lines¡¯ power . I revitalize the remaining power in the Ley lines and amplify it within my body . Then I use it against miasma, to make them cancel each other, pretty much . ¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why it looked like it was taking its toll on you . ¡±

    Tiera exined that the thicker miasma is, the more there is, thus the greater the burden on the purifier . With the World Tree¡¯s assistance, the amplification would be done by the tree itself .

    ¡°Is that something we can¡¯t do? It would be ideal if we could split that burden, I think . ¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s Shin and the others, I guess I can say it¡­that¡¯s something only those belonging to a lineage of priestesses like me can do, or so I heard . It¡¯s something different from a skill, so I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t teach it . ¡±

    Tiera answered Shin¡¯s question by exining that it was something tied to one¡¯s bloodline . As it was not a skill nor a title, it was probably something unique to this world .

    ¡°Hmm, wait, now that I think about it, there were skills¡­rather, abilities that we couldn¡¯t use, abilities limited to NPCs in certain quests¡­can anyone remember?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I think I have heard about that before¡­what was it again¡­?¡±

    ¡°It was miasma rted, right? I remember it was something about defeating people that adored demons . ¡±

    Shibaid and Filma tried to recall what Shin was referring to .

    ¡°Quest¡± was just a single word, but its contents were not only numerous, but also diverse . It was difficult to recall a specific one right away .

    ¡°The content is a bit different, but could it be the ¡®Seven Sages¡¯ Bloodline?¡¯ I remember that it featured a n with a special bloodline that hunted demons . I think there was also something rted to purifying miasma . ¡±

    ¡°Ah! Yes! Yes, that¡¯s it . ¡±

    Shin felt the haziness disappear from his memories .

    The ¡°Seven Sages¡¯ Bloodline¡± quest Schnee mentioned had the yers assist NPCs, set as descendants of the first 7 species that appeared in the world, in their battles against demons .

    Working together with the NPCs, who possessed skills effective against miasma and demons -difficult foes for even advanced users- the yers had to locate the origin of the miasma and defeat the demon that appeared with it .

    Quests were categorized by level of difficulty; clearing one would allow the yer to try others with higher difficulty . The rewards, naturally, would increase in level too .

    ¡°There was a quest like that, yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Why are you getting lost in your memories like that?¡±

    ¡°Well, you see, there was this really annoying elf¡­this one time I carried her like a doll while I went charging against the demons . My stats were already maxed out when that quest appeared, and the NPCs weren¡¯t much help in battle . The main thing was to fight while protecting them, really . Honestly, I could have crushed the enemies with sheer power at that point, even without the NPCs around . ¡±

    While Shin¡¯s actions were possible in a videogame setting, during the death game or in the current world, he wouldn¡¯t act in such a dangerous manner now .

    Of course, at the time he was criticized by other yers too, who called his behavior ¡°totally absurd¡± .

    ¡°Well, that has nothing to do with this . If it¡¯s as Schnee said, Tiera could be a descendant of the Seven Sages¡¯ bloodline . The demons could have felt the World Tree¡¯s power and the Seven Sages¡¯ aura, or both . Both their natural enemies¡¯ abilities together¡­it was a great threat to the demons . ¡±

    The high-ranked demons Scoruas and Adara¡¯s atmosphere had changedpletely when they saw Tiera; it wasn¡¯t something that could be exined simply with the words ¡°natural enemy¡± .

    The way they changed was as drastic as a change in eye color .

    ¡°In this case, we need to power up Tiera¡¯s equipment more, to prepare for whatever may happen . Your level increased too, so you should be able to equip weapons and armor of higher quality . ¡±

    ¡°The equipment I¡¯m borrowing now seems high-level enough already, though¡­¡±

    The equipment Shin lent to Tiera was worth a small fortune in this world . Hearing that Shin wanted to power up such luxurious gear, Tiera¡¯s expression stiffened .

    ¡°Oh no, please, that¡¯s just the start . Depending on the method, I bet you could even equip Mythology-level gear . If you tell me the exact numbers, I can give you much better stuff even within the same grade . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit scared to equip it¡­but yes, please do . ¡±

    Tiera nodded to Shin¡¯s proposal, albeit with some hesitation .

    In order for Tiera to continue traveling with Shin and the group, improving her equipment was absolutely necessary . Shin¡¯s group was overpowered and d in Ancient-grade gear, after all .

    She didn¡¯t know how strong she would ultimately be, but if she had a chance to improve, she wouldn¡¯t let it go .

    ¡°We kind of trailed off in the end, but I¡¯ve said all I wanted to . ¡±

    ¡°World Tree Priestess¡­I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about this world, but I guess I have to think again . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu, so many, mysteries¡±

    ¡°Mystery, hmm¡­well, I suppose it is a mystery . ¡±

    After his casualment, Shin noticed that Tiera sighed while looking at him and Yuzuha .

    Schnee was an Elf like her and was already aware of her circumstances, but maybe Tiera feared that we would act differently after knowing the truth, or so Shin thought .

    After revealing a secret, no matter what it was, one was always worried about how others would react .

    ¡°OK, now we know about Tiera¡¯s situation . Thanks for telling us . Even if you¡¯re a World Tree Priestess, I have no intention of changing how I act towards you, so there¡¯s that . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . o, ok . Thanks . ¡±

    Shin stated his intentions in a slightly rough manner, but everyone nodded .

    Looking at them, Tiera choked a little and thanked them, tears welling in her eyes .

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s go back to the topic of Tiera¡¯s equipment . I¡¯ve been choosing it until now, but I¡¯m sure you want to start deciding by yourself, right? With higher stats, you have more options about what to equip . Come with meter . ¡±

    ¡°OK, certainly . ¡±

    Tiera equipped bows and daggers until now, but the range of avable equipment is far wider . Tiera¡¯s main job, Tamer, allowed her to use also whips, rods and throwing weapons .

    The range of avable equipment is small at low levels, but at her current level Tiera should be able to have more choices .

    ¡°What are you going to do, everyone?¡±

    ¡°Can Ie with you? I¡¯m curious to see what equipment Tiera will choose . ¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go together then . ¡±

    Mitsuyo was apparently interested to see what weapons and gear Shin possessed . The other Supreme de, Kunitsuna, had something to do with Kotone .

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll just kill time until Tiera decides her new equipment, then . We¡¯ll have to stay here until the day after tomorrow to check on the progress, after all . I guess I¡¯ll take a look around the guildhouse, maybe . ¡±

    Filma said she would look around the guildhouse while waiting; today, she nned to visit the buildings other than the main one .

    ¡°I have been asked to lead a training session . If anything happens, just contact me . ¡±

    Shibaid wielded a halberd, so he was asked to impart training to the priestesses, who used simr long weapons .

    ¡°Got it . Schnee, Yuzuha, what about you?¡±

    ¡°Move, body! y, snow!¡±

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll keep an eye on Yuzuha . ¡±

    Yuzuha had returned to her expressionless face, but pointed excitedly at the silver-colored forest . Schnee then proposed to apany her .

    Via Mind Chat, she also told Shin that she¡¯ll make sure Yuzuha doesn¡¯t run too wild .

    ¡°OK, free time until noon then . ¡±

    Thinking that everyone needed free time once in a while, Shin and the others went their respective paths .

    ¡°If we want to choose items, we need the Tsuki no Hokora . Let¡¯s ask Kuchinashi, just in case . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s item box contained arge quantity of weapons and gear, but it had few choices for Tamers . He then decided to open Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s warehouse .

    ¡°My, curious to see you three together . ¡±

    Kuchinashi was surprised to see Shin, Tiera, and Mitsuyo visit her room .

    ¡°Yes, we thought that sometimes it¡¯s good to just act on our own like this . ¡±

    ¡°I thought that Schnee would never leave your side though . ¡±

    Kuchinashi teased Shin .

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re together all the time, you know . Today I¡¯m having her watch over Yuzuha . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s feelings towards Shin were apparently crystal clear . If Yuzuha hadn¡¯t said she wanted to go y, Schnee would have probably joined Shin and the others too .

    ¡°So, what brings you here today?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to pull out Tsuki no Hokora, so I thought of asking if there is a wide space without people around . I wouldn¡¯t want to surprise anyone, pulling a building out of thin air . ¡±

    Different from the former yer Kuchinashi, the ck Priestess Shrine members would never think that it was possible to carry buildings like that .

    They could have asked other priestesses too, but Shin¡¯s group knew only very few of them, namely Kotone and Suzune . Even if the priestesses knew about them, they couldn¡¯t say the opposite .

    In Kuchinashi¡¯s case, they didn¡¯t have to exin things in detail for her to understand .

    ¡°I know just the right ce . If you¡¯re going there though, would you mind if Kotone and I came along?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me, what do you say, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°No problem . ¡±

    Shin and Tiera had no objections to Kuchinashi¡¯s request .

    ¡°Can we call Kotone first then?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right, but what are you nning? If you¡¯re going to call Kotone, does it mean you want me to temper her weapons?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t want for you to strengthen our weapons¡­but if you helped us more, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯d start to rely on you too much . ¡±

    Shin asked the question in a casual tone, but Kuchinashi¡¯s expression as she replied looked grim .

    ¡°Some other trouble, then?¡±

    ¡°Something like that . Let¡¯s continue the conversation in the Tsuki no Hokora, with Kotone too . The soundproofing here is good, but I want to keep the risk of leaks as low as possible . ¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s words, which suggested that she did not want even herrades to know, were slightly different than what Shin had expected .

    What she was going to talk about must have been something only a few in ck Priestess Shrine knew .

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s something really serious . I see, let¡¯s go right¡­wait, let¡¯s call Kotone¡¯s first . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll call her right away, so please wait just a moment . ¡±

    A few minutes after Kuchinashi gave the order, Kotone joined with the group . Now she was wearing, unlike the priestess clothes she wore at the banquet, the ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s usual ck robes .

    ¡°You called for me, mdy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we were waiting for you . We¡¯re leaving right away, so please act as an escort . ¡±

    Whenever the guildmaster goes anywhere, generally one or more guild members act as an escort . Kuchinashi called Kotone also for her to take this role .

    Shin and the others did not know what Kuchinashi wanted to tell them, but since she called Kotone, it was likely that thetter already knew, or Kuchinashi thought it was something she could tell her .

    Kunitsuna, who had some business with Kotone in the morning, was with her too, but that was not a problem so Shin didn¡¯t say anything .

    ¡°Shall we go then . I¡¯ll lead the way, follow me . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s group followed Kuchinashi through the guildhouse . Strangely enough, they didn¡¯t meet anyone else on the way to their destination .

    The ce Kuchinashi led the group to was a thicket located right across the barrier delimiting the guildhouse¡¯s territory . The woods appeared to slip through the barrier, but actually the trees were simply growing on both sides of the barrier .

    ¡°No one will see us here . ¡±

    Shin and Kotone ttened the ground in a clearing without trees, then Shin materialized Tsuki no Hokora .

    ¡°We can talkter, so do what you nned on doing first, Shin . ¡±

    Judging from Kuchinashi¡¯s words, it wasn¡¯t something they could expect to wrap up quickly .

    The equipment selection could be der, so Shin thought of just collecting the gear first, and went to the storeroom with Tiera .

    Kuchinashi and the others said they wanted to take a look around, so Shin allowed them to, albeit with limitations .

    ¡°So that¡¯s what this ce was . I never saw this door open since I came here, so I was kind of curious . ¡±

    Tiera nodded knowingly when she saw which door Shin stopped in front of . She had wondered before about that eternally locked door, which Schnee had never opened either .

    ¡°It gives off a kind of eerie feeling, but is it really safe?¡±

    Mitsuyomented as Shin was opening the door .

    ¡°It¡¯s Shin¡¯s weapon storeroom, so there could very well be things that shouldn¡¯t be allowed out in the outside world . Shin can even use cursed weapons without problems, right?¡±

    ¡°Ldy Kuchinashi! Do not leave my side!¡±

    Kotone, shocked to hear the words ¡°cursed weapons¡±, swiftly stepped in front of Kuchinashi as to protect her .

    ¡°Stop talking like this is a den of monsters or something¡­Kuchinashi, Kotone, the contents of this room can¡¯t be touched anyway, so don¡¯t worry about touching them by mistake . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes shot a re as he exined one of the limitations affecting the warehouse .

    ¡°A room chock full of Ancient-grade and Mythology-grade weapons is pretty much a den of monsters, though¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just high-quality weapons, all right? Kotone, I¡¯m telling you that no one¡¯s life is in danger . ¡±

    ¡°I have my concerns about your word choice, sir Shin¡­however, is it really alright for us to enter a ce that might contain cursed weapons?¡±

    Still worrying about the fact that Shin considered legendary weapons as nothing more than high-spec items, Kotone posed a reasonable question .

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, nothing happens as long as you don¡¯t equip them . Plus, if anything happens with one of the weapons here I will take responsibility and melt it down . ¡±

    Shin replied with a grin, but at the same time a ¡°thud¡±-like sound was clearly heard from inside the storeroom .

    ¡°H-hey, Shin . I¡¯m sure I just heard something move from inside just now¡­?¡±

    ¡°I heard it too¡­¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t worry so much . Some cursed gear was probably a little scared, that¡¯s all . ¡±

    ¡°Can you imagine, a cksmith that can scare weapons¡­?¡±

    ¡°As a weapon myself, I can¡¯t reallyugh at that . ¡±

    ¡°Agreed . ¡±

    Tiera and Kotone flinched after hearing the noise from inside, but Shin reassured that there were no problems .

    Kuchinashi sighed in disbelief, Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna knitted their brows .

    Ignoring Kuchinashi¡¯s, Mitsuyo¡¯s, and Kunitsuna¡¯s reaction, Shin finally opened the doors .

 Vol 9 Chapter 4.3: Chapter 4 Part 3

    What the doors opened to reveal was, as Kuchinashi had said, a seemingly endless line of weapons, starting from Rare and Unique up until Mythology and Ancient grade .

    ¡°Eh¡­we have to go in here?¡±

    ¡°W-Wow¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with your reactions?¡±

    Shin was perplexed by Tiera and Kotone¡¯s reactions . For him, the room where he stored his items and gear was nothing more than that, just a storeroom, thus he didn¡¯t view it as a dangerous ce at all .

    Such a reaction, however, was unique to him: being used to the ce, he had not noticed the heavy aura outburst that hade from inside as the doors opened .

    At the same time, the magic power enveloping the weapons started to leak out too .

    It wasn¡¯t something visible to the naked eye, nor did it have any particr effects . But after feeling it, Tiera and Kotone¡¯s expressions warped all too clearly .

    ¡°To be able to act so nonchntly in the middle of this aura¡­is something to be expected from you, I should say . ¡±

    Kuchinashi had felt it too, and couldn¡¯t help butughing wryly at how little Shin¡¯s behavior had changed .

    ¡°I can feel the presence of weapons just like us¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not part of the Five Supreme des, but¡­long swords, spears, there must be several of them . ¡±

    Kunitsuna and Mitsuyo felt the presence of weapons that, like them, had turned into human form during events .

    ¡°Shin, is this ce really safe!? Is it!?¡±

    Tiera, sensitive to magic as usual, had felt the dense magic power filling the room and quickly moved behind Shin¡¯s back . She must have felt in danger, as she grabbed his sleeve and wouldn¡¯t let go .

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, honestly . When we were in Bayreuth, Yuzuha came inside here too, you know . Her tails¡¯ fur stood straight up though . ¡±

    ¡°I-If so, I guess it¡¯s okay¡­h-hey, don¡¯t just walk away without saying a word!!¡±

    Thinking that he couldn¡¯t convince them just talking, Shin walked deeper into the room .

    He had moved without saying anything, so Tiera -who was still grabbing his sleeve- almost fell forward .

    Mitsuyo followed Shin without a word .

    ¡°Uuh¡­I feel chills down my spine¡­¡±

    ¡°The name den of monsters wasn¡¯t so wrong after all . ¡±

    ¡°You just need to not pay any mind to it, and it¡¯ll be ok . Kuchinashi, everyone, what will you do? It won¡¯t take a long time though . ¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll take on your invitation . Come on, let¡¯s go, Kotone . ¡±

    ¡°Eh! Ldy Kuchinashi!¡±

    Kotone seemed to be still unsure, but Kuchinashi stepped in without the least concern . Together with Kunitsuna, she ignored all defensive gear and essories and went to look at weapons such as sacred swords and spears .

    As for Shin, he picked up gear and essories that Tiera could equip and turned them into cards . Taking advantage of the asion, he also took some useful tools and items and chucked them into the item box .

    ¡°OK, I got what I was looking for . Anything caught your interest, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Ehm, actually, this one here . ¡±

    Tiera was pointing towards a ring with a 1-cemel pale green amber embedded within .

    The amber emitted a clear glow, very close to a gemstone . In its center, was a seed of some nt .

    ¡°I see, the ¡ºCdon Amber Ring¡» . ¡±

    Cdon Amber was an item obtained when refining amber via alchemy . The resin used for cdon amber was extracted from the World Tree .

    It was an item perfectly fit for a World Tree priestess such as Tiera .

    ¡°Anything else? I think there are some more items rted to the World Tree . ¡±

    ¡°Anything else¡­no, nothing in particr . I wasn¡¯t actually looking, but I just had a feeling about this . ¡±

    ¡°I see . So let¡¯s put that among the candidates too, then do the rest outside . Kuchinashi, it¡¯s time to¡­wait, what are you looking at?¡±

    When Shin turned to look at Kuchinashi, he found her staring intently in a certain direction .

    She was looking at gear used for offense; swords, katana,nces, gauntlets, etc .

    In the storeroom all items were separated by category, but only here different types of weapons were gathered together, so they stood out .

    ¡°Shin, let me ask one thing, these weapons are for sealing, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly . I don¡¯t actually need them, it¡¯s more of a collection than anything . ¡±

    Saying so, Shin took in hand one of the katana Kuchinashi was looking at .

    Its official name was Sealing de ¡ºKusabimaru¡» .

    Kusabimaru, a katana 60-cemels long, waspletely white . Its de, hilt, handle and sheath were all the color of snow .

    One other thing made it differ from normal katana: transparent spheres were set on both edges of its hilt . It was a characteristic typical of sealing weapons, and was present in all of them .

    The material used to forge these weapons was an alloy; Magic Steel mixed with a small quantity of Orichalcum and Mithril . A particr forging technique would then be used to create the pure white katana ¡ºKusabimaru¡» .

    Shin called it a collection because these weapons only found their use in specific events and were normally not useful .

    If they were used against normal enemies, 3 shes against a level 100 Golem would reduce their durability to 0, thus there was no point in using them .

    ¡°Was something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Ahaha, well, you see? I wanted to talk to you about something concerning sealing weapons, and here I find a whole collection of them, so I was just thinking, look how things happen¡­¡±

    Kuchinashi¡¯s expression was an indescribable blend of relief and disbelief .

    ¡°Something concerning sealing weapons? These ones are for exclusive use in that event, you don¡¯t mean to say that it appeared?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly . But, I don¡¯t mean to say that something has to be done right now . I wanted to tell you everything after Tiera¡¯s business was over, but will you listen to me first?¡±

    ¡°I prefer to hear the bad news first, so that¡¯d be better for me . What do you say, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°I agree . Since I have new equipment to choose from, I don¡¯t want to do it while worrying about what might happen next . ¡±

    Tiera also said she wanted to listen to Kuchinashi¡¯s story first, so they all went to the living room for the moment .

    On their way, Mitsuyo pulled on Shin¡¯s sleeve .

    ¡°Wh-¡±

    ¡°Sssh . Shin, it looks like she¡¯s going to say something really important, but is it OK for me and Kunitsuna to be there too? We can¡¯t normally move from Fuji, so I doubt we can be of any help, you know?¡±

    Shin turned around to talk, but Mitsuyo put her index finger over his mouth and whispered .

    ¡°No problem, I¡¯m sure . Kuchinashi knows about the Five Supreme des, and I exined too . She would have talked at another time if she didn¡¯t want you to hear . Besides, I already have an idea what she¡¯s going to say, and I think it¡¯s something you should hear too . ¡±

    ¡°Really? Well, if you say so . ¡±

    The group arrived in the living room as this exchange ended .

    Tiera served tea for all and, after a moment¡¯s rest, Kuchinashi started talking .

    ¡°Well then¡­Shin probably guessed already, but what I¡¯m going to talk about now is one of the game¡¯srge-scale quests, ¡®Seven Deadly Sins¡¯ . ¡±

    ¡°So that was really it¡­this is going to be a pain in the neck . ¡±

    The ¡°Seven Deadly Sins¡± quest Kuchinashi mentioned consisted in discovering and sealing, within a set time period, 7 darkness-colored orbs that appeared all over the world .

    The orbs fused with monsters in the field or dungeons, forming bosses rted to the seven deadly sins . The fusing was limited to animal monsters with a connection to each of the sins .

    Once the bosses were defeated the orb would appear; stabbing it with a sealing weapon would count as sealing it .

    The weapon used to seal the orb would then signal the general location of the other orbs, so if a yer managed to find one, finding the others was only a matter of time .

    yers who found many orbs would receive rare items from the game¡¯s management, so many yers participated in this regrly held quest .

    ¡°Do you mean to say that a monster fused with an orb has been found?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . They lost sight of it afterward though . ¡±

    The monster had been found by a former yer who had participated in the quest in the past, so there should be no mistake, Kuchinashi added .

    ¡°Does the adventurers¡¯ guild know about this?¡±

    ¡°Of course I told them . Adventures ranked C and above should have been notified already . The discovered monster is called Ursine Sloth, level 115, apparently . ¡±

    ¡°Sloth, is it . When was it found, more or less?¡±

    ¡°About one year ago . I don¡¯t know exactly how the situation is now, that monster¡¯s only talent is hiding, after all . Even when it was found, it ran off somewhere and they lost it right away . ¡±

    The monsters governing the seven sins would get gradually stronger over time .

    When the monster reaches the level limit, the deadly sinspatible monsters increase by one, and all monsters¡¯ level grows by 100 .

    Finally, if the monsters reach level 700, they will transform into devils* . (T/N: the word used here is ™Ä§, which generally means demon/devil; I (tentatively) used devil because the word we trante as demon (ÕÎÄ§) is different, using the kanji for miasma and monster)

    Devils, differently from demons, lived in all sorts of ways and did not necessarily attack yers or inhabited areas . Their fighting prowess was, however, very high; if the seven devils gathered, then, they would cease acting independently and start attacking people all together .

    If that happens, the only way to ovee them is for guilds to coborate in fighting them .

    ¡°In this world there are no ranks or anything after all . Even if they knew that the seals are broken, no one would just go hunt the monsters . ¡±

    The seal on the orbs would break one by one .

    If the fused monsters were found quickly, even low and mid-level yers had a chance of cing in the higher ranks, so whenever this quest appeared yers rushed to search for the monsters and the orbs, which led to a quick resolution .

    Because of these reasons, in the game era monsters had turned into devils in very few asions .

    ¡°I¡¯ve only participated the first few times, so I don¡¯t really know it well . Do you remember how often the orbs¡¯ seals broke?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that either, actually . In the game, it was one or two weeks, but I have no idea if that still applies here . ¡±

    If the frequency was the same as the one Kuchinashi recalled, all seals would be long broken, but there were no signs of devils attacking . Kuchinashi thus did not know how much time remained before the next seal broke .

    ¡°We can¡¯t just stay still without preparing any countermeasure, so I wanted to ask you to make us some sealing weapons, to be ready whenever one of those monsters was found . We¡¯re researching them too, but skills can¡¯t be obtained as easily as before now and raising them takes a long time too, so results are hard to produce . ¡±

    ¡°I see . In that case, I¡¯ll forge some for you . I have the recipes and materials after all . ¡±

    Shin would have to give them many weapons made by himself, but sealing weapons could not be used normally anyway, so there was no risk involved even if they were to leak . Forging them was notplicated either .

    ¡°Aah¡­I know that I should be d that you¡¯re going to help us, but if things proceed so smoothly, I can¡¯t help being afraid that something bad is going to happen¡­¡±

    ¡°The deadly sins are an unknown for me too after all . I know more or less how they fight, but I have never actually faced one . If we can do something to prepare before the actual fighting begins, we should definitely do it . ¡±

    It would be difficult to assist in the search for the orbs . But, unlike the game era, Shin could not just treat the matter as something unrted to him and move on .

    In the current world, the number of casualties would be the number of deceased . A number which could include people Shin knows . The enemy being an unknown existence in Shin¡¯s eyes was just a small part of the reason why he would help .

    ¡°This all I wanted to ask of you . I¡¯m sorry for taking your time . ¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m d you told us about that . After all, there are still plenty of things I don¡¯t know about this world . I¡¯ll be grateful if you let me know about any such dangers emerging in the future too . I don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ll be able to help though . ¡±

    ¡°For me, just having a connection with you is more than enough . ¡±

    After conversing a bit more, Kuchinashi left with Kotone .

    ¡°OK then, next we just have to choose Tiera¡¯s equipment . Mitsuyo, Kunitsuna, will you stay with us?¡±

    ¡°Yes . That¡¯s the reason why I tagged along in the first ce, I¡¯m curious to see what equipment will fit her . ¡±

    ¡°If that is alright with you, I would like to stay too, yes . ¡±

    Kunitsuna¡¯s business with Kotone had already finished, it seems .

    Tiera, concerned about the dangers implied by what Kuchinashi told Shin, made a different proposition .

    ¡°Er, before my equipment, I think we should tell Master and the others¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exinter, don¡¯t worry . Besides even if I didn¡¯t, if Schnee and the others found a deadly sin monster they¡¯d go and defeat it right away . ¡±

    During the game era Schnee and the others had hunted the deadly sin monsters too, so they were aware of the threat they represented . If they found one, they surely wouldn¡¯t let it escape .

    Except for Schnee and Yuzuha, everyone was inside the ¡°ck Priestess Shrine¡± domain, so there were very little chances of encountering one now .

    Just in case, Shin contacted Schnee via Mind Chat .

    ¡°OK then, back on topic, let¡¯s do this equipment selection . I tried picking up the highest quality gear between what Tiera can equip with her current stats . The equipment belonging to a gear set will make your appearance changepletely, remember . In some cases the resulting appearance is a bit¡­peculiar, but¡­well, try them on . ¡±

    Saying so, Shin handed the cards to Tiera .

    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll try them one by one then . ¡±

    As Tiera took the cards in hand and concentrated, a blue light enveloped her figure, and the next instant her attire waspletely different .

    It had happened with Bulk too; when the inhabitants of this world use this equipping shortcut, this phenomenon happened .

    ¡°Aaah! Hey!? W-what¡¯s this??¡±

    As soon as she took a look at her new clothes, Tiera blushed and tried to cover her chest with her arms to hide it from the others¡¯ eyes .

    Her current attire included a blue feathered decoration on her head and only a patterned tube top on her upper body . On her lower body, she was wearing light brown bikini pants and a pareo that barely covered her hips .

    In addition, she was wearing sandals made of animal leather and a golden ring as an armband . Two daggers rested at her waist, as well as a bow and quiver on her back .

    ¡°That¡¯s the Forest Maiden gear set . They also call it the Amazoness series . It¡¯s got good stats and effects, but looking like that, I thought you wouldn¡¯t wear it . ¡±

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know it looked like this!!¡±

    Tiera was pulling on the pareo with all her might, trying to hide her exposed skin as much as possible .

    The skimpy pareo, however, could barely hide her bikini pants . That attempt at hiding thus only increased the sensuality of her current looks .

    ¡°Wait a second now, the gear¡¯s design is disyed on the item cards¡¯ front, right?¡±

    As Shin said, the other not-materialized cards clearly disyed how the items would look on their front sides .

    This feature was present not only for equipment, but items and materials as well .

    ¡°Uuh, why is something like this here¡­I can¡¯t wear it in public, can I¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the 2nd best set among the ones I picked, and I did tell you about the appearance thing . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Tiera was probably still shocked, or maybe had not picked up on Shin mentioning that some sets could have ¡°peculiar appearances¡± . He hadn¡¯t said anything about skin exposure though .

    Having focused mainly on stats and effects, Shin ended up picking sets with shy or risque appearances too .

    ¡°So¡­what are you people doing?¡±

    Shin and Tiera¡¯s exchange was continuing under Mitsuyo¡¯s cold gaze .

    ¡°My, could it be that we are in the way?¡±

    On the other hand, Kunitsuna was grinning, thoroughly enjoying the situation .

    ¡°Hey, wait . This was just something unexpected, I didn¡¯t have any weird intentions . ¡±

    ¡°Really now¡­that¡¯s not how it looked to me¡­¡±

    Mitsuyo spoke with a perfectly t tone . Her eyes were not filled with anticipation as moments ago .

    ¡°Well, putting looks aside, even I can see that it¡¯s really high-quality equipment . ¡±

    ¡°M-Mitsuyo! Please don¡¯t pull on my clothes!¡±

    ¡°Just a little bit . It feels like fabric to the touch, but even if I pull it as hard as this it doesn¡¯t even look like it¡¯ll rip¡­isn¡¯t this too tough for Legend-grade equipment¡­? Kh, look how big they are anyway¡­I can¡¯t believe it¡­!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Mitsuyo was supposed to be admiring the equipment, but Shin felt that herstment was directed at something else . She had been pulling on Tiera¡¯s tube top, but then her eyes seemed to lose all traces of light .

    ¡°My my, looks like a weird switch was flipped here . ¡±

    Kunitsuna chuckled apologetically, but still smiled . She had no intention of stopping Mitsuyo, it seemed .

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re going to take it off! It¡¯s reallying off!?¡±

    ¡°Er, first of all Tiera, let¡¯s go back to your previous equipment . Mitsuyo, you calm down now . ¡±

    Shin had regained hisposure while the two were bickering and told Tiera how to solve the situation .

    As Tiera¡¯s equipment turned back the way it was before, Mitsuyo¡¯s hands now grabbed thin air .

    ¡°Eh!? What did I do!?¡±

    ¡°Did it concern you that much?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . you wouldn¡¯t understand, Shin . I can¡¯t expect to grow physically and when I go back to my main body I¡¯ll turn back into my smaller form! Let me dream a little, at least now!!¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s emotions were still fluctuating violently .

    ¡°I guess¡­I can¡¯t understand that, yeah . ¡±

    Looking at what Mitsuyo was staring at, Shin understood what her concern was . But Shin, as a man, could notprehend a woman¡¯s feelings concerning chest size .

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s see the next one . ¡±

    Feeling that delving further into the topic would just lead to danger, Shin urged Tiera to try the next equipment set .

    ¡°O-OK . I¡¯ll take a good look at the design first this time . ¡±

    Tiera checked the design disyed on the card¡¯s front side, then changed her equipment .

    The new equipment set was a red hairpin, a deep green shirt and mantle, which concealed her whole body, ck pants and boots: as far as skin exposure was concerned, it was theplete opposite as the Forest Maiden set .

    This ¡°Heat Haze¡± gear series, oncepleted, granted the added bonus of making it more difficult to be found by the enemy . Its appearance allowed the wearer to blend in with the surroundings, working a bit as optical camouge .

    As weaponry, it included a Kukri knife on the left side and a knife case with 4 throwing knives on the right .

    ¡°That¡¯s a strange de . I do not see a bow, though . ¡±

    ¡°Because this set is made to sneak close to the enemy and attack by surprise . You can hide right away and run easily when needed . You can equip a bow with it too, I think . ¡±

    Shin exined in response to Kunitsuna¡¯sment .

    Tiera moved her arms and legs a bit, to see how easy it was to move with that equipment .

    ¡°This is pretty good . I¡¯ll keep it as a possible choice . ¡±

    After trying some more sets, Tiera decided to pick two and use them alternatively depending on the situation .

    One was the first she picked as a possible choice, the Heat Haze set . She chose it because its in appearance would make it easy to conceal herself and, against powerful enemies, she could hide and avoid being targeted .

    The second was a set called ¡°Bow Princess¡±, focused on sharpshooting . It contained a silver circlet, armor fully covering the chest and gauntlets protecting the arms; on the lower body, armor resembling a mixture between a skirt and leg armor and knee-high boots .

    The weapon was the ¡ºEmerald Dazzle Bow¡» . It was an exquisitely crafted item, whichbined usability with decorations meant to represent wind and wings .

    The set¡¯s greatest characteristic, however, were the 4 long rhombus-shaped half-transparent shields that extended over the wearer¡¯s back . They were a bonus granted when the Bow Princess set waspleted and parried enemy attacks autonomously .

    This defense was a countermeasure meant to cover the fact that equipping the Bow Princess set meant not being able to equip closebat weapons

    ¡°Why does this Bow Princess set change your hairdo too?¡±

    ¡°The Bow Princess set is said to be based on the equipment a person called Bow Princess actually used . If she had her hair like that, maybe it changes automatically?¡±

    After equipping the Bow Princess set, Tiera¡¯s hair had been tied in multiple braids behind her head . Her normally waist-length hair now barely reached her shoulders .

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought this time and again after joining you, but what¡¯s with your weapon crafting abilities, Shin? This is not something beyond what humans can do¡­¡±

    ¡°Mitsuyo, I¡¯m telling you this because I think you have memories of the world before, but I¡¯ve been living since before the ¡°Dusk of Majesty¡± . I had obtained these techniques and knowledge then . The people alive before the ¡°Dusk of Majesty¡± call that period ¡°Game Era¡± . ¡±

    ¡°I suppose that if you hone your skills that long¡­ . you can reach these levels?¡±

    Mitsuyo was recalling her memories of that era deep within her trembling pupils .

    Memories of the game era were still alive within her . She hadn¡¯t remembered about Shin until Tsugu pointed it out, but she had absolutely not forgotten .

    ¡°¡­ . I see, now I remember . A samurai who used magic and wielded weapons with incredibly high quality¡­that was you, lord Shin . ¡±

    Kunitsuna, who had been listening to Shin and Mitsuyo¡¯s conversation, nodded in understanding .

    ¡°The former world was filled with such techniques¡­I¡¯m kind of envious of Shin and the others . ¡±

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t act as freely as we can now though . ¡±

    What Shin used, in a way, was a hidden technique .

    ¡°A while ago, I was in pretty much the same situation too . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I was afflicted by something called ¡°Cursed Gift¡±, and couldn¡¯t go outside the Tsuki no Hokora . ¡±

    Tiera exined briefly about her former circumstances .

    ¡°Something like that happened¡­so that¡¯s why you travel together now . ¡±

    ¡°Now I understand too . ¡±

    Mitsuyo and Kunitsuna seemed to think that Tiera traveled with Shin because of the gratitude she owed him .

    The next moment, taking advantage of the situation, Kunitsuna whispered something to Tiera, making sure Shin couldn¡¯t hear .

    ¡°Considering the situation, Shin would be the prince that came to rescue you? What do you say about that?¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Ah, well, that¡­I¡¯m, not fit for him, I mean . . there¡¯s the master, and¡­¡±

    Kunitsuna¡¯s whisper had Tierapletely confused . Shin could have listened to what they were saying if he wanted, but he felt the mood wasn¡¯t right and did not activate the ¡¾Listen¡¿ skill .

    ¡°How about being his number 2 from the start, then? I¡¯m notpletely ignorant about this world either . There is no rule stating that it has to be only one person, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Kunitsuna did not state clearly what did not have to be only one .

    For Tiera, though, she was being clear enough . Tiera, struggling to find words to answer, turned beet red .

    ¡°If you keep whispering in front of me, I can¡¯t help but be curious¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a conversation between women . Men should be quiet and wait . ¡±

    Mitsuyo had no intention of allowing Shin to join in .

    Shin continued just looking at them, wondering about the situation . He wasn¡¯t sure when they had be friends, but now they all spoke to each other with familiarity .

    Maybe thinking that it would be bad to make Shin wait too long, Tiera and the others finished their conversation after a few minutes . Tiera¡¯s face was bright red up to her ears .

    Kunitsuna was smiling, warmly watching over Tiera, but Mitsuyo was looking at her with some envy .

    ¡°Mitsuyo, we did what we had to, it¡¯s time for us to go . We have to let these two spend time alone now . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . yes, I know that already . ¡±

    Mitsuyo sighed and nodded to Kunitsuna¡¯s words . Her expression, though, clearly showed her discontent .

    ¡°Even if you say so, we did what we had to do too¡­¡±

    They had listened to what Kuchinashi had to say and selected Tiera¡¯s equipment, so there was no more reason to be in Tsuki no Hokora . Saying so, Shin looked towards Tiera, who was looking at Shin too, like she had something to say .

    ¡°Look, Tiera has something to tell you . You better listen to her well!¡±

    ¡°H-Hey!¡±

    Mitsuyo pped Shin¡¯s back and left Tsuki no Hokora, dragging Kunitsuna behind her .

    ¡°They went away for our sake¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm, Mitsuyo did look different from the usual . ¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the door Mitsuyo closed as she went out . He thought he heard someone shouting ¡°I¡¯m such an idiot!!¡± beyond the door .

    ¡°¡­so, you have something to tell me? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­it¡¯s something personal, so I didn¡¯t say it when Master and the others were present too . Shin, do you remember what happened when we purified ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡»?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course¡­do you mean, if I saw anything then?¡±

    The voice he heard . The scenery he saw . Shin thought that she had to be referring to that .

    ¡°So you saw something too . I¡¯ll say it too, so could you tell me what you saw?¡±

    ¡°OK . I saw someone copsed in a forest, and a woman shouting something next to them . I don¡¯t know if the copsed person was a man or a woman, but I¡¯m pretty sure that the person shouting was a woman . I couldn¡¯t make out what she was saying though . ¡±

    He had no reason to hide anything, so Shin stated everything he saw . It was not a lot of information, either .

    ¡°I see¡­so you saw something different from me . ¡±

    Tiera nodded in understanding .

    ¡°What you saw is probably what happened when I was exiled from the vige . The person copsed was¡­my mother . ¡±

    Mother . When Tiera pronounced this word, her eyes became tinged with sadness .

    What Shin had seen was Tiera¡¯s past .

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn, then . ¡±

    Tiera felt that the mood was turning dark, and spoke in a bright tone to change it .

    What Tiera saw was a woman lying on the ground and a man embracing her, in some sort of back alley .

    The scene ended when the man embracing the woman was about to cut down another man with his katana .

    Unlike Shin, she had not seen fragments of the scene; it had been disyed rather clearly to her eyes .

    ¡°His mouth was moving, so I think he said something . But I couldn¡¯t hear the words, or any other sound, so I don¡¯t know what he said . ¡±

    As Tiera finished to talk, she suddenly mumbled . She looked down, hesitation in her expression .

    Shin guessed what Tiera was not sure if she should say or not, so he decided to say it himself .

    ¡°The man you saw was me, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . yes . But I don¡¯t know if it was really you . Because¡­ that Shin, looked like apletely different person . ¡±

    Tiera¡¯s voice was trembling slightly . Even if it was just a vision, it had made her feel something .

    ¡°I see . I kind of expected it, but you saw that moment then . ¡±

    The scene was when Shin had lost his beloved .

    It was also the moment when the yer called God of Death was born .

    ¡°I can¡¯t forget that . I suppose we saw each other¡¯s most painful memory, then . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I think you¡¯re right . ¡±

    The memory of losing an irreceable person . It was branded in his memory so vividly that just hearing some details about the situation made him recall it very clearly .

    ¡°¡­listen, Shin . Are you¡­ alright?¡±

    ¡°Alright? What do you mean?¡±

    Tiera spoke without changing her worried look .

    Shin didn¡¯t know what emotion had prompted Tiera¡¯s inquiry .

    ¡°When we epted that escort mission, we were attacked by ruffians, right? Do you remember that, er, I hugged you after we defeated them?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that . Well¡­ I couldn¡¯t forget an experience like that . ¡±

    Shin replied while scratching his cheek to the blushing Tiera .

    Since it happened just after the battle ended, it had left an impression on him . He couldn¡¯t forget the softness of Tiera¡¯s breasts either .

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to remember it in detail!! You just need to remember it a little!¡±

    Tiera, getting even redder, shouted to Shin as he was relishing the memories . Her blushing was back in full force, reaching again up to her ears .

    ¡°What I want to say is the reason why I did that!¡±

    ¡°What reason was there?¡±

    Shin remembered that Tsubaki too, who was with them at the time, thought it strange . Since he couldn¡¯t talk about something like that with Gaien around, he had left the topic for another time, then forgot about it .

    ¡°¡­ . T¡­ That time, the aura around you was really scary . Not as much as what I saw during the purification, but I felt that it was not good for you to release that kind of aura . So I took what I thought was the best course of action at the time¡­I was really embarrassed, you know . ¡±

    After taking a small deep breath, Tiera exined the reason why she hugged Shin at that time .

    Holding her right hand over her mouth in embarrassment, she looked up towards Shin with slight irritation . Maybe because she was still red, she looked more adorable than scary .

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how it was . Thinking about it, I get the feeling that I had returned to my old self a bit that time . ¡±

    Thinking back about that moment, Shin spoke while staring at the living room¡¯s ceiling .

    ¡°That was the first time I killed someone aftering here . Maybe that triggered it . ¡±

    ¡°The first time¡­ aftering here?¡±

    Tiera showed concern and confusion because of the words Shin uttered so casually .

    Something in how the words sounded told her that he didn¡¯t mean that it was the first time he killed someone aftering to Bayreuth .

    Shin had literallye from another world; that had been his first killing in this world .

    ¡°Yes, now that I think about it¡­of all the members now, you¡¯re probably the only one who doesn¡¯t know . You told me your secret too, and I think it¡¯s the right timing to talk about myself . Yuzuha is still a child mentally, so I¡¯ll tell her another time, though . ¡±

    ¡°What¡­ what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°The reason why you felt something fearful from me . Imagine that Schnee, in order to crush the people rted to this reason, didn¡¯t tell me any information about my formerpanions, prepared to take any punishment for it . ¡±

    ¡°M-Master did something like that!?¡±

    Tiera couldn¡¯t hide her shock after hearing Shin¡¯s words .

    Schnee, who never concealed her affection towards Shin, deliberately hid information important for him? Tiera couldn¡¯t believe it .

    ¡°¡­ . hey, is that really something alright for me to know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you decide whether to listen or not . It¡¯s something in the past anyway . In the end, what Schnee feared would happen to me after knowing that didn¡¯t happen either . ¡±

    Shin replied with a calm tone .

    His past sensations didn¡¯t disappearpletely . As Tiera had felt, the emotions of the time when he was called God of Death still remained within Shin .

    There was nothing to worry about now, however, just because he reminisced a bit about the past . Something that could influence him would only be meeting with the enemy who murdered Marino, nothing else .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    The decision was up to Tiera . She was silent for a few moments . Her eyes closed, she seemed to be deep in thought .

    Her silence continued for a few more seconds .

    Looking straight into Shin¡¯s eyes, Tiera answered .

    ¡°¡­please tell me . I want to know more about you . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . It¡¯ll be a bit of a long story, but please listen . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Tiera¡¯s answer and started telling the story .

    ¡ª-The story of the conquest of many dungeons .

    ¡ª-The story of the death of many PKs .

    ¡ª-The story of he who was called both Hero and God of Death .

    ¡ª-The story of one man .

 Vol 10 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    After their journey to recover for the Five Supreme des in the ind country of Hinomoto, Shin¡¯s party returned to ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildhouse .

    Shin and Tiera shared part of their memories when they purified one of the Five Supreme des, ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡»; this spurred Shin to decide to talk about his past to her .

    Tiera spoke while looking straight into Shin¡¯s eyes .

    ¡°¡­ . tell me . I want to know more about you . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . It¡¯s going to take a while, but please hear me out¡ª-at the time, I still didn¡¯t know how evil people could be . I didn¡¯t know that you could lose something important all of a sudden . ¡±

    Shin continued talking while also looking straight into Tiera¡¯s eyes .

    ¡°What I¡¯m going to tell you happened before the ¡°Dusk of the Majesty¡± . When we used to call this world a ¡°game¡± . ¡±

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    One year passed since the MMORPG ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± had been transferred to virtual reality .

    What was supposed to be a game had be reality . There were two big changes that had affected the game .

    Logging out was not possible and death in the game meant death in real life .

    Very few could handle this absurd situation with a cool head .

    It was said that the chaos and confusion caused more than 500 casualties, but no one could understand if that figure was high or low .

    It all happened suddenly, but fortunately -if one could say so- the yers¡¯ stats had not been reset .

    The stats and levels the yers had spent long hours raising, powerful equipment and rare items, guildhouses, methods of contact with friends, all of those remained .

    Hoping to put an end to the death game, one man was, today too, challenging a dungeon .

    ¡°Rrrraaahhh!!!¡±

    A crimson sh lit up the darkness of the dungeon, following the man¡¯s war cry . It had been created by the swing of his de .

    The de pierced the void, severing the right leg of the giant-type monster Gigantes Moss .

    Having lost everything below the right thigh, the gargantuan monster fell to the ground . Its body extended for more than 5 mels and was studded with rocks and boulders, which caused a small tremor as the monster tumbled down .

    The shaking ground limited the yer¡¯s action and prevented him from continuing the attack .

    ¡°30% HP left . About time it changes attack patterns . ¡±

    The man mumbled to himself while keeping the copsed monster within his field of view .

    His name was Shin .

    His opponent was the boss monster that awaited yers in the deepest reaches of the dungeon .

    As Shin had predicted, the monster¡¯s HP gauge had fallen into the red zone of less than 30%, causing certain changes in Gigantes Moss¡¯ body .

    From the base of its 2 battleaxe-wielding arms, a new set of arms grew out . At the same time, the ceiling of the boss chamber crumbled, bringing a longsword and a spear to the room below .

    ¡°So that¡¯s your game . ¡±

    After calmly concluding that the change was a physical one, Shin activated a magic skill .

    ¡°Just in case, I better check if your weak points changed . ¡±

    Magic skills of all seven elements struck the monster after Shin spoke .

    Bullets of fire and water, spears of light and thunder, and ws and fangs of wind and earth .

    Seven spells that were usually cast on their own struck all at once . Too much for even the now four-armed Gigantes Moss to handle .

    Shin had activated the skill ¡¾Magic Boost¡¿, to increase the offensive power of his magic, and the 7-typebination magic skill ¡¾Elemental st¡¿ .

    It was abo attack used to determine the monster¡¯s weakness while inflicting a certain degree of damage at the same time .

    Depending on the elemental properties of the monster the spell is used on, it might end up healing them, but Gigantes Moss suffered damage . Based on the differences of inflicted damage, it was clear that the monster was strong against fire and wind but weak against thunder and darkness .

    The problem was that the damage itself was infinitesimal .

    ¡°No changes in weak points, I see . Magic defense shot up though . ¡±

    Gigantes Moss was originally a monster strong against magic attacks .

    For Shin, continuing this one-sided attack from a distance was not impossible, but because of the monster¡¯s increased defensive power, triggered by the HP loss, even Shin¡¯s spells could not inflict decisive damage .

    The only method left was closebat .

    ¡°Well, so be it . I wasn¡¯t thinking of whittling you down from a distance anyway!¡±

    While keeping the monster busy with multi-hit magic spells, Shin grasped his trusted weapon, the katana ¡ºTrue Moon¡» . The skill activation caused the de to emit increasingly bright red ripples, before being covered in darkness . The next moment, deep red lightning shot forward .

    Triplebination skill ¡¾ck Flower sh¡¿ .

    Using the magic barrage as cover, Shin drew closer to the monster in a sh and circled behind its back .

    Thanks to the high speed movement made possible by thebination of Movement-type skills ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿ and ¡¾Mirage Dance¡¿, the Gigantes Moss lost sight of Shin .

    Another probable cause was its limited movements, caused by the loss of its right leg . The monster, ignoring the spells striking its body, looked for Shin with its eyes .

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Shin focused without letting out a word, then swung ¡ºTrue Moon¡» down on Gigantes Moss¡¯ back .

    The de, d in scorching hot darkness, rent the monster¡¯s rock hard skin . Immediately after the sh, thunder struck the same point .

    Gigantes Moss lost its bnce and fell forward from the blow .

    The monster tried to counterattack, screaming in pain, but its movements were even more stiff because of the short-term paralysis caused by the thunder element from the attack . The desperate attempt to attack made the monster fall to the ground again .

    Shin would not let such an opportunity go . He had instead predicted the situation, and struck the monster from behind again .

    It would not take much time for Gigantes Moss to be back on its feet . But Shin moved behind the monster and activated another skill much faster .

    ¡°This is the end!¡±

    An orange-colored aura now enveloped¡ºTrue Moon¡»; it was the Sword-type Martial skill  ¡¾Tyrant Beat¡¿ .

    Many Katana-type and Sword-type skills could be used as long as one wielded a ded weapon . Using Sword-type skills with a katana would cause their offensive power to drop slightly, but Shin focused more on skill effects, so he had stopped using only Katana-type skills even when wielding a katana .

    The strike, aimed at the monster¡¯s weakpoint -the back of its neck- saw its damage increase thanks to a critical hit . The skill¡¯s effects also allowed Shin to continue a one-sided offensive .

    It was just a matter of time until Gigantos Moss¡¯ HP reached zero .

    ¡°Ngh! I shouldn¡¯t be tired, but my shoulders feel stiff!¡±

    With a yawn, the tension left Shin¡¯s body .

    After defeating the boss and clearing the dungeon, Shin returned to the entrance . He had been fighting in the dungeon since the morning, and when he went outside, he realized that the sun was setting already .

    Physical exhaustion existed as part of the system, but it was alreadypletely recovered .

    Rather than that, he felt more mentally tired .

    Even if the avatar was fully recovered, the mind of the yer controlling it was not .

    Death in this world meant death in real life . ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± was now a death game, there was no turning back after dying .

    No matter if the opponent was a boss monster or some small fry from beginner-oriented areas, the yer¡¯s life was on the line in every fight . It was obvious that long engagements would cause mental distress .

    ¡°Phew . With this, about half of the dungeons are left . ¡±

    The condition for clearing the death game ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± was to defeat the boss monster in thest dungeon, ¡°Gate of the Otherworld¡± . It wasn¡¯t a certainty that they would be freed from the game or not, but all yers made that their objective for now .

    In order to enter the final dungeon, one was first required to clear a series of other dungeons . Clearing them would unlock sealed areas, allowing the yer to get gradually closer to the final dungeon .

    At the start of the death game, all yers had been gathered in ¡°Kalkia¡±, one of the hometowns, and could only move in its surroundings .

    Shin¡¯s map had already registered most fields¡¯ geographical data . Looking at the map revealed that around half were disyed as transparent, which meant impossible to travel to .

    The unlocked fields were proof of the courage and sacrifice of those who, like Shin, had cleared dungeons . It had already taken 4 months to reach this point .

    ¡°I can still do it alone . But the second half won¡¯t be that easy¡­¡±

    Shin sighed, then checked the items dropped by the monster . In some cases, items useful to clear the next dungeon could be found .

    The items dropped were rare, but Shin¡¯s equipment had higher specs, so they were of little use to him .

    ¡°¡­ . nothing special this time . ¡±

    His hands stopped scrolling the disy and closed the menu screen . The items, other than equipment, did not seem like they could be particrly useful in the next dungeon .

    Proceeding from the dungeon to the teleport point, Shin handled any attacking monster with just one hand, then looked up to the sky . The clear, cloudless sky brightened his spirits, if just a little .

    ¡°Oh! He¡¯s back! How did it go?¡±

    Once he returned to Kelgunsk, one of the hometowns, Shin was greeted by voices impatient to see him back . He had not hidden the fact that he had gone out to clear a dungeon, so they had likely obtained the information from somewhere .

    ¡°Finished without problems . We can go to the next field now too . I¡¯m sure you know already, but be extra careful if you proceed . The dungeon boss changed in a way I never saw before after all . ¡±

    Shin answered while looking at the emblem engraved on the gauntlet worn by the young High Beast man he had be acquainted with a long time ago now, Lao .

    The emblem, depicting a lion crushing a long sword with its teeth, symbolized the guild with the most clout at the time, ¡°Savage Lions¡± . Shin remembered that the guildmaster was a lion High Beast .

    ¡°Sure thing . I¡¯m not part of the Savage Lions¡¯ Explosive Legs corps for nothing . If worstes to worst, I¡¯ll just hightail it out . ¡±

    Lao chuckled heartily, his cat-like ears pointing up, as he spoke, then disappeared into the bustling crowd .

    The Savage Lions guild wasposed of the Explosive Legs corps, who handled scouting and information gathering, and thebat-oriented Explosive Fists corps .

    As fas ar Shin knew, Lao was a warrior not inferior in any way to the captain of the Explosive Legs corps .

    Shin had no idea why such a person was awaiting his return though . He thought it was a job one of his subordinates could easily do, but would not stick his nose in the affairs of other guilds .

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll take a walk in the city . ¡±

    Thinking that he couldn¡¯t just stand around the teleport point like that, Shin headed towards the city . Maybe because he just returned from putting his life on the line to clear the dungeon, looking at the town scenery made him feel relieved .

    ¡°Oh, ain¡¯t that Shin . How did things go in the dungeon?¡±

    Shin was stopped by the voice of the man behind the counter of a skewer stall . It was a yer who had purposefully created an elderly avatar and role yed as a street vendor .

    His tone was overly familiar partly because of his character, but also because Shin often frequented the stall .

    ¡°Hey there . A new area has been unlocked . You could get more types of ingredients soon . ¡±

    After the start of the death game, when new areas were unlocked, items and equipment thought to be still not implemented in the game were discovered . Among them there were materials of excellent quality, and Shin too had gathered some .

    ¡°Well now, ain¡¯t that some real good news . Here, this is on the house for the hero that braved a dungeon all on his lonesome . ¡±

    ¡°Please stop it with the hero talk, sir . ¡±

    Shin grabbed the skewer the man offered to him, with an embarrassedugh . He knew the man would not have epted no as an answer .

    Hero was the word some yers used when referring to Shin . At the start of the death game, the yers noticed that their levels, stats and equipments had not changed, so they immediately went to look for advanced yers . They thought that the cooperation of advanced yers was vital in order to clear the dungeons .

    It did not take long for them to find out that a certain advanced yer surpassing all the others was still logged in .

    A member of Rokuten, the guild said to be the strongest, and a cksmith that created equipment of the highest quality .

    Shin¡¯s existence grewrger among many yers, who found hope in him .

    His power, imensurable strength that no one could even get close to, did pose the problem that other yers would just be in his way, but it was a small one: everyone had great expectations for Shin .

    Cooperating with other advanced yers, Shin had cleared beginner-level dungeons in a sh, moving on to mid-level ones . The speed at which he moved was more than enough to increase others¡¯ expectations .

    Shin managed to clear even advanced dungeons on his own, which other high-level yers had trouble with .

    The dungeon Shin cleared that day too had been too much for other advanced yers . It would not have been so if all advanced yers were logged in, at present Shin was the pir of dungeon clearing .

    Because of this, people used to honor him and call him ¡°Hero¡± .

    ¡°First they get expectant, then disappointed, all on their own¡­now there¡¯s jealousy and envy mixed up in it all, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s what anymore¡­¡±

    Yes, people ¡°used to¡± honor Shin and call him ¡°Hero¡± .

    After starting to challenge advanced dungeons, Shin¡¯s clearing speed visibly fell . As the dungeons rose in difficulty the monsters within them grew stronger, the traps and gimmicks became moreplicated, making them more dangerous .

    Even for Shin, clearing advanced dungeons -transformed in unknown ways by the death game- at the same speed as low-difficulty beginner level dungeons was not possible .

    There were yers, however, that did not understand this . Or rather, did not ¡°want¡± to understand this .

    Shin¡¯s clearing speed was falling because he was taking it easy . He didn¡¯t actually want to clear the dungeons .

    Groundless rumors such as these started circting around 2 weeks after Shin started facing the advanced dungeons .

    The ¡°expectations¡± many yers had towards Shin .

    The yers who purely thought that Shin could do it, that felt a ¡°trust¡± equal to ¡°expectation¡±, yers who truly knew Shin, were very few .

    The ¡°expectations¡± of the many yers other than these were just them running away from their responsibilities and pushing them onto Shin, thinking that they didn¡¯t need to do anything, he would take care of it all somehow .

    ¡°Tch, must be easy for him since he¡¯s the only one with good equipment¡±

    These words reached Shin as he was walking and eating the skewers .

    He could find the source at the edge of his line of sight . Without moving his eyes, Shin noticed a yer d in low level armor, leaning against a wall in a back alley . Level 40 was really low .

    Shin immediately understood that he was a beginner .

    ¡°You think I can give gear to just anybody, huh? Materials don¡¯te free, dammit . ¡±

    Shin walked on, ignoring the man, then spat out his honest thoughts when he saw his favourite sweets shop in the distance . The words he mumbled were not heard by anyone, soon lost in the noise of the crowd .

    As Shin was a cksmith, many came to him to ask for equipment . However, he was always rather strict in whom to give weapons to .

    One reason was what he had muttered, that materials were not free . But the first reason was something else .

    That was the existence of PKs, yers who had not stopped killing other yers even after the start of the death game .

    If he just gave out weapons easily and they reached PK hands, unfortunate casualties would increase .

    For this reason, Shin supplied weapons only to a very limited range of yers: guildmasters and party leaders . That was only temporary, however; he would lend gear, not give it away . If a PK had mingled among them, Shin would take the gear back .

    From the standpoint of ordinary yers, however, it only looked like he was stingy with his gear .

    It would have been impossible for Shin to craft gear for everyone after all . Despite this, there were rumors that he and other powerful yers wanted to monopolize equipment: Shin was rather sick of the situation .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, meow? Shimeow, you look down, meow¡±

    Exhaustion requires sweet things . Shin was looking at cakes, trying to forget the rumors, when the owner of the ¡°Lucky Cat¡± sweets shop, Catnip, called to him .

    Cat like-speak was an unspoken rule of the ¡°Type Cat Language Research Association¡± guild, apparently . Shin remembered refusing other acquaintances to call him ¡°Shimeow¡± .

    Catnip was Human, but thanks to an equipment set called ¡°Beast Transformation¡± cat ears the same color as her orange hair sprouted on her head, as well as a cat tail, poking out of her miniskirt . She was a catgirl maid with high skin exposure, like you would find in a maid cafe .

    All other clerks in the shop wore the same attire . Catnip was 160 cemels tall . Her clothes fairly exposed her bust, so from the height of Shin¡¯s eyes it was hard not to look .

    ¡°Ah, nothing, I just came back from defeating a dungeon boss . That¡¯s the reason, probably . ¡±

    ¡°You pushed yourself too hard again, meow? You¡¯re too reckless, Shimeow . ¡±

    While Catnip¡¯s speech style did not make her sound serious at all, her expression was very much so .

    ¡°I know that . But if I don¡¯t do this, we can¡¯t hope to clear any time soon . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in caring so much about what others say¡­but you¡¯re so serious in a weird way, Shimeow . I suppose I meown¡¯t have a choice¡­Shimeow, present for you . ¡±

    Catnip took out a card from her bosom . Item boxes could be used from anywhere, as soon as one focused, but Shin had never seen any yer using it from that position . To him it looked simply like the card hade out of the cleavage of Catnip¡¯s ample bust .

    ¡°Me-meow!! Catnip¡¯s specially made cookies, meow! Eat¡¯em up and cheer up, meow . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much . I¡¯d be happier if you gave them out more quietly, though¡­also thinking a little more about where you take them out of . ¡±

    ¡°Did I do something bad, meow?¡±

    Catnip was puzzled to see Shin sigh . It was clear that he wasn¡¯t joking .

    ¡°People are looking at us weird . But maybe you did it on purpose?¡±

    Her silhouette might be just an avatar, a temporary figure, but she was still a very pretty girl and would thus attract attention .

    Most avatars were made bybining given elements together . It was something typical in many games, and of course did not mean that the yers¡¯ real appearance was anywhere close the avatar¡¯s .

    In contrast with such mass-produced avatars (albeit therge quantity of sample elements made it quite rare for two avatars to be 100% the same), some yers used avatars reflecting their real appearance and figure .

    Catnip was one of them .

    The so-called ¡°Full-scan Avatar¡±, real and fake at the same time, also presented the risk of the yer being identified in reality . Most of such yers, however, used the game as a tool to spread their poprity .

    As far as Shin knew, such famous yers had been scouted by corporations and debuted as idols . Catnip openly said that she aimed to do the same .

    In ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± the male:female yer ratio was 7:3 or even 8:2; a truly pretty girl like Catnip was highly popr among all female yers .

    She was as famous as a real idol among male yers . She had a fan club, though unofficial, and a slew of devoted fans .

    Actually, even now Shin was being targeted by several hostile yers . Several dots on the map had turned to the red color of hostility .

    He felt bad for Catnip, who was worrying about him, but he prayed that no unnecessary trouble came up .

    ¡°Shimeow was my first, after all . You¡¯re special, meow . ¡±

    Catnip held her cheeks with her hands, blushing .

    Momentster, Shin felt fierce killing intenting from the people looking at him . That was still supposed to be a game, but for some reason he felt something akin to an aura .

    ¡°You¡¯re going to create even more misunderstandings¡­if I get ambushed it¡¯s your fault, Catnip . ¡±

    ¡°But I can¡¯t think of anyone that could beat you, Shimeow . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a game after all, if you find a hole in the system you could probably even beat more advanced opponents, and¡ª-¡±

    Shin stopped halfway through his sentence . Catnip had closed his mouth with one of her slender fingers .

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that . I wouldn¡¯t forgive even you if you made Marino sad, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Beat¡± was a word that, depending on the situation, could also mean ¡°kill¡± . It wasn¡¯t a problem before, but now things were different .

    Catnip gave a stern warning to Shin for alluding to his own death, even speaking without the usual cat-like style . She didn¡¯t like to hear anyone talk like that, even if they were joking .

    ¡°Ah¡­ . . I¡¯m sorry . ¡±

    ¡°If you understood, then go home, meow . Today¡­hehe, something good might happen, meow . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say your expression doesn¡¯t make me worry¡­¡±

    Quickly shifting out of her serious expression, Catnip was now grinning . It was clear enough that she was plotting something, but she surely wouldn¡¯t talk even if cornered .

    Shin had a bad feeling about herst words, but left the store after buying some sweets toplement the Catnip cookies he had received .

    Going back to the teleportation point, Shin headed to a different location: his home, Tsuki no Hokora .

    ¡°Wee back . You have guests . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s usual greeting was a bit different this time . The ¡°guests¡± Schnee mentioned were people allowed to enter the residential area of Tsuki no Hokora even if Shin was not present .

    At present, there was only 1 person with such privileges .

    ¡°Ah, Shin¡­er, wee back¡­¡±

    The guest noticed Shin¡¯s return and greeted him from the kitchen . It was Shin¡¯s lover, the female yer Marino .

    As she turned towards Shin, her two waist-length ponytails drew a brown arc in the air .  Her sky blue eyes looked at Shin, with some hesitation .

    Shin was slightly curious about her unusual behavior, but his attention was soon captured by her attire .

    ¡°¡­ . nice . ¡±

    ¡°Shin? What happened?¡±

    Marino shouldn¡¯t have heard what Shin whispered, but she was slightly blushing as she asked that question .

    A white blouse and a blue skirt with a yellow checkered pattern . A short mantle covering her from the shoulders to her back was Marino¡¯s usual look . As she was cooking, however, she had taken her usual mantle off and was wearing a red apron .

    ¡°Ah, er, I¡¯m sorry . I¡¯m home . You were cooking?¡±

    Shin, entranced by the apron-d Marino, hurriedly replied . She tilted her head at his reaction, a bit confused .

    (I wonder how can a single apron make her look so cute?)

    Maybe because he wasn¡¯t used to seeing girls wearing aprons, or maybe because it was Marino . Shin concluded that it was probably thetter, and was about to talk to her again, but Marino spoke first .

    ¡°Ah, ehm¡­ . wee back home . ¡±

    ¡°Hm? Ah, er, I¡¯m home?¡±

    Shin thought that they had just had that exchanged seconds before, when Marino said something unexpected .

    ¡°A-a-a-are you going to have a bath first? Or dinner first? O-o-or!! M-m-me!?!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Shin needed a few seconds to grasp the situations . Despite having said the line herself, Marino was zing red and frozen in ce out of embarrassment .

    She looked quite different from her usual cheerful self and extremely lovely . Then Shin remembered Catnip mentioning that ¡°something good would happen¡± .

    ¡°¡­ . hey, is it OK if I choose you, Marino?¡±

    Shin found himself giving this answer .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . yes . ¡±

    What came back from her was a whispered consent .

    The moment he heard that, Shin put his right hand on her cheek, turned her face towards him and pressed his lips on hers .

    Engaging in R-18 actions was a taboo within ¡°THE NEW GATE¡± . But after the start of the death game, there was no management or GMs to stop any transgressors .

    Because of the system, it was not possible to engage in ¡°advanced¡± acts, intercourse included, but for yers in a rtionship or married, kissing was an important act to confirm their reciprocal affection .

    ¡°¡­ . hah . ¡±

    Maybe because she had been holding her breath, Marino inhaled deeply when Shin released his hold on her . Her face was bright red, beyond the possibility of making any excuse .

    ¡°Anyway, why did you say something like that? I enjoyed it very much, but were you always this forward?¡±

    ¡°I was really embarrassed too, you know!! Don¡¯t look at my face!! Don¡¯t looooook!¡±

    Still blushing fiercely, Marino pushed Shin to make him look the other way . She pushed her face against his back, making sure that he couldn¡¯t see it even if he turned his head .

    If another person was looking, they would simply think that their flirting was continuing .

    ¡°¡­ . did you calm down?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­but you¡¯re too unfazed, that¡¯s kind of annoying . ¡±

    After around 5 minutes, Marino¡¯s voice was back to its usual tone, even if it sounded muffled because her face was still buried in Shin¡¯s back .

    ¡°So let me ask again, why did you do something like that? Was today a special day or something?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it . A little before you came back, Catnip contacted me, saying that you were tired . I also thought that I wanted to do something for you, since you looked kind of downtely . Then Catnip said that¡­ . a-any man would love that¡­so¡­¡±

    Marino started blushing again . Because of one of the game¡¯s effects, steam started rising from her head .

    Shin thought he heard a cat-like voice chuckling in his head .

    ¡°I see¡­that exins Catnip¡¯s evil smile . ¡±

    Shin did not neglect sending his gratitude to Catnip, in his heart .

    ¡°So¡­do you really feel better because of that?¡±

    ¡°Honestly speaking? I feel a whole lot better . Now if Marino hugged me, that¡¯d be just perfect . ¡±

    ¡°Wha!? Ah, ah¡­ . alright already! I c-came all this way, I¡¯m not going to pull back!¡±

    Shin had said that half as a joke, but Marino reacted more positively than he expected . She hadn¡¯t really calmed downpletely, it seems .

    Marino spread her arms wide, as if saying ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are!!¡± .

    (¡­ . . I could go like this, but maybe I should wait and¡­)

    Shin, feeling mischievous, slipped behind Marino without a sound . She had closed her eyes and had not noticed his movements .

    ¡°¡­ . . ?¡±

    Feeling that she had already waited long, Marino opened her eyes: that moment, Shin hugged her tight from behind .

    ¡°Hyah!?¡±

    Marino ended up flinching from the surprise .

    ¡°Surprised?¡±

    ¡°Uuh, you meanie¡­¡±

    Keeping that stance, Shin sat on the chair behind him . Marino was on hisp .

    ¡°This is so embarrassing¡­¡±

    ¡°Marino is going to spoil me today, after all . I¡¯m going to enjoy myself today, to my heart¡¯s content . ¡±

    ¡°Why do you talk like that!? Aaah, don¡¯t blow in my ears!!¡±

    ¡°It was on purpose, of course . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s even mean¡ª-aah, no, I¡¯m weak there¡­ you¡¯ll pay for this¡­¡±

    For the following 30 minutes, the distance between the two was zero .

 Vol 10 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    ¡°OK then, what¡¯s on today¡¯s menu?¡±

    ¡°Ox hamburg steak, soup, and sd . There¡¯s bread and rice too, but which do you want, huh?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll have rice, I guess . ¡±

    Maybe because Shin had ¡°bothered¡± her while she was cooking, Marino was now slightly cold towards him . He had offered to help, but was turned down sharply .

    Still, she was continuing to cook for him, so she was probably not really angry .

    Now they only had to wait for the steak to finish cooking, so Shin waited quietly .

    Marino¡¯s cooking skills were still low, but Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s kitchen had cooking skill bonuses and also shortened cooking times . Because of that, even Marino could make sufficiently delicious food .

    ¡°Here you go . ¡±

    Marino came out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with the hamburg steak still sizzling on its iron te . The rice and soup were steaming too .

    After Marino had removed her apron and sat down, Shin took fork and knife in hand and set to eating .

    Shin cut the steak, revealing its juicy insides and spreading its delicious aroma further in the room . It was a rather high degree of realism for a game . It could be said that the level of realism had increased even more after the start of the death game .

    ¡°It¡¯s really great that they implemented the sense of taste too . It would be pretty sad if this just refilled the stomach bar . ¡±

    Good food gives energy needed for tomorrow . Eating tasteless food items day after day would get one¡¯s spirits down soon .

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, Marino? Is there sauce on my face or something?¡±

    Marino was contemting Shin¡¯s face as he happily ate his meal . Shin felt his nerves calm down thanks to the peacefulness of that atmosphere .

    ¡°No, I was just thinking that you really look happy when you eat¡­that¡¯s all . ¡±

    Marino¡¯s expression also showed how Shin eating her handmade food made her happy .

    ¡°Eating good stuff would make anyone look like that, no?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel this happy if it was anyone else . ¡±

    Marino directly conveyed her feelings to Shin .

    For Shin, eating while she was looking so intently was a little awkward, but saying that would turn Marino¡¯s mood sour again, so he refrained .

    It wasn¡¯t too much of an annoyance since Marino was the one looking, actually .

    After a while, Marino started eating her part too . Shin asked for seconds of rice and soup, then after the meal they sat together on the sofa .

    ¡°You¡¯re finally back to the usual Shin . ¡±

    Marino talked while leaning on Shin¡¯s shoulder .

    ¡°¡­ . did I look that horrible?¡±

    Shin felt the same as always, so his reply contained some surprise .

    ¡°When you think too much or hit a dead end¡­your face gets gradually tenser and tenser . Your eyes get so sharp too . That¡¯s how you were until just now . ¡±

    Marino herself was concerned that mentioning this too much would have ended up burdening him .

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much on your own¡­I end up getting down too just by looking at you . ¡±

    ¡°You can say it anytime, you know? I can¡¯t notice it myself, well in fact I didn¡¯t, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Choosing the right timing is not easy¡­a long time ago, I messed up while trying to do that . ¡±

    Marino replied while wrapping her right arm around Shin¡¯s left . Normally Shin¡¯s attention would focus on the softness of her feminine parts, but this time he was more concerned about her looking down .

    ¡°In real life, you mean?¡±

    ¡°Yeah . I was yelled at, like ¡°what the hell do you know about that!?¡±¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­I see . ¡±

    Marino rarely talked about real life, but evidently she felt like she could now .

    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll take a slower pace with the dungeon crawling . That will help in the long run, and I won¡¯t worry you either . ¡±

    Frustrated at his inability of saying something better to ease her mind, Shin tried to sound as cheerful as he could .

    Even without physical fatigue, mental strain could cause failures at important times . Shin would hate to make Marino worry because of things that normally would never happen .

    ¡°This could dy our return to the real world though, sorry . ¡±

    ¡°Your safety is a lot more important than that, Shin . ¡±

    Marino smiled faintly .

    ¡°Hey, Marino, the dungeon clearing has reached a good point now, so can I go with you tomorrow?¡±

    Because of her rtively low stats, Marino worked in a church in the first hometown, Kalkia . The city also housed an orphanage, used to give shelter to very young yers . Since Marino worked in the orphanage, Shin had helped modifying it, so now it was a structure different from the average .

    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me, but it¡¯ll probably be boring, you know?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s OK . After all, I just want to look at you working . ¡±

    Shin grinned and looked at Marino . His tone was a teasing one, but his expression was very serene .

    ¡°Aah, if you make a face like that I can¡¯t even stay angry, can I?¡±

    Marino seemed unsure whether to get angry or to calm down because of Shin¡¯s conflicting words and expression, especially becausetely Shin always seemed down .

    ¡°Hm? Did I make a weird face?¡±

    ¡°Aah, if you don¡¯t know then never mind . Rather than that, if you¡¯reing too you¡¯re going to help me with the kids, ok? They love games too, so it¡¯ll be easy for you, I bet . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll probably be OK with the boys, but the girls are all yours . Our philosophy towards ying games is totally different after all . ¡±

    Shin knew out of experience that most female yers, like Marino, preferred to focus on cooking skills,municating with tamed monsters, and knitting, all skills he had barely touched .

    Because of that, he wasn¡¯t able to keep a conversation with them at times . Not even Shin was knowledgeable about all sorts of skills and items .

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to talk to them first . OK, let¡¯s get to bed soon to be ready for tomorrow . I¡¯ll clean up here, so why don¡¯t you get a bath first, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I will, thanks . Oh, I got some cookies and madeleines from Catnip¡¯s shop, should we bring them to the orphanage?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea . The kids will be really happy . ¡±

    Shin left the rest to Marino and went to the bath .

    Dipping in the hot water-filled bathtub filled him with an inexplicable feeling of liberation .

    ¡°The high level of realism can give a lot of trouble, but I really am thankful that they replicated this feeling too¡­¡±

    It might be strange to say, but even if one¡¯s body was dirty or smelled the game gave no penalties, nor did bathing increase the avatar¡¯s specs . Even so yers, especially female ones, wanted to bathe regrly .

    In real life, only particr hot springs gave considerable effects, but in this world bathing after a battle seemed to give an even greater feeling of relief .

    ¡°Life itself feels cleaner after a bath¡± was a very apt way of putting it .

    Shin got out of the bath, gulped down a bottle of milk from the fridge, said goodnight to Marino, and proceeded to his bedroom .

    He had to be more exhausted than he thought, as his consciousness slipped away as soon as he lied on the mattress .

    ¡°Mwaht?¡±

    Some timeter, Shin woke up and felt something strange on his right arm .

    He looked at it and found Marino, wearing pajamas, snugly gripping his arm, sleeping peacefully .

    ¡°Ah¡­ . . well¡­ . whatever . ¡±

    The option of carrying her back to her room did not emerge in Shin¡¯s half-asleep brain .

    They were lovers since before the death game and now, at least ording to the system, they were husband and wife . Was there anything wrong with sleeping in the same bed? It was easy to ept the situation .

    Shin thought that he might as well go all the way, removed the right arm that Marino was grabbing and hugged her with both of his arms .

    Relishing in the happiness blooming in his chest, Shin fell again into slumber .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The following morning, Shin woke up after feeling something tremble . Something was moving in his arms .

    ¡°¡­ . hn?¡±

    Like the day before, he looked in the direction of the noise and found Marino, blushing fiercely . Shin had apparently woken up because of her attempts to slip out of his embrace .

    ¡°Ah, ah, er¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . morning . ¡±

    Words wouldn¡¯te out of the embarrassed Marino¡¯s mouth, so Shin thought he should say good morning, for the moment .

    ¡°G-Good morning¡­sho¡­so, why are you hugging me?¡±

    Shin smiled gently because of Marino¡¯s cute stuttering and replied .

    ¡°You slipped under the covers yesterday, so I used you as pillow . ¡±

    ¡°I-I-I guess I was half asleep and g-got the wrong room¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re husband and wife, at least ording to the system, so isn¡¯t it fine?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing!! Aaah, I bet you looked at my dumb sleeping face too¡­¡±

    Marino must have been really embarrassed, as she covered her face with her hands and squirmed after Shin freed her from his hug . Her bellybutton was in in sight because of her wriggling .

    ¡°Sleeping face? Haven¡¯t we both seen each other¡¯s a lot already?¡±

    ¡°Today was not OK! Not after the dream I had¡­I bet I looked so dumb¡­¡±

    Shin only remembered seeing her smiling peacefully . Marino would probably not believe him, though .

    ¡°I see, I see, a dream¡­what kind of dream was it?¡±

    Shin decided to press further .

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°I?¡±

    ¡°I CAN¡¯T SAY IT!!!¡±

    ¡°Gwah!¡±

    After firmly nting an uppercut on the grinning Shin¡¯s chin, Marino rushed out of the room .

    Left alone, Shin reflected that he might have gone too far, while massaging his unhurt chin .

    ¡°My deepest apologies . I teased too much . ¡±

    ¡°You think that if you apologize like that I¡¯ll forgive you, right . ¡±

    Shin lowered his head at the breakfast table, but Marino¡¯s reply was just jaded . Shin knew from experience that honestly apologizing was the quickest way to obtain Marino¡¯s forgiveness .

    Marino, of course, had already seen through Shin¡¯s attempt .

    ¡°OK, OK . In exchange, you¡¯ll have to work plenty today . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I shall work my hardest, ma¡¯am!¡±

    ¡°Enough already! Eat your breakfast,e on!¡±

    Spurred by Marino, Shin rushed through his morning meal .

    He would ask what to do at the orphanage on the way there . There was nothing in particr they had to bring with them .

    ¡°Have a nice day . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you . ¡±

    After greeting Schnee, Shin and Marino teleported to Kalkia .

    Walking through the crowd, Shin felt several pairs of eyes on him . His equipment was different, but evidently his face was recognized by many . He did not mind anymore, but when going into town this happened often .

    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s big sis Marino!¡±

    They heard a boy¡¯s voice when they arrived at the orphanage . Two boys came running towards them from the square next to the orphanage . Both wielded sponge des, equipment that did not cause damage .

    Both kids were around 150 cemels tall and looked like elementary or junior high school students .

    Their faces still looked childish, probably because they hadn¡¯t edited their avatars . Setting avatars to automatic mode would make their appearances change ording to one¡¯s age .

    ¡°Who¡¯s this person?¡±

    ¡°Your boyfriend??¡±

    ¡°His name is Shin, he will help me today . ¡±

    Marino introduced Shin to the boys, ignoring the boyfriend suspicion .

    Shin had already visited the orphanage several times, but had not met the two boys before .

    ¡°I know you can see it with ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but I¡¯ll introduce you just in case . The boy with ck hair is Ryohei, the one with brown hair is Teppei . ¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you¡±

    ¡°Nice to meetcha!¡±

    Ryohei greeted Shin a bit timidly, while Teppei sounded more energetic .

    ording to Marino, sometimes they hunt low level monsters in the forest, apanied by an advanced yer . Because of their natural ¡°vigor¡±, they are a bit infamous as the orphanage¡¯s troublesome duo .

    ¡°Where¡¯s Emil?¡±

    ¡°Inside! Luca is crying again, you know . ¡±

    Marino asked about the yer that managed the orphanage and said she would go greet them as she went inside the orphanage .

    ¡°Hey, hey, mister! Have you ever been to the frontlines of conquered areas? Big sis Emil says it¡¯s dangerous and won¡¯t let us go!¡±

    ¡°If you want to go, you have to raise your levels some more . Or you¡¯re going to die even if you get grazed by a punch, kids . ¡±

    ¡°Teppei, you can¡¯t go . You¡¯d run off and get killed right away . ¡±

    After Shin¡¯s answer, Ryohei added a snarkyment, while shrugging his shoulders .

    ¡°Whaaat!?¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t beat me even once, you have no chance!¡±

    Apparently Ryohei was higher than Teppei in the orphanage¡¯s hierarchy .

    As the kids forgot about him and started y fighting, Shin looked around, thinking about what he could do .

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    He then found a small shadow at the edge of his line of sight . Looking towards it . Shin noticed the face of a very young girl subtly peeking from behind a tree .

    The moment her eyes met Shin¡®s, the little girl quickly retreated behind the tree . But, poor thing, she couldn¡¯t hide her animal ears and the Type Cat-like tail . Both seemed to be monitoring Shin¡¯s presence .

    Shin held his chin with one hand, acting deep in thought . And slowly moved closer to the tree . He would stop when the girl peeked, then move again when she hid .

    (She¡¯s not afraid of me, is she . )

    The girl should have noticed Shin¡¯s approach, but did not try to run away . He thought that she was wary of him because they had never met before, but that did not seem to be the case .

    Her slightly spacing out expression kept poking out and hiding again . Soon enough, Shin reached the tree behind which the girl was hiding .

    ¡°Good morning . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . good morning . ¡±

    Shin tried a greeting, which was returned by a whisper . It wasn¡¯t clear if the girl really wanted to hide or not, as only her face came out of the shade when she looked at Shin .

    She was leaning forward, so her shoulder-length hair hung in the air .

    ¡°Er, I think this is the first time we meet . My name is Shin, I came to help Marino . What about you?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . Luca . ¡±

    ¡°Luca, I see . Well, nice to meet you . ¡±

    ¡°Um . ¡±

    Luca nodded slightly and stepped out of the shade . Her height was about 110 cemels . Her animal ears, the same color as her hair, sometimes flicked and moved .

    Because of the game¡¯s systems, the avatar¡¯s height was based on real life height . Shin thought that she was a bit too small, as in a bit too young, to y a game like that .

    ¡°Ah! Luca! Teach was looking for you!¡±

    Shin looked back and found Teppei and Ryohei, along with Marino and another person, a woman wearing sister-like clothing .

    After hearing Teppei¡¯s voice, Luca flinched and hid behind Shin . Her hands, gripping her sleeves, were trembling .

    ¡°Teppei, you¡¯re too loud . You¡¯ll scare Luca away . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m s-sorry . ¡±

    Teppei apologized right away: he had no intention of scaring Luca .

    ¡°So you were here, Luca . I was looking for you . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . I¡¯m sorry . ¡±

    Luca replied while looking at Marino, who had caught up to them .

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back to the orphanage first . Ryohei, Teppei, you two especially!! You haven¡¯t prepared to leave with Garozzo, right!? Quit standing around and go get ready!! Move it, brats!¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!!¡±

    After getting yelled at, the boys sprinted back to the orphanage, as ordered by Emil, the orphanage¡¯s supervisor . A very beautiful woman, she had waist-length light blue hair and emerald-like eyes .

    Her nun-like attire made her look like a devout believer at first nce . Her personality and speech, however, were quite far apart from themon idea of a nun .

    Emil¡¯s speech was coarse and she was rather quick with her hands . On the other hand she was very reliable and caring towards the people around her .

    Looking at her taking care of the orphanage kids, Shin thought she looked more like a tough mother than a nun .

    He never said it to Emil herself, of course; it would only make Emil¡¯s basic equipment, a nail bat, cry for blood . It was not a weapon feared not for the damage it caused, but for its horrifying look .

    ¡°Marino, you and Luca take care of the usual work . ¡±

    ¡°OK, leave it to me . ¡±

    ¡°Luca, you better do what Marino says, got it?¡±

    ¡°Ok, got it . ¡±

    The ¡°work¡± was handling requests given by NPCs . It was a precious source of ie for the orphanage, since many of its yers could not go out in the field and hunt monsters .

    Marino had already done them many times, so it was unlikely that she needed help .

    Luca also firmly nodded to Emil¡¯s words .

    ¡°Guess I should go over there?¡±

    Shin looked towards the square where Teppei and Ryohei were y fighting before . A group of boys with sponge des were waiting .

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve got our spunky brats to take care of . They have energy to spare after all . Let¡¯em go wild enough to make them stop thinking of sneaking outside . I¡¯ll be the coach . ¡±

    Shin visited the orphanage irregrly, so Emil decided what task to give him each time . Naturally, most of the time it was taking care of the kids .

    The only rule was for Shin to not go hunting or to use skills to gather items or Geyl .

    ¡ª-If you have to go hunting for the sake of the orphanage, take a rest instead .

    ¡ª-Rather than that, make sure the kids can go back to the real world as soon as possible .

    That was the opinion of Emil and all other orphanage coborators .

    They had epted that Shin would sometimes give them a hand, for a change of pace .

    ¡°OK, today your opponent is me . Don¡¯t hold anything back!¡±

    It was not the first mock battle for Shin and the boys: they charged at him without hesitation .

    Ryohei and Teppei, who were supposed to prepare to leave, mingled among the other boys at first, but Shin quickly flicked them back towards Emil, who grabbed them by the neck and took them away .

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s about it . ¡±

    About 2 hours after the battle between Shin and the spunky army started, the little valiant warriors clearly showed signs of exhaustion, some lying down on the ground .

    This exhaustion had no visible gauge, like HP or MP . yers with high HP or VIT would not get tired as easily, so it was said to be a hidden stat .

    Exhaustion caused several demerits; attack power and movement speed decreased, while received damage increased . It could be healed via recovery magic, so it wasn¡¯t a big problem, but the only user present at the moment -Emil- did not do anything, so the square looked like a battlefield of fallen soldiers .

    ¡°Crap, you¡¯re too strong¡­!¡±

    ¡°Adults can¡¯t fight seriously against¡­kids¡­!¡±

    The unperturbed Shin was met with praise andints from the kids, but they were all too tired toplete their sentences .

    ¡°Got it, brats? Out there it¡¯s packed with dangerous monsters that would send even battle maniacs like him flying . Don¡¯t you ever dare go out on your own!!¡±

    ¡°Got it¡ª!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d die for sure¡­¡±

    The kids¡¯ answers were really exhausted too, to the point that one would wonder how much they had really understood of what Emil said .

    ¡°OK then, Shin, your next job is¡­ . hm?¡±

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Emil stopped halfway through her sentence and looked towards the door leading to the garden; Luca was peeking from behind it . Next to her, Marino wasughing, a bit awkwardly .

    ¡°She did that this morning too¡­is Luca always like that?¡±

    ¡°Nope, not really? She¡¯s always scared shitless of people she sees for the first time, especially guys like you . She came here only a while ago though, so there¡¯s still plenty we don¡¯t know about her . ¡±

    Emil then added ¡°Never seen her like that¡± and motioned at Marino and Luca toe closer .

    ¡°See, Luca, let¡¯s go?¡±

    Thanks to Emil¡¯s gesture and Marino¡¯s encouragement, Luca finally came out of her hiding spot behind the door . While walking, though, she skillfully hid behind Marino and stared at Shin at the same time .

    ¡°Er, we meet again . ¡±

    ¡°Um . ¡±

    Shin spoke to Luca, a bit awkwardly, and for some reason she stopped hiding behind Marino and grabbed Shin¡¯s trousers .

    ¡°Ah¡­er, what is this¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, seems she took a liking to you . Pretty rare . ¡±

    Shin was even more confused because of Luca¡¯s behavior, while Emilmented with a grin .

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with Shin, Luca?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . looks like my brother . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . ¡±

    Marino¡¯s answer to Luca¡¯s words was somewhat dry .

    Shin wondered why, when he received a voice chat message from Emil .

    ¡°(Luca¡¯s brother is already dead . )¡±

    Luca, originally, was only logged in because her brother needed a certain number of yers to create a guild .

    Learning that she was only 5 years old, Shin understood the circumstances . Even elementary school students yed VR games now, but he couldn¡¯t imagine that a girl of pre-school age would want to y a game where PKs existed .

    In the small time until she logged out, however, the world had changed .

    Her brother and hisrades had departed, leaving Luca in a field for beginners, to nevere back, as Emil exined .

    (¡°How old was her brother, by the way?¡±)

    (¡°He had just entered junior high, it seems¡±)

    (¡°¡­I don¡¯t know if I should be happy or not . ¡±)

    You look like my junior high school brother ¡ª-having simr height or facial features would be one thing, but if their mentalities were simr it would be pretty shocking for Shin .

    ¡°We might as well have Shin take care of Luca today . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a nice idea . Here!¡±

    Emil apparently came up with the idea on the spot, but Marino caught on immediately and put Shin and Luca¡¯s hands together .

    Luca¡¯s hands were soft and very small, even more so whenpared to Shin¡¯s .

    Rather than holding hands, it looked like Shin¡¯s hands were wrapped around Luca¡¯s . Shin realized again how young she was .

    ¡°OK! Today you can count on me!¡±

    ¡°¡­ . ok . ¡±

    Luca¡¯s hands gripped Shin¡¯s tightly .

    Shin, Marino, and Emil smiled at her reaction .

 Vol 10 Chapter 1.3: Chapter 1 Part 3

    The scene was avishly decorated room . In this exaggeratedly luxurious chamber, two young men could be seen .

    One sat on an ornate chair, a ss of wine in hand . His intricately decorated clothing suggested that he was a member of monarchy or nobility, and on his hand was a ring with arge ruby sparkling .

    A longsword with a gemstone-studded scabbard was propped against the man¡¯s chair . An expert would have noticed that it was the unupgraded version of the Ancient-grade weapon ¡ºExcalibur¡» .

    The man¡¯s name within the game was Aldo .

    ¡°So, where¡¯s that guy fighting now?¡±

    ¡°It appears that as of yesterday, part of the Houzand continent has been liberated . At present, roughly 40% of the continent has been liberated . ¡±

    The other man answered, while kneeling before the first . Based on his dark green hooded mantle and easy-to-move-in boots, his job appeared to be a hunter rather than a magician .

    His name within the game was Robin Hood .

    ¡°Tch, his clearing speed really dropped this past month . What¡¯s he wasting time for? He¡¯s supposed to be a maniac whose only talent is ying games!!¡±

    Aldo shouted while pounding his fists on the chair . His brownish blonde hair became slightly disheveled .

    ¡°Considering the increase in difficulty, I would not consider it to be strange that his clearing speed decreased, sir . ¡±

    ¡°yer skill means being able to do something about that, right!? Hmph, even with all the money and time they waste, this is all they can do, I suppose . ¡±

    Aldo clearly looked down on yers . The reason was that he was not a ¡°pure¡± yer himself .

    The avatar Aldo used had been created and provided by the management . It used data from an event monster, Arthur Pendragon .

    Its stats were 800 on average, and its equipment -while of basic rank- was all Ancient-grade .

    It was somethingpletely excessive for a THE NEW GATE beginner .

    (Thest dungeon too was usually conquered only in parties¡­ he really has no idea how incredible it is to clear it solo . )

    Robin mumbled to himself . Having yed normally, he fully understood how incredible Shin¡¯s feat of clearing the dungeon on his own was .

    Unlike Aldo¡¯s avatar, Robin¡¯s avatar was an ordinary one . He had focused his stat points on AGI and DEX and specialized in reconnaissance . His fighting style was mainly attacking from a distance with his bow and poison .

    Even so, while he could sneak into dungeons, he did not think of challenging bosses . He had no chance of winning .

    ¡°Hey, Hagiwara!! Are you listening??¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, my apologies . I am . However, even if we wanted him to hurry up, it would be all for naught if he ends up dying . ¡±

    Robin gave a serious answer, keeping his annoyance at being called with his real name to himself . Aldo insisted that they should just push him harder, but anyone would understand that such a method would not increase the dungeon clearing speed .

    Aldo and Robin¡¯s rtionship, simply put, was that of superior and subordinate in apany .

    Aldo was the son of a patron of THE NEW GATE, who provided the game¡¯s management with capital . Thus, Robin was once again forced to listen to Aldo boast about the avatar that the management had prepared for him .

    Aldo had overheard Robin talk to other yers about the game in thepany and coerced him into bing his attendant .

    Robin never regretted his carelessness more than that time . How liberating would it be if it was only the death game trapping him . His stress level was high enough to make him think such ridiculous thoughts .

    ¡°Hmph . Bring him here then . If he¡¯s a gamer, I¡¯m sure dangling some kind of clearing reward in front of his eyes will make him work harder . ¡±

    ¡°Would it not be easier for us to just let him proceed as he wants?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting sick of waiting . I want to return to the real world . Do you know how many months have passed since this situation started!? I can¡¯t even enjoy a woman with this body . The alcohol just gets you halfway drunk, and the cigarettes are terrible too . Who could put up with this crap!!¡±

    Aldo became irritated while talking, and pounded on his chair again .

    Robin gritted his teeth, barely managing to avoid shouting, ¡°You go and clear dungeons too then!!¡± to the man on the throne, and let out a small sigh without Aldo noticing .

    ¡°I will try to talk to him, but please remember that I can¡¯t do anything if he refuses . ¡±

    ¡°Do SOMETHING! Or you¡¯re getting demoted! No, fired!!¡±

    ¡°U-understood, I will go convince him!!¡±

    Robin left the room, cursing andmenting his rtionship with Aldo under his breath .

    He wanted nothing more than to tell Aldo to go do it himself, but he could not afford to go against him now . In the real world, Aldo was a high-ranked executive whose word had great importance within HR, while Robin was nothing but a rank-and-file employee .

    Surviving in this world was important, but so was keeping his career in the real one .

    He had a family to sustain; for their sake, Robin had no choice but to swallow his pride .

    ¡°But there¡¯s nothing I can do about this¡­¡±

    Robin had heard much about Shin, who stood on the frontlines of dungeon clearing .

    In the first month after the Death Game began, it was even possible to visit Tsuki no Hokora, but now, it had changed locations and no one knew where it was . The only options were to find him in a city and talk to him, or to ask an information broker .

    ¡°I want to see Rie and Emi¡­¡±

    Whispering the names of his wife and daughter, Robin¡¯s silhouette was lost within the town¡¯s crowds .

    On the other hand, Aldo was now alone in the room, still indignant .

    He gripped his wine ss with a bit more strength, and shattered it . Thanks to the room¡¯s self-cleaning function, the spilled wine and ss fragments sparkled and disappeared .

    ¡°Shit!! And after I managed to use my connections to y easily!! What the hell¡¯s this death game!!¡±

    Aldo still didn¡¯t regard the game world as reality . Despite his high level stats and equipment, he had left dungeon clearing and boss fighting to others, so he had no idea that fighting on the frontlines meant to stake one¡¯s life .

    He had only ever fought low-level monsters, such as slimes and goblins . Because of the stats difference, even if he received an attack, the damage would be zero, while the damage he inflicted waspletely overkill .

    Such one-sided beatings would have never made him think that the risk of death was very real .

    ¡°Okay then, what to do until hees back¡­ hm?¡±

    Out of the blue, a bell signaled the arrival of guests . The maid he had created as a support character had already gone to greet them .

    Aldo¡¯s menu disyed two individuals .

    One was a savage-looking man in dark brown armor . The armor and its decorations were riddled with cuts and damage that increased his wild appearance even more . His hair and beard were unkempt . He looked just like the boss of a band of thieves or mercenaries .

    The other was a handsome-looking man in silver armor . With blonde hair tied behind his head, and with features normally only seen on TV or in magazines, he has the appearance of a knight,pletely contrasting with hispanion .

    Looking at their strangely realistic faces, Aldo thought that they might have used the full scan avatar feature, which replicated the yers¡¯ real appearances .

    No matter how one looked in real life, however, they wouldn¡¯t stand out much in the game world . Handsome or beautiful characters were a dime a dozen, to the point that some yers even deliberately twisted their looks .

    The menu screen disyed names, levels, and jobs of the two men .

    ¡°Garga and d? Never heard of them before . Both level 255 . Jobs are Magic Swordsman and Dragon Knight, huh? They seem to have pretty good gear, I guess they¡¯re game maniacs too . ¡±

    yers could pay real money to obtain equipment,  but such gear came with the penalty of never matching the yers¡¯ level and stats .

    Aldo¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿, also provided by the management, showed that neither Garga nor d¡¯s equipment had such penalties .

    (¡°Shall I let the guests inside?¡±)

    ¡°I guess they¡¯ll suffice in killing some time . Yeah, let them in . ¡±

    Aldo chose ¡°YES¡± from the ¡°Authorize entrance? YES/NO¡± window that appeared on his menu . A short whileter, the two guests entered the room led by the maid .

    ¡°I thank you for allowing us to visit you . My name is d, pleased to make your acquaintance . ¡±

    ¡°Garga . ¡±

    ¡°No need for useless greetings . What do you want?¡±

    Aldo replied in rude manner to d¡¯s smiling greeting and Garga¡¯s cold self-introduction . It was hardly proper behavior to wee guests, but d did not seem offended in the least .

    ¡°I saw Mr . Robin leave here with a rather serious expression, you see . I was wondering if we could assist you, good sir . ¡±

    ¡°You should have just asked Robin then . ¡±

    ¡°I thought talking with the person giving orders would be quicker . Besides, I might be more useful in case of secret orders, you see . ¡±

    A friendly grin appeared on d¡¯s lips .

    Secret orders . Aldo¡¯s eyes narrowed at these words .

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t be rmed . I apologize for gathering information without permission . But myrade and I  share the same goal as you . ¡±

    ¡°My goal?¡±

    ¡°Indeed . You wish to go back to the real world quickly, yes? And for that, you want that man, who¡¯s taking his sweet time, to hurry up . Am I wrong?¡±

    Aldo did not think it strange that another man thought the same thing as himself . On the contrary, he thought that it was absurd that other yers didn¡¯t say anything to Shin .

    Hearing the words ¡°go back to the real world¡±, Aldo was now convinced that he understood the reason why d had shown up .

    ¡°And you people are able to do that?¡±

    ¡°We can . We have reached a rather high level, if I may say so, and therefore if we contact him as ¡°dungeon clearing partners¡±, I doubt he will ignore us . And if he does, we have other ways to force him to listen to us . Garga here is an expert in such methods . ¡±

    What d alluded to were unsavory methods . As Aldo nced at Garga, thetter cracked a slight grin .

    ¡°I¡¯m a specialist in that field . Plenty of experience, yeah?¡±

    Garga¡¯s expression brimmed with confidence .

    Normally Aldo would not have had the guts to dirty his hands with illegal activities, however having been trapped and unable to log out for such a long time, what little patience he had quickly ran out .

    Aldo thus nodded without hesitation, sparing no thought to the fact that this would pass the burden to someone else .

    ¡°Leaving this to just Robin will aplish nothing so I¡¯ll be counting on you two as well . And so, what do you want from me?¡±

    Even if their goals were the same, Aldo didn¡¯t believe the two guests wouldn¡¯t ask for a reward .

    The two guests¡¯ smiles widened at his words .

    ¡°Please let us take care of the dungeon clearing affair . As for the reward, I would like you to procure some weapons . Of course, that is after we seed in spurring that man to action . ¡±

    ¡°Hm? You have yours already, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It is embarrassing to admit, but there are few cksmiths capable of forging rare weapons . And that man is the most skilled of them all . I also do not have a death wish . I apologize for such a rude request, but could you please ept it?¡±

    d gave a courteous, deep bow, which pleased Aldo very much .

    ¡°So be it . But it will only be done if you seed, remember that . ¡±

    ¡°I am very grateful . We will act right away, so if you will excuse us . ¡±

    d bowed again, then headed towards the exit of Aldo¡¯s home .

    ¡°Wait! I have not heard that man¡¯s request yet . I don¡¯t want to listen to any illegal requestster . So, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Ah, me . ¡±

    Garga turned only his head back and smiled defiantly .

    ¡°I just want to fight against Shin . Not his current half-assed and cked self, but when he¡¯s really serious . . ¡±

    Garga said nothing else and followed d outside .

    ¡°¡­ . tch, creepy fellow . ¡±

    Garga¡¯s smile had given Aldo chills .

    Outside Aldo¡¯s home, d quickly hid his face with a helmet . Garga then caught up to him .

    ¡°Hah, to think that he¡¯ll let us handle the case with an exnation like that . Having a superior like that would surely be tough on the subordinates . ¡±

    ¡°Damn right . ¡±

    d knew about the rtionship between Aldo and Robin . They had visited while Robin was absent precisely because he had collected this information .

    His words of understanding towards Aldo¡¯s plight concealed d¡¯s disdain for the man . Garga also shared simr sentiments .

    ¡°That Aldo too, if he acted himself, the dungeon clearing would surely be at least a bit faster . That avatar is such a waste on him . If only there was an avatar exchange function avable, I¡¯d make very good use of it . ¡±

    ¡°Right, the guy inside is total shit . Nothing remotely interesting ¡®bout him . ¡±

    Someone with a powerful avatar, equipped with Ancient grade equipment, that had not participated in clearing any dungeons .

    For yers who were earnestly striving to clear the dungeons, Aldo was an infuriating existence .

    He could have at least been more helpful with clearing the dungeons that were currently being conquered .

    Instead, Aldo spent his days doing nothing, entrusting even the smallest tasks to Robin .

    d had concealed his feelings in Aldo¡¯s presence, but he despised him . Garga, on the other hand, found him utterly boring .

    ¡°Well, since we¡¯re going to use him, the dumber he is, the better . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, for your actual job . ¡±

    d was a scammer in real life . Because of this experience, he knew that Aldo nned to use him and Garga .

    I would never be cheated, I could never be used by others .  d had seen through the fact that Aldo was rife with such groundless confidence .

    ¡°Well then, time to start then . My just duty is to set him free, after all . ¡±

    ¡°As creepy as always, man . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not seeking your approval . ¡±

    With those words trailing behind, d disappeared into the bustle of the city .

    ¡°Haha, a High Human¡­! I hope this will be a lot of fun¡­¡±

    Garga then walked away, in a different direction than d .

    Unbeknownst to Shin, ominous shadows were drawing closer .

 Vol 10 Chapter 1.4: Chapter 1 Part 4

    Shin had been tasked with caring for Luca; they knitted and took naps together, surprising everyone around them with how well they got along .

    Marino and Emil would sometimes drop in to check on them, but Luca was never unmanageable .

    Although she was a bit shy at first, by the afternoon she hadpletely opened up to Shin .

    ¡°What can I say? It¡¯s pretty surprising . ¡±

    Holly, a female yer, expressed her surprise upon seeing Shin interact with Luca . As one of the advanced yers who coborated with the orphanage, she was also on friendly terms with Shin . Soft-spoken and serene, she was especially popr with the younger children .

    ¡°Eh? What is?¡±

    ¡°Well, kids like Luca are pretty hard to care for if you¡¯re not used to it, you know? Especially for a man, like you . Or so I thought anyway . ¡±

    It was now an hour past noon, signalling nap time for the children .

    Lying down together with them, Shin watched over the sleeping Luca .

    ¡°Yeah, that could be because I have a little sister too . ¡±

    ¡°Oh really? Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to pry into your real life circumstances . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right . I have two brothers, one older and one younger, and a little sister . Looking after our little sister is our duty, right? My brothers and I took turns taking care of her . Compared to Luca, however, my little sister was quite the handful as she was always wandering off . ¡±

    Perhaps due to simr ages, Shin¡¯s little sister was most attached to their little brother . Despite that, Shin was rtively experienced in taking care of children because of her .

    ¡°You said it before, right? That your brothers never yed THE NEW GATE?¡±

    Marino, who was caring for the other children, noted that she had heard about the topic before .

    ¡°My little sister did . But luckily she wasn¡¯t involved in this mess . ¡±

    ¡°If she had, I bet you would have rushed to look for her . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure she could survive easily, so I wouldn¡¯t really be worried . ¡±

    ¡°Is she really strong too?¡±

    ¡°Frankly speaking, yes, very much so . Not only are her level and stats high, but she also has high movement speed . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s little sister also yed THE NEW GATE, and because of her ability, had be rather famous . The two siblings had kept their distance within the game, so few knew of her connection to Shin .

    ¡°She can make even you say something like that? Is she as powerful as my husband?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well you could say that I¡¯m biased since she¡¯s family, but my sister is probably superior, as far as yer skill is concerned . Though, Shadow¡¯s yer skill is amazing too . ¡±

    Shadow was Holly¡¯s husband and also famous for his skill .

    Shin¡¯s words surprised Marino .

    ¡°Better than Shadow? Your little sister is amazing too, then, in a different way from you . Are your other brothers this special too?¡±

    ¡°No, they don¡¯t even y THE NEW GATE, after all . ¡±

    All of Shin¡¯s siblings loved videogames,ics, and animation, but his oldest brother was busy with work and did not partake much in such pastimes anymore . Shin¡¯s little brother likedics more than videogames, so the only one to y the same games as Shin was his little sister .

    She wasn¡¯t that interested inics or animation either . Even within the same family, likes and hobbies were all different .

    ¡°Hn¡­¡±

    Shin looked back towards Luca, who shifted slightly in her sleep, and realized that her right hand had somehow started gripping his left . She was still asleep though .

    ¡°Looks like she wants to keep you close even while sleeping . ¡±

    ¡°My, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t escape easily, big brother . ¡±

    Marino smiled and Holly lightly teased Shin .

    With an embarrassedugh, Shin¡¯s gaze turned towards the hand Luca was holding . He could have escaped her grip all too easily, but he did not feel like moving away anytime soon .

    ¡°Holly and I will take care of the other kids, so Shin will stay with Luca . Is that ok?¡±

    ¡°Of course . And Shin, when Luca wakes up, be at her side, ok? This morning she threw a fit because you weren¡¯t there . ¡±

    This was what Teppei and Ryohei had mentioned when Shin and Marino arrived at the orphanage .

    Luca had lived alone for about 2 months after her brother and his party disappeared . There was no one she was familiar with among the people around her, so she was deeply afraid of losing someone she knew, as Emil had told Shin in secret .

    Emil had slept with her the previous night, but had woken up early to prepare the children¡¯s food, leaving Luca alone in the process . There was no one with her when she woke up, so Luca started loudly crying .

    ¡°OK, got it . If I have to go somewhere, I¡¯ll let someone know first . ¡±

    There were other yers in the orphanage other than Emil, Marino and Holly . Shin was acquainted with them all, so he wouldn¡¯t have trouble calling someone if necessary .

    The game world did not require using the toilet so unless there was an emergency, Shin would have no trouble staying with Luca until she woke up .

    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll leave her to you then . ¡±

    ¡°Take good care of her, all right?¡±

    Shin watched them head off, then looked again at Luca¡¯s face and her hand, still holding his . He then added a little more more strength in his grip .

    As if in response to that, Luca¡¯s expression became more serene .

    Luca opened her eyes around thirty minutester . Naptime was always half an hour, so apparently her body had memorized it .

    She was still in a daze at first, but when she saw Shin next to her, she felt slightly embarrassed to have her sleeping face exposed, despite her very young age .

    ¡°Afternoon is free time, right? What do you want to do?¡±

    Making children work too much felt wrong, so either mornings or afternoons in the orphanage were always free activity times . Today, they all did as they pleased after waking up from their afternoon nap, given that they had already worked in morning .

    Incidentally, the energetic group Shin had ¡°fought¡± in the morning would help with simple jobs in the afternoon .

    ¡°I want to take a walk . ¡±

    ¡°Outside then? Well, staying cooped up inside all day would be boring after all . ¡±

    The orphanage was pretty vast, but even going slowly it would only take a minute to walk ap around it .

    In town, it was generally not possible to reduce yers¡¯ HP and kill them . But as was the case with everything else, there were exceptions due to which the orphanage made sure that when the children ventured outside, they were always apanied by someone who could hold their own in battle .

    ¡°No good?¡±

    ¡°No, a change of pace would be nice, after all . Wait a moment, let¡¯s try asking Emil . ¡±

    Shin contacted Emil via chat, and was asked to do some shopping as well . He agreed and raised a thumb in Luca¡¯s direction .

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    Luca raised her little thumbs, excited .

    Thanks to the item box, there was no need to physically carry things . If anything happened, Shin could react immediately, so there would be no problem .

    Shin heard from Emil that the other children would stay within the orphanage grounds, so he and Luca left right away .

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going out?¡±

    The two bumped into Marino as they were opening the orphanage doors . Shin exined that he was going out for a walk with Luca and to do some shopping .

    ¡°She¡¯s always been insidetely, now that you mention it . Yes, I also think it¡¯s a good idea . ¡±

    Marino agreed with a smile, when Luca suddenly grabbed her hand .

    ¡°Luca?¡±

    ¡°Marinoe too?¡±

    Marino looked at Shin, silently asking him if something had happened .

    Shin shook his head .

    ¡°Hmm, okay, I¡¯ll ask Emil . If she allows it, I¡¯lle with you guys . ¡±

    ¡°Ok . ¡±

    Unlike Shin, Marino was one of the orphanage¡¯s central members because she often helped out there . She couldn¡¯t just leave without a word .

    Marino went quiet for several seconds to use the chat, then raised her thumb just like Shin had previously done .

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    Luca repeated the same gesture again .

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s go . Luca, don¡¯t let go of Marino¡¯s hand, okay?¡±

    Shin had Luca take Marino¡¯s left hand, so she would not get lost in a crowd .

    ¡°The other hand is yours then, Shin . ¡±

    In response, Marino put Luca¡¯s right hand on Shin¡¯s .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±

    ¡°Okay!!¡±

    With both her hands being held, Luca beamed with joy . Shin and Marino smiled at each other .

    After leaving the orphanage, the trio first headed to the grocery street to procure meat and vegetables . The street was crowded with yers who had agricultural jobs, offering the products they grew to other yersing to buy ingredients for dinner .

    ¡°¡ª¨Cyes, please give me the usual . Ah, but I need one more of that meat . ¡±

    Shin had been entrusted with the shopping, but Marino carefully selected what to buy . She always shopped like this for the orphanage, so the store owners treated her with familiarity and also responded well to her bargaining .

    ¡°Big sis Mari, wow¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your bargaining skill already active when you start shopping? You¡¯re also using a real negotiation skill . ¡±

    Shin and Luca were impressed by Marino¡¯s skill .

    ¡°¡ª-agh, I can¡¯t just say no to you, can I! Consider this a thank you for always buying my goods! I¡¯ll give them to you for 70 . Now get lost!¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much!¡±

    ¡°By the way, are those two with you, missy?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are, why do you ask?¡±

    The owner looked at Shin and Luca, then grinned and whispered to Marino .

    ¡°Well ya see, shopping while holding hands with a kid¡­ doesn¡¯t that resemble a couple of newlyweds? You¡¯re gonna make single dudes like me green with envy, darnit!¡±

    ¡°N-Newlywhat!? What are you saying!?¡±

    Marino stuttered in response, unable to say the full word .

    ¡°Anyone would think so, littledy . But yeah okay, enough jokes for today . ¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just joke about things like this!!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t really hate it though, didja . You were grinning, missy!¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Marino abruptly hid her mouth with her hands . Incidentally, Shin heard everything .

    He came closer, thinking it was time to lend Marino a helping hand, when the owner¡¯s expression turned deadly serious .

    ¡°I¡¯m not an information broker or anything, but you¡¯re a precious customer, so I gotta tell ya . Make sure the little girl don¡¯t hear . ¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin gently pressed his hands on Luca¡¯s ears, who had tilted her head after hearing the man¡¯s words .

    ¡°Please . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be quick . They say that a bunch of PKs started being active againtely . Ever heard of ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow?¡± Even some advanced yers have fallen victim to them . We¡¯ve been told to keep alert . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the name, yes . Their members all have have pretty high stats, or so I heard . ¡±

    ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡± wasposed solely of PK yers .

    The yers who were only acting out that role in the game and had no intention of truly killing had long left the guild . The ones who remained were actual murderers .

    The guild that killed yers for fun had now turned into a true assassins¡¯ guild .

    ¡°I have no idea what they¡¯re thinking, but some of em¡¯ even target small kids . Which yer¡¯ orphanage has a whole bunch of . Better stay on your toes, ya hear me?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for giving us such important information . ¡±

    Marino thanked the concerned owner .

    As the man had said, the orphanage was a prime target, because of the weakness of the yers inside and the grave consequences such an act would cause . It was also a fact that there were those who preyed on the weak with no particr reason .

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, missy . It¡¯d be really sad for a face I know to disappear¡­ah, you can let her go now . ¡±

    After the owner¡¯s words, Shin took his hands off Luca¡¯s ears .

    ¡°You finished talking?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sorry for covering your ears all of a sudden . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . no, I have been defaild*¡­you must take responsibility!¡±

    (T/N: defaild* Defiled was misspelled on purpose, Luca is supposed to not know what she¡¯s saying)

    To Shin¡¯s apology, Luca put her hands on her hips and puffed up her chest in protest . The gesture itself was quiteical, inplete contrast with the very serious tone of her objection .

    ¡°Hey hey man, what are you teaching to a little girl like that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Like I would!! Really though, where did you learn that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Teppei said it¡¯s a good thing to say to boys . It isn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t . It¡¯s better not to use those words much . ¡±

    ¡°? ¡­ . okay . ¡±

    Luca didn¡¯t actually know the meaning of what she had said, so she honestly nodded .

    ¡°Well then, guess I¡¯ll have a little ¡°talk¡± with Teppei once we get back . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true . Better inform Emil too . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re smiling, but not happy¡­?¡±

    Marino and Shin¡¯s lips were smiling, but their eyes weren¡¯t, which confused Luca quite a bit .

    ¡°Hahaha, nothing to worry about, Luca . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re going to take care of everything . OK then, shopping¡¯s done, so let¡¯s go for a little walk . Have a nice day, sir . ¡±

    ¡°Sure, you lot take care!¡±

    They bade farewell to the shop owner, then Marino held Luca¡¯s hand as the trio walked on .

    As Kalkia was one of the hometowns, yers had set up all sorts of shops .

    Commodity stores with healing medicines and everyday goods, open-air stands with handmade equipment, eateries with waiters running around taking orders . The great variety of shops and people made it entertaining just to look at them .

    Luca, happily walking between Shin and Marino, enjoyed the sights too .

    ¡°We¡¯ve been out a while already, better go back . ¡±

    Fun times go by quickly . When Shin checked the time, it was already past 4 in the afternoon .

    THE NEW GATE included a season system too; seasons would change roughly each month . The current season was autumn, so the sun would set early . It was already noticeably darkerpared to noon hours .

    ¡°We go back, already?¡±

    ¡°Yes . If it gets dark everyone will worry . ¡±

    Luca seemed disappointed, so Shin promised that he would take her on a walk again .

    When they returned to the orphanage, the children who had left to help with work hade back too . Some girls who noticed Luca¡¯s return invited her to y with them .

    Marino would often sleep over at the orphanage, but because she would stay at Shin¡¯s ce for a while, Marino went to report to Emil .

    Waiting for Marino toe back, Shin was at the orphanage¡¯s gates, lost in thought while looking at the sky .

    There, one man approached him .

    ¡°Excuse me sir¡­could you tell me if you really are Mr . Shin?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . yes, I am, and you are?¡±

    Shin turned towards the man . He quickly activated¡¾Analyze¡¿, which disyed the man¡¯s name as d, his level 255 .

    ¡°My apologies . My name is d . I hoped to visit Tsuki no Hokora and happened to see you here, so I took the liberty to approach you directly . ¡±

    d¡¯s polite speech and demeanor did not seem particrly suspicious .

    ¡°Is that so . What exactly brings you to me then?¡±

    ¡°I am actually in the middle of clearing another dungeon, and the area before the boss contains some very powerful poison . I thus wanted to ask if you possibly could share some recovery items . The parties involved in this clearing effort areposed of members from the guilds ¡°Savage Lions¡± and ¡°Yatagarasu¡±, led by Lao of the Explosive Legs corps . I have heard that you are acquainted with Lao, so if necessary you could contact him . ¡±

    The strength of the poison probably made it impossible for the yers to cure it fully using their skills .

    Shin asked about details of the area and quickly figured out what the man was referring to .

    ¡°That must be Bloodred Poison . It¡¯s true that very few yers in the whole game can recover from that, I think it can¡¯t be helped . ¡±

    Bloodred Poison was a particr negative status with far worse effects than normal Poison . yers with INT less than 900 could only mitigate its effects through skills . This status alsosted for a considerably long time, so defeating a boss while under its effects was hardly doable .

    ¡°Understood, I will prepare some recovery items for you, but wouldn¡¯t it have been faster if Lao just sent me a message via chat?¡±

    ¡°Lao is now heading to the dungeon . He did not want to burden you, but the other leaders decided that prolonging the mission would be difficult because of scarce resources and the members¡¯ morale diminishing . As such, I have been entrusted with delivering the message . ¡±

    Lao said that he would have contacted Shin if the current dungeon clearing mission failed, at least ording to d .

    He had approached Shin now probably because there was a high chance of failure at present .

    ¡°I shall take my leave then . I thank you for your assistance . ¡±

    Just as d had turned to leave, Marino came out of the orphanage .

    ¡°Sorry for the wait, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°No, you came just at the right time . ¡±

    Shin weed Marino with a smile .

    ¡°Er, did I interrupt you?¡±

    ¡°Please do not worry, as I was about to leave . Farewell, then . ¡±

    d gave a small bow and left .

    ¡°Tch, I had heard of her, but¡­what¡¯s with that woman!?¡±

    After leaving Shin, d slipped in the crowd, then quickly turned into a back alley .

    He couldn¡¯t help blurting out his annoyance and was relieved to see that no one was around to hear .

    ¡°Filthy yer trash parasitizing Shin¡­should just go die already¡­¡±

    d continued cursing with a menacing tone that he hadpletely concealed when talking to Shin .

    A member of Rokuten, the strongest guild, and the only yer who had achieved max stats .

    d could barely imagine how much time, money, and dedication it took to achieve such a level .

    ¡°Aah, but to cleanse the trash heaping around him is my noble duty . Gahaha, it¡¯s supposed to be a chore, so why do I feel so excited?¡±

    Shin was a yer that d admired . The glorious sight of Shin sweeping through the opposing team by himself in a guild vs guild battle had moved d¡¯s heart, despite the fact that it was just a game .

    When he first started ying he focused on raising his level and stats, but now that his avatar was stronger, he only spent his efforts on things rted to Shin .

    ¡°The strongest shine the most when they are alone at the peak . The cursed star that shines the brightest within Rokuten¡­I shall bring back your true brilliance . ¡±

    An insaneugh echoed in the alley, without reaching any ears .

 Vol 10 Chapter 1.5: Chapter 1 Part 5

    ¡°Hey, who was that person?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? He¡¯s from a party that¡¯s currently clearing another location . It¡¯s a bit of a nasty ce, you see . He came to request some recovery items . I know the leader, so I¡¯ll ask him for details . ¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re making a weird face . ¡±

    Marino¡¯s expression had drastically changed; she now looked concerned as she stared in the direction d had gone .

    ¡°Something wrong with that man?¡±

    Assessing Marino¡¯s gaze, Shin guessed that d was the reason of her worry .

    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure, but, he was ring at me with a really cold look . ¡±

    ¡°He red at you?¡±

    Shin frowned . He could not think of a reason why anyone would resent Marino .

    Despite it being widely known that she worked in the orphanage everyday, there were whispers that she received preferential treatment as Shin¡¯s lover . Such groundless resentment was already a thing of the past .

    ¡°I guess we should be careful . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯d do anything in these parts though . ¡±

    In the city, a yer¡¯s HP could not reach zero under normal circumstances . No matter how high another yer¡¯s stats or what skills they used, it would be impossible for them to kill a yer within a city .

    In the game, some burr yers targeted stores, but it was only stores set up outside of the protected city limits by yers such as Shin . The town was a safe location for all yers .

    ¡°Normally, yeah . There haven¡¯t been any monster invasion eventstely, so I¡¯m a bit worried . During such events, even in the city¡­¡±

    It¡¯s possible to kill .

    He didn¡¯t say it outright, but that was what Shin feared the most . Monster invasion events were the reason why towns were not absolute safe havens for yers .

    During an invasion event, if the town defenses were breached and the monsters prated inside, the rule preventing yers¡¯ HP from being reduced below a certain threshold value was removed . In other words, during such events, it was possible to PK even in town .

    It was a fact that becamergely known after the invasion event that happened two weeks after the start of the death game . This event had generated several casualties .

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay, don¡¯t worry . Even if an invasion event starts, we just need to make sure the town¡¯s defenses hold up . ¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, that¡¯s true¡­¡±

    After the first invasion event, many yers and guilds invested heavily in protecting the towns . Clearing dungeons was, of course, important, but without a ce to return to, it was ultimately meaningless .

    Thanks to the upgraded town defenses, monsters had sessfully invaded towns only during that first event . It was not strange for Marino to say that there was nothing to worry about .

    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about you, Shin . You¡¯re clearing dungeons by yourself, so no one would be there to help in case it was necessary . ¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m always making sure it¡¯s safe enough to go on . I didn¡¯t max my stats for nothing, ya know?¡±

    Not even Shin would go face bosses without scouting first . Based on the strength of the Gigantes Moss, thest boss he fought, he answered rather optimistically that there were no problems yet .

    ¡°Even if you say so, I¡¯m still worried! Listen well now, in the next dungeon, and the one after that, and the one after that too, you absolutely muste back safe and sound, okay!? If you die I¡¯m joining you as soon as I can, got it!?¡±

    On the other hand, Marino was dead serious . She grabbed hispel and looked straight into his eyes, while hers brimmed with tears .

    ¡°O-okay, I¡¯m sorry . I don¡¯t want to die either . I¡¯ll alwayse back!¡±

    Struck by Marino¡¯s seriousness, Shin made his promise . Hearing her say that she would join him in death, he couldn¡¯t ignore her plea .

    After Shin confirmed the promise, Marino slowly backed away from him, albeit still pouting and angrily ring at him .

    ¡°You mustn¡¯t die, okay? We¡¯re all going back together, all right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know . I keep my promises . ¡±

    ¡°¡­no matter what, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we made some good friends after all . It¡¯ll be nice to meet in real life too . ¡±

    ¡°¡­yes . ¡±

    Apparently satisfied with Shin¡¯s answer, Marino affectionately squeezed his hands tightly .

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s go home . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Relieved to see Marino smile, Shin started walking again . With fairly bad timing, though, the silhouette of a person appeared before them .

    ¡°Found you atst . I am truly sorry, but could you spare some time for me?¡±

    ¡°¡­you are?¡±

    Protecting Marino behind his back, Shin confronted the man .

    ¡°My name is Robin . I came with a request for you, Sir Shin . ¡±

    The yer who introduced himself as Robin bowed his head to Shin .

    ¡°A request? What is it?¡±

    ¡°I know this will be really rude of me to say, and I apologize in advance . But could it be possible for you to increase the speed of your dungeon clearing?¡±

    ¡°My dungeon clearing?¡±

    Robin raised his head, showing his distressed expression . Seeing this, Shin sensed something different from this manpared to other yers who had irresponsibly urged him to hurry up in clearing the dungeons .

    ¡°Wait a minute!! Shin is doing his best, you know!¡±

    ¡°Wait, Marino . He seems different from the others so far . ¡±

    Marino had witnessed such scenes many times in the past and was ready to fly off the handle at the man, but Shin talked her down, continuing to talk with Robin .

    ¡°Believe me, I am going as fast as I can¡­did something happens?¡±

    ¡°My¡­superior in real life told me to make you hurry up . I¡¯m truly sorry, I know very well that the dungeon clearing parties are staking their lives, but if I oppose him my real life will be in jeopardy¡­to be honest, I can¡¯t stop worrying when I think about how my family might be doing right now . My superior told me to urge you, and won¡¯t listen to reason¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    There were other yers with situations like Robin . Shin was still a student and did not have a family to nurture .

    Even so, thinking about his life after returning to reality worried him . While trapped in this world, there was no way of knowing how the real one was changing .

    Because of this, Shin could understand Robin¡¯s feelings, at least to an extent .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry . As I already said to others, there are new traps and unknown monsters in the dungeons that weren¡¯t there before . Boss fight patterns are changing too . I¡¯m trying to clear them as fast as I can, but it¡¯s just not possible to proceed as quickly as I could with beginner or intermediate level dungeons . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . yes, of course . I¡¯m sorry for approaching you out of the blue like this . ¡±

    Uttering these final words, Robin left . His distressed expression persisted until the end .

    ¡°Will that person be okay?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know . It¡¯s been four months since we were trapped in this world¡­ There are a plenty of people like him who are worried sick about the real world . ¡±

    There were no counselors or simr professions in this world . Some people stood back up on their feet, supported by others, while others fell into despair .

    ¡°There are many like him who want nothing more than to return to the real world and then  there are people like PKs, who want to stay here forever . ¡±

    Marinomented with a difficult expression as they went back .

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­well, everyone¡¯s different . What else can we say . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­you¡¯re right . Everyone has different circumstances¡­¡±

    Marino¡¯s expression was still clouded, but a bit clearer than before .

    After returning to Tsuki no Hokora, Shin took a bath, as per Marino¡¯s suggestion .

    Dipping in the hot bath gave him some relief . He felt that it wasn¡¯t an illusion and closed his eyes .

    While Shin was in the bath, Marino prepared dinner . The menu was white stew and sd .

    She deftly cut the ingredients and brought them to a boil, disying the skill of someone used to cooking .

    ¡°Going back to reality¡­huh¡­¡±

    Focused on cooking, Marino spoke her thoughts out loud . In reaction to hearing her own words, her movements came to a halt .

    ¡°Huh¡­? What was I¡­thinking about?¡±

    What she had heard were her own words, but she felt like they hade from somewhere else .

    When she realized the truth, she also fully noticed her real feelings . When she heard about the PKs, she was supposed to be angry . But at the same time, she thought ¡°Yes, I can see that¡± .

    ¡°This is weird . Why do I¡­ . ¡±

    Marino knew that, like the PKs, she also harbored a certain dislike towards the idea of returning to reality . In fact, Robin¡¯s desire of returning had not moved her heart in the slightest .

    ¡°This is just strange . I wanted to go back too, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Too weird . This couldn¡¯t be .

    The emotions swelling in her own chest confused Marino .

    That very moment, something disrupted her field of sight .

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    She thought she heard a thud-like sound, from far away .

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Her body wouldn¡¯t move .

    Just like a sudden scene change, she saw the floor, the racks, then her own arms dropping down .

    ¡°Aah¡­¡±

    Then, she finally understood what was happening to her .

    She had forgotten a long time ago and tried not to think about it since .

    She thought that things would continue like this forever .

    ¡°So¡­ Time¡¯s almost up . ¡±

    The end was drawing near . The time limit drew closer .

    ¡°A little more . Just a little more¡­¡±

    She tried to move her arms .

    They moved, as if it was a dream that they didn¡¯t just moments ago . She could now stand by herself . It was another attack, probably .

    ¡°¡­I have to tell him . I can¡¯t cause any more problems for Shin . ¡±

    Words which didn¡¯te from her heart . The words of a good girl who always did what she was told .

    Disappointing the person who loved her was terrifying .

    But all she could leave him with were items and equipment; she felt that she had no right to be with him, that Shin would probably leave her . A girl with just a little time left to live¡­was nothing more than dead weight .

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to leave him¡­¡±

    Even if her mind understood, she couldn¡¯t ept it .

    Marino¡¯s reason and emotionspletely opposed each other .

    ¡°I finished bathing!¡±

    Shin¡¯s voice reached her .

    Hearing the voice of her beloved, Marino made her decision .

    After bathing and eating dinner, there was not much to do .

    For entertainment and ways to kill time, THE NEW GATE only offered some minigames, the chance of listening to the in-game local news, which consisted of an indistinguishable mess of lies and truth, or just checking the information exchange bulletin board .

    Just as Shin finished browsing the bulletin board he always checked, Marino entered his room .

    There were many other rooms and plenty of beds avable . Despite that, the two would sometimes sleep together, so it was not strange for Marino toe in .

    ¡°¡­ . Marino?¡±

    However, Shin noticed that there was something unusual about her .

    Marino, now in pajamas, hesitatingly sat down on the bed . She took Shin¡¯s big pillow and hugged it tightly .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling sick?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m okay now . ¡±

    I¡¯m okay now . Shin felt something off with those words . He imagined that what had happened on their way back from the orphanage still upied her thoughts .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed soon, what will you do?¡±

    ¡°I will too . We have to work hard¡­tomorrow too, right?¡±

    With a slightly forced smile, Marino slipped under the covers . When Shiny next to her, she timidly gripped his arm .

    ¡°Marino?¡±

    It was not strange for her to cuddle like this . But this time she seemed tense, unnatural .

    ¡°Can we¡­talk a little?¡±

    Marino spoke while pressing her face against Shin¡¯s arm .

    She was going to talk about something very important . Shin quietly consented .

    ¡°¡­Shin, do you think you want to go back to reality soon?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah¡­I think that I want to go back . But, though I know it feels wrong to say, I also think that my current lifestyle is pretty fun . We don¡¯t know who we are in the real world, and¡­I mean, I¡¯m not asking for you to tell me .  But in the real world I couldn¡¯t sleep with you . So while deep down, I feel that I want to go back, a part of me also enjoys this life . ¡±

    Shin could feel like this because his level and stats weren¡¯t reset, and because of the items and equipment he had retained .

    ¡°¡­ . . yeah . ¡±

    Marino trembled a little to Shin¡¯s answer .

    ¡°Life for me feels really fulfilling now . I wake up in the morning, work, prepare dinner . You return and I wee you back home¡­I sleep feeling your warmth close to me . Such a life makes my heart beat faster¡­gives me happiness¡­everyday . ¡±

    Marino¡¯s grip tightened . It felt like she would not let go anymore .

    ¡°Hey, Mari¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Listen to me, Shin . ¡±

    Marino stopped Shin mid-sentence and raised her head .

    She had probably been crying as there were traces of tears . It silenced Shin .

    ¡°My real name¡­is Masaki Rino . I¡¯ll turn 19 this year . ¡±

    During their whole time together, Marino had rarely talked about her real life circumstances .

    She didn¡¯t have to say that she didn¡¯t want to talk about it for Shin to understand . He knew her well enough to .

    That is why he felt he had to ask, after Marino suddenly revealed such information .

    ¡°¡­is it okay for me to know?¡±

    ¡°Yes . I want Shin to remember . ¡±

    ¡°I see . Then I¡¯d also like you to remember my real name . I¡¯m Kiritani Shinya, a 21-year-old university student¡­¡±

    Shin also revealed his real name . He hadn¡¯t said it in a long time .

    ¡°I said it at the orphanage too, but when the death game ends, why don¡¯t we all meet up and go out drinking or something? We could book Holly and Shadow¡¯s ce or something . ¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, I¡¯d love to . ¡±

    Marino was now smiling next to him, but there was something strange with her today .

    Shin had made herugh many times before, that¡¯s why he knew .

    Her words suggested that they would never meet in real life, that their rtionship was limited to this world .

    ¡°Marino¡­no, Rino . Can you tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°The real me¡­is sick . The doctor said that it¡¯s a disease with no known cause or treatment . ¡±

    Marino exined that the reason why her time within the game was limited and she never spoke about real life was because of this . She did not know when her condition would worsen, so she thought it would not be good to get too close to other people .

    ¡°Why did you get closer to me, then? I know this is just a virtual world, but you did tell me a lot about yourself . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­I wonder why?¡±

    Her voice felt calm now . Even if her words were in question form, she seemed to know the answer already .

    ¡°I can say this now, but¡­at first, I had no intention of getting too involved . There was no way I could get a boyfriend in real life, so I wanted to try what it felt like being in a rtionship, even if virtually . You¡¯re the first one that approached me in this world, so I chose you . That was the only reason, really . ¡±

    There was no real reason . So said Marino, but her sighs made it also feel like she was just trying to convince herself .

    ¡°Yes, that was the only reason, and yet¡­¡±

    The words expressed her feelings of surrender towards what had happened against her will .

    ¡°Talking, adventuring, winning and losing with you¡­before I realized it, I was always thinking about you . I didn¡¯t realize that I was falling in love, until a nurse pointed it out . I have never even met you in the real world, and yet¡­¡±

    Marino said that she really didn¡¯t understand .

    ¡°The me in the real world could die at any moment . I sometimes wondered what would happen to the me here if the real me died . Then once, I wondered¡­how good would it be if time just continued on like this?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t . If I die in the real world, the me here will just disappear . I know it . Despite that¡­I can¡¯t help hoping . My attachment to the real world, my desire to go back, is very weak . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . ¡±

    Shin did not say anything . He had plenty of reasons to want to return to the real world .

    But he could understand Marino¡¯s feelings . Shin also found the current world pleasant to be in after all .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I just wanted to tell you that I¡¯m sick, but I ended up bbing about stuff I didn¡¯t even¡­I guess I¡¯ll go sleep in the next room tonight . ¡±

    Maybe she felt bad towards the now silent Shin . Marino got out of the bed and headed towards the door .

    But he would not let her go .

    ¡°Aah!¡±

    Shin firmly grabbed her thin arms and pulled her towards him . He pulled her rather abruptly, so Marino¡¯s body fell towards him, putting her in his arms .

    ¡°Er, ehm¡­¡±

    Marino was confused by the sudden development . She didn¡¯t understand what Shin¡¯s actions meant .

    ¡°I¡¯lle to you . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Even in the real world, I¡¯ll stay with you, Rino . ¡±

    In the original world, Shin was just a university student . He couldn¡¯t cure Marino¡¯s disease .

    There was but one thing he could do: to be by her side .

    Not out ofpassion . Not out of pity .

    He wanted to be with her . Even if there was little time left for her, he wanted to spend it together .

    Nothing more, nothing less .

    ¡°I¡¯ll be with you, until the end . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know how Marino would react to his words .

    Logical or not, those were Shin¡¯s real feelings .

    ¡°But I¡¯m¡­a real burden of a woman, you know? I¡¯m spoiled, Shin¡­Shinya, if you talk with other girls I get jealous right away . I also don¡¯t have much time left to live . Don¡¯t you understand that I¡¯m going to die, leaving nothing but my selfish feelings? You¡¯ll just waste time with me, Shinya¡­¡±

    Responding to Shin¡¯s deration, Marino nervously listed off all of her faults .

    Despite her words, however, her arms were now around Shin, her forehead pressing against his chest . Movements that expressed her intention of never letting him go . Shin responded by gently patting her head .

    ¡°Hey, should I believe your words or your actions?¡±

    ¡°¡­You know it already . Dummy . ¡±

    Marino raised her head a little and replied while ring at Shin . The room was barely lit, but Shin did not fail to notice Marino¡¯s flushed cheeks .

    ¡°If you don¡¯t say it, I can¡¯t be sure though, hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡­tease . And I was so decided and all . ¡±

    Still ring, Marino went silent for a few seconds, then whispered .

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be separated from you . Not in this virtual world, nor in the real one . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I promise . Even if this world ends, I wille meet you, Rino . ¡±

    The two then slept together in the same bed .

    Wrapped in a peaceful sense of happiness .

 Vol 10 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    The monsters were restless.

    On the other side of the mountain facing the hometown was an area yers rarely set foot in.

    In this area characterized by nothing but its vastness, all sorts of monsters had gathered without fighting one another.

    Snake-type monsters. Tiger-type monsters. Bird-type monsters and humanoid-type monsters as well. There were even Chimera-types, fusions of several monsters.

    Normally, such a high density of monsters would cause a reduction in numbers as they attack one other. However, a certain yer¡¯s presence prevented this.

    Atop this area¡¯s highest hill stood a lone yer.

    This yer, Hameln, sighed while looking down on the monsters.

    ¡°So this is the maximum that low-grade items allowed me to gather. Causing an artificial invasion event is difficult indeed.¡±

    Even while uttering such a line, his charming features showed the mischievous smile of a boy who had just performed a sessful prank.

    Hameln was 170 cemels tall and had typical Pixie tattoo-like marks on his face. He wore a gentleman-like attire, adorned with essories here and there,plete with white gloves and a long stick held in one hand. The top hat on his headpleted his gentleman-like appearance, but his demeanor was contradictory to that of any true gentleman.

    A pack of monsters of all types. Controlling it in order to unleash it on a hometown was not something a sane person woulde up with.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Just as Hameln pondered over his next course of action, he noticed that a monster icon disappeared from the map.

    Two icons were breaking through the monster horde. Considering that the level of the gathered monsters was 300 at most, it was something any somewhat experienced yer could have done.

    ¡°They¡¯re probably thinking that they¡¯ve found a nice hunting ground? Or perhaps they havee to exterminate the monsters because they consider them dangerous.¡±

    Hameln activated ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ and ¡¾Through Sight¡¿.

    His now expanded field of sight revealed a man wielding a ive with a 1-mel long de and another brandishing a broadsword with a very jagged de, severelycking in practicality.

    The former, who was wearing silver armor, was named d. Hameln¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿disyed his job as Dragon Knight.

    Thetter, wearing brown armor, apparently possessed higher stats; only his name, Garga, could be disyed.

    ¡°Oh my, he noticed me from such a distance?¡±

    Hameln was genuinely surprised at feeling Garga¡¯s eyes on himself.

    It was well-known that some yers sometimes felt mysterious sensations unexinable by reason, such as ¡°I felt someone watching me¡± or ¡°I can feel someone¡¯s killing intent¡±.

    To be able to pinpoint the direction after only being in the line of sight for about 10 seconds, however, was something pretty exceptional.

    Still in Hameln¡¯s field of vision, Garga grinned. They adjusted their course towards the hill Hameln was on, blowing away the monsters in their way like pebbles.

    ¡°Heavens, their course changed. Maybe they¡¯re the same type as I am?¡±

    Hameln grimaced,menting the development of the situation.

    The instant Hameln saw Garga¡¯s smile, he felt that deep inside they were very simr.

    He felt more displeasure rather than familiarity toward Garga, a perfect example of the inability to tolerate someone just because of how simr that person was to oneself. In short, it could be said that those who were very simr in this regard abhorred one another.

    With this ambiguous sensation in his heart, Hameln observed as Garga drew closer to his position.

    ¡°Hey there. Gotta thank you for not hightailing it.¡±

    ¡°No need for thanks. I simply wished to confirm something.¡±

    After roughly five minutes, Garga had reached Hameln¡¯s hill.

    Some timeter, d reached as well. They had arrived at different times, although neither showed signs of exhaustion.

    ¡°You¡¯re slow, man!! Raise the pace, will ya??¡±

    ¡°Dragon knights are meant to be with dragons¡­please don¡¯t ask for the impossible.¡±

    d darted an annoyed nce at Garga¡¯s mocking tone. As he had implied, Dragon Knights could show their full capabilities only when apanied by their dragons. In fact, when they were by themselves their stats decreased.

    Naturally, it would have been very difficult to catch up to Garga, who had superior stats and equipment.

    ¡°Haha, ah, apologies for all the ruckus man. Let me tell you straight out, we didn¡¯te to fight or anything. Though it looks like doing so could be fun.¡±

    ¡°I will take that as apliment. Now then, what brings you here?¡±

    Hameln, who was just observing the two in silence, finally prompted Garga to speak.

    ¡°You¡¯re the tamer who uses monsters to attack people outside of towns, right? There¡¯s something ya gotta help us with. This guy here will tell you all the juicy details.¡±

    ¡°First you leave me behind and now I have to do all the exining?¡±

    d voiced his dissatisfaction, but Garga, looked in the opposite direction while ignoring him.

    Hameln, thinking that the newly-arrived duo was a pretty hriousbination, was holding back hisughter.

    ¡°Gentlemen, please continue your bickeringter. So, what exactly did you want from me? Though, I can feel that you probably share the same sentiments.¡±

    ¡°My apologies for showing you such an embarrassing scene. We wish to request for you to use monsters to attack a certain town. I am sure you have also grown bored of crushing small settlements, yes?¡±

    I see, they sure did their homework. Hameln was honestly impressed to hear what d already knew about him.

    With the items Hameln could find, there was a limit to the amount and levels of monsters he could gather. He enjoyed observing how people fought against adversities andtely often thought about wanting to cause something more spectacr.

    ¡°I must admit, that is quite the enthralling proposal.¡±

    ¡°I am truly happy to hear such words.¡±

    ¡°With my current gear, however, all I can procure are monsters such as the ones you broke through just now. To attack a hometown fortified by yer defenses, their fighting power is severelycking.¡±

    Just based on the level, as soon as advanced yers joined in the fray, the assault would be quelled in no time. It was also clear by how easily Garga stomped through the monster horde earlier.

    ¡°The only reason for that, though, is item quality. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not sure how you know that, but yes, you are correct. Just as average iron cannot create Ancient-grade weapons, high-grade items are necessary in order to produce good results. Well, quite obvious, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Some low-grade items were sometimes necessary, in a ¡°secret trick¡± sort of way, but generally if one wished to have rare gear and skills, equally precious materials or items were needed. Those, however, were extremely rare and difficult to obtain.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We havee to meet you precisely because there is something we would like you to take a look at.¡±

    d shed a very confident smile to Hameln. It was meant to show friendliness and affability, but Hameln simply found it very suspicious.

    ¡°What will you do after making me cause a monster attack? It depends on the town too, but I¡¯m sure you are aware that most of them are heavily fortified and defended.¡±

    ¡°We know, to an extent, what the conditions for the start of a monster invasion event are. Mr. Hameln, we wish for you take part in it and take control of the monsters.¡±

    Hameln¡¯s eyes narrowed. Using monsters to attack cities was something he was very interested in too.

    Many yers theorized about the conditions for the creation of such events, hoping to defend their bases better, but they had not been fully revealed.

    ¡°To be honest, I am more interested in these conditions than the items¡­but I suppose I will not ask. I would like to know your goals though. Some are interested in the invasion itself, but you two do not look like you would care for that.¡±

    ¡°Yes indeed, our goals are different. Well, we both have different ones, actually.¡±

    PKs using invasion events to hunt for yers rarely sharedmon goals. What they had were only their respective desires.

    For d, it was the desire of getting rid of the ¡°yer trash¡± around Shin.

    For Garga, it was the desire of dueling strong yers to the death.

    Some just wanted to go on a rampage, while others still treated the current situation as a game, engaging in very dangerous endeavors.

    ¡°I see. I used to think of myself as someone pretty strange, but I see that I have goodpany.¡±

    Hameln spoke without breaking his smile.

    ¡°It is quite normal to use whatever means possible in order to achieve one¡¯s goal. Is it not?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what they call being loyal to your desires for me.¡±

    Neither one of the three cared in the slightest about the possible victims. Even while thinking that the other two were abnormal people, they could keep cooperating. Likely because they did not have any interest in each other.

    ¡°That¡¯s good enough. Unleashing a monster attack on a town where a High Human resides sounds quite appealing. So, about the items and the day of execution?¡±

    ¡°It will depend on your monsters. How much time do you need to gather them?¡±

    d inquired as he handed the item he had brought to Hameln.

    ¡°With this item, I certainly should be able to gather monsters of a rtively high level. I would need about one week.¡±

    Hameln made his decision after observing the item given to him, the ¡ºPutrefaction Nectar¡». The ¡ºPutrefaction Nectar¡» was dropped by Queen Rafflesia, a Trent-type advanced monster. Queen Rafflesias were monsters of considerably high levels in the 800-850 range and attacked in circr patterns using their roots and vines.

    Huge flowers, roots and vines attacking in waves, branchesshing from the stem. It was difficult to decide whether it was a flower or a tree, but on the other hand it was undoubtedly a level 3 monster that yers needed extensive skill to defeat.

    The ¡ºPutrefaction Nectar¡» could be used to create the ¡ºTempting Beeswax¡» and ¡ºHungry Beast Ambrosia¡» items using a Tamer skill. The former allowed one to temporarily control monsters, while thetter, once materialized, allowed one to attract monsters up to level 700.

    ¡°One week, is it. Can we set it for 10 days from now then? Even if we know the conditions, we cannot just do it anytime we want.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Hameln nodded while pondering what could be involved in these conditions. There was too little known information, though, preventing him from reaching any conclusion.

    ¡°You are interested in the conditions, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, but I suppose it is better not to ask.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, we came to you to seek your cooperation, after all. Telling you won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You would reveal it so easily?¡±

    Hameln thought it to be very important information and was puzzled to see d agreeing to talk about it so easily.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. It¡¯s just a matter of time until they are found¡­no, I should say that while they are not made public, some yers already found out.¡±

    After this premise, d started talking.

    The monster invasion event creation condition, as far as d knew, was either that the number of yers in a town, or the number of yers going outside from a Hometown, had to exceed a certain value.

    The more yers that were in a town, the greater the event manifestation probability, as well as monster numbers and levels would increase.

    The progress of the dungeon clearing had spread the yers wide, so the first condition had be difficult to fulfill, thus decreasing monster invasion events. When they manifested, it was always because of thetter condition.

    ¡°Hmm, I see. I can understand the first, but the second seems rather difficult to find to me. Did you find the answer on a stone inscription maybe?¡±

    When game events ended, stone inscriptions with their creation conditions appeared as unique items. Some recurring events, like monster invasions, were exceptions to this rule, but from d¡¯s exnation Hameln supposed that it was the reason.

    ¡°Yes, it is exactly as you guessed. It seems that it is dropped rarely, in areas seldom frequented by yers. ¡±

    ¡°Not even major guilds are aware?¡±

    ¡°Those, other than us, in charge ofrge numbers of people¡­like prominent members in major guilds probably know already. The stone inscriptions do note in singles after all. With many people the probability of finding them rises as well. We too are employing spies to prevent information leaks, but there is no way of absolutely preventing information from spreading, thus I suppose it is better to consider it to be already known. Even if it was, there might be several reasons why such information is not revealed atrge.¡±

    Knowing the conditions could have made it possible to prevent the event from manifesting. But no guilds had ever shown such intentions, nor was such information ever revealed publicly. At most, there were some unreliable rumors, nothing else.

    Major guilds had their own philosophy. This is what Hameln gleaned from d¡¯s words.

    ¡°Hehe, humans are truly never boring. Yes, I shall lend you my help. Arge-scale monster invasion in a hometown, used by PKs to infiltrate the town. I do feel like I am going to see something unprecedented.¡±

    Just imagining it all was beyond exciting. Noticing that d and Garga were grinning just like he was, Hameln¡¯s smile widened.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    A few days after their meeting with Hameln, d and Garga went to visit Aldo.

    Aldo¡¯s home was located in Kalkia; it had not been just a coincidence for Robin to meet Shin on thetter¡¯s way back from the orphanage.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to see that guy again?¡±

    ¡°Yes, because thanks to the items Shin gave us, another dungeon has been cleared. After all, that too is one of our aplishments.¡±

    ¡°Even if Shin didn¡¯t do it himself? Will the man really ept this?¡±

    ¡°He will. These kind of people just love to interpret things in the way most benefiting to them.¡±

    It¡¯s just hrious how ridiculously dumb they are. After adding thisment, d knocked on Aldo¡¯s door.

    Aldo¡¯s home, located in what could be called a quiet, luxurious neighborhood, was a mansion that towered above even the other high-end homes of the area.

    The same maid NPC that had weed themst time appeared. Aldo seemed to be at home; soon after the maid went to report their arrival, they were allowed inside.

    ¡°Any developments?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just a few days ago, we have obtained his cooperation and another dungeon has already been cleared. As proof, there is the public statement from the Savage Lions, one of the guilds which was already involved in the clearing.¡±

    ¡°Oh oh, you surely produce results quickly. Unlike that Robin.¡±

    Aldo was alone in his home. d had nned to just take his reward and leave the rest for a time when Robin was not present, but now decided to take the chance to do it all, grinning deeper.

    ¡°Thank you very much. Thus, I must ask¡­knowing full well that this might sound impudent, I would like to receive the promised reward. I promise, of course, to continue pouring everyst effort into dungeon clearing.¡±

    ¡°So be it. You showed results, I suppose you deservepensation.¡±

    With an arrogant attitude, Aldo took a bunch of cards from his item box and flung them at d.

    d barely managed to catch the flying cards. The cards¡¯ holder name had been erased, so they did not bounce away when he caught them.

    Looking at their names, d was very surprised.

    ¡°¡ºExcalibur¡», First Rate Potions and Ethers? These would be worth a fair amount of money. Are you sure you can give them to us?¡±

    d had gathered information about Aldo, but would have never thought that he would give Ancient-grade weapons away.

    ¡°Even in heaps, this world¡¯s currency is worthless. I have too many of those items too. Use them well.¡±

    Aldo could not see what there was to be surprised about and d thanked him with a wry chuckle. This man really did not understand anything.

    ¡°We shall strive to do our utmost. By the way, I do not see Mr. Robin anywhere. Is he at work?¡±

    ¡°What is your business with that useless fool?¡±

    ¡°Well, as he apparently hasn¡¯t produced results yet, I was thinking of having him help us.¡±

    ¡°What could a man who can¡¯t even call someone even do?¡±

    Aldo¡¯sck of any expectations from Robin was evident.

    ¡°I heard that he has contacted Shin, but has been refused. As an apology, I was thinking of having him approach the man again. Not for a cooperation request from the clearing team, but because the life of someone dear is in danger. That would surely spur him to clear dungeons even faster. Things would be much easier for us too if he was mentally cornered enough to get rid of his hesitations.¡±

    d exined his n of using Robin to further press Shin, without his smile ever leaving his lips.

    ¡°Hah, you¡¯re some viin.¡±

    ¡°My deepest gratitude for such praise.¡±

    ¡°That works for me. His uselessness has started to be unbearable after all. Do as you please.¡±

    Aldo mercilessly cut off Robin, as if ordering a broken tool to be disposed of.

    Witnessing such a disy of humans being objectified, d thought that this man must be seriously mentally cornered, and put away the other lines he had prepared to convince him.

    ¡°Thank you very much. Then I shall start preparations immediately.¡±

    After expressing their thanks to Aldo, the two returned to the hometown.

    ¡°Are we going to wait for that Hood guy now?¡±

    Garga, who had not spoken a word during the meeting, finally talked to d with a tone full of despise.

    ¡°Yes. He should be at his limits, so we have to make sure he acts on the designed day. I am sure he is desperate himself, so I don¡¯t think it will be difficult.¡±

    ¡°Amazing how you get all these ideas though. I have it easy since all I have to do is watch, but it¡¯s a pain for sure.¡±

    ¡°Despite that, you are quite helpful.¡±

    ¡°If your n works out, I can fight him going all out, that¡¯s why. If you fail, I¡¯ll crush you, end of story.¡±

    Garga clearly stated that his reason for cooperation was only theirmon goal.

    d responded by looking at Garga with a somewhat bored annoyance.

    ¡°You cooperate because we share the same goal, I know that already. But there is one thing I must say.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that now?¡±

    Garga snapped back and d looked at him again, this time with a stone-like expressionless face.

    ¡°If he goes all out on you, you¡¯re going to die, you know?¡±

    d expressed his, albeit twisted, absolute trust in Shin and his abilities.

    If the n seeds Shin will likelye to kill the perpetrators, d and Garga, without hesitation. That eliminated any chance of Garga winning.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be trying to kill him. Nothing strange about getting killed.¡±

    Garga smiled broadly, expressing how he would enjoy that too.

 Vol 10 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    The day before d¡¯s meeting with Hameln, Robin wandered aimlessly through Kalkia at dusk as Aldo¡¯s words continuously echoed in his mind .

    If you can¡¯t produce any results, you¡¯re fired .

    It was something Aldo could do . After all, Robin had witnessed it in the past .

    Despite that, Robin didn¡¯t do anything for the man about to be fired . He could not do anything, afraid he too would meet the same fate .

    When the timeses for me to be fired, no one will mourn for me, just like that time, Robin thought .

    ¡°Hello, Mr . Robin . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . Who are you?¡±

    Robin had been walking with his gaze down, in desperation . A man¡¯s sudden approach made him suspicious .

    ¡°My name is d . I was actually requested by Mr . Aldo to urge a yer named Shin to quicken his dungeon clearing . I learned that you were given instructions to do the same thing, so I was thinking that we could work together . ¡±

    d exined the situation in a polite, courteous tone .

    Maybe d too was an employee of the samepany? Robin briefly pondered over this, but he didn¡¯t want to think about it any deeper .

    ¡°You too¡­terrible, isn¡¯t it¡­?¡±

    It was really terrible . How many times he had wondered, if only my boss wasn¡¯t someone like that¡­

    ¡°You seem quite distressed, is something the matter? You do not appear to be affected by status ailments, though . ¡±

    Despite d¡¯s worried question, Robin turned and walked away .

    ¡°¡­Please, leave me alone . ¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do . You¡¯ll be discarded like this, you know? Here and in reality as well . ¡±

    Robin abruptly turned around .

    ¡°Have youe tough at my misery!?¡±

    His honest feelings erupted out . His voice was louder than expected .

    ¡°Absolutely not . In fact, I truly respect you for what you must have been through until now . I have a proposal, Mr . Robin, so would you hear me out? If you ept, I can erase the source of your troubles and dispel your worries, you know?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    It took a moment for Robin to understand what d meant .

    Erase the source of his troubles .

    That meant¡ª

    ¡°You¡¯ll kill him for me?¡±

    Robin¡¯s words clearly included a hint of hope .

    ¡°No, but¡­he¡¯s strong . His avatar contains a cheat, coded in by management¡­most of his stats are over 800 . His equipment is full of Ancient-grade gear too, stuff that you rarely get even if you pay . There is also barely any chance to kill him since he is always cooped up at home¡­¡±

    ¡°There is¡­a chance . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    d put a hand on Robin¡¯s shoulder and whispered something into his ear . Robin stood still for several seconds .

    ¡°If you help me, I will erase him without fail . One of myrades is in the same ss as he is, you know . Excluding differences in stats, a greenhorn with a strong avatar is no match for someone who has actually fought in this world . You understand, don¡¯t you? I heard that he doesn¡¯t even remember all of his skills, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, that¡¯s right . He hasn¡¯t even fought properly here . ¡±

    He can kill? That man?

    Without Aldo around, Robin would not be forced to pester Shin . There was no need to kowtow to anyone . No need to run errands for others . No need to be mocked for ying a game . To run around everywhere looking for items . To venture into dangerous areas . To be avoided by the yers working at the frontlines to clear dungeons .

    If they returned to reality, Robin would surely be fired if Aldo was around . He would be fired without a just cause, so he would not receive any retirement bonus either .

    ¡°If so¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you think? Isn¡¯t it an attractive proposal?¡±

    d¡¯s voice easily slipped into his ears .

    Attractive . Yes, it was very attractive . Even if it was a demon¡¯s whisper .

    ¡°¡­what do you need from me?¡±

    ¡°Hehe . Just something, yes, something very simple . ¡±

    d¡¯s lips emitted a clear, brightugh .

    His smile was evil in a way Robin had never seen in his life .

    ¡°I want you to do just one thing . If you can do just that, myrades and I will handle the rest . ¡±

    Smiling throughout, d told Robin what he wanted him to do .

    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª-¡±

    Robin was shaken by what d told him .

    ¡°One person will be erased . What, you thought you could keep your hands clean?¡±

    ¡°But¡­that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry . You just have to bring them . There is no need to hurt the child . I¡¯ll say it again, you just have to bring them . That will be enough . ¡±

    d¡¯s gentle voice continued .

    ¡°Myrades and I will do everything . You simply have to call one person . Is that a sin? The person you call will just walk into something unfortunate . We will be the ones to act . You will share none of the me . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not to¡­me . . ?¡±

    A false pardon .

    Robin did not want to look at reality . He did not express his doubts .

    ¡°Yes . You wish to return to the real world, free of concerns, right? You wish to meet your family, don¡¯t you? Won¡¯t you help us then, just a little?¡±

    I want to see my family .

    That thought made him decide .

    For the current Robin, nothing except his family really mattered .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The morning following the night Shin slept while embracing Marino . Shin woke up feeling someone wiggling in his arms .

    ¡°¡­ . . ah . ¡±

    As he opened his eyes, Shin found Marino¡¯s face right before his, at breathing distance .

    Noticing that Shin was awake, she tried to retreat .

    Before she could, though, Shin¡¯s arms moved . He hugged Marino tightly before she could jump out of the covers . Holding the back of her head, he pulled her towards him .

    ¡°Eeh!? Hey, wait, mmhn!?¡±

    Without letting her resist, Shin went in for a kiss . After a moment, Marino stopped resisting .

    ¡°Hah¡­¡±

    After the kiss, Marino seemed to lose all of her energy and just stared into space . Seeing her so defenseless, Shin thought to y a prank on the girl, but she returned to her senses before he had a chance to do so .

    ¡°W-Whuat are you doing, all of a sudden?¡±

    Marino was not only stuttering but also out of breath, her cheeks flushing red .

    ¡°What? You wanted to kiss, right? So badly that you tried it while I was sleeping . ¡±

    ¡°W-Well, that¡¯s true, but¡­it couldn¡¯t be helped! I was looking at you sleep and couldn¡¯t hold back . ¡±

    Marino spoke while poking Shin¡¯s chest . Shin, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t stop grinning .

    ¡°No problem then . At least none for me . Rather, you can continue . Snuggle all you want . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!!¡±

    Shin opened his arms to encourage her, but Marino scampered out of the room . Shiny down again, thinking that he probably teased her too much .

    What Marino had said the night before about her illness was on his mind .

    In reality, they were probably sleeping in a hospital bed . If anything happened, the doctors and nurses would likelye running . Marino was already sick, so she would be assisted even more .

    Shin didn¡¯t know what continuously sleeping could do to the body . It was possible that Marino¡¯s life expectancy was constantly shortening . Thinking about it, he felt an urge to immediately look for a new area and clear it .

    ¡°¡­ . calm down . Rushing ahead without thinking is the worst choice in a dungeon . ¡±

    Shin jumped up from the bed and took a deep breath . Even during the game, he had sometimes picked the wrong skill and died just before clearing a dungeon . In this world, that would be utterly reckless to do .

    Shin reprimanded himself not to lose his cool, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling restless . The life of the first person he had ever loved was at stake . He could not manage to staypletely calm .

    Then, he heard someone knock . As Shin responded, the door opened a little .

    ¡°Breakfast is ready . ¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ming . ¡±

    Shin apologized to the still blushing Marino and stood up . When he passed by her, he stroked her hair without thinking .

    ¡°Ehm, what?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, just felt like stroking your hair . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . that¡¯s fine, then . ¡±

    Marino looked embarrassed but also a little happy .

    Looking at her, Shin felt his restlessness dissipate .

    (I have to make it in time . )

    On the other hand, his drive was even stronger .

    I will return alive with Marino . Such emotions burned brightly within Shin¡¯s heart .

    The heart could influence the body . Even though Shin¡¯s body was supposed to be mere data, he now felt pumped and full of energy as if it had been strengthened .

    ¡°H-Haven¡¯t you had enough? You¡¯re patting me too much!¡±

    ¡°Hey, it feels really good to touch, so¡­¡±

    He felt uneasy, but also stronger, thanks to her .

    He could only do everything in his power now .

    ¡°Ok then, time for breakfast!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t go off by yourself!¡±

    Shinughed wryly as Marino hurried after him .

 Vol 10 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    ¡°OK, shall we go? ¡­is what I want to say, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Meow? What¡¯s wrong, meow?¡±

    Shin¡¯s words elicited a response from an all-too-sweet female voice .

    After breakfast, Shin was all ready to go to a dungeon, but he wasn¡¯t alone; Catnip was standing next to him . She was wearing her cat ears maid costume, just like she did at the shop .

    The only difference from her normal shop attire was the Baghnakhs equipped on her hands . Because of Catnip¡¯s appearance, these tinum gray-colored ws looked just like a cat¡¯s . Their grade was middle Mythology, theirpletely not cute name being ¡ºStray Cat Fever¡» .

    ¡°So, what¡¯s with the getup?¡±

    ¡°Shimeow, you¡¯re going to a new dungeon, meow? I want toe with you, meow!¡±

    As yers unlocked new areas, they would be the first to add those locations to their maps . As some time had already psed since Shin had liberated this area, a good degree of additional exploration had already urred .

    Since Shin hadn¡¯tpletely explored the area he had unlocked, he had to fill in his map with information purchased from information brokers . Using information provided by those yers who had fully explored the region, Shin had apletely updated map of the area .

    ¡°Er, yes I am going, but¡­were you waiting for me all this time?¡±

    The daily activities of yers varied depending on their mood . Shin was proactive in clearing areas, but even he would not visit them every day . Even if one waited beside the teleport point, there was no guarantee of meeting .

    ¡°Marimeow told me . She said that you¡¯d definitely go to a dungeon, so I¡¯ve been waiting since this morning, meow . ¡±

    Marino hadpletely seen through Shin¡¯s intentions .

    ¡°You keep saying things like that, and your fanclub will start sending assassins after me¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe, meow! No blushing, meow!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m honestly not joking, you know?¡±

    Shin subtly tried to make Catnip aware of the presence of the fanclub members behind her, but to no avail . Was it on purpose or was this just how she was? Catnip was smiling broadly, but Shin couldn¡¯t help feeling tense .

    ¡°¡­ . ok, setting aside whether or not we are going together for a moment, why are you the only one here? What happened to your usual party members? They wouldn¡¯t like to know that you areing with me by yourself, which is frankly quite scary too . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­actually, when they went looking for ingredients the other day, they were attacked by PKs, meow . ¡±

    As far as Shin knew, Catnip¡¯s area for collecting ingredients was close to the hometown . It would have been a big risk for the PKs too .

    Shin remembered what he had heard from the grocery stand owner; PKs had started bing more activetely .

    The other people in the store did not seem to notice, but Shin switched to chat and ryed this information to Catnip .

    ¡°(Sorry, meow¡­I got a little scared . But like I said now, I¡¯m going to avoid going outside as much as possible now . But if I do that, we¡¯ll run out of ingredients, meow¡­so please let mee with you . Think of it as helping me out, meow . )¡±

    ¡°(If that¡¯s the reason, no problem at all . )¡±

    Exploring areas was not necessarily any less dangerous than venturing into dungeons, but considering the known monsters¡¯ levels and the field¡¯s conditions, there would be no problems in bringing Catnip along .

    Shin, too, had not always explored alone, even after the death game started .

    The only problem could be that Shin and Catnip had different goals .

    ¡°(I mainly explore unmapped areas, though . You¡¯re going to collect ingredients, right? Wouldn¡¯t it be prudent to go with some other yers?)¡±

    ¡°(Not really, meow . In the unmapped area now, there is a ce I used to frequent before the death game, meow . I¡¯m not sure how it¡¯s changed neow, but I might be able to find the items I¡¯m looking for there, meow . )¡±

    If the area was as she remembered, Catnip¡¯s knowledge would surely help Shin . If the area had changed, they would simply proceed as in exploring a normal unmapped area .

    ¡°(Anyway, staying by your side is the safest route, meow . With your support characters, you could flip any boss on their backs, meow . )¡±

    ¡°(Why would I even flip them on their backs!? Well yes, I suppose I could protect you without a problem, but¡­)¡±

    Catnip was an advanced yer herself; she wouldn¡¯t just be riding Shin¡¯s coattails .

    ¡°(Your store is an oasis for all yers after all . I¡¯d be happy to contribute too . OK, I was thinking of leaving right now, what will you do?)¡±

    ¡°(I can go anytime too, meow . The party members know already, so no worries, meow)¡±

    Shin nodded, albeit wondering if they were really convinced of Catnip¡¯s need to apany Shin alone .

    Being seen teleporting together would surely spark a never-ending series of trouble, so Shin said that he would wait at a specific ce and teleported to Tsuki no Hokora first . They also decided on a time, to avoid missing each other .

    In Tsuki no Hokora, Shin added four of his five support characters to the party .

    High Lord Filma and High Dragnil Shibaid in the front, High Elf Schnee as mobile unit . Lastly, the High Pixie Sety in the rear . Girard possessed a fighting style simr to Catnip, so Shin decided to let him hold the fort this time .

    After checking the members¡¯ equipment and items, Shin set the AI strategy to focus on defense . The AI could not makeplicated decisions like yers would, so this setting was for insurance .

    ¡°As long as I make sure our HP doesn¡¯t go below a certain level and they support us, we should be OK . All frontline members can use taunt skills too . ¡±

    If necessary, Shin would have his support characters use their aggro-gathering skills and act as decoys while he and Catnip would flee . That was one reason to bring them along . Shin had never used this strategy before, but many yers were saved because they used it

    He had no intention of stepping in overly dangerous areas, but anything could happen in an unmapped zone or dungeon . One could never be too safe .

    ¡°OK, It¡¯s about time . ¡±

    Shin went again to the hometown, then teleported to the area for the exploration .

    The teleport point reminded him of a stone cathedral, it was an orthodox type . In order to avoid inconveniencing the other yers, Shin waited for Catnip a short distance away .

    About 5 minutester, exactly at the specified time, Catnip teleported in .

    ¡°Sorry for the wait, meow . ¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t wait long, really . Let¡¯s go . ¡±

    Shin and Catnip headed towards an unmapped zone . The thick woond area outside the teleport point made it difficult to observe one¡¯s surroundings . Shin decided to have Schnee go on ahead to scout the road as they proceeded .

    ¡°How is it? We just arrived, but is it as you remember?¡±

    Shin asked while checking his detection skills .

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell yet, meow . But the atmosphere of this woond is the same, meow . ¡±

    The cathedral-like teleport point was exactly the same as she remembered, Catnip added .

    ¡°¡­ . Schnee has already found monsters . A level 388 Sneak Boar . That¡¯s exactly the type you mentioned, Catnip . This info hasn¡¯t been released to the public yet . ¡±

    Shin checked the information received from Schnee through the menu . Information about monsters appearing in unmapped areas was publicly avable, but the Sneak Boar was not listed in it .

    ¡°Really, meow? But I knew about that, meow . It¡¯s a rare monster that¡¯s not found easily, meow . ¡±

    ¡°I see we can expect great things from you, miss Catnip . ¡±

    Overconfidence was a taboo, but knowing what monsters could appear would let them prepare with suitable countermeasures .

    ¡°I hope the monster I¡¯m looking fores up too, meow . ¡±

    Shin ambushed the Sneak Boar, quickly felled it, and checked the item dropped .

    Catnip was looking for Sugar Unicorns, monster that dropped sweet-type items .

    If she could find some she could make new creations for her store, so Catnip eagerly searched for the monster .

    ¡°Now that I think about it, you did say that you would have be a pastry chef if you hadn¡¯t be an idol, right?¡±

    ¡°Yup, meow . I think it¡¯s nice to have a lot of dreams . I¡¯m also doing my best, meow . ¡±

    Catnip flexed her muscles, a proud look on her face . She was probably trying to show her biceps, but her thin arms just made her pose look cute .

    ¡°What about you, Shimeow? Is there something you want to do, meow?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well¡­I¡¯m in university now, but I¡¯m not exactly striving for this one thing I want to do¡­I like games, but if I was asked if I wanted to make one, I¡¯d probably say no¡­¡±

    ¡°I see, meow . What about Marimeow? Has she ever talked of such things?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ . . well, Marino¡­¡±

    ¡°I know about her disease, meow . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin was not sure how to reply . Catnip surprised him and said something unexpected . Shin was so stunned that he froze for an instant .

    ¡°Only people very close to her know, meow . As far as I know, only I, Holmeow and Milmeow know about it . ¡±

    More people knew about Marino¡¯s condition than Shin expected . Incidentally, Holmeow was Holly, but Shin didn¡¯t know who Milmeow was .

    ¡°I just heard about it recently, though . ¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped, meow . Some things are difficult to say to those truly dear to you, meow . Marimeow was really worried, thinking about if and how to tell you . ¡±

    Some things were easier to say to other girls or adults . Catnip added this conclusion .

    ¡°Really . ¡±

    ¡°Hehe, meow . Shimeow, not being the first shocked you, meow?¡±

    ¡°Gh, right where it hurts¡­¡±

    ¡°But not telling was the right choice, meow . If you knew right away, you would have rushed in the dungeons without thinking about your safety, meow . ¡±

    Catnip looked straight at Shin, not smiling anymore .

    ¡°¡­ . I can¡¯t deny that . ¡±

    yers were now used to the situation and could retain a certain calm in their hearts . But that was not the case in the early stages of the death game . Obsessed about returning to reality, some yers relentlessly urged Shin to clear the dungeons .

    Thinking back on that period, Shin realized that Catnip¡¯s guess would very likely have turned true .

    ¡°Things were really hectic then . ¡±

    ¡°Yup, meow . When I opened my shop, some told me that I was being disrespectful, meow . ¡±

    Doing things unrted to going back was ¡°evil¡± . Such a mood reigned over the yers at the time .

    ¡°Few say that now, though . A few days ago I had someonee up to me and say it¡­but he had hispany¡¯s boss here, who keeps nagging him about that . Looked like he had it pretty tough . ¡±

    ¡°The people that rely on others without doing anything themselves either shut themselves in their homes or just wait, meow . But havingpany rtions reflected in-game is just the worst, meow¡­¡±

    Shin had no intention of answering to the summon, but feltpassion towards Robin¡¯s situation . After hearing about the man¡¯s circumstances, Catnip¡¯s expression turned sour .

    ¡°Hmm? Catnip, there¡¯s a monster pack ahead . ¡±

    Trying to return the conversation to the right track, Shin opened the menu and saw a message about the appearance of a monster pack,posed of 4 units . Maybe thanks to Catnip¡¯s earnest wishing, it was a pack of Sugar Unicorns .

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to your new creations, Catnip . ¡±

    ¡°Meow!? Did you find them, meow?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re 4 in all . Let¡¯s catch them all . ¡±

    Shin ordered Schnee to standby and changed equipment in order to boost item drops .

    The card he pulled out changed to a ck bow with thunder-like decorations . It was the Ancient-grade longbow ¡ºSurging Thunder Bow¡» . Its shots consumed MP, and one could adjust the attack power by regting how many MP were consumed .

    The finely crafted arrows were imbued with lightning, the target hit had a high of probability of being subjected with the Hi-Paralyze status .

    ¡°I¡¯ll stop their movements . You give the final blow, Catnip . ¡±

    ¡°Leave¡¯em to me, meow . ¡±

    Shin ordered the support characters not to interfere and prepared to fire ¡ºSurging Thunder Bow¡» .

    A half-transparent blue line appeared in his line of sight; it was a support function for aiming .

    Then, Shin activated the Bow-type Martial skill ¡¾Multi Arrow¡¿ . Blue lines stretched towards each of the 4 Sugar Unicorns .

    As Shin released the bowstring, lightning-like arrows zig-zagged through the trees, towards their targets . Splitting in midair, they all cleanly struck the monsters .

    Without wasting time, Catnip jumped towards the copsing monsters .

    The ¡ºStray Cat Fever¡» Catnip equipped emitted an orange glow .

    ¡°¡¾Greedy w¡¿, meow!¡±

    Orange-colored arc-like effects extended from ¡ºStray Cat Fever¡»¡¯s four ws .

    Unable to dodge, the Sugar Unicorns were crushed by Catnip¡¯s 4-hit consecutive attack and vanished .

    ¡°Item drop increase, meow!¡±

    Catnip¡¯s words confirmed that ¡¾Greedy w¡¿¡¯s effect had activated .

    Most weapons had skills with Greedy in their names, which had the chance of increasing item drops from defeated enemies .

    ¡°Looking good, meow!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Hopefully we can find the dungeon too . ¡±

    The duo continued to explore the area¡¯s unmapped parts . They met monster packs several more times after the Sugar Unicorns .

    ¡°Shimeow, isn¡¯t there something strange here?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right . The monster encounter rate is too high . ¡±

    After the game had be VRpatible, a toorge number of monsters would be impossible for yers to deal with, so the number of monsters appearing in a designated area had been reduced . Because of this, it was rare to encounter several monster units in less than 5 minutes .

    ¡°Could it be an event, meow?¡±

    ¡°There was no announcement, though . I would understand if they were bug-types, but¡­¡±

    Bug-based monsters like ants and bees would appear in great numbers close to their nests . But the monsters Shin¡¯s party had been fighting were mostly animal or human-like .

    ¡°I have a bad feeling about this . It¡¯s dangerous to go on when we don¡¯t know what could happen . Let¡¯s go back for now . ¡±

    ¡°Agreed, meow . ¡±

    As they turned back, carefully checking monster presence in the surroundings, Shin¡¯s map showed a yer icon .

    ¡°Catnip, stay alert . There¡¯s a yering this way . ¡±

    ¡°I see it on my map too, meow . They¡¯re alone, meow?¡±

    A single icon was heading towards them . It proceeded straight on, ignoring the monsters around it .

    It was probably using a concealment-type skill or item . Shin prepared for a confrontation and switched weapons to his ¡ºTrue Moon¡» .

    ¡°My my, I am sorry, did I make you wait?¡±

    After about 1 minute, a yer appeared before Shin .

    It was a young man with gray-silver hair and dark purple eyes . His waist-length hair was tied behind his neck . He talked to Shin with a pleasant expression and an innocent smile .

    ¡ª¡ª-Hameln ¨C Level 255 ¨C Tamer

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Analyze¡¿ saw through the concealment skill and revealed the man¡¯s name .

    ¡°Do you have business with us?¡±

    Shin asked the question while keeping a hand on ¡ºTrue Moon¡»¡¯s hilt . He alsomanded Schnee and the others to be ready to battle .

    Hameln was infamous for being a MPK ¨C a PK that used monsters . He was said to possess very high stats .

    During a guild¡¯s PK extermination in the past, it was said that he had killed the whole group of yers that hade to hunt him down . It would be foolish not to be cautious when such a person appeared .

    ¡°Oh, I would have never thought of seeing you in these parts, so I came to give you some advice, being the worrywart I am . ¡±

    ¡°Advice?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Right now, groups of monsters are advancing towards all hometowns, to invade them . Trouble could arise if you don¡¯t go back right now, you know?¡±

    Shin and Catnip¡¯s faces grew very tense due to the unexpected information . But if something like that was to happen, it would have been announced .

    ¡°¡­ . despite that, I haven¡¯t heard anything from my acquaintances . ¡±

    Even saying so, Shin felt that it was more likely to be not a bluff, but the truth .

    Hameln was a MPK, a specialist in gathering monsters . Shin knew about Tamer skills to an extent, but notpletely . It was usible enough that Hameln could orchestrate a mock invasion event with items or skills that Shin didn¡¯t know about .

    ¡°The chaos and panic prevented them from contacting you, I suppose . A short while before the invasion started, some PKs have been rampaging within major guilds, you see . Haha, I too wish to go see if the defense lines will hold this time . ¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m interested in seeing how you will act . Whether you will defend the town, go hunt the PKs, or prioritize your loved ones¡¯ safety . Which will you choose, sir hero?¡±

    With the same innocent smile, Hameln asked his question to Shin .

    ¡°Shin, I¡¯ll handle Hameln, you go back to the hometown!¡±

    ¡°Catnip?¡±

    Catnip dropped her cat-like speech and urged Shin to return quickly, while ring at Hameln .

    ¡°This guy alwayses out after things have already started happening . He wouldn¡¯t lie about the invasion, Kalkia¡¯s already under attack!!¡±

    ¡°But even so¡ª¡±

    ¡°This is not a normal event!! There¡¯s Marino in Kalkia . The orphanage¡¯s kids too . Set your priorities straight!!¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t say anything back .

    He can¡¯t protect everything . If he doesn¡¯t focus on what he really wants to protect, he risks losing everything .

    That was something Shin learned during the death game .

    ¡°(¡ª-I¡¯ll leave Schnee and the others here . Use them as decoy if necessary . )¡±

    Shin rted this to Catnip via chat, to not let Hameln hear, and poured MP into a crystal . Thanks to its effect of transporting the yer to the nearest teleport point, Shin vanished .

    ¡°Hmm, he prioritized his loved ones, as expected . Well, this is entertaining too . ¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t try to stop him? Must be feeling very confident . ¡±

    Catnip, in her fighting stance, asked the question to the pondering Hameln, his chin resting on his hand .

    ¡°Dear, I do not have the slightest intention of doing anything to you either . I like Lucky Cat¡¯s sweets too, after all . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get in the way of business then!¡±

    Catnip kicked the ground and closed in on Hameln, swinging her ws . Hameln stopped her wind-slicing strike with his stick .

    ¡°My apologies . Watching people fight against absurd situations is what entertains me the most, you see . ¡±

    ¡°Sicko!¡±

    Continuous blows from both hands . Surprise strikes, kicks . Catnip¡¯s relentless attacks were stopped by Hameln spinning his stick, sometimes parrying, sometimes deflecting,posure never leaving his face .

    Pixies did not have exceptional STR or AGI, but Hameln possessed high stats thanks to the resurrection bonus, enough to bridge the stat gap between Pixies and Humans, Catnip¡¯s race .

    Catnip was not weak by any means, but the game system all too evidently expressed their difference in ability .

    ¡°Oops, I see that his support characters are on a whole other level . It would be a bit too tiring to face you all, thus I suppose I will take my leave . I came to replenish on items, after all . Let us meet again, then . ¡±

    Hameln used a summoned monster as a shield against Schnee¡¯s attack from the rear and promptly left .

    Catnip tried to chase him down, but was deterred by smokescreens and other summoned monsters . Schnee and the party, following Shin¡¯s orders of protecting Catnip, did not follow Hameln but fought against the monsters .

    ¡°Please, make it in time¡­¡±

    After defeating the monsters, Catnip headed to the teleport point with Schnee and the other support characters, praying .

 Vol 10 Chapter 2.4: Chapter 2 Part 4

    It happened just after Marino saw Shin off and started helping at the orphanage.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you apany me.¡±

    ¡°No, escorting is one of our duties. Nothing to worry about.¡±

    As the person in charge had forgotten to stock up on ingredients, Marino brought Luca, who had begged to tag along, with her to town.

    Being escorted by Shadow, Marino shopped around while holding hands with Luca. Though, the shopping itself did not take much time.

    ¡°Go for a walk! Walk!¡±

    Walking outside the orphanage was thrilling for Luca. It also helped that Shadow had the good idea of taking a slightly longer route.

    ¡°(It would be nice to let the other kids go out too, other than when they help out with our jobs)¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s true. Most of the kids secretly y together outside anyway)¡±

    Marino noted while chatting with Shadow that only the smaller children like Luca needed protection. Since there were so few of them now, it wouldn¡¯t be too troublesome to organize supervised outings for them.

    Just as Marino thought of inviting other children next time, the rm signaling a monster invasion red throughout Kalkia.

    ¡°Looks like monsters areing. Let¡¯s hurry back to the orphanage.¡±

    ¡°Yes! Luca, that¡¯s all for today¡¯s walk. Let¡¯s go back to the orphanage before the scary monsters arrive, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The guilds are protecting the town.¡±

    Marino tried talking as brightly as she could tofort Luca, who was frightened by the rm. All defenses, since the first failed monster repulsion, had seeded. Thanks to such results, the nearby yers were not too shaken.

    ¡°See, the people around us are also calm, right? Let¡¯s go back to everyone now.¡±

    Marino tried to walk as calmly as possible, so Luca would not panic. Even then, she had to periodically slow down at times after noticing her pace had started to quicken.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I would like a word with you¡­¡±

    Then, as if aiming for that timing, Robin appeared.

    Afraid of the slowly approaching Robin, Luca hid behind Marino.

    ¡°We¡¯re in an emergency situation. Save that forter. ¡±

    Shadow stood between Marino and Robin. He red at Robin sternly, ready to react in case of any suspicious movements.

    ¡°I have no business with you. I came to talk with the youngdy. Please stay out of this.¡±

    ¡°I refuse. There are monsters approaching the town right now. Everyone¡¯s returning to their homes. Come again after the threat passes.¡±

    Shadow spoke with a firmer tone. He would not allow any exceptions.

    ¡°I have to take the girl with me. You¡¯re in the way!!¡±

    Robin suddenly shouted, spread his mantle and threw a ball the size of a golf ball.

    ¡°Hah!¡±

    Without losing his cool, Shadow pierced the flying ball with a knife.

    The ball was easily severed in two, emitting arge quantity of white smoke at the same time, making it impossible to see.

    ¡°Shadow!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, I can see. Please look after Luca.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Marino gripped Luca¡¯s hand again. Being a seasoned fighter, Shadow would not be confused by a mere smokescreen. Or so Marino had assumed, when suddenly, a shadow appeared behind her.

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Marino quickly turned around, only to find a pair of glowing eyes just beyond the smoke. Judging by the height and size, they couldn¡¯t belong to a yer.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    Marino was standing there in a daze when Shadow¡¯s scream of pain reached her ears. Looking in his direction, Marino saw something cut through the fog and blow Shadow away.

    ¡°Monsters!? The defenses have been breached!? Tch, I¡¯ll hold them back here, take Luca and run!!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!!¡±

    Since Marino could not use ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, she was unable to see what was going on due to the smoke. However, hearing the sounds of shing des and seeing the light of the sparks through the smoke, she could guess.

    Not much time had passed since the rm was sounded, but one could hear screams and monster roars in the distance.

    As the chat system was restricted during invasion events, Marino could not contact Shin for help.

    ¡°Marino¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shadow is strong, he won¡¯t lose to some monsters. It¡¯s dangerous here, so let¡¯s go back quickly.¡±

    Marino beamed the best smile she could muster at Luca and started walking away. Luckily she found a building¡¯s wall, so they could proceed along it to an area unclouded by the smoke.

    ¡°OK, we¡¯re finally in the main stre¡ª-!?¡±

    After desperately running through the back alleys, they arrived in therge street Marino often passed.

    What she saw there however, was a scenerypletely different from the one she was used to.

    ¡°What is¡­this¡­¡±

    Most of the stores and stalls that lined the street were engulfed in mes. The screams of fleeing people could be heard everywhere.

    Some buildings were partially destroyed due to the fighting, while the undamaged ones were struck by yers being flung around.

    ¡°We have to get away¡­¡±

    Borderline paralyzed, Marino¡¯s body could move only because of the warmthing from Luca¡¯s hand.

    I can¡¯t let go of her hand. I have to protect her.

    Such feelings supported her trembling knees.

    ¡°Just a little more, be patient dear.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    Holding Luca¡¯s hand, Marino continued walking along the walls, careful not to let the monsters spot her.

    However, on a battlefield where monsters and yers were engaged in furious battle, it was impossible to pass by unnoticed without stealth abilities.

    A sudden explosion shook the building next to her; it had been caused by a 5-melsrge dinosaur-like monster, which had smashed through the building to reach the main avenue.

    Marino instinctively protected Luca with her body.

    Fragments of the destroyed building rained all around them. These fragments were of unknown materials and could have much more offensive power than one would expect. One of them, unfortunately, ended up striking Marino¡¯s back.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    Thanks to an item she received from Shin, Marino¡¯s HP did not decrease. But due to the difference in mass between Marino and the fragment that hit her, they both were flung into the air spinning across the ground several times before stopping.

    ¡°Lu¡­ca¡­¡±

    Marino stood up right away and searched for Luca.

    In this world, as long as an avatar still had HP left and was not affected by status conditions, even if struck by an attack that would normally cause arge wound, it could still move.

    Marino looked at her surroundings and found Luca who, like her, was trying to stand back up.

    It was too soon to feel relieved though.

    Luca had already been caught by Robin, who had appeared out of nowhere.

    Marino thought she managed to lose him but Robin, who had a scouting-type job specialization, had easily tracked them. His expression was eerily cold and distant, ill suited considering the current situation, with monsters rampaging around town.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made me waste enough time.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­.?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re protected by Shin¡¯s items. Because you won¡¯t just follow me quietly, I had to resort to this, you know?¡±

    His former polite speech was no more.

    He had apparently discovered the fact that Marino had received a protective item from Shin.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want the girl to be hurt¡­you know what to do, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes. So let her go right now!!¡±

    Marino removed the protective item and put it on the ground. Robin took the item and tied Marino up.

    ¡°Ma, Marino¡­¡±

    The freed Luca, while afraid, stretched a hand towards Marino. But Robin had loaded Marino on his shoulders, far from Luca¡¯s hands.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Go back to the orphanage Luca!!¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Robin¡¯s paralyzing poison robbed Marino of her ability to move.

    Carrying Marino on his shoulders, Robin looked at Luca.

    ¡°Give Marino back.¡±

    ¡°If you want her back, tell the yer called Shin toe to this ce.¡±

    Robin threw a small piece of paper to Luca.

    Luca desperately lunged at the piece of paper, to prevent it from flying away. When she finally managed to grab it, Robin and Marino had already disappeared.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°What the hell is going on here?!¡±

    In front of the chaos of roaring monsters and screaming yers, Aldo stood dazed and confused. As he rarely left his home, he had no idea why there were monsters rampaging in the town, nor why the yers were taking damage. Actually, few yers knew the town defense corps had been attacked by PKs and that non-event monsters had infiltrated the town.

    ¡°S-Shit!! What equipment should I use!?¡±

    Thanks to his avatar¡¯s abilities, Aldo could tell the monsters¡¯ names and levels. With his high stats and powerful gear, it would not be too difficult for him to protect himself.

    Due to hisck of knowledge of the game, however, he didn¡¯t know what weapons or effects would be useful. It took him around 10 minutes to realize that the basic equipment of Arthur Pendragon, the basis for his avatar, was the strongest avable.

    When he finally finished equipping it and started thinking about what to do next, something unexpected happened.

    ¡°Hyah!?¡±

    His home¡¯s ceiling suddenly copsed. Something must have fallen on it. The booming sound and the falling debris made Aldo scream in surprise.

    ¡°Hey there. Still alive?¡±

    ¡°A person!? W-what? What are you doing, you bastard!?¡±

    Realizing that the person speaking to him was one of the two visitors who hade to his home just a couple days before, Aldo forgot the terror he had just felt and furiously yelled at the man.

    He had no idea what the man was thinking, but to think that he would do something so insane.

    ¡°What am I doing? What any other PK does, man.¡±

    Paying little attention to the destruction, Garga walked closer to Aldo, a savage smile on his face.

    ¡°What are you saying?! What¡¯s going on here?!¡±

    ¡°Hey now, are you for real? You didn¡¯t see the monsters busting through town? You were holed up in your house in this situation? Just because you have ¡¾Wall¡¿ and ¡¾Barrier¡¿ up¡­man, you¡¯re so done.¡±

    While looking at the man with contempt, Garga lifted his main weapon, different from the one he had carried during his visits to Aldo¡¯s home.

    It was the lower Ancient-grade ¡ºGiant yer¡», a battleaxe with a ck handle and me-like patterns.

    It was a weapon that increased in power therger the difference in stats between the user and the target: a weapon designed to literally y those greater than the user. The stronger the opponent was, the more powerful it became. However, because it did not work on those weaker than the user, it could easily lead to a disadvantage if it wasn¡¯t used with attention.

    For the current situation, however, there could be no better weapon.

    Aldo, who was a total beginner with nothing but high stats going for himself, could never hope to match someone who, despite his stats being lower, had grown stronger through PvP battles.

    ¡°In order to get here, I had to deal with many persistent and hard-to-kill monsters, so I¡¯m feeling damn stressed right now. Your avatar is better though, so I really hope you¡¯ll let me have some fun!¡±

    As he finished uttering these words, Garga attacked the armored Aldo with his battleaxe. Thetter did not expect in the least to be attacked and received the blow squarely, without defending in any way.

    With a metallic sound, like iron pipes striking against each other, Aldo flew across his home, bursting through the wall andnding on the adjacent block¡¯s moat.

    ¡°Gh¡­what are¡­you¡­¡±

    Thanks to his stats and equipment the blow wasn¡¯t fatal, but the suddenness of the situation had left Aldo unable to think straight. He tried to push the rubble away and get up, only to notice a de swinging down towards him.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    A critical hit, and Aldo¡¯s helmet was removed from his head. Overwhelmed by confusion, Aldo didn¡¯t even realize that his head waspletely uncovered now.

    ¡°Hey, hand over all your items, now. It¡¯d be a shame to have them all disappear, right?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­?¡±

    Aldo¡¯s mouth could only utter ame reply. Garga hit the man¡¯s dazed face with a strong punch, to help him regain awareness of the situation.

    ¡°Hyeeh?!¡±

    Grasping the situation, Aldo quickly scattered the items in his possession.

    ¡°T-This is all I have! It¡¯s all here!! So please don¡¯t¡ª-¡±

    ¡°No more use for you then.¡±

    Garga stepped on Aldo to keep him pinned to the ground, then swung down his axe.

    ¡°NO¡ª¡±

    Leaving no time forst words, the booming strike wiped out Aldo¡¯s upper body. After a few moments, his lower body disappeared too.

    ¡°So pathetic it was almost depressing.¡±

    Receiving a blow from ¡ºGiant yer¡» on his helmet-less head was enough to ensure that Aldo would die. In THE NEW GATE, critical parts like the neck and the heart were set as the yers¡¯ weak points. The head and heart were especially weak; hitting them could cause instant death.

    Garga confirmed that Aldo had disappeared from under his feet and rxed his stance, sighing.

    Before the instant death strike brought Aldo¡¯s HP to zero, the damage caused by previous strikes was not too high. The avatar¡¯s stats should have been high enough for any mid-level yer to not be killed so quickly and easily.

    While he was not expecting much, Garga still felt his frustration mounting.

    ¡°¡­hmm, might as well add some more reasons here to fuel him up.¡±

    Garga¡¯s lips formed a grin, with an evil streak that would have made anyone present shiver.

    After collecting the dropped items, Garga checked the direction and started moving towards the orphanage.

    Shin reached the orphanage around the same time Luca did.

    Seeing Luca teeter back on her own, Shin felt even more worried. The monster invasion event limited chat use temporarily, so he still didn¡¯t have a grasp on the situation.

    ¡°Luca!¡±

    ¡°Shin¡­Shin!!!¡±

    Luca¡¯s eyes were filled withrge tears. Shin grabbed her as she was about to fall, and the little girl broke out in tears.

    Hearing her cry, Emil rushed out of the orphanage.

    ¡°Luca!!¡±

    Seeing that she wouldn¡¯t stop crying, Emil¡¯s expression became clouded.

    Shin had a bad feeling about the situation.

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s go inside. Thanks to your barriers the monsters haven¡¯te inside, Shin.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s go, Luca.¡±

    Shin took Luca in his arms and was about to walk towards the orphanage, when Luca -who had regained someposure in her sadness- thrusted a piece of paper in front of Shin¡¯s eyes.

    The piece of paper she had gripped desperately, so as not to lose it, showed the coordinates of a location within Kalkia.

    ¡°This is¡­?¡±

    ¡°They took Marino away¡­all because I said I wanted to go on a walk¡­!!¡±

    Luca kept crying, her face warped by the tears. Despite her young age, she was tormented by the guilt of having caused Marino¡¯s kidnapping.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, I¡¯ll go save her. Luca, you wait here with Emil and the others.¡±

    Shin wiped Luca¡¯s tears and entrusted her to Emil.

    ¡°Marino¡­will be okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, leave it to me.¡±

    Shin shed the biggest smile he could, so that Luca would not worry. After patting her head, he turned his back to her and walked away.

    As soon as he exited Luca¡¯s field of view, the mild expression peeled off Shin¡¯s face. More than someone who was going to save somebody, he looked like a man who was going to start a massacre.

    Shin started running towards the location signaled by the coordinates, the anger he felt clearly visible on his face.

 Vol 10 Chapter 2.5: Chapter 2 Part 5

    About 10 minutes after Shin¡¯s departure, Garga arrived at the orphanage .

    Holding ¡ºGiant yer¡» high, he maintained his running speed as he raced along the roof-tops and jumped up .

    ¡ºGiant yer¡»¡¯s de, boosted by the eleration, was then swung down on the orphanage¡¯s barrier .

    The skill-boosted blow made the barrier shudder . Shin¡¯s ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Wall¡¿ could withstand most blows without problems, but a strike from an advanced yer wielding an Ancient-grade weapon would not leave it unscathed .

    Each blow triggered a counter of magic attacks, but Garga swept them away with his battleaxe . As the barrier was located within the city, the magic attacks¡¯ power was limited too .

    ¡°Damn, this is one tough barrier!! But¡­ There we go!!¡±

    ¡¾Barrier¡¿ and ¡¾Wall¡¿ finally started showing cracks; seeing concrete effects of his attacks, Garga shouted in joy .

    ¡°Maybe High Humans aren¡¯t that good at defense?¡±

    THE NEW GATE included few defensive skills, and normally offensive skills tended to have higher proficiency levels .

    The skill Garga used had the effect of causing additional damage to barrier skills or armor . If one kept attacking and no one reinforced the barrier, it would eventually break down .

    ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing!?¡±

    ¡°Whaat?¡±

    Garga turned towards the voice and saw a woman .

    ¡°Whoa, now you look pretty strong, don¡¯t you . ¡±

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ could not disy her stats . Garga, though, possessed a rare ability . By looking at the yer¡¯s stance, he could determine their fighting prowess . This unusual talent was what allowed him to survive for so long .

    ¡°You¡¯re on the High Human¡¯s side too?¡±

    ¡°You mean Shin, yes? What are you trying to do anyway?¡±

    Saying so, the female yer -Holly- took out her short wand . In an instant, she activated a defensive skill and created offensive magic on standby in mid-air .

    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re fast . A normal yer needs more time to activate so many skills¡­you¡¯re VRpatible, yeah?¡±

    Garga mentioned the term used to refer to those who adapted to the rtively new VR environment faster than its creators expected . It was not a discriminatory term, but since such yers could activate skills faster than others and control their avatars more efficiently than average yers could, some whispered behind their backs that they were cheaters .

    Garga did not mean to discriminate . In fact, his tone betrayed his heightened expectations . Holly responded by unleashing her magic; fire bullets, wind des, and more flew towards Garga .

    Garga dodged the ones which would explode, thus creating arger area of effect, and knocked away the single-target ones with his battleaxe .

    ¡°A magician attacking from the front!? Now this is fun!!¡±

    Holly unleashed several magic spells in a wave-like formation, and Garga gave up on dodging, instead charging straight towards Holly .

    He activated a skill that enveloped his body in a red aura and gave him an explosive eleration .

    Axe-type Martial skill ¡¾Dreadnought¡¿ .

    This skill prevented all damage to the user for a few seconds while they were moving, making it one of the most dangerous among all charging-type martial skills .

    It was often used in party battles to blow away the opposing front lines and attack the rear .

    ¡°Haahaa!!¡±

    Garga charged close to Holly, repelling her magic attacks, and swung his axe down .

    For Holly, an experienced rear fighter, Garga¡¯s skill was nothing to be surprised about .

    Rear line fighters who could use powerful magic were, along with healers, the first targets in party battles . Thus, they were well aware of the skills used to break through the front lines and attack them . ¡¾Dreadnought¡¿ was especially famous for its effect, and several countermeasures existed .

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen that too many times already!¡±

    The instant the battleaxe was supposed to rend Holly¡¯s body, her figure smoothly -but very quickly- bent and moved away .

    She did not move far enough to escape the battleaxe¡¯s range, but the blow that was supposed to crush her just blew her away .

    Holly spun in mid-air andnded gracefully; her HP had been reduced by about 10% . Normally, one third should have been shaved off .

    ¡°You¡¯re good . Haven¡¯t seen many rear fighters like you . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be happy even if I¡¯m praised by the likes of you . ¡±

    The skill Holly used was the Wind-type Magic skill ¡¾Feather Step¡¿, which generated wind around the user¡¯s body, to raise movement speed and lower received damage . It allowed acrobatic movements, but few managed to master it .

    ¡°Why not? Gotta eptpliments when you get¡¯em!¡±

    Looking genuinely excited and happy, Garga swung at Holly again .

    In response, Holly created an elemental wall of ice and earth to stop Garga, increasing the distance between them in an instant . Her wand, pointed at Garga, emitted a thin purple bolt of lightning .

    In the short time Garga would have needed to break down the wall, she had prepared the most powerful spell at her disposal .

    ¡°Blow him away!!¡±

    Thunder erupted from the wand .

    Garga was rushing towards Holly, but had jumped to the side when he saw her wand light up .

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    The thunderbolt was supposed to blow past him, but changed directions in midair, following the man .

    Garga barely managed to block it with his battleaxe . Despite managing to defend himself from Holly¡¯s powerful strike, he wasn¡¯t smiling anymore . He did not think that Holly had used a wall-type obstacle just to prepare an easily detectable attack with some homing properties from the front . His battle instinct told him not to let his guard down, and it was right .

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    The second after Garga parried the purple lightning, thunder struck from above . That was the magic skill used by Holly .

    ¡°Kah, you really are tough!¡±

    Not caring about his diminished HP, Garga charged towards Holly again . He had lost a mere 30% of his total HP .

    Garga was a heavy fighter type, focused on STR and VIT . He was thus prepared to counter light and thunder magic, which excelled in speed .

    ¡°¡­ . !!¡±

    Even if her enemy was drawing closer, Holly kept calmlyunching magic spells . A closebat bout between a mage and a magic warrior, however, would have a clear victor .

    Even if she was VRpatible, using attacks focused on speed meant that each blow was light . Some of the most powerful spells needed time to be charged .

    Garga had seen through this, so he gave up on using skills and simply charged forward, ready to take damage .

    Despite the barrage of spells, Garga swung the battleaxe, destroying Holly¡¯s wand; however, its de didn¡¯t stop there . Along with the wand, the axe tore through her robe and rent her body asunder .

    ¡°Darling, I¡¯m sor¡ª¡±

    Holly¡¯sst words were silenced by the booming sound of the second swing of the battleaxe .

    The first swing had cleaved Holly¡¯s torso in two, while the second had crushed her head . The second blow was a critical hit with instant death properties .

    Within the smoke and dust, a small white visual effect sparkled . When the view became clear again, nothing remained .

    ¡°OK then, next up the kids and the guards¡­hm?¡±

    Garga was nning to bring down the entrance and break in, but looking at his map made him furrowed his brow .

    The internal structure of all buildings, except public ones and the ones he was affiliated to, could not be seen from outside . The interior of buildings was treated like a different area .

    The only way to see inside the buildings was to actually go inside and map them .

    The map did not disy any yers, the buildings simply stood silently . All Garga could hear was the asional scream or noise of crumbling buildings .

    ¡°I see, so that woman came out alone to buy them time to flee . ¡±

    If they really meant to defeat him, it would be ridiculous not to confront him in a group .

    ¡°Sure pulled the wool over my eyes . Guess I¡¯ll just go back to d and¡ª!?¡±

    A shadow suddenly appeared right behind Garga as he was about to turn back . The de swung by the silhouette cut through his armor, but Garga managed to jump out of the way before receiving damage .

    Garga still had not regained his bnce, but the silhouette continued to attack fiercely . With a sound effect like shearing through the air, the attacker¡¯s de rushed towards Garga .

    ¡°Wooohhh!!!¡±

    Garga, while using hs battleaxe as a shield, released the me-type magic skill ¡¾Fireball¡¿towards the ground, using the wind caused by the st to gain distance from his opponent .

    A few secondster the ck-haired man, Shadow, appeared from the smoke and dust . His armor was in pieces, his HP less than half . Proof that he had broken through the monster hordes to get here .

    ¡°What¡¯s this now? We¡¯ve got a parade of interesting people today!!¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Garga was overjoyed to witness the arrival of another strong fighter, while Shadow prepared his weapon, nothing but wrath on his face . The hate seething within hadpletely changed the usually mild-mannered man .

    ¡°YOOOOOUUUU!!!!¡±

    Shadow¡¯s daggers swung at the same time as he screamed . It was a continuous attack based on the ninja¡¯s superior speed and was boosted by skills . The advanced yer¡¯s attacks targeted Garga¡¯s weak points as if sucked in by them .

    ¡°What, you¡¯re way sloppier than I expected . ¡±

    The light streak-like shes were blocked by Garga¡¯s weapon and armor . He had regained his bnce and now faced Shadow head on; receiving his blows diagonally cut their offensive power by half . It was an alternative use of the skill ¡¾Parry¡¿, used to deflect attacks .

    Garga¡¯s armor was inferior to his battleaxe in grade, but it still was a high quality item, dropped by monsters in a dungeon . As long as he didn¡¯t receive it head on, it would not be destroyed by a single blow .

    ¡°WOOOOOOHHHHH!!!¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear me¡­? I said, YOU¡¯RE SLOPPY!!¡±

    Shadow attacked while howling like a furious beast, and Garga roared back .

    Shadow¡¯s attacks were fast, but nothing more; because of the fury clouding his judgement, theycked all the technique they originally had .

    As a PK that had fought other yers to the death many times, Garga would not overlook such a thing . He blocked the shes with his gauntlets, let the armor¡¯s defensive power take the less powerful blows and drew closer to Shadow .

    Garga kicked the ground to elerate, then delivered not a swing with his trusted battleaxe, but a shoulder tackle making full use of his high STR and VIT . An orange-colored effect enveloped his body .

    Barehanded-type Martial skill ¡¾Shoulder Bomb¡¿ .

    It was a counter-type skill often used by yers who, like Garga, focused on defense more than speed .

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    Shadow was wary of the battleaxe, but in his enraged state he had failed to consider the possibility of a full body tackle . The dagger he instinctively pulled up as a shield was blown away by Garga¡¯s armor, leaving Shadow¡¯s torso open to the vicious blow from Garga¡¯s armor-d shoulder . Shadow was blown away several mel, crashing into the orphanage¡¯s wall .

    The reinforced wall cracked and partly copsed, as clear proof of the power of Garga¡¯s tackle .

    ¡°G¡­wah¡­¡±

    Shadow, crawling on the ground, desperately tried to stand again . Because of ¡¾Shoulder Bomb¡¿¡¯s effect, however, he was now affected with paralysis and could not even stand .

    His anti-status effect equipment, along with his armor, had their durability reduced to zero by Garga¡¯s attack and disappeared . His HP was now less than 20% .

    ¡°The mage woman that was here before you was so much better . ¡±

    His words got a reaction from Shadow . With an expression that in the real world would have likely been shedding tears of blood, Shadow reached towards his dagger with his barely moving arms .

    ¡°You¡¯ve got more killing intent at least . If you had fought me together, it would have been fun, I bet . ¡±

    Sighing at this lost opportunity, Garga raised his battleaxe while looking at the writhing Shadow . Even ifmenting in pain, the killing intent had not vanished from his eyes .

    Garga never spared promising yers, even if there was hope for a future bout . Even if fighting at full power would have proved an enjoyable experience, if they couldn¡¯t escape their fate at the time, he delivered the coup de grace without hesitation . That was one of the rules he imposed on himself .

    ¡°So long . ¡±

    The battleaxe came down .

    The dully shining de was about to sever Shadow¡¯s neck¡ªwhen, with a nging sound, it was knocked away .

    ¡°What the?¡±

    He looked at Shadow closer and noticed a half-transparent film covering his body .

    ¡°Tch, it¡¯s over then . Earlier than I expected . ¡±

    The film was a town-only automatic skill that prevented all damage to yers, ¡¾Law of Order¡¿ . The fact that it was active again meant that the monster invasion event had ended .

    Garga only realized when he saw it that he couldn¡¯t hear the monsters roaring anymore .

    ¡°Guess I got too much into it . Well, nothing else I can do now . ¡±

    Even Garga couldn¡¯t hurt other yers now that the hometown had recovered its functions . There was no point in staying there anymore, so he left .

    With Shadow¡¯s eyes full of killing intent fixated firmly on his back, Garga left while grinning evilly .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 10 Chapter 2.6: Chapter 2 Part 6

    Upon hearing that Marino had been kidnapped, Shin rushed straight to the specified location.

    He didn¡¯t even spare a thought about the monster invasion event being a coincidence or not.

    Using one of the monsters prowling the streets as a foothold, Shin jumped on the roof of a building. Any bird monsters trying to blow him away would get swept away with skills, but Shin ran forward without even ncing at the items they dropped.

    What filled his heart and morphed his expression was worry.

    The piece of paper Luca had showed coordinates and Marino¡¯s condition. What worried Shin was that Marino¡¯s life was in danger.

    The paper said that Marino was affected with ¡°Bloodred Poison¡±. If that was the truth, he had to reach the specified location as quickly as possible.

    Unlike a normal Poison status, which would leave at least 1 HP, the Bloodred Poison would continue consuming the yer¡¯s HP until it was healed or enough time passed. The continuous damage it caused was also much higher than regr Poison; with Marino¡¯s HP, she would not survive long.

    ¡°Please let me make it in time¡­¡±

    Even though Kalkia was a medium sized hometown, it was rather wide. There were houses for tens of thousands of yers, after all. With monsters in the way, not even Shin could traverse it quickly.

    He had shortcut skills to speed up movement, but because of the restrictions imposed by the invasion event, they could not be used at the moment.

    ¡°Out of the way!!¡±

    A dinosaur-like bipedal monster, Dynorex, poked its face in from the main road, but Shin blew its head away with a punch and secured a path. While the monster dposed in a myriad of polygons, Shin had already shifted his attention elsewhere.

    ¡°HYAAAHHHH!!!¡±

    That moment, several silhouettes appeared from behind the monsters, targeting Shin.

    The assants were not one or two. It was clearly an organized group of PK¡¯ers aiming to kill Shin. All of them, shing twisted grins and readying their weapons,unched magic spells.

    ¡°Tch, of all the times¡­!¡±

    Shin ignored the spells that would be automatically erased and rendered the PKs powerless with non-lethal skills.

    There were also advanced yers among them, however; many of them could not be stopped with just one blow. Shin would have never sumbed to them as long as he was careful, but he did not have a single second to waste.

    ¡°Better enjoy the party while itsts!!¡±

    ¡°Shut the hell up¡­I said get out of my way!!¡±

    Shin had no time to deal with the PKs, but now even the monsters were gathering around him.

    One on one, it would have been nothing to worry about, but if attacked in swarms like that, even Shin could not solve the situation quickly.

    With both monsters and yers attacking, the buildings crumbled because of the fighting. Magic arrows and bullets flew in from everywhere.

    Each one of them seemed to exist just to be an obstacle on his path.

    ¡°OUTTA THE WAY!!¡±

    Warmth, kindness, and hope gradually slipped away.

    In their ce, worry, fear, and rage gradually filled his heart.

    Just as if another person began to inhabit his body, the more time passed, the more the person called Shin changed.

    All obstacles between him and his destination were an eyesore. An irritation.

    His emotional change influenced his body too.

    Blow away the rubble with magic and create a path¡ªjust as Shin formted this n, a PK appeared before him.

    Shin could not react because of the now narrower field of view, but his body instinctively swung ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    ¡°Gah!!¡±

    ¡ºTrue Moon¡»¡¯s de struck the PK¡¯s chest, as if drawn towards it. It crushed the PK¡¯s armor and pierced through to his back. A critical hit. The PK¡¯s HP dropped to the red zone.

    It wasn¡¯t an instant death sh, but because of lingering damage the PK wouldst only a few more seconds. But despite being in mortal danger, the PK did not recover or leave and continued grappling with Shin.

    ¡°Haha, now you¡¯re a murd¡ª¡±

    Unable to finish his sentence, the PK exploded in a shower of polygons.

    But there was no need for him to finish his sentence. The word he had been about to pronounce was ¡°murderer¡±.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­screw off.¡±

    Shin regained his bnce in midair andnded on a building.

    He had taken a life. A human life.

    But aftermitting one of the so-called taboos for humanity, what Shin found himself saying¡­were not words of regret.

    ¡ªWhy are you in my way?

    I did what I could to avoid killing you, but you came to die regardless.

    ¡ª-what will you do if I amte because of you?

    ¡ª-what will you do if I get there and nothing is left?

    Dead yers leave nothing behind.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    Fear¡ª-the strongest emotion that Shin felt in this world was fear.

    Many had high expectations of him. He was afraid of betraying them.

    He fought with yers other than himself. He was afraid that misusing his power could end up with him killing others.

    Monster attacks decreased his HP gauge. He was afraid to see death creep closer and closer.

    What was now filling Shin¡¯s chest was the fear that Marino would die because she was involved with him. It terrified him more than betraying or killing someone, more than his own death.

    ¡°Guess I¡­don¡¯t need to hold back anymore, right?¡±

    Even if he held back, trying not to kill the PKs, they would use that against him. If he missed and hit a monster, he would have to defeat that monsterpletely too. Both monsters and PKs were trying to kill him without a care for his thoughts.

    ¡°You¡¯reing to kill me, so I can kill you too, right? There¡¯s no reason to leave PKs alive, is there?¡±

    These questions served the purpose of removing Shin¡¯s self-imposed bonds and worked as an ultimatum to the PKs.

    What returned to him were not words, but des ready to kill.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    The approaching de was met by Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    After a very brief resistance, the PK¡¯s longsword snapped. ¡ºTrue Moon¡» did not stop, cutting through the opponent¡¯s armor and cleaving it in two along with the body it adorned.

    ¡°Khah¡­.¡±

    The PK, his body severed in half, left a gutturalugh behind as he vanished in a burst of polygons.

    Shin looked at his arm, which had swung the de to the end, and thought.

    ¡°Yeah, this way is definitely faster.¡±

    He finally felt free from the annoyance he experienced before and hopeful about making it in time. There was no trace of guilt in him for the life he had just taken.

    Humans are not shy of sacrificing others for the sake of their loved ones.

    The people present there were also unworthy of any pity or pangs of conscience, even if they were sacrificed.

    ¡°(Don¡¯t get in my way. If you do, you die.)¡±

    A single phrase to express everything Shin felt.

    Cutting down the PKs that, relentless, came to attack him, Shin checked the shortest path to his destination. He released a magic skill that traveled on a straight path and rushed behind it, as to chase it.

    No matter who or what blocked his path, he would sh, crush, break, and kill. For Shin, the PKs were now equal to the monsters invading the hometown.

    ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±

    Faster, faster.

    Using the wind caused by the magic skill¡¯s sts and the enemies¡¯ attacks, Shin elerated towards the destination. His avatar could not exceed the current speed, but using other elements allowed him to go faster.

    His feelings towards killing had changed, but his concern was notpletely dispelled.

    Maybe because he now knew about her illness, he couldn¡¯t stop picturing a suffering Marino in his mind. He kept trying to ignore such thoughts as he pushed forward.

    About 20 minutes after he left the orphanage, Shin arrived at the specified location. It had taken him around two times the normal time to reach it.

    There he found three people. Robin, d¡­and Marino.

    ¡°Did I¡­make it in time¡­?¡±

    Maybe she had recovered with items or skills, or she wouldn¡¯t have any HP left. The status ailment appeared to be still affecting her, as Marino¡¯s status clearly showed the words ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿. She still had about 40% of her HP.

    After confirming Marino¡¯s condition, Shin stopped for a moment. He made sure that no one was hiding nearby to ambush him and activated ¡¾Hiding¡¿, preparing to rescue Marino.

    Just then, however, d pulled out his de and pointed it at Marino¡¯s neck.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re there!! Come out!!¡±

    Robin, who was next to him, shouted. They had sensed his approach, apparently.

    ¡°I-If you don¡¯te out, I don¡¯t know what will happen to her!!¡±

    As to stress Robin¡¯s words, the tip of d¡¯s sword pressed harder on Marino¡¯s skin. Marino¡¯s HP, which were already lower than half, decreased a little more.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Shin felt something ck and thick, like tar, swell in his chest.

    It was different from the feeling of cutting down the PKs and monsters standing in his way. It was something clearer, a vivid desire for murder.

    ¡°I¡¯m right here!!¡±

    After activating several magic skills, Shin appeared before d.

    ¡°Yes¡­now I¡¯m finally free of him!! Now I just need to go back to the real world and everything will be alright!! Hahaha!! Hahahahaha!!!¡±

    In utter contrast with the expressionless Shin, Robin was rejoicing. Shin did not know what was the reason behind this outburst of happiness, but it was hardly the time to think about that.

    Marino, immobilized by paralysis, implored Shin to forget about her through her expression. But he would never grant such a request.

    ¡°I came, just like you wanted. Now let Marino go.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!! Now you just need to clear the game and everything will end!! Go back to clearing dungeons!! Noooo!!!¡±

    Robin¡¯s clearly abnormal reactions started to concern Shin. Responding emotionally would be meaningless in cases like this.

    Shin turned his eyes towards the smiling d.

    As he did, d put a hand on Robin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Sir Robin, please calm down, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­yes, I got it¡­¡±

    d appeared to be superior in the rtion between the two; Robin quieted down like a put out fire.

    ¡°What¡¯s your goal?¡±

    ¡°My goal, you say. Let me see. I suppose it would be this very situation.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Shin was confused, but d retained his smile.

    ¡°You are strong. Among the yers present in this world, you are worthy of the title of strongest. Despite standing on such a peak, you would have me allow such trash to associate with you?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    He was basically saying that Marino was useless for someone like Shin.

    d¡¯s gloating expression clearly showed that he fully understood how these words disgusted Shin. Shin could understand such a way of thinking.

    ¡±I couldn¡¯t care less about your selfish nonsense! Give me back Marino!¡±

    Shin ran forward even before finishing his sentence. He ignored the obviously inferior Robin and targeted d, whom he believed to be the main culprit.

    At the same time, the ground around the spot where Marino was lying swelled upwards, forming a barrier as to protect her and projecting spikes made of soil in four directions at the same time.

    The branch-like protruding spikes knocked d¡¯s -who had quickly dodged- sword away and pierced Robin -who failed to react in time- in the right shoulder and left thigh.

    Shin had activated the Earth-type magic skill ¡¾Earth Branch¡¿, which was usually created around the user, around Marino instead.

    Shin had not gone closer right away after being called out because the skill required a certain time before activating when used at long distances.

    After temporarily separating the two from Marino, Shin went on to attack d. He could not rest easy after just knocking his sword away.

    There should not be any other yers in hiding, but Shin focused on the grip on ¡ºTrue Moon¡», thinking of getting rid of such a troublesome opponent as soon as possible.

    ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re skipping the hostage anding straight at me?¡±

    In response to Shin¡¯s charge from the front, d took out another sword. That same moment, a shadow appeared above Shin.

    The creature that had pulled in its wings and suddenly started descending was an Elder Green Dragon. At level 701, it was a monster only advanced yers could dare to face.

    d¡¯s main job was Dragon Knight. It was unusual for him to be fighting without a dragon, but it appeared that he had kept him on standby at a certain distance.

    Shin nced at the flying dragon and concluded it wouldn¡¯t be a threat. Based on the speed of its fall, Shin would lock des with his opponent faster.

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡» swung towards d. But an instant before their des shed, a yellow effect enveloped d.

    The effect that struck ¡ºTrue Moon¡» emitted a loud, hard sound and shattered. Thanks to that d could block Shin¡¯s weakened blow without losing his bnce, albeit while carving a track on the ground with his feet.

    ¡°YOU¡­!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s voice brimmed with anger. He noticed that the shattered effect came from the item that originally protected Marino. The item that Shin had given to Marino for self-defense now sparkled on d¡¯s neck.

    ¡°As expected of a High Human. I would have been in real trouble if I had used my normal weapon.¡±

    d then jumped away from the sh. Shin tried to reduce the distance again, but the flying Elder Green Dragon unleashed its wind breath to oppose him.

    As monster breath was an attack that possessed both physical and magical properties, even with high magic resistance Shin could not fully negate it. The damage itself was minimal, but the breath blocked his sight and made it difficult to attack.

    In addition, there was something else clearly bizarre about d.

    (This is weird. Why does he have two of them?)

    Shin was looking at the weapon d was wielding.

    In THE NEW GATE, some items had limitations in the number that yers could equip at the same time. The sword that d equipped on each hand, ¡ºExcalibur¡», was one of them; a yer could only equip 1 at any given time.

    ¡°Never mind that now.¡±

    It was not the time to think about that. What was needed now was to cut down d as soon as possible.

    Ancient-grade weapons had far higher durability than others, so destroying them would prove difficult. Shin activated another magic skill.

    The thundernce and light bullets,unched with no chanting and thus little to none preparatory movements, left afterimages in the air.

    It was a blow that d could not avoid as long as he hadn¡¯t focused heavily on AGI. It weakened as it closed in on d, however, and ultimately took off just 10% of his HP.

    ¡°You raised your resistance with items, huh?¡±

    ¡°Correct. Thunder and light cannot be dodged easily, so I prepared adequate countermeasures.¡±

    He had not been affected by the thunder skill¡¯s paralysis either. He had prepared countermeasures against status ailments too, evidently.

    ¡°Haha! To cross swords with the strongest is not bad at all either!¡±

    After nullifying Shin¡¯s magic, d leapt in the air and rode on the Green Elder Dragon¡¯s back. As dragon rider, he could unleash the full potential of his job, dragon knight.

    d and the Green Elder Dragon¡¯s stats rose, as the emerald-colored de of light ¡¾Effect de¡¿ appeared around ¡ºExcalibur¡»¡¯s de. It was an effect that extended weapon reach if the yer used weapons other than long ones while riding.

    ¡°Here I go!¡±

    He had probably used a skill. Everytime d swung his de, emerald green shes flew towards Shin. Shin nned to blow them away with ¡ºTrue Moon¡» and shoot down the flying opponent with magic.

    Thunder and light could not cause decisive damage, so Shin shot fire-elemental magic towards the sky. He let his MP do the talking and shot bullets of fire in all directions.

    Hebined fast and slow bullets in order to fill d¡¯s surroundings with a barrage of fire.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite haphazard.¡±

    Looking at the balls of fire gathering all around him, d chuckled dryly.

    Because of the dragon¡¯srge body, he needed a wide enough space to maneuver. Expecting this, Shin ced his fire bullets at an altitude slightly higher than d and his dragon¡¯s current position.

    An advanced dragon such as the Elder Green Dragon would not flinch even if hit by fire bullets. But because of Shin¡¯s high INT, the offensive power of each bullet was ridiculously high.

    d did not try to force his way through the fireball hail, as he probably understood that if even just one hit the dragon¡¯s wings, they would crash immediately. Even a powerful dragon cannot fly freely once its wings are rendered useless. In that case it would simply turn into arge target.

    ¡°Time to die.¡±

    All fire bullets were detonated at the same time. They did not strike directly, but the swelling st they caused ravaged d and his dragon. At the same time of the explosion, Shin ran towards Marino.

    While riding the dragon, d¡¯s movements were severely limited even within the st. In this situation, he could not act quicker than Shin as thetter went to heal Marino¡¯s status condition.

    The most important thing was to rescue Marino, not defeat d.

    Ignoring Robin, who had been blown away by the st of wind caused by the explosion, Shin rushed towards Marino.

    The moment before he could touch Marino, held in a slightly higher position by ¡¾Earth Branch¡¿, Shin saw her disappear and be reced by a scorched Elder Green Dragon.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin swallowed his breath. He had an idea about the phenomenon he had just witnessed, however, and immediately checked his map. Marino¡¯s response came from next to d.

    ¡°¡¾Position Shift¡¿, huh¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±

    From the smoke caused by the explosion appeared d, in tatters, carrying Marino at his side.

    ¡¾Position Shift¡¿ was a skill exclusive of Tamers and Dragon Knights, which allowed the yer to swap locations with their monster partner. It was also applicable to party members, but Shin had not thought that d and Marino could have formed a party and gritted his teeth at his own carelessness.

    ¡°Making her join my party was child¡¯s y. It is not time for games anymore, though. The finale is upon us.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°There must be a reason why we took a hostage, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°You want me to hurry up with the dungeon clearing, right?¡±

    Hearing what Robin had said, Shin thought that the reason must have been that.

    ¡°Haha, oh please. If we just meant to urge you to act quicker, there would be no point of doing this here and now. As for the hostage-taking too, luring a yer outside the Hometown would allow us to attack them without restrictions too.¡±

    ¡°What do you want, then!?¡±

    ¡°I said it right at the start. To take out the trash. But just assassinating her would have risked to simply depress you, so we created a bit of a show. I know how attached you are to this woman. If she was killed in front of your eyes, what would happen to you, I wonder?¡±

    ¡°You bastard¡­¡±

    The tone of Shin¡¯s words was chilling.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it! That¡¯s the real you. Not soft or dull, but a de sharpened to perfection. Yes, that¡¯s the face I wanted to see!!¡±

    d¡¯sugh almost sounded insane.

    Marino opened her mouth, as if trying to say something, but could not utter anything because of the paralysis still affecting her.

    ¡°Yes, this is the finale!!¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t!!¡±

    As d raised his sword, Shin activated a magic skill. He had prepared more than one before the conflict.

    Blue mes raged up from the ground and surrounded Marino.

    ¡°Gwah!!¡±

    Burned by the mes suddenly appearing at his feet, d let Marino go. Shin noticed it and immediately ran to her. Marino¡¯s HP were already below 20%; there was no more time.

    Because of the passage of time, Marino¡¯s paralysis was almost gone; she stood up and ran towards Shin too.

    The mes were now gone. Being in d¡¯s party and considered an enemy of Shin¡¯s, Marino had been damaged too. Shin had chosen the magic considering this possibility too.

    ¡°SHIN!!¡±

    ¡°MARINO!!¡±

    ¡°Kah!!¡±

    d chased after Marino. But Shin¡¯s eleration, even if not boosted, would let him reach her first.

    No one could get in the way now. Not monsters nor PKs.

    He would protect Marino and defeat d. Tell Luca that Marino was all right, so she wouldn¡¯t worry.

    That¡¯s what Shin thought. That¡¯s how it was supposed to go.

    If only Marino still had some time left.

    ¡°Ah¡­.¡±

    Marino uttered a soft sigh. Like a marite with her strings cut, she copsed on the ground. Her hands fell too, unable to grab Shin¡¯s.

    ¡°It appears that this was inevitable.¡±

    d had been the first to reach Marino. His burnt hands had not let go of ¡ºExcalibur¡», and its de had pierced Marino without the slightest hesitation.

    Shin¡¯s eyes opened wide.

    Marino¡¯s avatar, even if pierced by ¡ºExcalibur¡», still existed. Strangely enough, even after being struck by an Ancient-grade weapon, she still had HP left.

    ¡°Did you do something? But as long as things are like this, it matters little.¡±

    Shin was now closer to Marino, but not close enough to be next to her in one leap.

    In front of his eyes, d mercilessly thrusts¡ºExcalibur¡»again.

    To his surprise, however, the sword could not pierce Marino.

    ¡°!? This can¡¯t be!¡±

    Maybe because of the impact, Marino¡¯s body shook every time d struck it. His sword, however, was repelled each time, with a metallic-sounding effect.

    Immediately after d had started attacking, the words ¡°CONNECTION ERROR¡± appeared over Marino¡¯s avatar.

    ¡°Tch!!¡±

    Apparently not seeing the newly disyed words, d continued thrusting obsessively.

    ¡°STOOOOOOOOOPP!!!!¡±

    With a scream, Shin¡¯s sword attacked d. Even if his sword wasn¡¯t actually hitting her, in Shin¡¯s eyes d was cruelly skewering Marino¡¯s body.

    Swung with enough power to break it, ¡ºTrue Moon¡» shed against ¡ºExcalibur¡» with a high-pitched sound.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    Because of its stats, ¡ºTrue Moon¡» could not go as far as shattering ¡ºExcalibur¡». The offensive power of this attack, however, could not be merely blocked; d was thrown backwards by the impact, sent crashing into a nearby building.

    ¡°Marino!! Hey, Pull yourself together!!¡±

    Shin chose to go to Marino instead of continuing to attack d. When he held her, her eyes opened just slightly and met his.

    Something was off. Shin was right in front of her, but Marino didn¡¯t see him.

    ¡°Ah¡­ah¡­I¡­¡±

    She appeared to still be conscious; while her eyes swayed left and right, she was trying to say something.

    ¡°Aah¡­so this¡­is it¡­¡±

    ¡°Marino?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­so¡­sorry¡­.sor¡­¡±

    ¡°Why!? Why are you apologizing!!¡±

    Marino¡¯s lips continued uttering broken apologies. Not wanting to know what they could mean, Shin held Marino more tightly. She would not answer anymore, however.

    ¡°Finally¡­I¡­decided¡±

    A hazy expression on her face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home¡­¡±

    Marino continued.

    ¡°Every¡­one¡­toget¡­her¡­not¡­game¡­.real¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­.Marino?¡±

    Marino¡¯s words, spoken while she was looking at something not of this world, finally trailed away.

    ¡°Hey, answer me.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going back together, right!?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Luca is¡­yeah, Luca¡¯s crying. She¡¯s crying a lot, I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­answer me already¡­.!¡±

    Marino did not respond. It was as if she had frozen after uttering herst words and did not move an inch anymore.

    ¡°ERROR. yer output cannot be detected. Please verify connection.¡±

    An emotionless system message was returned instead.

    ¡°ERROR. yer output cannot be detected¡ª¡ª¡±

    Shin could not understand what the system message meant.

    ¡°ERROR. yer output cannot¡ª¨C¡±

    No, he didn¡¯t want to understand.

    ¡°ERROR. yer¡ª¨C¡±

    Because that¡­

    ¡°ERROR¡ª¨C¡±

    Meant nothing but¡­.

    ¡°ERR¡ª¨C¡±

    Marino had died.

    ¡°SHUT THE HELL UUUUUUPP!!!!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s emotions had crossed the limit.

    If he didn¡¯t let out such overwhelming feelings, he could go crazy.

    yer output not detected. That meant that there were connection troubles or the yer had died in the real world. Looking at how Marino acted until a moment ago, it was too convenient to consider a broken connection as the cause.

    ¡°Haha, well, it did not go exactly as expected, but I suppose that was fate.¡±

    The sound of falling rubble reached Shin¡¯s ears. If Shin had looked in the direction of the sound, he would have seen d standing back up. As price paid for receiving ¡ºTrue Moon¡»¡¯s attack, he had lost an arm.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was waiting for those eyes. People with something important to protect¡­they are so frail. Now, this very moment, you are perf¡ª¡±

    Without waiting for d to finish talking, Shin¡¯s sword arm moved. Thanks to the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Ground Shrink¡¿ he moved instantly next to d and shed towards his neck.

    d could not even react to Shin¡¯s movements.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Surprised by the metallic sound ringing near his neck, d stood dumbfounded, as Shin silently brandished his ¡ºTrue Moon¡».

    shes like shes of light struck sudden death points such as forehead and heart, while others were aimed at d¡¯s legs to stop him from moving.

    All of them, however, were repelled by the skill protecting the hometown. Not even Shin could do something in such a situation.

    ¡°Ku¡­hahaha. Looks like time¡¯s over. I¡¯m looking forward to your future feats.¡±

    Even after being blown away by the impact, d left these words before teleporting away.

    Shin looked at him leave, then sheathed ¡ºTrue Moon¡». After a few moments, he let out a small sigh and turned towards Marino.

    ¡°¡­.sorry for dropping you.¡±

    Shin hugged Marino again and apologized. His expression was no more filled with bloodlust and now looked peaceful.

    Before his unnatural smile, a new message appeared.

    ¡°F-type Avatar number 193405. Will you acquire? YES/NO¡±

    In the death game, empty avatars were apparently treated as items.

    Shin read the message and slowly chose YES. Marino¡¯s body turned into a card and was deposited in Shin¡¯s item box.

    Shin teleported to an area with a hill with a nice view. It was a small area Shin had obtained ownership of in an event.

    ¡°You liked this ce, didn¡¯t you.¡±

    Flowers of many colors bloomed on the hill.

    The sky over the hill was clear and sunny throughout the day, the weather there would never be cloudy or rainy.

    Shinid Marino¡¯s avatar card down in a spot perfect for resting in peace. He activated a skill and the card sank into the ground, with a small gravestone being formed in its ce.

    The skill used by Shin was usually used by Tamers to make graves for their monster partners.

    Monsters did not die if their HP reached zero, but in certain events parent monsters would give birth to progeny and die.

    That was the only reason skill existed, and many yers ignored it even did.

    Shin could have kept the card with himself, but chose not to.

    Not cremation, not burial. Carrying a body with him seemed wrong to Shin, even within a game.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Shin stood before Marino¡¯s gravestone. Despite the warm wind blowing around him, Shin felt cold to the core.

    The cold had probably frozen even his tears, who wouldn¡¯t flow no matter how much he waited.

    ¡°¡­.I¡¯lle to see you.¡±

    After an unspecified amount of time, Shin whispered.

    We will be together even after the death game. Even if that wish could not be granted, he will make herst wordse true.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Marino¡¯sst words. Shin didn¡¯t know who she had said them to. Even so, he wanted to make them be reality.

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    After serenely whispering again herst words, Shin¡¯s expression changedpletely. Or rather, all emotion disappeared from it.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone in the way.¡±

    Obstacles to the path leading back to reality. Obstacles to those who lived their lives earnestly.

    ¡°So please give me just some time.¡±

    Shin¡¯s equipment changed. From anti-monster equipment to anti-yer equipment. To equipment meant to kill.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep my promise after I erase them all.¡±

    Shin turned his back to Marino¡¯s grave.

    Maybe it was a coincidence that the teleportation point to the Hometown, hidden by trees, was now in the shade. Or maybe it reflected the state of mind of its owner.

    Shin¡¯s silhouette as he teleported, his facial features twisted in a grimace, made it seem like he was disappearing into total darkness.

 Vol 10 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    This monster invasion event created more casualties than any previous such event .

    Starting with PKs disguised as town defense corps, it culminated in an invasion of monsters with much greater numbers and levels than usual .

    Thanks to the efforts of many yers, the assault could be dealt with in a rtively short time, but many yers with production-rted jobs as well as those who had chosen to stay in the city had lost their lives . Many yers just stood speechless before the stores and homes that were reduced to piles of rubble .

    The bad news, however, continued .

    A high-ranked member of the guild that was in charge of the town¡¯s defenses had been killed by one of the PKs that went on a killing spree during the monsters¡¯ rampage . There were also many casualties among the members closest to the guildmaster, meaning that the clearing of the dungeons would surely go slower .

    Both production-type and fighting-type jobs had suffered imensurable damage .

    And the same thing happened at the orphanage too .

    Because of the barrier¡¯s destruction thanks to Garga, the orphanage had lost its protection and had been severely damaged due to the battles between yers and monsters .

    Emil¡¯s expression after returning from the temporary shelter was dispirited . The children, too, stopped in their tracks as they arrived on the premises .

    ¡°Holly¡­¡±

    Despite knowing how futile it was, Emil looked for Holly, who had remained behind to buy time for her and the children to escape, and stepped closer .

    Soon, she found a man leaning against one of the orphanage walls ¨C Shadow .

    ¡°Shadow!! You¡¯re safe! I was worried, you know?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Even after the monsters had been wiped out, Emil could not make a chat connection with Shadow .

    Shadow barely nced towards Emil, but showed no other response .

    ¡°Did Holly¡­die¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . yeah . ¡±

    His answer left no doubts . Emil could not say anything more .

    Even though she had already a suspicion of Holly¡¯s death before asking Shadow, she still had to ask to make sure . When a yer in the friend list died, their names changed from white to semi-transparent .

    ¡°Shadow? Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±

    Emil tried to stop Shadow, who stood up and started walking away, silently . He was clearly very different than usual .

    ¡°¡­ . . ¡±

    ¡°Hey, listen when¡ª-¡±

    Emil grabbed Shadow¡¯s shoulders as he walked away and forcefully turned him towards her . The sharpness of the light in his eyes, however, left her speechless and unable to move .

    Emil herself was apetent fighter . She had fought alongside Holly and Shadow before and knew the severe expression he had when fighting .

    However, she had never seen an expression like this on his face before .

    The chill she felt while looking at him froze her .

    ¡°¡­ . take care of the kids . ¡±

    Saying only this to the immobile Emil, Shadow left in the opposite direction of the children .

    His ragged equipment and unstable pace, coupled with the atmosphere surrounding him, made him seem like a ghost .

    ¡°¡ª¨C¡±

    Chilling whispers came out of Shadow¡¯s mouth .

    Unable to say anything or think of any other response, Emil could only watch him leave .

    ¡±(I¡¯m going to kill him, no matter what . )¡±

    As he walked away, Shadow left a short message, filled to the brim with fierce killing intent, which to Emil felt more like a roar .

    After burying Marino, Shin teleported back to Kalkia and went to check on the orphanage . The barrier he had put up to protect it would have easily stopped the monsters that invaded Kalkia; it was supposed to be one of the few safe locations in the city .

    What he was greeted with, however, were the cries of the children in front of the broken down building .

    ¡°The barrier¡­is gone?¡±

    Shin had a bad premonition because of this anomaly and examined the partly destroyed building . Doing so, he then found Ryohei and Teppei sitting against a door .

    ¡°Ah, Shin¡­¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    The ever-energetic Teppei looked nowpletely spent . Shin looked from Teppei, looking down quietly, to Ryohei, who, in a barely audible tone, whispered: ¡°Ms . Holly¡¯s dead . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I see . Where¡¯s Shadow?¡±

    ¡°Dunno . He¡¯s not here, at least . ¡±

    Shin simply repeated, ¡°I see . ¡± He then opened the orphanage¡¯s door . There, he saw Emil along with the older children trying to calm down the endlessly crying younger ones .

    ¡°Shin!!¡±

    Emil noticed Shining in and quickly approached him . Maybe because of the heavy atmosphere the orphanage was enveloped in, her expression looked tense too .

    ¡°You¡¯re all right . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­kind of¡±

    She had reached him, but seemed to not know what to say .

    ¡°I heard¡­Holly died . ¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah . You¡­well, I don¡¯t know what to say . . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about choosing words, please . She didn¡¯t have much time left anyway . ¡±

    If the kidnapping incident didn¡¯t happen, Marino might be still alive . There was the concrete possibility that a major stress had caused the attack .

    It was pointless to think about that now, though . Even if yers who died in the death game would wake up in the real world, this didn¡¯t include Marino .

    This kind of small hope didn¡¯t exist either . Her death was something definite .

    ¡°¡­ . where¡¯s Luca?¡±

    ¡°Look, she¡¯s over there . ¡±

    Emil pointed at Luca, sitting and hugging her knees . When she noticed Shining closer, she clearly gasped and ran up to him .

    ¡°Marino!?¡±

    Luca¡¯s gaze looked to Shin and then to the rest of the room, probably looking for Marino .

    ¡°¡­ . . sorry . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Luca stopped . She didn¡¯t understand why Shin was apologizing .

    Shin had no intention to hide anything, though . He knew that telling a small child like Luca about Marino¡¯s death was cruel, but he didn¡¯t want to lie .

    ¡°I¡­couldn¡¯t protect Marino . Marino¡¯s¡­ . . she¡¯s not with us anymore . ¡±

    Shin spoke while looking Luca in the eyes . She was silent for a while .

    As she understood Shin¡¯s words, however, tears filled her eyes .

    ¡°Marino¡¯s¡­not with us?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t see her anymore¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah . ¡±

    Shin answered in a soulless voice . Every time he did, Luca¡¯s expression twisted more .

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    The moment tears filled her eyes, Luca¡¯s rejection of being separated spilled out .

    Not a momentter, she started crying loudly while calling Marino¡¯s name . Her voice was so loud, so filled with sadness, that the other crying children were surprised and stopped crying .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know what to say . He didn¡¯t know how to console poor Luca, who was wailing while still hugging him .

    He had failed in his promise of protecting Marino, but Luca didn¡¯t me Shin .

    Luca¡¯s tears and crying contained nothing but sheer, utter sadness .

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s whisper was drowned out by Luca¡¯s wailing .

    He didn¡¯t move until Luca, tired of crying, fell asleep .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Are you going?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Please take care of the children . ¡±

    Shin ced Luca on a bed, then told Emil that he wouldn¡¯t be visiting the orphanage for a while .

    Emil didn¡¯t try to stop him: she just looked on at him, worried .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s fine for me to say something like this, but don¡¯t you go die . I¡¯m sick of seeing people I know disappear . ¡±

    Shin smiled to reassure Emil and turned his back to the orphanage .

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry . I¡¯m not going to die¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-I¡¯m going to kill . ¡±

    Hisst whisper did not reach anyone¡¯s ears .

    As he left the orphanage, Shin entered a deserted alley and concealed his figure with a long hooded robe . It was the superior Ancient-grade ¡ºHollow Shade Tatters¡», with all bonus points spent on concealment .

    Just like the name indicated, it looked just like a tattered old robe, but it had the effect of making the wearer undetectable by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ or other search-type skills, as long as the wearer had 100 or more DEX than the caster .

    If Shin wore it, the number of current yers who could detect him could be probably counted on one hand .

    Hiding within ¡ºHollow Shade Tatters¡», Shin silently proceeded through the alley .

    After about five minutes, he came upon a wooden door . It looked like a restaurant¡¯s backdoor, a perfectly normal sight for a back alley . Using an appraisal skill on it, however, revealed that it possessed a sturdiness unthinkable from its appearance .

    Shin opened the door, which was actually made in a material sturdier than even Orichalcum, to enter in a dimly lit bar with soft music ying in the background .

    The bartender was a man around 40 years old with ash gray hair slicked back . The atmosphere in the bar was calm and collected . The bartender was just as Shin heard and was the information broker he was looking for .

    At a nce, the interior looked like a famed bar only true connoisseurs would know, but most clients were hiding their features with masks or capes . There was no board outside to signal the presence of a bar either .

    This was a bar where all guests shared amon goal .

    ¡°Gimlet . ¡±

    The bartender came closer to his seat and Shin ordered a cocktail after cing a coin on the counter .

    The bartender took the coin, looked at the red coin under it, then at Shin again . After staring at the new visitor for a few seconds, he took out lime and a bottle of gin to start preparing the cocktail .

    While the bartender was preparing the drink, Shin received a voice chat call .

    ¡°(Are you a hunter? Or a hound?)¡±

    The call hade from the bartender in front of him .

    ¡°(Hunter . )¡±

    Shin answered the question in one word .

    ¡°(¡­your name . )¡±

    ¡°(Shin . )¡±

    The bartender¡¯s shaker stopped for a second, only to move again immediately, as if nothing had happened .

    ¡°I apologize for the wait . Here¡¯s your gimlet . ¡±

    The bartender, who had prepared the drink in silence, offered the ss to Shin .

    A piece of paper could be seen poking out from the coaster under the cocktail ss .

    Shin downed the drink and took the piece of paper . Pretending not to notice the bar¡¯s upants eyes on him, he quickly left .

    Shin exited the alley and arrived into a crowded street, then entered the first eatery he could find, ordered something, and finally opened the piece of paper . The piece of paper was wrapped a small, 1-cemel square card that contained a set of coordinates pointing to somewhere in Kalkia .

    ¡°It disappears after you open it, huh . ¡±

    Shin memorized the coordinates, but before he could discard the piece of paper, it had already vanished in a myriad of tiny polygons . The small card was still in his hand . While honestly admiring the intricacy of that method, Shin checked the presences in the surroundings, but did not find any relevant responses . No one was tailing him, apparently .

    Shin wolfed down the food he had ordered and immediately headed for the location pointed out by the coordinates .

    The location, near a teleportation point, looked just like any other two-story general store .

    Shin knew, however, that the appearance was just camouge . The store was lined with items, but other than the clerk no one was inside .

    Shin took a random item and brought it to the register . When he paid, he handed the card to the clerk too .

    ¡°¡­ . please go inside . ¡±

    The clerk was surprised an instant after seeing the card and reading Shin¡¯s name, but quickly returned to his former nk expression .

    Shin proceeded in the back of the store, as the clerk had told him to . The corridor led to a room used for negotiating with customers . The clerk silently pushed a table aside and lifted arge floor tile, which revealed a set of stairs leading downwards .

    ¡°Please proceed by yourself . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . ¡±

    Shin acknowledge the clerk¡¯s statement and descended the stone stairs .

    The barely lit stairs formed a spiral; following them for a while led to a sturdy-looking door just like the one at the bar¡¯s entrance . Shin touched the handle and the door opened surprisingly easily .

    All the yers in the room beyond the door expressed their surprise at Shin¡¯s arrival, either through their expressions or gestures .

    ¡°So you came too . ¡±

    Just as Shin was thinking what to do, a man wearing the same tattered cloak spoke to him .

    Shin turned towards this familiar voice and found Shadow . Shin had heard from Emil that he had gone missing after the monster invasion event . Finding him here meant that the reason behind his disappearance was the same .

    ¡°I imagined you would be here . ¡±

    Holly had died to buy time for the orphanage children to escape from the PKs¡¯ attack . It was not strange then for Shadow to be here, a base of the PKK guild ¡°Avidya¡± .

    When ¡°Avidya¡± was first formed, it was apparently amunity for yers whosepanions had been killed by PKs to exchange information, but now it wasposed of members who exchanged information and raised funds and others who actively hunted down PKs; a guild specialized in tracking and killing PKs .

    As long as one followed the two rules: no betrayal and no hesitation of getting one¡¯s hands dirty, anyone -women and children included- was allowed to join .

    Of course, there were yers who, like Shin, belonged to other guilds too .

    The yers who had created a guild with close friends, but were now alone, were many too .

    As yers could not belong to more than one guild at the same time, they were not official members but assisted the guild with information gathering, fundraising as external supporters, or as field troops .

    The question the bartender asked Shin meant if he was a Hound (rear support) or Hunter (field trooper) .

    Whether one was allowed to join the guild or not, however, depended on the guildmaster¡¯s judgment . If a yer was refused they would never receive any information from ¡°Avidya¡±, no matter how much they pleaded .

    ¡°If you ever get information about a man named Garga, tell me . ¡±

    Shadow spoke with a hate-drenched tone Shin had never heard from him before .

    ¡°He¡¯s the one that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I will have my revenge . ¡±

    In the guild, yers used their information, money or fighting power as currency to have others exact revenge for them or to obtain information on who they wanted to take revenge on .

    Advanced yers like Shin and Shadow would surely join the field troops . Even if facing against opponents they didn¡¯t know or never met before, as long as they were PKs they would swing their des without hesitation .

    ¡°Then if you learn anything about a man named d, please let me know . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s informationwork had not found anything about d¡¯s whereabouts .

    PKs were originally all experts at hiding . d was especially skilled; when Shin had met him in front of the orphanage d had mentioned the name of the Savage Lions¡¯ Lao, leader of the Explosive Legs corps, but thetter said that he knew no d .

    Apparently traitors had infiltrated the ¡°Savage Lions¡± and Lao was now busy with finding the rotten apples .

    ¡°Hey there, you¡¯re the new guys the guildmaster talked about?¡±

    After talking with Shadow, Shin was thinking of asking around for the method to gather information, when a man with ck bandages covering most of his face approached him .

    Shin immediately activated ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but because of the building¡¯s restrictions the skill did not disy any information . The store apparently also functioned as guild house . In a guild house, all skills other thanbat ones had their usage restricted .

    ¡°¡­ . yes, no mistake about that . Should we say our names?¡±

    ¡°Nah, we don¡¯t use character names here . Members generally identify themselves using numbers . I¡¯m called Six, I¡¯m kind of in charge of the field troops . Your number will be One, the guy there gets Three . Use that from now on . ¡±

    ¡°Do the numbers mean anything?¡±

    ¡°This is where field troopers gather . Numbers here obviously mean power rankings, right? ¡­well, normally I¡¯d have you show me how good you are, but you two are pretty famous . Especially this guy here, I bet it¡¯s rare to find yers who never heard of you . ¡±

    The man speaking to Shin and Shadow had clouded eyes, but it did not seem to be because of greed or other desires . Based on what he said, he seemed to know about Shin too, despite the ¡ºHollow Shade Tatters¡» concealing him .

    ¡°My face is hidden, though . ¡±

    ¡°You said your name to the bartender, didn¡¯t you? He¡¯s our guildmaster, Garanagal . ¡±

    The guildmaster himself was in charge of evaluating new members . Thinking about it, the bartender¡¯s piercing gaze had that much intensity in it .

    ¡°There must be a One and Three already, no? If you keep changing names every time someone new joins, no one will know who¡¯s who anymore . ¡±

    ¡°No worries there . The rankings don¡¯t change easily, and if they do we get noticed . One and Three were empty slots anyway . There are plenty of our members who went to attack a PKir and never came back, after all . ¡±

    The two empty slots apparently belonged to two members who had left this world . Before doing so, however, they had apparently taken down a great number of high-ranked members of the PK guild ¡°Ouroboros¡¯ Hollow¡± . Six added that while they had failed in ying the guildmaster, the guild¡¯s scope of activities will likely decrease .

    ¡°So where can we get information about PKs?¡±

    ¡°Ask the woman over there . Her name¡¯s Calmia . ¡±

    Six pointed at a woman wearing a light purple veil and Arabian-like clothing, who smiled as Shin and Shadow looked at her . Among all the yers wearing equipment geared towards fighting other yers, the high skin exposure of her attire stood out exceptionally .

    On the table in front of Calmia was a crystal sphere the size of a bowling ball, which made her look like a fortune teller .

    ¡°I know little of the rules here . If you say we are field troopers, does it mean we¡¯ll move following your orders?¡±

    ¡°Nah, that only happens when there¡¯s arge-scale battle . Generally we move in small numbers to surround and beat down small groups, but that¡¯s what the members with low fighting prowess do . For guys like you, others would just be in the way, I¡¯d wager . Our Two, Four and Five are the same too . ¡±

    In simple terms, do as you like . Shin wondered if it was okay for the rules to be so loose, but it was the best situation he could have hoped for . He could leave the information gathering to them and just go around cutting down targets .

    As Shin was pondering such thoughts, Six formed a fist with his hands, which seemed to shake slightly .

    ¡°All strong yers went to capture dungeons and won¡¯t cooperate with people like us . I don¡¯t mean to say that I¡¯m happy about your misfortunes, but I am excited that strong people like you joined us . Now I can finally¡­have my revenge too . ¡±

    Six¡¯ voice was trembling too . Looking around, Shin saw other yers exhibiting simr reactions .

    In this world existed an absolute standard of strength, the yer¡¯s stats . This meant that strong yers were untouchable by many others, a source of endless frustration for weaker ones .

    Shin nodded to Six and, together with Shadow, went to Calmia¡¯s table .

    ¡°You¡¯re the new One, then . Six probably told you, but my name is Calmia . I organize all the information the hounds send us . If there¡¯s anything you want to know, just ask . ¡±

    Calmia¡¯s calm, poised tone matched her alluring avatar very well . She had apparently been allowed to join Avidya thanks to her information management abilities .

    Sometimes she would also use her good looks to infiltrate enemy territory . Of course, for someone with little fighting power like her to prate PK-controlled areas meant that there was no guarantee she coulde back alive .

    ¡°Differently from the much rarer hunters, there¡¯re plenty of substitutes for the hounds . Plus there¡¯s no such things as truth serums in this world, so unless I talk, there¡¯s no way to know the information I hold . I would die before spilling anything, of course . ¡±

    Calmia¡¯s smile vanished from her lips when she answered Shin¡¯s question if it wasn¡¯t dangerous for an information broker to join infiltration missions .

    Others could fill in Calmia¡¯s function . Even if she disappeared, there would be no real damage to the organization as long as she didn¡¯t spill anything .

    Depending on the situation, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to be expendable . It was clear that she, too, was prepared for the worst .

    ¡°Now that we¡¯re done with the self introductions, I¡¯d like to know about PK locations . ces where a lot of them gather are preferable . If you have a list, give me one and I¡¯ll just start picking them off from the top . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I suppose I should have expected that you¡¯d say something like this . ¡±

    PKs usually held bases outside hometowns . Because of that they often fought against monsters and had high levels and stats . Shin inly stated that he wanted to face and defeat multiples of such opponents at the same time, which prompted Calmia¡¯s incredulous reply .

    ¡°After I start hunting I won¡¯t be able toe back here for a while . How can we keep in touch?¡±

    ¡°Just register me as a friend and call me through private chat . I¡¯ll attach the list to a message card and send it to you . What is your friend there going to do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go with Shin . Garga and d were together, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right . There are several witnesses¡­no, I suppose I should say victims . We have the information . They belong to the guild ¡°Ouroboros¡± . It seems that Garga is one of the top members of the guild . d¡¯s an expert in sneak attacks, on the other hand . Cheating and luring others, apparently sometimes he doesn¡¯t even get his hands dirty . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I see . ¡±

    Shin would have wanted such information earlier, but it was toote to think about that now .

    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough . Shin, will you lend me a hand?¡±

    ¡°Of course . He¡¯s the one that attacked the orphanage, after all . I meant to hunt him down after I was done with d . ¡±

    d was a higher priority, but Shin thought that Garga required more caution . He had destroyed his barrier, after all: Shin expected that he would be stronger than d, who he had faced in battle .

    ¡°These two are rather famous, but we don¡¯t have much useful information about ¡°Ouroboros¡± itself . I¡¯ll tell the Hounds to gather information about them as top priority . Also, this is the list of PK guilds¡¯ bases and members that we are aware of at present . You two will probably be all right, but not everything will be as the list says, so make sure you stay sharp all the time . . ¡±

    ¡°We know that well . We won¡¯t let even one escape . ¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all going down . ¡±

    ¡°I was talking about your own safety¡­ . but I guess that¡¯s toote . ¡±

    Shin and Shadow thought that Calmia meant to say not to let a single PK escape, and replied ordingly . Hearing such replies, she couldn¡¯t helpughing bitterly .

    We are valuable advanced yers for Avidya . She wouldn¡¯t want us to die easily, or so Shin thought .

    After leaving the store Shin and Shadow checked the list right away . They would crush PK bases starting from the closest one and proceeding in order .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then . Will you change weapons?¡±

    ¡°No, please just give me a boost . The only weapon I¡¯m going to use is this¡­the weapon I got from her . ¡±

    Shin proposed to offer Shadow a stronger weapon, but thetter refused with a stiff expression . Even if it could lead to his death, he didn¡¯t want to use any other weapon .

    ¡°Please take this, then . It will surelye in handy when fighting against Garga . ¡±

    Shin gave Shadow an armband decorated with red gemstones, which had the effect of preventing instant death by leaving the wearer with 1 HP if they were hit with a blow that would reduce their HP from more than 30% to zero .

    The item would just prevent death when arge amount of damage was inflicted in one blow and would not prevent instant death caused by blows to the head or heart, which ignored remaining HP .

    Shin would have preferred to give Shadow items that prevented instant death in all its forms, but he could not equip them because ofcking stats . THE NEW GATE¡¯s system allowed yers to avoid idental death more and more as their level increased .

    Shin made sure Shadow equipped the armband, then they headed to the first location reported by the list .

 Vol 10 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    It happened one night .

    In the guildhouse of the PK guild ¡°Liberacion¡±, a boy and a girl were surrounded by guild members .

    The boy had a horn sprouting from his forehead and scales on his skin, while the girl had peculiar patterns on her body; judging from such visual traits, the boy was a Dragnil and the girl a Pixie .

    While venturing outside looking for ingredients, they were suddenly surrounded by yers and caught with no room to escape .

    Now, in the area built within the guildhouse, the boy -called Masakado- was forced to fight against monsters . His opponent was a level 398 bug-type monster, a Stag Mantis, which was a cross between a stag beetle and a mantis, boasting four scythes and a pair of pincers .

    Masakado¡¯s level was over 200, but he had already resurrected a few times, so his stats were, on average, just a bit higher than 300 . These were numbers rather worrying if facing against a Stag Mantis .

    Even more worrying was the fact that the key to draw out his power as a Magic Swordsman, his sword ¡ºRune de¡» had been snatched by the PKs . His sub job was Fist Fighter, but the most he could do now was avoid the monster¡¯s attacks .

    ¡°Come on,e on! Run faster or you¡¯re gonna die!¡±

    ¡°Serves ya right for acting all cool trying to protect the girl!¡±

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have a winner pretty soon!¡±

    The PKs watching the fight from outside the arena yelled and jeered .

    As long as the girl who was with him, Hmee, was taken hostage, Masakado could not try anything . The only way out avable to him now, was defeating the Stag Mantis .

    ¡°Shit!!¡±

    Masakado swore and leapt away . Less than one secondter, a scythe about the same size as he was, pierced the ground where he had been standing .

    Bug-type monsters excelled at physical attacks and defense . Masakado, as he was now, would surely be killed if he received even just a few blows .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª!? ¡ª¡ª!!¡±

    Hmee was trying to say something, but the gag on her mouth prevented her from formting actual words .

    ¡°Why did this¡­¡±

    The long game of tag against the superior monster had started shaving off Masakado¡¯s powers of concentration . When would it end? Even if he really defeated the Stag Mantis, would they be saved?

    He was supposed to be thinking of a way to rescue Hmee and escape, but his overworked mind ended up thinking of thingspletely unrted .

    He was almost at his limit . Masakado started thinking of ast resort attack on the Stag Beetle .

    ¡°¡ª-eh?¡±

    In front of Masakado¡¯s eyes, Hmee floated in midair . Precisely speaking, the PK that had captured her thrown the bound girl in the ring .

    Hmee¡¯s body struck the ground, rolled a few times and stopped . The Stag Mantis was right next to her .

    ¡°You bastards!!¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon boy, go save her or she¡¯ll be in danger!¡±

    ¡°Damn you¡­!!¡±

    Masakado jumped at the Stag Mantis . The monster¡¯s attention was focused on Hmee, so Masakado¡¯s jumping kick hit its head cleanly, causing the monster to stagger .

    However, Its HP barely decreased and the monster soon regained its bnce .

    ¡°Gah!?¡±

    The back of the monster¡¯s scythes, which it had swung wide to get rid of the annoyance that had hit it,nded squarely on Masakado¡¯s abdomen . Due to the differences in physique and stats, Masakado was blown away . He crashed against the ground, his body grating against the floor of the arena .

    The HP gauge disyed at the edge of Masakado¡¯s line of sight had decreased by around 30% . In addition, the status disy indicated he had been poisoned .

    ¡°¡ª¨C! ¡ª¨C!!¡±

    Hmee tried to shout again . Uncaring, the Stag Mantis raised its four scythes in her direction .

    The female pixie was a Mage with low defense . If she was struck by all four scythes, her HP gauge would surely be annihted .

    ¡°Damn you¡­look at meeeeeeee!!!¡±

    Masakado used a taunt skill to force the monster to turn towards him . However, the Stag Mantis had already started its attack motions, and did not even look at him .

    A few more seconds and Hmee would die . He wouldn¡¯tst much longer either . Just as a feeling of hopeless surrender was about to envelop Masakado¡¯s heart¡­

    ¡°¡ªthat wasn¡¯t a bad choice . ¡±

    The voice of a man, a voice he had heard before, suddenly resounded . At the same time, the guildhouse shook violently .

    ¡°Woooohhh!?!¡±

    ¡°What!? What the hell¡¯s going on!?¡±

    The vibration, strong enough to lift the ground up, caused confusion among the PKs .

    A pale blue ball suddenly appeared in the center of the arena; the next instant, thunder and lightning ran across the ring .

    The booming thunderp caused Masakado¡¯s sight to go ck . It was the rare visual status effect caused by strong shing of light or thunder, ¡¾Blind¡¿ .

    No matter how much he squinted, Masakado could not tell what was happening around him . The PKs¡¯ screams, however, echoed clearly in his ears .

    ¡°Shadow, please take those two . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . Hey, stay quiet . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    The confused Masakado was forcefully grabbed by someone . There were two people next to him apparently . Judging from their conversation, a man called Shadow had just lifted Masakado on his shoulders .

    Masakado instinctively fought back when he was grabbed, but stopped moving after Shadow dashed away . The speed at which he moved, far higher than Masakado¡¯s, would have caused him to fall if he struggled .

    Shadow moved one step forward, paused for a second, then dashed away again .

    Several secondster, he leapt high in the air .

    ¡°Wha!?¡±

    ¡°!?!¡±

    He heard ament right next to him . He could swear it was Hmee¡¯s voice .

    ¡°Stay still . ¡±

    After theynded, Shadow urged them to stop struggling and jumped even higher . As with the first jump, theynded somewhere high and then jumped to a farther high ce .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to heal you . Quiet . ¡±

    Masakado nodded quietly . He was saved from certain death at the ¡°hands¡± of the Stag Mantis . He did not know what Shadow and hispanion had in mind, but he had no reason to oppose them .

    The status effect ¡¾Blind¡¿ disappeared and Masakado could finally see again; he immediately looked around for Hmee .

    ¡°You¡¯re safe¡­I¡¯m d . ¡±

    Hmee had just been freed from her mouth gag . The man that was now untying the ropes binding her hands was probably Shadow .

    He was a young man d in ninja-like equipment . Masakado¡¯s ¡¾Analyze V¡¿ barely revealed any information about him, but judging from his earlier movements, he was surely an advanced yer .

    ¡°Use this and go back to town . ¡±

    Shadow threw a crystal to the two . Masakado frantically caught it and realized it was imbued with teleportation magic .

    ¡°I-is it really alright? This looks really expensive¡­¡±

    For Masakado and Hmee, who had been robbed of their possessions, it was a very wee gift .

    Teleportation magic had ranks too; the low rank allowed teleportation from outside fields and town buildings, the middle rank able from dungeons too, and the high rank also allowed from unique locations . The ranks were signaled by colors: low rank was brown, middle rank silver, and high rank golden .

    There were some areas where teleport crystals could not be used, but the ce where they were now was just a field . Using a golden crystal would be nothing but wasteful .

    To teleport from a field to the town, a brown crystal was more than enough . Crystals imbued with high-rank teleport magic were rare, so for Masakado it must have looked terribly valuable .

    ¡°You¡¯ll be in our way if you stay . Shut up and go . We can¡¯t save you again if theye after you . ¡±

    Shadow then quickly dashed back to the PK guildhouse .

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Hmee, finally free, pointed at the guildhouse . The structure was still being rocked by explosions, bursts of light zing all around it, illuminating the night sky to the point that it was as bright as noon .

    Human silhouettes could be seen jumping out every once in awhile . They were holding brown or golden crystals, suggesting that they were trying to teleport away .

    Not one of them, however, managed to sessfully make their escape .

    One was burnt to a crisp by a blue me that zed through the guildhouse walls, another was skewered by a ck spike arising from the ground, others suddenly turned into ice statues and shattered .

    Masakado, or maybe Hmee, held their breath . They had been told to return to their town, but the scenery of the guildhouse being destroyed and the PKs vanishing before their eyes froze them where they stood .

    If the guildhouse looked like that from outside, things had to be even more chaotic inside .

    ¡°Ah¡­ . ¡±

    Suddenly, darkness enveloped the two . They took a few seconds to notice that there were no more explosions or bursts of light from the guildhouse .

    ¡°!?¡±

    Finally, light descended again .

    A pir of light,rge enough to cover the whole guildhouse, and powerful enough to blow away the surrounding trees and rocks .

    ¡°Is that¡­a skill¡­?¡±

    Masakado had difficulty believing that there existed a skill that could produce such immense power . He could barely make out the shadow of the guildhouse, but that too disappeared soon .

    As the light pir vanished, literally nothing stood in its wake .

    Buildings vanished when their durability ran out . Everyone knew that much, but seeing something disappear without a trace like that filled them with something akin to horror . Needless to think how the PKs inside must have felt .

    ¡°Hey¡­someone¡¯sing . ¡±

    Hmee pointed at two human silhouettesing their way . One was the man that had saved them, the other was a yer that Masakado and Hmee both knew .

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­Mr . Shin¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I mean, he should be¡­¡±

    Few did not know Shin¡¯s name, his face, and reason behind his fame .

    Masakado and Hmee had been saved by Shin already in the past too . They knew that he wasn¡¯t the kind of person to unleash utter destruction like that .

    Looking at the ce where the guildhouse once was, only a scorched patch remained . The scene they had just witnessed clearly showed what had happened there .

    Shin had exterminated the PKs, all the yers inside the guild . That was something the Shin that Masakado knew would have never done .

    Masakado and Hmee didn¡¯t know what had happened to Shin . As such, they didn¡¯t understand .

    They neither knew the reason why he was there, nor why his equipment was different .

    Or why his expression seemed void of all emotion, an expression they had never seen before .

    ¡°Ah, er, Mr . Shin¡­?¡±

    Shin must have noticed their presence, but did not react to them in the least . Masakado gathered his courage and spoke to him, but there was no answer . Not even a nce in his direction .

    Shadow, walking next to him, did not say anything either .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Shin and Shadow kept walking away; Masakado could not say anything more .

    ¡°What in the world happened to him¡­ . ?¡±

    Masakado¡¯s confused words were lost in the night, not reaching Shin¡¯s or anyone¡¯s ears .

    That night, 24 yers disappeared from THE NEW GATE¡¯s world .

    It was the start of an unprecedented cleansing that raged on with storm-like fury .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again . Your achievements are getting more and more talked about, you know . ¡±

    Calmia chuckled while looking at Shin .

    Almost one month had passed since Shin started his PK hunt . Even if he had kept his identity and figure hidden, the news that Shin was going around killing PKs spread quickly .

    The pace was too fast, the massacre too one-sided . Too subtle for a major guild, while for a smaller guild not suffering any casualties would have been impossible . On the other hand, some yers whispered that a certain person had not shown themselves in the dungeon clearing frontlines recently .

    As Shin¡¯s disappearance and the start of the PK hunt happened roughly at the same time, the rumors eventually became that Shin had started performing a ¡°PK cleansing¡± .

    The rumors became more and more believable as witnesses, rescued by him, started reporting what they saw .

    ¡°They¡¯re more on their guard now . It¡¯s a pain . ¡±

    ¡°Is that something the man who crushed dozens of PK guilds would say? Thanks to your rampage, it¡¯s been a mess here these days, everyone crying andughing¡­¡±

    Normally, avenged yers would not show their emotions openly, out of respect for others whose aggressors were still unpunished . But now, the numbers were too great, as were the expectations for the future, so Avidya¡¯s guildhouse looked more or less like a banquet hall .

    They praised and hailed Shin as a hero for destroying PK guilds with his powerful skills .

    Others, like Shadow, did their part too, but the scale of destruction caused and people killed were too different for them to be mentioned .

    ¡°There are some yers who disapprove of your ways though . I don¡¯t think the major guilds will actually move, but they might attempt something, so be careful . ¡±

    Calmia looked worried . Shin nodded without any particr change in his expression .

    Yes, even if he was killing PKs, murderers, his actions were judged in many ways .

    Many said that revenge was meaningless, that he would just be the same as them, they lost their respect for Shin . Some of them started calling him ¡°God of Death¡± .

    ¡°No problem . The onlyrge guild remaining is ¡°Ouroboros¡± anyway . I won¡¯t let the smaller ones go though, I have no intention of stopping now that I¡¯vee so far . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? I can give you this information then . ¡±

    ¡°Atst¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes, atst we have found Ouroboros¡¯ hideout . Garga has been seen too . d doesn¡¯t seem to be around though . Based on the information we have, he hasn¡¯t returned to the guild and is acting on his own . ¡±

    Shin remembered d¡¯s gloating expression . It was still etched clearly in his memories .

    Maybe he was observing Shin from afar . That¡¯s how deep the obsession he felt emanating from d .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if d will be there, but it seems that they will have arge gathering three days from now . You¡¯ve been destroying PK guilds one after the other, so they might be meeting to develop countermeasures . The most skilled PKs still alive will likely be there, do be careful . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . But having targets gather like that is pretty helpful for me . Being ambushed by high-ss PKs would be pretty nasty . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, okay? Some people try suicide attacks against PKs, but if everyone did that no one would be left¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not as admirable as that . That¡¯s thestrge-scale PK guild; I¡¯m going to make it leave the stage with a bang . ¡±

    Shin spoke what he truly felt .

    He had no intention of losing his life while killing the PKs; he loathed the idea of dying alongside them even more than being killed by them .

    He would use all means avable . Only the PKs needed to disappear . That was the method Shin adopted .

    ¡°Maybe I should keep this for myself¡­but in a way, I feel like I have to tell him, hmm¡­¡±

    After obtaining more details, Shin left Avidya¡¯s guildhouse and went to the meeting point with Shadow .

    Unlike Shin, Shadow was hell-bent on killing Garga, even at the cost of his own life . Shin thus was thinking of carrying out the next mission alone .

    ¡°¡­no, that won¡¯t work . ¡±

    No matter how much he thought, the conclusion he reached was always to tell Shadow .

    If Shin hadn¡¯t lost Marino, he might have tried everything he could to stop Shadow .

    Shin¡¯s position, though, was the same as Shadow¡¯s . To exact vengeance with your own hands . No one could stop that feeling .

    Even if death would follow vengeance, they would not stop . The opinions of others meant nothing . It was only about what the person themselves thought, that was the only question .

    ¡°It¡¯s snowing . ¡±

    Shin looked up at the sky and saw pure white snow starting to fall .

    When Shadow heard about Garga¡¯s whereabouts, a twisted smile appeared on his lips .

 Vol 10 Chapter 3.3: Chapter 3 Part 3

    ¡°Things under your nose are the hardest to find, as they say.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The hometown¡¯s underground¡­they said it would be made into a dungeon in the next update. I didn¡¯t even think that it actually existed.¡±

    Shin and Shadow were walking in arge space located under Kalkia. It was not an underground waterway. Instead, it was a series of small and big rooms connected by corridors of various sizes.

    Ouroboros¡¯ hideout, as Calmia¡¯s informationwork had found out, was in this underground space.

    Being a section still not implemented in the game, there were no bosses or monsters roaming about, nor any treasure chests or traps.

    The entrance wasn¡¯t easy to find either, so it would be difficult to find if one wasn¡¯t aware of its existence.

    ¡°Looks like they bothered setting up some traps though.¡±

    Shin and Shadow passed without activating traps that would have likely meant sudden death for yers with stats around 400. During their PK guild extermination missions, they had gained deeper knowledge of anti-yer traps.

    The two proceeded through the corridors with silent footsteps. The information they had only covered the entrance and a bit farther. It was possible for monsters and traps to be present in the depths of the underground space.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s there.¡±

    They spotted a humanlike silhouette in the corridor ahead. Shadow hid, just in case, while Shin moved closer to check it.

    The silhouette¡¯s name was disyed in red characters; definite proof that it was a PK. Next to the name, there also was a snake biting its tail -Ouroboros¡¯ logo- clearly visible.

    The PK wasing from underground and heading outside, unaware of Shin¡¯s presence. When the PK passed next to him, Shin ced a tracker, usually used with monsters, without being noticed.

    The guild¡¯s executives, with the guildmaster above all, had to be eliminated first.

    When guild members died, the guildmaster alone would be notified of their demise immediately. Other members could also know if they looked the dead member up, so being noticed early would increase the number of escapees.

    In unusual groups, like PK guilds, the guildmaster often had particr charisma, so if they escaped there was the risk of them creating a simr organization again.

    Shin and Shadow kept exploring further, putting tracking markers on PKs as they passed them.

    ¡°There are more and more people around here. Looks like we hit the jackpot, but they¡¯re acting strangely.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, looks like they¡¯re fighting.¡±

    On Shin¡¯s map, the markers in one specific section were moving wildly.

    There was some kind ofmotion going on, even in the few seconds that Shin looked at the map, several marks symbolizing yers had disappeared.

    At first they thought that another member of Avidya had attacked the hideout, but the other members were hunting down PKs that didn¡¯t belong to any guild or survivors from guilds they had crushed.

    Even if they did attack, Shin would have been informed beforehand.

    ¡°Could there have been a mutiny or something?¡±

    ¡°Could be. It happened in other guilds, after all.¡±

    Most PKs sharedmon interests or ways of thinking. But because of that, in some cases they could turn their des against their ownrades.

    Among all PKs, some had lost to hopelessness after Shin and Shadow started their hunt, while others had gone on rampages in their own guilds.

    ¡°We¡¯ve infiltrated easily enough, but a careful guildmaster might manage to flee.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s split up. Use themotion as a lure and look for whoever is the guildmaster. I¡¯ll go that way, you take the opposite direction, Shin.¡±

    Shadow proposed to go in the direction of themotion.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I went that way?¡±

    If the guildmaster was there, Shin could blow him away along with the fighting PKs with his magic.

    ¡°No, if the guildmasteres to quell themotion, I¡¯ll ambush them. It would be a lot worse if they avoided themotion and left here. If it¡¯s about chasing people, you are faster and have a wider detection field too.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t much time for debate. Shin had no reason to stubbornly oppose Shadow¡¯s proposal, so he nodded and ran off.

    A few minutes after separating from Shin, Shadow reached the location where the PKs were fighting. He used all the concealment-type skills he could to make sure he was not found.

    He had used the support items Shin had given him along with everything his Ninja job had, so the fighting PKs had not noticed his approach at all.

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    ¡°Shit¡­why¡­¡±

    Hidden in the shadows, Shadow observed the fighting going on in front of him.

    He wouldn¡¯t interfere. Having the PKs kill each other would make his burden lighter, after all.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go shitting your panties there,dies.¡±

    The speaker was the cause of themotion. With a sigh, the man swung his giant axe. Thanks to thebination of centrifugal force and his own muscles, the sword-wielding fighter he opposed was cleaved in two along with his weapon.

    ¡°This is thest major guild. If you don¡¯t do something, the High Human wille get you, ya know? So why do I have to hear people talk about running away?¡±

    The man¡¯s name was Garga. The despicable man who murdered Holly. An opponent to kill at all costs.

    Every time Garga swung his battleaxe, the PKs surrounding him disappeared. Shadow did not let his emotions take over and attack. That had caused him to fail previously.

    ¡°(Shin, I found Garga.)¡±

    Shadow connected a chat to Shin and surprised himself by how calm he sounded.

    ¡°¡­..really..¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, I¡¯m sorry but let me do this. If anything happens, the rest is up to you.)¡±

    ¡°(¡­¡­¡­)¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t answer. Shadow knew, however, that he wouldn¡¯t give up on finding the enemy toe to his location.

    ¡°I¡­I have to kill him.¡±

    Shadow quietly breathed out.

    Unlike the time when rage and hate had clouded his mind, he was now coolly analyzing Garga¡¯s movements.

    ¡°You all sound pretty damn boring now!!¡±

    Another one, another PK left this world. Be it saints or vicious criminals, all yers disappeared the same way when they died. Nothing remained.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Shadow kept observing Garga.

    While fighting, Garga would sometimes turn his back to Shadow. Every time he did, Shadow registered a red effect blinking on Garga¡¯s neck.

    That was the sign meaning an attack would result in instant death. It appeared when the system judged the opponent to have shown an opening, an effect of the Ninja skill ¡¾Blink of the Death God¡¿. ¡°Opening¡± stood for theg time after attacking or activating a skill, when the yer was defenseless and attacks could hit more easily.

    The blinking light was reflected in Shadow¡¯s eyes several more times, but he did not move.

    Advanced yers would sometimes show openings on purpose, and ¡¾Blink of the Death God¡¿ could not differentiate between voluntary and involuntary ones. A yer that had just gained the skill would rely too much on it and attack, only to be counterattacked.

    The possibility of Garga having noticed his presence was low. But Shadow, who had fought against him, knew how honed Garga¡¯s battle instinct was.

    Thus he waited for the best chance to strike.

    ¡°You want to go down fighting, don¡¯t you. Why run when someone stronger ising to get you, then!¡±

    The number of PKs fighting against Garga could now be counted on one hand. With another couple swings from his battleaxe, they would all probably disappear.

    Shadow attacked when Garga had raised his axe to cut down thest remaining PK.

    ¡°¡ª¨C!!¡±

    As if he appeared out of thin air, Shadow snuck behind Garga. The de in his hands precisely aiming for the man¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Ngh!?¡±

    Garga reacted to the silently approaching de in a surprising way. The attack hade from his blind spot, but despite that, he jumped in the other PK¡¯s direction, barely escaping the clutches of certain death.

    Shadow¡¯s de had shed Garga¡¯s neck, but thanks to thest-second dodge he had managed to keep his head attached to his body.

    In real life such a cut would have severed an artery, but the result in the game was only a loss of around 10% of Garga¡¯s HP. The ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿ status inflicted by Shadow¡¯s dagger, however, gnawed at Garga from within.

    Before confirming the consequences of his attack, however, Shadow had concealed himself again.

    ¡°¡­this wasn¡¯t one of the people here.¡±

    Garga had an idea of who could have so splendidly enacted the Ninja hit-and-hide strategy.

    ¡°Ooh, yeah, now I get it. I did hear that there was a fierce ninja with the people going around killing PKs.¡±

    Garga shed a vicious smile. He bashed the other PK, who was scampering away, with his battleaxe and examined his surroundings.

    He couldn¡¯t use recovery items. If he tried to, Shadow would strike when the opening generated.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    In the nowpletely silent room, only the sound of something burning could be heard.

    Then the sound of something suddenly falling.

    ¡°!!¡±

    Garga reacted instantly. The moment he looked at the direction the sound came from, something glinted in the darkness.

    ¡°Tch!!¡±

    The sh,ing from the opposite direction of the sound source, grazed Garga¡¯s legs and vanished.

    Garga could only see the effects of the attack. shes that appeared out of nowhere, as if they hade from another dimension, were Shadow¡¯s trademark in THE NEW GATE.

    ¡°Damn, can¡¯t really see shit..!!¡±

    Attacks that made full use of movement skills, concealment skills, and Ninja abilities. That was the true nature of the advanced yer called ¡°Shadow the Shadowless¡±.

    From the legs to the neck, to the arms, then to the neck again.

    The never-ending storm of swords shed against Garga¡¯s armor in bursts of sparks. The speed-based attacks were light, however, and could not exceed his defense.

    On the other hand, Garga could not find a target to attack. However, he did not just stand around and be attacked; he managed to block the shes at thest second.

    Attacking deactivated concealment skills. Even the most experienced yers could not avoid a certain timeg after the attack before activating concealment skills again. Normally the opponent would detect them as target after the first attack.

    This did not affect Shadow, however. His mental operations were faster and smoother than most yers. He attacked and disappeared immediately, almost as if he was on autopilot.

    Shadow¡¯s continuous attacks had not caused serious damage to Garga, but the ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿ status he had inflicted at the start was eating away at Garga¡¯s HP gauge, as thetter could not recover.

    Shadow was not targeting critical spots, but also parts that would dy Garga¡¯s movements, such as joints and openings in the armor. When the opponent was starting to get used to such attacks, Shadow would strike critical spots again.

    The incessant attacks continued. Finally, Shadow¡¯s de stretched towards Garga¡¯s neck again, but thetter did not defend himself.

    ¡°!?¡±

    The de reached the man¡¯s neck, but was repelled without cutting anything. Because of this development,pletely different to what had happened until now, Shadow¡¯s rhythm was disrupted for a moment.

    ¡°RRAAAHHH!!!¡±

    Not Garga¡¯s axe, but his fist lunged at Shadow. Protected by a gauntlet and boasting high STR, it was a fearsome weapon by itself.

    ¡°Sssh!!¡±

    Having been seen, Shadow could not disappear again; he readied again the repelled de in a battle stance and parried the attack.

    Sparks flew between the gauntlet and the short sword. Shadow didn¡¯t oppose the force pushing him back and put distance between himself and his opponent.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally out in the open, huh. Totally different fromst time though.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Garga¡¯s tone was impressed, but Shadow silently took out an item.

    The item¡¯s name was ¡°Miracle Drug of Blinking Life¡±. Shaped like a round pill, it boosted the user¡¯s stats immensely but, in exchange, would soon take their life.

    The time limit changed based on the user¡¯s HP, but not even Shin could fight for long after using it. Shadow even more so.

    Now that he could only confront Garga head on, he would use any means avable.

    If he had fought alongside Shin, he probably would not have needed to go so far. He was throwing away his life. Shadow himself understood that much.

    He could not have done that, though. It would have meant nothing if he didn¡¯t defeat the opponent before him, Garga, with his own two hands.

    In his heart, Shadow whispered an apology. Then, he swallowed the ¡°Miracle Drug of Blinking Life¡±.

    ¡°¡­¡ª¡ª!!!!¡±

    The moment he felt the item started being effective, Shadow charged towards Garga.

    Maybe it was because he didn¡¯t think Shadow would attack from the front, or maybe because his speed was more than expected.

    Takenpletely by surprise, Garga barely managed to repel the de aimed at his neck and swung his battleaxe in response.

    The repelled shortsword struck Garga¡¯s chest, making sparks against the armor; Garga¡¯s breastte was damaged but could not be pierced.

    The battleaxe cut through the air, aimed at Shadow, who used his shortsword to forcefully change the attack¡¯s trajectory.

    A feat of strength only possible thanks to the item¡¯s boost; now Shadow¡¯s STR was not inferior to Garga¡¯s.

    Garga pulled back his battleaxe while parrying Shadow¡¯s follow-up attacks with his gauntlet, then used the axe to push against him.

    Shadow stopped attacking and attempted to increase the distance between them, but a sudden chill running down his spine made him give up on this too. He could not ovee the battleaxe¡¯s momentum and used his shortsword to sh against it.

    ¡°You got good instincts.¡±

    Garga¡¯s smile suggested that he knew what Shadow tried to do. Based on his avatar¡¯s stats, it was easy to imagine that many yers until now had tried to best Garga using speed.

    Shadow guessed that the chill he felt was caused by Garga¡¯s countermeasure against speed-based yers.

    ¡°See if ya like this, then!!¡±

    Garga held his battleaxe with his right hand and spread the palm of his left hand. An instantter, a battleaxe just like the one in his right hand appeared in Garga¡¯s left hand as well.

    Using that opening, Shadow made use of Garga¡¯s power to increase the distance between them. At the same time, he threw the shortsword he was holding at Garga.

    Garga tried to knock the projectile down, but the shortsword changed directions in midair, dodging the battleaxe and aiming for his neck.

    Garga flexed his neck, however, the flying de passed right next to it and ended up stabbing the ground.

    The Throwing and Windbination skill ¡¾Trick Throw¡¿ allowed one to change the direction of the thrown weapon in midair. Garga had guessed how many times the direction could change during flight.

    After throwing the shortsword, Shadow quickly materialized twin swords. Wielding these weapons with boosted AGI at the expense of durability, he attacked Garga again.

    This time Shadow did not attack from the front, but unleashed attacks from many directions, using the walls and even the ceiling as foothold. Making use of the Movement-type skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, he increased the unpredictability of his attacks.

    Shadow had little HP left; the time left for him was probably less than one minute.

    But even in such a situation, he did not lose his cool. Aiming for the instant he could deliver the final blow, he used everything he could in the room as footholds for his movement and attacks.

    A frenzied run that, in such a confined space, made it look like he could control space.

    The light streaks drawn by the twin des in mid-air surrounded Garga like a barrier.

    ¡°¡­ooh.¡±

    Shadow ran. The sounds grew smaller and smaller.

    ¡°Ooohh!!!¡±

    Shadow jumped. The flowing scenery became slower and slower.

    ¡°Oooohhh!!!!¡±

    Shadow shed. The cuts on Garga¡¯s body gradually increased.

    ¡°OoooOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!¡±

    Shadow roared, following the emotion bursting from within.

    A roar that ultimately turned into a scream, as Garga¡¯s armor saw its durability decrease exponentially.

    ¡°What the hell got into you all of a sudden!?¡±

    Even Garga could not help being shaken by Shadow¡¯s sudden eleration.

    The ¡°Miracle Drug of Blinking Life¡±, in exchange of the ultimate price it required, granted the user an explosive stat boost. Added effects, such as the ones yers normally used, were nothing inparison.

    Normally it would not be possible to use it to the fullest. In this moment, however, a power that yers would subconsciously limit was under Shadow¡¯splete control.

    A force of desperation, thatsted only dozens of seconds. Shadow used that fleeting time to decide the oue of the battle.

    Garga could not keep up with Shadow¡¯s movements anymore. Shadow first concentrated on his opponent¡¯s right leg, to restrict his movements. The moment Garga lost his bnce, Shadow went for his neck.

    ¡°Nnghh!!¡±

    Maybe it happened because Shadow had already targeted his neck many times. Garga had predicted such an attack and raised his battleaxe in defense.

    The twin swords had low durability from the start: shing against Garga¡¯s battleaxe, the armor shattered them.

    ¡°Kh!?¡±

    ¡°Out of time, huh?? You¡¯re outta luck too!!¡±

    His weapons crushed, Shadownded and remained immobile for a moment. Garga¡¯s battleaxe rose again, towering behind his back.

    Shadow wasn¡¯t sure whether his armor could withstand such an attack. There was no time to dodge it by sidestepping either.

    Garga was sure to have imed victory. The small opening birthed by such confidence was exactly what Shadow was waiting for. The shortsword he had thrown previously was stabbing the ground at his feet.

    ¡°And now¡ª-¡±

    Shadow was kneeling, his back facing Garga. He quickly took the short sword and jumped backwards.

    Charging backwards at your opponent was an absolutely reckless move, but Garga¡¯s battleaxe managed to react. Because of the unexpected movement, however, it did not seed in splitting Shadow apart.

    Shadow¡¯s back shed against Garga¡¯s armor. The next instant, Shadow stabbed his own chest with the shortsword.

    The de pierced Shadow¡¯s body and continued towards Garga¡¯s chest armor.

    Normally, it would have been repelled. But the umted damage created a different result.

    The shortsword¡¯s de pierced the sturdy armor and stabbed the flesh it protected. A little, just a little more, and it would reach the heart.

    ¡°It¡¯s over!!!¡±

    The de still stabbed, Shadow activated a skill.

    It was the Sword and mebination skill ¡¾Purgatory Thrust¡¿. A de of fire formed from the shortsword, filling the distance from the de¡¯s tip to the heart, extending out of Garga¡¯s back.

    Critical hit. An absolute instant death attack, ignoring remaining HP.

    ¡°Hah, not¡­ba¡ª¨C¡±

    Garga¡¯s body turned into polygons and scattered before he could finish hisst sentence.

    Shadow kneeled down, the shortsword still lodged in his chest. Because of thest skill he used, he barely had 5 seconds left.

    ¡°Aah¡­¡±

    A strengthless groan escaped his lips.

    His love burnt, his hate exasperated, his sadness fed him to keep him going. But the conclusion he reached was just the reality that he had killed people.

    He had his revenge. His mission wasplete. Nothing remained in his chest, however.

    He did not think that revenge was a fruitless thing.

    It was not fulfilling either, though.

    ¡°Shadow!!!¡±

    Five seconds until the me of Shadow¡¯s life flickered away. Thest person to call his name was the man who shouldered the same pain as he, the friend that had walked down his same path.

    ¡°Shin.¡±

    He had reached the end first. Because of that, Shadow thought that he had to tell him.

    Maybe Shin would reply that he didn¡¯t want to hear that from him. But Shadow felt that he had to be the one to say it, because he was in the same position, because his words could maybe reach Shin¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­end¡­like..th¡­¡±

    Shadow saw Shin run to him as if through a cracked lens. He couldn¡¯t feel his body anymore. The end hade.

    Had his words reached him? The vanishing Shadow could not know.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Out of my sight.¡±

    Shin received Shadow¡¯s message about Garga as he was blitzing through the guild, still concealed by the robe. Everytime he found a PK he judged if they could be the guildmaster or not, then purged them one by one.

    Since fighting had broken out within the guild, finding the guildmaster had be the top priority.

    Before Shin¡¯s ¡ºTrue Moon¡», average weapons and armor meant nothing.

    Some PKs had formed a party and confronted him, but the frontline members¡¯ swords, spears, armors and shields were torn apart as soon as they entered Shin¡¯s range, together with any other equipment on them.

    The rear lines¡¯ mages, too, saw their spells nullified as they themselves were burned to a crisp by magic. Arrows and other projectiles could not ovee Shin¡¯s Ancient-grade gear; here, too, magic annihted everything in its wake.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the guildmaster?¡±

    ¡°I d-don¡¯t kn¡ª¡±

    The PK¡¯s head flew from his neck before he could evenplete his sentence.

    Shin continued to search for the guildmaster, employing his detection abilities to the fullest.

    Garga was for Shadow to take his revenge. Shadow would probably manage to kill him, even if it meant his own life. Sharing his same emotions, Shin knew that well.

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Shin loudly clicked his tongue. He was irritated at himself for letting Shadow go.

    He understood Shadow¡¯s feelings so much that it hurt. The hate burning the flesh, the sadness twisting the mind. Their feelings towards the target of their revenge could not be described in just a few words.

    At the same time, though, he couldn¡¯t help but think if it was really a good idea to let him go on his own.

    Based on the information he had, Shadow had about a 30% chance of winning. If he used a certain item, 80%.

    But in thetter case, even if Shadow won the chance of his death was 100%.

    ¡°¡­.damn it.¡±

    That was Shadow¡¯s battle. If Shin got involved, even if anyone would say that it was to save Shadow¡¯s life, for Shadow himself he would just be in the way. If their positions were reversed, Shin too would scream at him to stay out of the way.

    Even so¡­even so. Even if he had chosen the path of revenge, even if he killed without hesitation, he could not be indifferent to arade¡¯s death.

    ¡°Found you!!¡±

    Shin had headed to the area with the highest number of responses within his detection area. Before him now stood Ouroboros¡¯ guildmaster. Apparently trying to flee, they were advancing in the direction opposite to Shin¡¯s position.

    Shin didn¡¯t know where the border between the underground space and the guildhouse was, but as he was not using teleport crystals, it appeared that they were still inside the guildhouse.

    Normally it was possible to teleport freely from a guildhouse, but when attacked by enemies the teleport function was turned off, to make it impossible to run away immediately. The remaining options were just two: to escape or to beat back the enemy.

    Always concealed, Shin activated ¡¾Enchant ¨C Magic Boost¡¿ and jumped over the group¡¯s location. Without an instant of hesitation, he fired the spell.

    ¡°Die.¡±

    ¡¾Elemental st¡¿, a spell including seven different elements.

    mes, water, earth, wind, thunder, light and darkness all bared their fangs at the running PKs.

    Some were burned to ashes, others were skewered, swallowed or torn to shreds.

    Utter, unbridled destruction. The group Shin attacked was not allowed the slightest chance to counterattack, struck by apletely one-sided attack that reduced it literally to nothingness.

    Shin checked that there were no survivors, then started running again. He used ¡¾Ki Maniption¡¿ to boost his physical abilities and traversed the guildhouse in an instant.

    ¡°Shadow!!!¡±

    He frantically charged in the room where Shadow¡¯s response was. Garga¡¯s response was no more.

    The kneeling Shadow turned his face towards him. Something bright was trickling down it.

    Shin saw that his few remaining HP were decreasing and felt that Shadow hadpleted his revenge. He quickly understood that Shadow had used the ¡ºMiracle Drug of Blinking Life¡».

    Shadow looked at Shin with eyes that looked like dying mes. His lips moved as he  tried to say something.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­end¡­like..th¡­¡±

    He couldn¡¯t finish the sentence.

    Shadow burst into a mass of polygons before Shin¡¯s eyes. The twinkling shapes were so bright and beautiful it was difficult to imagine that they meant someone¡¯s death.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Shin understood what Shadow was trying to say and fell silent.

    As Shin had been thinking about Shadow, Shadow too had been probably thinking about him.

    ¡°Hyaaahh!!¡±

    ¡°¡­..tch.¡±

    Shin clicked his tongue as his silhouette became a blur.

    Even if he felt down, his de would not be dull. The PK that had attacked him from behind turned into a mass of polygons as he touched the ground, unaware that he had been cut down.

    All yers were supposed to be the same when they died. Thest moments of that PK, though, looked like tainted poison in Shin¡¯s eyes.

 Vol 10 Chapter 4.1: Chapter 4 Part 1

    After bringing down Ouroboros, Shin returned to Avidya¡¯s headquarters.

    As he entered, the eyes of all present turned to him. While there were some individual differences, most gazes were still turbid and sullen, but much less than they were a month before.

    ¡°Wee back. I see you¡¯ve kept your word.¡±

    Calmia¡¯s tone seemed brighter than usual.

    ¡°Not exactly, our side suffered losses too.¡±

    ¡°¡­.so that¡¯s why he¡¯s not there by your side.¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he spoke, but Calmia stopped breathing for a second before talking. She didn¡¯t know about Shadow¡¯s death yet, apparently.

    Probably because they had heard the conversation, the surrounding people started whispering among themselves.

    ¡°Did he get his revenge?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he looked really satisfied.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good, then. That¡¯s the reason we all gathered here, after all.¡±

    Calmia looked sad, but relieved at the same time. Avidya was a guild formed by members that swore to exact their revenge. Even if they died in the process, as long as they had achieved their goal, guild members would praise them rather than mourn their loss.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Calmia asked Shin after taking his hand. Her expression suggested that she was worried about him. From her hand, however, no warmth could be felt.

    ¡°When the person next to them falls, some stop going forward. There is not much I can do, but consoling such people is one of my duties.¡±

    Shin understood well enough what Calmia meant by ¡°consoling¡±. She ¡°could not do much¡± because of the restrictions imposed by the game.

    ¡°No problem. Shadow carried his convictions through to the end. I¡¯ll just do what I set out to do.¡±

    Shin¡¯s hand, that Calmia had ced against her ample bust, was pulled away with enough strength as to not seem unkind. Even though his beloved, Marino, was no longer with him, he didn¡¯t feel the urge to approach other women.

    Shin lightly red at Calmia, who quickly apologized.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I bothered you. You probably don¡¯t know, but Ouroboros was responsible for my little brother¡¯s death too. I¡¯m really thankful to you for what you have done. This is pretty much all I can do to express my gratitude.¡±

    Shin now understood the reasons behind her actions. Although her hands were pushed away, Calmia looked straight at Shin, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes.

    ¡°We¡¯re just using each other. There¡¯s no need to express gratitude or anything.¡±

    ¡°Even so, I want to.¡±

    Shin¡¯s expression was still unchanged, but Calmia smiled at him. Shin clicked his tongue and turned away.

    ¡°Well, I suppose we went off topic a bit too much. I have something to tell you today.¡±

    ¡°You should have said that first.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was honestly shocked by what happened to Shadow, and I wanted to give my thanks to you for avenging my little brother.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine. So, what do you have for me?¡±

    Calmia¡¯s expression turnedpletely serious when she answered Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°We are still in the middle of investigating d, but we found Robin in the process. The priority¡¯s lower than d¡¯s, but you were looking for him too, right?¡±

    After starting the PK hunt, Shin¡¯s hostility had focused so much on d that he had almost forgotten about him. After hearing Robin¡¯s name, the aura enveloping Shin suddenly changed.

    Despite being inside a game, several members felt this abrupt transformation and flinched.

    ording to Avidya¡¯s research, Robin did not belong to any PK guild, so it was clear that he had not killed any yers yet.

    Robin had kidnapped Marino and handed her to d though. Because of this, he was one of the people Shin wanted to take revenge against.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go right now. Where is he?¡±

    The wordsing out of Shin¡¯s mouth soundedpletely different from before. His expression didn¡¯t change, but his tone now sounded much darker and fiercer.

    ¡°Calm down. The hounds are keeping track of him, so if something happens I¡¯ll know right away.¡±

    Shin learned of Robin¡¯s whereabouts from Calmia, materialized his katana and left the guildhouse.

    With his figure concealed, Shin walked through dimly lit streets and back alleys, like a wandering ghost, like a god of death.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Guided by the information obtained from Calmia, Shin arrived at a woond area to the north of Kalkia. The woods were quiet, the low-leveled monsters within prowling about silently.

    It was a location that rarely saw strong monsters and did not have any particr events associated with it, so it only contained a few lodges and nothing more.

    ¡°Robin is apparently using the third lodge as his base. No one knows what exactly he¡¯s doing though, as he never leaves it.¡±

    ¡±I see. I¡¯ll go by myself, please stay out of this.¡±

    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s no one in Avidya that would get in your way now. Just let me stand by here, in case anything happens, all right?¡±

    Saying this, the Hound concealed himself. Shin¡¯s detection field registered his presence, but there was no need to point that out. Shin turned his back to the man and headed towards the lodges. The area was outside any hometown, making buildings and yers susceptible to attacks.

    In Shin¡¯s map, the yers inside the lodges were showed clearly. They were not friends or support characters however, so their names were not disyed.

    The Hound¡¯s information was surely correct, but to bepletely sure Shin started from breaking down the ¡¾Wall¡¿ and ¡¾Barrier¡¿ erected around the lodge.

    ¡°Type V, huh. I guess it¡¯s enough for a ce like this, but it¡¯s still too frail.¡±

    Shin¡¯s hands did not need to reach ¡ºTrue Moon¡», hanging from his waist; his left hand cut through the air in a rough motion and, with the sharp sound of ss breaking, the barriers protecting the lodge were destroyed.

    A yer from the neighboring lodge, rmed by the sound, came out to see what was going on.

    ¡°W-what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Taking my revenge, you got a problem with that?¡±

    ¡°¡­..leave my lodge alone, all right?¡±

    Maybe because he had sensed the aura Shin emitted, the yer who hade out trembled and quickly turned back to his lodge after meekly voicing his request to Shin.

    The yer in the lodge on the opposite side had probably heard this exchange, because he closed the windows without the smallest protest.

    Looking at the map, Shin noticed that a yer was exiting the lodge on the side opposite to where Shin was.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Without saying a word, Shin moved his right hand through the air and struck. The lodge crumbled on the yer who had attempted to escape.

    Shin walked closer to the wrecked lodge and found Robin under a fallen log.

    ¡°Y-You are¡­¡±

    Robin had likely realized that the man standing before him was Shin. His expression warped with fear.

    ¡°You know what I¡¯m here for, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I-I had no other choice!! I would have been ruined, you know!! I have a family to raise in the real world. That man was the only one I could trust to change things!!¡°

    ¡°First of all, where is d?¡±

    Shin¡¯s question utterly ignored Robin¡¯s desperate excuses. Robin had cooperated with d, so he might know about his whereabouts.

    ¡°I d-don¡¯t know anything¡­I haven¡¯t met that man¡­d, since then. He won¡¯t answer my contacts either¡­we were never close anyway. He just u-used me!! I¡¯m a victim here!!¡±

    Seeing that Shin did not move an eyebrow while listening, Robin hurriedly changed the subject. His eyes darted everywhere, frantically looking for a way to escape.

    The weapon at his waist was still in its sheath, untouched. Shin, however, could kill Robin faster than thetter could take out a crystal and teleport away.

    Either Shin allowed him to go or someone else had to act as a decoy while he escaped. In all other cases, this was the end of the line for Robin.

    ¡°You have no idea where d could be?¡±

    ¡°I, I, I didn¡¯t know something like that would happen!! He didn¡¯t tell me that he would kill her!! We even had recovery potions for the status ailment!! If you would have just epted¡ª¡±

    Robin¡¯s excuses stopped abruptly, followed by the acute sound of a katana resting again in its sheath.

    Judging from Robin¡¯s behavior and the current situation, it was clear that he had indeed only been used.

    If so, there was no point in leaving him alive another moment. With his head detached from his torso, Robin disappeared in a burst of polygons, but Shin didn¡¯t spare a nce and turned away from the pile of rubble that used to be Robin¡¯s lodge.

    As Shin was leaving, a bright voice, in strident contrast with the location, stopped him.

    ¡°So the rumors were true! You¡¯ve be pretty good at cutting people down.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Shin turned towards the voice without a word. There he found a petite, young-looking girl with short white hair and big, round eyes.

    She was wearing an oriental garb with rather high skin exposure. This stressed the mounds on her chest, which were already too pronounced for her physique. However, what stood out the most was the giant poleaxe, almost as long as the girl was tall, wielded by her tiny hands.

    Shin didn¡¯t need to cast ¡¾Analyze¡¿ to know who this uniquebination was.

    ¡°Milt.¡±

    ¡°Long time no see. When was thest time we met, three months ago maybe?¡±

    Milt approached Shin with a friendly smile.

    Milt herself was a PK, but a rare case; she was not included in Avidya¡¯s target list. The reason was that she killed only in self-defense or during duels to the death that both parties agreed to.

    She was treated as a PK because, if her opponent agreed to fight to the death, she would kill without any hesitation.

    ¡°What do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°I heard you were looking for d, so¡ª¡±

    Milt stopped halfway through the sentence; Shin had closed in on her in a second, grabbed her by the neck and pushed her down to the ground, ¡ºTrue Moon¡»¡¯s cold de on her neck.

    ¡°If you know anything, talk.¡±

    ¡°Ha, haha! The Shin I see now will be OK, I guess¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t leer at me like that. I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡±

    Milt let go of her poleaxe and raised both hands. When Shin withdrew ¡ºTrue Moon¡», she let out a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve looked everywhere too, but he won¡¯t be found easily. Because he probably has no intention of attacking anyone now. It¡¯s not possible to catch him in the act again.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±

    ¡°Well, he managed to warp his greatest prey with his own hands, after all. He¡¯s not going to risk killing others and have their deaths overwrite that experience.¡±

    Milt talked of something Shin could notprehend. To burn people¡¯s deaths into your memory was already far too depraved for him.

    ¡°d was obsessed about you more than anything. He¡¯s likely been observing you and gloating, I guess. You¡¯re in a state close to what he called ¡®the ideal¡¯st time we talked after all. He¡¯d probably be d even if he¡¯s found and killed by you.¡±

    ¡°Disgusting bastard.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand people like that, you know.¡±

    Milt¡¯s shoulders dropped as she talked. Shin had no intention of understanding either, so he urged her to continue.

    ¡°d¡¯s keeping track of your movements. His main job, Dragon Knight, is one that stands out easily, but his sub is Ninja. He switched main and sub job now, to hide better. Ninjas have the best concealment abilities among all scout-type jobs, after all. He¡¯s using all sorts of items and equipment to hide, so he won¡¯t be easy to find.¡±

    ¡°You mean that he¡¯s watching now too?¡±

    ¡°Probably, with binocrs or something like that. Well, that would mean the n I thought about would work though.¡±

    Milt spoke inly. Shin tried to extend his detection field to the max, but could not find any yers other than Milt and the lodge yers whose presence he had confirmed before; no trace of d.

    As Milt had said, if he was using items and skills specialized for seeing long distances, it could be possible to observe locations even from outside detection fields.

    Milt¡¯s theory was not too bizarre after all; it could not be discarded as improbable.

    ¡°What¡¯s your n, then?¡±

    ¡°For me to join up with you. I¡¯m pretty strong myself, but still nothing specialpared to you. If he sees someone like me getting all close and personal¡ª.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯lle to stop it, huh.¡±

    ¡°Bingo. Shin stopped hunting PKs to flirt with some broad. d wouldn¡¯t stand for that, I¡¯m positive.¡±

    Milt¡¯s n was to use d¡¯s obsession against him, to lure him out in the open.

    ¡°Won¡¯t he be more alert if you¡¯re involved?¡±

    Unlike Marino, Milt could fight. If that was the case, d might not think that Shin had given up on fighting for flirting.

    ¡°I was good friends with Mari, actually. We never really talked about it, so it¡¯s not strange for you not to know.¡±

    ¡°You¡­and Marino?¡±

    Shin furrowed his brow at Milt¡¯s words. He had never heard anything of the sort from Marino.

    ¡°Yes, it happened by chance, because our situations in real life are pretty simr. We couldn¡¯t say anything openly¡­but we talked a lot just between the two of us. Mari was sick, wasn¡¯t she? In real life, I¡¯m actually stuck on a hospital bed too¡­but the only other one who knows about this is Lucky Cat¡¯s Catnip.¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±

    Catnip knew about Marino too. The ¡°Milmeow¡± she had mentioned before was Milt, then.

    ¡°d had researched Mari thoroughly. I don¡¯t know how he found out, but he knew about the connection between us. He asked me about her himself, so there¡¯s no mistake about that¡±

    Milt knew so much about d because she had used the PK¡¯s informationwork, not the normal yers¡¯ or the revengers¡¯. The PKs were wary of her though, so she could only obtain limited information. Shin¡¯s PK hunt had caused serious damage to thework.

    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t find it too weird for me to take Mari¡¯s ce then. It could provoke him even more. I don¡¯t dislike flirting in public, so there¡¯s that too.¡±

    Saying this, Milt tried wrapping her arm around Shin¡¯s, but thetter stepped back to avoid her approach and thought about what to do.

    Avidya¡¯s hounds hadn¡¯t found any useful information about d. It was originally difficult to retrieve information about PKs not belonging to any organization. He could have asked Calmia could act as his partner in this operation, but in a dangerous situation, she couldn¡¯t protect herself.

    ¡°If it means hunting him down, I can do this.¡±

    Shin concluded that it was worth trying even if the n would turn unsessful and agreed to Milt¡¯s proposal.

    ¡°OK, I don¡¯t mean to ask for this in return, but I have a request too. May I?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°After d is taken care of, I want you to fight me. To the death.¡±

    Shin peered at Milt with surprise and suspicion in his eyes.

    Milt said ¡°to the death¡±, but as long as she didn¡¯t pull off a series of incredible feats, she had no hope of winning. A duel to the death would have been suicide for her.

    ¡°If you just want to die, do it somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°I want you to be myst, Shin. Because I don¡¯t want to go back to reality.¡±

    ¡°¡­.let¡¯s go to Tsuki no Hokora first, then talk more. This isn¡¯t the right ce.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Shin temporarily formed a party with Milt and returned to Kalkia via teleportation, then chain teleported to Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°Wee back.¡±

    Schnee weed Shin home, but Shin walked passed her without a word, had Milt sit down in the living room, and started preparing tea.

    ¡°¡­.what?¡±

    ¡°Ah, er, you look quite used to it, I was just thinking.¡±

    Milt was slightly surprised to see Shin prepare tea for them both.

    ¡°Anyone can make tea. Rather than that, let¡¯s pick up where we left off.¡±

    Shin took a sip of tea, then urged Milt to continue.

    ¡°As I said before, I¡¯m stuck in a bed in real life. I can¡¯t live if I¡¯m not hooked to machines. I can speak, but my arms and legs won¡¯t move like I want them to. I had toe to this world to finally understand how freely a body can move. But no matter how much I move here, reality doesn¡¯t change. No¡­maybe because I had a taste of freedom here, reality became even harsher for me.¡±

    For Milt, just staying alive meant having to pay expensive medical fees.

    She could live on, thanks to her parents¡¯ hard work, but looking at her parents growing thinner and more emaciated as she grew up, her heart couldn¡¯t stand it anymore.

    ¡°We were never rich, so paying the hospital fees to keep me alive has always been a huge burden on them. Mom and Dad are always smiling, but that made it all even more painful. I¡­I could feel it. Their hands caressing mine¡­growing thinner and weaker over time.¡±

    Modern medicine couldn¡¯t cure Milt¡¯s disease. Either her parents would reach their limit first, or Milt would.

    ¡°I have a little brother too, but it looks like he¡¯s unhappy with my parents caring about me so much. If I¡¯m not around anymore, all their love will go to him. The financial burden will also disappear ¡ª good things all around.¡±

    ¡°In a documentary on TV, I saw parents say that they¡¯re happy just to see their child alive. From the standpoint of someone being kept alive, it¡¯s not like that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to say that everyone sees it like I do, nor do I think so. My head¡¯s the only thing working perfectly, so maybe I think too much¡­making them sad would be painful, of course, but¡­.¡±

    Milt was asking to be killed, but there was no sadness in her view.

    ¡°If you think so, then wouldn¡¯t suicide be an option? It might be impossible in real life, but in this world you could end your life yourself.¡±

    ¡°I thought about it at first, but¡­but thinking of killing myself with my own hands is too scary. So I thought about having someone do it for me.¡±

    Milt wished to die, but death was still terrifying. Milt herself admitted what a contradiction that was.

    ¡°I can forget about that fear in battle. I want to die while feeling truly alive.¡±

    That was one reason why she had continued seeking duels to the death.

    ¡°¡­you won¡¯t regret it?¡±

    Shin released a wave of pure killing intent, which blew through Milt¡¯s hair like a gust of wind.

    ¡°Yup. I couldn¡¯t do anything myself¡­but this, only this, I¡¯ve decided it on my own.¡±

    The killing intent unleashed upon Milt was enough to make any average yer turn pale and shake violently, but she did not even bat an eysh.

    Even PKs, used to end others¡¯ lives, saw fear rear its ugly head when death approached. Milt had mentioned being scared of death, but to Shin, it seemed that she hadpletely epted it.

    The emotions he felt from Milt contained imbnce, yes, but also great tranquility. Somehow, she reminded him of Marino.

    ¡°Got it. Once we¡¯re done with d, I¡¯ll be your opponent.¡±

    For Marino and Milt, death has always been very close. They had had a longer, deeper rtionship with it than Shin ever could.

    Shin had killed a great number of PKs. One more wouldn¡¯t be a problem at this point.

    ¡°Thank you. Let¡¯s get the n moving right away then! Back to town for some lovey-doveying!¡±

    After thanking Shin, Milt¡¯s enlightened atmosphere vanished somewhere as her mood turned to hyper excitement.

    She now grabbed Shin¡¯s arm firmly, determined not to let him go this time.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Shin, silently watching Milt holding his hand and guiding him, teleported back to Kalkia.

    Eager to show their intimacy as clearly as possible, Milt had wrapped her left arm around Shin¡¯s right arm. Leaving the choice of their destination to Milt, Shin contacted Calmia via chat.

    ¡°(I have something to tell you about.)¡±

    ¡°(Oh my, it must be the first time you sent me a direct chat.)¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t go to Avidya¡¯s guildhouse with Milt in tow. As they wanted to pretend that he had given up on revenge, visiting that blood-drenched ce was out of the question.

    ¡°(If there are any guild members with grudges against d, I want you to tell them something)¡±

    Shin exined to Calmia about Milt¡¯s n and the circumstances leading to it,stly asking her to ry this. He had talked with Milt and decided how to finish d.

    ¡°(¡ªI see. Your method will definitely be really humiliating for d. I¡¯ll tell them.)¡±

    ¡°(Please do. I¡¯ll contact you if there are any movements.)¡±

    Shin cut off the chat and asked Milt where they were going. He had been focusing on the chat, his legs moving to automatically follow Milt.

    ¡°Catnip¡¯s ce, there are always a lot of people there after all. Perfect for rumors to spread.¡±

    ¡°Aah, I see.¡±

    Catnip¡¯s store, Lucky Cat, was a favorite destination of Shin and Marino¡¯s. Many yers there knew Shin¡¯s face, even if they weren¡¯t aware of his strength. Being a confectionery, most of the visitors were female yers. If he went there, hand in hand with a female yer other than Marino, rumors and conjectures would surely spread very quickly.

    Shin didn¡¯t think that d was observing him at all hours; but if he caught wind of such a rumor, whether he acted or not, he would surely be restless.

    ¡°OK, will he move then?¡±

    Shin felt that it would be great if anything was born from this. He had listened seriously when Milt talked about her situation, but not even the Hounds had managed to pick up any hints about d, so he doubted d would exhibit the kind of careless behavior Milt suggested.

    For the current n to seed, that was a necessary condition. If d had already lost interest in Shin, the n would bepletely useless.

    ¡°He will.¡±

    Shin had whispered to himself, but Milt replied with confidence. Shin didn¡¯t know what exactly made her so sure.

    ¡°Obsession is something that doesn¡¯t just go away, not even if you think you¡¯ve had enough. He staged something so huge for you and saw you change, he¡¯s not going to be able to just turn the page on it.¡±

    Milt stated her thoughts firmly, a serious expression on her face.

    At the same time they had arrived at the Lucky Cat, so before Shin could say anything Milt had opened the door to the store.

    The interior of the store was mostly the same as Shin remembered from hisst visit, crowded as usual by female yers.

    Among them, wearing cat ears and tail, Catnip was serving her customers.

    ¡°Meow meow!? Shimeow and Milmeow, now this is a rare duo! Long time no see, both of you.¡±

    Catnip noticed Shin and Milt and approached them with her usual ¡°cat-like¡± talk.

    Her gaze towards Shin, despite the peppy tone of her voice, was mncholic. She knew what he had been doing for the past month, surely.

    ¡°We talked via chat, though. We haven¡¯t met face to face like this since about one month ago, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Because you never stay in one ce, Milmeow. Finding you would be a miracle, meow¡­but more than that, I¡¯m more interested to know why you two are so friendly, meow? You look just like lovers, meow?¡±

    ¡°Hehehe¡­that¡¯s exactly what we are!!¡±

    Milt squeezed her body even closer to Shin and made this deration with a louder tone of voice. Shin felt multiple eyes on him and looked around, noticing that most gazes were fixated on his arm.

    Staring at his left arm were all the (few) male yers present and some of the female ones.

    The male yers¡¯ stares burned holes in Milt¡¯s watermelon-like assets pressed on Shin¡¯s left arm.

    Shin considered Milt¡¯s presence as just one part of the n, so he decided to smile in order for the rumors to spread even more easily.

    ¡°Meowhat!? So even Shimeow fell to the charm of Milmeow¡¯s breasts!? Open your eyes, meow!! Small girls with watermelon chests don¡¯t exist in real life!! I know the truth, meow. That chest is a lie!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re horrible!! Let me dream in this game world at least!!¡±

    ¡°What are you two saying¡­¡±

    Shin gave a tired look at the two and the absurd conflict they had started.

    ¡°(I¡¯ve heard everything. I¡¯ll do what I can to help.)¡±

    Shin had noticed that she was acting far too strange, and his suspicions were confirmed when Catnip sent him a chat.

    It was difficult to imagine from the noisily meowing silhouette before his eyes, but the voice that reached his mind was cold and dry. Her mncholic eyes also contained a somewhat cold streak.

    ¡°(Catnip, you shouldn¡¯t make eyes like that.)¡±

    Shin was not in a position to tell others, though. Catnip, however, was someone Marino had been friends with. Shin himself felt that he had be less liable to emotional changes after Marino¡¯s death, but he felt that he had to say it.

    After showing off for a while, they purchased a few items and left Lucky Cat.

    The rumors were probably already spreading; Shin felt more and more eyes fixed on them.

 Vol 10 Chapter 4.2: Chapter 4 Part 2

    About one week after Shin and Milt started their n, it began .

    Even in the orphanage, a ce where rumors rarely spread, the news of Shin¡¯s PK hunt had reached the children¡¯s ears .

    ¡°I told you already, big bro Shin is fighting so that no one will be a victim anymore . It¡¯s a bad thing, yeah, but . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no police in this world anyway . ¡±

    Some didn¡¯t share such feelings, though .

    ¡°Bu-but Shin is doing dangerous things . ¡±

    Despite knowing that PK hunting meant killing people -so it was a bad thing- Teppei and Ryohei imed it was unavoidable . Luca wasn¡¯t convinced however .

    Despite her young age, Luca knew how terrifying PKs could be . That was precisely the reason why she was worried about Shin¡¯s safety, endangered by his proactive hunting of the PKs .

    Today, she was sitting at the orphanage¡¯s gates .

    ¡°After he defeats all the PKs, he¡¯lle back¡­I think . ¡±

    ¡°Ryohei, don¡¯t talk like you really know . ¡±

    ¡°Hey, what else can I do? The grownups won¡¯t tell us anything else!¡±

    ¡°Shin, won¡¯t youe back? We can¡¯t meet anymore¡­?¡±

    After listening to Teppei and Ryohei¡¯s conversation, Luca¡¯s eyes filled with tears .

    The two boys hurriedly tried to calm her down and went to call an adult to confirm that Shin would return .

    ¡°Uuuh¡­¡±

    Luca wiped her tears with her sleeves and raised her head . In front of her stood the gate she stared at every day since the attack one month ago .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    A thought developed in Luca¡¯s head .

    She didn¡¯t know when, if ever, Shin woulde to the orphanage again . If so, she should just go meet him .

    It was still a little past nine in the morning; there was plenty of time .

    The adults didn¡¯t allow children to go out of the orphanage on their own . However, there was no one around now, so she could sneak out .

    Luca looked around, confirmed that there really wasn¡¯t anyone in the surroundings, and quickly sprinted away . She hurried through the orphanage¡¯s gate and hid on the opposite side . Now she couldn¡¯t be seen from the inside .

    ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t you one of Shin¡¯s little friends?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    The sudden voice made Luca jolt . Timidly, she looked in the direction of the voice and saw a smiling young man . He had said Shin¡¯s name, so maybe they knew each other .

    ¡°Oh, I apologize for surprising you . I was looking for Shin, so I was wondering if you might know where he is . ¡±

    ¡°Me too¡­I¡¯m looking for Shin now . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so? So you¡¯ll go look for him in town?¡±

    ¡°Everywhere . ¡±

    ¡°Everywhere? You mean, in the field and in dungeons too?¡±

    Luca answered the young man¡¯s question by forming two tiny fists and nodding .

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°However, it seems dangerous for someone of your level to go in the field, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Luca had been dragged into the death game after her ount had been created just to fill in a spot . As a result, she barely knew anything about how the game worked, having stayed in town since her first login . She couldn¡¯t understand what the young man meant .

    ¡°Hmm¡­oh? Looks the like the orphanage is getting noisy . Could it be that you snuck out?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    The young man¡¯s guess made Luca¡¯s body shrink . Ryohei or Teppei were probably calling for her . She could hear Emil¡¯s voice too .

    ¡°Did you want to see Shin so much that you snuck out of the orphanage?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . Yes . ¡±

    Luca silently nodded to the young man¡¯s sudden question .

    Shin might disappear, like her brother and his friends did, like Marino did . Luca didn¡¯t want to do nothing and just be separated like that .

    ¡°Hmm¡­hmm¡­oh, fine . I was looking for Shin too after all . Why don¡¯t youe with me? The frontlines have turned quieter since he left, sotely things have been pretty boring . ¡±

    ¡°Ehm¡­¡±

    ¡°If we stay here, someone from the orphanage wille soon, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­er¡­I¡¯ll go!!¡±

    Any average yer would be wary of following someone they¡¯d met for the first time . Luca, however, was urged on by hearing the voices from the orphanage, growing closer and closer, and her desire to see Shin, so she ended up nodding to the young man¡¯s proposal .

    The young man, with a bigger smile, took Luca¡¯s hand and started walking away . They quickly became lost in the crowd, and impossible to find for anyone from the orphanage .

    ¡°What is your name?¡±

    Luca remembered that she hadn¡¯t heard the name of the young man walking with her, so she looked up at him and asked .

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t introduce myself, did I . My name is Hameln . Pleased to meet you . ¡±

    The young man¡ª-Hameln introduced himself .

    Hameln, one of the masterminds behind the recent tragedy, smiled innocently as he led Luca through the crowd at a leisurely pace .

    ¡°Well then, let me ask straight away, do you have any idea where Shin could be?¡±

    ¡°He talked a lot about clearing dungeons¡­¡±

    Hameln, with Luca in tow, was walking through Kalkia¡¯s main street . Being an MPK, a PK that used monsters to kill other yers, his name and face were not known .

    ¡°Hmm, they say he¡¯s hunting down PKs, so he¡¯s probably outside the hometown . ¡±

    Hameln, holding his chin, started thinking .

    Using an information broker was an option, but there was a high chance that the same broker would sell the information of Hameln¡¯s visit to others . There was the chance for Shin toe to him because of that, but Hameln thought that it was still too early to meet him .

    His visit to the orphanage was to confirm if Shin continued to hunt PKs even after crushing thergest guild .

    d, the man who snatched away Shin¡¯s beloved, was still alive . Hameln thought that he would contact Shin after he was done with d .

    ¡°A dangerous ce?¡±

    ¡°For Shin, the dungeons avable now are still safe enough . The only exceptions could be the bosses, I suppose . But I don¡¯t think that Shin would fight bosses now, so there¡¯s no danger . ¡±

    Hameln wouldn¡¯t say anything to further Luca¡¯s concerns; for him, Luca was in the position of someone to protect .

    What Hameln wanted to observe was the will of people when facing against adversities . Most small children died before being able to show such willpower .

    For this, he would protect her . To assess her willpower while fighting against the adversity that, one day, would surely visit her .

    That was the only important thing . He was the one to create the adversities to show the will to fight against, but if, as a result, the child died without showing that willpower, it wouldn¡¯t faze Hameln in the slightest .

    His own desires were everything to him . That was the kind of yer Hameln was .

    ¡°I guess we have no other choice . Let¡¯s try betting on the piece of information I heard . ¡±

    Hameln¡¯s shoulders dropped, and he walked forward again . The destination was a ce with very few people, an area where several lodges stood . ording to the information Hameln obtained, it was where Robin, a man who coborated with d, was supposed to live .

    ¡°You look pale, youngdy, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . I¡¯m okay . ¡±

    Despite Luca¡¯s answer, she did not look okay at all . As it turns out, she had received messages and calls in her chat asking where she was .

    In this world, much like the real one, it was very easy to contact others . Luca had followed Hameln, pushed by the situation¡¯s momentum, but thinking calmly about it, she was now afraid to be yelled at .

    Sneaking out of the orphanage to go look for Shin seemed like proof of courage, but now she was imagining the adults yelling at her, and she trembled . She had appeared resolute at first, but she had just followed her impulses . Luca was, after all, just a child .

    ¡°Let¡¯s say you were kidnapped, then . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    While Luca was still reeling from the surprise, Hameln sent a message to Emil .

    The message¡¯s contents said, ¡°I am going to use Luca to stop Shin¡± . For Hameln, who was used to being hated, being treated like a kidnapper was nothing he was concerned about .

    ¡°With this, at least they won¡¯t yell at you for sneaking out . They¡¯ll be more worried, but that can¡¯t be helped, I guess . Ah, you should say in chat that you¡¯re being threatened . ¡±

    Hameln was talking of very serious things, but continued with his casual tone .

    ¡°Why do you help me?¡±

    ¡°Help? That¡¯s not right, I¡¯m afraid . I¡¯m not here with you because I want to help you after all . I just think that, for Shin, for a person in his current state, the emotional words of a child like you would be more effective than an adult¡¯s realism-imbued speeches . ¡±

    Young age, surprisingly, works wonders as a weapon . After adding this finalment only to himself, Hameln asked Luca a question .

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s toote to say this now, but I am nning to use you . But, now and only now, I can let you go free . What will you do? Will youe with me? Or will you go back to the orphanage?¡±

    Hameln repeated the question he had first asked Luca at the orphanage . Waiting to hear what her young will would choose, Hameln grinned .

    ¡°¡­I, I go . I will go together . If I don¡¯t¡­Shin will go somewhere far . ¡±

    Luca answered while shaking slightly .

    Hearing her answer, Hameln¡¯s smile widened .

    ¡°Is this a woman¡¯s instinct, I wonder? Or maybe, you know even if you don¡¯t actually understand it . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing . ¡±

    Hameln voiced his thoughts out loud without realizing it . He then changed topic with an ambiguous smile .

    ¡°Shall we go, then?¡±

    ¡°Where do we go?¡±

    ¡°A ce where he might be . Well, the information is old, so I can¡¯t be sure though . ¡±

    His shoulders dropping again, Hameln summoned one of his contract beasts . A magic circle appeared on the ground and a blue tiger-type monster about two mels long, a Weyger, appeared .

    Its fangs and ws were of a transparent blue hue, tworge strands of white hair extended from its forehead over its back . Its level was 423 . For Luca, just being pushed by its paws would reduce her HP to zero .

    ¡°Eek!?¡±

    Luca¡¯s body shrank in fear at the sight of the Weyger¡¯s sudden appearance .

    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, this is just our means of transport . ¡±

    Following Hameln¡¯s orders, the Weyger crouched down . The monster looked up at Luca, as if it was telling her ¡°hop on, miss¡± .

    ¡°The faster we can move, the better . Please, get on . ¡±

    Encouraged by Hameln, Luca timidly mounted the Weyger . The monster made sure that Luca firmly grabbed its fur, stood back up slowly, and started walking next to Hameln .

    ¡°It¡¯s so fluffy . ¡±

    ¡°Gaarfn . ¡±

    Luca rode, hugging the Weyger¡¯s back . The feeling of the monster¡¯s soft fur was probably very pleasant, as she looked giddy now .

    They Weyger snorted proudly, as if it was boasting about the quality of its fur .

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty popr as a pet too, after all . ¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    To Hameln, instead, the monster snarled as if clicking its tongue .

    ¡°Okay then, our destination is just ahead . I set the Weyger so as to protect you, so don¡¯t go far from it, okay?¡±

    Hameln checked that the monsters at the destination were of a level much lower than the Weyger .

    ¡°Okay . ¡±

    ¡°Gaarf!¡±

    The Weyger growled, as if saying ¡°leave it to me!¡±

    ¡°I guess monsters have likes and dislikes too?¡±

    Puzzled by the Weygar showing a very different reaction to Luca than to himself, Hameln walked on . Soon enough, several small lodges appeared .

    ¡°I suppose we arrived toote . My my¡­the information was old, so I guess I should have made sure he was alive first . ¡±

    Hameln whispered while rubbing his chin in front of apletely wrecked lodge .

    The information he had obtained stated that Robin lived in one of the area¡¯s lodges .

    There was no guarantee that Robin was in the ruined lodge, so Hameln decided to gather information in the surroundings .

    ¡°My apologies, I would like to ask you something . ¡±

    Hameln told Luca to wait and knocked at the door of the lodge next to the ruined one . A few secondster, a pudgy male yer appeared from inside .

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a person, do you happen to know a yer named Robin?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you knew the neighbor guy?¡±

    The man¡¯s answer suggested that the inhabitant of the copsed lodge was indeed Robin . Hameln denied and the man continued .

    ¡°You didn¡¯t? Well, whatever . It happened a couple days ago, a yer with a katana wrecked the house all of a sudden . It made no sense to me to feel something like that in a game, but¡­I felt it for real . Killing intent . He looked real dangerous, so I thought I should leave him alone and hid inside right away . They talked for a while¡­but the guy inside, in the end, went like this . ¡±

    The man made a horizontal sliding gesture across his neck with his hand .

    The meaning was probably that the head had been cut off . The two talked a little more, but there was no clue about Shin¡¯s possible next destination .

    ¡°Is that so¡­thank you very much for your time . ¡±

    Hameln bowed deeply and closed the door .

    ¡°Shin isn¡¯t here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it appears to be so . The only hint left is that rumor, then¡­¡±

    ¡°Rumor?¡±

    ¡°They say that Shin has a new girlfriend, and that they flirt in public with no shame at all¡­honestly, I can¡¯t believe that Shin would get a new girlfriend now though . ¡±

    Ifrge PK guilds still remained, he might have trusted his instincts and waited in ambush . The only ones remaining, however, were very small ones and solo yers, so that n was unusable .

    Hameln couldn¡¯t use information brokers either, so thest resort was to rely on a rumor he found repugnant .

    ¡°He¡¯s in a ce with many people?¡±

    ¡°That would be natural . But even as a rumor, it concerns me that it spread so quickly . ¡±

    It felt almost as if it was being spread on purpose .

    ¡°¡­ooh, I see, so that¡¯s the n . ¡±

    After thinking about it, Hameln realized something and suddenly looked very convinced .

    Even if he was going around crushing PK guilds, Shin¡¯s main target was still d . Hameln, who knew both, realized what Shin¡¯s true aim probably was .

    ¡°Do you know where Shin is?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I know yet . But I figured out what he¡¯s trying to do . I wanted to do this without d knowing, but if I say I will cooperate we can probably get information out of him . ¡±

    Hameln sent d a message immediately .

    ¡°(Hello, it¡¯s been quite a while . There¡¯s something I would like to ask you, could you please spare some time for me?)¡±

    When d answered the chat, he appeared very irritated . Hameln, thinking that his behaviour exceeded his expectations, greeted him .

    ¡°(What do you want from me then? You of all people wouldn¡¯t contact me without a purpose . )¡±

    ¡°(Well, that is true . I wanted to have a chat with Shin, do you have any idea where he could be? I caught wind of a strange rumor, so I thought that you might know more about that too . )¡±

    ¡°(I know . That woman is getting ahead of herself, isn¡¯t she . )¡±

    Hameln thought that the situation was bound to move rather quickly and smiled to himself .

    Where had his peerless caution gone to? d acted very differently from thest time Hameln spoke to him .

    With most of the PKs exterminated, organizingrge-scale operations required a great number of people and resources . The PKs with high fighting power, especially, had been carefully eliminated, so it was impossible to trick them to use them as assassins either .

    ¡°(Your cooperation during the invasion was valuable, so if you tell me his whereabouts, I can help you . I still have the items too . )¡±

    ¡°(What do you n to do when you meet him?)¡±

    d probably instantly calcted that Hameln could have helped bolster his inferior fighting power; his voice sounded much more collected than before .

    ¡°(I just wish to talk with him . I doubt things will end peacefully though . )¡±

    ¡°(You¡¯ll just get killed if you do . )¡±

    ¡°(I can probably buy some time if I use my monsters as shields . I¡¯m just interested in what he¡¯s actually thinking at present . )¡±

    ¡°(¡­ . so be it . I will contact you once I have a n . )¡±

    From d¡¯s tone of voice, Hameln perceived that d had decided that he was going to make use of Hameln .

    Hameln became an MPK because he wanted to observe the willpower and emotions of yers when attacked by monsters . He was thus very skilled at reading others¡¯ emotions .

    The conversation had proceeded so smoothly it almost seemed like a trap . Despite the frail bond of trust between them, d had been too reckless . His frustration had probably peaked .

    ¡°Well then, we should contact Shin now¡­what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    If he doesn¡¯t answer to chat, just send him a message . Hameln was thinking this, when he noticed that Luca was crying .

    The Weyger was licking her face, trying to console her .

    ¡°Shin¡­Shin is going away!!¡±

    Hameln guessed that Luca had been talking with Shin via chat . Shin was about to step over a line that should not be crossed .

    ¡°I thought that he woulde back once he had gotten his revenge, but this is a quite boring development . ¡±

    There was nothing more boring to observe than humans who had fallen into desperation . It was not umon for people who had embraced hope to end like that, but it was not what Hameln expected to see .

    ¡°We have the chance to see a grand stage with our own eyes¡­I¡¯m sorry for dear d, but I have to do something about it . ¡±

    Hameln crouched down, his eyes at the same height as Luca¡¯s .

    ¡°Do you want Shin toe back?¡±

    Hameln asked his question with a serious tone, his usual ambiguous smile gone from his lips . After a brief moment, Luca strongly nodded .

    ¡°Even if it means that your life will be in danger?¡±

    Luca nodded again, with no pause this time .

    ¡°Very good . Please wait here then . If what I will say now happens, materialize it . ¡±

    Smiling again, Hameln gave a card to Luca . A spherical object and the number ¡°10¡± were pictured on it .

    ¡°Shall we contact her, then?¡±

    Timing was crucial . With this in mind, Hameln sent a message .

 Vol 10 Chapter 4.3: Chapter 4 Part 3

    A week had already passed since they started standing out in public on purpose .

    Shin was thinking that the n¡¯s effects should be showing soon, when he was contacted via chat from Emil . Maybe thinking of the possibility that he wouldn¡¯t respond, she sent a message card at the same time .

    ¡°(Luca has been kidnapped by Hameln!!)¡±

    ¡°(Luca!?)¡±

    Shin could tell Emil was unnerved as he listened to her story, yet he found it a bit bizarre .

    Hameln was a yer that liked using monsters to attack yers, an MPK . His fighting level was rather high, but he seldom fought other than for self-defense . He apparently acted following his own rules; after entering Avidya, Shin had heard scattered reports about him .

    Hameln was reported to have a light and easy personality . Yet, rather than engage in all PK activity, he seemed to focus on medium torge-scale battles .

    Shin had briefly met him during thest invasion event, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling it was strange for Hameln to take a hostage .

    ¡°(I thought I had set up the orphanage barrier again?)¡±

    ¡°(It looks like Luca went out on her own . But her expression was strange¡­I¡¯ll send you the message Hameln sent me . )¡±

    Emil¡¯s message arrived soon: it read ¡°I borrowed the youngdy, I¡¯ll send her back after a while¡±, almost like a bad joke or a prank .

    ¡°Were you able to contact Luca?¡±

    ¡°I did, but she only replied that she was going with Hameln, and nothing more . ¡±

    Shin found the situation more and more difficult toprehend .

    Chat mode was apletely private mode ofmunication; it was impossible for others to overhear . Even if she had been taken away or threatened, it was possible to inform others without the kidnapper knowing .

    Since Luca had not said anything like that, it was possible that she had followed Hameln of her own free will .

    Shin asked for more details and learned that just before disappearing, Luca had bickered with Ryohei and Teppei over whether Shin would return or not .

    ¡°(Until Hameln¡¯s message arrived, those two said that she had gone looking for you . I have no idea what¡¯s going on either¡­I wasn¡¯t sure if I should have called you or not either . )¡±

    ¡°(¡­ . I see . )¡±

    Barely half a day had passed since Luca¡¯s disappearance . After thinking for a while, Shin tried to contact Luca via chat mode .

    ¡°(¡­ . Shin?)¡±

    After a few rings, Luca answered . Her voice sounded timid, scared .

    ¡°(Emil told me Hameln kidnapped you . )¡±

    ¡°(Uuh¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­)¡±

    ¡°(That¡¯s fine for now . So, are you alright?)¡±

    ¡°(Yes, he¡¯s helping me look for you . )¡±

    He¡¯s helping you?

    Shin found Luca¡¯s words nothing but puzzling . Hameln, a famous PK, was helping a little kid find someone? It was far too bizarre .

    Shin asked more questions and found out that Hameln was apparently looking for him too . That he hadn¡¯t hurt Luca in any way and had set a monster to protect her .

    (Why would he be looking for me?)

    Thest time we met, Hameln seemed interested in him . Maybe it was an extension of that, but there was no reason to take Luca with him . During the invasion event, he had attacked not Shin himself, but the whole hometown, so he shouldn¡¯t be obsessed with Shin like d was .

    There should be no reason for Hameln to bring a dead weight like Luca with him .

    ¡°(Luca, Hameln is dangerous . Emil and the others are worried too . Go back to the orphanage)¡±

    ¡°(Shin, when will youe back?)¡±

    ¡°(Well, I¡­)¡±

    I¡¯ll be back right away . That¡¯s what Shin wanted to reply, but the words didn¡¯t leave his lips .

    Then, he realized . That even after exacting his revenge, he had no intention of going back .

    Shin looked down and saw his hands . They were perfectly clean, but all he saw were stains of blood and guts . He felt blood dripping between his fingers . The smell of iron prickled his nose .

    (This is pretty horrible . )

    He couldn¡¯t touch others anymore . Maybe he had realized it already, unconsciously .

    ¡°(Luca, I have to return everybody to the real world . I made a promise with Marino . )¡±

    ¡°(¡­hn . )¡±

    ¡°(I have to focus on clearing the dungeons from now on . )¡±

    ¡°(We can¡¯t, meet anymore?)¡±

    ¡°(Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to die . )¡±

    The words ¡°we will¡± couldn¡¯te out of his mouth .

    ¡°(I am going to end this world . Luca, Emil, Ryohei, Teppei, everyone will be safe . So just wait . )¡±

    ¡°(Shin?)¡±

    ¡°(I¡¯m going to be busy, so we can¡¯t meet until then . )¡±

    ¡°(Shin!!)¡±

    ¡°(Luca, go back to the orphanage . )¡±

    Shin cut off the chat after thisst order .

    Considering Hameln¡¯s fighting power, Shin had to go confront him himself . Their location, however, was the lodge area where Shin had cut down Robin . Even if Shin went there now, by the time he arrived they would probably be somewhere else .

    Hameln would probably try ande in contact sooner orter . He probably would not put Luca in danger either, so Shin decided not to go look for her and wait for Hameln to make his move .

    Shin chuckled at himself, thinking that he had turned rather cold .

    ¡°Shin, looks like d is on the move . ¡±

    As if she had waited for Shin to finish his chat, Milt -who had been walking next to him- called to Shin . Milt, not Shin, had received a message .

    ¡°Tell me more . ¡±

    Shin urged Milt for details, while at the same time connecting to Calmia via chat .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    d¡¯s proposal was to offer Milt a ce to die .

    For a long time now, Milt possessed humorous nicknames such as ¡°Mini Berserker¡± and ¡°Poison Lolita¡± . After the death game started however, she was only known by the nickname ¡°Deathwish¡± .

    As she had told Shin, the method she had chosen to solve the contradiction of her desire to die but fear of suicide was to engage in fights to the death . It didn¡¯t matter whether the opponents were monsters or yers, Milt threw herself into battle without a speck of caution, so that nickname stuck to her quickly .

    The reason why she wasn¡¯t stopped by other yers, even if she appeared while they were fighting bosses ,was that she took the highest risk of all when fighting .

    ¡°(I guess that he came to know that I told you that I wanted you to kill me . Though, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re acting like my boyfriend so I can die without regrets . )¡±

    Thanks to Catnip¡¯s help too, the rumor that Shin and Milt had be lovers had spread in the blink of an eye .

    Not only Shin, but Milt was also rather famous, so the speed at which the rumor spread surprised even them . Thanks to that though, d moved earlier than expected .

    Shin was surprised that d contacted Milt while she was with him: her expressed desire of being killed, no matter at whose hands it was, had probably worked in their favor .

    Concealed through ¡¾Hiding¡¿, Shin and Milt waited for d, keeping a chat open between them .

    d himself intended to be Milt¡¯s opponent apparently . Shin and Milt were supposed to be lovers, so d probably wanted to once again snatch Shin¡¯s beloved away with his own hands .

    ¡°(Pretty sloppy . )¡±

    ¡°(Proof of the pinch he¡¯s in . Well, it¡¯s also a result of your relentless PK hunt . )¡±

    The designed area was a ce ideal for duels; few people or monsters ever visited it .

    It was a perfect location to set up an ambush . The cloudy sky made it even more difficult to see Shin and Milt .

    ¡°(Come alone, without telling Shin . That¡¯s really bad, if you ask me . )¡±

    ¡°(¡­ . could it that he¡¯s actually an idiot? I thought that he would make something more impressive in the end . )¡±

    ¡°(Shin, let me remind you that you¡¯re the one that made that impossible . You crushed all the ces that d could use, didn¡¯t you?)¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t answer Milt¡¯s slightly exasperated tone .

    As they killed time with such exchanges, Shin¡¯s map registered a markering closer, speeding through the nearby forest . After activating ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ and ¡¾Through Sight ¡¿, Shin¡¯s eyes could see Vad riding on an Elder Red Dragon .

    ¡°You came alone?¡±

    dnded with his mount and cast the question to Milt . He looked slightly different from before .

    His formerly very well kept long hair was now disheveled, the previously gleaming silver armor now emitted a dull glow . As a whole, he gave a sort of faded, stained impression .

    ¡°You requested me to, didn¡¯t you? What are you saying now?¡±

    ¡°I heard you were lovers, so I thought you would bring him too . ¡±

    ¡°If you know the reason why I was with Shin, you shouldn¡¯t be surprised that I¡¯m alone . I came without telling him anything, as you ordered me to . I wonder if he¡¯s looking for me now¡­that¡¯d make me a bit happy . ¡±

    Milt gave a little smile after saying this; d looked at her like he had found something unspeakably filthy . His whole body expressed the utter disgust he felt .

    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for someone like you to have moved his heart . ¡±

    ¡°You look pretty pissed all the same though . Was I clinging to Shin so irritating?¡±

    Every time Milt provoked d, emotion seeped away from his face . Inversely, his killing intent grew and grew .

    ¡°I shall put you out of your misery . ¡±

    Still riding on the elder dragon, d pointed ¡ºExcalibur¡», its de of light extended, towards Milt .

    ¡°Too bad, that¡¯s not going to happen . ¡±

    Before Milt could even finish her sentence, a sh flew at d from his blindspot .

    Maybe thanks to the instincts cultivated through his fighting job, d barely managed to parry the attack with ¡ºExcalibur¡»; the sword was unable to withstand the attack¡¯s power however, and was blown away .

    ¡°Kh!! Greed!!¡±

    d touched the ground and called for his partner dragon¡¯s name . The Elder Red Dragon, however, could not answer; aftershocks from the sh had severed its wings and front legs . One single sh had shaved about half of its HP .

    ¡°So you ca¡ª-!?!¡±

    d looked towards the source of the sh, a smile widening on his lips, but was constrained by chains of light and thorns colored red and ck .

    The thorns disappeared thanks to d¡¯s struggling, but even the muscr strength of an advanced yer like d couldn¡¯t make the chains budge .

    It was abination of the Light-type Magic skill ¡¾Arc Bind¡¿, which boasted high constrictive power, and the Dark-type Magic skill ¡¾Thorns of Impurity¡¿, which inflicted several status ailments .

    ¡°A little surprise attack, and you¡¯re already helpless?¡±

    Shin, who had destroyed the Elder Dragon¡¯s head with a Light-type spell, spoke softly while looking, expressionless, at the copsed d . He felt no delight in having captured him .

    d was now affected with four negative statuses: ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿, ¡¾Blind¡¿,  ¡¾Hi-Paralyze¡¿, and ¡¾Curse¡¿ . He couldn¡¯t move a single finger, let alone break free of the chains .

    ¡°Haha, did youe to exact your revenge?¡±

    d couldn¡¯t move, but still shed a twisted smile .

    Despite his sight being clouded by ¡¾Blind¡¿, he recognized Shin from his voice .

    ¡°Yeah . ¡±

    Before his most hated enemy, Shin was perfectly calm .

    He felt hate . But this hate, burning quietly within, had lost a me hot enough to shake his emotions .

    Shin didn¡¯t know when that happened . He couldn¡¯t tell if it was something good or bad .

    ¡°I won¡¯t be the one to kill you though . ¡±

    The obsession wasn¡¯t gone . Anger and hate remained .

    Now, however, he would not let his emotions swing his de .

    Following Shin¡¯s signal, six yers appeared from the woods . They had not been detected because they were all equipped with gear made by Shin .

    ¡°What¡¯s this response¡­ . ?¡±

    The blind d was confused by the approach of the yers¡¯ presences; naturally enough, as Shin, the one supposed to finish him, had not moved one step .

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, it can . ¡±

    The Ancient-grade weapons in hand of the approaching yers gave a dull glow . Even the yers with less-than-superior stats, thanks to the weapons¡¯ bonuses, could inflict significant damage .

    ¡°¡­ . stop . ¡±

    Without a moment of hesitation, the weapons rose in the air and swung down on d .

    ¡°STOP!!!¡±

    One blow couldn¡¯t be enough to causerge damage . On the contrary, this let d feel, as crudely as possible, how his HP was gradually decreasing .

    ¡°I SAID STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPP!!!!!¡±

    He was being killed by people he didn¡¯t know . This reality pushed d to scream .

    Shin had already turned his back; he wasn¡¯t looking at d anymore .

    ¡°Why!?! I am the one you hate!! Why is it these people!! These nobodies!?!¡±

    d probably couldn¡¯t feel Shin¡¯s expression, emotions, or even his eyes .

    That was Shin¡¯s revenge . To be ignored by someone you were so obsessed about . That reality would surely be painful above anything else to d .

    ¡°Shitt!! HAMEL¡ª-¡±

    Thest scream died behind Shin . d¡¯s presence was no more .

    ¡°Well, that was over quickly . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what revenge really is . ¡±

    Shin was looking towards Milt .

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your help . Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t expect things to go so well . ¡±

    ¡°I only did it for my own goal, so don¡¯t mention it . Rather than that, when they go away¡­okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll keep my promise . ¡±

    The six yers watched d disappear, silent from start to finish . The man who appeared to be their representative gave several equipment cards to Shin, quietly bowed, and left .

    Shin watched them go, then turned towards Milt .

    ¡°We can start anytime . ¡±

    ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t hold back then . ¡±

    A giant poleaxe appeared in Milt¡¯s hands . Enveloped in blue mes, it was the lower Ancient-grade ¡ºBreogand¡» .

    ¡°Let¡¯s have some fun!!¡±

    ¡ºBreogand¡» shed through the air, apanied by Milt¡¯s war shout . Even heavy weapons could move as swiftly as normalnces and axes thanks to Milt¡¯s STR .

    It was an attack that could even damage Shin if he was struck; he drew ¡ºTrue Moon¡» and blocked it .

    ¡°It¡¯ll be over soon . ¡±

    The frontal sh caused ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s de to shatter .

    There was a stat difference between Shin and Milt, including the weapons¡¯ bonuses, that 100 or 200 points could not fill . In a world where a video game¡¯s system ruled all, it was an all-too-clear difference .

    ¡°Hey, what were Mari¡¯sst words?¡±

    Milt asked as their des were still locked .

    ¡°¡­she said that she wanted everyone to go back together . ¡±

    ¡°I see, Mari¡­she made her decision . ¡±

    Milt¡¯s water spirit, Undine, released several bubbles, but Shin swatted them away with his left hand . The lightning spell heunched as a counterattack seared both Undine and Milt .

    ¡°I¡¯m so envious¡­we had lost all hope in reality . ¡±

    Only Milt¡¯s HP decreased, one-sidedly . The sparks shooting between their des cast a shadow on her face . Her expression contained a mix of admiration and jealousy .

    ¡°This is the time you should say, ¡®You can do it too!¡¯!!¡±

    ¡°Only someone ready to carry your life on their shoulders could say that!!¡±

    Milt shouted loud enough to not let her voice drown in the sound of the grinding metal, and Shin howled back .

    In the 15th sh between their weapons, ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s de shot in the air . Milt lost her bnce as consequence, and Shin readied ¡ºTrue Moon¡» at his waist .

    ¡°I¡¯m really¡ª-¡±

    Milt instinctively used ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s hilt to protect herself . Shin¡¯s blow, as if guided by it, struck cleanly .

    ¡°¡ª¨Cenvious . ¡±

    The sh was stopped for an instant by ¡ºBreogand¡»¡¯s hilt, but was then cleaved in two along with everything else in the de¡¯s path .

    Katana-type martial skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Helmet Smasher¡¿ .

    The technique, that caused great damage to any weapon or defensive gear, unleashed its offensive power to the fullest .

    ¡°Thank you . ¡±

    Milt pronounced herst words with a smile .

    Shin looked at Milt turning into a burst of polygons and disappear, aplicated emotion beating in his chest . He had never thought to be thanked by someone he killed .

    ¡°You are finished, yes?¡±

    Maybe he had lowered his guard, maybe he was lost in thought .

    Shin had not noticed the approaching presence until it talked to him .

    ¡°Hello there, it¡¯s been a while . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . Shi, Shin¡­¡±

    Shin turned around and saw Hameln with Luca .

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I heard from Milt . I suppose she couldn¡¯t stand to see you go down this path either . ¡±

    Both being PKs, it wasn¡¯t strange for some connection to exist between Milt and Hameln . Shin, however, couldn¡¯t understand why Milt would tell him about this ce .

    ¡°For me too, it is truly not interesting at all for you to be like this . ¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m a busybody . I just do what I feel like after all . The rest is up to you . Do your best . ¡±

    Hameln then used a crystal and teleported away . Only Luca was left, a card in her hands .

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to go back?¡±

    ¡°But Shin, you won¡¯te back!!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s-¡±

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯reing home with me!¡±

    Luca ran up to Shin and tried to take his hand . But before her hands could touch his, Shin moved away .

    Luca¡¯s hands would get stained with blood . Or so he felt .

    ¡°Shin!!¡±

    There were less than five steps between him and the screaming Luca . That small distance separated them like the steepest cliff .

    ¡°Nh!¡±

    Luca held high the card she was holding . What appeared was a grenade-like item, that would explode after a set time .

    ¡°Nh¡­eh?¡±

    ¡°Luca!?¡±

    Luca seemed unaware of the nature of the item she was holding . Shin stepped closer in an instant and took it out of her hands, thenunched it high towards the sky .

    After a few seconds, with a bang-like sound, a small cloud of white smoke appeared above .

    It was just a smoke bomb .

    ¡°¡­ . what?¡±

    ¡°Nh!¡±

    Shin looked suspiciously at the unexpected happening, when Luca firmly grabbed his hands .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, okay?¡±

    Luca¡¯s words, strangely enough, were the same as Marino¡¯s .

    If Shin used just a little too much strength to shake Luca¡¯s hands away -her level being in the single digits- he could easily blow away her HP .

    Shin looked at her hands on his . The blood on his hands seemed to be staining hers too .

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back!!¡±

    The edges of Luca¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears . Even so, she gripped Shin¡¯s hands as strong as she could .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back¡­ . ¡±

    Shaking her off would be all too simple . But it wasn¡¯t as easy as that .

    That same moment, an opening broke between the clouds in the sky .

    The newly shining sunlight illuminated Luca, as if clearly separating the two; Luca was in warm, bright, yellow light, Shin in misty darkness .

    ¡°¡­ . . eh?¡±

    It was as if the difference between him and Luca was being clearly shown . Shin noticed it and was about tough at himself, when his eyes caught something else, something unbelievable .

    On top of his and Luca¡¯s, there was one more hand . Next to Luca, stood Marino . That moment, Shin forgot everything .

    Luca pulled Shin as she walked . Completely lost, he followed her without the smallest resistance .

    Shin was showered in sunlight, as if he was being pulled out of the darkness .

    ¡°¡­ . . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes were temporarily blinded by the dazzling light .

    He closed them for just an instant, but that instant Marino disappeared .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    Was it a mirage? Shin asked himself, then he felt the warmth of Luca¡¯s hand on his .

    No, that was definitely not only Luca¡¯s . He had held that hand countless times . Even after bing a murderer, he couldn¡¯t forget that warmth .

    That was Marino, without a doubt .

    ¡°Are you telling me to go back?¡±

    The Marino he saw in the light looked sad .

    ¡°(Let¡¯s go back . )¡±

    The same words that Marino said seeped inside Shin¡¯s heart .

    He looked down and saw a small hand gripping his . He felt something inside melt away and disappear .

    ¡°Shin, are you crying?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Shin felt all his strength leave his body and fell to his knees .

    Something warm seemed to be flowing down his cheeks .

 Vol 11 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    The ck Priestess Shrine guildhouse, on the ind country of Hinomoto .

    Inside Tsuki no Hokora, which had been materialized in a woond area within the guildhouse¡¯s premises, Shin narrated his past .

    About the days before the Dusk of Majesty, when this world was still the death game, when ¡ª even if for the sake of protecting innocent people ¡ª hemitted countless PKs ¡ª murders .

    Tiera slowly inhaled a deep breath after hearing Shin¡¯s story .

    ¡°It¡¯s something in the past now . ¡®Oh, so that¡¯s what happened, okay¡¯ . You can just see it like that if you want . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s smile did not hide any shadows .

    Everything would be OK .

    With this conviction in mind, Tiera nodded .

    ¡°Could it be that what possessed me before was your former lover, Marino?¡±

    The night before, Tiera had performed a ritual dance simr to the Japanese Kagura . The spirit that had taken over her body at the time housed a deep affection for Shin .

    There couldn¡¯t be many people with such deep feelings for him .

    ¡°It¡¯s possible but¡­ . I don¡¯t know . You snapped out of it before I could tell . ¡±

    While talking to Tiera about his past, Shin also realized that it could have been Marino .

    ¡°Aah, honestly, I don¡¯t appreciate things like that being done through my body though . ¡±

    Tiera probably remembered the kiss as she hid her mouth with her right hand, her cheeks flushing a bit .

    ¡°Er¡­ . next time, I¡¯ll do my best to dodge . ¡±

    Even if he had been entranced by something else, Shin felt guilty about kissing Tiera against her will .

    ¡°Er, well, I too want to know who it was that possessed me, okay? So, well, if it happens again, it¡¯s okay to prioritize finding out who they are, you know!¡±

    Since it was possible for it to be someone connected to Shin¡¯s past, Tiera probably said that out of concern for him . Her words and behavior were very contradictory, but Shin chose to think that was her reasoning .

    ¡°While I¡¯m thankful to hear that, wouldn¡¯t you hate it if it happened again?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry! It could happen when I¡¯m doing priestess things too!! A-and besides¡­¡±

    Tiera¡¯s words stopped .

    She held her hands together and looked around, visibly fidgeting .

    ¡°Besides?¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing . Really nothing, so forget all about it . ¡±

    Tiera mumbled something, but in the end cut off the conversation without saying anything clearly .

    The sun was already high in the sky, indicating that it was almost noon .

    Tiera held her still blushing cheeks to cool them off and hurriedly said that it was time to eat lunch, thus forcibly changing the topic .

    ¡°That¡¯s right, they¡¯ll probably call us soon . ¡±

    Shin felt that it would have been better not to press the matter further, and agreed to Tiera¡¯s proposal .

    They both stood from their chairs and exited Tsuki no Hokora . Tiera, who was walking ahead of Shin, suddenly turned around .

    ¡°Thank you for telling me such a painful story, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°No need to thank me . Pretty boring, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Not at all . I¡¯m d I could know more about you . ¡±

    Tiera replied with a smile .

    She did not regret learning about Shin¡¯s past . Her expression stated that clearly .

    ¡°Actually, that scene from my past that you saw¡­I used to see it often in my dreams . ¡±

    ¡°Your mother¡¯s memory?¡±

    ¡°Yes . The time when I first met you too, I would dream about it sometimes . Every time, I would get awful headaches and feel depressed for the whole day . ¡±

    Tiera spoke while looking up at the sky as they walked towards ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildhouse . Shin had returned Tsuki no Hokora to itspressed form .

    ¡°But ever since I received that from you, I haven¡¯t had that dream anymore . ¡±

    ¡°That?¡±

    ¡°You know, this . ¡±

    Tiera then took out the Geyl coin from her robe that Shin had given her when they first met . The coin reflected the sunlight and sparkled vividly .

    ¡°I feel at peace when I hold this . Maybe because there¡¯s your magic power inside . ¡±

    Shin looked intently at the coin and noticed that it indeed had the same aura as the items inside his item box .

    ¡°It isn¡¯t supposed to have an effect like that, but I¡¯m happy if it¡¯s useful to you¡­why don¡¯t we make it into a pendant? So you don¡¯t risk losing it . ¡±

    Tiera kept the Geyl coin in a small pocket with metal fastenings .

    It was also very valuable in this world, after all . Shin thought that the more closely it could be kept, the better, so he made that suggestion .

    ¡°That would be a great help, but is it alright?¡±

    ¡°We can do it in a sh . After all, metal forging is my strong suit . ¡±

    ¡°Please do so, then . ¡±

    Shin stopped, took an Orichalcum ingot from the item box and, as if molding a lump of y, quickly shaped it into a chain . He then took the coin from Tiera, molded the Orichalcum around it, fixed it to the chain and finished the pendant .

    ¡°Oh, could you make the chain longer, please?¡±

    ¡°Longer than this? How much?¡±

    Shin increased the chain¡¯s length as Tiera requested, even though he felt that it had be too long to wear the pendant around the neck .

    ¡°Did you really want it this long?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right . Most people would think it was a fake, but experienced people could tell that it¡¯s real . I need the chain this long so that other people can¡¯t see the coin . If it¡¯s here, no one can see it as long as they don¡¯te close to my face and peek, right?¡±

    Tiera then leaned forward a bit and pulled down the neck of her shirt to show Shin the coin¡¯s position .

    No matter how much he knew it was not right, Shin¡¯s gaze was drawn to Tiera¡¯s cleavage . The Geyl coin, attached to the long chain, was nestled right in the middle .

    ¡°I-I see . That¡¯s why you needed it that long . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s¡­ . s-see? If someonees this close I can react, right!?¡±

    Finally realizing that the stance she had taken put her bosom in full view, Tiera hurriedly stepped back . Her cheeks red red again .

    She seemed shaken and quickly looked all around to make sure that no one else had seen them .

    ¡°¡­ehm, thanks . ¡±

    ¡°Sure, that much is nothing . ¡±

    The two started walking again . Soon enough, they met Schnee and Yuzuha, who were also headed to the guildhouse, and joined them .

    ¡°Did you finish talking with Kuchinashi?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll tell everyone when we are with Filma and the others . Looks like there¡¯s new trouble brewing . ¡±

    The enemies the ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildmaster, Kuchinashi, talked about, the Seven Deadly Sins, grew more powerful as the event progressed . Their location was currently unknown, but it would be better to defeat them as soon as possible .

    Thinking that it was better to also have the Golden Company research their whereabouts, Shin decided to send a message card .

    When Shin¡¯s group arrived at the guildhouse they found Filma and Shibaid with Oodenta Mitsuyo and Onimaru Kunitsuna, two of the Five Supreme des, already sitting at the lunch table .

    ¡°You¡¯rete . ¡±

    ¡°Sorry for the wait, the talks went on longer than expected . ¡±

    Shin apologized to the slightly irritated Mitsuyo . She had let him and Tiera have time alone, so he was thankful for that .

    ¡°Oh really . ¡±

    ¡°Lord Shin, as you can see she is feigning ack of interest, but Mitsuyo has been fidgeting all this time, wondering when you woulde back . ¡±

    Kunitsuna, an excited grin on her face, looked as if she were positively enjoying herself as she made her report .

    ¡°Hey, Kunitsuna!? What are you even saying now!?¡±

    ¡°Did I say something wrong? It¡¯s rare to see the proud Mitsuyo all restless like that after all . ¡±

    ¡°W-why you¡­!!¡±

    Kunitsuna probably hit where it hurt . Even while ring at her, Mitsuyo¡¯s eyes darted towards Shin .

    ¡°¡­ . what?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing at all . Let¡¯s eat, first of all . ¡±

    Mitsuyo looked like she was blushing: her re was thus not scary at all, but Shin felt that poking her further would prove dangerous, and decided to leave it alone .

    ¡°Do any of you have any ns for the rest of the day? Kuchinashi told me something interesting, so I¡¯d like to let you all know too . ¡±

    Shin proposed discussing the Seven Deadly Sins, to which all present agreed .

    After the meal, the whole group assembled in the room assigned to Shin .

    ¡°¡­ . . the Seven Deadly Sins, hmm . Clearly they can¡¯t be ignored, but there¡¯s not much we can do until they are found, is it . ¡±

    ¡°Agreed . 500 years ago, the yers used human wave tactics and somehow pulled through . Our group doesn¡¯t even have 10 members, we just don¡¯t have enough manpower for that . ¡±

    After hearing what Shin had to say, Schnee and Filma replied: the former with a very serious expression, thetter while shrugging .

    When Shin said that he already requested the Golden Company to search for the monsters, the group agreed to wait for a reply .

    ¡°So there are creatures like that in this world¡­¡±

    Mitsuyo seemed impressed to learn of the existence of such monsters, to which Shin replied brightly .

    ¡°We¡¯ve never seen their final forms, though . Though considering Fuji¡¯s fighting power, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be alright as long as a pack of final forms doesn¡¯t gather . ¡±

    ¡°If the Five Supreme des are together, it would take a really tough enemy to take us down, yes . ¡±

    Mitsuyo and the other des, like Kagutsuchi of the sacred mountain Fuji, were treated as boss monsters in the game . Because of this, both their stats and HP were much higher than the yers .

    They surpassed the yers¡¯ max values of 9999 by far, so if they fought together, even raid bosses would be felled .

    Now that Kunitsuna and Dojigiri Yasutsuna had returned, their defenses could be said to be perfect .

    ¡°Tomorrow, if nothing elsees up, we¡¯ll go back to Fuji . The earlier you¡¯re all back together, the better, I¡¯m sure . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­yeah . ¡±

    Shin was kind of concerned about Mitsuyo¡¯s somber look, but as business was done, the group split .

    Nothing of particr importance happened afterward: after dinner, Shin was swinging his ¡ºKakura¡» in the small garden where he had found Tiera the previous night . He was wearing a bathrobe supplied by ck Priestess Shrine, as to be able to go take a bath right after training .

    ¡°You got a bit better thanst time we fought . ¡±

    Shin thrust ¡ºKakura¡» into the ground and turned towards the voice . He was focusing on training, but had noticed Mitsuyo approaching .

    ¡°Whew, if you say that, it means that it was worth the effort . ¡±

    Mitsuyo stepped out of the corridors¡¯ shadows into the moonlight . She had removed her shoulder and breast armor: now she was only wearing an oriental-style attire with a miniskirt .

    ¡°We¡¯re going back to Fuji tomorrow, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I doubt anything else will happen here anyway . ¡±

    The group had not stayed in the guildhouse after clearing the dungeon because they were wary of possible dangers . The miasma in Cadaver Realm had been purified thoroughly, so there was little to no chance of anything new arising .

    ¡°I see . If so¡­could I ask you onest request?¡±

    ¡°A request?¡±

    Mitsuyo hade talk to him by herself probably because she didn¡¯t want Schnee and the others to hear .

    ¡°I want you to use me . Even just for practicing techniques or something . ¡±

    ¡°You mean, that I would just have to swing the katana ¡ºOodenta Mitsuyo¡»?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯d be enough . ¡­but rest assured, it doesn¡¯t mean that I feel anything for you . ¡±

    Mitsuyo probably saw through Shin¡¯s thoughts, because she gave a little troubledugh .

    Mitsuyo¡¯s actual body was owned by Kagutsuchi, but the ¡ºOodenta Mitsuyo ¨C Shinuchi¡»    she currently inhabited was Shin¡¯s possession, so he couldply with her request if he wanted .

    ¡°Got it . That much is nothing . ¡±

    Thinking that he had said the same line earlier in the day, Shin took Oodenta Mitsuyo -now in katana form- in his hands . The unsheathed de glistened under the moonlight .

    Shin attached the sheath to his robe¡¯s belt, gripped the hilt with both hands and took a stance .

    ¡°Shah!¡±

    From a frontal straight stance, Shin went to upward diagonal, downward diagonal, sweep, then thrust .

    He added Saegusa Karin¡¯s teachings to the techniques he had learned from a certain person during the game . What he learned were just the basics, though . Much of Shin¡¯s style was self-taught .

    The sound of the katana cutting the air and Shin¡¯s shouts resounded through the garden .

    Thus around 10 minutes passed .

    Mitsuyo¡¯s Mind Chat¡ª-in katana form, she couldn¡¯t talk, so her voice directly reached Shin¡¯s mind ¡ª gave the signal, and Shin stopped .

    ¡°It¡¯s enough, thank you . ¡±

    Mitsuyo, back in human form, had a faint smile on her lips .

    ¡°Did this mean anything for you?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no special meaning . I told you that I have no special feelings for you, right?¡±

    Even so, it looked like being wielded by Shin had meant something to Mitsuyo, as she looked satisfied .

    ¡°I wanted to be wielded as one of your weapons, even just once . If there was any meaning, that was it . ¡±

    ¡°Not that wielding one of the Five Supreme des was unpleasant, of course . ¡±

    ¡°I know . You have a powerful katana you¡¯re attached to, right? I¡¯m a weapon too, so I¡¯m honestly a bit jealous of a katana treasured like that . ¡±

    Mitsuyo then returned to her room, saying that she would be turning in .

    Left alone in the garden, Shin looked up to the sky with mixed feelings in his heart .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 11 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    The next day, after making sure that the Cadaver Realm had not undergone any changes and that no miasma outbreaks had urred, Shin¡¯s group left the ck Priestess Shrine¡¯s guildhouse to return to Fuji .

    ¡°If anything happens, just contact me via chat . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll try to handle things by ourselves if we can, but if we¡¯re overwhelmed, I¡¯ll call you . ¡±

    They had already said all they wanted to, so the farewell was a short one .

    Along with Kuchinashi, the ck Priestess Shrine members who had bonded with Shin¡¯s group the most saw them off .

    ¡°Please take care during your travels . I look forward to seeing you again one day . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m thankful to you for saving my sister, but I¡¯ll never let you have her!!¡±

    While Rindou Kotone spoke with words of longing, Suzune red at Shin .

    ¡°Same till the very end, huh¡­¡±

    Suzune didn¡¯t forgive Shin and Kotone¡¯s friendship, after all .

    Kotone added that Suzune too was truly thankful, but being grateful for Shin¡¯s assistance was apparently a separate matter from letting him have her sister .

    Schnee, Tiera and the others also bid farewell to Ayame and the other priestesses .

    The greatest number, however, gathered around Shibaid, who had held a training session for the priestesses .

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s some poprity . ¡±

    ¡°Some girls even said that, if only he was free¡­¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°Dead serious . Finding a marriage partner is tough in this world too, you know . ¡±

    Kuchinashi sighed quietly, mumbling that she couldn¡¯t let her girls marry just anyone . Shin felt a vague difort learning that there were connections with the real world in curious ces .

    ¡°(It would be a big relief for me if you took in Kotone though, Shin . There¡¯s plenty of ambitious men out there pestering us to make her their bride . )¡±

    ¡°(No more, please . I still haven¡¯t given up on returning to our original world, actually . Besides, even if I were to spend the rest of my life here, I have Schnee . )¡±

    ¡°(She only has eyes for you, hasn¡¯t she? She¡¯s always looking in your direction, it¡¯s really easy to figure out . )¡±

    During the chat, it was then Shin¡¯s turn to sigh . He told Kuchinashi that ¡°(That¡¯s probably on purpose)¡± . There surely was a reason for Schnee to act so openly in front of someone she had just met .

    ¡°Okay, this looks like it could go on forever, so let¡¯s go!¡±

    Feeling kind of sorry for the girls sending burning gazes towards Shibaid, Shin climbed onto the horse carriage . After making sure everyone else was on, he motioned for Kagerou to go .

    The carriage started slowly but quickly picked up speed . Unlike the time when they had first arrived at the ck Priestess Shrine, they were now traveling on a road used for transporting goods, so Kuchinashi and the other priestesses disappeared from sight very quickly .

    ¡°Take care!¡±

    The carriage proceeded towards Fuji, Kotone¡¯s voice trailing behind it .

    The travel back to Fuji waspletely uneventful . Monsters wouldn¡¯t get close to the group in fear of Kagerou . And since thieves and bandits were routinely hunted down by the Kujou n and the samurai affiliated with it, meeting any would be rare in itself .

    The group stopped on the way in arge city to refill their supplies, but made no other detours, advancing towards Fuji at an explosive speed . This would leave all travelers and merchants they happened to cross paths with speechless .

    ¡°We¡¯ve already arrived? Happy times really go by quickly . ¡±

    Kunitsuna spoke while looking up at Fuji, when the group got off the carriage just before Aokigahara .

    ¡°With a travel speed like that, it¡¯s pretty obvious . ¡±

    Nodding to Kunitsuna¡¯s words, Mitsuyo looked at the carriage, a bit mncholic .

    As anthropomorphized weapons, Mitsuyo and herrades were bound to certain areas . Normally, they would never be able to go on adventures like the one they shared with Shin .

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I was attacked thest time I was here . ¡±

    Thinking they shouldn¡¯t just walk in silence, Shin talked about when he was attacked while traveling with Karin and Kanade .

    ¡°Oh, were you really? Was the assassin that fled part of the Rokuhara?¡±

    ¡°Could be . The ones who stirred up trouble have quieted down, so there¡¯s no point in dwelling on it . ¡±

    When Shin finished talking, the group had crossed Aokigahara and reached Fuji . The mist shrouded the mountain as always, but posed no problem .

    There was no reason to engage in battle, so the group proceeded while avoiding the monsters they asionally spotted and quickly arrived at Kagutsuchi¡¯s shrine .

    ¡°Yachi, we¡¯re back . ¡±

    Mitsuyo approached the Eight-Headed Orochi, which extended his necks to examine the group . The monster seemed to understand her words, as the ¡°shaah¡± uttered in reply appeared to mean ¡°wee back¡± .

    ¡°Hmm, I see that you¡¯re back safe and sound . ¡±

    Mikazuki Munechika emerged from inside the shrine: she had probably sensed the iing presence of Shin¡¯s group .

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Munechika . ¡ª-Haven¡¯t you gotten prettier?¡±

    Kunitsuna immediately noticed that  Munechika¡¯s appearance was now different from the usual .

    ¡°Just like Mitsuyo, now I am a Shinuchi . ¡±

    After Munechika¡¯s exnation, Kunitsuna ¡ª who had already heard about the process from Mitsuyo ¡ª was easily convinced .

    ¡°I thought that you would look cuter, like Mitsuyo does¡­but I see, your beauty increased instead . That¡¯s why Mitsuyo was kind of miffed, then . ¡±

    ¡°I thought that only appearance would change, but the armor did too after all . But Yasutsuna and Tsugu praised Mitsuyo too, saying she had be prettier . ¡±

    ¡°Theyughed about it, I bet . ¡±

    Mitsuyo, pouting, joined in on Munechika and Kunitsuna¡¯s conversation . Her ponytail shook as she quickly looked to the side .

    ¡°That¡¯s not true . We might be weapons, but our bodies are those of women . Decorating our appearance is enjoyable for us too . I too would be interested in looking cute . ¡±

    ¡°That hairdo, however¡­rather than making you purely cute like Mitsuyo, gives a stronger feminine allure . The neck area, for example . ¡±

    Munechika spoke her mind honestly, and Kunitsuna added her precise observations .

    Having an appearance more childlike or adultlike could influence greatly the impression given to others .

    ¡°Kh, I can¡¯t deny that¡­¡±

    Regardless of what she said, Munechika had just lightly tied her hair, but still emanated a sensual charm that made it difficult to believe that she was wearing armor . Mitsuyo¡¯s shoulders dropped .

    ¡°¡ª-look at them, they¡¯re sure having fun . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, theirrade came back safe . Of course they¡¯d feel ted . ¡±

    Filma and Shibaid smiled while looking at the reunited des¡¯ yful exchanges .

    ¡°Piyo!¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Nestled on top of Juzumaru Tsugu¡¯s head, Kagutsuchi ¡ª now in chick mode ¡ª cried with its wings spread out . In response, Yuzuha raised her tail from her position on Shin¡¯s head . The two descended from the respective heads they were on and initiated some sort of conversation .

    Shin and Tsugu looked at each other andughed wryly .

    ¡°Everyone, I wish to thank you for saving Kunitsuna . ¡±

    The only one to properly express gratitude was Yasutsuna .

    ¡°Our task is over, then . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . However, I have been saved by you, sir Shin . If you ever require my assistance, I shall be at your side . ¡±

    He was probably serious through and through . Yasutsuna¡¯s expression was firm .

    ¡°¡­ . hey, Yasutsuna? Don¡¯t go hogging Shin for yourself, okay?¡±

    ¡°True, that wouldn¡¯t be good at all . ¡±

    Munechika and Mitsuyo moved behind Yasutsuna in the blink of an eye . They each grabbed one shoulder, strongly enough to make a creaking sound .

    ¡°No, I had no such intention¡­¡±

    Apparently, Yasutsuna was not receiving damage; however his reply was slightly confused by the developments .

    ¡°I¡¯ll contact you if anything happens . Let me check if I can send you message cards . ¡±

    The Five Supreme des belonged to the monster, or weapon, category .

    Shin knew that it was possible to send message cards to this world¡¯s inhabitants, but was not sure if it was possible to do the same to humanized weapons . He thus tried to send a nk message, which was delivered without problems .

    ¡°I see, with this we can get in touch at any time . ¡±

    Munechika seemed impressed, but Mitsuyo, next to her, appeared frustrated .

    ¡°Ggh¡­why don¡¯t we have any creation skills!?¡±

    ¡°My my, as usual you are full of surprises, young man . By the way, sir Shin, it does pain me to ask you this after everything you have done for us, but would you listen to an old man¡¯s request?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to grant it, but what is it?¡±

    Shin asked Tsugu for details .

    ¡°Oh it is simple enough . I thought I would like to be a Shinuchi as well . Seeing how Munechika and Mitsuyo changed, I grew interested, you see . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that is true . We cannot change appearance as humans do, after all . Asking sir Shin to do even more for us would be¡­¡±

    Yasutsuna seemed interested in the Shinuchi too . He had just thanked Shin for saving him, though, so he looked conflicted, standing next to Tsugu .

    ¡°I see, that wouldn¡¯t take too much, so there¡¯s no problem . There¡¯s a Ley Line here, and increasing its defenses wouldn¡¯t hurt for sure . ¡±

    Shin too was interested in seeing how they would change, so he epted the two des¡¯ request .

    Kunitsuna too expressed the same desire, so Shin set on working on all three of them .

    The time was already past 5 in the afternoon . The strong sunlight on the peak made it hard to tell, but the sun was already setting .

    ¡°I¡¯ll make preparations for dinner, then . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll help too . ¡±

    Entrusting Schnee and Tiera with dinner, Shin headed to the smithy .

    He had already reinforced ¡ºMikazuki Munechika¡» and ¡ºOodenta Mitsuyo¡», so he had more or less learned the ¡°trick¡± to it, more or less . Because of this, Shin was done in about one hour .

    Shin left the smithy and walked through the corridor towards the living room, when about five mels from the living room, he found Schnee standing there .

    ¡°Did everything go well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I made them all into Shinuchi . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good . I¡¯ve made some preparations too . ¡±

    ¡°Preparations?¡±

    Schnee looked at Shin, somewhat fidgeting . He had no idea what she could have meant by ¡°preparations¡± . He found it puzzling that she was blushing though .

    Had something happened before dinner? So thought Shin, when Schnee abruptly started talking .

    ¡°W-will you have dinner first? Or have a bath? O-or, have¡­have m¡ª¡±

    Schnee couldn¡¯t say it till the end, and covered her red hot face with her hands . She was obviously too embarrassed . Her long ears, poking from her silver hair, were zing red too .

    ¡°Eh!? Wait a second, Schnee!!! If you say that much, you have to say it to the end!!!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t!! I can¡¯t do something as shameful as in-inviting Shin to¡­ . !¡±

    After Schnee crouched down in embarrassment, Filma ¡ª who had been using a concealment skill ¡ª revealed herself .

    ¡°What are you even doing¡­ . ¡±

    Shin had noticed Filma¡¯s presence, so he looked at her as to say, ¡°I need an exnation¡± .

    ¡°I heard Cashmere and Hecate talk about it once . This is a wife¡¯s proper greeting to her husband in your world, right Shin? A great wee, to soothe the husband¡¯s exhaustion while also encouraging prosperity for the family line!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Schnee, who got all embarrassed like this¡­but that isn¡¯t a proper greeting or anything¡­some people do say it though . ¡±

    Shin corrected Filma¡¯s information, careful not to touch upon the wife-husband part .

    He wanted to add that a phrase like that was only in manga, but he had actually seen his parents enact the situation once, so he couldn¡¯t deny it outright .

    ¡°Really? Hecate and Cashmere really said that they would have liked to wee their husbands like that, though . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I heard that too . Hecate was looking for a partner, wasn¡¯t she . ¡±

    Shin remembered hearing something about that during one of their offline meetings .

    Rokuten members were mostly minors: Hecate was the only adult . As soon as she had found a job, she had quit being a hardcore gamer . For Shin, the impression of the real world Hecate was of a hard-working adult woman .

    She was slender, beautiful, with a dimple near her eye . Her personality wasn¡¯t bad either, so it was a mystery why she couldn¡¯t find a boyfriend .

    ¡°Well, putting Hecate aside¡­Filma, don¡¯t tease Schnee too much, okay?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t teasing her . Without some stimulus, the rtionship doesn¡¯t progress . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about that here!¡±

    Like Shibaid, Filma also wanted Shin and Schnee to be one soon . The difference was that Filma used a very direct approach .

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, can it? If you disappear, then it¡¯s all over . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . so you heard . ¡±

    Filma seemed to know that Shin was looking for a way to return to his home world .

    ¡°Though, I have no clue about how to do it . ¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s precisely the reason why we should move now . If you find a way, it¡¯s all over, isnt it?¡±

    Filma was looking at Shin, but not in her usual joking way .

    ¡°Filma, that¡¯s enou¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but in regards to this, I¡¯m prioritizing Schnee over you, Shin . I¡¯m sure you know why, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Filma interrupted Schnee¡¯s words and pressed further . Shin knew the reason well, of course .

    Filma Tolmeya was Shin¡¯s second support character . She was without a doubt Shin¡¯s support character, but her original position was supporting Schnee . That influenced Filma in this world too .

    ¡°I understand, once again . ¡±

    ¡°Then¡ª¡±

    ¡°Filma!¡±

    Schnee interrupted Filma¡¯s words this time . Her powerful shout stopped Filma in her tracks .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Shin . I¡¯ll talk with Filma properly about this . ¡±

    ¡°Hey, Schnee! Are you really fine with th-¡±

    Filma was ready to double down, but Schnee put a finger over her mouth and smiled .

    ¡°I¡¯m all right . I have no intention of giving up either . ¡±

    ¡°¡­hah, okay then . I¡¯ll keep quiet for now . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s clear deration, in front of Shin too, made Filma give a small shrug and nod .

    ¡°But, you know . ¡±

    The next instant, Filma took Schnee by surprise and stepped next to Shin, whispering something in his ear .

    ¡°Now I¡¯d join in too, you know?¡±

    Filma then kissed Shin¡¯s cheek .

    ¡°W-what!? Hey!!¡±

    ¡°Filma!?¡±

    ¡°Schnee, you have to do at least this much!¡±

    Filma fled into the living room before they could say anything else .

    To think she¡¯d go so far¡­thought Shin while touching his cheek and watching Filma go .

    ¡°S-Schnee? That look is kind of painful, you know¡­¡±

    Shin realized that she was staring at him and fretted . Schnee came closer, silent .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    She finally took Shin¡¯s head with her hands and pressed her lips on his .

    The pressure felt just nowpletely vanished, Schnee gave Shin a gentle kiss .

    ¡°I can¡­do this much . ¡±

    She must have been nervous . After the kiss, she turned beet red again, as if opening a pressure valve .

    ¡°Le-let¡¯s go eat! Everyone¡¯s waiting!¡±

    Not able to endure the embarrassment anymore, Schnee fled into the living room just like Filma had done .

    ¡°¡­ . what am I going to do?¡±

    Filma¡¯s concern for Schnee, Schnee¡¯s feelings for himself¡­he could understand them . However, However, Shin had not given up on returning to his home world .

    ¡°If that wasn¡¯t a possibility, I¡¯d be OK with it in a heartbeat . ¡±

    Let¡¯s go back ¡ª so Marino had said before dying . Her words were deeply engraved in Shin¡¯s heart .

    Shin himself felt a longing for his home world . It wasn¡¯t just because he had spoken to Tiera about his past, but he strongly felt that he couldn¡¯t just throw away the world he was born and raised in so easily .

    ¡°Well, I better go now . ¡±

    With a small sigh, Shin headed to the living room .

 Vol 11 Chapter 1.3: Chapter 1 Part 3

    ¡°So this is the Shinuchi?¡±

    ¡°Well, I can see why Munechika and Mitsuyo were so smug . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    After the meal, Shin gave Yasutsuna, Kunitsuna and Tsugu their respective Shinuchi, but their responses were all different . Only Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna expressed their excitement and interest, while Tsugu showed disappointment .

    ¡°Er, what happened to Tsugu?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, it appears that I cannot transfer my consciousness into this de . ¡±

    ording to Tsugu, the revival version of the katana could not serve as a vessel .

    ¡°The revival version won¡¯t do, then?¡±

    Based on what had happened until now, only weapons forged from scratch or obtained during the event could be used to transfer consciousness .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want to go through that again¡­¡±

    Shin could forge ¡ºJuzumaru¡», but to do so would mean going through the same ordeal as when he repaired ¡ºDojigiri Yasutsuna¡» . All weapon recipes were different too . Even though he was able to forge one of the Five Supreme des, it didn¡¯t mean that the others were any easier to make .

    ¡°No, you have already done enough for us . Enough with my selfishness . ¡±

    Tsugu¡¯s whole body clearly expressed how dejected he was, but he epted the situation .

    ¡°Ooh, so this is how I change!¡±

    ¡°As expected, my change was simr to Munechika¡¯s . ¡±

    Next to the resigned Tsugu, Yasutsuna and Kunitsuna expressed their joy and surprise at their new Shinuchi forms .

    Yasutsuna was still lean but now looked more muscr; his facial features were more solid and rugged, like a young general who had trained his technique and umted experience .

    Kunitsuna, like Munechika, was even more beautiful than before . Instead of gaining lustrous hair or whiter skin, she gain more prominent curves, giving her an hourss figure .

    ¡°How regretful¡­¡±

    Looking at his overjoyedrades, Tsugu¡¯s shoulders dropped even more .

    ¡°Munechika and now Kunitsuna!! Just what kind of joke is this!?!¡±

    Mitsuyo, who had already been made into a Shinuchi, shouted . It wasn¡¯t clear whether she was angry or crying .

    ¡°Shin! One more time, you have to reinforce me one more time! If you do, I will be like them toooo!!¡±

    Unable to ept the difference in their transformations, Mitsuyo pressed Shin .

    ¡°I¡­could¡­do it¡­but¡­in your case, Mitsuyo, it might go totally against your wishes¡­you changed in a waypletely different from them, after all . ¡±

    Mitsuyo grabbed shin by the neck and shook him, but Shin freed himself from her grip and replied .

    ¡°Th-that can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    ¡°Well actually, just because you¡¯re small doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not powerful . For example, dwarves, so¡­¡±

    Not all dwarves were short in stature: only some of the NPCs from the original game were smaller,pared to other species . Normally speaking, however, Shin¡¯s exnation was not too far off the mark .

    ¡°But why¡­why only me¡­¡±

    ¡°I really can¡¯t say . ¡±

    Mitsuyo¡¯s appearance settings were different from Munechika¡¯s and Kunitsuna¡¯s from the beginning . Shin thought that could be the reason, but was not sure, so he avoided saying anything clearly .

    ¡°Just give up . At least you were able to be a Shinuchi, unlike me . ¡±

    ¡°I know, I know¡­I just feel like acting a little spoiled . ¡±

    Mitsuyo pouted and breathed deeply; maybe that helped her change her mood, as she didn¡¯t look irritated anymore .

    ¡°Oh, to think that you¡¯d act spoiled to someone other than us . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . and what would you mean by that?¡±

    Tsuguughed innocently to Mitsuyo¡¯s evil smile .

    ¡°That you¡¯ve be much more expressive . Now, don¡¯t look so scary . It¡¯s just an old man¡¯s rambling . ¡±

    ¡°Is it really okay for you to give us your Shinuchi, though? Even though you can replicate them, they must be valuable items for you Shin . ¡±

    Munechika changed the topic and asked Shin about something that concerned her, but in response he took out two stacks of item cards .

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, the more allies we have, the better . Oh, and take these, as miasma countermeasures . ¡±

    Munechika couldn¡¯t tell what kind of items they were by looking at the cards¡¯ illustrations, so she looked a little lost .

    ¡°What are these?¡±

    ¡°These are essories and one-time use items . They¡¯re all easy to use; the essories just need to be equipped, while the items just have to touch miasma to activate . ¡±

    What Shin gave Munechika were essories that neutralized up to a degree of miasma and items that could delete umted miasma . The one-time use items had a more powerful effect, but naturally could only be used once . The essories¡¯ effect was weaker, butsted much longer . Using them inbination grantedplete protection, as long as the miasma wasn¡¯t too dense .

    ¡°We can¡¯t thank you enough . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that . It would be a problem for me too if this ce was taken over . Besides, Yuzuha found apanion¡­ . well, if I can call Kagutsuchi that . But she¡¯d be sad if it was hurt . ¡±

    Shin then looked towards Yuzuha and Kagutsuchi, who were ying on the table .

    ¡°Did Kagutsuchi recover its powers, by the way?¡±

    ¡°Yes, its actual body was turned to crystal, right? A bit after you left to rescue Kunitsuna, the crystallization was dispelled . The chick form was just a copy housing Kagutsuchi¡¯s consciousness, but now it has returned to its actual form . ¡±

    Just like Yuzuha, Kagutsuchi was apparently able to alter its form to a degree . It couldn¡¯t take human form however .

    ¡°Looks like it took a liking to that form . It gets all quiet if you hold it . ¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha said something simr, now that I think about it . Its original form was huge, so it probably never experienced something like that . ¡±

    Yuzuha had grown, but probably the little fox mode was the one she enjoyed the best . She often used it to sneak under the covers of Shin¡¯s bed and sleep too .

    In the game their role was to test yers, so maybe they were fond of humans .

    ¡°Piyo!¡±

    ¡°Hmm, is that so¡­ . Shin, Kagutsuchi has something to tell you . Can you call yourrades too?¡±

    Kagutsuchinded on Munechika¡¯s shoulder and cried softly .

    As Shin¡¯s party gathered, they were invited to go outside .

    As they all did, Kagutsuchi flew from Munechika¡¯s shoulder, turning into a golden me .

    ¡°So this is Kagutsuchi¡¯s original form . ¡±

    The golden me gradually formed beak and wings: in a few instants, it had be arge phoenix .

    ming sparks scattered all around, but emitted no heat .

    ¡°I thank you for your assistance . ¡±

    Kagutsuchi¡¯s voice sounded with a deep gravity which well fitted its current appearance . The reverberating echo expressed the divine beast¡¯s presence adequately .

    ¡°As a gesture of thanks, I shall bestow the protection of my holy me upon you . ¡±

    Shin and party were then enveloped by golden mes . This fire wasn¡¯t hot at all, and it disappeared after a few instants .

    The Gift list in Shin¡¯s menu then disyed the message ¡°NEW!¡± . Shin mentally opened the menu and found that the Gift ¡ºHoly mes Protection¡» had been added .

    Its effect was to weaken fire elemental damage exceeding a certain level . Below that level, it would be neutralized .

    In more concrete terms, only Schnee-level attacks could deal decisive damage . It was a very powerful protection, who could even be called fire damage nullifier .

    ¡°A-are you sure¡­sir?¡±

    Surprised, Shin replied casually, but thought that it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to speak like that to Kagutsuchi in its current form, so he corrected himself .

    Kagutsuchi did not seem to mind: after merely uttering ¡°I am¡±, it returned to its chick form .

    ¡°Piyo piyo . ¡±

    Looking at how it pped its small wings, it looked like Kagutsuchi was saying ¡°it¡¯s all good, just take it and go¡± .

    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll make good use of it . ¡±

    Kagutsuchi had nothing else to say, so the group returned inside Tsuki no Hokora .

    The following day, it was time to descend the mountain .

    ¡°Once more, we are in your debt . Doe visit again . ¡±

    ¡°You have to!! Definitely!!¡±

    ¡°Please do before Mitsuyo explodes from impatience . ¡±

    ¡°Take care in your travels . ¡±

    ¡°My my, I doubt there¡¯s anything to worry about though . ¡±

    ¡°Piyo!¡±

    Shin¡¯s group left Fuji while Munechika, Mitsuyo, Tsugu, Yasutsuna, Kunitsuna and Kagutsuchi saw them off .

    Their next destination was a port town to find a ship heading to the Eltnia continent .

    The group crossed Aokigahara, boarded the horse carriage which, led by Kagerou, started running through Hinomoto¡¯s roads .

    Unlike before, they made sure to slow down to a normal speed every time they ran into groups of merchants or travelers, in order to not stand out .

    The reason was they had already heard rumors of a mysterious convoy running at an incredible speed on the roads around Fuji . Shin¡¯s party had traveled at high speed when they went looking for Kunitsuna too, so the rumor must have spread further .

    Luckily, the witnesses reported the mysterious cart to be running in the area opposite to the port town the group was directed to; if Kagerou was cloaked as a horse with illusion magic, they wouldn¡¯t stand out much anymore .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°As expected of a port town, there are some amazing fish dishes here . ¡±

    Once they reached their destination, the group hid in a forest to change the carriage back to an item card, then proceeded on foot . Just walking aimlessly around town, they could see many stalls selling fresh fish . There were species Shin knew from his original world and monster fish sausages unique of this world, forming a wide range of products .

    ¡°Two weeks is a pretty long time¡­¡±

    Tiera sighed after learning of the passenger ship schedule . A ship had left just the day before, and it would be some time until the next one left port .

    The group was not exactly in a rush, but waiting two weeks in a town without any leisure activities was pretty boring, so they started looking for trade ships heading to the Eltnia continent .

    About one hourter, the party learned from a sailor that there was a ship nning to leave two dayster, so they went to negotiate a way to board it right away .

    At first, the crew rejected their overtures as they did not have enough space, but the captain ultimately epted them when Shin and his party said they would also act as escorts .

    Shin and Tiera¡¯s adventurer ranks were still low, but Shibaid had an A ranked adventurer card . It was a card that Shibaid used while still being able to hide his true identity . The Adventurers¡¯ Guild owed a lot to him, so they made an exception by issuing it .

    ¡°They probably wouldn¡¯t have let us on if it was just us without Shibaid . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true . Shin is rank D, and I¡¯m still F to boot . Master is rank C on paper, so I bet they think we¡¯re dead weight . ¡±

    Tiera had been promoted to rank F after taking care of the aftermath of Balmel¡¯s defense battle .

    Some were of the opinion that she should have been promoted to a higher rank, but the offensive power of the bow which slew so many foes was not hers only, so she was only promoted one rank .

    The nature of Shin¡¯s aplishments had been a topic of much debate within the guild . There were apparently some disputes going on too, so he chose to head to Kilmont before finding out the results .

    Just before that, the business with the Church happened, so at present, no one actually knew what rank Shin was .

    ¡°The sea¡¯s more dangerous thannd, after all . The first time I fought at sea, it was really different, and I could hardly get the hang of it . ¡±

    The same type of escort mission increased in rank if it was at sea instead ofnd .

    ¡°We¡¯re a party with an A-rank adventurer and all skill inheritors, that should be more than enough for them . ¡±

    As Schnee said, now Tiera possessed skills too . Other than the ¡¾Analyze¡¿ skill Shin taught her, she had acquired skills for offense, support, etcetera .

    Tiera could use her bow, while Schnee, Shibaid, and Shin could use their skills to fight enemies above or below the water . Thanks to these negotiations, they could split their duties with the escorts already on board without trouble .

    Normally, ships protected themselves with long-range attacks . If worse came to worst, Shin¡¯s group could act as decoys to lure the enemies far from the ship where they could be shot: it was one of the possible strategies .

    Considering the crew and the ship¡¯s safety, no one would object to having an escort-specialized party on board .

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯ll be a peaceful trip this time . ¡±

    The group spent the time prior to their departure by going over battle strategies and sightseeing . Two dayster, Shin and his party were onboard, gazing at the horizon . It did not look like they would be attacked by monsters such as the Gale Serpents; the ship proceeded without any dy .

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many pirates or monsters in this part of the sea, but if anything happens, we¡¯ll be counting on you guys, all right?¡±

    Aral, an adventurer and the ship¡¯s permanent escort, approached the group . He had red hair cut short and features that reminded the others of a wild animal .

    Shin replied politely, not wanting to look like a cocky newbie adventurer .

    ¡°Please leave it to us . Our rank might be low, but we have some experience fighting at sea . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear . Though, unexpected things happen at sea . There¡¯s a rumor among sailors that a ghost ship appears in these parts, you know?¡±

    ¡°A ghost ship?¡±

    Aral¡¯s tone suggested that he just wanted to give Shin a scare . For Shin, however, it wasn¡¯t just a joke . One of the area bosses in the game era was a true ghost ship, that appeared in certain sea areas .

    Shin replied to Aral, asking him please not to scare them, and the adventurer grinned and left .

    ¡°The ship, hmm¡­¡±

    Shin remembered one of Rokuten¡¯s guildhouses, the 2nd Assault Ship Celciutos . He heard that not even the Golden Company found it, so he thought that it might have been adrift somewhere .

    Unaware of Shin¡¯s thoughts, the ship¡¯s crew guided the ship with sails swelled in the wind and cut on through the waves . The weather did not turn sour and the ship sailed on under a perfectly blue sky . No traces of the ghost ships of Celciutos . Finally, two days after departure, the ship reached the Eltnia continent .

    ¡°So this is Barbatos the Marine City . You would think it¡¯s a city of pirates, with this name . ¡±

    ¡°They say they have geothermal energy-powered hot water pools here, you know?¡±

    Filma, who had heard this piece of information from the captain, waved at the ship as the group disembarked .

    ¡°Pools, huh . They probably bathe in seawater normally though . ¡±

    All sorts of dangerous monsters dwelt in the sea, and some were even able to move around onnd .

    Rather than building walls or settings to protect thend from the dangerous sea creatures, the buildings and leisure facilities werepletely separated from the sea and were therefore safer and easier to maintain . Because of this, the ¡°Marine City¡± did not have a single beach .

    ¡°Since we¡¯re here, we might as well check it out if we have time . We don¡¯t have to worry about monsters . The baths are unlike the sea orkes, so it¡¯ll definitely be fun . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, once in a while we might as well forget our troubles and just y around . ¡±

    Before being trapped in the ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡», Filma barely had any freedom to enjoy leisure activities . Shin had also had no chance to really stretch and y around sinceing to this world, so he agreed to her proposal .

    ¡°We need to buy some swimsuits then . I guess we should eat something first?¡±

    The time was already past 1 PM . The group had decided to eat lunch at Barbatos, since they had not eaten anything after their breakfast .

    Shin and the others began looking for a ce to eat, while trying to calm down the overly excited Filma .

 Vol 11 Chapter 1.4: Chapter 1 Part 4

    ¡°¡ªhere, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Cook¡¯s subordinates -Zazie, Lapwing, Bell and Shell- should be here . But this is¡­ . unexpected . ¡±

    While heading toward Eltnia, Shin decided to stop by Barbatos because ¡°Shigureya,¡± Rokuten member Cook¡¯s home, was located there . Apparently, it still functioned as a restaurant .

    Four of Cook¡¯s subordinates, being long-lived races, were still active: the restaurant received guests from outside Barbatos too, or so said Aral .

    Just as they had heard, Shin¡¯s party found an incredibly long queue before them . People from all ages, genders, and species were neatly queued in one line .

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s just a one hour wait, huh . ¡±

    ¡°I sent a message, so there should be some action soon . ¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the queue and Schnee replied to him .

    After a while, two young girls ran out of the doors . They had very simr faces, horns on their heads, membranous wings on their backs, and scaly tails poking out from under their clothes .

    These two girls were Bell and Shell . Both had eyes deep red in color, but Bell¡¯s silver hair covered the right half of her face, while Shell¡¯s ck hair covered the left side of her face .

    ¡°They look just the same, even now . ¡±

    Shin referred to Bell¡¯s kitchen frock and Shell¡¯s maid uniform . Based on this, the remaining two of the four were likely wearing one a cook¡¯s uniform, the other a kimono .

    ¡°Found Schnee!!¡±

    ¡°Found Filma!!¡±

    Bell and Shell pointed in the direction of Shin¡¯s party and shouted cheerfully . They mentioned Schnee¡¯s name, but as she was camouged, no one recognized her .

    ¡°Found Shibaid!¡±

    ¡°Found Sh¨C¡±

    ¡°Girls? Aren¡¯t you a bit too noisy?¡±

    Schnee interrupted as they were about to shout Shin¡¯s name . The girls instantly froze, just like frogs facing a snake¡¯s re .

    Shin and the others all thought the same thing: ah, she¡¯s angry .

    ¡°My message to Lapwing clearly stated not to create a fuss, did it not?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!!!¡±

    They probably ran out without listening until the end . The two apologized and quickly returned inside the store .

    ¡°This sort ofmotion feels nostalgic too¡­¡±

    ¡°Though, having our names shouted like that in public is pretty troublesome . ¡±

    Because of the exchange with Bell & Shell, Shin¡¯s group had attracted some attention .

    As they thought that it would probably be better toe back some other time, Schnee suggested entering the restaurant from the back door . Lapwing had replied to her message, apparently .

    The group left the store¡¯s front and entered a backstreet that had little traffic . When they reached Shigureya¡¯s back door, they found a woman waiting .

    She was Lapwing, who had beenmunicating with Schnee via message .

    ck hair tied behind her head and a kimono designed with ease of movement in mind .

    Her green eyes had a gentle light within them, just as Shin remembered .

    ¡°I was waiting for you . I apologize for the trouble Bell and Shell caused . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it . I¡¯m d to see that nothing seems to have changed . ¡±

    Led by Lapwing, the group entered Shigureya and was led to a special private room .

    The restaurant, having exhausted their ingredient stock for the day, had just closed . Only those customers who were still eating were inside .

    ¡°Your meal will be ready soon, please wait . ¡±

    After hearing that the group nned to eat lunch at Shigureya, Lapwing said ¡°leave it to us¡± and epted the request with enthusiasm . There were still ingredients left for the staff, apparently .

    ¡°Here is your water . ¡±

    ¡°Please use these handkerchiefs . ¡±

    As Lapwing left, Bell and Shell appeared inside . Their movements indicated that they still felt guilty in front of Schnee, but when she forgave them, they smiled while announcing today¡¯s menu .

    ¡°By the way, Zazie¡¯s cooking, right?¡±

    ¡°Zazie¡¯s focusing on cooking!!¡±

    ¡°When she gets like that nothing can stop her!¡±

    Bell and Shell replied to Shin¡¯s question, their expressions suggesting ¡°She¡¯s a helpless one, that girl!¡±

    ¡°Should I go call her?¡±

    ¡°No, I just wanted to say hi . We¡¯ll probably meet herter anyway, it¡¯s fine . ¡±

    Shin shook his head to Bell and Shell¡¯s simultaneous question . He didn¡¯t feel like interrupting her cooking just for a greeting . In the past, Shigureya¡¯s boss and thus the head chef, was naturally Cook .

    Zazie and Lapwing were both vice-head chefs . Their cooking skills were on the same level . While in battle, Lapwing excelled inndbat and Zazie in sea encounters .

    Bell and Shell, the waitresses, did not excel in cooking but in terms of fighting power were both above Zazie and Lapwing .

    ¡°Thanks for the meal . ¡±

    Zazie and Lapwing came after the party finished eating, as if they had been waiting for the right timing . Next to the kimono-d Lapwing stood the slender yet muscr figure of Zazie, wearing her chef¡¯s frock . At first nce, it would be hard to tell that they worked in the same restaurant .

    In contrast with Lapwing¡¯s mellow, gentle manner, Zazie was the ¡°wild¡± type, well fitting her short red hair . She looked much more like an adventurer than a cook .

    ¡°Did you get even better at cooking?¡±

    ¡°If you truly think so, then my efforts have paid off . ¡±

    Lapwing nodded with a smile .

    ¡°So, what brought you here today?¡±

    Zazie finally spoke, with a low-pitched voice well fitting her appearance . Her brown eyes gave an intense look, just an inch short of ring .

    ¡°I thought of paying you a visit, since we were in the area and all . Sorry to have you set a private room for us . ¡±

    ¡°No, it would not do to inconvenience a friend of lord Cook . ¡±

    Despite her words, Zazie¡¯s expression suggested that she found it all a pain in the butt .

    If one didn¡¯t know that her sour expression was something she was born with, it would look like she was really irritated .

    ¡°¡­let me ask one thing . Mr . Shin, have you note because of that rumor?¡±

    ¡°Zazie, please . It¡¯s ¡®lord¡¯ Shin . ¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine . Rather, what¡¯s this about a rumor?¡±

    Shin appeased Lapwing and asked for further details about the rumor .

    ¡°In Barbatos¡¯ seas, there¡¯s an area called Kuwain . A sailor ims to have seen a gigantic ship there . He is an elf, who knew what Celciutos looks like too . ¡±

    ¡°You mean to say that the ship in question was Celciutos?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Zazie looked at Shin with a sharp re .

    The light in her eyes came from the strong resolve of looking for and finding Celciutos ¡ª the Guildhouse of her master, Cook .

    ¡°Change of ns then . Tell us more about the current situation . If possible, we¡¯ll secure it . ¡±

    The ghost ship mentioned by Aral¡­Shin thought that it could be what they were looking for .

    Apparently, the elf who had seen the mysterious ship was not in Barbatos anymore: he hade to report to Zazie and the others that he had seen Celciutos several years before .

    ¡°Is that elf someone¡¯s support character?¡±

    ¡°No, to put it in simple terms for you, he¡¯s just an NPC . He used to work in Erculus harbor and had the chance to see Celciutos several times, so he remembered its appearance . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true that it stopped a few times in Erculus . The probability that he had just made a mistake is pretty low then . ¡±

    Erculus was a hometown that prospered as a port in the game era . Other than ships of all sizes, ship-shaped guildhouses could anchor there too .

    Even without dropping anchor at a port, all Rokuten members could teleport directly from their guildhouses or homes . There also was a support character set exclusively to refill supplies, so no one else had to do that .

    However, as it was a ship, they would asionally use ports temporarily . One reason was to show off the grand, luxurious vessel that Celciutos was .

    ¡°Where exactly is this Kuwain area?¡±

    ¡°ording to fishermen and sailors of trade ships, it¡¯s the area above Hinomoto when departing from Barbatos . It¡¯s not sealed, but it¡¯s designated as a dangerous marine zone, so the guild forbids entering it . ¡±

    Zazie answered with a grimace, which Lapwing exined to be due to the guild¡¯s refusal to allow them entry in the Kuwain area when they requested it .

    ¡°What exactly does ¡°Dangerous Marine Zone¡± mean?¡±

    ¡°The Kuwain area is surrounded by three powerful currents, as if forming a triangle . Each corner of this triangle has also be the home of monsters which protect their respective territories . Until a few years back, the monsters just scared away those who tried to enter their zone, but now people say that they started attacking and destroying ships: even in areas that were previously peaceful . Now there are frequent storms violent enough to overthrow evenrge-size ships . ¡±

    Lapwing continued Zazie¡¯s exnation, finishing by putting a hand to her cheek and sighing .

    Storms alone would be enough of a problem, but with monsters involved too, it was not wrong for the guild to seal off the area to inspect it, or so Shin thought .

    There were three monsters guarding the Kuwain area, called the Three Sea Beasts .

    In the northwest, a giant squid with 20-mels limbs and magic-unleashing gems, ¡°Mascurda¡± .

    In the southeast, a shark with razor-sharp fins and poisonous needles growing all over its body, ¡°Eolios¡± .

    In the southwest, a sea snake with body hair andpound eyes as tough as steel and even crab-like pincers, ¡°Keseldran¡± .

    These three monsters,manding their minions, constantly fought to expand their territories, so very few returned from the Kuwain area alive, added Lapwing .

    The elf who had spotted Celciutos had nearly died there himself: his ship overthrown, he was carried by the currents and ended up inside the Kuwain area . He was prepared to meet his end, or so he said .

    After spotting Celciutos, he exhausted his energy and sank beneath the waves, but when he woke up again he found himself floating near the Barbatos coast, hanging onto a wooden nk like a floating tube . A passing ship then rescued him, so he had barely survived .

    ¡°There¡¯s definitely something strange going on there . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . Based on the sea environment, it¡¯s probably Beasts, maybe mermen or fishmen . ¡±

    Shin also agreed with Lapwing¡¯s hypothesis .

    In THE NEW GATE, human-like sea creatures were called ¡°Mermen¡±, while the ones more simr to fish were called ¡°Fishmen¡± . Both categories were variations of the Beast group, specialized in underwaterbat: they could dive without limits and all their stats grew by 10% while underwater . In exchange, their stats decreased by 10% when onnd .

    Underwater, all obstacles to their movement disappeared, so they boasted peerless strength at sea .

    Some yers employed strategies such as using this unlimited diving ability to drown other yers and win . Having unusual names and statuses, they had a unique position within the Beast category .

    ¡°Based on what that elf said, even if entry is forbidden it¡¯s not like there are walls or anything, right? Couldn¡¯t we just sneak in?¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s possible, but to inspect the area we¡¯d need a ship of fairlyrge size, so it would be difficult to enter without the guild¡¯s permission, I suppose . ¡±

    Lapwing and the others could not procure an inspection ship of sufficient size, so their request was refused .

    In the game, Shin had experienced the sea during a storm . Wavesrge enough to knock over evenrge ships, unless they had magic enchantments to prevent it, weremon in this world . Average ships wouldn¡¯t stand a chance .

    ¡°I guess that means we should get permission first . Do you know what the conditions are?¡±

    ¡°To own a ship equal or superior to a certain size . The presence of an adventurer rank A or above . To have equipment suitable for fighting underwater . Those three should be all the conditions . Naturally, there isn¡¯t anypensation in case of death or injury . Going to that area is seen as having a death wish, after all . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I can see that . ¡±

    Shin agreed to Lapwing¡¯s words . Even excluding the three Sea Beasts, the Kuwain zone was rife with monsters . Just by hearing what Zazie and Lapwing said, Shin could tell how troublesome the area could be .

    Originally, sea monsters appeared in the ocean much more frequently than monsters did onnd . Footing was not stable and attacks coulde from any direction . Additionally, if the enemy is underwater attacking then options be limited .

    In the game era, there were plenty of tales of yers who had made a name for themselves onnd, but then died as soon as they challenged the seas .

    The three Sea Beasts were powerful monsters around level 800, so their minions would obviously be quite threatening as well . Zazie and herrades had been raised focusing more on creation skills such as cooking rather than fighting, so it would have been difficult for them to return alive .

    ¡°First of all, what we need is a ship . ¡±

    ¡°Mr . Shin, do you have anything in mind?¡±

    Zazie looked at Shin with an expression full of anticipation .

    ¡°Well actually, I have the parts . If I can have a ce to put them together, I can make a ship . ¡±

    Celciutos was extremelyrge and powerful even among all other magic-powered warships: in THE NEW GATE, it was one of the best super dreadnoughts existing . Its maintenance parts were in absurd quantities, most of them being made by the cksmith, Shin . Arge quantity of prototype and spare parts for ships thus rested in Shin¡¯s item box .

    Shin kept the parts in separate folders, ording to the size of the ship they were for . He could exchange parts and customize ships, as long as the sizes were the same .

    ¡°As expected of Lord Shin!! Let us make preparations right away!!¡±

    The overjoyed Lapwing was ready to burst out of the room .

    ¡°Can you really have a ce ready that easily? I can¡¯t just build it anywhere, you know?¡±

    In the game all one had to do was to go to the port¡¯s management office and register to build a ship, but in reality things could not surely be that easy .

    ¡°We are having a ship built in an acquaintance¡¯s shipyard . I feel bad for the carpenters, but we will borrow that space . ¡±

    ¡°Is that alright? I mean, in terms of your rtionship with them . ¡±

    If there was a ce avable, they wanted to start right away, but saying that they didn¡¯t need the requested ship anymore could be a problem .

    ¡°I think it will be alright . That carpenter wouldn¡¯t care about small things if it meant honing their techniques . Rather, I¡¯m sure he will look at the ship you make and try to steal your techniques . ¡±

    Zazie added that the carpenter would probably want to watch as the ship was made in ce of his .

    ¡°Can you take me there right away, then? I want to make preparations and go to Kuwain as soon as possible . ¡±

    The two girls nodded at Shin¡¯s words and stood up . Having left the dishwashing to Bell and Shell, Zazie and Lapwing guided Shin¡¯s group towards arge avenue . They had not changed before leaving, as their clothing had magic enchantments that kept them and their equipment clean at all times . It wasn¡¯t something useful in battle, but Cook stated that it was absolutely necessary . Shin reminisced about making them with Cashmere and Hecate¡¯s help .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 11 Chapter 1.5: Chapter 1 Part 5

    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°As expected of a shipyard, it¡¯s really huge.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group visited a shipyard located at the edge of the port. Despite its location, it didn¡¯t lose to other shipyards in size. The group followed Zazie to the docks and found two galleons hanging in midair, suspended by fixtures. Next to them was a ship in the process of being built, probably the one requested by Zazie and herrades.

    The workers noticed Zazie¡¯s arrival and one of them called to arge man who was a bit farther away from them.

    The man then came closer; he was of short stature, but about two times wider than the average person, with a stocky and muscr physique.

    ¡°Hey there, Zazie. The ship is still in the works, ya know?¡±

    Judging from the man¡¯s familiar tone, he must have been on good terms with Zazie. Shin imagined him to be one of the chief carpenters.

    ¡°I came to talk about that ship. This guy is an acquaintance of ours, an adventurer named Shin. This man is the boss and chief carpenter of this Gourd Shipyard, Zigma Gourd, but everyone just calls him chief.¡±

    Zazie did the introductions; Shin had told her that he didn¡¯t want to attract attention where other people could see, so she had kept the introductions to a bare minimum. Lapwing fretted, looking at her.

    ¡°Calm down, Lapwing.¡±

    ¡°Zazie, isn¡¯t that way of speaking a bit rude?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Shin isn¡¯t the type of person to care about things like that.¡±

    Even while Schnee added a helpfulment, Zazie continued talking with Zigma. She told him to suspend making the ship and Zigma looked at Shin.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t something to talk about here I wager. Let¡¯s go to the back, follow me.¡±

    The group followed Zigma¡¯s pounding steps to a small room in the back of the office. After drinks were served, Zigma started talking.

    ¡°So, why don¡¯t you need the ship anymore? I know the reason why you needed it, why you¡¯re so bent on this. I don¡¯t think you can find a recement so easily.¡±

    To have a normal ship, one just needed to pay the right amount of money. Kuwain was an extremely dangerous marine area with powerful storms though. A ship that had itsrge size as its only advantage was still doomed to sink.

    ¡°I know you girls, you can¡¯t have given up, right? Thed here is involved in it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Shin is going to make the ship.¡±

    ¡°Say what now?¡±

    Zigma looked at Shin again, straight and deeply, as if to scan what kind of person he was.

    ¡°Yes, I would like to borrow the space where that ship is being built.¡±

    ¡°Do you have the materials? In order to make a ship like the guild specified, the materials alone cost an arm and a leg, ya know that?¡±

    ¡°I have the parts already, yes. There was no other good ce to put them together, so¡­¡±

    Saying so, Shin put an item card on the table.

    ¡°An item card, huh. It¡¯s true that it would make carrying materials easy. But just having the parts isn¡¯t enough to build a ship, how about that?¡±

    Building a ship required a certain amount of manpower. Even if parts and tools were turned into item cards, Shin¡¯s group was just five people. With three of them being women, Zigma appeared skeptical that they could build a ship by themselves.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want this to be known, but¡­using skills, I¡¯d make do somehow.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see, so you¡¯re a skill inheritor.¡±

    Zigma nodded, convinced.

    Skills allowed the use of powers well beyond human understanding. The item box, which allowed children to carry items of massive weight, was simr also.

    From the viewpoint of someone who did not understand skills, it was something impossible toprehend. Shin¡¯s way of speaking was due to him being an inheritor, and Zigma recognized that.

    He was a creator, but also a businessman. The contract had been canceled unterally, but Zazie said that they would pay the full price, so he acknowledged their request.

    ¡°Well, business¡¯s business, if ya pay I got nothing to say.¡±

    ¡°It sure doesn¡¯t look like that, though?¡±

    As Zazie pointed out, even if Zigma said to be content, his sour expression suggested otherwise.

    ¡°Can ya me me? Building ships is my lifework. I haven¡¯t spared anything, not materials nor technique, in the ship we¡¯re making now. I can swear that it¡¯d be my life¡¯s masterpiece.¡±

    He was surely confident; Zigma¡¯s expression did not contain an inch of arrogance.

    ¡°That said, Zazie. Your expression tells me that thed here can build something a hell of a lot better than I can. You know my skills, and here we have someone you trust that much. You bet I¡¯m interested.¡±

    ¡°You never change, do you. Shin, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be alright with him.¡±

    Zazie looked at Shin, as if to encourage him to show Zigma his skill usage.

    Zigma¡¯s attitude and the halfway built ship clearly showed that he had pride in his expertise, so Shin decided that he could let Zigma see his skills.

    ¡°¡­don¡¯t tell anyone else about what you see or hear, and never mention that you saw me. If you can promise me these two things, then it¡¯s all right.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. Whatever I see or hear, I¡¯ll bring with me into the grave. If there¡¯s something I can steal, will ya let me?¡±

    ¡°Take anything you can. I won¡¯t stop you for using it as reference for other work.¡±

    ¡°Now this is one cockyd. I¡¯m getting excited here!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t possible to make a skill into your own just by looking at it. Looking at thepleted ship and using it as reference for other projects was no problem for Shin.

    In contrast, Zigma nodded, an evil-looking grin on his face. His pride as an artisan was burning, without a doubt.

    As there were no separators or barriers within the shipyard, Shin would put together the ship after the other carpenters left. The group split with Zazie and Lapwing for the moment, who would return to Shigureya, and headed to the guild.

    ¡°Hopefully they give us permission without too much of a fuss.¡±

    Shin mumbled to himself, even if he knew that it would be difficult. Filma, who was looking around at Barbatos¡¯ town scenery, heard him and replied:

    ¡°Judging from what Zazie said, won¡¯t it be pretty impossible? I doubt they¡¯d easily let anyone go in a ce if they know it means having a death wish.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the current owners of Shigureya, though. The guild or the government might not want to lose such talent like that.¡±

    ¡°That is probably it. Shigureya would turn into a warehouse if they were to be gone.¡±

    Shibaid said that even with the ship their chances of being authorized were low, and Schnee agreed.

    Homes could usually be essed by others only if the owner was inside or together with the visitor. This was the same for Shin¡¯s Tsuki no Hokora too; now that it was inhabited, only Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou ¡ª other than support characters like Schnee ¡ª could enter it.

    Yuzuha because she had a contract with Shin, Tiera because Schnee registered her as Tsuki no Hokora member when she took her under her wing, and Kagerou for the same reason as Yuzuha.

    If Zazie and herpanions were to die, in this world only Shin would be allowed to enter Shigureya, as he had a special authorization due to being a member of Rokuten.

    Shin didn¡¯t know how Zazie and the others were treated in Barbatos, but imagined that they wouldn¡¯t want them to go into such dangerous areas.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just try. We better gather info about the monsters that appear in these parts too.¡±

    Just knowing about what they could face would be very helpful, the authorization could alsoeter. Is what Shin thought, when Tiera-who had not spoken a word until then-called to him.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. Fighting at sea will be something like when we fought the Gale Serpents in the stormst time right?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yeah, but we could also have to fight underwater. I don¡¯t think Celciutos could sink, as it has a diving function too. If, for some malfunction, it sinks underwater, we¡¯d have to dive to recover it.¡±

    Shin could turn any equipment into equipment usable underwater.

    He had already done it to all party members¡­he thought, and then remembered that Tiera¡¯s equipment had been updated.

    ¡°Oh yeah, we have to do ¡°that¡± one more time.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything weird this time, okay?¡±

    ¡°Stop saying things that could be misunderstood¡­the design is random, I tell you. I was surprised myself that you got that of all things.¡±

    A small ident happenedst time Shin attached the underwater function to Tiera¡¯s equipment. It was a very rare case, but for a woman such a design was a bit¡­no, extremely revealing. It was doubly rare, as it rarely appeared and Shin had never seen anyone wear it.

    ¡°I was more surprised!! What in the world was that, anyway? Even if it was to swim underwater, t-to wear that outside¡­would make me some perverse woman!!¡±

    Remembering the incident, Tiera blushed fiercely and protested.

    ¡°Calm down, please! You¡¯re too loud!¡±

    Fortunately, there were few people around them, but they had attracted the attention of all those few, so the group hurried away.

    As they walked on, Shibaid casted an inquiry.

    ¡°Shin, what happened to Tiera? It could not have been something trivial, if she showed such strong emotions in public.¡±

    ¡°When I attached the underwater function to her equipment, well, there was a small ident. Clothes and armor be a swimsuit, right? She had a rather risque one.¡±

    Shin thought that it was pretty easy on the eyes, but did not dare voice his thoughts.

    ¡°Hmm, I see. There are many more variations for women than men, after all. I remember that there are also quite a few bizarre ones too.¡±

    ¡°Some of them are more embarrassing than being naked. I had something pretty crazy too. Are you sure it¡¯s really random, hmm?¡±

    ¡°I said it is! If I could choose, I¡¯d pick the current one from the start.¡±

    Shin replied firmly to Filma¡¯s teasing. If he didn¡¯t, Schnee¡¯s eyes would throw even sharper daggers into his back.

    ¡°I heard that nothing like that happened in Schnee¡¯s case though?¡±

    ¡°Just a coincidence, I tell you.¡±

    Tiera and Filma had very revealing designs, but Schnee had her current one the first time, so it was decided right away.

    Depending on the viewpoint, however, one could say that in Schnee¡¯s case any design would have worked.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, can it? I think that¡¯s the one that looks best on her.¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t neglecting Schnee, or so he strongly stated. There were no lies there.

    ¡°You heard that?¡±

    Filma grinned and turned towards Schnee, who was walking behind her.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything.¡±

    Schnee looked the other way, but judging from her twitching ears, she surely didn¡¯t look displeased.

    ¡°Heh, just as nned.¡±

    ¡°Tch, that was on purpose!?¡±

    Shin groaned towards the chuckling Filma.

    ¡°Enough about the equipment, there¡¯s the guild.¡±

    Shin looked forward in response to Shibaid¡¯s announcement and saw a building very simr to the ones he had seen in Bayreuth and Falnido. The signboard also showed that there was no mistake.

    ¡°By the way, Filma, were you registered in the Adventurers¡¯ Guild?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? No, why? When I was active people were still recovering from the confusion caused by the Dusk of the Majesty, so there weren¡¯t cross-continental organizations like the guild.¡±

    ¡°Guess we should do that then. You¡¯d get an ID too.¡±

    At present, for Shin¡¯s group that was how much a Guild card was worth. Selling the materials they had meant that they were never out of funds. For gathering information too, as Shibaid was rank A, it wasn¡¯t necessary for Shin and the others to raise their own ranks.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same inside too, huh.¡±

    The interior of the guild had reception counters to the right, a tavern to the left and a board with requests in the center, the usualposition.

    The only differences were the species and equipment of the adventurers inside. Probably because of Barbatos being close to the sea, they could see mermen and fishmen here and there. Shin also noticed several Rare and Unique ss items, probably picked from the seafloor.

    ¡°Wee to the Barbatos branch of the Adventurers¡¯ Guild. How may I assist you?¡±

    A woman with light blonde hair was at the reception.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to register her as an adventurer.¡±

    Shin knew the guild¡¯s regtions, so they skipped the various exnations and proceeded with the registration.

    ¡°¡ª-registrationplete. Your card will be ready for pick up tomorrow.¡±

    As before, it took one day to issue the card.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re here, I¡¯d like to ask you something. About the authorization to enter the Kuwain area, is it possible to receive it if we¡¯re having a ship ready soon?¡±

    ¡°The authorization to enter¡­the Kuwain area¡­?¡±

    Few people probably ever asked about it. The receptionist seemed to have no idea about what Shin was talking about.

    ¡°Yes, I heard that either the guild or the state¡¯s authorization was needed in order to enter it. How does it work?¡±

    ¡°Please wait a moment¡­our staff needs to see the actual ship before granting authorization. There is a past case of people heading to sea with a ship of smaller size than the one reported in the request and disappearing, you see.¡±

    The receptionist talked while looking at a document, probably listing the regtions. In the case she cited, some fishermen had witnessed the requester leaving port.

    ¡°Understood. I wille again once we have the ship then.¡±

    ¡°You can present your request first, if you wish to. The staff can fill in the ship¡¯s information when they inspect it, so the procedures can be a bit quicker.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. Yes, I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    Thinking that saving time was always wee, Shin filled in the required fields of the request form.

    ¡°Your name is¡­Shin, I see. Please present your guild card too.¡±

    Shin handed in the filled request form and the receptionist checked it andpared it with his guild card.

    ¡°You are rank D? I¡¯m afraid that even if you have a ship, you would not be granted the authorization.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a rank A in my party. That means there¡¯s no problem, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is correct, but¡­if you do not mind me confirming, you are the party leader, lord Shin?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Could you please tell me the ranks of your party members?¡±

    Despite the presence of a rank A, the party leader was rank D. The receptionist probably found it strange.

    Some adventurers deliberately set lower-ranked members as leader, in order to let them umte experience. There was no reason to use an inexperienced leader when going to a ce like Kuwain, however.

    ¡°We have one C and one F, then two partner monsters. Depending on the circumstances, other members could join uster too.¡±

    Zazie and the others would probablye with them too, but as Shin didn¡¯t know if they were registered as adventurers or not, he kept things vague on purpose.

    ¡°Thank you. Do you know what the conditions for the authorization are?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The presence of an A-rank adventurer, a ship equal to or superior to a certain size, equipment usable underwater, or so I¡¯ve been told.¡±

    Shin repeated the conditions he heard from Zazie.

    ¡°Yes, that is correct. Is your equipment ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes, for all party members. Do you need to check that too?¡±

    ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience, but it is policy to do so. I do not mean to doubt your abilities, lord Shin. We simply wish to keep the risk of losing valuable adventurers to minimum levels.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I also wish to show you that we have no intention of going to die.¡±

    With the ship and equipment Shin can provide, a stormy sea or two would be a piece of cake. Based on the members of his party too, unless something incredible happened, no one even risked being injured.

    However, He couldn¡¯t let the guild know everything. Shin¡¯s techniques were far too advanced for this world; if he revealed them without thinking, he risked creating amotion.

    Shin was thus thinking of masking the ship when it was time to show it too.

    ¡°If possible, I would like to know about the monsters present in the Kuwain area though.¡±

    Information about monsters heavily varied based on the area, but the guild recorded everything the adventurers reported. Knowing how to counter the monsters influenced the adventurers¡¯ survival rate greatly.

    The adventurer¡¯s job always required their lives to be on the line, so it was absolutely necessary for them to pay attention to monster information.

    ¡°You may find such information in the reference room.¡±

    The documents avable varied by rank, but in general all documents except the ones concerning monsters in dangerous dungeons or sealed areas were avable.

    The monsters in the Kuwain area were also reported to dwell in other areas, so Shin¡¯s group could browse the information about them, excluding the three Sea Beasts.

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    ¡°Once your ship is ready, pleasee to the reception again. If I am not present, please say that Arno Toole received your request, I¡¯ll make sure it can be processed.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I wille again th¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, my apologies. There is something else I need to speak to you about, lord Shin.¡±

    Shin was about to call on Schnee and the others to go to the reference room, when Arno stopped him.

    ¡°Something else?¡±

    ¡°There are about ten requests specifically for you.¡±

    ¡°Requests for me, huh. I¡¯m truly sorry, but I have something urgent to do and cannot ept them.¡±

    ¡°Understood. As you cannot ept the requests, you will have to sign the request forms. Please wait in that booth, I will prepare the necessary documents.¡±

    Arno pointed at a small booth next to the reception counter. Shin told Schnee and the others to wait, then sat on the sofa closest in the booth.

    ¡°I apologize for the wait. These are the request forms.¡±

    Shin took the forms and signed the field stating that he could not ept the request.

    He looked at the requesters while signing and found names and locations he remembered, such as Bayreuth kingdom or Balmel.

    ¡°Here, this should be all of them.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, no problem.¡±

    Arno checked the forms and nodded.

    ¡°Is this really alright with you, though? The connections you could obtain through these requests all seem very valuable.¡±

    Arno exined that the adventurers who quit the guild to enter an exclusive contract with nobles or merchants, to ensure a stable lifestyle, were not few.

    ¡°I became an adventurer for a certain goal, so I¡¯m not thinking of serving anyone until I have achieved that you see.¡±

    ¡°I see. A-rank adventurers are really different from the rest, after all.¡±

    Arno gave a small chuckle after saying this, but Shin was a bit confused.

    ¡°Er, you¡¯re talking about my party member?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about you, lord Shin. I checked it before, when I processed your request. Because of your achievements in the Balmel defense battle, your promotion to rank A has been decided.¡±

    The long discussion ended with the decision of promoting Shin to rank A.

    With Shibaid present, they could check any documents, so it wasn¡¯t really meaningful, but apparentlymunication had been sent throughout the continent.

    ¡°Stating you¡¯re rank D when you¡¯re actually rank A¡­that¡¯s not nice, lord Shin. I was really surprised when I checked your guild card.¡±

    It was very rare for adventurers to jump directly from rank D to rank A. To be sure it wasn¡¯t a mistake, Arno had asked other staff members to confirm it too.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that either until now though.¡±

    ¡°There are several adventurers named Shin, but who would have thought you were the one who acted in the Balmel defense battle. The name ¡°Shin the shing Hammer¡± has reached even Barbatos, you know.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­..that too.¡±

    Shin would have loved for that nickname to spread as little as possible, so he wished to be able to disappear among the other Shins.

    ¡°After such great achievements, it is only right for you to be evaluated fairly. But I¡¯m d, now I can send you off with fewer concerns. It is always painful when someone I assisted doesn¡¯te back.¡±

    ¡°It will be alright, as you can see it turns out I¡¯m rank A, so I¡¯ll be back in a sh. I¡¯m not going to Kuwain just to hunt monsters after all.¡±

    The goal of Shin party was to secure Celciutos. In case it was within the territory of one of the Sea Beasts, they could have to fight them. There was no need toe in contact with them or fight them however.

    The Sea Beasts¡¯ forces were at odds with each other, so they were likely to prioritize maintaining their territories and would not venture outside them. Defeating one could cause the others to attack ships or ports, thus it did not hold much meaning.

    ¡°If possible, could I know what your goal is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course. It¡¯s not something as fixed as to be called a goal, though. If I had to give it a name, I¡¯d say it¡¯s adventure.¡±

    ¡°Adventure, sir?¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t be good to have them look in too deep into his motives, so Shin used the response he had previously thought up.

    ¡°Unknown seas where man fears to tread¡­will there be something there, or maybe nothing? Wishing to know that is also what makes an adventurer, isn¡¯t it? To seek the passion of adventure.¡±

    ¡°Passion, is that so.¡±

    ¡°Yes, well you could also say I¡¯m a reckless idiot.¡±

    There really were areas, called untrodden domains, which people very rarely visited. Shin found about them by coincidence, when he was looking through documents in Falnido.

    Some adventurers made a living by entering such areas and finding rare items or exploring ruins. Shin decided to present his party as belonging to such a category.

    ¡°Not at all, there are many locations that have been discovered by such people. No one would call them idiots.¡±

    ¡°If you said that, I feel more confident.¡±

    ¡°As I am sure you know, fighting at sea ispletely different than fighting onnd. The monsters are peculiar too, but fighting in a field like the sea means that if you simply fall in, your movements will be limited. We die if we cannot breathe, and if the current sweeps us away and we lose our sense of direction, only death awaits. Please, do not let your guard down.¡±

    ¡°¡­I will not.¡±

    Working in a guild in a port town, she surely knew well how terrifying the sea could be. Arno¡¯s words and expression clearly showed that she was genuinely worried about Shin and his party.

    ¡°Please forgive me if I sounded patronizing.¡±

    ¡°No, I understand you said that out of concern for our safety. I am aware of how dangerous the sea can be, but I will be even more careful.¡±

    Shin then went to join Schnee and the others to go to the reference room. There they looked up information about the monsters dwelling in the Kuwain area andpared them to what they knew. Being a forbidden area, there was not a lot of information, but there were not great differences with what they knew from the game era.

    ¡°The problem is the three Sea Beasts turning so violent. It¡¯ll be easier if they don¡¯te to attack us, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    On the way back from the guild to the shipyard, Shin sighed.

    In the game, the monsters called Sea Beasts did not attack unless provoked. ording to Zazie¡¯s information, however, now they indiscriminately attacked anyone they saw.

    ¡°What shall we do if we damage them and they do not withdraw?¡±

    Shin held his chin, thinking about how to answer Schnee¡¯s question.

    ¡°We could escape if we stop their movements, but they¡¯re faster than us in the water¡­¡±

    It would be difficult to make the monsters lose sight of the party, even with status effects such as ¡¾Paralyze¡¿ or ¡¾Confusion¡¿.

    ¡°We either stop them with binding skills, or through brute force.¡±

    One method would be repeatedly striking them with lightning-element attacks to forcefully disrupt the control of their bodies. Doing so would prevent them from following the party.

    If binding, like status effects, turned out to be ineffective, the only way was to inflict enough damage to slow down their movements.

    ¡°Could we distract them with some lure?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all really huge, though¡­¡±

    Shin considered Filma¡¯s decoy strategy too. The 3 Sea Beasts, however, were all muchrger than Shin¡¯s party. They had no idea about the size of lurerge enough to distract them.

    Turning it into an item card would mean the weight was not a problem, but procuring such a lure would be very difficult. Even if they used Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s creation device, using precious ingredients filled with unique magic as a lure sounded like a waste.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they just swallow us whole while the lure¡¯s materializing anyway?¡±

    That was the greatest concern. If the monsters ate them up while the item was still appearing, it would be all for nothing.

    ¡°¡­you¡¯d be okay, Shin.¡±

    ¡°My HP would, sure! But mentally I wouldn¡¯t!!¡±

    Shin wouldn¡¯t enjoy having to cut his way out from the monster¡¯s belly. Filma¡¯s idea was obviously out.

    ¡°Anyway, we have to build the ship first¡­¡±

    Shin emitted a tired sigh and put off the conclusion to the problem forter.

 Vol 11 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    Shin¡¯s group arrived again at the shipyard just as the usual workday wasing to an end. Peeking inside, they saw the workers starting to clean up before leaving for the day.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back, huh.¡±

    Zigma spotted the group right away and approached them.

    ¡°Yes. What about Zazie and the others?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re already in the back. Want me to go call them?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯ll head over there ourselves. I guess it¡¯ll take some more time until the workers leave anyway.¡±

    ¡°You got a point there.¡±

    In the room where they had spoken with Zigma earlier that day, Shin found Shigureya¡¯s members, as the chief carpenter had said.

    They killed time chatting, then headed to the work area after they made sure the workers had all gone home.

    ¡°What did you do with the ship you were working on?¡±

    ¡°Zazie turned it into a card. After all, it would be a waste to just dispose of it.¡±

    The chief had no intention of throwing away the materials.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get to work right away, then.¡±

    Shin nodded to Zigma¡¯s words and started choosing the parts he needed from the item box. From Zigma¡¯s viewpoint, it probably looked like Shin was drawing something in the air with his index finger.

    ¡°It¡¯ll only take an instant, so please make sure you don¡¯t blink.¡±

    ¡°All right.¡±

    Shin activated the skill and the ship¡¯spleted ns appeared in his head. In the game, they would have appeared in a separate menu window.

    Where there were missing or excess parts, the ns would sh red. In the map in Shin¡¯s head, however, there were no red spots.

    ¡°¡¾Creation¡¿!¡±

    Shin activated a keymand and the item cards swirled in midair, shining brightly. The lights, as if they had a will of their own, changed shape and formed a ship.

    ¡°Wh-what in zes¡­!?¡±

    Zigma¡¯s utterly surprised voice escaped his lips. He had probably expected a skill thatbined all of the ship¡¯s parts in an instant. Seeing the lights change shape in front of his eyes would have surely been shocking had he not known about the skill.

    A few moments after the lights started changing shape, a ship not unlike arge cruiser, was formed.

    ¡°Our main objective is exploration, so I focused on movement and defense.¡±

    The ships created by yers had different performance based on the parts used. Shin had chosen parts that would allow the ship to move with agility even during storms, and resist surprise attacks from monsters. It looked like a ship that would travel by floating on the sea, but it was actually a magic vessel that could also submerge if necessary.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be¡­what is even going on here!?¡±

    ¡°This skill lets you instantlybine the parts you have into the finished product. Well, even I can¡¯t exin why it looks like lights changing shape though.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t say that it was a video game¡¯s visual effect.

    ¡°Can I touch it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going¡­.to inspect it too.¡±

    As soon as Shin had consented, Zigma rushed towards the ship with the eyes of a carnivore pouncing on newly spotted prey. It looked like he had only listened to the first word Shin said.

    ¡°Nghwaaahhh!! What¡¯s this smooth coating!? Not a single wrinkle. The dense magic power contained in each part. But it¡¯s all harmonised together, forming an even stronger bond!!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s group was rendered speechless for a while by Zigma¡¯s sudden change.

    The chief jumped on board of the docked ship and analyzed the materials and techniques used in its creation, his eyes blood-red. He hugged the ship tight, as if licking its surface, in order to analyze it: he almost looked like he had used some dangerous substance.

    ¡°Chief, you really should calm down a little.¡±

    ¡°Hah!? What was I doing!?¡±

    Zigma regained lucidity thanks to a chop from Zazie. His enthusiasm had not simmered though, and he started bombarding Shin with questions about which processing techniques he had used.

    ¡°I said calm down.¡±

    ¡°Gwah!¡±

    A chop slightly stronger than the one before collided with Zigma¡¯s head. Zazie was showing less and less restraint.

    ¡°You only need to look at it to know how it was made, don¡¯t you chief?¡±

    ¡°Kh, this is frustrating, frustrating I tell ya¡­if only I was 20 years younger, I¡¯d plead him to make me his disciple, even if I had to throw away everything I had!¡±

    Zigma¡¯s passionate words convinced everyone that he was speaking from the heart.

    ¡°That¡¯s just impossible. Mr. Shin¡¯s techniques are just out of this world¡­and that¡¯s an understatement.¡±

    ¡°Gah, hearing that makes it all the more frustrating.¡±

    The chief¡¯s artisan spirit was definitely burning. His eyes sparkled like a child with a new toy, but also burned with the me of a warrior eager to do battle.

    ¡°Anyway, I trust you have no objections about the ship now?¡±

    ¡°No shipyard in Barbatos would have objections about this. If Zazie and the girls hadn¡¯t exined to me in detail, I wouldn¡¯t have believed this was made with spare parts, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    Zigma answered while looking all over the ship.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to check the inside of the ship, so look at the exterior as much as you want. Please don¡¯te inside though. The anti-intruder magic enchantments would pulverize you.¡±

    ¡°Ngh, that¡¯s a darn shame.¡±

    A function of all vehicles was that only after the creator registered other people¡¯s names could they board said vehicle safely. In case the creation of the vehicle had beenmissioned, it was possible to change ownership by registering themissioner¡¯s name first.

    ¡°Now we can go look for lord Cook¡¯s guildhouse.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I¡¯ll find it no matter what.¡±

    ¡°It took a long time.¡±

    ¡°Finally¡­¡±

    In contrast with Zigma¡¯s excitement, Lapwing, Zazie, Bell, and Shell were quietly rejoicing. After hearing the elf¡¯s story, they had gathered materials for the ship, looked for able carpenters, negotiated, then finally the ship¡¯s construction had started. The materials, however, were difficult to work without skills, so they had been told that it would take at least 10 years beforepletion. They were obviously overwhelmed now.

    ¡°Looks like there are no problems about the ship¡¯s capabilities either. I already registered everyone. We¡¯ll test it tomorrow, and if all goes well we can leave the day after tomorrow.¡±

    Shin informed the group of his ns after checking the ship¡¯s functionality.

    ¡°We¡¯ll make preparations. If it¡¯s a ship lord Shin made, I¡¯m sure there won¡¯t be any problems.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic.¡±

    ¡°Perfect.¡±

    After Lapwing¡¯s words, Bell and Shell also expressed their approval, both giving thumbs up.

    It was Shin¡¯s first time using the skill aftering to this world however, so he wanted to test the ship and check it thoroughly.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not going to move it until tomorrow, can I look over it until then?¡±

    ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, feel free to take your time tomorrow too.¡±

    Zigma definitely wanted to examine the ship as much as he could before Shin¡¯s group arrived. It was also very clear that he had no intention of sleeping that night.

    ¡°I was thinking of doing the test tomorrow at nine, is that all right?¡±

    ¡°No problem. We¡¯ll prepare everything necessary today¡±

    ¡°Today!¡±

    Bell and Shell echoed Lapwing¡¯s answer, while Zazie silently bowed her head.

    After onest greeting to Zigma, who was jotting down notes while looking at the ship, Shin and the others left the shipyard.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Shin¡¯s group had not secured a ce to stay yet, but thanks to Lapwing¡¯s introduction they could check into one of the best luxury lodgings in Barbatos. The owner was a fan of Shigureya they had said. The party could pay the lodging fee without problems, so they decided to take two rooms and split based on gender.

    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s get that over with.¡±

    After dinner, Shin¡¯s party gathered in the room the females were assigned. As expected of a luxury ss hotel, the room could easily amodate at least five people and two animals.

    ¡°Tiera, you have two new pieces of equipment, huh. Hmm, this is pretty in, but this is a bit too shy to wear on the regr¡­¡±

    ¡°I picked one for close range and one for long rangebat, just in case. The appearance¡­is kind of concerning, I have to agree.¡±

    One was a dark-colored shirt and mantle. The other was a sparkly armor, which reminded of a ¡°warrior maiden¡± style. As Filma said, their appearance swung wildly between the in and shy ends of the spectrum.

    ¡°Leaving the Bow Princess set aside, we could make the Heat Haze series a bit cuter. She¡¯s a girl after all, she has to dress nicely too.¡±

    ¡°Is it possible to make it cuter though?¡±

    ¡°If Shin helps, sure.¡±

    Filma looked at Shin and he nodded.

    Tiera¡¯s Bow Princess and Heat Haze equipment sets were in their default design, in other words their initial settings. Using them like that was not a problem, but the design could be modified too.

    In the game, creation-type jobs tried all sorts of modifications and colorings in order to express their originality, creating many different designs.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hear some ideas then. About the essories, how would red look instead of gold, for the hairpin? So it matches her eyes¡¯ color better¡­¡±

    ¡°An all-ck mantle is a bit too simple too. We might as well¡ª-¡±

    Schnee joined Filma in helping to make the designs cuter. The three looked at the changed designs Shin created with his skills and debated on which was best.

    ¡°E-er¡­is it only me, or is the equipment getting gradually smaller? Were the pants always this short? Was there so much skin exposed?¡±

    Tiera raised objections while looking at the changing designs, but couldn¡¯t stop the three¡¯s momentum.

    ¡°You can only hope that the result is something proper to wear.¡±

    Shibaid shook his head, well aware that it wasn¡¯t possible to stop them anymore.

    ¡°Kuh, the atmosphere is so tense!¡±

    ¡°Guruu.¡±

    Yuzuha and Kagerou seemed excited to see the results of the debate.

    After about 30 minutes, which felt excruciatingly longer to Tiera, Shin¡¯s ¡°this should be enough¡± signaled the end of the process.

    ¡°Try them on now.¡±

    Shin handed Tiera the cards, a satisfied look on his face. She looked at the cards¡¯ illustrations, wondering if it really was the same equipment as before.

    The shirt¡¯s sleeves had beenrgely cut off, turning it into a sleeveless one. The color had been changed to white, with a light green line drawing a flower-looking pattern on the chest area.

    The pants were now around the same length as hotpants, the boots became short boots and the mantle into a hooded long coat with a faded silver crescent moon mark on its back.

    The former inness was nowhere to be found.

    ¡°Wow! Doesn¡¯t it look good on you?¡±

    ¡°Not bad.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s about it.¡±

    Looking at Tiera wearing the gear set, Shin and the other creators expressed their satisfaction.

    ¡°T-that¡¯s nice, I guess.¡±

    Tiera looked at herself with the help of a mirror and seemed to enjoy the result too.

    ¡°While it¡¯s good that it became cuter, won¡¯t white and gold stand out too much?¡±

    Tiera had not forgotten that the attire was meant to be forbat, so she wondered if the original design wouldn¡¯t have been better for stealth purposes. Shin then exined that as battle started, the equipment¡¯s effect would make it look the same color as the surroundings to the enemies¡¯ eyes.

    Even if the color was faded, the hairpin was now gold, to match Tiera¡¯s eyes, so it looked like it would stand out, but it too, would be concealed like the shirt. The hairpin was also not just a decoration, but could notify the wearer when they had been spotted by enemies.

    ¡°The Bow Princess set is fine as is?¡±

    Filma asked, her arms crossed, while looking at Tiera wearing the Bow Princess gear set.

    This set¡¯s default design was pretty popr.

    ¡°We can change that too if we want to.¡±

    Filma, however, shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really familiar with armor designs, so I say it¡¯s fine as is for now.¡±

    The Bow Princess set not only had outstanding stats, but its design was gorgeous too, so they decided to leave it alone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move on to swimsuit designs, then.¡±

    ¡°Agh, there was that too¡­¡±

    Shin had informed Tiera that since there were two new sets of equipment, they would have to make them usable underwater.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you enchant them without me wearing them, anyway?¡±

    Tiera, standing before Shin in her Bow Princess attire, voiced herints.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me.¡±

    The underwater enchantment could be cast to other yers or NPCs, as long as they were wearing the equipment in question. Sometimes the resulting costume was very risque, so even if it was just an avatar wearing it, it could be pretty embarrassing.

    Because of this, in the game era most yers asked an enchanting artisan of the same gender to do it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me something weird again, okay?¡±

    ¡°It all depends on your luck.¡±

    Shin then activated the magic enchantment. Tiera¡¯s Bow Princess set started glowing, then changed shape. When the light faded away, it revealed a one piece with vivid blue and green gradations.

    ¡°This will do.¡±

    ¡°Is that okay? We can stock a design after it appears once, so you can check others too if you want?¡±

    Tiera decided instantly, so Shin asked if she was sure, but she said that she¡¯d rather not risk having weird costumes appear.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to the next, then? What wille out this time?¡±

    Tiera changed to the Heat Haze set and Shin cast the enchantment again.

    This time Tiera¡¯s swimwear was a ck pareo, same-colored bottoms and a white tube top, something very simr to when she had tried the Amazoness set previously.

    ¡°Not bad, isn¡¯t it? It looks like the equipment became the swimwear, pretty much.¡±

    The swimsuit¡¯s coloring and design was simr to the Heat Haze set¡¯s new design. This also was a result of having changed the default design.

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad, yes, but it feels like there¡¯s less cloth?¡±

    Tiera too, like Shin, did not find the swimsuit¡¯s design bad. It was also true, however, that the tube top cloth covering her breasts was a bitcking in size.

    ¡°No need to worry yourself over it, should we try the next one?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s words had directed Shin¡¯s attention to her chest; the sharp chill from the stare he then felt on his back prompted him to encourage Tiera to try another design.

    ¡°Yes, I guess that¡¯s better.¡±

    Tiera agreed and Shin cast the enchantment again. The next swimsuit wasposed of ck hotpants-like bottoms and a white bikini.

    Maybe because of an unknown rule, the bikini was rather small as well.

    ¡°Shin, you aren¡¯t doing this on purpose, are you?¡±

    ¡°Well, Shin¡¯s a boy after all, it¡¯s not weird for him to prefer the sexy type.¡±

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    Shin shook his head as fiercely as he could in response to Tiera, Filma, and Schnee¡¯s words and looks.

    ¡°Wait just a second!! You¡¯re saying it like it¡¯s my fault, but the size of the cloth can¡¯t be adjusted, okay!?¡±

    Shin cast the enchantment several other times, but each design had very limited cloth extension.

    ¡°Is this because we changed the original design?¡±

    ¡°Well, we did make it a lot more ¡°open¡± than the default one. I never heard that it would influence the swimsuit though.¡±

    If the same thing happened frequently, information about it would have spread.

    ¡°Will reverting the design solve the problem?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no good Schnee, we made it cuter, it¡¯d be a waste to discard it now. There might be a bit more exposure, but defensive power doesn¡¯t change, so isn¡¯t that fine?¡±

    Filma opposed Schnee¡¯s idea of changing the Heat Haze set¡¯s design to the default one.

    Despite its appearance, the equipment retained its stats even in underwater mode.

    Using an extreme example, even the skimpiest swimsuit, covering only the important parts, would have had the same defense underwater; even if the wearer appearedpletely naked.

    Filma was of the opinion that as long as performance was the same, some more skin exposure shouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    ¡°What do you think, Tiera? We can try.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well¡­it¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but¡­I¡¯ll keep it like this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my Tiera, I knew you¡¯d say that!¡±

    Filma nodded happily, while Tiera gave a wryugh.

    ¡°Since we¡¯re doing this and all, why don¡¯t we change our swimsuits¡¯ design too?¡±

    ¡°Filma, we¡¯re not going to y tomorrow, you know? Besides it takes work to do that.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be much work for Shin though.¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah, this much is nothing¡­¡±

    Casting enchantments didn¡¯t require a lot of MP, so Shin¡¯s burden was next to zero. There was no need for preparations and it was still early to go to sleep, so if they wanted to do it Shin had no reason to refuse.

    ¡°What do you say, Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll pass. I don¡¯t see the necessity of changing it.¡±

    ¡°¡­.but yours is a loincloth, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Filma meant to ask if Shibaid was really okay with it, but thetter nodded all too naturally.

    Shibaid¡¯s swimwear was a red and silver loincloth.

    Shin had decided on it half as a joke during the game era, so he was okay with changing it now, but judging from Shibaid¡¯s powerful nod, he must have liked it a lot.

    ¡°If he says that works, no need to force him then. It doesn¡¯t look like Schnee would be on board either, so let¡¯s leave the swimsuit fashion show for after we recover Celciutos.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡±

    Schnee held her head with her hands, as if physically troubled by Filma¡¯s announcement.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about knocking Shin out with our super sexy costumes, of course! I¡¯ve been thinking about it ever since I heard that we¡¯re going to the pool.¡±

    ¡°Filma, be a little more serious, please.¡±

    ¡°I ampletely serious. If we want to keep Shin here, we have to use every chance we can.¡±

    ¡°I suppose so, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin was the one to set your physique, Schnee, so if we use that, we might have a chance.¡±

    No matter howrge the room was, with five people inside there couldn¡¯t be a lot of distance between them.

    Were they talking hoping that Shin heard, or did they think that no one could hear them? In any case, Shin could hear everything the two said. Tiera did too: blushing fiercely, she mumbled the words, ¡°knock out¡­swimwear¡­¡±

    Shibaid heard everything too, as evidenced by his tired expression.

    ¡°Let us go rest for today. Or this will never end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    Deciding to leave the girls alone, Shin decided to turn in early.

 Vol 11 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    The next day, Shin woke up earlier than usual and went to practice behind the lodging .

    Thanks to his continued practice, which he started in order to gauge his physical abilities, he had recently learned to adjust his strength even with ¡¾Limit¡¿ removed .

    Swinging his weapon at full strength would cause a catastrophe, so he had focused on controlling and limiting his power .

    ¡°You¡¯re working hard early this morning . ¡±

    ¡°I woke up pretty early too, maybe because we turned in early yesterday . ¡±

    Having also awoken early, Shibaid approached Shin, who was swinging ¡ºKakura¡» .

    ¡°There¡¯s still some time, why don¡¯t we spar a little?¡±

    ¡°As long as we make sure we don¡¯t destroy the surroundings . ¡±

    Both cast ¡¾Limit¡¿, equipped sponge des andnces for training, then faced each other .

    Shin moved first . Sliding along the ground without a sound, he stepped closer to Shibaid . In response, Shibaid thrust his weapon at Shin . As he used a halberd, which had the properties of bothnces and axes, Shibaid¡¯s thrusts were fast and sharp . Even a mere wooden spear could have caused considerable damage .

    Sponge-series weapons were characterized by their inability to cause damage, but Shin would have gone forward anyway . If he could dodge the thrust, he would be inside Shibaid¡¯s guard .

    ¡°¡­ . if our stats are the same, I can¡¯t get into range, huh . ¡±

    Shin had stepped in diagonally, and Shibaid¡¯s spongence passed right by him . Faster than Shin could step in, however, came the second thrust from Shibaid¡¯s weapon .

    Knowing that it would be dodged, he thrust hisnce in such a way to be able to quickly pull it back .

    ¡°I haven¡¯t continued fighting for 500 years for nothing, after all . I have never neglected my training . ¡±

    Shibaid, as the party¡¯s shield, was a warrior with rich battle experience . Even if defense was his strongest asset, it didn¡¯t mean that his attacks could be underestimated .

    He specialized in facing multiple enemies while drawing their attacks away from his allies .

    Shin too had fought in such battles, but mainly against monsters . In regards to taking the right distance and strategies against human opponents, Shibaid was still rtively ahead of him .

    ¡°My attacks do not seem to hit squarely either, though!¡±

    With renewed vigor, Shibaid attacked again . The repeated strikes were thoroughly blocked by Shin¡¯s de; if he focused on defense, Shin could avoid clean hits from Shibaid .

    Shin, too, had fought many battles to the death . In a one-on-one frontal bout, even if he couldn¡¯t read Shibaid as well as he should, there would not be arge gap between them .

    After a while, Shin sensed presences moving about in the lodge and made a proposal .

    ¡°¡­I guess we should go eat . ¡±

    ¡°¡­indeed . We risk standing out too much . ¡±

    People had begun walking around in the premises . Shibaid looked a bit dissatisfied by the early conclusion, but rested his weapon . Their weapons put away, the two returned to the room, only to find Yuzuha, in human form, standing with arms crossed .

    ¡°Shin ditched Yuzuha!!¡±

    ¡°You were sleeping so soundly, that¡¯s why . It felt bad to wake you up . ¡±

    ¡°Mph¡ª¡±

    Yuzuha pursed her lips and pouted, but her dangling tail showed that she was aware of Shin¡¯s kindness and that she slept like a log .

    Shin didn¡¯t know what else to do, and Yuzuha looked down sad .

    ¡°¡­ . don¡¯t leave me . ¡±

    Yuzuha then grabbed Shin¡¯s sleeve . Maybe she remembered her days in the shrine . Even if her powers were returning, being alone was still one of her fears .

    ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll wake you up next time . ¡±

    Shin patted Yuzuha¡¯s head while saying so, and she raised her head as to rub it more against his hand . In fox mode as well as human mode, Yuzuha seemed to love having her head rubbed .

    Shin knew it too, so he often rubbed her head without restraint .

    ¡°Hmm, to think that a divine beast would look like a mere child like this . ¡±

    Shibaidughed wryly .

    ¡°A lot of things must have happened to Yuzuha too . If she hadn¡¯t been weakened at the time, she wouldn¡¯t have bound a contract with me either, I guess . ¡±

    Element Tails in theirplete forms were creatures that not even Shin could have handled by himself . Now that his stats had increased, he could surely fight them much better than before, but there still was no guarantee that he would win .

    ¡°Mph! Yuzuha stays with Shin!¡±

    Yuzuha didn¡¯t seem to appreciate Shin¡¯s words, and hugged him tightly .

    ¡°Shin, I cannot say I appreciate such words either . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­you¡¯re right . I¡¯m sorry, Yuzuha . You¡¯re my partner . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!!¡±

    A happy yelp and Yuzuha¡¯s tail started swinging left and right . Shin thought that it was sometimes too easy to make her happy .

    Shin and the others then had their breakfast and, after killing some time, joined Zazie and the others heading back to the shipyard .

    ¡°¡­ . is he okay?¡±

    Shin inquired to Zazie as soon as they stepped inside .

    The reason was Zigma, who was fervently writing down notes on his papers, a ghoulish look on his face .

    ¡°Chief!! You need to take a rest!!¡±

    ¡°Look, the clients are here!¡±

    ¡°Nnnngghh!! A little more, just a little more tiiiimmmeee!!!¡±

    The other workers tried to stop him, but Zigma, eyes bloodshot, did not show any sign of stopping .

    ¡°Looks like you tickled chief¡¯s fancy more than expected . ¡±

    Bell and Shell¡¯s shoulders dropped to Zazie¡¯sment .

    ¡°Desperate . ¡±

    ¡°Perverted . ¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a pure artisan all right¡­¡±

    Skilled artisans with particr ideals were sometimes regarded as bizarre: the way they expressed their passion was stronger than normal people, being focused on their craft and works .

    No matter how much others would say enough, they wouldn¡¯t be satisfied, and continue until they would themselves felt it was enough . Zigma, too, was one of such artisans .

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s tell him that there will be more time to study the ship after the test until we leave tomorrow . Or he might end up copsing . ¡±

    He must have focused as if life depended on it: deep ck bags had formed under his eyes, a level of exhaustion difficult to imagine after only one full night .

    ¡°Thank you very much . If he keeps this up, I¡¯m afraid that even the president would go K . O¡±

    The workers brought Zigma to the nap room to let him rest, and the female vice-president thanked Shin¡¯s group . Her name was Milea Torseau, a mermaid with blue hair and eyes .

    She had been away on other business when Shin¡¯s group visited the day before .

    ¡°We¡¯re going to test sail that ship now, did Zigma tell you about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you may leave whenever you want . What time will you be back?¡±

    ¡°Probably around noon, but it depends on the situation . We will definitely be back before dusk, though . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . Take care, then . ¡±

    Under Milea and the other workers¡¯ gaze, Shin and the group boarded the ship . Shin poured in his magic and the magic-powered engine activated . The propulsion device, attached in the back of the ship, pushed away the seawater and the ship slowly moved forward .

    ¡°It¡¯s moving forward without natural or magical wind . ¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t even have sails¡­how does that work?¡±

    ¡°I can see why the president would get so riled up . ¡±

    The ship left towards the seas, among the whispers of the head carpenters .

    ¡°Ok then, let¡¯s check the speed first . Everyone, make sure you¡¯re holding onto something! We¡¯re going to seriously elerate soon!¡±

    Shin made sure that there were no monsters or other ships in the immediate area and then grabbed the magic vessel¡¯s control lever .

    No old-fashioned rudders could be found on this ship . The pilot seat Shin was sitting on had a control lever, pedals, and some buttons but nothing else .

    yers used to say that it looked like a fighter jet pilot seat .

    Shin stepped on the pedal with his right foot and the magic-powered engine roared . If the vessel wasn¡¯t pushed down on the water surface by Shin¡¯s magic, the eleration would probably have flipped it over .

    Like a pebble bouncing on the waves, the ship carrying Shin¡¯s group shot forward on the sea .

    ¡°H-hey, we¡¯re, shaking too¨C¡±

    The initial vibrations were extremely powerful, so Tiera ¡ª who wasn¡¯t used to the magic-powered engine ¡ª desperately clutched onto the closest arm rail .

    ¡°Turn!¡±

    Connecting his map to the ship¡¯s sonar underwater radar, Shin maneuvered the ship while gathering information on the surroundings .

    The following sharp turn, worthy of a race motorboat, was followed by an even louder shriek by Tiera .

    An average ship would not only have been knocked over, but also broken into pieces beneath the water .

    ¡°Shin, Tiera will be at her limits soon . ¡±

    ¡°Whoops, guess I overdid it a bit . ¡±

    Shin slowed down the ship and stopped it .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Tiera, still grabbing the arm rail, had turnedpletely pale and was holding her mouth with her hands .

    Kagerou was licking her face, worried .

    ¡°Drink this, you¡¯ll feel better . ¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Schnee and the rest were already used to it; Shibaid had not even grabbed onto any support as he leisurely gazed at the seas .

    ¡°Hmm, this is indeed more refined than riding on a wyvern . ¡±

    ¡°My head¡¯s spinning~~¡±

    ¡°This so much fun~~¡±

    Next to Shibaid, in strangely good spirits, Bell and Shell had hit peak excitement .

    They probably felt like they had ridden an amusement park¡¯s roller coaster . They were unsteady on their feet, but did not feel sick at all .

    Zazie and Keritori did not create a fuss or lose theirposure; nothing about their demeanor had changed .

    Incidentally, Yuzuha was on top of Shin¡¯s head, her eyes sparkling .

    ¡°We¡¯re going underwater now . ¡±

    Shin pressed on the control lever, and the ship gradually sank underwater .

    The exterior of bridge was covered by the seawater, as the light from the surface became a single column extending to the seafloor .

    ¡°Wow¡­ . . ¡±

    Still supported by Schnee, Tiera looked around and let out an exmation of wonder . Thanks in part to the clear weather, the light shone from above and illuminated the depths of the sea, creating a magical scenery .

    ¡°Diving capabilities perfectly functional too, good . ¡±

    Shin made sure that the instruments did not report anything abnormal, then looked outside too .

    The ss on the bridge and the rest of the vessel was magically reinforced, so it could withstand the pressure even if they kept diving . There was nothing to fear even if a monster rammed the ship from outside .

    ¡°We¡¯re going to an area of stormy seas, right? Is it possible to leave the ship even in a condition like this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, anything could happen after all . I added the option to exit the ship even if it¡¯s underwater . ¡±

    ¡°Can I try to go out a while, then? I haven¡¯t tried the underwater mode yet, I want to see if anything¡¯s changed . ¡±

    ¡°Gotcha . ¡±

    Shin operated the screen tied to his menu and teleported Filma in front of the underwater propulsion hatch . Part of the menu changed and now showed Filma¡¯s silhouette .

    ¡°(I¡¯m flooding the room, are you ready?)¡±

    ¡°(Go for it . )¡±

    Shin called to Filma, who had changed to her underwater gear, and activated the flooding .

    When the process ended Shin opened the hatch and Filma swam out .

    Like Shin and the rest of the party, she too had the ¡¾Dive¡¿ skill, so she did not need to breathe even if she was immersed in water for a while . Filma swam around the ship, checking if it felt any different from the past . After a while she waved to the ship from beyond the ss, signaling that she was finished .

    Filma¡¯s swimsuit was a red bikini, which covered rtively little of her body; skin exposure so high that Schnee and Tiera would definitely refuse to wear it . The bikini had ck lines drawing me patterns on it .

    Despite being deep beneath the surface, the light from above dimly lit the sea, which made Filma¡¯s red bikini clearly visible .

    Filma swam leisurely between the brightly shining pirs of light, forming the fascinating illusion that she was freely floating, unbound from the shackles of gravity .

    Looking at such scenery, which gave an almost sacred impression, Tiera sighed in awe .

    ¡°So beautiful¡­¡±

    ¡°Looking at her like this, she does look graceful, doesn¡¯t she . ¡±

    Shibaid exhaled a hopeless sigh .

    Among his support characters, Shin spent the most time and effort in shaping Schnee . This did not mean, however, that he had created the other characters carelessly .

    Putting her words and behavior aside, Filma¡¯s looks were more than beautiful enough .

    ¡°(Get back inside now . After I check the diving function a bit more, we¡¯ll go back to port for a while . )¡±

    ¡°(Got it¡­but rather than that, how does my swimsuit look? I think it¡¯s sexier than Schnee¡¯s at least, pretty stimting, no?)¡±

    Filma then struck a pose and winked, instantly destroying the poetic beauty she had expressed until then .

    ¡°(Truly-beautiful . I-was-charmed . )¡±

    Shin replied as emotionlessly as possible, to let her know how he felt about her antics . Not satisfied at all, Filma¡¯s eyes narrowed .

    ¡°(Wow, that was SO heartfelt . )¡±

    ¡°(Stop joking around and get back in)¡±

    ¡°(Ye¨Cs sir . )¡±

    Filma had always been the joking type, so Shin rebuked her casually . She was well aware of it too, as she replied even more casually .

    ¡°OK, let¡¯s dive a little more and wrap things up . ¡±

    After confirming that Filma was back inside the vessel, Shin headed towards the seafloor .

    The light from the sea¡¯s surface turned gradually fainter, ultimately surrounding the ship with darkness . A darkness that, different from its aboveground counterpart, instill terror into people .

    Utter, pitch-ck darkness which did not let one breathe without proper equipment . An unstable space where sky and ground disappeared . If one wasn¡¯t used to it, they would be subject to a stress infinitely higher than the darkness above the sea .

    ¡°Kuh, it¡¯s all ck . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little scary¡­¡±

    Since it was their first time deep underwater, Yuzuha and Tiera, felt shades of this fear, even if they were inside the ship .

    Yuzuha was looking forward, nestled on Shin¡¯s head, her tail wrapped around his neck .

    Tiera too held Kagerou ¡ª in puppy mode ¡ª with her left arm, while her right arm touched Shin¡¯s left . Her hand was lightly grabbing his arm . Being next to Shin and knowing that the ship was safe let her feel just this degree of nervousness .

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, not even the Sea Beasts could easily destroy a ship like this . I agree that it¡¯s pretty scary, though . Honestly speaking, even with underwater equipment I¡¯d rather avoid deep sea stages . ¡±

    Deep sea stages include marine creatures other than monsters as well, which would appear suddenly from the darkness, leaving yers in a state of shock .

    The skill ¡¾Night Vision¡¿ allowed to see a little better, but even so some yers would run as soon as they heard about facing deep sea stages .

    Such stages, however, were treasure troves for cooks .

    ¡°I think I just saw a shark!¡±

    ¡°We could get some really good shark fins from something that big . I wonder about the taste, though . ¡±

    As Bell and Lapwing were talking about the shark that just passed in front of them¡­

    ¡°C¡¯mon, I want to see a giant squid! Come out already!¡±

    ¡°Forget it! Even if we knock it out, it¡¯s not food fit for people!¡±

    Zazie expressed her disappointment with Shell¡¯sment .

    Even marine creatures bizarre enough to make Tiera shriek, for the Shigureya folks, were simply separated into two categories: delicious or not .

    ¡°As expected of lord Cook¡¯s support characters . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, they¡¯re just like her in that respect . ¡±

    Shin agreed to Schnee¡¯sment about Zazie and the others . Even the first time they adventured in a deep sea stage, Cook was the only one not to feel any fear . Shin remembered that she even happily approached sea beasts that Shin would hesitate getting close to .

    ¡°Ok then, let¡¯s go back to port . ¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to test the automatic defense systems?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll probably find some monsters on our way back, so I¡¯ll do that then . I saw a lot of them on the way here . ¡±

    Shin answered to Schnee and changed the ship¡¯s course to the surface . They moved at high speed not above but underwater this time, crashing into the monster groups they happened upon .

    Not wanting to kill monsters without a purpose for the test, Shin only aimed at the ones that would create trouble for fishermen or kill people .

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what a ship really is anymore¡­¡±

    ¡°In the past, there were areas of the sea where ships would get damaged just by traveling through them . In order to sessfully navigate such locations, magic-powered vessels like this were invented . For the people of this era, it probably is an unbelievable technology, though . ¡±

    Shibaid heard Tiera¡¯s mumble and recalled the past with a certain nostalgia .

    ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t really want to experience it¡­¡±

    Because of the shaking caused by the ship¡¯s high speed, Tiera had be violently seasick . She was getting better thanks to Schnee¡¯s medicine, but at the same time probably starting to dislike sea travel .

    The ship could also navigate at normal speed, but at times they would need to escape at speeds even higher than what Tiera experienced; So Shin decided to let her experience the speed and shaking while feeling sorry for her .

    ¡°It¡¯s not good to rely on medicine to stop seasickness, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Filma is right, but we have no time to train this time, so it can¡¯t be helped, I think . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°When we¡¯re done, we¡¯ll do some special training . ¡±

    ¡°We will!?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s style was not to let weaknesses remain as such .

    ¡°As expected of someone so diligent . ¡±

    ¡°And all despite the fact that in this world it¡¯s harder to raise skills, too . ¡±

    Zazie and Lapwing, who knew that Schnee had raised her cooking skill to 9, nodded in understanding to her response .

    ¡°I still don¡¯t know well about that, does it take more time to raise skills now?¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t gathered enough data to make statistics, but it looks like that the growth of a skill¡¯s expertise isn¡¯t fixed anymore . Personally, I feel that it¡¯s slower than before . ¡±

    ¡°I agree with Lapwing . Even if I try doing the same thing as before the Dusk of Majesty, I feel that the expertise ratio rued to the skill is smaller than before . ¡±

    Bell and Shell too nodded in agreement to Lapwing and Zazie¡¯s words .

    Apparently, in some cases expertise raised faster than usual, but the pace was generally slower than before .

    Skills couldn¡¯t be trained all the time, so their growth speed required much more time than during the game era .

    For an acquaintance of Zazie and the others, who was a Lord, it took 70 years to raise a skill from five to six, or so they said . If this was true, Schnee¡¯s effort to raise a skill to nine was something incredible .

    In the game era, at the time Shin headed to the final dungeon, Schnee¡¯s Cooking skill was just level three . Even if 500 years had passed, it could not have been easy .

    ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you even thought of raising it so much . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I just cooked to keep myself upied . ¡±

    Schnee replied humbly to Shin¡¯s praise . Behind her, Filma grinned .

    ¡°She obviously did her best to let you taste her handmade food when you came back, Shin!¡±

    ¡°Filma! What are you saying!?¡±

    ¡°No blushing, no blushing . You wanted him to say ¡°that was delish¡ªgwah?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak another word . ¡±

    Schnee covered Filma¡¯s mouth to prevent her from saying anything more about the reason she had raised her Cooking skill . She didn¡¯t like to show openly how she had worked hard .

    ¡°Ah¡­well . Thank you . ¡±

    ¡°N-no! No, well, I didn¡¯t want to reject your thanks, I¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ . . yes . ¡±

    Hearing that it was for his sake, Shin was of course happy . Hearing Shin¡¯s thanks, Schnee panicked a little, then nodded ever so slightly .

    Her slightly blushing cheeks, reminiscent of a young maiden, were lovely .

    ¡°Shin, if we don¡¯t let ship emerge soon, it¡¯ll stand out too much . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah . ¡±

    Warned by Shibaid, Shin changed his focus on the ship and quickly changed the route .

    When the group returned to the shipyard docks, they found Zigma waiting, arms crossed . In order to start his inspection again whenever, he had prepared pen and paper and a meal that he could eat with one hand .

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving early morning tomorrow, so you can inspect the ship only until then . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . Can I start right away?¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t push yourself too hard, please . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry . I can¡¯t inspect anything if I copse, I know that . ¡±

    Shin wondered if Zigma was really aware of that, but, as Milea was standing behind him, he didn¡¯t say anything . She would probably stop Zigma if anything happened .

 Vol 11 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    ¡°Mr. Zigma, my apologies, but you¡¯ll have to stop.¡±

    The next morning, Shin¡¯s group made the necessary preparations and headed to the shipyard. Shin found Zigma glued to the ship and had to give him the bad news.

    Knowing that his inspection had to end, Zigma looked disappointed, but when Milea put her hand on his shoulder, smiling, he shuddered and quietly backed away. Apparently, Milea overruled Zigma in theirpany ¡ª a rtionship that was opposite to what their ranks would suggest.

    ¡°The guild representative arrived!¡±

    The inspector in charge of checking the ship¡¯s dimensions had arrived shortly after Shin¡¯s team. The group had visited the guild the previous day, informing Arno that they had procured a ship.

    ¡°Oh? Ms. Arno?¡±

    The guild representative, led by the shipyard workers, turned out to be the receptionist, Arno.

    ¡°Good morning. I havee to inspect your ship.¡±

    ¡°Good morning. So you are in charge of inspecting ships too? This is the ship we will use for our search.¡±

    ¡°I am not the only one, but¡­¡­.by the way, I don¡¯t think I see any sails?¡±

    Arno voiced her doubts after looking at the ship¡¯s shape. In this world, ships with sails were still the norm.

    ¡°This is a rather unique ship that we found in a certain ruin. The Kuwain area is very different from the usual seas, after all. It looks ragged, but I assure you that it sails without problems. We tested it yesterday in the bay too.¡±

    Thanks to Shin¡¯s illusion skills, the ship looked battered enough to make anyone believe that it had been found in some ruin.

    ¡°I can vouch for that too, miss. It does look bizarre, but let me say that it¡¯s tough.¡±

    Zigma, who had inspected the ship, gave his full approval.

    ¡°I see. If sir Zigma says so as well, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. I have verified that the ship¡¯s dimensions are more than enough fit the guild¡¯s regtions, so I don¡¯t think there are problems. Here is your permit. If one of the ships patrolling Kuwain¡¯s premises stops you, show it and they will let you through. If you do not meet any patrol ships, just go on further.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much. We¡¯re going to leave soon, so¡­until next time.¡±

    ¡°Please take care.¡±

    Zigma and Arno looked on as the party boarded the ship. Zazie and the others were hiding inside, since things would be troublesome if they were found and stopped.

    Shin activated the magic-powered engine and the ship departed.

    Leaving behind Arno¡¯s surprised expression, the ship proceeded in the direction of the Kuwain area.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°This is¡­not a ce you could get lost in by ident, huh. A stormy sea stage if I¡¯ve ever seen one.¡±

    Shin¡¯s party elerated after leaving Barbatos and had now arrived close to their destination, which reminded Shin of the game era. Before them were battering rain, massive waves, and violent winds.

    As if separated by an invisible wall, just outside the area the breeze was gentle and the waves small. A situationpletely outside the realm of natural phenomena.

    ¡°Looks like this sea trip is going to turn rough. Are you ready everybody?¡±

    Shin made sure Tiera had drunk the anti-seasickness medicine Schnee gave her and called to the group.

    After everyone nodded in agreement, he stepped on the pedal.

    There were no patrol ships in the surroundings. As Arno had instructed, Shin proceeded forward. The ship, lulled by gentle waves, sped towards the storm.

    ¡°Waah!?¡±

    The next instant, the vessel shook violently vertically, a shock big enough to make Tiera shout, despite her preparation. When the ship pointed upwards, the sky could be seen from the bridge. When it pointed down, the sea surface was directly in front.

    The gap was sorge that, for an instant, it felt like the ship was floating in midair.

    ¡°Shin! Look! In front!¡±

    Tiera pointed to arge wave, taller than the ship itself.

    ¡°This is even worse than stormy sea stages, huh.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to travel underwater?¡±

    Despite the powerful rumbling and rocking of the ship, Schnee made her suggestion without a single change in her expression .

    ¡°That would be better to go forward, for sure. But the elf saw Celciutos above water, so we¡¯ll travel above the surface for now, at least until we reach the center of the area. I wanted to save energy, but it looks like there¡¯s no other way. Activate the vessel bnce system!¡±

    As Shin said these words, part of the tall wave in front of the ship split, just enough to let the ship pass. At the same time, the violent waves around them became rtively calm.

    ¡°Wha, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I calmed the surrounding sea with water, wind, and ground spells, to secure us a route. It¡¯s a function that most magic-powered vessels have. That¡¯s why these ships can travel on routes impossible for normal ships.¡±

    ¡°If you have something that convenient, you could have used it since the start¡­¡±

    Tiera, tightlytched onto an arm rail, let out a heavy sigh, feeling powerless. Facing such arge wave during her second time at sea was a bit too much for her. Even so, she was now standing on the ship, without losing bnce or rolling around, so she must have acquired some resistance.

    ¡°Sorry, sorry. In the past, I faced a stormy sea stage simr to this. I just wanted to see how this one actually was first.¡±

    After apologizing to the slightly ring Tiera, Shin looked forward again.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head northeast first. I¡¯m checking the surroundings via the sonar and the map, but just in case let me know if you see anything weird outside everybody.¡±

    The party sailed on, defeating monsters every now and then, when a tune started ying, making the air vibrate eerily.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°This feeling¡­it¡¯s a cursed song.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t hear the tune well and looked towards the storm, then Schnee answered his question.

    Unlike the barrier set up in the woods north of Bayreuth, this song did not manipte the intruder¡¯s mind to make them turn back, but enticed them in a certain direction.

    ¡°My head¡¯s starting to hurt¡­¡±

    ¡°How does it feel? To me it looks like it¡¯s trying to make us go in a certain direction.¡±

    Shin asked Tiera, who was frowning, her hands pressing against her temples.

    He thought she could be affected, but maybe thanks to her particr position as priestess, or maybe because she had powered up, she did not seem to be influenced by the cursed song.

    ¡°It makes its victims change directions without them realizing it. If we didn¡¯t resist it, we¡¯d probably exit the area before we knew it.¡±

    ¡°I see, sorry for making you do that. Put these on. If you can resist it now, they should lighten the burden.¡±

    Shin apologized and gave Tiera a pair of faded silver earrings. They had the effect of increasing mind maniption resistance and did not conflict with the effects of the Heat Haze gear set, even if equipped together.

    Tiera put on the earrings and breathed a sigh of relief. Her expression was more peaceful too.

    ¡°Since we didn¡¯t hear it before, it¡¯s safe to assume that we¡¯re getting closer to our destination. There must be mermaids in this part of the sea, and a lot of them too.¡±

    Shin¡¯s assumption was based on the area of effect of the cursed song.

    If some species with lore rted to singing sang cursed songs, they would obtain bonuses. Mermaids were one of those species.

    Cursed songs did not have a veryrge area of effect, only around 20 mels, but that was in the case where there was only one singer.

    Some skills could be powered up or have their area of effect increased if yers and/or support characters used the skill together at the same time.

    Cursed songs were such skills: their area of effect increased proportionally with the number of singers. Even if each caster¡¯s skill level was low, if many sang it as in a chorus, the song could be powerful enough to affect a great number of monsters or even boss monsters.

    ¡°Where is the singinging from?¡±

    ¡°That way.¡±

    Zazie answered Shin¡¯s question immediately. She had closed her eyes, probably to detect the direction the song came from.

    ¡°I think so too.¡±

    Lapwing, who was next to her, agreed with Zazie, who was pointing west.

    ¡°¡­yeah, there¡¯s something there.¡±

    Shin used long-range sight skills and peered into the distance: beyond the storm¡¯s veil, he found a light. Because of the distance, he could not see beyond it yet. Compared to the waters the ship was sailing now, where dark clouds stopped most sunlight, however, it was clearly different.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go forward like this. Let me know if the direction of the singing changes.¡±

    Continuing to use skills would interfere with piloting the ship, so Shin deactivated the long-range sight skills and adjusted the ship¡¯s route to the west, where Zazie was pointing.

    Eventually, Shin¡¯s ears clearly picked up the song.

    ¡°They must be nervous because we¡¯re not turning back.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, the song is disturbed too. You¡¯ll be able to see what¡¯s beyond the storm soon, no?¡±

    ¡°Right, let me give it a shot.¡±

    Prompted by Filma, Shin put his long-range sight skills to full use, while paying attention to the ship¡¯s controls at the same time.

    He looked beyond the light and found a very nostalgic sight.

    ¡°Rejoice,dies and gentlemen. We¡¯ve hit the jackpot.¡±

    A vessel many timesrger than the ship Shin built, armed with cannons long enough to pierce the sky, its front ram glinting in the sunlight.

    Excluding the fact that it was stranded on a massive crag, it looked exactly as Shin remembered. Colored white, following its owner¡¯s nickname, Celciutos¡¯ imposing silhouette was there.

    ¡°If we go forward like this, we¡¯ll see Celciutos soon.¡±

    Shin¡¯s words caused a wave of excitement in the party. Bell and Shell jumped up in joy.

    ¡°If Celciutos is in this direction, does it mean that the cursed song aimed to prevent anyone from finding it?¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s strange for the song toe from inside Celciutos¡¯ barrier though.¡±

    Shibaid voiced his opinion, following a question from Zazie.

    Shin very much doubted that normal mermaids could have prated Celciutos¡¯ barrier. The support character in charge of Celciutos¡¯ equipment was a dwarf, so it was very unlikely for him to still be alive. The only possibility was that the mermaids were protecting it.

    ¡°Maybe he negotiated with the mermaids?¡±

    Knowing that his life wasing to an end, the dwarf could have thought of a n to preserve Celciutos, or so hypothesized Lapwing.

    ¡°We¡¯ll know all about that once we get closer.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m sorry for them since they¡¯re working so hard, but we¡¯re going straight on.¡±

    Shin nodded to Filma¡¯s words and the ship carried on. The cursed song was gaining in volume and strength, but neither the number of casters nor their skill level was high enough to manipte Shin¡¯s group.

    Probably growing more nervous due to the ship not changing directions or speed, on the course of Shin¡¯s group, pirs of water clearly different from the usual waves started appearing.

    Shin, wary, lowered the ship¡¯s speed, and the responses he had registered on the map moved to surround the ship. They were 30 in all: ten on each of the ship¡¯s sides and ten behind it.

    ¡°They came out of the barrier?¡±

    As they were singing the cursed song, Shin could tell that they hade out of the barrier.

    The reason was that, to prevent yers from attacking safely from behind a barrier, if offensive skills were used from inside, aiming outside the barrier, its endurance would decrease significantly.

    Celciutos¡¯ barrier was no exception. Its endurance was very high and recovered automatically, so they had probably been singing from inside until now.

    As the cursed song did not seem to have an effect, it would have been safer to not attempt to fight and take shelter inside the barrier: average intruders would simply be repelled, after all.

    The responses, however, all moved outside the barrier to surround the ship. Shin thought that they did not go to the front of the ship, where the barrier was, in order to cut off all escape routes.

    ¡°I guess they think they got us surrounded, but they don¡¯t know that it¡¯s pretty meaningless for us.¡±

    The front was still clear, so the ship could go forward without trouble. The speed was slower than before, so even if the barrier stopped them the ship would not suffer considerable damage.

    Despite the ship continuing to proceed, the responses did not move. They were examining the situation, maybe, and did not emerge.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯ll be okay.¡±

    The ship crossed the barrier of storm and winds: without particr resistance, Shin¡¯s ship entered Celciutos¡¯ barrier.

    The responses ¡ª possibly mermaids ¡ª probably thought that the barrier would have stopped the ship¡¯s advance: they scattered irregrly around the map, likely out of confusion.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯reing after us.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how they react ¡ª this is bad.¡±

    Shin was ready to gauge their reactions, but then his face tensed.

    The cause behind this sudden change was that his map registered a new response, somethingrger than even the ship. Its speed was very high, meaning that it woulde in contact with the party in a matter of minutes.

    As it was still rtively far, the mermaids seemed not to have noticed, and they appeared to be still undecided about how to react to Shin¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°You people underwater! A huge monster¡¯s heading here! Get back inside the barrier, now!¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure that they could hear him, but he used the megaphone function to try to call to the mermaids.

    Shin didn¡¯t know about the extent of their abilities, but if they were attacked by surprise, there was the chance they would suffer damage. No matter what rtionship they would have in the future, if they were annihted in a situation caused by Shin¡¯s group, it wouldn¡¯t sit well with them.

    Shin¡¯s warning appeared to have reached the merpeople, as they all started swimming towards the barrier, managing to enter it before therge response could get closer. About one minute after the merpeople had safely taken shelter inside the barrier, the response showed itself.

    ¡°It¡¯s huge¡­¡±

    ¡°I had the feeling it was too big¡­I see, it came out right away, huh.¡±

    Looking at the source of the response, Tiera became speechless, while Shinughed.

    A body that emerged from the sea and towered high in the sky, ck and redpound eyes ring at Shin¡¯s party: the ¡°visitor¡± was none other than Keseldran, one of the Three Sea Beasts.

    Even just the body, visible above water, was easily above 15 mels. Its size and the red aura the monster¡¯s whole body emanated clearly expressed its status as a boss monster.

    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!![T/N: ck squares, I think it¡¯s supposed to be a roar]¡±

    After less than one minute, Keseldran made its first move.

    With a roar, better described as an explosion of sound, the monster looked towards the merpeople.

    Unlike before, when it was just ring, Keseldran now exuded a very powerful pressure in their direction.

    The stormy waters, affected by the shockwave, formed radiation-like waves with the boss monster at the center.

    ¡°Shibaid, get ready to defend, just in case.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin examined the situation, then ordered Shibaid to activate a defensive barrier. Celciutos¡¯ barrier was probably enough to repel the monster, but there was the possibility of it malfunctioning, like what happened in Palmirack.

    As Shin¡¯s group started moving, something changed with Keseldran.

    ¡°Er, it¡¯s, shining?¡±

    ¡°Watch well. That¡¯s Keseldran¡¯s most powerful attack.¡±

    Tiera perceived the danger and began to fret, but Schnee replied to her with apletely calm tone.

    What Tiera had referred to was a bloating bluish-white globe of light that had formed in Keseldran¡¯s maw. The thunderbolts running along its surface and the almost audible way the light blinked clearly suggested what element the attack was.

    ¡°It¡¯sing.¡±

    Almost at the same time as Shin spoke, Keseldran fired a massive beam of lightning. Fitting the monster¡¯s massive size, the bolt was around one mel in diameter.

    Keseldran¡¯s attack, which looked like lightning from the sky had been gathered together and given a direction, crashed against Celciutos¡¯ barrier, then broke in four bolts running along the barrier¡¯s surface. Part of the repelled bolts hit the water¡¯s surface, releasing the electricity and causing an explosion.

    ¡°Aah!?¡±

    Behind Shin and Shibaid, who had raised their shields to be safe, Tiera let out a small shriek.

    The thunderbolt versus barrier bout saw the barrier emerge as the victor. Despite the continuing lightning strikes, the barrier¡¯s surface did not show any cracks or signs of damage.

    ¡°Looks like the barrier¡¯s still sturdy enough.¡±

    The barrage of thunderbolts ended after about 5 seconds. Seeing that the barrier was unscathed, Keseldran growled ominously, then quickly retreated outside Shin¡¯s detection range.

    ¡°My eyes still sting¡­what in the world was that?¡±

    ¡°Keseldran¡¯s sure-kill breath. When its mouth starts lighting up like that, if you don¡¯t dodge it or block it will turn you into ashes.¡±

    Keseldran used lighting-based attacks despite being a sea monster, but its attacks were not limited to above water: its breath could also strike below the surface, its power not diminishing in the slightest. Furthermore, it even boasted the very troublesome effect of ignoring the protection granted by lightning-nullifying essories.

    During the game era, it allowed yers to live the rare experience of being burned alive underwater.

    The capabilities of its breath might suggest that Keseldran was superior to the other Sea Beasts, but Mascurda could avoid the breath with magic and Eolios possessed the rare skill to diffuse the breath to weaken it.

    Precisely because such a lethal attack could not easily prove fatal, the Three Beasts maintained a bnce.

    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s try talking with the merpeople first. Now that they¡¯re surprised, they¡¯ll probably at least listen to what we have to say.¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure that the approach would be sessful, but nned to do his part so that both parties will understand each other.

    ¡°If they attack us one-sidedly, can we knock them out?¡±

    Probably because they had finally found Celciutos, Zazie was feeling belligerent.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wipe the floor with them!!¡±

    Lapwing calmed Bell and Shell¡¯s shouting enthusiasm, but if they were attacked she would strike back too without reserve.

    ¡°Considering the ce, if it turns out that they¡¯re upying Celciutos without permission, no need to have mercy. But if there are some special circumstances, we have to hear them out, right? They can enter the barrier after all, so there has to be a reason.¡±

    Shin turned the ship towards the merpeople who fled from Keseldran. He then switched the controls to remote mode and exited on to the deck.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re there! We have no intention of fighting you! If possible, I want to talk with your representative! Will you ept?¡±

    Shin used wind magic to spread his voice underwater.

    He then waited, looking at the trembling water surface. Soon enough, a mermaid with light blue hair emerged.

    ¡°¡­..Arno?¡±

    Recognizing the mermaid¡¯s face, Shin was surprised. He checked with ¡¾Analyze¡¿ too, but there was no mistake: the name Arno Toole was clearly disyed.

    ¡°I havee to talk with you as the merpeople¡¯s representative. Will you allow me to board your ship?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that would instigate yourrades, so I wille down. That would make you feel safer, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡±

    Differently from when they met in the guild, Arno¡¯s expression was now stiff. She was clearly very nervous.

    Shin told Arno the number of people that woulde, then went down into the sea with Schnee, Zazie, and Lapwing. Their equipment changed to underwater mode, they swam to Arno¡¯s position.

    ¡°As we barged in first, let us exin our circumstances first.¡±

    As Arno belonged to the guild, Shin kept his identity as High Human hidden and exined that he was helping Zazie and the others in retrieving their master¡¯s guild house.

    Shigureya¡¯s owner was well known throughout Barbatos. No one had more reason than them to enter the Kuwain area to find Celciutos.

    ¡°Is that so. I¡¯m afraid this is the end, then.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Shin inquired to Arno, who looked defeated.

    If they were using Celciutos as a safe dwelling, losing it must be painful.

    In Barbatos, however, merpeople and fishpeople were not persecuted in any way. Rather, one could say they were very wee.

    Shin had no idea why Arno looked so hopeless.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything over there.¡±

    Arno pointed at Celciutos. Having no objections, Shin¡¯s group returned to the ship, then, following the merpeople, sailed closer to Celciutos.

    When they arrived less than 100 mels from the ship, however, trouble surfaced.

    ¡°Stop right there!!¡±

    Arge pir of water appeared in front of the merpeople, probably meant to stop them or act as a warning. There was no damage to the ship or the merpeople.

    The merpeople were surprised and some panicked, but Arno calmed them down.

    Shin didn¡¯t know what was going on, so he stopped the ship for the moment.

    ¡°Why do you let the intruders into our sanctuary? Depending on the circumstances, I will show no mercy, even if you are our mediator with the city!!¡±

    The water pir settled down and revealed a giant over 2 mels tall standing on the water. Behind him, all sorts of fishmen showed their faces from underwater.

    The only fishman standing on the water was a Type Orca.

    Strictly speaking, orcas were not fish, so calling Type Orcas fishmen would be wrong, but in THE NEW GATE they were categorized as such.

    The appearance was simply an orca with legs. Like a mascot that could be found in an aquarium, it was also deformed and rtively cute. The fishman was pointing his trident to the group, probably trying to appear menacing, but other than his size there was nothing particrly frightening about him.

    To Shin, it was more of a mystery how the Type Orca could hold the trident with arms that looked just like elongated fins.

    ¡ª¡ª- ¡¾Marshill Killer  Level 209 Pirate¡¿

    (A rare job, huh. He¡¯s probably a Chosen One)

    Shin thought so after looking at the information disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿.

    The Pirate job was a rare one that gained boosts when fighting in water. To obtain it the yer needed to defeat certain bosses: despite what the name suggested, there was no need to perform evil acts such as piging or plundering.

    Some yers enjoyed acting as bad guys, but mainly defeated Pirate NPCs who appeared as enemies.

    ¡°Let us through, Marshill. These people are the legitimate sessors of Celciutos¡¯ owner. Standing in their way means to vite the agreement.¡±

    Arno¡¯s words seemed to strike a nerve with the fishman called Marshill. As if triggered by his emotions, the trident¡¯s prongs started crackling with electricity.

    Shin was wondering what to do, when Zazie¡¯s group, who hade out on deck too, stepped in front of him.

    ¡°We havee to retrieve our master¡¯s possession, nothing more. What right do you people have to be here? What happened to Celciutos¡¯ caretaker, Jesta? Why can you enter the barrier?¡±

    ¡°Sessors? You couldn¡¯t even cross the seas and abandoned our sanctuary for years! What do you want to do after all this time!?¡±

    Jesta was a High Dwarf, one of Cook¡¯s support characters. As long as something simr to what happened to Girard had not happened to him too, he was probably not alive anymore.

    ¡°We have kept all intruders from approaching Celciutos for generations, protecting this sanctuary. I don¡¯t know why you appeared now, but this ce is ours now. Leave at once!¡±

    ¡°Answer our questions. ¡°This ce is ours now?¡± Celciutos is Lord Cook¡¯s, and no one else¡¯s!! Keep spouting crap and I¡¯ll turn you into sashimi, fish bastard!!¡±

    Zazie roared back to Marshill¡¯s ims of owning Celciutos.

    Like Todo Kankuro had told Shin in Hinomoto, Rokuten¡¯s support members still felt a deep loyalty to their masters, even after so much time had passed.

    Zazie¡¯s group too was highly loyal to Cook, thus witnessing other people using their master¡¯s possession without permission and even iming it was theirs, what would happen?

    To know the answer, it was enough to hear Zazie¡¯s shout and see the sashimi knife she held with both hands.

    Lapwing, Bell, and Shell did not say anything, but all of them were wielding their weapons already.

    Maybe because the opponents were fishmen, Lapwing was holding a sashimi knife as well. Bell had a huge sledgehammer, Shell tworge chef¡¯s knives, one in each hand.

    Except Bell, all Shigureya members looked more like they were going to start cooking instead of fighting, but all weapons were actually Mythology grade: they could easily slice in two anything from cooking ingredients to dragon scales.

    While not as powerful as Schnee and the others, Zazie¡¯s group was far superior to the average Chosen One.

    Marshill probably realized it too: from his forehead, or maybe his cheeks (it wasn¡¯t clear where) sweat had started trailing down his face.

    ¡°¡­if you refuse to leave, we¡¯ll just force you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ehm, sorry to bother when you¡¯re all heating up, but why don¡¯t we talk before we fight?¡±

    Just as battle was about to break out before the two parties, Shin interrupted them. His teleportation-like instantaneous movement caused Marshill to instinctively try to retreat, but Shin had grabbed his trident, thus preventing him from doing so.

    ¡°Nnnggh! L-Let go!!¡±

    ¡°I will, if you listen to what we have to say. We have our own reasons. We can¡¯t just turn back and leave.¡±

    Marshill pulled on the trident with both hands, as hard as he could, but it didn¡¯t budge an inch, as if it was fixed in midair.

    ¡°Let go!! Or else my light¡­ning¡­?¡±

    Lightning ran down Marshill¡¯s trident, but disappeared after a sparkle. It couldn¡¯t exceed Shin¡¯s magic resistance.

    ¡°Kh, what the hell¡­are you¡­?¡±

    Shin calmly observed Marshill¡¯s belligerent bunch. Despite the difference in strength, it seemed to him that they ran out of energy too quickly. The fishmen behind him were panting too, like the air around them was extremely thin.

    The difference in fighting power was clear. Shin had used his pressure in order to make them desist from fighting. As he did, Marshill -who had tightly gripped the trident until now- and the fishmen behind him shuddered.

    ¡°¡­I understand. Let us talk.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s helpful of you. Zazie, you guys calm down too. I understand your anger, but sting your killing intent like that is a bit much, no?¡±

    ¡°¡­.understood.¡±

    Zazie¡¯s group made sure that Marshill didn¡¯t make strange moves even after Shin let go of the trident and put down their weapons. Theirplexion seemed a bit worse than before however.

    ¡°Ehm, may I¡­lead you somewhere¡­we can talk?¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    Shin nodded to Arno¡¯s proposal, spoken in a tone sort ofcking confidence, and returned to the ship. He piloted the ship forward following Arno¡¯s lead; Marshill¡¯s group also followed quietly.

    ¡°Anyway, that was pretty surprising.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a pir of water out of the blue like that.¡±

    ¡°No, what happened after that! Things were tense enough when you grabbed that guy¡¯s spear, but then you went and put pressure on the fishmen like you wanted to kill them all¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­that much?¡±

    Shin meant to just intimidate them a little, thus Filma¡¯s words surprised him. He had intimidated others in this world before, so it felt strange to him to fail in adjusting the pressure he released.

    ¡°Seeing yourrade¡¯s guildhouse being used by others without permission might have made you add more power unconsciously, it wouldn¡¯t be too strange.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I agree with Schnee.¡±

    Shibaid nodded too.

    ¡°Well, I admit that when I heard ¡°this ce is ours now¡± I got pretty ticked off.¡±

    After about 10 minutes of following the merpeople, Shin¡¯s group arrived at Celciutos¡¯ side. Both merpeople and fishmen climbed onnd; Arno, as their representative, acted as guide for Shin¡¯s party.

    Merpeople¡¯s lower body was fish-like, but when they were onnd it turned into human-like legs. Arno was no exception: she was now wearing just a tube top and a pareo barely reaching her knees. Other mermaids had a simr look, while most mermen wore simple pants on their lower bodies and t-shirts or nothing at all on their upper bodies. They wore such clothing as to be ready to dive anytime.

    Among the merpeople and fishmen, some also wore armor. They were the ones who would cover the others¡¯ retreat in case of necessity, apparently.

    ¡°This way, please.¡±

    As they were talking of such topics, the group arrived at their destination. Shin and his party walked on the crag Celciutos lied on, until they reached the ship¡¯s mast.

    Arno signaled something upwards and a sort of basket, made for several people to fit in, descended from above.

    ¡°Please ride on this, it¡¯ll take you aboard Celciutos.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group now was near Celciutos¡¯ bottom part. Without skills that made walking on walls possible, such as what Shin and Schnee had, contraptions like the basket were necessary.

    Together with Shin¡¯s group there were also the merpeople and fishmen, so the basket made severalps to take all present on board. Shin¡¯s party, Arno, and Marshill went first.

    ¡°¡­.ehm.¡±

    When they arrived on the deck, they spotted an elderly man and four women, all wearing what looked like traditional clothing, kneeling down.

    ¡°We humbly thank you foring all the way here. My name is Lierno Toole, I act as the leader of the merpeople and fishpeople living in this area.¡±

    ¡°Er, my name¡¯s Shin. I¡¯m Cook¡¯srade, someone the same as him, you could say. Something like that.¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure how to react, and opted to introduce himself first of all.

    He could have said he belonged to same guild as Cook, but in this world the word ¡°guild¡± referred to associations of merchants or adventurers, so in order to keep things separate he used the word rade¡±.

    ¡°Lord Shin. I beg for your forgiveness for Marshill¡¯s disrespect towards High Humans.¡±

    Lierno bowed his head even deeper, almost touching the floor of the deck.

    ¡°High Human!? Weren¡¯t they all extinct!?¡±

    ¡°You felt that aura and still say things like that!? On your knees, fool!!¡±

    ¡°Gwah!¡±

    Marshill was shocked to learn that Shin was a High Human and was promptly scolded by Lierno. Thetter probably used magic to push Marshill down from above with an unseen force.

    ¡°How did you know that I am a High Human?¡±

    ¡°That device disyed that lord Shin had entered the premises.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±

    Shin looked at the panel set on the wall and remembered about the existence of the device.

    As Lierno had said, in the login column only Shin¡¯s name was lit up.

    ¡°First of all, would you mind exining the current situation?¡±

    ¡°Naturally. It would not do to talk here, however. Please,e this way.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group was led to a room previously used for meetings. Lierno waited for Shin¡¯s group to sit down, then started talking in a calm tone.

    ¡°We can enter Celciutos¡¯ barrier because of the agreement bound between Master Jesta and our ancestors.¡±

    ¡°An agreement?¡±

    ¡°In the past, when disaster struck this area, our ancestors were in danger of being annihted. For some unknown reason, not only monsters but also some humans were set on hunting us down. I was told that Master Jesta, Celciutos¡¯ caretaker, saved our ancestors in such a time of peril. At that time monsters were growing violent, miasma eruptions broke out, continents moved¡­disasters happened one after the other. It is told that if we did not take shelter within Celciutos¡¯ barrier, our species would have surely gone extinct.¡±

    Even after the natural cmities, monsters continued to grow violent: in their search for a safe haven, they had found the Kuwain area, or so Lierno said. Kuwain was originally the dominion of Ishkar, dragon king of the seas, and the three sea beasts were its guardians.

    ¡°Ishkar was a highly intelligent monster. It allowed our people to live here, so we finally could find safety.¡±

    That did notst long, however. The Seafloor Sanctuary, Ishkar¡¯s dwelling, was tainted by miasma. In order to contain the spread of miasma, Ishkar locked itself in the sanctuary: thus returning the peace once again.

    Such peace, however, was disrupted a few years ago. The guardian beasts serving Ishkar, the three sea beasts, turned violent.

    ¡°I heard that Celciutos too was affected by the miasma and some of its functions stopped working as intended. Master Jesta used the stored items and Celciutos¡¯ barrier to seal the miasma in the sanctuary, then told our ancestors to preserve it, or so it is said. In exchange, they were allowed to live on Celciutos. Most of its functions were locked, though. Master Jesta had probably foreseen that even a small mistake in operating Celciutos could cause disasters.¡±

    Celciutos wasn¡¯t just a ship Shin put together in a rush, but a magic-powered battleship that all Rokuten members coborated to build, based on precise and intricate blueprints.

    The fishmen would not have been able to make it move, but it was still equipped with anti-air, anti-ground, and anti-submarine weapons and ammunition, so just taking these out could have caused a lot of trouble.

    ¡°Apparently, Master Jesta said that if just one of the Rokuten members returned, they would have been able to find a solution to this predicament. I am fully aware of how shameless such a request may sound, but please, could you grant us your invaluable assistance in purifying the Seafloor Sanctuary?¡±

    Lierno then bowed his head, as did the women around him and Arno. Ishkar, dragon king of the seas, was a monster on par with Yuzuha¡¯splete form, however. Not even Shin could easily ept to face it.

    As Shin was reflecting upon this and thinking about what to do, Yuzuha contacted him via Mind Chat.

    ¡°(Shin, can¡¯t we save Ishkar?)¡±

    ¡°(Yuzuha?)¡±

    ¡°(Ishkar, like Yuzuha. Blocking miasma. Ishkar is sea guardian. If Ishkar gone, big trouble in all seas.)¡±

    ¡°(He¡¯s like Yuzuha, hmm.)¡±

    Shin was reminded of the suffering Yuzuha in the shrine.

    Ishkar, like the Element Tails, was a monster close to humanity. As Yuzuha said, it was probably in the sanctuary, doing everything possible to keep the miasma in check.

    Considering this, Shin thought that just retrieving Celciutos and saying goodbye would not be a good idea. ording to Lierno, if Ishkar hadpletely sealed in the miasma the seal would then unlock automatically: the fact that this hadn¡¯t happened meant that it was still fighting against the miasma within the sanctuary.

    Even Yuzuha had weakened because of the miasma¡¯s effect: there was no guarantee that Ishkar was safe and sound. If they wanted to save him, the sooner the better.

    In the end, they couldn¡¯t leave miasma-rted trouble alone.

    ¡°¡­guess there¡¯s no other way. We¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°I knew you would say that, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Yep, sure enough.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we cannot ignore this.¡±

    ¡°Not miasma, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    Yuzuha, Schnee, Filma, Shibaid, and Tiera agreed to Shin¡¯s decision. They all knew that this would be the conclusion as they listened to Lierno¡¯s story.

    ¡°The first thing to do then, is to check Celciutos¡¯ current state. Zazie, you guys help me with this too. You know the ship¡¯s internal structure, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We should check on the engines first.¡±

    Zazie¡¯s group could also perform maintenance on Celciutos. They wouldn¡¯t equal Jesta, who was exclusively in charge of the ship, but they knew its structure and functions perfectly.

    Shin decided to make sure that Celciutos could move when necessary and then head to the supposedly sealed Seafloor Sanctuary.

 Vol 11 Chapter 2.4: Chapter 2 Part 4

    Shin¡¯s group temporarily left Zazie¡¯s and went to Celciutos¡¯ bridge . The basic controls were not much different from a regr ship¡¯s, it just had more equipment and functions .

    ording to Lierno, Jesta had sealed off the bridge, so no one had been able to enter it . Shin simply knocked on the Chimeradite door and operated the control panel .

    ¡°It was locked from the inside, so that only Rokuten members could ess it, huh . ¡±

    The panel confirmed Shin¡¯s magic power and changed the color of its light from red to blue . The door slid open, sounding like a steam vent .

    ¡°At least it doesn¡¯t look like anything is damaged . ¡±

    The room¡¯s self-cleaning function seemed to be still active, since there was no dust piled up . And the various panels did not look cracked or broken either .

    As Shin gave a quick look around the bridge, he felt something tugging at his sleeve . Tiera had grabbed Shin¡¯s sleeve and weakly pulled on it .

    ¡°Are those¡­ . human bones?¡±

    ¡°Bones?¡±

    Shin looked in the direction Tiera pointed at and, sure enough, spotted what looked like a person¡¯s bones sprawled on the ground . The hands were sped on the chest, so it didn¡¯t look like he had been killed .

    ¡°Jesta, I guess . ¡±

    Shin looked at the equipment on the skeleton and quickly noticed that some of it were his own creation . It was possible to instantly notice equipment one had forged, even if it was equipped by others . Shin also remembered seeing the equipment somewhere before . He didn¡¯t use ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but there was no mistaking it .

    ¡°¡­before we go to the sanctuary, can we give Jesta a proper send off?¡±

    Shin contacted Zazie and the others, who rushed to the room . Zazie then asked Shin this question while looking at Jesta¡¯s remains .

    ¡°Yes, of course . ¡±

    Shin nodded . There was no way they would leave him like that .

    ¡°Are these letters?¡±

    ¡°Yes, one is addressed to us, one to any Rokuten member, one to lord Cook . ¡±

    Three letters were found next to Jesta¡¯s remains . Based on the situation, they were probably his will . Shin took the letter addressed to Rokuten members and unsealed it . The letter contained a detailed report of what had happened after Jesta had met the merpeople .

    He had chosen to spend thest moments of his life alone in the bridge, ounting for the possibility that some merpeople or fishpeople plotted to misuse Celciutos .

    After reading the letter, Shin had a newfound respect for Jesta .

    Other than the ship and the miasma, the letter also recounted the cause of his death . In his older years, he had caught a disease that potions could not cure . Potions mainly focused on healing wounds, so they were often ineffective against diseases .

    The letter stated that the disease itself was not extremely rare, but maybe because he had be weaker due to his age, Jesta¡¯s condition just kept worsening .

    ¡°Amazing¡­¡±

    Despite knowing that his death was approaching, Jesta spent his days thinking about the people living on Celciutos and how to deal with the miasma, showing impressive mental fortitude .

    ¡°We are proud to be hisrades . ¡±

    Zazie, reading the letter addressed to them, whispered with a quavering voice . Next to her, Lapwing hugged the weeping Bell and Shell .

    ¡°¡­ . how do you bury people here?¡±

    ¡°Barbatos¡¯ style is to cremate the body and scatter the ashes in the sea . The soul returns to the heavens, the body to mother sea¡­this is the creed in this region . ¡±

    Shin waited for Zazie the others to settle down before asking, and Zazie replied . They turned Jesta¡¯s remains into a card, which Zazie held .

    ¡°Could you please allow us to participate in the send off? We are deeply indebted to him as well . ¡±

    Shin told Lierno that they wanted to give Jesta a proper send off before heading to the Seafloor Sanctuary, and the chief made his plea, his head bowed .

    The whole tribe wished to participate in the funeral . Arno and the mermaids, who had waited for the High Human¡¯s return, shared this sentiment too and nodded .

    ¡°¡­ . chief, I understand you want to pay your respects to the person we are indebted to, but we can¡¯t do something like that now, can we? If we go on like this, some of us will end up starving . ¡±

    Despite the general atmosphere which indicated that everyone wanted to proceed with the funeral, only Marshill expressed a contrary opinion . Lierno¡¯s scolding had probably cooled him off, since his tone was now perfectly calm .

    ¡°Even so, we must . That is the greatness of the debt we owe him . If we shirk this responsibility, how can we face the spirits of our ancestors?¡±

    ¡°But chief¡­!¡±

    ¡°What is happening, exactly? He said that your people will starve?¡±

    Shin was thankful that they would participate in the funeral, but after hearing that people would die, he couldn¡¯t just ignore it .

    ¡°Actually, just like the three sea beasts, all monsters in the Kuwain area started growing feral¡­sir . Because of this, the resources we need are getting scarce¡­m¡¯lord . ¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to force yourself to speak politely . ¡±

    ording to Marshill, the monsters had turned feral and attacked without regard to their own safety, so many of the fishpeople and merpeople who had exited the barrier to procure supplies had fallen victim to their attacks .

    Some of the Celciutos dwellers could deal with the monsters, but it was nevertheless bing increasingly difficult to ensure that all of them had enough to eat . Because of this, the settlement¡¯s food reserves were now very low . The fishpeople and merpeople working outside helped however they could, but the limit was apparently near .

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take refuge in Barbatos? Arno said that she can teleport there, so if the merpeople and fishpeople here can manage to leave the Kuwain area you can make do somehow, no?¡±

    Arno, who watched Shin¡¯s party leave for Kuwain, had somehow arrived before them . She had used a teleport crystal . It was a secret method that not even the guild knew about .

    Arno had also said that she worked in the guild to know who wanted to go to the Kuwain area as early as possible . The teleport spot she used was just outside Barbatos, on the seafloor . The teleport crystals she used were not single use items, but high grade items which could teleport the user an unlimited number of times to a registered location .

    ¡°The teleport crystal I use only works with members of the Toole bloodline . Even if someone of my bloodline used it, they couldn¡¯t bring anyone from outside the bloodline with them . We thought of moving to another location, but the Kuwain area, as of now, is too dangerous even for our warriors . Even if we moved in small, escorted groups, it would be very risky . ¡±

    While they were ready to flee, leaving their sanctuary behind, they could not reach an agreement about when and how to do it . Thus time passed and the situation continued to worsen . Transferring not only one or two people, but the whole n, was something above Arno¡¯s capabilities too .

    Even if they moved to Barbatos in small groups, in the current situation, some warriors would surely die, so there was no way to know how many would safely reach Barbatos¡¯ shores .

    They had also made a plea to Barbatos¡¯ lord, but the answer had not been favorable .

    ¡°Most of the people living here have never set foot in a town . It seems they are worried that a mass immigration wouldter create troubles . ¡±

    Barbatos, thanks to the pools built inside the city and its temperate climate, was a popr tourist destination . The famous restaurant Shigureya, too, was one of its attractions . Because of this, its governors were sensitive to situations that could create problems . Events that could damage the city¡¯s reputation were dealt with swiftly .

    For Barbatos, a mass immigration of individuals not used to living in towns was nothing but a recipe for trouble .

    Fishpeople and merpeople were humanlike creatures, not wild beasts . They had the intellect to learn the rules and the rationality to respect them . Even so, most of Barbatos¡¯ dwellers were humans . They were races with different cultures and lifestyles . Fishpeople and merpeople already lived there, so it was not likely forrge conflicts to break out, but it would still be difficult to imagine that both sides could fully ept each other without any trouble, even for Shin .

    ¡°Most of all, saving us would mean entering the Kuwain area . Thinking about the casualties that such an operation would mean, they surely couldn¡¯t send a rescue team . ¡±

    Not even a marine city¡¯s sea warriors would be safe when traveling to Kuwain . It was a route dangerous even for veterans, with a very low survival rate . Any leader would hesitate to send their forces there .

    ¡°Many of us refuse to leave their hometown, too . They would want to stay even if the barrier were to disappear . ¡±

    The elderly especially disyed such a tendency . If they had to die, it would be where they were born, or so they said .

    ¡°Even if the barrier was gone, we could somehow manage if the monsters returned to normal . If we could get rid of the cause, we wouldn¡¯t need to hide in Celciutos . ¡±

    Marshill, standing calmly next to Lierno, spoke again .

    ¡°I think we could do something about the need for the barrier . If we could get rid of the problem with Ishkar, then we could solve the situation somehow¡­or so I would like to think . ¡±

    Shin heard that Kuwain had originally been a safe area to live in . If the miasma was purified and Ishkar regained its strength, the seas would hopefully return to how they were .

    Shin paused for a moment, then continued .

    ¡°Well, I understand the situation now . This is a problem to be solved after the funeral, but let¡¯s all eat for now . You have to hold on for a little longer, until we do something about Ishkar, at least . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed . An empty stomach robs people of their willpower . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost lunch time for us too . ¡±

    Shibaid and Filma, who had kept silent until then, nodded in agreement .

    Shin¡¯s item box contained great quantities of food supplies . While the funeral was important, he decided to give the priority to those who were living now .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, guys . ¡±

    ¡°No, Jesta too would say that if we had time to hold a funeral for him, we should fill up people¡¯s bellies first . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s exactly what he would say . ¡±

    ¡°Grandpa Jesta wouldn¡¯t get angry!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯d get angry and say ¡®leave the funeral forter!¡¯ instead!¡±

    Shin apologized for deciding on his own, but Zazie, Lapwing, Bell and Shell shook their heads . Being support characters for the same master, they knew very well how Jesta would have reacted in that situation .

    Schnee, who had a high Cooking skill, and Tiera ¨C who had been trained by her ¨C offered to help . Shin told the apologetic Lierno to gather the other tribe members and, with the rest of the party, went to Celciutos¡¯ kitchen . Shibaid and Filma, who were not especially skilled in cooking, went with Lierno to call the other tribe members .

    Arno was the only mermaid with the cooking skill, so she went with Shin¡¯s group .

    ¡°Who knew that there was a ce like this¡­¡±

    Arno was wide-eyed; Celciutos¡¯ kitchen was equipped with cooking utensils of the highest quality . Basic tools like knives and pots, modern machines like stoves and ovens, bizarre tools that made it difficult to guess what they could be used for¡­ It looked like a small exhibition .

    ¡°Let¡¯s start cooking . Prioritize quantity and speed . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle the preparations . ¡±

    Shin took ingredients out of the item box, which Zazie and Lapwing started cooking . Thanks to their boosted stats, vegetables and fish were instantly cut, cleaned, then put intorge pots .

    There was a great quantity of food to prepare, so they decided to make soup dishes . After skillfully preparing the ingredients, they prepared to cook a bouibaisse .

    Bell and Shell left the room for the moment and went to set the tables .

    ¡°Master, you look like you¡¯re keeping up with them, but I couldn¡¯t at all¡­¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t either¡­¡±

    Tiera looked at Schnee working alongside Zazie and Lapwing andmented, with a slightly troubled expression on her face . Arno, who was standing next to her, agreed .

    ¡°They go above and beyond simply being good cooks, after all . ¡±

    Shin too couldn¡¯t help butugh wryly while looking at the cooking team¡¯s movements .

    High physical abilities and cooking skillsplemented each other to form a scenery quite different from what one would expect to see in a normal kitchen . The sound of cutting vegetables was quick and sharp, but when it was heard the vegetable had already beenpletely cut .

    Rather than cooking, it was like seeing a magic trick where vegetables were sliced instantly . Shin and Tiera could not intrude the realm of such experts .

    ¡°¡­we might as well go help Bell and Shell . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s . We¡¯d just be in the way here . ¡±

    The two gave up on helping in the kitchen and decided to go help prepare the tables .

    All cooking tools in the kitchen had time reduction bonuses attached, so soon after putting them in the pot to boil they already gave a delicious smell . Secondster the ingredients looked tasty and a kuu-like sound could be heard .

    ¡°¡­Yuzuha didn¡¯t say anything, you know?¡±

    Shin too knew that the sound was different from Yuzuha¡¯s usual voice . He looked towards the source and found Tiera and Arno .

    ¡°H-Hey! That wasn¡¯t me!¡±

    Tiera realized what Shin¡¯s look meant and motioned her denial with her hands . The only other option was thus Arno .

    ¡°¡­ . uh¡­¡±

    She must have been embarrassed to be asked if she was hungry . Arno¡¯s face was growing redder and redder .

    ¡°¡­aah, I¡¯m sorry, that was me just now . I¡¯m getting pretty hungry . ¡±

    ¡°Shin, that was way too slow . ¡±

    If he had to say something, he should have done so right after the rumbling stomach . Shin¡¯s ¡°helpful¡±ment was mercilessly struck down by Tiera . It had not been helpful at all, but there was nothing to do about it .

    ¡°Ehm, I¡¯m sorry, about everything¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m ashamed to have¡ª¡±

    Just as Arno was apologizing, another ¡°kuu¡± sound resounded in the surroundings .

    It was more than clear that Arno¡¯s stomach was the source .

    ¡°¡­!!¡±

    Arno, still blushing violently, hit her stomach to try to prevent it from rumbling again .

    It was painful to see how she was trying to fake a smile . Maybe her will had won, though, because the rumbling stopped .

    ¡°Ehm¡­you don¡¯t need to go so far . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . that¡¯s not it . ¡±

    ¡°Er¡­¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t have enough for everyone¡­so I just skipped breakfast¡­ . ¡±

    Arno crouched down and hid her face with her hands, while exining herself in a quiet voice . Her still visible ears were as red as apples .

    ¡°Shin, you and Yuzuha go ahead . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, gotcha . ¡±

    Shin followed Tiera¡¯s advice and headed out of the room with Yuzuha . Tiera¡¯s expression seemed to tell him, ¡°don¡¯t look at her¡± .

    ¡°With a smell like this in the air, of course your stomach starts rumbling¡­¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha¡¯s hungry too!¡±

    Yuzuha agreed to Shin¡¯s mumbling, her tails swaying left and right .

    The scent wafting from the kitchen was getting more and more powerful and now strongly stimted the appetite of anyone who smelled it . If one had skipped breakfast, it was no wonder for the stomach to start craving nutrition .

    ¡°We¡¯vee to help, but have you already finished here?¡±

    ¡°All finished!¡±

    ¡°All done!¡±

    Bell and Shell worked at Shigureya, after all, so their preparation was wless .

    They exined the menu, asked if anyone had allergies, and promptlypleted all other necessary preparations . The merpeople and fishpeople who came inside all received a bowl and a spoon, then stared at the kitchen: the source of the smell deliciously filling the air, of course .

    ¡°(The food is ready, can you help us bring it out?)¡±

    ¡°(Okay, I¡¯ming . )¡±

    Shin received Schnee¡¯s Mind Chat and went back to the kitchen .

    ¡°Shin? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°They told me the food¡¯s ready . I¡¯m going to help serve it . ¡±

    Shin told Tiera, who was with the still slightly blushing Arno, and walked away . As he neared the kitchen, the smell grew stronger and stronger .

    With Yuhuza perched on his head, both her and Shin¡¯s stomachs gave healthy rumbles .

    ¡°These are the first 80 servings . We will bring the rest as soon as it¡¯s ready . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . I¡¯ll give these to Bell and Shell, thene back . ¡±

    Shin turned the bubbling pot into a card and quickly left the kitchen .

    He then materialized the pot on a table prepared by Bell and Shell, raising loud cheers from the fishpeople and merpeople . Shin¡¯s group split their roles and served them food, prioritizing children, women and the elderly . Shibaid and Filma kept the queue in order .

    ¡°So tasty!!¡±

    ¡°Yes, this is really delicious¡­¡±

    ¡°I feel so warm¡­¡±

    ¡°Mgh! Gulp! So good!! Amazing!!¡±

    Mothers smacked their lips while looking at their rejoicing children . Grandmothers let out sighs of relief after slowly bringing the bowl to their lips . Young men wolfed down on their portions as if in a trance . Everyone had content smiles on their faces .

    ¡°So this is Shigureya¡¯s true power . It really is delicious . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu, so tasty!¡±

    Realizing that if they properly lined up, they could all have something to eat, no one disrupted the queue . Taking turns, Shin¡¯s party ate their fill too . Yuzuha took the chance to change into human form and enjoyed her soup .

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s asking for seconds . Well, it was to be expected¡­hmm?¡±

    Shin finished his soup, then his eyes caught the sight of Marshill, bowl in hand, looking at the other fishpeople . There was still steaming from his bowl: he clearly hadn¡¯t finished his soup yet .

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat?¡±

    ¡°What do you¡ªoh, it¡¯s you, sir . ¡±

    The surprised Marshill stood perfectly straight and bowed to Shin .

    ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you, all of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°I am deeply sorry for my deplorable behavior until now . ¡±

    ¡°Hey now¡­¡±

    Shin was confused by the fishman¡¯s sudden change . He told him to raise his head and exin first of all . They went to sit on a ledge and Shin told Marshill to drink his soup before it turned cold .

    Marshill still tried to speak as politely as possible, so Shin requested that he speak normally .

    ¡°I am the leader of the warrior tribe protecting this sanctuary . But all I could do for everyone¡¯s sake was to gather a meager amount of food . ¡±

    Having fighting skills, he could have be an adventurer and earned through that, but there was the chance that some among the dwellers may go on a rampage out of frustration and despair, so ¨C thinking about such a possibility ¨C he could not bring himself to leave the settlement .

    Marshill had witnessed personally how ferocious the attacks of the three sea beasts were: he was also concerned that the barrier might break down .

    ¡°Little by little, day by day, everyone was growing thinner . But I couldn¡¯t do anything to change the situation . ¡±

    As they were tasked with procuring food supplies, warriors received rtivelyplete meals: the portions to the children, the elderly and young people without anything to do, however, were unbearably small .

    Some warriors shared their food with them too . If they did, however, they wouldn¡¯t be able to muster their power when needed; many of them were killed by monsters this way .

    ¡°We couldn¡¯t move to Barbatos now, not even if we wanted . Even if we knew we had no future, staying here is all we could do . ¡±

    Even when he stood against Shin, Marshill didn¡¯t have enough strength to fight properly . The difficult situation is the reason why he looked so irritable .

    ¡°¡­ . Kids canugh like that, huh . ¡±

    Marshill looked at the children running around near them, a mellower expression on his face .

    His peaceful atmosphere now made him look like apletely different personpared to when Shin first met him .

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what happens to me . But please, let my subordinates go . They just followed my orders . ¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you dare do that here . ¡±

    Shin felt that Marshill was going to kneel to apologize and stopped him .

    ¡°I have no intention of doing anything anyway . We didn¡¯t fight and no one was hurt on either side . You better apologize to Zazie and the others, though . You said that something belonging to their master was yours, after all . It¡¯s not something they can just let go either . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Marshill nodded firmly to Shin¡¯s words .

    ¡°Whoops, looks like thest pot is almost empty . I¡¯ll go take it . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help too if I can . ¡±

    Marshill went to Bell and Shell, while Shin headed to the kitchen .

    He went back and forth three times .

    After about 400 servings of soup were cleared, the cooking came to an end .

    ¡°We finished cleaning up, so can you tell us where the Seafloor Sanctuary is?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was told to be your guide . Please follow me . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s group boarded their magic-powered vessel and, following Arno¡¯s lead, went underwater .

    Joining Shin in this expedition were the usual members: his support characters and Tiera . As there was the possibility of fighting in an unfamiliar underwater environment, Shin gave Tiera a ring that would absorb damage to a certain degree .

    The Shigureya crew remained on Celciutos, in charge of checking whether all its functions were working properly . Shin didn¡¯t think anything would happen so soon, but he told them to focus on the barrier first, just in case .

    ¡°The barrier extends underwater¡­no, up and down? So it¡¯s less affected by outside sources, huh . ¡±

    Shin considered how Celciutos¡¯ barrier had been erected as the ship proceeded underwater . Even inside the storm, the waves around Celciutos were calm . The underwater surroundings did not seem unusual either .

    Learning that the Seafloor Sanctuary was directly below Celciutos, Shin pictured the barrier¡¯s extension in his head .

 Vol 11 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    ¡°Are we there yet?¡±

    Tiera asked after about 30 minutes of continuous diving .

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s deeper than expected . ¡±

    Shin also felt that they had already been descending for a long time, but not knowing how deep the sea was in that area, he could not give Tiera a clear answer .

    The depth of their current position was 6000 mels .

    Thanks to the enchantments attached to it and the unique materials it was made with, the hybrid magic-powered vessel could dive at high speed, but nothing resembling the ¡°Seafloor Sanctuary¡± could be seen yet .

    Arno still lead the way without any signs of indecision however, so they kept following behind her .

    Thirty more minutes passed .

    Finally, something began to shine in the distance . It was the building Shin¡¯s group was looking for . There were no light sources visible, but its surroundings were strangely bright .

    ¡°So that¡¯s the Seafloor Sanctuary . The official name is ¡®Castle of the Depths¡¯? Wait, ¡®Seafloor Sanctuary¡¯ is there too . They¡¯re mixed together?¡±

    Shin thought that ¡®Seafloor Sanctuary¡¯ was the building¡¯s official name, but when he looked at it, another name was disyed . If he moved his gaze just a little, however, the ¡°Seafloor Sanctuary¡± name also appeared .

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why Ishkar is here . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The Ishkar I knew used to dwell in the royal chambers deep inside an underground dungeon masquerading as a castle . So when Arno said the word ¡°Sanctuary¡±, I thought it had changed locations, but now I see how it is . The building probably moved when the crust did . ¡±

    Shin answered Tiera¡¯s question with a hypothesis .

    Upon closer inspection, the group noticed the broken down remains of a building scattered around the Sanctuary . It had probably been destroyed by the natural disasters . The main building was the ¡°Castle of the Depths¡±, with the ¡°Seafloor Sanctuary¡± around it .

    When Shin mentioned this to Arno, she was very surprised . Apparently she did not know about this bizarre urrence .

    ¡°In that case, the interior of the dungeon could have changed too . Hopefully the path isn¡¯t blocked . ¡±

    Schneemented while looking at the Castle of the Depths . That possibility wasn¡¯t far-fetched at all .

    In the game area, such a phenomenon was impossible . In any dungeon there was a path leading to the boss . Now, however, even such an obvious reality could have changed .

    ¡°We can only go and check . ¡±

    Shin guided the ship until it was close to the Castle of the Depths, then anchored it to the seafloor . As the whole group had left the ship, their equipment changed to its underwater mode, and Shin turned the ship into a card .

    Tiera, who did not have the ¡¾Dive¡¿ skill, equipped an earring with the same effects .

    Arno was surprised to see the massive ship instantly turn into a card, but then nodded to herself . She now knew that Shin was a High Human, which was enough of an exnation .

    ¡°The entrance is over here¡±

    Led by Arno, the group reached the Castle of the Depths¡¯ gate . Even though it was called a castle, the exterior looked like a cardboard cutout . The dungeon itself extended underground, so it wasn¡¯t possible to use shortcuts to the lower floors or simr tricks .

    There were treasure chests and such in the above ground part of the castle, but the group had no time to go look for them, so Shin went straight towards the gate .

    ¡°This is as far as I can guide you . ¡±

    Arno stopped about 10 mels from the gate: a semi-transparent barrier had appeared before her . It apparently stopped all intruders with stats lower than a certain amount .

    In the game era, the Castle of the Depths was a high difficulty dungeon, fitting as Ishkar¡¯s abode, a boss monster of level 1000 .

    All monsters that appeared within it had high levels too, so yers used it to train low level yers: it was a so-called power leveling area .

    The game¡¯s management did not appreciate such a usage however, and entry into dungeons with a certain number of high-level monsters became restricted .

    The restriction ced that time was apparently still active, even in this world . Shin tried to get closer and was able to pass through without problems . Schnee and the rest of the party followed him, until only Tiera remained outside the barrier .

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    She extended a hand towards the barrier, a nervous look on her face . Just as she was about to touch it, Tiera¡¯s hand passed through .

    ¡°Wheew¡­I was so nervous¡­¡±

    There seemed to be a good chance that Tiera would be repelled, so she was really relieved to have been able to pass through the barrier .

    (If she¡¯s able to enter here, it means that her average stats are over 450 . Even factoring in equipment bonuses, that¡¯s not a number you can reach without resurrection bonuses¡­)

    So thought Shin while looking at Tieraing towards them .

    Tiera was a Priestess of the World Tree, a special existence, but it was confirmed that she was not a Chosen One .

    In the game, no matter what bonuses were granted by equipment, she couldn¡¯t have entered in the Castle of the Depths or the Seafloor Sanctuary .

    Just now, before Shin¡¯s eyes, Tiera had ovee the barrier though .

    In this world, yers without resurrection bonuses could raise their base stats only by leveling up or using rare items .

    Just like Schnee and the others, Tiera had received a stat bonus from the Ley Lines; as a denizen of this world, however, she was starting to be an impossible existence .

    ¡°¡­ . ? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing . ¡±

    Thinking wouldn¡¯t solve the problem . Tiera was a bit puzzled by Shin¡¯s silence, but he waved at her not to mind and looked at Arno .

    ¡°Do be careful . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know how long it would take, so he had Arno go back first . Being a mermaid, she could go back to Celciutos even without boarding a ship .

    Shin¡¯s group watched Arno go, then looked up at the Castle of the Depths¡¯ gate .

    The gate had three depressions, the same size as item cards .

    ¡°Just like how it was set up in the game, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Set up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you need to offer the Three Sea Beasts¡¯ materials to enter Ishkar¡¯s Castle of the Depths . ¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question while taking items out of his Item Box .

    A fragment of Mascurda¡¯s pearls, Keseldran¡¯s fang, and Eolios¡¯ needle . To enter, they had to be turned into cards and ced in the gate¡¯s depressions .

    In this world they had just briefly met Keseldran, but the materials gathered in the game era were still in Shin¡¯s item box .

    Shin took the three cards and ced each in the depression where the corresponding Sea Beast was depicted .

    The response was immediate as two of the three cards were rejected . Only Keseldran¡¯s card stayed in ce, glowing faintly .

    ¡°¡­whatever could this mean?¡±

    ¡°This happens when the wrong card is put in . The gate¡¯s functions are still active I see . ¡±

    Shin answered Schnee¡¯s confused question while touching the gate . There was no response, it didn¡¯t look like it would open anytime soon .

    Normally, the cards would stay in and the gate would open .

    ¡°The materials are the right ones, though . Why did only Keseldran¡¯s stay in, anyway?¡±

    In the game era too, item cards received by others would be rejected . The cards in Shin¡¯s item box were originally from the game era, they could be seen as having been received from someone else .

    ¡°Keseldran was that snake monster with the pincers, right? Maybe we have toe in contact¡­or at least be seen by them?¡±

    ¡°Looks like that¡¯s the only possibility . ¡±

    Shin could only agree with Tiera¡¯s opinion .

    ¡°Kuu kuu¡±

    Shin was thinking about the reason behind the rejection of the materials, when Yuzuha poked his forehead .

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s up, Yuzuha?¡±

    ¡°When we met Kesel, its magic power went into you, Shin . That¡¯s it, maybe . ¡±

    ¡°Its magic power came into me?¡±

    ording to Yuzuha, when Keseldran attacked the barrier a small part of its magic power flowed into Shin . It was such a minimal amount that Shin didn¡¯t realize it, but the magic power emanated from the cards was simr to that, apparently .

    ¡°Meaning, as long as we get close to them, we don¡¯t need to fight . ¡±

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure if the same thing would happen with the other two Beasts too, but there was nothing else they could do .

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start from Mascurda then . ¡±

    Since they just needed to get close to the monster, Shin decided to try from the one easier to escape from: among the Three Sea Beasts, Mascurda had the lowest movement speed .

    Shin materialized the magic-powered vessel from the Item Box, deactivated underwater mode, and boarded it with the rest of the party . The direction they set for was north-west .

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope we can find it quickly though . ¡±

    ¡°Keseldran hade right next to Celciutos, I guess it had perceived our presence?¡±

    Shin had also considered the possibility that Shibaid mentioned .

    Despite being in the heart of Kuwain, Keseldran had attacked when the group had neared Celciutos¡¯ barrier . They didn¡¯t know if it came for Shin¡¯s party or the merpeople, but the timing was too good .

    Based on what they knew and what Arno had told them, Keseldran had roamed very far from its territory . It wouldn¡¯t have made it in time if it didn¡¯t start chasing Shin¡¯s ship as soon as it entered the Kuwain area .

    ¡°If it wille to us, then it¡¯s even better . First we¡¯ll go somewhat closer, set a marker and go back . If getting closer is enough, then great . If not, we¡¯ll think of something else . ¡±

    Among all magic skills, there was one that allowed someone to ce a marker to know where a particr target was, for a limited period of time . If just getting closer wasn¡¯t enough, Shin nned to use it to locate Mascurda .

    Moving at high speed underwater was dangerous, so Shin brought the ship near the surface . If they emergedpletely they would be subject to the stormy sea and tall waves, so he stopped the ship¡¯s ascension to a depth that didn¡¯t hinder the ship¡¯s sailing .

    After a while, arge number of jellyfish-type monsters appeared in front of Shin¡¯s ship . Their levels ranged wildly from low to high and they floated really close to each other, leaving almost no space in between .

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a detour . ¡±

    There was no need to force their way through the monsters . Jellyfish monsters rarely attacked first, so they would probably let the ship go as long as they weren¡¯t attacked .

    Shin had heard that the monsters had turned violent, but this type didn¡¯t seem to be affected .

    The group of jellyfish monsters floated at a depth where light just barely prated into the sea, so Shin decided to pass below them .

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    The ship was proceeding slowly, when Shin noticed a half transparent red marker on the map . It symbolized the presence of a monster that was using ¡¾Hiding¡¿ .

    The jellyfish swarm also slowly moved, as to block the ship¡¯s path .

    ¡°It came out earlier than expected, huh . ¡±

    ¡°So it looks like . ¡±

    Schnee had also perceived the monster¡¯s presence and looked under the ship .

    Shibaid and Filma realized it too .

    ¡°What¡¯sing?¡±

    Tiera understood that a monster was approaching, but she couldn¡¯t detect concealed enemies, apparently .

    ¡°There¡¯s a concealed monster below us . If we go a bit lower, it¡¯ll probably attack . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s group was trying to go through what could be called the entrance to the sea depths, a ce where light couldn¡¯t reach .

    Below that, without light sources or night vision skills, it was impossible to see anything .

    The jellyfish monsters were just decoys . The ship would be attacked while it tried to dodge them, or so Shin thought the monster¡¯s n was .

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we change course, then?¡±

    ¡°If we do that it might not attack though . We¡¯ll dodge and escape . ¡±

    ¡°Escape? Wait, you mean that the monster trying to ambush us is¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯sing! Grab hold of something, everyone!¡±

    Before Tiera could finish her sentence, Shin sharply turned the control lever and stepped on the pedal . The ship¡¯s course changed diagonally and elerated .

    ¡°Bingo! I knew it!¡±

    ¡°Waah¡­¡±

    Shin turned the ship around, shining its lights on the spot it had recently vacated . There they found six squid-like tentacles with suckers, squirming around in search for the ship .

    Tiera backed away at such a sight, holding her own body with her arms and shaking . It was her first time seeing a squid¡¯s tentacles that were thisrge: more than being surprised, she was hit by a wave of disgust .

    ¡°Those are Mascurda¡¯s tentacles . If they grab you, you¡¯ll be dragged straight into its mouth . ¡±

    The monster¡¯s main body was somewhere deeper, so the group could only see its huge tentacles sprouting from the darkness . Because of this, it looked even more creepy .

    ¡°What will you do now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t work with just the tentacles, so I¡¯ll get closer to the main body . Sorry guys, but the ship is going to shake some more!¡±

    Realizing that it couldn¡¯t catch anything by trying to grasp with those tentacles, Mascurda¡¯s body emerged from the darkness .

    Its main body,rger than Shin¡¯s magic-powered vessel, was armed with shells and gems, fitting for one of the monsters called a Sea Beast . Large, sharp ws adorned the tips of its tentacles: in spite of its simrity to normal squids, its appearance clearly indicated the creature was a monster .

    Additional tentacles it had not used before stretched out towards the ship, but Shin avoided them by moving the ship horizontally . The tentacles, missing their target, crashed into the jellyfish swarm, wrapping themselves around several of them .

    ¡°Shin¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to eat squid anymore¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, if you¡¯re not used to it this can be a pretty shocking sight . ¡±

    Tiera and Shin were watching Mascurda as it feasted on the jellyfish monsters it had caught . The monster¡¯s round mouth on the lower part of its body ripped apart the jellyfish and swallowed them .

    Rows of saw-like teeth could be seen within the monster¡¯s mouth . The fate of the jellyfish demonstrated clearly what would happen to anything that ended up in the monster¡¯s maw .

    ¡°So those jellyfish weren¡¯t Mascurda¡¯s servants, then . ¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re getting closer to the main body, I¡¯ll put up a barrier . ¡±

    ¡°Please do . ¡±

    The ship was enchanted with protective magic, but for added safety, Shibaid took out his

    ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» .

    Shin directed the ship towards Mascurda¡¯s body, keeping the monster in his field of vision .

    ¡°We might be attacked, so make sure you don¡¯t lose your bnce!¡±

    Shin shouted while stepping harder on the pedal . The magic engine roared, attracting Mascurda¡¯s attention, its eyes ring at the ship .

    ¡°Well, now it found us for sure . ¡±

    ¡±Underwater, detection via sound is the basic method . Of course it would . ¡±

    During Filma and Schnee¡¯s exchange, Mascurda¡¯s tentacles were already shooting for the ship . The ship elerated away faster than they could reach, however .

    ¡°Shin!! Shin!!! We¡¯re tilting!! The ship¡¯s tilting!!¡±

    The ship sped through the tentacles at a speed unthinkable for underwater travel . The ship, tilted at 90 degrees, barely managed to dodge the tentacles, so the surprised Tiera called Shin¡¯s name .

    ¡°We¡¯re going to go straight like this and pass next to Mascurda! It¡¯s going to shoot magic at us, brace for impact!¡±

    Just as Shin said, the two mels wide gemstone on Mascurda¡¯s forehead started glowing . Also due to its status as an underwater monster, the magic it used was mainly water-based .

    As the gemstone¡¯s light grew stronger, the seawater in front of Mascurda¡¯s eyes started whirling .

    The newly formed whirlpool quickly becamerger andrger, big enough to swallow Shin¡¯s ship whole .

    Water-type Magic skill ¡¾Maelstrom¡¿ .

    Using it underwater gave bonuses such as a boost in offensive power and arger area of effect . With Mascurda as its caster, the resulting whirlpool reached a size that few yers could create .

    ¡°Not so fast!¡±

    In the ship, facing the whirlpool, Shin shouted and hit the control panel . He chose an armament and pulled the trigger without hesitation .

    The side of the ship opened with a psssht-like sound and two torpedoes shot towards the whirlpool, leaving a trail of bubbles behind them .

    The torpedoes shot straight into the heart of the whirlpool: once they reached it, the spell inside them was activated . After an explosion, a ¡¾Maelstrom¡¿ spinning in the opposite direction as Mascurda¡¯s was generated, and the two whirlpools canceled each other .

    ¡°Now!!¡±

    One instant before the whirlpools disappeared, Shin moved the ship forward .

    Maybe because the shing whirlpools obstructed its sight, Mascurda could not react quickly to the ship that forced its way through the two half vanished ¡¾Maelstrom¡¿ .

    Shin¡¯s magic-powered vessel passed right next to Mascurda¡¯s body . At that moment, Shin shot a marker, which simply acted as a beacon of magical power, so Mascurda did not even notice being hit with it .

    After passing, the ship elerated and sped away from the monster .

    Mascurda tried to chase after it, but right then Shin¡¯s parting gift was activated .

    ¡ª¡ª!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

    What had been released from the back of the ship was a load of barrels . Their objective was to create a smokescreen underwater: rather than actual smoke, they released an ink-like liquid all around . Touching the liquid also made it impossible to detect the yer and inflicted negative statuses . It was the underwater version of the item used to escape after encountering monsters too different from one¡¯s level .

    Leaving behind Mascurda, who emitted shrill screams out of anger, or pain, Shin¡¯s group returned to the Castle of the Depths .

    There they again tried to ce the item card of Mascurda¡¯s parts in the matching depression of the gate . This time, the card started glowing properly .

    ¡°Good! Now we know that we don¡¯t need to fight . ¡±

    It would be a problem to weaken one of the Sea Beasts, for one of the other two to ultimately defeat them . If they just had to go near them, it was much easier than fighting them . Yuzuha confirmed that, just like what had happened with Keseldran, Mascurda¡¯s magic power had flowed into Shin .

    ¡°Our next destination is the southeast, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Eolios is the only one left, let¡¯s make sure we can get this done today . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Schnee and returned to the ship .

    The current time was a little past three in the afternoon . Considering how long it would take toe back, it would probably be dusk when they did .

    If they started exploring the dungeon then, it could take untilte at night to clear it .

    The dungeon the group was going to enter was an unknown one, where they would find sources of miasma . It surely wasn¡¯t a ce to spend the night in .

    In the depths of the sea, the presence or absence of sunlight did not make a difference, but because of theck of sunlight it was easy to lose track of time and be active for long hours, thus impacting one¡¯s own performance .

    Knowing this, Shin had decided to take sufficient rest before facing the dungeon .

    ¡°What? We¡¯re not going to leave right away?¡±

    ¡°I have to stock up on items first . Eolios is a fast swimmer too, so I wanted to pick up some items to take care of that . ¡±

    Eolios was the sea monster that boasted the highest swimming speed . It could even dodge the item the group had used against Mascurda .

    Shin was changing the ship¡¯s equipment, looking at a diagram of the vessel disyed on a screen . Next to him, Tiera looked impressed .

    ¡°Pictures and text floating in midair¡­it¡¯s really strange, no matter how many times I see them . Besides, just moving them around changes things in reality too¡­¡±

    The screen that Shin was manipting was a function loaded onto the ship and visible to anyone, unlike each person¡¯s status screen .

    ¡°Once you get used to it, it¡¯s really convenient . ¡±

    After answering Tiera, Shin chose an item to equip on the bottom of the hull: as he did the image on the screen changed, now showing a sort of nozzle .

    Shin went outside the ship to make sure that it had changed as the diagram had shown . Part of the changes had been executed on the bottom of the ship, so he had to change to underwater mode and dive to check .

    ¡°It¡¯s really changed . I wonder how this works¡­¡±

    Tiera was interested and joined Shin in the inspection: when they returned, she expressed her amazement while deactivating underwater mode . She had looked very closely at the changed parts, but couldn¡¯t understand how it had happened .

    ¡°Magically, I guess . ¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t say that it was a game mechanic, so he decided to rely on the always convenient answer that magic did it .

    ¡°That¡¯s the most convincing answer, I guess . That¡­magic-powered engine, was it? The magic flow when it activates is really something else too . ¡±

    What Yuzuha called magic flow was visible to Tiera too; like in this case, though, it was apparently possible to see the magic flowing from items too .

    ¡°What do you see, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°I see a thin, sparkling purple lighting out of the engine and spreading throughout the ship . It¡¯s really beautiful, so it¡¯s a bit of a shame that I¡¯m the only one that can see it . ¡±

    Afterpletely spreading, the flow vanishes away . Hearing Tiera talk about it, Shin thought that he wanted to see it too, but there were no skills to make magic flow visible, so he gave up .

    With their preparations done, Shin¡¯s group departed again, this time for Eolios¡¯ territory .

    The area ruled by Eolios looked extremely different from Mascurda¡¯s .

    ¡°This is bad!¡±

    Shin cursed under his breath while carefully handling the ship¡¯s controls .

    Soon after entering Eolios¡¯ territory, the ship was attacked by monsters . Their quantity and species also increased minute by minute .

    ¡°Why is it so different from the other areas here?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this is iprehensible . ¡±

    Filma and Shibaid voiced their perplexion too, looking at the monsters that attacked them like an avnche .

    Shibaid erected a barrier to repel the attack of a swarm of mackerel pike-like monsters, while Shin made the ship spin to shake off a group of octopus-type monsters that had attached to it .

    For a ship, the action was getting a bit too exciting .

    ¡°I might end up knocked-out even before we find the boss¡­¡±

    The ship¡¯s sudden elerations, decelerations, and rotations were proving to be too much for Tiera, even though she had drunk the anti-seasickness medicine .

    Just as Shin began to realize that they couldn¡¯t go on like that, he noticed a response farrger than the surrounding monsters heading in their direction at extremely high speed .

    The real identity of the response sting towards the ship, bulldozing through the monsters, was, of course, Eolios .

    A massive shark-like monster, with its head and part of its fins hardened as protection . Its whole body was also covered by one-mel long stake-like needles, which could diffuse magic and were also used as powerful weapons . Even if the monsters that could not dodge Eolios¡¯ passing got stuck on them, the Sea Beast did not seem to notice or care .

    During the game era, Eolios had pierced many yers to death . For the surrounding monsters, being pierced meant instant death . Due to Eolios¡¯ tremendous swimming speed, they would be cruelly ripped apart .

    ¡°Just as expected from the fastest among the Three Sea Beasts . That speed is on a whole other level . ¡±

    Shin got rid of the surrounding monsters with the ship¡¯s anti-attacker magic and forcefully steered the vessel out of Eolios¡¯ path .

    Even if they had turned feral, the monsters could probably still realize danger to a degree . The ones surrounding the ship seemed to be shaken by Eolios¡¯ arrival .

    ¡°It¡¯d be easy if we could just pass by, like we did with Mascurda, huh . ¡±

    Shin said so to Schnee, but did not attempt this maneuver . Eolios¡¯ mobility was at its apex when it attacked, but it could also change direction vertically or horizontally very easily .

    Because of this, to avoid its charge they would need to gain arge distance very quickly . Just moving to the side would not suffice .

    Even if, by chance, they managed to avoid the collision, Eolios could shoot its needles, thus piercing the ship just after it was thought to be safe .

    With the ship¡¯s protective ting and Shibaid¡¯s barriers, the ship would probably be able to withstand one attack, but if it didn¡¯t work they would be unable to recover, so Shin decided not to test it .

    ¡°Yuzuha! Is the magic here yet?¡±

    ¡°Not yet!¡±

    The distance between the ship and Eolios was around 300 mels . In Mascurda¡¯s case, they had passed less than 10 mels from the monster¡¯s body, while with Keseldran the distance was about 100 mels: considering this, Eolios was still too far .

    ¡°How do you like this then!¡±

    Shin moved the ship right in front of Eolios¡¯ path and slowed down .

    Maybe thinking that its prey had weakened, Eolios came closer slowly, its jaws wide open .

    ¡°My chest¡­hurts¡­¡±

    From the bridge it wasn¡¯t possible to see behind the ship . Tiera, however, had felt Eolios¡¯ pressure and was holding her chest with a frown .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please bear with it a little longer!¡±

    ¡ªDistance to Eolios, 280 mels .

    Shin looked at the map and measured the distance . The monster could elerate suddenly, so his finger was ready on the emergency eleration switch .

    ¡ª220 mels .

    Yuzuha¡¯s signal wasn¡¯ting yet . She was gazing intently at something, towards the back of the ship .

    ¡ª180 mels .

    Shin felt something creeping up his shoulders . Probably the pressure that Eolios emanated .

    ¡ª130 mels .

    ¡°It¡¯s here!¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s voice echoed through the bridge .

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re off!!¡±

    As soon as he heard that the magic power had arrived, Shin activated the ship¡¯s emergency eleration . At the same time, he released an item to facilitate their escape from the stern ¨C a different one than what he used against Mascurda .

    ¡ª¨C!?!?!?!?!?

    A few seconds after the release, an inhuman shriek could be heard from behind them .

    What Shin had thrown to Eolios was a barrel filled to the brim with crystals, each one imbued with the Wind-type magic skill ¡¾Shock Pulse¡¿ . The skill was used to release an extremely loud noise, to disperse pursuing monsters . What would happen if 10, 20, or more were activated underwater, where sound propagated at a faster rate?

    ¡°Seems like we managed to escape, somehow . ¡±

    Shin breathed a sigh of relief while looking at the responses disappearing outside the map¡¯s detection range .

    The crystals emitted a physical shockwave as well, so Eolios had more important things to deal with than chasing Shin¡¯s group . Looking at the marker moving left and right, Shin guessed that it was probably fairly confused now .

    Being a shark-based monster,  it would have been a problem if it followed them via smell, so Shin hadunched a barrel producing a foul smell too .

    The monsters that had attacked the ship seemed even more confused than Eolios . Some were bumping into each other or wandered off randomly . The situation was utter chaos . Others, possibly having lost consciousness, did not move at all .

    ¡°Looks like the area of effect was pretty wide . ¡±

    ¡°We even managed to surprise a boss monster, after all . Though, it must have been because it was activated underwater . ¡±

    Shin replied to Schnee¡¯sment while operating the ship¡¯s controls . Unlike before, when they had just arrived in the area, they managed to proceed without serious obstacles .

    They were attacked again by monsters on their way back, but probably because of ¡¾Shock Pulse¡¿¡¯s effects, the monsters were much less fierce than before, so the group could return to the Castle of the Depths rtively smoothly .

 Vol 11 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    Shin¡¯s party spent the night in the ship. After making the necessary preparations, they stood before the dungeon¡¯s gate.

    Shin ced thest remaining card in the gate¡¯s depression and all the cards started glowing brightly. With creaking, scratching sounds, the gate to the Castle of the Depths finally opened.

    ¡°Shin¡­there¡¯s the possibility that we might be toote.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, even I can tell. This time it¡¯s really bad.¡±

    Shin could only agree with what Tiera said after the gate opened.

    The Castle of the Depths had been swallowed by terribly thick miasma.

    ¡°Just to be safe, let¡¯s all use these.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the miasma oozing from beyond the gate. The situation was worse than expected, so he decided that it was too risky to just charge in without preparing proper countermeasures. He then handed some ¡ºMiracle Drug of Holy Skies¡», which they had used when exploring Fuji¡¯s dungeon, to all the party members. To prepare for anything unexpected, he gave a stack of the item¡¯s cards to everyone.

    ¡°Tiera, take this.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­er, goggles?¡±

    Together with the item cards, Shin gave Tiera a pair of underwater goggles enchanted with bonus effects such as ¡¾Night Sight¡¿ and ¡¾Far Sight¡¿. The goggles wererge, simr to the ones used when diving.

    In dungeons where visibility was poor due to miasma, visual assistance skills -¡¾Night Sight¡¿ above all- were a necessity. Tiera had learned ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, but did not know ¡¾Night Sight¡¿yet.

    ¡°When I equipped them, the water inside the goggles disappeared¡­is this okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­I guess?¡±

    The goggles did not change form even if the wearer¡¯s equipment turned to underwater mode.

    If the goggles were equipped underwater, seawater would normally seep inside, but there was supposed to be no effect on the skills attached to them. For some reason, however, the water inside had disappeared. It could have been a difference between the game and reality.

    ¡°No use thinking about it, I guess. The goggles¡¯ effects are still there, so I¡¯ll make good use of them.¡±

    Tiera knew that it wasn¡¯t something they needed to talk about then and there, so she wrapped up the topic. Shin nodded and turned again towards the gate.

    ¡°First, I should make sure the miasma doesn¡¯t spread any more than it has already¡­okay, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin stopped the miasma from spreading beyond the gate, then entered into the Castle of the Depths, with Schnee and the others in tow.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have expected the castle to be corrupted this much, though. Was the outer appearance just an illusion?¡±

    ¡°If I remember well, its appearance didn¡¯t change even if yers destroyed it. Maybe it¡¯s to prevent seeing the interior of the dungeon from outside.¡±

    While advancing through the water, Shin answered Schnee¡¯s question, recalling his memories of the game era.

    The Castle of the Depths¡¯ castle part was just a facade, like a cardboard cutout ced in front of the actual dungeon. If one wanted to, it was possible to turn it into a pile of rubble.

    Doing so would not have achieved anything, though, so most yers did not bother to destroy it.

    Shin was looking for the path leading underground, when he picked up several responses within his detection range.

    ¡°The castle is supposed to be deserted, but it turns out there¡¯s something here.¡±

    ¡°With this much miasma around, that wouldn¡¯t be strange.¡±

    Shin replied to Shibaid¡¯s warning while drawing his sword, ¡ºMoonless¡».

    ¡°They¡¯re ghost types! They¡¯re going toe from the front, left, and right, through the walls!¡±

    Shin looked at the map and noticed hostile markers moving towards them passing through rooms and corridors, so he notified the rest of the party.

    A few secondster ethereal, eerie monsters appeared in front of Shin¡¯s group, from the ceiling and the walls on their right and left sides.

    ¡°Shibaid, Filma, the Skullfaces in front are yours. Schnee and I will take the Phantoms on the left and right. Tiera, deal with the Baby Hollow on the ceiling!¡±

    Shin gave orders to the party, then activated the skill ¡¾Pure Holy¡¿ with Schnee.

    The half-invisible human-like monsters who had passed through the walls, draped in capes that concealed their features, were High Phantoms: Ghost-type monsters with levels around 400.

    Being capable of using magic of every element, they were rather nasty opponents.

    Knowing that it wasing, however, Shin and Schnee could prepare to attack as soon as the Phantoms phased through the walls. The light they emitted from their palms caused the High Phantoms to simply vanish before they could do anything.

    ¡°I¡¯m done here too.¡±

    At about the same time of Shin and Schnee¡¯s defeat of the High Phantoms, Tiera had dealt with the infant-shaped fireball monsters called Baby Hollow.

    There were only a few of them, so they didn¡¯t stand a chance against a shot from Tiera¡¯s bow, armed with the arrows Shin had given her, which had both anti-miasma Light element and¡¾Purification¡¿ bonuses attached.

    As the battlefield was now underwater, Tiera had changed her equipped bow to the ¡ºEmerald Whirltide Bow¡», a lower Legend-grade bow that increased in offensive power and uracy underwater.

    Shin didn¡¯t think that she could use it, but Tiera proved to be able to handle it without penalties.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re about done too.¡±

    Shin watched Shibaid and Filma sweeping through the Skullfaces. The corridor they were in was fairly wide, but still not enough for many Skullfaces to stand side by side. No matter how many there were, the only ones who could swing their weapons were the three, maybe four in front.

    In terms of stats and equipment, there was no way they could match Shibaid and Filma. Even the King ss Skullfaces were felled in a single blow. It was just a matter of time until the entire pack,posed of Skullfaces of various sses, was annihted.

    ¡°They¡¯ve got numbers, but their levels are nothing to worry about.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Anyway, High Phantoms were a monster that appeared in the Seafloor Sanctuary, right?¡±

    The Castle of the Depths was a den of high-level monsters. Thinking about the game¡¯s standards, High Phantoms were too low-leveled to appear there.

    ¡°Meaning that the Seafloor Sanctuary monsters are dwelling in the castle too? That can be a bit of a pain.¡±

    ¡°Judging from the current situation, that appears to be the only exnation. Surely they couldn¡¯t be the vengeful spirits of people who died at sea.¡±

    Filma looked annoyed, her shoulders dropping, but Shibaid answered her seriously.

    Defeating the monsters wouldn¡¯t be difficult at all, but speed was of the essence this time, so having their progress slowed down wasn¡¯t a good prospect.

    Shin¡¯s group decided to focus more on enemy detection and proceed while avoiding encounters as much as possible.

    ¡°If the structure is the same as before, the path leading to the dungeon should be in the throne room.¡±

    The interior of the castle looked very simr to what Shin remembered. He decided to head for the throne room, as he had in the game. Located in the center of the castle, it would have taken about 15 minutes of walking to reach it.

    The most ideal path would be to head straight towards it, destroying the walls blocking the way, but it would have, without a doubt, attracted monsters towards them, so they discarded the idea.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    Knowing that there were monsters around, the group proceeded in silence thanks to Shin and Schnee¡¯s ¡¾Silent Domain¡¿. Unlike sound onnd, at sea, even the smallest whisper could attract a monster¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it¡­really cold?¡±

    The throne room was still a few minutes away when Tiera mumbled to herself. Even in underwater mode the effects of the original equipment were still active, so there were environmental changes that only she could notice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything in particr, how about everyone else?¡±

    Filma, Shibaid, and Schnee answered Shin¡¯s question in the same way, they had not picked up anything either.

    Yuzuha and Kagerou had different opinions, however.

    ¡°My tail feels chilly!¡±

    ¡°Guru!!¡±

    Kagerou growled in agreement to Yuzuha¡¯s words.

    ¡°There¡¯s something up ahead.¡±

    ¡°Considering who detected this, I have a bad feeling about what awaits..¡±

    A cold chill that could not be detected by any usual means. The cause was apparently in the throne room.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just miasma. It¡¯s probably also dragging the souls of the people who died at sea here. There are so many too¡­¡±

    Tiera, blessed with spiritual detection abilities, spoke while trembling, her face pale.

    ¡°Are you alright? If it¡¯s too tough, we can deal with whatever¡¯s inside ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to join in the fighting if I do, but there is something I¡¯d like to try. Yuzuha, could you help me?¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    Tiera restrained her body from shaking and looked at Shin. Her eyes shone with the light of a very strong resolve.

    ¡°¡­got it. Yuzuha, take care of Tiera.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha cried as to say ¡°leave it to me!¡± and paddled to Tiera¡¯s shoulder. Being underwater, it felt like she did not weigh anything at all. At Tiera¡¯s feet, Kagerou stood proud, as if saying ¡°I¡¯m by your side too!¡±.

    ¡°Good, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin proceeded forward, ever focused on detecting any threats. Walls and such were meaningless to Ghost-type monsters, so whenever they came close, Shin and Schnee blew them away with magic.

    ¡°This must be it.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group quickly reached the throne room, sessfully avoiding as many encounters as possible.

    Beyond the door Shin detected three presences, allrger than the monsters wandering the castle corridors.

    ¡°Looks like there are bosses stationed here.¡±

    ¡°Originally there wasn¡¯t supposed to be anything here, so¡­I suppose they are monsters from Seafloor Sanctuary?¡±

    ¡°I wonder¡­that ce mainly had fish-type monsters, after all. I think the situation now is different.¡±

    The monsters appearing in Seafloor Sanctuary were mainly based on sea creatures, such as fish or crustaceans. Based on the fact that Undead-type monsters like Skullfaces and Phantoms now prowled in the castle, Shin doubted that marine monsters would appear as bosses.

    ¡°We can only be alert and proceed.¡±

    Shin nodded to Shibaid. Passing through the throne room was the only way to go underground, so they could not avoid this boss confrontation.

    Even though they resolved themselves to confront the bosses, they still wondered whether the dungeon entrance was still in the throne room. However, there was no way to clear their doubt at this moment.

    ¡°Are you ready, everyone? I¡¯m opening the door.¡±

    Shin had Schnee and the rest of the group take one step back, then pushed the door open. The doors did not offer much resistance and slowly opened.

    The very instant the inside of the room became visible, a ck spurt of miasma shot through the opening of the doors directly towards Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°!!¡±

    The miasma had been shot violently, with an explosive power simr to backdraft. The level of danger was much higher than that of the miasma that had been oozing from the castle.

    As soon as he saw it, Shin put up a miasma barrier and stepped back. Stopped by the barrier, the miasma¡¯s momentum grew temporarily weaker. Tainted, the barrier vanished quickly, but it was enough to gain some distance.

    Shin¡¯s group was at peak alertness when they opened the door, so their response had been immediate.

    The new miasma barrier put up by Shibaid opened a gap between Shin¡¯s group and the miasma.

    ¡°¡¾Purification¡¿!!¡±

    Shin then unleashed his skill towards the miasma that was swallowing Shibaid¡¯s barrier.

    Struck by the light emitted by Shin¡¯s palms, the erupting miasma vanished like smoke.

    ¡°Well well. That was quite the wee.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we can expect courtesy from a host made of miasma.¡±

    Exchanging banter with Shibaid, Shin erged the range of ¡¾Purification¡¿. Ignoring his decreasing MP, he got rid of all miasma in the throne room at once.

    The room had originally appeared dimly lit even through ¡¾Night Vision¡¿, because of the miasma, but now ¡¾Purification¡¿¡¯s light showed its original appearance.

    If intruders entered it, the throne room became lit with mes that did not go out even underwater, ensuring visibility.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the source of the response. The miasma wave was just the beginning, I guess.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group had torn apart the veil of miasma and could clearly see what the room looked like. What appeared before them were giant skeletons, made of countless small andrge bones. The massive creatures were covered by a pale blue skin-like substance.

    The skeletons¡¯ insides were faintly visible, making the eye cavities of the many skulls embedded in them stand out even more: it was as if countless holes had been opened on the creatures¡¯ bodies.

    The appearance of the bosses was enough to inspire disgust to whoeverid eyes on them.

    In addition, the robe that shrouded the skeletons was a problem as well. At first nce it looked like a dirty blue robe, but looking at it closely, one would realize that the robes were made of transparent human-like figures.

    The ¡°robe¡± had actually been made by stitching together the souls of the dead: even such a wild theory sounded usible.

    The faces of those souls, that Shin could see, were wailing and filled with desperation, or overtaken by other negative emotions.

    ¡ª¡ª- Try%op&ob$a  ¨C Le#el 8?9

    ¡°¡¾Analyze¡¿ isn¡¯t working right?¡±

    ¡°Based on its looks and the readable part, I¡¯d say it¡¯s Trypophobia. This size and ominous aura though¡­they turned way too violent, seriously.¡±

    Schnee became alert because of the bizarre way the monster¡¯s name and level were disyed, then Shin replied while putting a hand on her shoulder.

    The Trypophobia that Shin knew was a monster about three mels tall with strong magic resistance. Its physical defense was not high, so as long the yer could get within striking distance, it wasn¡¯t a fearsome opponent. The only thing to pay attention to was its sweeping attack, performed by its four wed arms.

    The Trypophobias now standing before Shin¡¯s party, however, had six arms and bluish mes resembling will-o¡¯-wisps burning on the ends of each of their ws.

    Fighting them while assuming that they were the same as the game era¡¯s Trypophobia would definitely give birth to painful regret.

    In their originally hollow eye cavities now burned golden mes.

    ¡ª-¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!! (T/N: ck squares, unintelligible roar)

    As if synchronized with the rekindled mes, the twisted, inhuman roar rising from the Trypophobias¡¯ mouths echoed through the throne room. It was ¡¾Deadman¡¯s Howl¡¿, a skill used by many advanced Undead-type monsters.

    The monsters¡¯ screams were iprehensible gibberish. They were supposed to inflict negative statuses to whoever heard it, but to Shin¡¯s party it sounded like a desperate request for help.

    Help us, end our suffering¡­the wails of the souls, shackled even beyond death, caressed the ears of Shin¡¯s party and vanished behind them.

    The ¡¾Deadman¡¯s Howl¡¿ had the power of three monsters behind it, but even so it failed to affect Shin¡¯s party with any negative status.

    Tiera however, because of her spiritual detection abilities, grimaced. Thanks to the equipment Shin had given her, she avoided any negative statuses, but her mental burden grew heavier.

    The party was still a fair distance from the Trypophobias.

    No matter how they fought, she knew she had to bear with it a little longer, but as to dispel such concerns on Shin¡¯s part, Tiera shook her head lightly, breathed deeply and looked straight ahead.

    ¡°Can you make it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this isn¡¯t enough to take me down. Besides, I want to free those people.¡±

    Tiera spoke while looking at the Trypophobias. In her expression, the fear of facing a powerful monster was nowhere to be found.

    ¡°Should we just weaken them and not defeat them yet?¡±

    ¡°No, take them down without holding anything back. It probably doesn¡¯t matter how many times we defeat them, if we don¡¯t do something about the trapped souls first though.¡±

    Tiera said that the monsters would probably revive even if they were defeated.

    ¡°Okay, then leave the normal fighting to us. Yuzuha, Kagerou, I leave Tiera with you.¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Gurua!!¡±

    Their cries behind him, Shin and the party wielded their weapons. Only Tiera sped her hands on her chest, as if praying.

    ¡°Looks like they noticed that their skill had no effect.¡±

    Shin looked at the Trypophobias, which had raised their arms high. They had some time to talk because the monsters hadn¡¯t been moving.

    The Trypophobias did not seem to have any particr intelligence, but being high-level monsters, they could probably at least realize if the skills they used were effective or not.

    Seeing that Shin¡¯s party was not affected, they probably decided to go with physical attacks next.

    ¡°I shall take the first attack.¡±

    At the same time as the Trypophobias started moving, Shibaid leapt. Despite the water resistance, he charged in even faster than usual with his shield at the ready.

    Because of how its body was structured, Trypophobia could not move by itself. Because of this, it possessed skills to force enemies toe towards itself. Shibaid was moving faster than usual because of the effects of the skill that one of the Trypophobia used to lure him closer, ¡¾Darkness Beckons¡¿.

    The Trypophobia raised its ming arms, ready to strike the approaching Shibaid. The monster swung down when Shibaid was within range, its arms drawing a bluish arc in midair before shing with Shibaid¡¯s shield. A loud sound of shing metal resounded, then Shibaid stopped moving.

    The boss had swung its three right arms. Shibaid couldn¡¯t stop them with only his shield, so he also erected a defensive barrier, ultimately blocking 15 ws.

    As a testimony to the monster¡¯s offensive power, Shibaid¡¯s greaves dug into the floor, cracking the stone tiles.

    ¡°I thought it would be fire, but I feel no heat. Is this cold air?¡±

    What Shibaid felt through the barrier was not searing heat, but freezing cold air.

    The mes probably looked like fire because of the way the seawater continually froze and shattered. It was likely due to an effect of the monster¡¯s magic or an unique skill it possessed.

    ¡°If it really is cold air, then have a taste of this!¡±

    Filma cut down another one of the Trypophobias. mes zed from her ¡ºRed Moon¡»: the instant they touched the monster¡¯s swinging ws, they shattered them from the wrists down, with the sound of breaking ss.

    ¡°It¡¯s weak to fire, no doubt about it!¡±

    Filma twisted her body while shouting, then shattered the monster¡¯s other arm.

    At the same time, Schnee stepped to the side of thest remaining Trypophobia. After moving behind the monster, she spun around, ready to counterattack. The monster, however, had just received a blow that had cut into half of its body, so its arms could not reach Schnee.

    ¡°Shibaid!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    It was like they weremunicating telepathically. Without the need for more precise orders, Shibaid activated the Shield-type Martial skill ¡¾Knock Move¡¿ and shook off Trypophobia¡¯s right arm. This skill allowed the user to erect a barrier with the same defensive power as the shield they had equipped and use it as a decoy as they retreated, often fast enough to leave behind after-images. It was usually used by the party¡¯s shield to gain distance from the enemies or when they needed an emergency exit.

    Taking the ce of the retreating Shibaid, Schnee released a magic spell.

    Ten cemels long rays of light extended to each of the monster¡¯s arms: three secondster, fire erupted from the arms and exploded.

    Fire-type Magic skill ¡¾Materia Bomber¡¿.

    This skill, quite unusual among all me-type spells, instantly changed the targeted body part to a bomb. Only non-living matter could be turned into an explosive however.

    ¡°For a monster over level 800, it¡¯s a bit too frail¡­¡±

    The monster¡¯s arms were powerful enough to force Shibaid¡¯s greaves to carve the ground, but after finding its weak point it was going down too easily, so Schnee was growing suspicious.

    Before the wary Schnee, Shin gripped his ¡ºMoonless¡» at his waist, preparing to strike.

    The now armless Trypophobia roared again, probably to attempt ast resort attack. That very instant, as if triggered by the roar, tentacles made of bones extended from the bones supporting the monster¡¯s upper body and the foundation-like base part of the monster, mixed with the souls. At the same time, the blue mes burning on the monster¡¯s ws appeared in midair.

    ¡°Time for the trump card, is it?¡±

    Attacks never seen in the game era wereing up one after another. Even so, Shin did not falter.

    From a videogame perspective, it waspletely normal for bosses to perform unexpected attacks. That was far from enough to stop Shin¡¯s attacks though.

    The tentacles, as fast and sharp as arrows, were parried by Shibaid, while the mes were swept away by Filma and Schnee.

    All three then jumped out of the attack range, at the same timing.

    ¡°Shah!!¡±

    In the space they previously upied Shin unleashed his attack.

    Tentacles and mes had appeared again, but could not offer meaningful resistance as they were torn apart. Trypophobia tried to use its arms and ws as a shield at first, to little or no effect: along with the monster¡¯s torso, they were cleaved in two.

    The following sharp sh severed the skull, formed by countless bones, in two clean halves.

    Katana and Divine Combination Skill ¡¾Scourge Divide¡¿.

    A sh that caused additional damage to Undead types and miasma, this skill could not be resisted by Trypophobia.

    It was not the end of Shin¡¯s party¡¯s offensive, though: Schnee, Filma, and Shibaid each followed up by attacking with their own weapons.

    Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡», Filma¡¯s ¡ºRed Moon¡», and Shibaid¡¯s ¡ºcid Moon¡» struck the skeleton¡¯s skull and torso, already cut in horizontal halves, and cut it vertically this time.

    Several seconds after Shin¡¯s attack, the Trypophobia ¡ª to be precise, the four parts it had been severed into ¡ª slowly copsed.

    The golden mes in its eye cavities flickered out and the masses of bones forming it came apart. It was almost like the Trypophobias had turned into sand.

    ¡°Tiera, how¡¯s the situation?¡±

    ¡°The binding ising loose. I¡¯m going to start now, but just in case, please defend me.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s hands, held over her chest in prayer until then, were now released and she spread her arms wide. Her lips then moved and started intoning a melody.

    It was a requiem, meant to free the trapped souls and send them to a ce where light shines.

    It was a song with no words, a melody formed only by sounds higher and lower, stronger and weaker.

    Tiera¡¯s chant resounded through the miasma-tainted waters.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Changes started manifesting seconds after Tiera had started singing. A bright, pure light started to fill the throne room. It was brighter and warmer than the automatic fires that had lit up the room until then.

    Shin¡¯s party swallowed their breath at the scenery. It was almost like Tiera herself was shining and illuminating the room.

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    ¡°Guru¡­¡±

    The two beasts next to Tiera also cried in unison with her singing.

    Yuzuha spread her tails in a fan-like shape, Kagerou¡¯s horn lit up intermittently. Both of them also emitted a pale light from their bodies.

    There was someone else, however, who could not simply stay quiet while they watched.

    ¡°¡ªthis is no time to be noisy.¡±

    Shin turned around and saw the defeated Trypophobia start reforming, much like video footage yed backwards. The bones were forming a skull, which the robe of the wailing ones covered. Only one of the three Trypophobias had started reforming.

    If it was left alone like this, the monster would havepletely reformed after only 10 seconds or so. Shin wouldn¡¯t just watch and not do anything.

    ¡°¡¾Ignition Red¡¿!¡±

    Shin pointed at the Trypophobia, and the gradually recovering body suddenly burst into mes.

    The Trypophobia had been burned up by a magic skill of the Ignition series, which struck the area the yer pointed in with the element of the yer¡¯s choosing.

    Red meant me magic, Blue water magic, etcetera. The name changed ording to the element.

    Underwater, fire ¡ª the element Undead types were weak to ¡ª was not as effective, but with Shin¡¯s stats, it was possible to keep the same amount of firepower as if the skill was used above ground.

    The recovering skull turned into ashes, the arms it was trying to raise scorched and fell.

    The mes did not lose momentum and spread to the foundation of bones supporting Trypophobia, then the mass of souls.

    The monster¡¯s alleged source of energy was being burnt by Shin¡¯s mes. What remained was just a small mound of ashes.

    Every time it was annihted, Trypophobia¡¯s bones started to form again from nothingness. No matter how high its recovery power was, if it was defeated before reforming, it was all meaningless.

    Shin was forced to shoot ¡¾Ignition Red¡¿ over and over again, but his automatic MP recovery ratio exceeded the quantity he used for the spell, so there was no risk of running out.

    After several instances of burning bones down, Shin noticed that the monster¡¯s recovery speed was slowing down.

    ¡°It¡¯s started acting differently.¡±

    The quantity of rising bones was decreasing and the spiritual veil covering them was getting thinner, as Schnee noticed too.

    ¡°Yes, besides, something¡¯s leaking out of its body.¡±

    Upon closer inspection, a small light was leaking out and disappearing like steam from Trypophobia¡¯s body and the foundation part.

    Thanks to Tiera¡¯s power, two-thirds of the throne room were now illuminated. Maybe because of the light¡¯s effects, the monster¡¯s recovery had considerably slowed down.

    ¡ª¨C¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!!

    Maybe it had understood that it was going to disappear, as Trypophobia opened its maw as much as it could, as if screaming, bending its forming body backwards.

    Only the left half of the skull had formed, but the golden light in its eye cavity burned fiercely.

    Tiera was purifying the miasma, while Shin was shooting ¡¾Ignition Red¡¿ spells. The other party members were currently free and would not just stand by and watch.

    Shibaid stood in front of Tiera and reinforced his guard. Schnee and Filma rushed towards Trypophobia.

    Using the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Waterbolt¡¿, the two could move underwater with extreme speed, barely feeling the water resistance, and arrived close to the monster in no time.

    ¡°It¡¯s toote to get desperate.¡±

    ¡°Give up already!¡±

    Schnee¡¯s left hand softly held the hilt of her ¡ºBlue Moon¡», its de now wrapped in what looked like a tinum snowstorm, while Filma held her ¡ºRed Moon¡», burning brightly in golden mes, over her shoulder.

    ¡°Take this.¡±

    Schnee and Filma spoke at the same time.

    As they did, Trypophobia¡¯s body was cut apart by countless shes, colored tinum and gold. A small snowstorm that could freeze even miasma and searing mes to burn it to cinders. These two opposites became one within Trypophobia.

    Tetra-typeposite skill, ¡¾Divine me ¨C Royal Frost de¡¿.

    This unique skill was activated by using Katana/Water and me/Swordbination skills at the same time. It was often used as finisher when battling bosses or powerful monsters.

    Trypophobia, shed again in four parts by the attack, fell to the ground, immobile. It was like time had stopped for the monster.

    It was difficult to notice because of Trypophobia¡¯s originally white color, but its whole body was now frozen. A few seconds after it touched the ground, golden mes erupted from its body. Divine mes with miasma purification properties enveloped the frozen Trypophobia.

    Different from ¡¾Ignitior Red¡¿, which only burned its target, ¡¾Divine me ¨C Royal Frost de¡¿¡¯s mes did not leave even a speck of ash.

    When the fire had vanished, leaving nothing in its wake, Tiera¡¯s chant became louder.

    In response, light started appearing from the spots where the Trypophobias were. They wererger than the ones that had leaked from the monsters¡¯ bodies during the fighting.

    The globes of light were initially very few, but quickly increased in quantity. They formed a sort of river of light in the air, which started flowing upwards, towards the surface of the water.

    ¡°Hah¡­now¡­it should be¡­okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Those were the freed souls?¡±

    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no one left here anymore.¡±

    Shin waited for Tiera to recover her breath, looking at the lights floating away.

    The lights passed through the ceiling of the Castle of the Depths and were not visible anymore.

    ¡°So that is¡­how souls shine?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. But their true glow is much stronger.¡±

    Tiera said that after being imprisoned for so long, they had probably grown weaker.

    The brilliance of the ancestors¡¯ souls, which Tiera had felt during her service as Priestess of the World Tree, was much warmer and brighter than what Shin¡¯s party had just witnessed.

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve taken care of the bosses and all, but is the entrance to the dungeon still there?¡±

    While they waited for Tiera to recover, Shin inspected the location that the Trypophobias were guarding.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ had disyed the monsters¡¯ names in an unusual way, so he thought that there might be something left.

    ¡°Is that a gem?¡±

    The first thing he noticed was a gem the same size as the one of the non-standard monster he had fought in Bayreuth, the Skullface Lord.

    The gem¡¯s color, a very deep blue, showed that it belonged to the water element. Even after appraising it, he could only learn that it belonged to the highest Unique grade, and nothing else.

    ¡°Did you learn anything?¡±

    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t seem to be unusual in any way. This gem too, as material it¡¯s something that I¡¯ve seen before.¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t find any drops besides the gem where the Trypophobias were. Different from the game era, they did not drop any weapons or materials. Just in case, he inspected the floor too, but could not find anything of note.

    Shin decided to inspect the throne with Schnee. If it was still as he remembered, the entrance to the dungeon should have been there.

    ¡°There should be a switch behind the throne¡­.here it is.¡±

    Shin found a small gap in a part of the throne. He checked if there were any traps, then pushed the gap deeper inside.

    With the sound of stones grinding against each other, the throne and a part of the floor began moving to the side, revealing stairs going downwards. The passage was so narrow that Shibaid could barely fit in it.

    ¡°We found the path leading underground. Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t use that much energy anyway, I¡¯m okay.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s HP and MP had bothpletely recovered. Herplexion wasn¡¯t bad either, so Shin concluded that she wasn¡¯t faking it.

    ¡°OK then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    The party finally set foot in the Castle of the Depths¡¯ dungeon.

    Schnee led the formation, followed by Shibaid, Filma, Tiera, and Shin. Yuzuha and Kagerou walked alongside Tiera.

    After 5 minutes of descending the narrow stairs, the group arrived in what resembled a natural cave. The width of the corridor increased enough to make it possible for 3 members to fight side by side.

    ¡°Without ¡¾Night Vision¡¿, we wouldn¡¯t be able to see even one mel ahead here.¡±

    Tiera spoke while looking at the corridor. She had removed her goggles to see how much would be normally visible.

    The miasma underground was thicker than above. To be safe, the group took another dose of the miracle drug.

    ¡°There are less monsters than expected, but is that normal when the miasma infection progresses?¡±

    Filma wondered out loud after the group had repelled several monster attacks.

    ¡°Dungeon monsters can¡¯t exactly reproduce, after all. Either new ones aren¡¯t born, or they turned into Chimeras, I guess?¡±

    Shin answered while searching the surroundings for any presence. It was just a theory, as there was the possibility for the monsters to be gathered in the lower floors, but Shin felt that it wasn¡¯t too different from normal dungeons.

    ¡°In any case, let¡¯s not lower our guards.¡±

    Shibaid spoke as he raised his shield and halberd to repel monsters that had charged towards the group.

    The path had reached a crossroads and the monsters had attempted a pincer attack on the party.

    The monsters that Shibaid knocked away were mackerel pike-like monsters with heads morphed into iron lumps, called Magnum Fish. Its level ranged from 600 to 650 and its greatest characteristic was its high speed. Many yers had experienced receivingrge damage by their charge attacks the first time they fought this monster.

    Magnum Fish had low defenses on all body parts other than their heads, so if the first strike was dodged or blocked, they became easy to neutralize. If the charge attack struck, however, rear guard Jobs with low defenses, such as Mages or Hunters, risked being knocked out in one blow.

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t even see them¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what they call a trap for first timers.¡±

    Shin had also been hit and sent spinning in mid-water his first time.

    ¡°With the skill ¡¾Insight¡¿, you can get a hunch that it¡¯sing though.¡±

    ¡°I barely have any skills that reinforce the senses¡­¡±

    Tiera had learned several skills, but they still counted up to less than a dozen. In order to avoid Magnum Fish attacks, she would have to somehow guess their trajectory or take cover in a ce with many objects to use as protection. If such methods didn¡¯t work, she could only rely on her intuition.

    ¡°Do not fret. As long as we stand, no monster will ever touch you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, you know you¡¯re in good hands with us around.¡±

    In a narrow corridor like the one the group was exploring, attacks could onlye from determined directions. Shibaid and Filma, the front guard, would not let anything pass them in such a situation.

    ¡°I will take the lead then.¡±

    Schnee, using her trap detection skills, examined the surroundings as she led the party forward.

    They were still in the upper floors, but Castle of the Depths was still a high-level dungeon. Because it was located underwater as well, the group had to proceed with caution.

    The biggest difference between dungeons above ground and underwater ones was the type of traps present.

    The whole passageway was filled with water, so it was difficult to dodge if the ceiling opened, sucking the yers in, or poisonous liquids were scattered all around. Sometimes it was also necessary to use the traps to go forward, so underwater dungeons had generally higher levels of difficulty than their above ground counterparts.

    ¡°No problem, it seems. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin talked to Schnee via Mind Chat. On the way, they found a trap that would freeze the water in the passageway for a set time, and Tiera groaned ¡°How are you supposed to dodge that¡­?¡±

    Any attacking monsters were crushed by Shibaid and Filma, as they had said they would. Usually Shibaid would attract the monsters¡¯ attention, luring them in one location, where Filma would cut them down all together.

    ¡ºRed Moon¡»¡¯s mes did not lose any power even underwater, thanks to ¡¾Enchant ¨C Mana Fire¡¿.

    What appeared to be roaring mes actually functioned just as a visual scare. They became effective only when they hit the opponent, shing and scorching them.

    Its effectiveness did not disappear after a set time, but after a certain number of uses, a condition perfect for Filma, who could K.O. any monster in a single stroke.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s a dead end ahead.¡±

    Schnee had returned from her inspection and mapping, shaking her head.

    Most high level or high profile dungeons had already been considerably mapped in the game era, but here, Castle of the Depths¡¯ map was -as expected-pletely nk.

    Because of that, the group was forced to re-do the mapping all over again.

    The Castle of the Depths was a wide dungeon, so even ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ could only scan half of one floor.

    When the path split, Shin and Schnee parted ways to explore both ways but, even then, it took time.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯ll be impossible to clear this in one sitting.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­well, normally it takes a few days to map a dungeon, so doing it as quickly as we did in Hinomoto is actually unusual.¡±

    Shin remembered how tough things were in the game era and reassured Filma, mentioning that things had gone almost too smoothly until now.

    In thest dungeons cleared by the party, Depths of Hellfire and Cadaver Realm, they had achieved their goals in one day, but those dungeons usually required several days to clear them.

    ¡°Should we set up a proper camp somewhere? In a ce like this, I wouldn¡¯t want to just sleep in a tent, honestly.¡±

    ¡°I understand all too well not wanting to rest in a ce filled with miasma like this. If we could teleport and leave it¡¯d be very different, but¡­¡±

    Shin had attempted before, but both mid-level teleport crystals used to escape dungeons and high-level ones used to leave from special areas, such as event fields, did not work at all.

    Shin had always tried in dungeons tainted by miasma, but was not sure if miasma was the reason or there was something else.

    ¡°Guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try. Gather here, everybody.¡±

    Teleport crystals transported all yers and monsters in a five mels radius from the user. In order to prevent the yer from fleeing via teleport when they were in a pinch, monsters were transported too.

    Even if a yer was registered in the party but was outside the range when the teleport crystal was used, they would be left behind.

    Shin made sure that everyone was within range and activated the teleport. The destination was the entrance to the Castle of the Depths, before the gate where he had ced the Three Sea Beasts¡¯ cards.

 Vol 11 Chapter 3.3: Chapter 3 Part 3

    ¡°¡­.It worked.¡±

    ¡°So it seems.¡±

    An instantter after activating the teleport magic sealed within the crystals, Schnee and Shin looked around andmented, a bit dumbfounded.

    They both thought that it wouldn¡¯t work. However, contrary to their expectations, the entrance gate of the castle now stood before them. They also checked the map, but there was no mistake.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Teleporting never worked before, right?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s rted to the fact that the dungeons are mixed together?¡±

    Filma and Shibaid wondered why teleporting worked in this instance. They had too little information to reach a conclusion though.

    ¡°What do we do now? Even if we reenter, I don¡¯t think we can get much farther. It should be getting prettyte too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know why we were able to teleport, but just knowing that we can is an aplishment in itself. We have the map, so we can reach our previous location with the shortest route possible. Let¡¯s call it a day.¡±

    Tiera had also performed the great feat of freeing the imprisoned souls, so it was preferable not to push her too much harder today.

    Shin materialized the magic-powered vessel from the item box and the whole party boarded it.

    They deactivated the equipment¡¯s underwater mode and decided to eat.

    The ship wasn¡¯t originally equipped with a kitchen, so Shin changed part of the structure and added a kitchen. He also created rooms for all members and a bath.

    ¡°This dungeon feels somewhat different than the ones we faced until now.¡±

    Schnee wondered aloud while watching the bubbling pots in the newly created kitchen.

    Tiera and Filma had gone to the bath with Yuzuha and Kagerou. Shibaid had left the kitchen, saying he was going to take a look at his room.

    Without anything else to do, Shin was just looking at Schnee cook. Her words intrigued him.

    ¡°Different how?¡±

    ¡°I feel¡­uneasy. I can¡¯t express it in words¡­I don¡¯t know what else I could say about it.¡±

    Schnee put a hand on her chest, a somber look on her face.

    ¡°It feels simr to¡­that time.¡±

    ¡°That time? What do you mean?¡±

    Schnee turned around and looked at him with a sad smile.

    ¡°Like when¡­I thought that you might note back anymore. It feels simr to the time when I thought about that.¡±

    ¡°I¡­?¡±

    Before Shin could ask anything else, Schnee came closer to him. She took his hand in hers and put it against her cheek.

    ¡°¡­this helps me calm down.¡±

    With silver hair, red eyes, and pale, evanescent skin, Schnee¡¯s appearance suggested a certain coldness, but the hand on her cheek was surely warm.

    ¡°Schnee¡­¡±

    ¡°While I was waiting for you, I thought that you might note back anymore¡­so many times. The thought that time will just go on like this, that I¡­that my feelings too will just die one day. On such days, I sometimes couldn¡¯t sleep until dawn.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know how to reply. Schnee¡¯s words, in a way, had be reality.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±

    After a brief silence, Schnee talked again.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve talked like this, I feel certain. That time, I felt like I was missing something¡­in the Castle of the Depths, I felt something simr.¡±

    ¡°Is that¡­so.¡±

    A feeling of loss.

    A feeling of powerlessness.

    Probably something like that.

    Why would Schnee feel something like that in the Castle of the Depths though?

    ¡°I¡­did?¡±

    Shin could be somehow connected to what Schnee felt.

    ¡°But I have no idea what it could be¡­?¡±

    ¡°I do not know either. Yet¡­¡±

    Schnee was probably thinking of something: she started talking, but stopped.

    ¡°Yet¡­what?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a possibility, but¡­in the Castle of the Depths, there might be something¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.something that leads to you going back.¡±

    Schnee hesitated in the middle of the sentence, and continued while looking down.

    ¡°¡­I see, that¡¯s what you meant.¡±

    Shin could now understand. There was no need to think about what could be the cause behind her feeling of loss.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    Shin stood up and grabbed Schnee¡¯s hand. Because it was him, she did not put up any resistance.

    ¡°Ehm, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Even if we find something rted to how I can go back, I¡¯m not going to disappear right away. Besides¡­I know it might sound unfair to say it now, but I am thinking that it might be nice to stay here too.¡±

    ¡°!? Do you¡­really mean it!?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s expression was almost nk, but now changedpletely. She grabbed Shin¡¯s shoulders and stared at him straight in his eyes.

    ¡°Yes, I do. Anyway, people like me usually can¡¯t go back.¡±

    If he had been summoned on the basis of a solid theory and technology, there might be the possibility to go back.

    Shin had been transported to the new world in iprehensible circumstances, however: believing that he could somehow go back was kind of too convenient.

    Thest thing that Shin saw was a gate opening. It was a situation that was impossible in a game, something he couldn¡¯t understand at all.

    ¡°By this, I don¡¯t mean that¡­h-hey, Schnee!?¡±

    Shin was scratching his cheek, meaning to say that it wasn¡¯t just an excuse, but he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Clear tears were streaming down Schnee¡¯s cheeks.

    ¡°Sch-Schnee!? Are you okay!?¡±

    Shin, not expecting her to cry, was a bit shaken.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Hearing you say that made me even happier than I thought¡­¡±

    Schnee smiled while wiping her tears. Shin¡¯s chest hurt at such a sight.

    It was true that he thought that he could stay. It was not something he decided he would do no matter what, however.

    Putting aside the fact if he could actually go back or not, his desire to go back to his former world and his feelings towards Schnee were shing within his heart, making sparks fly.

    ¡°Please do not make such a face. Just knowing that there is a chance is good news for me. It will make such feelings even stronger.¡±

    Schnee probably felt what Shin was thinking about and smiled at him, traces of tears on her face. It was a smile brighter than Shin had ever seen.

    ¡°Schnee¡­you¡¯re tough.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I am the maiden that fell in love with you, after all!¡±

    ¡°O-oh. Of course.¡±

    After being impressed for an instant, Shin was disoriented by Schnee¡¯s very direct deration.

    ¡°W-well, I think the pot has boiled enough. Could you please go call Filma and the others? I¡¯m sure they must havee out of the bath.¡±

    Embarrassed because of her maiden in love statement, Schnee blushed.

    Shin nodded to her and headed towards the corridor. It was then that he finally noticed the two pair of eyes looking at them.

    ¡°¡­.hey. Since when have you been there?¡±

    The eyes belonged to Filma and Shibaid. Both were peeking inside the dining room from the corridor.

    It was normal for Filma, but seeing Shibaid poke just his face in the dining room, while hiding the rest of his body in the corridor, was kind of surreal.

    ¡°Enough to catch all the good parts!¡±

    ¡°Indeed. More precisely, if I were to re-enact it¡­¡±Please, don¡¯t worry.¡±.¡±

    Shibaid then embraced Filma. Filma then answered with a dramatic motion.

    ¡°Ehm, Shin?¡±

    ¡°Even if we find somet¡ª¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop the yyyyyy!!!!!¡±

    Shin screamed.

    They had seen everything since that!

    ¡°You two were SO much in your little world that you didn¡¯t even notice us¡­I¡¯m almost jealous.¡±

    ¡°Just say if you¡¯re there!!¡±

    ¡°In that situation? It would have been quite inconsiderate.¡±

    ¡°Watching is even more inconsiderate!!¡±

    Shin turned towards Schnee, seeking help, but she was staring intently at the pot, pretending not to hear anything.

    She had heard everything, though. Her glowing red ears were proof enough.

    ¡°Ehm¡­did something happen?¡±

    The dining room was very chaotic until Tiera arrived, with Yuzuha and Kagerou in tow, and asked what was going on.

 Vol 11 Chapter 4.1: Chapter 4 Part 1

    The following day, Shin¡¯s party was once again standing before the gate to the Castle of the Depths .

    ¡°I¡¯d sure love to be done with this ce today . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Let¡¯s proceed while keeping time loss to a minimum . ¡±

    Probably because of what happened the day before, Schnee looked less concerned and more eager .

    All party members agreed with her; Filma and Shibaid looked in better shape than usual too .

    ¡°¡­ . hey, Shin . Are you really sure that nothing happened yesterday, before I arrived?¡±

    ¡°I exined already, didn¡¯t I? That we might find something rted to me . ¡±

    ¡°But despite that, aren¡¯t master and Filma acting kind of weird?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so . Really . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . very suspicious¡­¡±

    Under Tiera¡¯s inquisitive stare, Shin was in a cold sweat, trying his best to control his facial expressions .

    He had already told Tiera about what Schnee had felt . He couldn¡¯t tell her, however, that he had also hugged Schnee and made her cry . Shin also wanted to forget about the fact that Filma and Shibaid had been watching .

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to ask anymore¡­but don¡¯t hide really important things from me, okay? I told you about my biggest secret after all . ¡±

    ¡°I know, and I told you about the most important part . There¡¯s something that Schnee seems to feel, but the others don¡¯t . I don¡¯t either . Can you feel something peculiar other than the miasma, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°With all the miasma, I feel that my other senses are dulled, but¡­well, now that you mention it, other than feeling worried, I feel like¡­there¡¯s something pulling me? Something like that, but just vaguely¡­¡±

    Tiera spoke while looking at the miasma lightly swaying beyond the gate .

    Shin trusted Tiera¡¯s sharp senses, so he found her mention of feeling something pulling at her a bit strange .

    ¡°Schnee feels like I might disappear, but you feel something pulling at you . Hmm¡­¡±

    If Shin was the one being pulled, Schnee¡¯s sensation would be more realistic, but Tiera said that she felt like she was the one being pulled .

    Shin couldn¡¯t make anything of it yet .

    ¡°It¡¯s pointless to simply worry about it here . We¡¯ll know if we go . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed, that is the only way . ¡±

    Shin was deep in thought, his head cocked to one side, but Filma and Shibaid prodded him . Thinking about it wouldn¡¯t lead to any answers .

    ¡°Right, we¡¯ll just go and see what happens . ¡±

    Just like the day before, the group used the¡ºMiracle Drug of Holy Skies¡»and entered the castle .

    Using the map, they proceeded quickly up to a certain point: then Shin and Schnee split up to explore and fill the remaining nk portions of the map, all the while maintainingmunication via Mind Chat .

    During the exploration of the dungeon, Schnee was the first one to notice something unusual .

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any Chimeras . ¡±

    ¡°Right¡­we¡¯re already pretty far into the dungeon, this doesn¡¯t feel right . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t find any miasma-infected monsters either . With this much miasma filling the dungeon, it¡¯s  strange that the monsters are unaffected . ¡±

    The group was already past the midpoint of the dungeon, but had not yet encountered any monsters possessed or infected by miasma: Shin couldn¡¯t rule it out as just their imagination anymore .

    Except for the miasma hanging heavily throughout, the dungeon seemed absolutely normal .

    ¡°I guess this is different than all the dungeons we¡¯ve explored before . Could that also be the reason why Schnee and Tiera feel something out of the ordinary?¡±

    ¡°It could be . Trypophobia¡¯s bizarre disy too could have been the product of something other than miasma . ¡±

    Even if affected by miasma, the ¡¾Analyse¡¿disy had never looked bugged before .

    Shin thought that the transformation from a game into reality might be a reason for the strange behavior .

    Judging from the condition of the dungeon¡¯s monsters however, there was a considerable chance that something other than miasmay in wait .

    ¡°Did something like this happen before?¡±

    ¡°No, I cannot recall anything of the sort . ¡±

    Shibaid shook his head in response to Filma¡¯s question .

    Schnee, Tiera, and of course, Shin shook their heads as well .

    ¡°I thought something had happened while I was sleeping, but it looks like that¡¯s not the case . Anyway, we can just go on and see, huh . It¡¯s starting to feel like going to face a boss we¡¯ve never fought before . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, now that you mention it, that¡¯s it . ¡±

    Filma shrugged and Shin agreed with her assessment . The current situation wasn¡¯tpletely the same, but prior to facing a boss for the first time he would also think about how it would act or what type of enemy it would be . The only way to know was to fight .

    Filma¡¯s conclusion was not far from the truth .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we have to find the route to the boss chamber today . ¡±

    The party advanced deeper in the dungeon . Now well past the middle point, they descended to what they supposed was the lower area of the dungeon ¡ª if Shin¡¯s memory was correct .  They could not detect any changes in the monsters they encountered though .

    Just like the upper and middle areas, miasma leaked from the walls and floor .

    Shin and Schnee led, followed by the rest of the party . Progress was time consuming, but they were not hindered by obstacles like the Trypophobia .

    After descending the stairs to yet another floor, Shin¡¯s group faced arge, 5 mels tall, 4 mels wide door, intricately adorned with gorgeous, pompous decorations .

    ¡°This is¡­ice?¡±

    The door, probably leading to Ishkar¡¯s throne room, was covered by transparent crystal . Shin touched it warily and felt a cool sensation .

    ¡°Should we try to melt it?¡±

    ¡°No, it already took plenty of time to arrive here . Let¡¯s go inside tomorrow . ¡±

    Considering who they were going to face, Shin prioritized keeping everyone¡¯s condition in top form .

    The group teleported to the dungeon¡¯s entrance with a crystal and rested in the magic-powered vessel . The next day, after making sure that no one was feeling unwell, they quickly navigated to the majestic door they had stopped at the day before .

 Vol 11 Chapter 4.2: Chapter 4 Part 2

    ¡°Let¡¯s melt the ice first. Shibaid, put up a barrier, just in case.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin stood in front of the frozen gate and activated a basic me-type Magic skill ¡¾Fireball¡¿. Instead of releasing it as an attack, he held it in front of the door to melt the ice.

    Shattering the ice by force was also an option, but identally hitting the door might cause something unexpected to happen, so Shin decided to proceed with caution.

    Keeping a ball of fire alive deep underwater was in itself a strange thing, nevertheless that was but a type of miracle granted by the mysterious power of magic.

    Little by little, the heat emitted by the fireball melted the ice, which covered the door as if to seal it.

    ¡°I expected as much¡­this isn¡¯t normal ice.¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Fireball¡¿ was easily over 1000 degrees, so ordinary ice would havepletely disappeared in a sh.

    The ice covering the door, however, melted extremely slowly even with the ball of fire touching it. At this rate, it would take hours topletely vanish.

    ¡°It might have something to do with the miasma¡­let¡¯s try ¡¾Purification¡¿.¡±

    Shin stopped ¡¾Fireball¡¿ and activated ¡¾Purification¡¿, but there was no visible change to the situation.

    ¡°The surroundings are filled with miasma, but only this door isn¡¯t? I guess I just have to increase the firepower then.¡±

    Shin activated one of the most powerful me skills he possessed, the me-type Magic skill ¡¾re Wall¡¿. This high-level me skill created a wall of fire in one spot. It couldn¡¯t be moved, but emanated enough heat that the target would suffer damage even wearing fire-resistant equipment.

    Shin created ¡¾re Wall¡¿ right in front of the door, so its heat was in direct contact with the ice. Maybe because of the higher temperature, the ice started melting much faster than when it was subjected to ¡¾Fireball¡¿¡¯s heat. Even so, it would still take considerable time.

    ¡°Let me do it too.¡±

    Schnee created a ¡¾re Wall¡¿ herself. While not at Shin¡¯s level, Schnee too had reached high proficiency in martial and magic skills.

    Wall-type skills became more powerful if cast in multiples, so Schnee added hers to Shin¡¯s.

    ¡°The melting speed isn¡¯t changing.¡±

    ¡°We definitely have more firepower now, though¡±

    Despite the clear increase in firepower, the ice wasn¡¯t melting any faster than when only Shin was casting the skill.

    ¡°Try using some other skill.¡±

    Following Shin¡¯s proposal, Schnee tried casting other me-type skills. None of them seemed to be effective, however.

    ¡°What could this mean?¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯m apparently connected somehow to this ce, only my magic works? Tiera, could you try too, just to be sure?¡±

    Tiera said that she felt pulled by something, so Shin thought that her magic could have some effect.

    All of Tiera¡¯s me-type magic spells were Arts. Their power was far lower than Skills, so it was hardly likely for them to have a significant effect on the ice that not even Shin¡¯s magic power could melt quickly. Shin asked her to try, nheless, to be sure.

    ¡°Here goes nothing!¡±

    Tiera held a hand towards the ice cover and casted ¡¾Fire Wall¡¿, right next to the door, just like Shin had done. Being the same me-type magic skill, firepower should increase, if only slightly.

    Tiera¡¯s ¡¾Fire Wall¡¿, however, instead of merging with Shin¡¯s ¡¾re Wall¡¿, was repelled by it and vanished.

    ¡°It should be possible to use Skills and Arts together, though¡­¡±

    Schnee had sessfully attempted it before, so she was puzzled by this development.

    ¡°Should I try putting out my ¡¾re Wall¡¿?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should. Even if my Art was effective then, there¡¯s too much of a difference in firepower between us. I think that our abilities are just too different.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s supposition was very usible. It would take too much time to test every little possibility, so they decided to simply wait for Shin¡¯s skill to do its work.

    ¡°It¡¯s taking more time than expected, huh.¡±

    ¡°Anyone or anything inside has already noticed us, that¡¯s for sure. I only hope that Ishkar is still holding on.¡±

    Filma and Shibaid exchanged words while watching Shin melt the frozen door.

    There was the chance, as it had happened with Trypophobia, for miasma to suddenly burst from beyond the door, so they kept alert.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like we can be too hopeful.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°Do you feel anything, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°I feel all my senses overwhelmed by the presence of miasma. But¡­it feels strange, somehow.¡±

    Tiera replied that she couldn¡¯t tell what was inside the room, because of the miasma¡¯s thickness.

    Maybe because she already had several encounters with miasma, however, she felt that the miasma tainting this dungeon was different than her other experiences.

    ¡°In what way is it different?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to put into words¡­the miasma I sensed until now felt like it was a fusion of many kinds of malice and ill will. Not a firm conscience like a person might have, but something ambiguous and indefinite, like it was hollow inside.¡±

    That was the reason why miasma had different effects on different people, she added.

    ¡°Hmm¡­thus do monsters be more feral under its influence because they are affected by its more aggressive side?¡±

    ¡°Probably. I don¡¯t know how it is with Chimeras and Demons, though.¡±

    Tiera concurred with Shibaid¡¯s theory, though she wasn¡¯t absolutely sure.

    ¡°Hearing you that say that makes me think that what they say is actually true¡­as long as there is a man, there will be miasma.¡±

    There were creatures with high intellect even among monsters, but their numbers could not bepared with humans¡¯. It was natural to think that man was the source of malice.

    ¡°Negative emotions are born easily, it¡¯s true. They can be also reduced, however. Man does not possess only negative emotions.¡±

    Shibaid voiced a somewhat grand-sounding rebuttal to Filma¡¯s words.

    Among the party members present, Shibaid was the one who had participated in the greatest number of battles to the death, so he was well acquainted with the malice and hostility that men could harbor. Maybe because of this, he wanted to believe in the goodwill that man could also possess.

    ¡°If monsters are born from ill will, it would be nice if something like a protector was born from goodwill¡­¡±

    Filmained that if there were creatures opposite to Demons, things could be very different. Next to her, Shibaid replied,pletely serious:

    ¡°I agree with you, but I suppose it means that we have to do something about that ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I guess we got a bit off topic¡­anyway, Tiera, you said the miasma here feels different, but what makes you think that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only something I feel, so I can¡¯t say for sure, but the miasma corrupting this dungeon feels like it has a strong will. I don¡¯t know what exactly that is, though.¡±

    ¡°Could it be that a Demon is about to be born? A will born from malice could be an even stronger mass of ill will.¡±

    Shibaid tried to guess what the cause could be, his guard always up. Filma nodded as well.

    ¡°I agree, this can¡¯t be good¡­what do you think, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­it¡¯s only something I feel, after all. But it seems different from malice. At least, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a Demon.¡±

    Tiera added that she had sensed something different in the presence of Demons.

    Shin thought about Tiera¡¯s words, while continuing to cast ¡¾re Wall¡¿.

    ¡°Something other than a Demon¡­¡±

    ¡°Could Ishkar have turned into an Invader because of the miasma?¡±

    ¡°The possibility is there. Ishkar was never the type of monster to go on a rampage. Like Yuzuha and the merpeople said, it was like the guardian of these parts too. It probably has a bad affinity with miasma¡­if it¡¯s resisting it, the emotions it projects would not be only born from malice, I suppose.¡±

    Shin¡¯s prediction was born also from his wish for Ishkar to be still resisting.

    ¡°Well then, we¡¯ve made all sorts of theories, but now it¡¯s time to find out the truth.¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾re Wall¡¿ had melted away most of the ice. There were no locks or traps. All that was left was to push the door open.

    ¡°Shibaid and I will open the door first. The rest depends on the situation inside.¡±

    Shin had already formted a basic strategy, estimating the situation inside. Everyone nodded to his words.

    ¡°Here we go!¡±

    Shin pushed the door open.

    Differently from the royal chambers where the group fought Trypophobia, there was no sudden st of miasma this time.

    ¡°First off, ¡¾Purification¡¿.¡±

    The interior of the room was abnormally dark: even with ¡¾Night Vision¡¿, it was barely possible to see anything.

    Behind Shibaid, who cautiously held his shield high, Shin and Schnee activated ¡¾Purification¡¿. The lights born from their palms vanished in the darkness.

    ¡°Eh¡­what¡­?¡±

    An exmation of surprise and confusion escaped Tiera¡¯s lips.

    The reason was clear enough. In the space where the miasma cleared, something she had not expected appeared.

    ¡°That must be Ishkar.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Judging from its appearance, it has not turned into an Invader.¡±

    Shin and Schnee understood right away that the giant creature they saw beyond the door was Ishkar.

    Ishkar¡¯s torso was as much as 5-mels thick in the part nearest to its head. Because of this, looking at it from Tiera¡¯s position ¡ª a few steps away from the door ¡ª it looked like there was a wall just beyond the door.

    ¡°So that¡¯s¡­Ishkar¡­¡±

    Shin and Schnee reacted calmly. Behind them though, Tiera audibly swallowed.

    Ishkar, one of the monsters who had reached the apex, level 1000.

    With an appearance simr to an eastern dragon, it moved through the water by twisting its long and narrow body.

    Two pairs of blue eyes gleamed on its head, while crystal-like horns sprouted from its sides. The ws on its limbs could easily tear through steel. Its rock hard scales, colored blue, would be difficult to damage with average weapons.

    Its enormous body, however, was its most dangerous characteristic. There were countless reports of it swallowing several yers in one fell swoop.

    Also because of the treacherous underwater field, it was the first monster that usually came to mind first when thinking about bosses difficult to defeat.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go closer to its face. Keep your guard up.¡±

    The part of the monster¡¯s torso before Shin and the party seemed to be the upper one, the part closest to its head.

    Beyond the previously frozen door was not a throne room, but a bizarrely vast expanse. Its depth seemed to extend even farther than 100 or 200 mels.

    If such arge room, without a single pir, was built above ground, it would surely crumble. Considering that it had to allow Ishkar to move, however, made it seem small somehow.

    Making sure to be ready to cast defense skills whenever needed, Shin and his party kept rising up. Ishkar¡¯s face was more or less 100 mels from the ceiling.

    Shin could only see the side of the monster¡¯s face, but it looked just like he remembered.

    ¡°¡­.!!¡±

    As the party was slowly nearing the monster¡¯s head, Ishkar¡¯s eyes suddenly moved. It was difficult to tell due to theirck of irises, but the deep blue orbs were definitely focused on Shin¡¯s party.

    Shin noticed that Tiera, behind him, stiffened up.

    (Okay, what are you going to do now¡­?)

    Shin whispered to himself, without speaking a word aloud.

    Ishkar¡¯s level being as high as 1000, he could tell that not only Tiera, but also Schnee and the others were tense.

    They were prepared. If Shin fought with his limiters removed, it would be difficult for them to lose.

    But even then, the possibility of one of the members dying was not zero. That¡¯s how much of an opponent Ishkar could be.

    ¡º¡­..HIgH hUmAn.¡»

    ¡°!!!¡±

    As the group carefully observed Ishkar¡¯s movements, a voice like the sound of a gong reverberated through the room.

    Yes, a voice. The echo made it difficult to understand it, but the sound that reached the ears of Shin and his party clearly showed signs of intelligence.

    ¡°You¡¯re conscious?¡±

    ¡°To tHinK¡­tHaT oNe wOuLd aPpEaR bEFoRe mE. WHaT I feLT wHeN sEAlinG tHE MiASma¡­wAs YOuR poWEr.¡±

    Ishkar did not answer Shin¡¯s question. It continued its monologue, as if it couldn¡¯t hear Shin¡¯s words.

    ¡°ReMovE tHE dOLls. I sHaLl dO No HaRm to THoSe bORn In THis wOrLD. OnLy pLAyeRS cAN Be mY eNEmY.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying? Hey! Can¡¯t you hear me?¡±

    ¡°ThE pOWeR tHAt DeVouRS eVEn mIaSMa¡­NoT eVEn I cAN bESt iT. ¡ª¡ª-hIGh HuMan. If YoU oPPoSe A rETuRn aGAinSt YouR WiLl¡­sLAy Me.¡±

    Ishkar did not answer Shin, until the end.

    Shin found the mention of an existence other than miasma especially puzzling. The wordsstly spoken by Ishkar, however, made him forget everything about that.

    ¡°Hey!! What do you mean by¡ª¡±

    As if in answer to Shin¡¯s half-spoken question, the door mmed shut. At the same time, Ishkar¡¯s body started emanating energy ¡ª enough to make the very atmosphere tremble.

    ¡°Nngh, as expected of a monster standing above all others¡­what pressure¡­!¡±

    Shibaid, who was standing in front of the group as the shield, frowned. The energy, released in all directions, was Ishkar¡¯s ¡¾Wave of the Monster Lord¡¿, the skill it unleashed at the start of each battle.

    Shibaid managed to block it with an attack-mitigating barrier, but if he hadn¡¯t used the barrier, it was likely that all members except Shin would have been unable to move for a while.

    Monsters above level 950 could use attacks that blew through the defenses of status immunity essories. In that case, whether the wearer is affected by negative statuses depends on their stats, the essory¡¯s rank and the rank of the skill cast.

    ¡°Even with Shibaid¡¯s barrier, that gave me goosebumps.¡±

    Filma¡¯s grip tightened on her ¡ºRed Moon¡» as she looked at Ishkar.

    ¡°Are you frightened?¡±

    ¡°Not a chance! My blood¡¯s burning!¡±

    Schnee and Filma encouraged each other.

    Ishkar was slowly turning towards Shin¡¯s group, showing clear hostility. Its pressure was powerful enough than even Schnee and others would be slowed down if they didn¡¯t focus.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    ¡°Guruu!!¡±

    Next to Tiera, Yuzuha and Kagerou were also in a battle-ready stance. The opponent was above them in rank, but even so they had not lost the will to fight.

    Tiera, standing between them, looked straight at Ishkar, her expression stiff.

    ¡°Schnee, everyone, focus on support. The rest is as we nned!¡±

    Shin gave his directions and leapt in the middle of ¡¾Wave of the Monster Lord¡¿.

    ¡¾Wave of the Monster Lord¡¿sted 20 seconds. In the game, Ishkar would not attack during that time. It was not something they could absolutely count on, however.

    With every ¡¾Limiter¡¿ removed, Shin exceeded in stats any other creature in that world; it was not currently possible for him to be affected by negative statuses.

    He was still wary of the possibility that the enemy could attack during those 20 seconds.

    ¡°¡ª-¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡±

    Something close to, but slightly different than a roar came out of Ishkar¡¯s mouth. It was a type of chant, which could not be heard as intelligible words to the group¡¯s ears.

    Before the eyes of Shin and his party, the seawater filling the room started to change. It waspressed in an instant, then shot at a speed invisible to human eyes.

    In one second, countless des of water were formed and shot at the party, each one sharp enough to slice Legend-grade equipment in one sh.

    ¡°¡¾Ice Maelstrom¡¿! ¡±

    ¡°¡¾Vortex sh¡¿! ¡±

    Schnee and Filma countered the water des targeting the party with their own skills.

    A whirlpool of ice shards extended from Schnee¡¯s palm. Then electricity drawn by ¡ºRed Moon¡»¡¯s sh ran through the water, as if chasing after the whirlpool. Filma¡¯s thunderboltsbined with Schnee¡¯s ice whirlpool, amplifying its power and area of effect.

    Ishkar¡¯s water des shed head on against the giant whirlpool formed by thebination of Filma and Schnee¡¯s skills.

    The water des ground and cracked, as did the ice crackling with electricity. After several seconds of shing, Filma and Schnee¡¯sbination attack emerged victorious.

    Schnee and Filma had not destroyed all water des, but only those directed at them. The result was thus not mutual destruction, but more like a breakthrough.

    ¡°Good thing we prepared in advance.¡±

    ¡°Yes, now we can be more versatile strategically.¡±

    The skill used by Schnee and Filma did not have a particr name as abination skill.

    Even so,bining two skills boosted their power and effectiveness.

    In the game, even if two skills not meant to bebined were used together, there was no change in their effects.

    In this world, however, it was impossible for skills not to influence each other.

    Despite being created by the mysterious force called magic, skills manifested as physical phenomena. Some thought that they had to affect each other someway, and the effects of suchbinations had been researched and proven.

    There were few opportunities of testing it inbat, but Shin¡¯s group had tried all sorts ofbinations whenever they had the chance.

    The whirlpool of ice and electricity broke through the barrage of water des and collided with Ishkar¡¯s torso. The ice shards shattered the monster¡¯s scales, the electricity enveloping them seared its flesh.

    The whirlpool had lost power after breaking through the water des, but still managed to inflict damage.

    The problem was that, because of Ishkar¡¯s massive body, the wound was simply a small singed area. It would have been different if the attack was powerful enough to pierce the sea dragon¡¯s body, but a superficial burn could not slow down its movements.

    ¡°As expected, an attack like that can only scratch its skin.¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave that to Shin.¡±

    Their goal was to deflect Ishkar¡¯s attack in the first ce. To hope to do more against Ishkar would have been arrogant, even for Schnee and the others.

    ¡°Wooooohhh!!!¡±

    Shin mustered his fighting spirit and swung ¡ºMoonless¡». For him, Ishkar¡¯srge body was a huge target impossible to miss.

    ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯ de drew an arc, which extended in a 6-mels long crimson de. It was the first step of a skill that unleashed shes with seven des, one for each element.

    Octa-elementalposite skill, ¡¾Seven Radiant des¡¿.

    The deep red de that tore through ¡¾Wave of the Monster Lord¡¿ as it advanced was the incandescent me-elemental sh. Now that Shin had removed the upper limiter on his stats, his shes could cut through Ishkar¡¯s scales and flesh in one stroke, leaving a deep wound on the monster¡¯s torso.

    ¡°One more!¡±

    Shin readied his weapon again, to perform the next sh.The de was now formed by arge mass of sand. The katana, now a light brown color, was swung as if tracing the burning wound on the monster¡¯s body.

    Ishkar, however, would not allow itself to be attacked without dodging or defending.

    The seawater rumbled and covered the surface of Ishkar¡¯s twisting and winding body.

    A de of sand and an armor of seawater. The sh of the two ended with the de emerging victorious.

    An attack made of sand might not sound too dangerous normally, but the sand forming Shin¡¯s de was anything but normal. It could vibrate and move at high speed. Thanks to the power of magic, its movements defied thews of physics, boosting its cutting power higher than a mere saw de, but also any Ancient-grade weapon.

    The sand de thus sliced through the seawater armor as if through butter, carving many more wounds on Ishkar¡¯s body. With each sh, the sand also attached to the monster¡¯s body, erging the wounds.

    This attack¡¯s gradually increasing damage made it even nastier than being burned by fire.

    Ishkar had twisted its body to avoid the shes, so it had only suffered flesh wounds until now. Shin¡¯s offensive, however, was far from over.

    ¡°You won¡¯t let me have my way, huh?¡±

    As if the battle until now was nothing but a warm-up, Ishkar moved away from Shin at extremely high speed. The monster¡¯s huge body did not mean that its movements were sluggish. If it moved at high speed in water, the generated currents would affect even the movements of Shin¡¯s party.

    ¡°If I use my full abilities, I get this weird feeling of omnipotence¡­¡±

    Shin focused strength on his legs and kicked the water. His body then elerated forward, as if he had kicked a solid object.

    The water currents generated by Ishkar would make it difficult to swim straight even for a Chosen One, but Shin advanced as if slicing through them with his body.

    The third sh, a de of ice covered by white mist, was ready to be swung at Shin¡¯s side.

    Ishkar sted a burning hot beam towards the approaching Shin. It was a massive heat barrage,rge enough topletely engulf Shin¡¯s body.

    Shin countered it head on, swinging the Skill-boosted ¡ºMoonless¡» right on the middle.

    His explosive advance was halted, but his body remained unscathed.

    The monster¡¯s burning beam was cleanly cut in two halves by the white mist on Shin¡¯s katana, changing directions to his left and right sides.

    ¡°Haha, that was easy!¡±

    Shin cheered, his hands powerfully gripping the de¡¯s hilt.

    ¡ºMoonless¡» once again drew an arc, freezing the surrounding seawater. The following instant, a freezing storm started blowing towards Ishkar, like a waterfall ready to devour the monster¡¯s burning beam.

    Ishkar saw the iing attack and stopped releasing the heat beam, twisting its body away from Shin¡¯s attack. The monster emitted lightning attacks from its horns in retaliation, but Shin swept them away with his now lightning-d ¡ºMoonless¡».

    ¡°¡ª¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡±

    A low growl escaped Ishkar¡¯s mouth. Shin had learned the dragon¡¯s attack patterns, but it could have new strategies in this world. Shin realized this and decided to observe what the monster would do next.

    The wary Shin was then attacked from all directions.

    The seawater around him started moving, all at the same time. It changed into 1-mel spheres, upying a 50 mels radius all around Shin.

    It was one of Ishkar¡¯s skills, ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿.

    The ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿ water spheres,pletely filling Shin¡¯s field of view, were then struck by Ishkar¡¯s lightning attack.

    It was not the same yellow lightning that Shin had swept away before, but light blue bolts that came in contact with the spheres and changed directions, just like rays of light deflected by water.

    The sphere-shaped seawater served not only to trap Shin, but also to conduct the lightning bolts.

    The bolts, passing through several spheres, arrived very close to Shin¡¯s position.

    ¡°Now this is something I¡¯ve never seen before.¡±

    The lightning split in two in front of Shin¡¯s eyes and passed by him. Several secondster, some of the spheres were cleaved in two as well, turning back to seawater.

    The bolts had been sliced by the invisible de extending from ¡ºMoonless¡», a de of wind. Someone with good eyesight could probably see that, near ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯ tip, part of the scenery appeared distorted.

    ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿ was a skill that affected the target¡¯s surroundings, but causing no damage itself. It was thus obviously possible to move.

    After ¡ºMoonless¡» was swung, the wind de disappeared and was reced by a pitch ck one. Shin confirmed the change with a nce and held the sword high.

    ¡°Shaah!!¡±

    The darkness-colored katana swung down. The sixth de¡¯s effect was to negate all magic, causing all the water spheres in the de¡¯s path to vanish.

    ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿, an attack meant to gradually shave the target¡¯s life down to nothing, was powerless before the ck de¡¯s negation of magic. This result affected the surroundings as well. The ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿ in front of Shin too hadpletely disappeared.

    Lastly, ¡ºMoonless¡» morphed into the skill¡¯s final sh, a de of light. Shin held it firmly and quickly moved through the now open space.

    Ishkar too had probably noticed the opening carved into ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿.

    Even with Shin¡¯s high magic resistance, however, he could not simply break through the ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿ released by a level 1000 monster. He went on forward, however, despite the danger.

    Shin couldn¡¯t see past ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿¡¯s spheres, so he used the map and presence detection to proceed while avoiding them.

    As soon as he finally managed to exit ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿¡¯s area of effect, Ishkar¡¯s ws were brought down towards him.

    Shin drew ¡ºMoonless¡» closer and used it to protect the left side of his body.

    Ishkar¡¯s attack sent Shin flying. Witnessing this, Schnee and the rest of the party each inhaled sharply. In the game, a direct attack like that would surely drop the target¡¯s HP gauge to the red zone.

    ¡°Just as expected¡­guess I really have to thank these cheat-like Gifts I got!!¡±

    Because of Shin¡¯s boosted stats and the bonuses provided by his equipment, however, his HP decreased by less than 10%. One reason was the small damage received, but his total HP was also more than double the original amount. As long as he properly defended, it would be no problem even if he received several attacks.

    Before Shin shouted, the light de from his katana pierced Ishkar¡¯s eyes.

    The greatest characteristic of the de of light was its length, extending over 100 mels. It could not affect its surroundings like the de of darkness, so it could be said that the de just literally grew longer.

    Most yers took advantage of this to perform a wide-range sweep, but its greatest power was drawn out when thrusting.

    The tip of the de was aimed straight forward. An attack a few cemels wide, very few mels high, that covered an extreme distance in an instant. Even for Shin and the party, avoiding it would be a very difficult feat.

    Naturally, Ishkar could not, since its eyes were one of the monster¡¯s very few weak points. The de of light stabbed them, extending as far as it could, finally piercing through Ishkar¡¯s skull.

    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¨D¨D!?!¡±

    Even Ishkar could not help bellowing in pain after being gouged by the de. The result was just a scream of pain because, thanks to its massive body, the de was too small to cause instant death.

    Not unleashing an attack in all directions immediately, however, was a fatal mistake for Ishkar.

    In the small timeframe of its pained scream, it lost sight of Shin.

    The piercing de of light disappeared. When Ishkar¡¯s eyes caught Shin again, he was now wielding ¡ºMoonless¡» with his left hand, while his right was clenched in a fist.

    Ishkar noticed that Shin¡¯s silhouette was enveloped in a faint purple light, different from the aura of physical boosts.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can survive even with your head blown off?¡±

    Shin hadn¡¯t noticed his physical change. His fist crashed into Ishkar¡¯s lightless eyes.

    Barehanded-type Martial skill,¡¾Shiden ¨C Zekka¡¿.

    One of the most powerful barehanded skills erupted from Shin¡¯s right fist.

    Ishkar¡¯s eye, already pierced by the de of light, ruptured and burst. An instantter, the monster¡¯s cranium swelled.

    The sheer power unleashed in Ishkar¡¯s head ravaged its insides and took the dragon¡¯s life. Ishkar¡¯s HP gauge hit zero instantly.

    The power let loose by Shin¡¯s fist, however, was not content with simply destroying the dragon¡¯s head.

    A few seconds after Ishkar¡¯s head started swelling, the monster¡¯s skull could not withstand the damage anymore and exploded. The released power traveled through the seawater and reached as far as Schnee and the rest of the party.

    Having lost everything above its neck, Ishkar¡¯s massive body gradually lost its strength. From the wound supposed to be spraying blood, a blue vapor-like substance emanated instead.

 Vol 11 Chapter 4.3: Chapter 4 Part 3

    ¡°Hey, Schnee¡­isn¡¯t Shin acting kind of weird?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Shin swung the ice de towards Ishkar . Unable to keep it in anymore, Filma asked for Schnee¡¯s opinion .

    Schnee did not answer . Her grip on ¡ºBlue Moon¡»¡¯s hilt tightened .

    There was no need for questions, she already knew the answer .

    Ishkar had started fighting with Shin, and Shin only: it was like it did not even acknowledge the existence of Schnee and the rest of the party .

    While Shin had tried not to get them involved, it was more than clear that the dragon actively not attacking them .

    Finding the battle a good opportunity, Shin fought with his limiters off, but his current style of fighting was kind of different from the one that Schnee was familiar with .

    Regardless of how high Shin¡¯s stats were, his party members were unable to determine precisely how strong he was . No one knew how powerful of an enemy he could fight by himself, what kind of enemy could match him, or what kind of enemy could be superior to him .

    More than his offense, Schnee was worried about his defense . The only way to actually know was to be attacked, so even if they could make predictions, there was no way of knowing how much he could withstand .

    Shin¡¯s current way of fighting, however, did not suggest that he was sparing much thought to his defense .

    ¡°This is bizarre¡­for Shin tough while fighting such a battle . ¡±

    Following Filma¡¯s question, Shibaid expressed his doubts too . His shield high, he still kept his guard up, but his gaze followed Shin, not Ishkar .

    ¡°Kuu, something, strange . ¡±

    Yuzuha watched Shin with furrowed brows . Kagerou likewise cried in agreement .

    ¡°This is strange . I can¡¯t feel any miasmaing from Ishkar!¡±

    Tiera, who had been focusing on trying to purify the miasma, as she had done against Trypophobia, suddenly raised her voice, slightly panicked .

    Schnee¡¯s expression turned sour .

    She was also capable of detecting miasma, to a degree . Based on the density of the miasma corrupting the dungeon, it was impossible that its boss, Ishkar, was unaffected .

    Watching the battle Schnee and the rest of the party thought that Ishkar had weakened or could not move anymore, due to having sealed the miasma . If not, it would have lost to the miasma and turned into an Invader .

    Despite their predictions, however, Ishkar appeared before them looking just as they remembered, with all of his abilities intact . It was fighting against Shin as if miasma didn¡¯t affect it in the slightest .

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    Looking at Shin¡¯s clearly offensive-oriented fighting style, Schnee feltpelled to run to him . She wanted to go to his side, to talk to him .

    She could not do it though .

    Shin was fighting against a monster above all monsters, a beast of level 1000 .

    While her stats had been boosted by the Ley Lines when they freed Filma, and she equipped Ancient-grade weapons and armor, this fight was too dangerous for her to dive into .

    ¡°¡­ . Filma, Shibaid . Let¡¯s go to Shin¡¯s side . Tiera, you go with Yuzuha and Kagerou close to the walls, make sure you stay out of attack range . ¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m going too . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, you know?¡±

    ¡°I know . But I can feel a power that¡¯s not caused by the miasmaing from Shin and Ishkar . ¡±

    ¡°A cold, mighty power from Ishkar and a raging power from Shin . Thetter is especially something the likes of I¡¯ve never felt before,¡± said Tiera .

    ¡°A raging power¡­might that be the reason why Shin¡¯s acting so strange?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s think about thatter . More importantly, even if we go, what exactly are we going to do? It¡¯ll be tough even for us to keep up with Shin as he is now, you know that right?¡±

    Without his limiter, Shin moved much faster than anyone else in the party and his attacks were also much more powerful than theirs .

    He could face Ishkar head on, after all . His power was on a whole other level .

    If Schnee and the party were to participate in the battle between Ishkar and Shin, it could only be as decoys .

    ¡°I believe that if the targets be two, it will have to look at us too . With Shin as he is, we will just act as support . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine as for joining the battle, but are we going to leave Shin like that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself . I have the highest speed among us, and even if I¡¯m attacked I can dodge with a Kunoichi skill . ¡±

    The power-up received when they freed Filma, the usual boost attachments .

    Combined with the physical boosts due to spirit summoning, avable only to Elves and Pixies, Schnee¡¯s AGI was maxed out . Being a Kunoichi skilled in dodging, she would probably be the quickest in reaching Shin¡¯s position .

    ¡°You¡¯re really something, you know¡­¡±

    ¡°Based on our abilities, Schnee is the most suitable one . Shin¡¯s belligerent attitude is a concern, but even if something happens I doubt that she could be felled in one instant . ¡±

    Everyone nodded at Shibaid¡¯s words and started moving . Shibaid led with Filma following a few steps behind . Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou acted as the rear guard .

    Separated from Shibaid¡¯s group, which proceeded with every member at the same pace, Schnee approached Shin at high speed, using a different route .

    She was looking at Shin, now surrounded by water spheres, Ishkar¡¯s ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿ .

    She knew that they weren¡¯t just spheres made of water .

    Shin would probably be okay, but in Schnee¡¯s heart, the worry that was supposed to be dispelled appeared once again .

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    One second before Schnee could activate a skill to get rid of ¡¾Aqua Cage¡¿¡¯s spheres, Shin had slipped past the spheres¡¯ area of effect . A de of light extended from ¡ºMoonless¡» and pierced one of the dragon¡¯s eyes .

    Shin then moved closer to Ishkar and readied his right hand into a fist . His body was wrapped in a faint aura, different from anything hat Schnee had seen before . Cold chills ran down her spine .

    No one needed to exin it to her . Schnee instinctively felt that Shin, while possessed by that aura, could not be allowed to fight any longer .

    ¡°Shin!!¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice, however, did not reach him .

    Shin¡¯s fistnded heavily on Ishkar¡¯s skull, which burst into pieces in front of Schnee¡¯s eyes .

    ¡°Kh¡­¡±

    A wave of power spread through the seawater, exhibiting the strength of the attack .

    The party felt the surge of power course all over their bodies . Schnee and the other members were stopped in their tracks by it .

    ¡°I have to go¡­quickly¡­¡±

    Schnee focused her strength on her frozen legs and kicked the water hard . Before she could get closer to Shin, however, something changed in Ishkar .

    His skull exploded . Ishkar was now headless,pletely still . Blue vapor flowed out from his severed neck .

    At the same time, countless icicles shot out of the dragon¡¯s torso and neck, like a flurry ofnces, covering the monster¡¯s body .

    That ice then gradually changed shape .

    The ice spears all fused together into one and re-created Ishkar¡¯s head .

    It was notpletely made by ice, however: the eyes and horns were a deep blend of blue and purple . After forming the dragon¡¯s head, blue ice also covered its ws and scales .

    Shin attacked again before the monster regeneratedpletely, but Ishkar avoided his attacks with an agility unthinkable for such arge body .

    ¡°What the¡­ . . !?!¡±

    Schnee was confused by Ishkar¡¯s new, unknown form and was toote to notice what had appeared before her . She slowed down instantly, but could not avoid crashing into something solid .

    She received no damage, but even looking at what she crashed against, she could not see anything . She stretched out her hands cautiously and felt the presence of something smooth, like a ss wall .

    ¡°This is¡­a wall?¡±

    Schnee pushed against it, but the wall did not budge . She pressed with more strength, but the wall showed no sign of breaking . Shibaid and the others caught up with her, but they did not seem to be able to pass either .

    Shin seemed to have the advantage in the battle, but as time passed the aura around Shin gradually grewrger . At the same time, his fighting style changed too .

    ¡°¡ª-out of my sight!!¡±

    Schnee swung ¡ºBlue Moon¡», forcefully, not holding back at all .

    Filma and Shibaid noticed Shin¡¯s state and struck the invisible wall with skills .

    ¡°Damn you, why¡­!?¡±

    ¡ºBlue Moon¡»¡¯s de was repelled, and magic seemed to not have any effect either . The feeling spreading from the katana¡¯s de expressed that the wall hadn¡¯t been damaged at all .

    ¡°¡­ . . Shiden . ¡±

    Schnee moved away from Filma and the others, to make sure not to hit them by ident, and unleashed one of her trump cards .

    A long, thin de of ice extended from ¡ºBlue Moon¡» . Unlike Shin¡¯s ¡¾Seven Radiant des¡¿, the crystal clear de looked like a longer ¡ºBlue Moon¡» .

    Katana and Water Combination skill, ¡¾Shiden ¨C Flowing Spark Blossom¡¿ .

    This skill ignored armor and all defenses and was also highly effective against barriers such as the one stopping the party¡¯s advance . Schnee unleashed it against the ss-like wall without reserve .

    ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    But even this sh, carrying every ounce of her power, could not destroy the barrier before them .

    ¡°Schnee¡­¡±

    ¡°The result was the same, then . ¡±

    Filma and Shibaid approached Schnee after trying their own Shiden skills, to no avail .

    Behind them, Yuzuha and Kagerou struck the barrier with me and lightning attacks .

    ¡°What in the world is up with this barrier? It¡¯s way too tough!¡±

    ¡°I have no idea¡­I can¡¯t remember ever seeing something this sturdy . ¡±

    In the game, Ishkar did not possess the ability to create such barriers .

    A barrier that did not even crack after being struck by Schnee¡¯s, Shibaid¡¯s, and Filma¡¯s Shiden skills could not be erected even by a level 1000 monster, after all .

    ¡°Nevertheless, if we do not pass this obstacle, we cannot go to Shin¡¯s aid . ¡±

    Shibaid spoke while ring at the transparent wall .

    As the barrier did not show the slightest crack, it was clear that it couldn¡¯t be destroyed just by hitting it with skills . Being invisible to the naked eye, it was also impossible to tell how far it extended .

    ¡°Tiera, can you tell us anything¡­ . Schnee, Filma, look!¡±

    ¡°Tiera? What¡­ . ?¡±

    Schnee looked at Tiera after Shibaid called her, and saw her floating in front of Yuzuha and Kagerou . Thetter two were moving their paws up and down, as if scratching against something .

    Indeed, Tiera had passed through the barrier that was blocking Schnee and the rest of the party .

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Schnee!! We might have found a way to pass through!!¡±

    Urged by Filma, Schnee and Shibaid rushed to where Tiera was . She seemed utterly confused and hurriedly spoke to the three as they approached .

    ¡°Master!! I-I don¡¯t know why, but I got through!!¡±

    ¡°How?? What method did you use?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡­I tried cutting through the barrier with my dagger, and I just kind of fell through¡­¡±

    Tiera herself did not seem to know how she had gotten past the barrier . Kagerou, left behind, was scratching at the invisible wall with all his might . Yuzuha was also wing at the barrier in the same way, but she suddenly slipped through the barrier . At the same time, Kagerou likewise passed to the other side .

    ¡°Kuu!?¡±

    ¡°Guruu!?¡±

    Takenpletely by surprise, the two spun once in the water because of their excess momentum . After a bit of paddling, they finally returned to their original stances .

    ¡°¡­ . we, passed too!?¡±

    Yuzuha was baffled by the sudden development, then her body trembled . The same purple aura around Shin rose from her body too .

    ¡°This is¡­like Shin? Yuzuha, are you okay?¡±

    Schnee, concerned, asked Yuzuha how she felt . However Yuzuha did not answer and howled loudly in response .

    ¡°Kuu¡­KUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s body glowed brightly and increased in size . When the light faded, Yuzuha had returned to her original form .

    She was now muchrger than Schnee or Tiera and sported her trademark nine tails as well . There was no mistaking it: Yuzuha had returned to her original form .

    ¡°Eh¡­? Yuzu¡­ha?¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s sudden transformation left Tiera almost speechless . Kagerou too, next to Tiera, growled in confusion .

    ¡°¡­so this power can influence me too . ¡±

    Yuzuha looked at her own body and whispered to herself . Her voice did not bear any childish traits anymore . Her consciousness seemed to have returned to one fitting to her current body .

    ¡°Do not fret, I remember you all . I shall lend you my strength . You too, Kagerou, do not re at me so . ¡±

    Yuzuha used one of her tails and lifted Tiera on her back . She then slowly turned her eyes towards Shin .

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but I guess we can only leave things to Tiera and Yuzuha¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­Tiera . Listen well . I am sure you understand after seeing that aura, but Shin is different from usual now . ¡±

    Schnee breathed in, then started talking . She couldn¡¯t go herself, so there was no choice but to talk .

    ¡°Yes . It¡¯s kind of¡­scary . I also feel that he changed . ¡±

    ¡°He cannot control it, surely . ¡±

    Tiera and Yuzuha agreed while looking at Shin fighting against Ishkar . Tiera, thanks to her sharp senses, had felt the same thing as Schnee .

    Yuzuha, her eyes narrowed, seemed to be trying to conclude something .

    ¡°Yuzuha, do you know what that is?¡±

    ¡°It is power, that much I can tell . I do not know what it actually is . However, it seems Shin has not beenpletely consumed by it either . ¡±

    ¡°Could you use it to break down this wall?¡±

    ¡°With time, it appears to be possible . But not immediately . This form too is temporary, notplete . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . understood . We cannot go any further than this . Thus we entrust this to you . ¡±

    Schnee spoke to Yuzuha and Tiera, restraining her emotions . She had not lost herposure to the point of asking Yuzuha to destroy the barrier, without knowing how much time it could take, in a situation like the current one .

    ¡°¡­ . I shall break into their battle . ¡±

    Tiera swallowed her breath and looked towards Shin and Ishkar . Her reaction was perfectly natural, as both opponents were using attacks that meant instant death for someone with Tiera¡¯s stats . Interfering in their conflict meant that one misstep would result in certain death .

    ¡°¡­ . understood . Yuzuha, please . ¡±

    ¡°Leave everything to me . ¡±

    After a few moments of silence, Tiera asked Yuzuha for her assistance, with a resolute expression . Going together meant facing danger together . Yuzuha was already prepared for what was going toe .

    ¡°We¡¯re going!¡±

    Riding on Yuzuha, Tiera headed towards Shin .

    Schnee could only gaze at her back as she did .

    ¡°Can¡¯t I¡­do anything¡­?¡±

    Looking at Ishkar and Shin fighting, Schnee remembered the words uttered by the dragon before the battle started .

    ¡°Dolls¡­ . those born in this world¡­ . could it be¡­ . !?¡±

    Schnee reflected and realized that Ishkar could have been talking about support characters and all those that came in this world from the previous one, excluding former yers .

    Only yers can be enemies . That probably meant that, among them, only Shin should be allowed to fight .

    ¡°If so, why¡­ . ¡±

    Why could Tiera pass through the barrier?

    Tiera was a creature of this world, not a yer . Schnee knew that she was not the child of yers either .

    Yuzuha was Shin¡¯s partner monster . Her role was to fight alongside Shin, that could exin why she could pass through the barrier .

    Kagerou had the same rtionship as Yuzuha did with Shin . If Tiera had not passed the barrier, Kagerou probably would not have been able to either .

    Yuzuha, Kagerou, Tiera¡­among them, Tiera was a bizarre case . She was born in different circumstances, but she should be on the same side as Schnee and the others .

    Yet she had passed through the barrier and was now heading towards Shin .

    ¡°Why¡­ . ¡±

    Schnee could only watch . In her heart, many doubts rose and vanished .

    Why is that not me?

    Why is it not me the one going to help Shin?

    Someone else was in the ce she should be in . Just thinking that made Schnee feel like her whole body was grinding and cracking .

    ¡ª¨Cwas Tiera someone important to Shin?

    Thest doubt that rose within her, no matter how much time passed, would not disappear .

 Vol 11 Chapter 4.4: Chapter 4 Part 4

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­not blood . ¡±

    Shin mumbled to himself, still in a fighting stance, while looking at the blue vapor-like substance exuding from Ishkar¡¯s neck .

    The exploded skull vanished as if melting away .

    It ended all too easily . That was the reason why Shin hadn¡¯t lowered his guard yet .

    Shiden¡¯s offensive power was high . With Shin¡¯s stats, it was probably possible to KO even Ishkar in one blow .

    And yet,¡­even considering this, there was no challenge . It felt ¡°boring¡± .

    ¡°!? Wait, what was I thinking just now!?¡±

    Shin felt his fighting spirit boiling, as he was facing a powerful opponent . However, he felt that hisst thought hade from apletely different source .

    As if someone other than him was inside his mind .

    ¡°¡­ . as I thought, you aren¡¯t down yet . ¡±

    Before the frowning Shin, several ice pirs sprouted from Ishkar¡¯s neck . In the blink of an eye, the pirs fused into one and rebuilt Ishkar¡¯s head .

    It was notpletely made of ice: the horns and eyes were a deep blue . Shin felt some sort of will behind the eyes gazing at him .

    ¡°If you¡¯ve revived, all I have to do is defeat you one more time . ¡±

    Shin forgot what he was thinking about for the moment and kicked the water, moving toward Ishkar, the explosive propulsion letting him close in on the dragon instantly .

    Ishkar, however, blocked his advance by freezing the seawater around Shin .

    Shin immediately cast magic to destroy the ice . However¡­

    ¡°I can¡¯t break it? I¡¯ll just smash it then!¡±

    Magic should have been able to weaken the binding¡¯s effects, but it failed . Shin guessed it was probably because of a particr skill Ishkar possessed, so he decided to force his way out of his bonds .

    Half of his body was already frozen, but he could still swing his arms and legs to break free . Maybe thanks to the effects of his resistances, only the surface of his body was frozen .

    As soon as Shin broke free, Ishkar¡¯s arms swung down towards him . Shin noticed, but before performing an evasive maneuver he swung ¡ºMoonless¡» around him .

    While swinging ¡ºMoonless¡», in a sweeping motion, Shin heard cracking noises from the katana¡¯s tip . The sources of the sound were Ishkar¡¯s scales, which had changed color to blend in with the seawater .

    It was ¡¾Dead Fragment Drops¡¿, one of Ishkar¡¯s attacks which had imed the lives of many a yer in the past . The scales were very difficult to see, extremely sturdy and numerous, characteristics which made them extremely troublesome to deal with . They caused the yers to separate and attacked them individually .

    Shin knew how sturdy the scales were, so he activated the Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾de Breaker¡¿ to destroy the scales as they headed towards him . While Shin was busy dealing with the scales, Ishkar¡¯s ws bore down upon him too .

    ¡°Hhngh!¡±

    Against the sharply gleaming ws, Shin chose not to defend or dodge, but to attack .

    He turned his back to Ishkar and spun once in ce . His right leg kicked the water and the left leg, taking advantage of centrifugal force, countered the ws with a roundhouse kick .

    Barehanded-type Martial skill ¡¾Rolling Wave Strike¡¿ .

    The kick, unleashed with a burst of white foam, released a controble shockwave when it shed against Ishkar¡¯s ws . Focusing the impact on one point allowed Shin to crush Ishkar¡¯s ws, like a raging wave .

    ¡°With this difference in size, it sure isn¡¯t easy . ¡±

    Shin had crushed Ishkar¡¯s ws, but also because of their difference in mass, he couldn¡¯t maintain his position just by using the seawater as a foothold . He suffered no damage, but was pushed back and forced to withdraw .

    That instant, a familiar voice reached his ears .

    ¡°Shi¡ªn!¡±

    ¡°Tch, who¡¯s getting in the way now¡­in¡­the way? No, I¡­wait, that¡¯s¡­?¡±

    Every time he thought, he felt something unfamiliar creeping in his mind . He shook his head to get rid of it, and then he noticed what Tiera was riding on .

    While not asrge as Ishkar, it was a silhouette of much greater size than Shin or his party . Eyes concealing intellect, powerful limbs, and its greatest characteristic: nine tails .

    ¡°Yuzuha, is that you?¡±

    Thanks to the contract bound with Yuzuha, Shin quickly realized that Tiera was approaching him while riding on her .

    Yuzuha arrived next to Shin in the blink of an eye, stopped as if screeching to a halt, pushing Tiera out with her back, then turned towards Ishkar .

    ¡°I shall hold him back . ¡±

    With Yuzuha¡¯s words echoing behind her, Tiera headed towards Shin . Moving at a speed she couldn¡¯t reach by herself, Tiera opened her arms and legs wide .

    She probably meant for Shin to catch her . Slightly confused, Shin opened his arms wide too .

    ¡°¡ª-eh?¡±

    Just before they could touch, Tiera used her arms to change direction .

    She only moved a few cemels: from a course that would have led her to embrace Shin, she changed to a head hugging course .

    Shin would have never expected Tiera to change course: the surprise, added to his initial confusion, prevented him from dodging .

    As a result, Shin¡¯s head ended up firmly nted in Tiera¡¯s chest .

    ¡°Begone, evil! Be purified!¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Tiera shouted, still holding Shin¡¯s head tightly .

    Divine-type Skill ¡¾Purification Verse¡¿ .

    When Tiera was still a Priestess of the World Tree, she used this skill to purify the surroundings before invoking the spirits . The skill removed and prevented status ailments from the user in a set radius around them; however, she was supposed to have lost it along with her Priestess job .

    The aura that enveloped Shin¡¯s body dissipated . After making sure that it was really gone, Tiera let go of Shin .

    ¡°Ah¡­ . had I turned nasty or something?¡±

    The aura disappeared thanks to ¡¾Purification Verse¡¿, and Shin felt that the unusual presence inside his mind was gone .

    While fighting he would instantly forget about it: now that it was gone, Shin clearly grasped that unusual feeling and was shocked .

    ¡°You had an aura around you that master and the others said they had never seen before . Your way of fighting was violent too . Don¡¯t¡­make us worry like that . ¡±

    Tiera talked with a very serious expression . Shin thanked her honestly .

    ¡°Where are Schnee and the others?¡±

    ¡°Some sort of invisible wall won¡¯t let them through . I don¡¯t know the reason, but only me, Yuzuha, and Kagerou could pass through it . ¡±

    Shin looked towards Schnee and the others and found them shooting skills towards an apparently empty space . As Tiera had said, their skills stopped and disappeared abruptly after traveling to a certain point .

    ¡°I don¡¯t get what¡¯s going on either, but we better wrap this up quickly . You stand back, Tiera . Yuzuha and I are going to end this now!¡±

    Tiera nodded and withdrew, while Shin again faced Ishkar . His eyes now showed a light that was not present before .

    ¡ª¨CBoundary Guardian  level 1000

    The name disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ was not Ishkar¡¯s .

    Shin recalled Ishkar¡¯s mention of a ¡°power that devours even miasma¡± . Ishkar¡¯s consciousness was probably not present anymore in the monster .

    The boundary guardian-turned Ishkar unleashed its lethal breath, which Yuzuha neutralized with five types of magic . Shin advanced under her massive body .

    The two contenders exchanged attacks that would definitely inflict great damage if not blocked, so Shin was able to prepare to strike without Ishkar noticing .

    Shin was now about 10 mels under the guardian¡¯s chin . For the monster, it was aplete blind spot .

    ¡°(I¡¯m going to attack too . Please keep it busy a little more)¡±

    ¡°(Understood . )¡±

    Shin was reminded of how adult-like Yuzuha¡¯s original voice sounded, while he held

    ¡ºMoonless¡» with the opposite hand .

    He aimed at the guardian¡¯s jaws and activated a skill .

    Katana and Darknessbination skill ¡¾Hollow Shackles¡¿ .

    Shin threw¡ºMoonless¡», wrapped in a dark aura, with all his might . The katana turned into a pitch ck sh and stabbed the monster¡¯s jaw, without being hindered by its scales, then released its effects .

    ¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö!! ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö!!!¡±

    Forced to face upwards because of ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯s stabbing impact, the Guardian¡¯s head was wrapped tightly by ck bands extending from the katana .

    The ck bands covered most of the monster¡¯s head, then gained even more momentum and proceeded to wrap around the Guardian¡¯s entire body .

    The monster tried resisting, but Shin¡¯s boosted stats had also reinforced the bands¡¯ binding power .

    Because of this, the Guardian couldn¡¯t tear through the bands fast enough: new ones would be generated and tie it down again before it could gain any freedom . It was impossible topletely seal the monster¡¯s movements, but now the Guardian couldn¡¯t move as freely as before .

    ¡°Yuzuha! Maximum firepower!¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±

    In response to Shin¡¯s words, a globe of golden light formed in Yuzuha¡¯s mouth .

    Shin cast a magic spell alongside her .

    Globes containing magic power of each of the seven elements appeared around Shin . Red, blue, brown, green, yellow, white, ck: all seven spheres were around one mel wide .

    Shin then extended his right arm forward and all globes gathered in one spot . The seven globes fused together and started glowing in the same golden color as Yuzuha¡¯s .

    Hepta-Elemental Composite Skill ¡¾Elemental Order¡¿ .

    The two-mels golden sphere, capable of striking the weak point of all elements, merged with Yuzuha¡¯s breath, a unique skill named ¡¾Supreme Catastrophe¡¿, and pierced the Guardian¡¯s head .

    ¡°Off with you!¡±

    Shin and Yuzuha kept releasing their skills, while changing their directions . The golden spheres of light moved from the monster¡¯s head to its torso, tearing through its body .

    Blue vapor was released from the monster¡¯s severed torso, but that too was consumed by the golden light and disappeared .

    ¡°We destroyed all we could see, but¡­¡±

    The opponent was capable of regenerating its head . For added safety, Shin and Yuzuha cautiously studied their surroundings .

    ¡°Shin!¡±

    As they were doing so, Schnee and the others approached them . The barrier that had been blocking them had disappeared apparently .

    ¡°Sorry for making you worry . ¡±

    ¡°No . . if you are all right, then it¡¯s enough . ¡±

    Relieved, Schnee put a hand on her chest .

    ¡°So, what are we going to do now? Differently from outside, there¡¯s no miasma in here . ¡±

    ¡°Ishkar¡¯s transformation was bizarre as well . It wasn¡¯t supposed to have regenerative abilities like that . ¡±

    Filma and Shibaid voiced their doubts, while looking at the space where the recently disappeared Ishkar used to be .

    ¡°It turns out there was something else inside it . The name disyed was Boundary Guardian . ¡±

    ¡°Never heard that name before . ¡±

    All members present nodded to Schnee¡¯s words . Yuzuha ¡ª still in her adult form ¡ª also said that she didn¡¯t know about it .

    ¡°What could have happened here¡­? It looks like I changed too¡­it could be tied to the reason why I was brought here . ¡±

    Ishkar had mentioned a ¡°return against your will¡± . It could mean that, had Shin not resisted, he could have returned to his original world .

    It was just a possibility, so he had no intention of trying . More than that, Shin was intrigued by the word ¡°Boundary¡± .

    The real world and the game world . Maybe it was guarding the boundary between the two?

    That would generate another series of questions, but being a game¡¯s world, it was not too strange for such a creature to exist .

    Supposing that the yers dead in the other world lived here . That normally, the boundary could not be crossed without dying, but Shin had crossed over without dying¡­

    (Could it have had a reason for wanting to get rid of me?)

    To go all the way of taking over Ishkar¡¯s body to attack me¡­could maybe mean that I can be the cause of some disaster? Or maybe it was just trying to remove an extraneous object?

    ¡°¡­ . I just don¡¯t understand . ¡±

    Shin sighed while looking at the space Ishkar used to upy . He pondered for a while, but in the end it was all his imagination, his delusions . He had no idea about how things could actually be .

    ¡°Shin, look . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . the stopgap keeping miasma in check is gone, so it¡¯s flowing out?¡±

    Shin looked in the direction Tiera pointed at and saw a ck mist appearing in the previously empty space . In its center there was a sort of rectangr object .

    Because of the mist only its silhouette was visible, but it was just as Shin remembered .

    After defeating Ishkar, the certificate proving victory over a level 1000 monster, materials, gear, and other item cards appeared . Apparently, most of the miasma was housed by these items .

    ¡°Tiera, please . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, leave it to me . ¡±

    Shin and the others kept the miasma from spreading, while Tiera purified the main mass . Maybe because the Guardian was gone, the miasma vanished with an ease that surprised even Tiera .

    ¡°Eh? This is¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Tiera looked at the stack of purified item cards . The illustration on the top card made her react, surprised .

    Shin became curious and took a peek in Tiera¡¯s hands . The top card of the stack had the picture of a crystal glowing in rainbow colors .

    The item name was ¡ºDivine Beast Crystal¡» .

    ¡°Seriously¡­? This is the item that lets you summon a divine beast!¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Monsters called divine beasts, like Element Tails and Gruefagos, could not be tamed normally . But with the item that Tiera was now holding, the Divine Beast Crystal, they could be called temporarily as an ally unit .

    Divine Beast Crystals appeared as rare drops after defeating divine beasts and allowed the summon of a monster just like the defeated one as an ally .

    It was a one-time use item, but if used against boss monsters as a trump card, it was powerful enough to change the flow of battle .

    Depending on the monsters they could summon, Divine Beast Crystals could have the same value as Ancient-grade equipment .

    ¡°¡­hey, if I use this, won¡¯t Ishkar be able to resurrect?¡±

    ¡°Summoned monsters usually disappear after a set time¡­I wonder, though . In this battle against Ishkar some unknown force interfered after all . ¡±

    No one knew what could happen to this area of the sea, were Ishkar to disappear . The sea dragon¡¯s resurrection would be the most favorable oue .

    ¡°Do try . If I can use my power on it, I shall lend you my aid . ¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Your power hasn¡¯t returnedpletely, has it?¡±

    ¡°That is of no concern . The absence of this area¡¯s master is a much more pressing matter . ¡±

    Yuzuha, who did not know how long she could keep her current form, urged Shin to use the item, so he agreed to .

    ¡°¡­ .e . ¡±

    Tiera held the Divine Beast Crystal high and pronounced the keyword . The crystal then shattered, emanating a rainbow light .

    The light gradually took shape: after five seconds, it had formed Ishkar¡¯s silhouette . When the light eventually disappeared, before the group was Ishkar, looking exactly the same as when they had entered the room .

    ¡°Hmm, I see . ¡±

    The summoned Ishkar did nothing, simply floating in ce . It was waiting for orders from its summoner .

    ¡°Do you think you can do anything?¡±

    ¡°Be patient for a while . ¡±

    Yuzuha then extended one of her nine tails towards Ishkar . She ced the tip of the tail on the dragon¡¯s jaw, then stopped .

    A few secondster, Ishkar and Yuzuha¡¯s bodies started glowing . They continued to do so for about 10 seconds, then the light dimmed and disappeared .

    ¡°This shall be enough . ¡±

    Yuzuha then changed back to small fox mode . She still had nine tails though .

    ¡°I¡¯m slightly tired . Hold me . ¡±

    ¡°Hm? Ah, sure . Thanks . ¡±

    Yuzuha floated lightly in the water and cuddled up in Shin¡¯s bosom . Her small fox face looked somewhat satisfied .

    ¡°It appears you have won¡±

    Just as the group rxed a little, Ishkar¡¯s voice reached their ears .

    ¡°Do you remember?¡±

    ¡°That maiden used my soul¡¯s crystal . Would you understand if I said ¡®back-up¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Well, I would have never expected a divine beast to say ¡®backup¡¯¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a fragment embedded in my memories . Now that the Ley Lines are free of contamination, my servants above should quiet down too . You have my gratitude . ¡±

    Ishkar had already taken care of the Three Sea Beasts apparently . The merpeople and fishpeople were not in immediate danger anymore at least .

    ¡°I wish to express my gratitude, but that fox has already taken away part of my power . I cannot do much . ¡±

    ¡°Hey, Yuzuha! What tricks are you pulling, taking advantage of a situation like this?¡±

    ¡°I made it possible for him to stay here and connected him to the Ley Lines . As you know, the Ley Line was already shut where I used to be . Let me have that much . ¡±

    The power that Yuzuha took from Ishkar would return over time, so Ishkar did not want to seriously find fault with her .

    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯te here looking for something anyway, and it looks like Yuzuha got closer to returning to her original form, so that¡¯d be enough for me . ¡±

    Shin looked at Schnee and the others, but they all shared the same sentiment .

    ¡°Just one thing, then . Do you know anything about whatever possessed you?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I remember that you were its target . That its objective was to remove you from this world . Only these two things . ¡±

    ¡°For what reason?¡±

    ¡°I could not say . But it was something that even miasma cannot affect . It wiped the miasma I was holding in check as if it was mere smoke . ¡±

    An existence superior to miasma . Shin had no idea what it could be, nor did Schnee and the others, who all shook their heads .

    ¡°It was an utterly unknown existence . Do be on your guard . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I got it . ¡±

    Shin finished talking with Ishkar . As Yuzuha had turned back too, they left the royal chambers .

    Events other than their initial goal of helping the merpeople had happened, but Shin thought that, all in all, the result was positive . He could not be sure, but he felt that the power within him was not something negative either .

    The party proceeded through the now miasma-free corridors .

    Ishkar had resurrected, the merpeople and fishpeople avoided destruction .

    Tiera and Yuzuha powered up, the party¡¯s overall power increased .

    Not all results were to rejoice about, though . Something had definitely been proved in the battle against the Guardian .

    Those stopped by the barrier, and those allowed in by the barrier . Their hearts were clearly divided .

    Schnee¡¯s heart, especially, was riddled with thousands of small ripples .

    With each member holding different thoughts in their hearts, the party left the dungeon .

    At the same time as Shin concluded his battle against Ishkar, one man arrived in Barbatos .

    At the moment no one knew, naturally, that he would bring a great trial to Schnee¡­

 Vol 12 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    Shin¡¯s party had ventured into the Kuwain marine area to search for the second Assault Ship Celciutos, one of Rokuten¡¯s guild houses .

    The group managed to find the guildhouse, but found that miasma had transformed the surrounding seas into an extremely dangerous area .

    Shin¡¯s party discovered that the causey in the underwater dungeon ¡°Castle of the Depths . ¡± They hurried into the dungeon and fought against the miasma-corrupted Sea King Dragon Ishkar, ultimately achieving victory¡­

    After the battle against Ishkar, the group returned to the entrance of the dungeon . The group¡¯s adventure had experienced several unexpected events, so, as soon as they materialized their magic-powered vessel and rode in, they decided to take a rest .

    Maybe adrenaline existed in the new world too: when the group left the ¡°Castle of the Depths¡±, their tension was reced by fatigue .

    After each member had taken a shower, they retreated to their respective quarters for some rest: they decided to leave the Kuwain matter to its own devices .

    ¡°Nh¡­nnh¡­nnhg . . ?¡±

    How long had he been sleeping?

    Shin woke up, puzzled by the sensation of someone hugging him .

    ¡°Ah, Yuzuha . ¡±

    Looking at the ceiling, Shin remembered that sometimes Yuzuha woulde sleep with him . She used to lie on top of him, maybe to look at his sleeping face .

    He mumbled ¡°you again?¡±, and then tried to move Yuzuha away . He then noticed .

    The presence of something terribly soft pressing on his stomach .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    No, it wasn¡¯t Yuzuha . This was Shin¡¯s conclusion, in the utter silence of the room .

    His senses remembered his partner¡¯s weight . Yuzuha had grown, but she should still have some childish features left . Shin¡¯s senses told him that the body now on him was different from Yuzuha¡¯s . It was wearing a tracksuit as pajamas, so it was easy to tell .

    In more concrete terms, the soft, freely shapeshifting twin mounds that clearly made their presence felt against Shin¡¯s body were definitely not Yuzuha¡¯s .

    ¡°Hnn?¡±

    Shin turned his neck, trying to raise his head as much as possible . He looked towards his lower body and could see the head of the person now lying on top of him .

    The room was dark, but thanks to ¡¾Night Vision¡¿ he could clearly tell the hair color of his ¡°guest¡± .

    Fluffy-looking silver hair, pointy fox ears . Shoulders poking out of fur . The first two were Yuzuha¡¯s characteristics, as Shin remembered .

    ¡ª¡ª¡¾Yuzuha   level 871 Element Tail¡¿

    ¡°Wait a second, how much power did you absorb back there¡­?¡±

    Before fighting Ishkar, Yuzuha was still below level 700 . Yet now, she was closer to 900 .

    Shin didn¡¯t know exactly how much power Yuzuha had taken from Ishkar, but it had to be a considerable amount .

    ¡°You¡¯ve grown even more thanst time . ¡±

    Her appearance had changed from a 6th-8th grader to a high school student . Shin couldn¡¯t see her whole silhouette yet, but her current weight made him think so .

    He looked at the clock: he had slept for about two hours, as it was almost 1 PM .

    He didn¡¯t feel physically tired, so Shin decided that he might as well get out of bed and tried to wake Yuzuha .

    ¡°Hey, Yuzuha . Wake up . ¡±

    ¡°Mmh¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, you heard me . ¡±

    ¡°Just five more minutes¡­¡±

    Shin shook Yuzuha¡¯s body through the covers, just to hear a ssic reply .

    ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you can rest some more, but get off me first . ¡±

    ¡°Just five more minutes¡­let me enjoy this . . ¡±

    ¡°Enjoy what!? You¡¯re awake, aren¡¯t you!?¡±

    Yuzuha surprised Shin with apletely unexpected line . He looked at Yuzuha rubbing her head on his chest, reflecting that her personality must have changed again .

    ¡°¡­you got me . ¡±

    ¡°Of course . ¡±

    She probably realized that she couldn¡¯t continue like that . Yuzuha pulled herself up and the nket fell off, revealing her body .

    It waspletely different from two hours ago . Shin covered his eyes as not to see her very feminine curves .

    ¡°Wear something, now . ¡±

    ¡°Want to enjoy?¡±

    ¡°No . ¡±

    Stillpletely naked, Yuzuha asked the question to Shin while sitting near his thighs .

    While she was as expressionless as before, that was due to her inability to express emotion . However, now she belonged to thepletely rxed or unimpressed category .

    Shin looked at Yuzuha between his fingers and saw her there, not attempting to cover her naked body at all, tilting her head at him . She did not seem to have any sense of shame .

    ¡°Yet another weird personality¡­how did you be like this?¡±

    ¡°There have always been several personality patterns within me¡­the personality you all know is the total sum of the characters housed inside me . Even as I am now, I am still one side of the being known as Yuzuha . Ultimately, I will be like theplete form you already know . ¡±

    Yuzuha said all of this with azy tone, then fell again on top of Shin .

    Shin stopped her fall as well as he could, and Yuzuha¡¯s budding breasts ended up right in front of his eyes . Despite his will, he ended up in an embrace with Yuzuha .

    ¡°Why did you fall on top of me again¡­¡±

    ¡°I get tired if I talk a lot . ¡±

    That was probably the truth . Her tone of voice clearly showed how tired she was .

    ¡°That¡¯s one amazing reason¡­anyway, putting that aside, get off me . And wear something already . ¡±

    The situation could be easily misunderstood by anyone, so Shin prodded her more strongly .

    He couldn¡¯t tell how she would react, as her personality had changed, but if she persisted he would have to move her by force .

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s not nice . ¡±

    ¡°Shut up . ¡±

    Yuzuha probably guessed what Shin was thinking, because she finally got off him .

    While he was raising his body, Yuzuha went to a corner of the room and turned on the light device .

    ¡°Wear something first . ¡±

    Shin covered his eyes again and scolded Yuzuha . Even with the room fully lit, she made no attempt to conceal her body . Every part waspletely visible .

    ¡°If it¡¯s Shin, I don¡¯t mind . ¡±

    Yuzuha stood proudly, puffing her chest out without restraint . Shin could swear he heard a bounce-like noise .

    ¡°What are you acting smug for!¡±

    Shin, always making sure not to look at her, picked up an item card near the bed .

    ¡°Here, your usual clothes . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but something sexier would be nice too, no?¡±

    Yuzuha replied, the priestess clothing Shin gave her in hand .

    ¡°Stop being silly . ¡±

    ¡°Aw . ¡±

    Shin, making sure only to look at Yuzuha¡¯s face, gave her a light chop on the head and left the room .

    There were priestess clothes with more skin exposure, as Yuzuha hinted, but Shin had no intention of having her wear anything like that .

    In terms of stats, there were plenty superior options . But with Yuzuha¡¯s stats, while she couldn¡¯t take a Ishkar-ss enemy on her own, she generally wouldn¡¯t have any trouble as she was now .

    The situation was different from Tiera, who had to wear certain outfits to boost her stats .

    If he had Yuzuha wear a skimpy priestess outfit, Shin knew that Schnee and the others would look at him in a way he couldn¡¯t bear for long .

    Shin¡¯s train of thought reached this point and he sighed again .

    ¡°Sorry for the wait . ¡±

    ¡°Good, you wore it . ¡±

    Shin voiced his surprise, as he didn¡¯t expect Yuzuha to really wear the outfit properly, which prompted a question from Yuzuha .

    ¡°¡­should I wear it more loosely?¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s hand headed towards her chest area, all too naturally, but Shin grabbed it midway . It was easy enough to guess what she was going to do .

    ¡°Not at all¡­more than that, you remember what happened before now, right? The others must be up too, let¡¯s go to the kitchen . If you still feel tired, you can just go back to sleep . ¡±

    ¡°My body will get used to it soon enough . ¡±

    Her strength had returned, but apparently her body hadn¡¯t adjusted to it yet . Her fatigue, however, was mostly gone . For an instant, Shin thought about asking her why she said she was tired just moments ago .

    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t act like that when Schnee and the others are around . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry . My services are for Shin and Shin only . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . what did I do to deserve this¡­¡±

    Shin sighed yet again because of Yuzuha¡¯s radical change .

    He could tell from their presences that Schnee and the others already started moving inside the vessel . Shin warned Yuzuha again, then started walking .

    ¡°Oh, Shin you¡¯re awa¡­ . who is that?¡±

    Shin and Yuzuha entered the room and Filma greeted them, although she stopped when she saw Yuzuha .

    ¡°It¡¯s Yuzuha, she gained power from Ishkar and grew up . ¡±

    ¡°¡­hello . ¡±

    ¡°Hey there . I felt Yuzuha¡¯s presence all right, but she sure changed a lot . I was surprised . ¡±

    Yuzuha had changed quite a lot, so Shin understood well what Filma meant .

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re up . Hm? Oh, it¡¯s Yuzuha . You sure got bigger . ¡±

    Shibaid, who was helping in setting the table, came closer . He could tell it was Yuzuha right away and acted very much like an uncle .

    ¡°You caught on quick . ¡±

    ¡°For me, Human and Beast children, just like Yuzuha here, grow up really fast . So my eyes got pretty good at that . Well, I¡¯m just used to it . ¡±

    ¡°You got a nifty new ability while I was sleeping . ¡±

    Shibaid said it like it was nothing, provoking a wide-eyed reaction from Filma, who then turned again towards Yuzuha .

    ¡°Your atmosphere sure changed a lot too, huh?¡±

    ¡°Rxing type, I guess? I¡¯ll go back to small fox modeter though . ¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡±

    ¡°So Shin won¡¯t scold me even if I stick to him . ¡±

    ¡°Well, honest aren¡¯t we?¡±

    Filma smiled at Yuzuha¡¯s clear and concise words . A smile that surely concealed nasty plotting .

    ¡°So only Tiera is still asleep . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed, we do not know how taxing miasma purification can be . We only prepared the food . Instead, shouldn¡¯t you stop them?¡±

    Shin tried to pretend not to hear what Filma and Yuzuha were talking about, but Shibaid pointed it out .

    ¡°Even if they¡¯re plotting something, they won¡¯t stop even if I say anything¡­¡±

    ¡°Yuzuha seems to have changed a lot, but she¡¯s always liked you, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that, but I don¡¯t think what she feels is what we call love or a crush¡­¡±

    Thanks to Marino¡¯s existence, Shin felt the difference in what Yuzuha expressed towards him .

    When she looked like a child, it was fine just saying that she was attached to him, but that didn¡¯t work anymore . Even so, it was different from the affection that Marino or Schnee had shown towards him .

    ¡°How can I exin, it¡¯s like a mix of affection towards a parent and a friend . That¡¯s how I see it at least . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, if so, there¡¯s non-romantic affection within . The Element Tails I saw in the past tested, trained, and treated humans with affection . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right . ¡±

    Shin remembered the Element Tails in the game era and nodded .

    Personality changes with growth . He had to decide how to handle her .

    ¡°Well, guess I¡¯ll wait and see for now . ¡±

    As Shin said so, Tiera and Kagerou entered the room .

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m thest one?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up . We just finished preparing the meal . ¡±

    The timing was just right, so the party started eating .

    ¡°By the way, Shin . What are you going to do about Celciutos, since now the merfolk are using it as their home?¡±

    After the meal, Schnee mentioned a doubt that resurfaced in her mind .

    That magic-powered vessel was not Shin¡¯s guildhouse, but at present the only Rokuten member in the new world was Shin . Schnee¡¯s expression indicated that he should be the one to own the ship .

    ¡°We can¡¯t leave it like that¡­personally, I¡¯d entrust it to Zazie and the others . ¡±

    Celciutos was their master, Cook¡¯s guildhouse, so Shin would like them to manage it .

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be difficult to set a teleportation point from Shigureya to Celciutos . For the merfolk, we could set up a barrier and a substitute housing . ¡±

    ¡°Would they ept it?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll have to . It won¡¯t be easy for them to agree, since they¡¯ve lived there for a long time, but it¡¯s too dangerous to just leave it there as a safe ce to live . We¡¯ll give a quick look if there aren¡¯t any immediate problems, but then I n to have Rastere . ¡±

    Celciutos had already been used for more than 500 years, without any maintenance . The residents only used the undamaged sections, but if they somehow essed the armory or stockroom, there could be trouble .

    Celciutos, like Reed¡¯s third Moving Base Miraltrea and Cashmere¡¯s sixth Sky Castle Rashugum, was a guildhouse designed forbat . If it malfunctioned, it could bring about unimaginable damage .

    That was one more reason why Shin didn¡¯t want to leave things as they were .

    ¡°Is that so dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Fantasy weapons are sometimes even more lethal than real ones¡­more than that, I¡¯m having a hard time piloting, so would you mind getting off myp?¡±

    Shin moved the small fox-mode Yuzuha to his shoulder and returned to looking into the distance .

    Real life battleships couldn¡¯t shoot explosive ammo from rapid-fire weapons like gatling guns, nor did they have any barriers equipped . They couldn¡¯t neutralize torpedoes by themselves either .

    Thanks to the technology provided by the supernatural power called magic, they could only be called supernatural weapons .

    ¡°The ship we¡¯re boarding now too could be pretty dangerous with the right equipment . Come on, Yuzuha, here . Or Schnee¡¯s thunder¡¯s going to strike soon . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu? ¡­shame . ¡±

    ¡°Filma? What do you think I am?¡±

    Filma and Yuzuha backed away from Shin, as to escape from Schnee¡¯s look . They had suddenly be very friendly, for unknown reasons .

    ¡°So she¡¯s¡­ . ¡±

    Schnee whispered a question to Shin .

    ¡°¡­changed, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, she¡¯s just learned to show affection, I think . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty different from what Filma and Shibaid said . ¡±

    Schnee seemed to understand how Yuzuha felt .

    ¡°We¡¯re alike, that¡¯s all . All I can tell is what concerns you though . ¡±

    ¡°I-I see . ¡±

    Shin stuttered in response of Schnee¡¯s confident reply . He still wasn¡¯t fully decided about many things, so he was almost envious of Schnee¡¯s confidence .

    As they were talking, the surroundings of the ship grew gradually brighter: they were closer to the sea surface . As they proceeded upwards, merfolk and fishpeople gathered around the ship . Among them there was also the adventurers¡¯ guild receptionist, the mermaid Arno .

    Shin¡¯s group waved at her with a smile and she waved back, relieved .

    ¡°I¡¯m d to see you¡¯ve returned safely!¡±

    ¡°Thanks . I¡¯d like to tell you what happened, so could you call Lierno and the others in the room we talked in before?¡±

    ¡°Understood, I will make preparations right away . ¡±

    The group got down from the ship and headed towards Celciutos, surrounded by many merpeople and fishpeople, who had probably been waiting for the group to return . Zazie and the others quickly joined them .

    The group arrived in the room at the same time as Lierno and the other people involved in decision-making for the merpeople and fishpeople .

    ¡°Well, let us report the results of our exploration of the Seafloor Sanctuary¡­which actually was the Castle of the Depths . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . please . ¡±

    Shin heard the sound of someone swallowing their breath . Some looked expectant, others doubtful, others again looked uneasy: all sorts of expressions decorated the faces of the people present .

    ¡°Ishkar had been corrupted by miasma . We have purified it however, and now it should be nearly restored to normal . We have also been assured that the Three Sea Beasts should calm down too . I believe that the monsters will quiet down as well . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, Is that the truth?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ishkar told us itself, so there should not be any mistakes . ¡±

    ¡°Oh my¡­you have spoken with Ishkar directly?¡±

    Most members looked terribly surprised that Shin managed to exchange words with a divine beast . For this world¡¯s inhabitants, divine beasts were truly special beings .

    ¡°We shall never forget the gratitude we owe you . If you are ever in need of our assistance, please say so anytime . ¡±

    ¡°Well¡­about that, we do have a request now, something we¡¯d like you to do, actually . ¡±

    When Lierno and the others raised their heads, Shin exined about moving out of Celciutos, setting up another barrier and moving to a new settlement .

    Lierno and the others seemed confused and apprehensive at first, but as Shin continued talking, they became surprised by the fact that he would go so far for them .

    ¡°I¡¯m asking you to get out after all, so the least I can do is to provide you with a new ce to live . ¡±

    ¡°No, we have been borrowing this ce after all¡­as long as the seas are safe, we can live even without Celciutos . It will be more than enough if you could just set up a barrier . ¡±

    Originally, fishpeople and merpeople did not build houses, but lived in caves, a lifestyle suited for underwater creatures .

    The sea inhabitants here, however, had lived on Celciutos since they were born: they were probably very attached to it .

    Shin was thinking that since he was asking them to leave such a ce, he should give all the support he could .

    Lierno looked extremely apologetic while listening to Shin¡¯s proposal . After some moments of silence, he nodded .

    ¡°¡­understood . If you say you will do so much for us, we cannot reject your kindness . As you say, for me and everyone born here, Celciutos is a ce of guaranteed safety, our hearts¡¯ pir . ¡±

    In this world, living alongside monsters brought with it an always present danger . Even in cities or viges, one never knew when there was going to be a monster attack, and underwater settlements were no exception . That was the reason why Celciutos, equipped with a barrier that even high-level monsters couldn¡¯t break through, was treasured by all who lived on it .

    ¡°I was concerned about what could happen while we moved to Barbatos, but thanks to you there¡¯s nothing to worry about, sir Shin . ¡±

    ¡°You will move, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Our numbers have decreased, you see . If we start moving in small numbers, I do not think there will be any risk of needless friction arising . ¡±

    While the decision did not appear to be final, the other members did not express any objections .

    There was also the proposal of erecting a memorial monument in the spot where Shin would create the barrier . Lierno added that they would deal with all the details after Jesta¡¯s funeral ceremony was over .

 Vol 12 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    ¡°For now, I n to move it to some ce where it won¡¯t stand out and have Raster perform maintenance . ¡±

    After changing locations, Shin talked with Zazie and her group about what he nned to do with Celciutos . They had not discussed this topic during the talk with Lierno and the other leaders .

    ¡°Sir Shin, I know this is a difficult request, but allow me to ask . I would like you to leave Celciutos to us . ¡±

    Zazie mentioned the matter of managing Celciutos before Shin brought it up . In terms of administration hierarchy, Shin was above Zazie and the other former support characters . If Shin didn¡¯t allow it, they could not even move Celciutos .

    Standing behind Zazie, the other support characters ¡ª Lapwing, Bell, and Shell ¡ª watched Shin with a pleading expression .

    ¡°Rest easy, I nned to leave it to you from the start . This is Cook¡¯s guildhouse after all, and I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t do anything weird with it . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much . ¡±

    Zazie lowered her head, her serious expression still on her face . Lapwing and the other two followed suit .

    With Shin¡¯s authorization, they would be able to pilot Celciutos now . First of all they wanted to make it possible toe and go between Shigureya and Celciutos, so the four went to the operation room .

    ¡°OK, I¡¯m going to give Celciutos a general check-up then . What are you going to do, everybody?¡±

    ¡°I do not possess any skills about such technology or maintenance, thus I will go assist with the preparations for Jesta¡¯s funerals . ¡±

    ¡°Same as Shibaid, I¡¯m just no good with creation-type skills . ¡±

    Shibaid and Filma replied in simr ways to Shin¡¯s question .

    Girard was the same too: Shin¡¯s front-line support characters were specialized inbat, so they had not acquired enough techniques rted to creating things to be useful .

    Because of their jobs, they could perform simple disassembling and cooking, but they couldn¡¯t do anything in terms of maintenance of arge ship like Celciutos .

    ¡°I¡¯ll go help with the funeral too . ¡±

    Tiera likewise said she would go with Shibaid and Filma . Her abilities as a priestess had returned, so she could probably be useful there, she said .

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay and help Shin . ¡±

    Schnee would assist Shin instead, using her knowledge of alchemy .

    ¡°Kuu, I want to watch . ¡±

    Still in fox mode, Yuzuha rode on Shin¡¯s shoulder .

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s decided then . ¡±

    Shin headed to Celciutos¡¯ engine room, with Schnee and Yuzuha . If he wanted to move Celciutos, that was the first location to check .

    The ship¡¯s engine room was built using abination of cksmithing, alchemy, and magic . Shin and Hecate had created it together, so he knew how it worked and how to perform maintenance on it .

    ¡°It¡¯s as amazing as I remembered . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu, so much magic power . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s group passed through several rooms, finally reaching the room beyond Celciutos¡¯ engine room, where the ship¡¯s power source was held .

    The 3-mel wide transparent, round container in the room was supported above and below by four mechanical arms . Inside the container was an off-white light, which would sometimes show glimpses of aurora-like lights .

    ¡°No changes in color, and it doesn¡¯t look damaged either . ¡±

    Drawing on all of his knowledge from the game, Shin inspected every part of the room . The guildhouse¡¯s engine room was normally maintenance-free, but after 500 years of neglect due to abandonment, something could have gone wrong . Shin told Schnee to let him know if she found anything concerning, then resumed his inspection .

    ¡°Strange, light . ¡±

    ¡°Because we used arge ¡®Drop of Erathem¡¯ . It created a semi-permanent engine, or at least that¡¯s what we called it . We haven¡¯t actually tested it though . ¡±

    The light emitted by the power source glowed gently and did not hurt the eyes, even if looked at directly . Also, because of the seven-colored lights that sometimes appeared within it, no one would have guessed that it was Celciutos¡¯ giant power source .

    Yuzuha seemed to have grown fond of it, and watched it intently, full of childish wonder .

    ¡°Ok, no problem here . Onto the next,e on Yuzuha . ¡±

    Confirming that there were no irregrities, Shin quickly finished the check-up of every part of the room . Some parts needed changing or maintenance: he took care of parts where specialized knowledge or techniques were needed and let Schnee take care of the rest .

    Afterpleting the maintenance Shin went back outside . In a square-like open space he found a pile of 2-mel long wooden logs stacked on top of each other to form a hexagon-shaped structure . He was first reminded of a campfire, but then he saw harpoons and decorations around the structure and realized that it was something ritualistic .

    Shin asked the fishman Marshill, who happened to be nearby, about the structure . The wooden structure would be burnt alongside the deceased, to return the soul to the heavens and the body to the sea . It was the same as the Barbatos ritual, which Zazie had talked about .

    ¡°The funeral will be held tomorrow . If there is something you want to burn with the deceased, please let me know . ¡±

    Things dear to the deceased or things they liked, provided they were mmable, would be burnt with the body, to send them off together .

    Shin replied that Zazie or Lapwing would know more about that than him, and Marshill replied that he had already told them about it .

    The next day, under a clear blue sky, the funeral ceremony started in a very serious and formal tone .

    Before the vividly burning mes, Lierno and Arno, wearing what looked like tribal clothing, chanted words Shin¡¯s group could not understand . They couldn¡¯t understand the meaning, but could somehow feel that the chant was praying for those passing into the otherworld .

    Perhaps the timing had been calcted, but, as soon as Lierno and Arno finished chanting, the burning logs crumbled . Tiera, who had been standing next to them, sshed water on the embers .

    The fire went out, producing billows of white smoke, which all present gazed at as it rose towards the sky .

    After a while, the smoke vanished and Lierno and Arno cast a spell . The water created by their magic surrounded the remains and transported them to the sea .

    As the ashes melted away in the seawater, the charred logs sank to the bottom .

    With some final words by Lierno, the funeral ceremony was concluded .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°I will move Celciutos, then build a settlement in its former space, okay?¡±

    After Jesta¡¯s funeral, Shin went to move Celciutos right away .

    As Shin would provide a new barrier and settlement, there was almost no objection about taking Celciutos from its inhabitants .

    ¡°I expected more people to protest though . ¡±

    ¡°No one here would dare protest to a High Human¡¯s words . Everyone knows that Marshill could barely fight against you too . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­was I maybe too violent?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, I think it was a good thing that everyone witnessed your strength . Marshill is by far the strongest of our tribe: seeing him overwhelmed like that, everyone will have to just ept the reality . No matter how fond they are of Celciutos, they surely understood how terrifying it would be to have its legitimate owner as an enemy . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm? You make it sound like I¡¯m threatening you¡­¡±

    Shin had no such intention, but the way Arno spoke, it appeared like he was trying to strong-arm Celciutos from them . In their first encounter with Marshill, the atmosphere had gotten rather tense, so it would be difficult to deny itpletely .

    ¡°That¡¯s the best way to convince those who would oppose without an actual reason . Celciutos was something we had borrowed . In effect, we have been enjoying all the advantages it offers very one-sidedly . Many have forgotten this, however, so I believe that even a harsh reminder could be necessary . If the owner says to give it back, it must be done . The immediate danger we have been facing has been solved too: to repay such kindness with spite would be simply unthinkable!¡±

    Arno maintained that the situation was improving from before: there was no risk of the merpeople and fishpeople losing everything with Celciutos gone, as Marshill had said before . Shin offered to create a new barrier and a settlement, so what were they really unhappy with? Arno frowned .

    There was also the fact that fishpeople and merpeople could not, in effect, do anything with Celciutos . Even if Jesta had entrusted them with it, they were only able to ¡°watch over it¡± rather than actually ¡°make use¡± of the ship .

    The barrier itself was fueled by Celciutos¡¯ magic power . In case the barrier was breached, Celciutos was set up to escape .

    The barrier had been preserved without problems until now, so even if Jesta hadn¡¯t met the merpeople, leaving it deserted, it would have probably managed to hold back the miasma until Shin¡¯s group found it .

    ¡°Well, even if they understand it in their heads, their hearts might lead them to protest the change all the same . ¡±

    No matter how reasonable something might sound, emotions aren¡¯t settled so easily: Shin had experienced this himself, so he thought that it was something inevitable .

    On the bridge, Shin switched the engine from the current low-output mode, which maintained the barrier, self-purifying systems, and a few other functions, into the high-output mode for navigation .

    Celciutos¡¯ hull trembled slightly before starting its first voyage in 500 years .

    After making sure that there were no merpeople or fishpeople in the surroundings, Shin moved Celciutos .

    As the ship had been anchored to the surrounding rocks and coral, Shin pulled in the anchor, levitated Celciutos, and slowly moved towards the open sea . In sea stages, ships often got stuck on coral reefs, so game era ships, big and small alike, were equipped with short-duration levitation functions .

    A ship of Ceciutos¡¯ level could travel, levitating abovend, for about an hour . They say that some yers, after witnessing this feat, tried to build an airship .

    ¡°OK then, I¡¯ll make the settlement first . ¡±

    Shin used his architect skills to start building prefab homes in the cleared space after moving Celciutos . He could have created morefortable housing but, ording to Lierno, it was more than enough . The fishpeople and merpeople, albeit slowly and gradually, would soon start move to Barbatos after all .

    The former Celciutos residents were surprised to see the houses ready in less than 30 minutes, but no one expressed dissatisfaction . The reason was probably because they usually lived in water and would frequently move . They moved into the temporary houses with a speed that left Shin surprised too; Then he went to find a ce to hide Celciutos .

    ¡°Looks like it can sail just fine, at least for now . Good thing only the cannons seem to have problems . ¡±

    Shin mumbled to himself while looking at a map of the Kuwain area and its surroundings on the ship¡¯s bridge .

    Since Shin and his party were around, it was not a problem even if Celciutos¡¯ offensive equipment did not work: it would have been much worse if there was trouble with the engine or the power source . Jesta had chosen to keep the miasma sealed because he didn¡¯t know if Celciutos¡¯ reduced offensive power was enough to repel miasma-corrupted monsters, or so Shin guessed .

    Celciutos was a powerful weapon, but ¡ª barring rare exceptions ¡ª it was only used offensively in battles between guilds .

    In the game era, it was not possible to fight dungeon boss monsters like Ishkar with a guildhouse .

    Now, however, things were different .

    For example, when Shin faced the Skullface Lord in the Wraith ins, it was possible for dungeons that were supposed to be underground to emerge above . The possibility of dungeon bosses appearing above ground was thus not zero .

    If used effectively, Celciutos could even destroy Ishkar without giving it a chance to retaliate; at present, its main artillery ¡ª main cannon, sub cannons, etcetera ¡ª were not working, so in the worst case it could even sink .

    Jesta probably considered all this when he decided to seal in the miasma .

    ¡°In this area, we could hide Celciutos¡­here, I guess . ¡±

    Shin found a suitable location from the map saved in the database . There was a location with massive rocks jutting out of the sea surface . If the data was correct, they wererge enough to hide Celciutos .

    When they arrived at the location, they indeed found a group ofrge rocks towering over the sea . With abination of building and Earth skills, Shin carved the rocks, reinforced them, and then hid Celciutos among them .

    Shin also attached Crystal Stones, a barrier, and an illusion skill that camouged the barrier with its surrounding environment, thus hiding the rocks . In case anyone came dangerously close to it, Shin also ced a Crystal Stone with a magic attachment that drove away both monsters and people .

    With Celciutos as its power source, the magic attachments couldst semi-permanently .

    ¡°Sir Shin, you have acquired many production-rted skills other than cksmithing ones, but have you never thought of mastering them?¡±

    Zazie¡¯s question came after the preparations for Celciutos¡¯ concealment werepleted . Just as she said, Shin could have raised one or two other skills, like building or farming, as high as cksmithing .

    ¡°If you master cksmithing, rted skills like alchemy are also at rather high levels too though . It¡¯s not like we never discussed it, but in general we never touched the skills other members were specialized in . Except if it was needed to perfect our own specialization . ¡±

    To be able to handle anything production-rted was an attractive prospect, but to do the same thing as others was not at all .

    It was a coincidence that all Rokuten members headed in different directions with their specializations, and also that all of them shared a dislike for doing the same thing as others .

    Rokuten members had sometimes spoken to each other about it in casual conversation .

    ¡°Everyone also felt differently about to what extent they would perfect their skills . Since it¡¯s rted to cksmithing, I did a lot of alchemy in my time, even though it was Hecate¡¯s specialty . About Cook¡¯s farming or Reed¡¯s doll making, however, I might know something about it but my skills are beginner-level at best . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s farming skill level for example was just II .

    ¡°Why did you ask that, anyway?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering if Rokuten members did not aspire to cover all aspects of creation, by cooperating with each other . I could never ask my master, you see . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I see . ¡±

    Shin thought that Zazie would have surely wanted to ask Cook about something like that .

    In the game, she couldn¡¯t express her own will . For a support character, a better understanding of her master was surely a dream .

    So thought Shin, who could now spend time with his support characters, like Schnee and Girard .

    After hiding Celciutos and setting the teleportation point, Shin¡¯s group rode the magic-powered vessel and returned to Barbatos .

    They had told Zigma that they didn¡¯t know when they would be back, so they used ¡¾Hiding¡¿ on the ship close to the port, then swam tond, with the ship safely stored in Shin¡¯s item box .

    They had concealed their presences when they reachednd, so there was no risk of anyone seeing them and finding them suspicious .

    Their first destination was Shigureya .

    ¡°Where do you want me to set it up?¡±

    ¡°There are a few rooms for the staff in the back . Let¡¯s prepare a dedicated room . ¡±

    Guided by Lapwing, Shin arrived at a room in the back of the restaurant, which was also used as living space . Shin set up the teleport point and connected it to the one ced on Celciutos: now it was possible to freely move between Shigureya and the ship .

    ¡°Finally, let¡¯s ce a magic-powered lock on the door¡­there . ¡±

    Shin locked the room with the unique key he also used for Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s storeroom, setting it so that only Shin himself and the support characters of Rokuten members could open it . No one else could enter the room this way .

    ¡°Thank you for doing so much for us . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really . Besides, now I have one less weight on my shoulders too . ¡±

    Finding and securing the lost guildhouse had been quite the lucky happenstance . Shin¡¯s group would also have had trouble managing Celciutos during their travels, so having Lapwing and the others take care of it was yet another stroke of good fortune .

    The group had no intention of going anywhere that day, of course, so they had dinner at Shigureya and stayed in the inn they had used before departing .

 Vol 12 Chapter 1.3: Chapter 1 Part 3

    The next day, Shin¡¯s group split up to do their own things.

    Shin had to visit the guild and report about his actions in the Kuwain area, but the other members didn¡¯t have any pressing matters to attend to.

    Arno was supposed to have returned to the guild already: Shin had already arranged with her to report that they had not made any significant discoveries.

    ¡°If anything urgent happens, just send a message via Mind Chat.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Shin left the inn and went towards the guild, apanied by Yuzuha who was half dozing on his shoulder.

    He thought Schnee would have wanted to go as well, but unexpectedly said she wanted to go gather food for the journey.

    The other three, Shibaid, Filma, and Tiera, said they would go train on Celciutos. Shibaid and Filma would act as instructors for Tiera¡¯sbat training. The poor elf will probably be put through the wringer.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I went out on my own.¡±

    Shin realized thattely there was always someone else with him. Yuzuha was with him, but partner monsters were considered as one with their master, so he felt like he was acting on his own.

    ¡°So, Miss Arno, then.¡±

    Shin arrived at the guild and looked for Arno at the reception.

    ¡°¡­.she¡¯s not around.¡±

    He thought she used the teleport to return, but unexpectedly Arno wasn¡¯t behind the reception counter. It would have been a pain toe againter, so Shin went to the closest open counter he saw. If his memory was correct, behind the counter was the female worker who was next to Arno when he first visited the guild. Animal-like ears poked from her semi-long brown hair, so she was highly likely a Beast.

    ¡°Excuse me, I went to the Kuwain area, so I would like to make my report.¡±

    ¡°The Kuwain area? Oh, you must be from the group Arno was in charge of. She¡¯s on leave today, so I will handle your report in her ce.¡±

    Shin followed the receptionist to a private room and gave his report as nned.

    ¡°I see, you have been to the shallow part of the Kuwain area. I can understand how you could return safe and sound. You didn¡¯t notice anything else in particr?¡±

    The receptionist nodded. The girl, who said her name was Mizet, had joined the guild at the same time as Arno and was apparently good friends with her.

    ¡°No, nothing in particr. The rain, wind, and waves were much fiercer than expected, so it was impossible to voyage further. It wouldn¡¯t make sense to lose our lives just to risk that, so we came back.¡±

    ¡°A sound decision. By the way, I apologize for changing the topic, but did something happen to Arno?¡±

    Shin asked what she meant: apparently, Arno had been strangely restless after checking Shin¡¯s ship. Some receptionists were attracted by dangerous-looking adventurers, so they were worried that the same thing happened to Arno.

    Shin said that nothing in particr had happened, and Mizet stared at him for several seconds. She probably realized that he was hiding something. Shin was thinking about how to get out of the situation, when Yuzuha cried.

    ¡°(I¡¯m hungry)¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for boring your little friend. We haven¡¯t got much information about the Kuwain area, so if you remember anything, we would be grateful if you reported again. If you ever go on another expedition you will need to submit the request again, so please be careful. If you don¡¯t, the patrol ships will stop you.¡±

    Only Shin could hear Yuzuha¡¯s words: Mizet probably took her cry as meant to make Shin hurry up. She probably thought that Yuzuha was the small fox-type monster often kept as a pet.

    ¡°Just one more thing. Unrted to the Kuwain area expedition, there is a request for you from the shipwright Zigma.¡±

    ¡°A request for me?¡±

    Shin took a look at the request form, wondering why it was necessary to go through all the work of submitting a request specifically for him. The request was for Shin¡¯s cooperation in building a new ship.

    There was no mention of magic-powered vessels inside. Since the guild didn¡¯t know the circumstances, it was probably viewed as a request for the adventurer to look for necessary parts.

    However, Shin knew Zigma, and immediately understood that something else was being asked of him.

    ¡°Sir Zigma apparently vehemently insisted that this request be given to you when you came. I wonder what happened to him?¡±

    ¡°Zigma¡­¡±

    Shin tried not to show it, but mentally wondered what had gotten over the shipwright.

    ¡°Anyway, I nned to go the shipyardter, so I¡¯ll ask him directly. I¡¯ll decide then whether to take the request or not.¡±

    ¡°Very well, please take the request form with you then. That is all, thank you for your time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way, then.¡±

    Shin nodded to Mizet and left the guild. Thinking that he might find Schnee, he decided to pass through the market on his way back.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin was talking in the guild, Schnee was shopping alone in the market. She was using her usual illusion skill, so no one could find her true identity, but people would turn and look at her rather often. Schnee remembered that Shin once told her that she was beautiful even when transformed, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

    That smile, however, did notst long.

    ¡°¡­¡­sigh¡±

    A sigh escaped her mouth. She had done her best not to show it in front of Shin. Because of that, whenever she was alone she would suddenly feel down. It had happened before, albeit very rarely. Lately, or to be precise, from the previous day, it happened much more frequently. The reason was clear: the barrier that had stopped her during the fight against Ishkar.

    Tiera, Kagerou, and Yuzuha could go help Shin: Schnee could not break the barrier until Ishkar was defeated.

    It was like trying to pierce through the earth itself, a barrier so sturdy that it was impossible to even think it could be broken through. Schnee could not do anything.

    There was no way for her to be able to do something against a barrier that easily repelled even Shiden martial skills. There was also a high chance that simr barriers would separate her from Shin again. In such a case, she would not be counted among the members that could help Shin.

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Schnee silently did her shopping, putting the items in the item box without being seen. She kept thinking throughout the process. However, her train of thought was elsewhere. There were also other things that she couldn¡¯t help being concerned about.

    Those were Ishkar¡¯s words about an ¡°undesired return¡±.  They pointed to Shin¡¯s return to the real world, did they not?

    Shin must have realized that possibility too.

    When she met him again in the Wraith ins, Shin answered Schnee¡¯s ¡°Would you go back to your world if you could?¡± with a yes.

    Not to rely too much on Ishkar¡¯s words, but if they found a safe way for Shin to go back to his world, what would he choose to do?

    ¡°Shin has reasons to return.¡±

    Marino¡¯sst words. The family and friends left behind, all the other people connected to him.

    The other side is Shin¡¯s homnd, the ce he belongs to. Schnee understood that his presence in this world was an irregrity.

    ¡°Does he have reasons to stay here¡­?¡±

    ¡­..yes.

    So she was trying to say.

    Shin has reasons to stay in this world. Something important enough topare it with the other world.

    I will be that reason. So she wanted to say.

    Schnee¡¯s mouth, however, could not pronounce those words. Only sighs escaped her lips.

    ¡°I¡­Shin, I¡­¡±

    Like you. Very much.

    I can say with confidence that I love you.

    But what about you?

    What do you think of me?

    Schnee expressed her emotions clearly, but on the other hand Shin rarely expressed such things in words. Unfortunately enough, he often justughed apologetically.

    ¡ª-All you can do is to make him fall for you hard enough that he won¡¯t feel like going back anymore.

    Filma¡¯s words troubled Schnee.

    Her appearance was all decided by Shin. Judging from his initial reaction, it was clear that it was just as he idealized. His look going to her chest area couldn¡¯t be her imagination either. Being shown affection by her shouldn¡¯t be unpleasant for him.

    The strategy Filma had proposed, half joking ¨C to approach him asking him to take her ¨C might seed too. Even if it did though, would it be enough to hold Shin down?

    In the game era, physical interactions with his lover, Marino, were limited by the system. In Schnee¡¯s eyes, however, they truly loved each other.

    The appearance of the physical body called avatar could be changed, apparently. It was not something you could rely on to decide whether opening your heart or not.

    What connected them, however, was not the body but the heart. A deep ce that could not be easily touched, that was where they truly sought each other.

    Even if she offered him her body, even if her face was to his liking, her body was better, Schnee did not think it would be enough to keep Shin back.

    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m¡­¡±

    What do I want to do?

    What do I want Shin to do?

    I have more than enough wishes.

    I wish for him to be happy.

    I wish to see his smile.

    I wish for him to hold me.

    For him to kiss me.

    I wish for him to look at me and me only.

    To want me and me only.

    Maybe they were more desires than wishes. But they were Schnee¡¯s true feelings.

    Maybe because she felt uneasy, the desire to have her loved one all for herself grew stronger. At the same time, she was reminded of Shin¡¯s lover, Marino.

    She wanted to be like her. That¡¯s what Marino was to Schnee.

    Schnee thought about Marino, who became Shin¡¯s mutual lover. She thought, thought harder, finally understood.

    The person closest to Marino was Tiera.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Maybe Shin had also realized that, somewhere within Tiera, Marino¡¯s shadow was present.

    The kiss back at ck Priestess Shrine, the bypassed barrier during Ishkar¡¯s fight. Something else that Schnee didn¡¯t know about might have happened too. It probably did.

    If Marino cooperated with Tiera, Shin¡¯s heart could be led to her. Looking at Tiera, it was clear she didn¡¯t dislike Shin, with or without Marino.

    Whether she was aware of it or not, Tiera¡¯s gaze went towards Shin as frequently as Schnee.

    Schnee was aware enough of her surroundings to notice it.

    ¡°¡­.what am I even thinking about now.¡±

    Her train of thought hadpletely derailed, her thoughts scattered. Schnee realized it and sighed again.

    She had probably been walking absorbed in her thoughts: before realizing it, she had arrived on top of a hill overlooking the city of Barbatos. It was probably set to be a ce to enjoy the view from: there were some toys for children and benches.

    ¡°No one else is around though.¡±

    A ce with such a nice view, deserted before lunch time.

    It was Schnee¡¯s first time there, so she could not bepletely sure, but it felt strange for no one else to be there at this time of the day. As she was wondering about the suspicious situation, she caught a presence heading towards the hill. Someone walking calmly. Schnee looked in that direction.

    ¡°Am I being watched?¡±

    The person was probably using ¡¾Through Sight¡¿. Schnee clearly felt the unseen stranger¡¯s gaze on her.

    Schnee used ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ herself and looked at the mysterious observer.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­!?¡±

    Schnee was surprised to see who was walking up the hill.

    Gentlemanly clothing with dazzling decorations, white hair with a gold-rimmed silk hat. White gloves holding a stick, the appearance of a true gentleman.

    A handsome looking face with an innocent, boyish smile. Schnee noticed, however, how his light brown eyes were not smiling at all.

    Without disguising himself or paying any attention to the surroundings, the criminal wanted throughout the continent, Hameln was leisurely strolling up the hill.

    As soon as Schnee realized the man¡¯s identity, she sent a Mind Chat to Shin and the rest of the party.

    ¡°(I saw Hameln. We wille in contact soon.)¡±

    Schnee also ryed the location to the surprised group. There were no monsters around, as far as she could see. If possible, she wanted to bring him down then and there.

    She was concerned, however, about the reason why he would appear before her like that, in the middle of the day.

    Scouting jobs like Hunters and Ninjas were said to possess high ability in visual detection skills. yers had even performed various tests to see if there weren¡¯t hidden stats based on race and job.

    Using ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ with no other countermeasures on a Kunoichi -the female version of the Ninja- like Schnee was just like publicly disying one¡¯s location.

    Hameln was surely aware of that: he must have been definitely plotting something.

    ¡°Oh my, you graciously waited for me. Surprising. I was sure you would ambush me, you see.¡±

    Hameln affected surprise with his whole body.

    Seeing through Schnee¡¯s disguise like nothing was expected of a former yer like Shin.

    ¡°You know well that it would be pointless, as I have captured your position. I¡¯ll ask just in case, what is your aim?¡±

    Schnee engaged Hameln in conversation to buy time until Shin and the others arrived. Shibaid and Filma would probably take some time, but Shin should arrive in a few minutes.

    ¡°My aim, you say. I suppose that would be you.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you dide to this world too after all. I was thinking of testing something that has been bugging me, you see.¡±

    Opposite to Hameln¡¯s stick wielding left hand, a card appeared on his previously empty right hand.

    As soon as she saw it, Schnee grabbed the hilt of her ¡ºBlue Moon¡» and put more distance between them.

    Other than item cards, there were also offensive cards that sealed magic spells.

    ¡°Please, do not be wary of me, there is no need to worry. This is just a little trick, I have no intention of harming you. That would be ¡®meaningless¡¯.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s suspicion made Hameln¡¯s smile deepen. He pointed the card towards Schnee.

    As he did, the card disappeared and Schnee¡¯s body started glowing.

    ¡°!?¡±

    Schnee noticed her body¡¯s sudden glow and started moving even before thinking. She instantly dashed next to Hameln and swung her ¡ºBlue Moon¡» without hesitation.

    ¡°My, oh my, your speed has improved tremendously. Your weapon has been reinforced too.¡±

    Hameln, who had escaped the full brunt of Schnee¡¯s attack, retreated a few steps while clutching the spot where his left arm used to be. The stick he had tried to use to defend himself was on the ground, cut in half.

    ¡°If the item hadn¡¯t shown its effect, I would already be down for the count. I suppose I underestimated you. I shall reflect on it for the future.¡±

    Hameln spoke in a tone hardly fitting someone who had just lost an arm.

    In the game era, because of freedom of movement and AI performance, he was probably superior. From this exchange, however, Schnee realized that she could defeat him now. That was, however, beyond what she could do in her current condition.

    ¡°What did you¡­do to me¡­!¡±

    Schnee felt her strength leave her body. Not only that, she could also feel something different, something irreceable, disappearing. Something she couldn¡¯t put in words. She could not ignore it either.

    More than Hameln, this unknown sensation enveloping her whole body was far more terrifying.

    ¡°Only yers could tell what this is, pretty much. I have no intention of keeping secrets, so let me tell you what is happening. Maybe you have experienced it once, but this is an item that resets support characters¡¯ affection level to zero. In the game, it only affected one¡¯s support characters, but it appears that restriction does not exist anymore in this world.¡±

    Schnee had never heard of the item mentioned by Hameln. She instinctively understood, however, how it would be a fatal weakness for her.

    ¡°Kh¡­.aah¡­.¡±

    Her body glowed for several seconds. She could not speak another word though.

    Schnee¡¯s hand let go of ¡ºBlue Moon¡».

    Before the nging sound of the de hitting some stones could get her attention, she felt a dull shock behind her head. She then noticed that she had copsed on the ground.

    ¡°Well well, missionplete. Oh yes, I should ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- that too. ¡ª¡ª-me effect on the other ¡ª¡ª¡ªport characters¡­¡±

    She caught bits and pieces of Hameln¡¯s words.

    Her consciousness was fading. Her eyes wouldn¡¯t stay open.

    ¡°SCHNEEEEEEE!!!¡±

    Right beforepletely losing consciousness, she heard someone¡¯s voice.

 Vol 12 Chapter 1.4: Chapter 1 Part 4

    Some time prior to Schnee¡¯s encounter with Hameln, Shin and Yuzuha had gone to the market, after finishing their business at the guild .

    All sorts of people and species filled the market: a human girl was negotiating prices with a vendor, a male fishman was inspecting wares, a Mermaid was calling out to the passing crowd, a Beast frowning because of the pungent fish smell .

    Shin looked around aimlessly, recognizing fish he knew from the game era and others he had never seen before . The great variety of foodstuffs on disy also included seaweed, seafood, dried food: a collection of typical marine goods packed on the racks, a true feast for the eyes .

    ¡°(All look, so tasty)¡±

    ¡°(There¡¯s some amazing looking stuff too . Can you really eat that?)¡±

    In this world, there were many creatures with appearances barely matching their vor, especially if they came from the sea . If they were on sale, they were surely edible, though .

    ¡°(Hungry)¡±

    ¡°(It¡¯s still a bit too early for lunch . Be patient . )¡±

    ¡°(Kuu¡­)¡±

    Yuzuha, mostly drained of all her energy,y powerless on Shin¡¯s head . Her front paws covered his eyes, so Shin gently grabbed her by the waist and moved her to his right shoulder .

    ¡°We took some time back at the guild, I guess Schnee¡¯s already gone?¡±

    Shin checked the map while walking down a street near the center of the market . If Schnee was close, he would see her name near her marker . All the markers he could see, however, were colored green, as in, neutral . No sign of Schnee .

    He could probably find her if he expanded the map¡¯s range, but if she wasn¡¯t in the market she was probably back at Shigureya, so Shin did not search further .

    Here and there, however, Shin heard menmenting things like ¡°I saw a crazy gorgeous blonde just now¡± or ¡°That was one smoking hot body!¡± .

    He couldn¡¯t be 100% sure, but Shin felt positive that they were talking about Schnee¡¯s camouged form . Despite always trying his best not to nce at Schnee¡¯s chest, Shin couldn¡¯t help sneaking peeks from time to time . ording to Filma, she had grown even more from the game era . It wasn¡¯t something Shin could forget or ignore .

    ¡°¡­what the heck am I thinking about, anyway . ¡±

    A men¡¯s impure thoughts had probably affected him . Shin firmly shook his head to drive such delusions away .

    The embrace at ck Priestess Shrine, the kiss at Fuji, her swimsuit figure at the Castle of the Depths .

    Shin too was a man, after all: thinking of the softness of the female body and the voluptuous swimsuit figure he saw in the dungeon, he couldn¡¯t exactly keep his cool .

    ¡°(Kuu, Shin, pervert . )¡±

    ¡°What!? Yu, Yuzuha, what did you just . . !?¡±

    It was like Yuzuha had read Shin¡¯s thoughts: surprised, he forgot about Mind Chat and reacted loudly .

    ¡°(Schnee, beautiful . Just take her . )¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ . not so simple . ¡±

    There wasn¡¯t anything he disliked about Schnee . His objective, however, was to return to his former world: he felt it wasn¡¯t right toy his hands on her .

    He knew it was cruel of him to let her have hopes about him . Even so, he did not refuse Schnee¡¯s direct shows of affection .

    On the other hand, if he gave up on going back and settled in this world, the dilemma with Schnee would be resolved .

    In his current situation, however, it wasn¡¯t even clear why he had been transported to the current world . If he gave up and then was somehow transported to the former world, it would be simply unbearable .

    ¡°(Shin, you like Schnee?)¡±

    ¡°Of co¡­¡±

    Shin was about to say ¡°of course¡±, when he noticed various sets of eyes looking at him as if he were weird . From other people¡¯s standpoint, it looked like he was walking while mumbling to himself .

    ¡°(¡­ . of course I do . But you know, in the game there was this thing called affection level¡­if that is still influencing Schnee¡¯s feelings, you could say that it¡¯s like I have her under mind control¡­)¡±

    Shin switched back to Mind Chat and continued talking .

    The same could be said for Shibaid, Filma and the other support characters . At the time of their creation, support characters only have the bare minimum level of loyalty .

    That wouldn¡¯t be a problem if the yer just wanted them to act as clerks, but if they were to fight alongside the yer, as Shin¡¯s support characters did, things were very different .

    If the affection level was low, the range of avablemands was limited .

    Acting together and using items to raise affection level gradually removed such limitations .

    When affection level is maxed, as proof of such bonds the yer obtains a ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» fragment . One per support character for a maximum of five, so five support characters total .

    When put together, they were still not enough to forge an Ancient-grade weapon, but they were still very rare items . Some yers turned them into earrings or rings and gave them to their support characters .

    ¡°(Could I be twisting Schnee¡¯s feelings? ¡­is what I think, sometimes . )¡±

    In the past, he had given her great quantities of affection-raising items at once, in order to increase it quickly .

    In the game, it was just a stat going up, so nothing to worry about . To remove themand range limitations, to gain rare items . It was all for himself .

    But this world was real . If Schnee was influenced by his actions during the game era or from the game¡­

    Looking at Schnee, Shin was starting to have doubts .

    ¡°(Schnee likes Shin . She¡¯s not controlled . )¡±

    ¡°(Well, I sure hope so . )¡±

    Shin answered Yuzuha without much conviction, his shoulders dropping . Whether he returned to his former world or not, he wanted to make that clear .

    ¡°(No matter what happens, Yuzuha is with Shin . )¡±

    ¡°(You can¡¯t be sure of that . If I go back to reality, you won¡¯t be able to¡­)¡±

    ¡°(Yes . Ie with you . )¡±

    Shin objected, stating something he thought was obvious, but Yuzuha interrupted him, fully confident .

    ¡°(Yuzuha wants to be with Shin, so I do . I didn¡¯t get any items . Kuu!)¡±

    Yuzuha wrapped her tails around Shin¡¯s neck and pecked at his cheeks with her front paws . Her light, padded strikes tapped him repeatedly .

    Yuzuha expressed that she wasn¡¯t with Shin because she was manipted .

    ¡°(¡­well, do as you want . It¡¯s not like I have proof or anything . )¡±

    There was no way of finding out if someone was influenced or not by affection level .

    Schnee said that she even remembered the first day that Shin logged in THE NEW GATE .

    If so, it wouldn¡¯t be weird that she really liked him . There was the possibility that her present affection level was true affection .

    It was a problem that couldn¡¯t be solved, no matter how long he thought about it .

    ¡°Well, enough wandering around . Time to go back, I guess . ¡±

    No sign of Schnee . As soon as Shin turned around, towards Shigureya, he received a Mind Chat message from her .

    ¡°(I saw Hameln . We wille in contact soon . )¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice echoed from afar . It was a mass transmission, a message sent to all registered users .

    ¡°Hameln? He can¡¯t be trying to unleash a pack of monsters here, can he!?¡±

    Shin slipped in a nearby back alley, activated ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and kicked the ground hard . Jumping straight above the buildings, erged the map, confirmed in which direction Schnee was and started running .

    Contrary to his predictions, Schnee was on top of a hill near the town . Near her there was just one more marker, colored neutral green . It had to be Hameln .

    ¡°There are presences of monsters around Barbatos, but it¡¯s not a packrge enough to attack the city . So I guess that it¡¯s not his objective this time?¡±

    Shin ran, slicing through the wind .

    He tried to guess what Hameln would be trying to do, but in the end Shin did not have enough information about him . In the game, Shin had exterminated the monsters and delivered the final blow, but until the end he did not learn exactly what it was Hameln wanted to do .

    A few seconds before Shin reached the hill, Hameln¡¯s marker changed to red .

    ¡°What¡¯s going on now?¡±

    The map couldn¡¯t show the markers¡¯ behaviour in detail . What was clear is that Schnee had brushed right next to Hameln, then stopped .

    Schnee and Hameln were on a hill of moderate height . Thinking it would be a waste of time to go around, Shin jumped down from the roof, then kicked the ground again to boost himself up, hard enough to leave a crevice .

    What Shin saw on the hill was Schnee copsing and Hameln missing an arm .

    ¡°Schneeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!¡±

    As soon as he saw her, Shin found himself screaming .

    His desperate call managed to barely reach her before she fell .

    Smoothly, Schnee¡¯s body rose again, and without a sound moved behind Hameln . Her hands gripped ¡ºBlue Moon¡», the weapon she had dropped moments before .

    ¡°!?¡±

    Hameln had been distracted by Shin¡¯s shout and noticed Schnee¡¯s approach only at thest moment, moving away instinctively .

    She had apparently been damaged enough to cause her to copse . Schnee¡¯s attackcked sharpness: it only managed to wound Hameln¡¯s chest .

    Hameln, now at a certain distance from Schnee, saw his coat tear in half . There was no blood, though: the sh likely failed to reach his body .

    ¡°Schnee!! Are you all right!?¡±

    ¡°Yes, no problem . ¡±

    Shin checked Schnee¡¯s condition, while ring at Hameln . She did not appear injured anywhere . Her level and status were the same as always too .

    ¡°Quite the speedy arrival, my friend . I must say I did not think we would meet again, though . ¡±

    Hameln spoke to Shin in a cheerful tone .

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less . What did you do to Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s hardly something worth mentioning, really . I just used an affection-resetting item . Honestly speaking, I doubted it would actually work, you know . I thought you would have reset it already during that event, to collect items . It only works once, as you know . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . the ¡ºCursed Tag of Crippling¡»!¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly . ¡±

    Hameln¡¯s smile widened and Shin materialized ¡ºMoonless¡» . He was worried about Schnee¡¯s condition, but it would have been much more troublesome to let Hameln go .

    ¡°Where did you get it? It should be impossible for yers to create them . ¡±

    ¡°The Kishimi n, was it? They¡¯re in this world too, you see . The item I used is something I found in their settlement, after wiping them out . Oh, do not worry: the one I used on Schnee was thest one I had . I have no other items to reset affection level . ¡±

    Hameln continued talking in a whimsical tone, but Shin did not hesitate and attacked him with ¡ºMoonless¡» .

    He would not kill him, as there was information to be extracted .

    Before Shin could strike, however, a shadow appeared between them .

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Shin clicked his tongue as he swung down ¡ºMoonless¡» and cut the intruding shadow in two . Because of the unexpected mass of the target, however, Shin¡¯s sword sh did not have its usual speed .

    The shadow¡¯s identity was a monster with damage-reducing capabilities, Mad Shadow .

    As the name said, its damage reduction ability allowed it to decrease the damage it received to one third, and worked both on physical and magic attacks . In addition, it could also wrap itself around swords andnces to make it more difficult to fight .

    As it just happened to Shin, the monster could also slow down attack speed: it was hated by yers especially when encountered in time attack events .

    Its level was fixed at 100 and it had no offensive capabilities at all: on the other hand, its VIT was said to be over 800 .

    The Mad Shadow didn¡¯t manage topletely wrap Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡», but lowering Shin¡¯s attack speed allowed Hameln to move away from his attack range .

    ¡°You probably wanted to capture and draw information out of me, but I had no intention of hiding anything from the beginning, so I guess I¡¯ll have my say and go . It¡¯s possible to make items to return affection level to what it was . Whether the item works or not, however, is all up to luck . Of all the times I¡¯ve tried it on support characters until now, it worked about half the time . Other choices would be event bosses that are not confirmed to exist here too, but you could always try looking for them, I suppose . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . why did you tell me all this?¡±

    ¡°What effect would it have on a High Human¡¯s support characters? Will it really go back? That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to see . I did not have the smallest inkling of wanting to erase Lady Schnee . The exchange just now took me by surprise, but it would have been boring to continue . I am sure you will understand that I am speaking the truth, dear Shin?¡±

    Just as he said, Hameln probably just wanted to see the results of using the item . His words and actions seemed exactly the same as they were during the game .

    For better or worse, Hameln did not seem to particrly care about anything other than his own objectives .

    He frequently acted as MPK (Monster yer Killer) because he enjoyed looking at people struggle: whether his targets survived or died as a result, it was of no concern to him .

    Considering his past, it did not seem like he was lying .

    ¡°Well then, I shall take my leave now . I¡¯m looking forward to the next time we meet . ¡±

    Hameln had been talking behind arge quantity of Mad Shadows he had summoned as a barrier, but his presence now vanished . His way of disappearing did not make it look like he had used high-speed movement or ¡¾Hiding¡¿: he had probably used teleportation . Without a marker, there was no way of tracking a teleported target .

    Shin took care of the remaining Mad Shadows, then talked to Schnee .

    ¡°What exactly happened here?¡±

    ¡°I do not know anything more than what Hameln said . He said he used a Cursed Tag, but I do not feel anything wrong with my condition . ¡±

    Schnee answered matter-of-factly to Shin¡¯s question . She did not seem to be in a serious condition, nor to be enduring anything . It was probably true that there was nothing wrong with her .

    Her matter-of-fact behavior, however, was a stark contrast with the usual Schnee . She was far too expressionless when talking about her condition .

    ¡°¡­ . do you remember me?¡±

    ¡°I remember that you are my creator and the lord whom I should serve . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . just that?¡±

    ¡°It has been less than an hour since I appeared on this location and begun my activities, so I would say that there is nothing more to add . ¡±

    Schnee answered Shin¡¯s somewhat upset question without changing her expression a bit .

    Her gaze did not have the usual warmth anymore: it was simply observing the being known as Shin . Shin felt his blood turn cold .

    ¡°Like that I left you in charge of Tsuki no Hokora for all that time . ¡±

    ¡°Do you mean the base?¡±

    ¡°We went to Falnido, Hinomoto, lots of other ces too, didn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°I do not remember, but¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ . even Filma and Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°Who would they be?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s expressions clouded after Shin¡¯s barrage of questions . It was not an act, she really did not know .

    ¡°Are you serious¡­ . ?¡±

    Finally, Shin sighed .

    Judging from her words, it looked like Schnee had returned to the stage just after a support character has been created, her memories reset . She could use her equipment without problems, so her level and stats must be unchanged .

    Affection level rose little by little as the yer stays logged in: if the support characters acted alongside the yer or certain items are used, it can increase byrge amounts .

    If affection level is reset, rted memories and memories experienced when affection level was high are probably erased along with it .

    Schnee was Shin¡¯s first support character . They were together most of the time since he started ying, so her affection level was pretty much constantly growing .

    Thing would have probably been different if he just had her manage the store, but it was likely that for Schnee resetting affection level also meant erasing all her memories .

    ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s wait for Filma and the others to arrive first . Let me tell you first that Filma is a support character, like Shibaid . ¡±

    ¡°Support characters other than me? I am supposed to be the first in order of creation, though . ¡±

    Schnee seemed puzzled to know about other support characters being created all of a sudden .

    With her memories reset, it was no wonder that she did not remember about the support characters created after her .

    For Schnee, the time spent in that world was almost zero . She probably found it bizarre for multiple support characters to exist .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you will believe me, but you have actually lost your memories . Once Filma and the others learn about it, they will probably ask you the same questions I just did, but please bear with it . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . I will be on standby, then . ¡±

    Schnee said nothing else and fell inplete silence . It seemed she had no intention of actively engaging in conversation .

    She stood upright, her hands lightly resting on her skirt, not the smallest movement . If she didn¡¯t blink, she could be passed for a very well done doll .

    ¡°Kuun¡­¡±

    Yuzuha, to whom Schnee had not paid the slightest bit of attention, emitted a lonely growl .

    (Memories disappear, huh . )

    Shin could have asked more questions to grasp Schnee¡¯s current situation, but he didn¡¯t find himself able to . He was more shocked than expected at hearing Schnee call him ¡°lord¡± with that nk tone and expression .

    He could feel a sort of respect from her, but nothing more . The smile she had just a few hours before was nowhere to be seen .

    (The ¡ºCursed Tag of Crippling¡» . To reverse its effects, I need the ¡ºBlessed Tag of Bonding¡», if memory serves me right . )

    The item that resets affection level, officially named ¡ºCursed Tag of Crippling¡», had been implemented in the game during the ¡ºDepths of Oblivion¡» event .

    It was used by enemies which targeted not yers, but support characters, forcing their affection levels back to zero .

    In more precise terms, however, their memories were not lost, but only taken away .

    During this event, alongside with the ¡ºCursed Tag of Crippling¡» an item called ¡ºBlessed Tag of Bonding¡» was implemented as well . Using it would restore the lost affection level .

    If something disappears, it can¡¯t be brought back . But if it¡¯s taken away, it can be taken back, and memories will return too¡­or so the event¡¯s description said .

    Other than using the Blessed Tag, the way to restore memories was to defeat the evil god the Kishimi n venerated, the event¡¯s boss . In the game, the tags had 100% sess rate, but if Hameln had been speaking the truth, it was now a gamble .

    During this event, many yers reset their support characters¡¯ affection levels on purpose, to then raise them again and obtain more ¡ºDrops of Erathem¡» . The Cursed Tags could reset affection levels only once per character . Considering the reward, it wasn¡¯t a big loss .

    Shin too was no different: he had reset the affection levels of all his support characters from number 2 ¨C Filma ¨C onwards . Schnee, however, was different .

    Clearing the event with a support character not affected by the Cursed Tag awarded a special reward . Shin thus did so with Schnee, his strongest support character at the time .

    (Shit!! How could I have expected this!?)

    Schnee, the only one among Shin¡¯s support characters that could be affected by the Cursed Tag, encountered Hameln and had the Cursed Tag used on her . Shin could have never fathomed such a possibility .

    Shin knew what materials were needed to create the Blessed Tag, but the Cursed Tag was not something yers could create . Shin scratched his head, desperately trying to recover any useful information . He could note up with anything, however, and eventually Filma and the others arrived .

    Even after looking at Shibaid and Filma, support characters like her, or Tiera, with whom she used to manage Tsuki no Hokora, Schnee¡¯s behavior did not change at all .

    ¡°¡­ . it really looks like you forgot all about us . ¡±

    ¡°So it seems . All I have is the impression of meeting you all for the first time . ¡±

    ¡°Looks like you act and speak a bit different too . ¡±

    Ever since Shin came to this world, Schnee always had a warm atmosphere, so as Filma said, her personality could have changed too .

    ¡°Master¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°I have no recollection of ever taking any disciples . ¡±

    ¡°You simply forgot . Please remember!¡±

    Tiera kept pressing, with tears in her eyes, but Schnee was simply confused .

    If Schnee hadn¡¯t saved her, Tiera wouldn¡¯t be who she is now . Having lived for so long together, it was a real shock for her to be forgotten .

    ¡°Calm down, Tiera . It¡¯s not like there¡¯s no way to bring Schnee back to the way she was . ¡±

    Shin told the others the information he received from Hameln . The source was an enemy, but concerning the Blessed Tag, Shin had used them too during the event, so there was no mistake .

    The problem was that even using the Blessed Tag, there was just a 50% chance of it working .

    In case it failed, they would have to go look for the event boss, which they were not even sure existed .

    ¡°Is it really true that I have lost my memories?¡±

    ¡°Yeah . ording to your memory, you just woke up in this world and fought Hameln, right? If so, it would be weird that your nonbat skills are leveled up too . Your Cooking skill is as high as IX, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­indeed, I do possess many skills that I have no recollection training . So it is true that I lost my memory . ¡±

    Schnee checked her status and nodded, convinced .

    Her expression barely changed, just like before, so Shin was not sure if she was really convinced or not . At the same time, he wondered if she always was so deadpan .

    Filma then asked him a question .

    ¡°So, do you have the item that could recover her memory?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I don¡¯t have all the materials . I¡¯m missing something called ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡», anyone heard of it?¡±

    Shin checked his item box, then replied to Filma¡¯s question .

    Event item materials normally couldn¡¯t be used to make other items, so there was no point in gathering them inrge quantities . He had something remaining from when he made Blessed Tags for Filma and the others, but it wasn¡¯t enough to make another one .

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try contacting the Golden Company¡¯s Berett, first? I suppose that¡¯s our best chance for finding it . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right . I¡¯ll ask anyone I can contact first . yers like Hibineko could be carrying some too . Filma, guys, you¡¯ve never heard of this item, right?¡±

    ¡°Nope . ¡±

    ¡°Nor have I . ¡±

    ¡°I would have said it already if I had . ¡±

    Filma, Tiera and Shibaid did not seem to know either .

    Filma and Shibaid, however, seemed to remember about the event, so they knew what kind of item it was .

    ¡°In Tsuki no Hokora¡­wasn¡¯t there a box materialse out of? Couldn¡¯t there be some there?¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t create event-only materials . Checking the storehouse is a good idea, though . Let¡¯s take a look in Celciutos¡¯ and Rashugum¡¯s store too . ¡±

    Thanks to Tiera¡¯s mention of the material creation device, Shin decided what they would go next . He would only go visit Zigma at ater time .

 Vol 12 Chapter 1.5: Chapter 1 Part 5

    They opted to exin what happened to Zazie and the others, saying that they would leave for the moment .

    First, they went to check Celciutos, using a teleport stone prepared for themselves, different from the one ced in Shigureya . The group arrived in the ship and quickly proceeded to its stockroom .

    Shin unlocked the 5-mel tall door, which slid effortlessly to the side .

    The stockroom contained items in both card and materialized forms . Some items were kept in materialized form simply because keeping stacks of cards in such arge storeroom would give it a bleak atmosphere: a pretty meaningless reason, honestly .

    Keeping the items in card form allowed one to store them more efficiently: in each of the room¡¯s sections, one for each member, piles of cards were stacked .

    One of the storeroom¡¯s functions prevented the stacks from copsing, as all cards kept there were rare items and parts .

    Despite the apparentck of care in the way the item cards were stacked, they were actually piles and piles of treasures .

    ¡°This is impressive¡­even if they¡¯re all in card form, I feel kind of overwhelmed . ¡±

    The memory-deprived Schneemented after looking around the storeroom .

    If any person skilled in detecting magic power, other than a yer or someone rted to one, entered in a room like this, they would either bepletely charmed or run away as fast as they could .

    ¡°The storeroom in Tsuki no Hokora was also unbelievable . It even had cursed weapons on disy, just like that . ¡±

    ¡°Is that not dangerous?¡±

    Tieramented with a sigh, but Schnee replied to her seriously .

    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t touch them . All essories that can create mental interference are blocked from doing anything too . If any weapon gets a bit too daring, I just melt them and send them back to the forge . ¡±

    Shin clearly stated that there was nothing to worry about, as he had done with Kuchinashi at Hinomoto, when he showed her his storeroom .

    ¡°I see, our lord is well acquainted with the usage of weapons . ¡±

    ¡°Er¡­not just weapons, cksmithing in general . Leather, threads¡­I¡¯ve also raised my skills in handling materials other than metals . ¡±

    Shin momentarily found himself at a loss of words because of Schnee¡¯s impressedment . Her words and expressions showed that she was simply saying what she thought .

    When he first started ying, Shin tempered iron and Schnee poured her magic power in it, to forge swords . Though she did not remember her experience now .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to check the list . ¡±

    Shin returned to the mission, and, after checking the item cards in his section, asked for ¡°permission¡± and started checking the stocked items¡¯ list of the other Rokuten members .

    He scrolled through the long list of item names, looking for the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» . He checks each list twice, to be sure not to miss it .

    First, he looked through Hecate¡¯s and Cook¡¯s lists, rich in vegetal-rted ingredients . He then went to the other sections in order from the closest: Cain, Cashmere and Reed .

    Contrary to his expectations, however, Shin could not find the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» anywhere .

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect much, but to not even find one¡­I wonder if we¡¯ll be luckier in the other ces . ¡±

    ¡°We have no choice but to make an attempt, though . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, off to Rashugum then . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Shibaid and announced their next destination . The fastest way would be to teleport directly from Celciutos, but as it had happened when they tried from Tsuki no Hokora, it was not possible .

    ¡°Where is Rashugum now, by the way?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to check with Vizzy about that . I¡¯ll have her ready us some transport too . If the Elder Dragons we used before are still avable, there¡¯s no need to make Rashugume down either . ¡±

    Rashugum was always flying in the air, so if it was not possible to fly or teleport there, it would be necessary to make itnd and start from the lowest floor .

    It wasn¡¯t impossible for Shin, but thanks to Vizzy and the Elder Dragons they could avoid such a troublesome method .

    ¡°I¡¯ll send Vizzy a message and ask where they are . I¡¯ll try to get her toe here or to Barbatos, whichever is closer . ¡±

    ¡°As you, my lord, are the only High Human, I doubt she would refuse your orders . ¡±

    Schnee continued, saying that even if a member of Rokuten other than Shin hade to this world, she would surely obey .

    Vizzy and Berett coborated with Shin because they shared Schnee¡¯s sentiments, maybe .

    ¡°I¡¯m trying not to force people like that . And you can just call me Shin . ¡±

    ¡°I cannot address my lord in such a manner . ¡±

    ¡°Before losing your memory, you called me Shin, you know?¡±

    ¡°I have no such recollection . ¡±

    Schnee was steadfast . She wanted to clearly draw the line in their master-servant rtionship .

    Even when they left Barbatos, Schnee reproached Filma for her much too familiar manner of speaking with Shin .

    ¡°Schnee was pretty stubborn in this period, huh . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think she was so stiff, though . ¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡±

    Shin and Filma answered Schnee¡¯s expressionless stare,ughing and saying it was nothing .

    ¡°By the way, my lord, will we spend the night here?¡±

    ¡°It depends on what Vizzy and Berett tell us . I was nning on thinking about it after lunch . ¡±

    He hadn¡¯t chosen where to eat yet . Schnee said that she would like him to materialize Tsuki no Hokora .

    ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and prepare lunch, then . ¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it . ¡±

    Spurred on by Schnee, who was eager to do the housework herself, Shin materialized Tsuki no Hokora in an open space . Tiera noticed and said she would help, so she followed Schnee inside .

    Shin went to his room to write messages for the support characters Vizzy and Berett, as well as the former yers Hibineko and Shadow . Afterwards, he went to the kitchen to check on Schnee .

    ¡°Even without her memories, I guess her skills are intact . ¡±

    Schnee and Tiera were making preparations for the meal .

    Schnee had taught Tiera not only how to fight, but also skills useful for living, such as basic alchemy and cooking .

    Probably because they lived together for a long time, Schnee and Tiera worked together swiftly and efficiently, without bumping or inconveniencing each other .

    ¡°Master, you once said that for cooking technique and feelings are what¡¯s important . ¡±

    Tiera, not noticing Shin¡¯s presence, started talking with Schnee .

    ¡°I can understand why technique would, but¡­feelings¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes . You told me that dishes prepared with feelings for someone and dishes prepared with just technique had different vor . ¡±

    ¡°Is there an unknown ingredient to be added¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯spletely not the way to think about it¡­¡±

    Schnee seriously reflected¡­in the wrong direction, and Tiera stopped her, disappointed .

    Shin too nodded, hidden in the shadow of the corridor .

    ¡°Master¡­no, Schnee, what you put into your cooking were your feelings for Shin . ¡±

    Tiera stopped her hands for a moment and talked while looking at Schnee . On her face was a slight frown, as if she was enduring something painful .

    ¡°My feelings for my lord?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Shin disappeared, and even if you were told that he might not return anymore, you continued to wait for him . Ever since he returned, you were always looking at him . I am sure many things that I am not aware of happened between you, too . ¡±

    Tiera continued, frankly .

    Thinking about it, Shin and Schnee were alone together rather often . Tiera had probably noticed it too .

    ¡°Back at the vige, I was often told that I was slow when it came to romance¡­but even I could tell how you felt about Shin . That¡¯s how important he is for you . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s beyond what I¡­I do not find it unbelievable that I might harbor feelings for my lord, but our difference of status is too great . I am but a mere servant, would my lord ever look at me?¡±

    Schnee closed her eyes and talked with her hands resting on her chest .

    It was simply preposterous: so suggested Schnee¡¯s behavior .

    ¡°Oh, you were quite open in showing each other your affection . Despite¡­¡­ . . what others might feel . ¡±

    Tiera thought to talk in a light, casual way, but probably couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, and blurted out aint . She had said it almost in a whisper, but it had reached Schnee¡¯s ears .

    ¡°Is that so . I do not feel that way as of now, but¡­it is the same for you, yes?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Er, I¡­¡­ . yes¡­ . ¡±

    Tiera was stuck in a long pause after Schnee¡¯s question, but finally answered in a very feeble tone of voice .

    After hearing her reply, Schnee put down the frying pan she was holding and, with a small smile on her expression-void face, hugged Tiera .

    ¡°You are very kind . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . eh? Er, I¡­ . ¡±

    Schnee hugged Tiera with just enough strength so that she could break free anytime she wanted, then continued to speak softly .

    ¡°After talking with Filma and Shibaid, I have concluded that I was rather¡­though I do not know if this is the appropriate way of saying it¡­well liked by my lord . If you are fond of my lord, this loss of memory would be the perfect chance for you to express your feelings and draw him to you . Despite this, you are trying to bring me back, in your own way¡­maybe because you are this kind of person, the past me saved you . ¡±

    ¡°No, er, I didn¡¯t think that far¡­¡±

    Not knowing what to do, Tiera was squirming in Schnee¡¯s arms .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my body moved on its own . Even if I forgot, it appears that my body remembers . ¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize! I¡¯m the one who has a huge debt of gratitude to you, mas¡­Schnee!¡±

    ¡°You may call me master if you want . We must have lived together long enough for you to call me that instinctively, correct?¡±

    ¡°Ye, yes . Thank you, very much . ¡±

    Tiera¡¯sst words trembled .

    Shin did not know how Schnee and Tiera met . As Tiera said, she not only respected Schnee but also felt indebted to her .

    After Tiera calmed down, the meal preparations continued smoothly . Schnee¡¯s skills had not decreased in the least, so there was no dy .

    The eavesdropping Shin, however, had missed the timing to leave . He only meant to check on them, but encountered an unexpected development .

    ¡°The menu is hamburg steak, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, nice smell . ¡±

    Maybe attracted by the smell of cooking meat, Shibaid and Filma too arrived and joined Shin in looking at Schnee and Tiera cook .

    ¡°Now that I think about it, the day I met Schnee again, we had hamburg steak for dinner . ¡±

    Shin mumbled under his breath .

    ¡°Hmm, might this be Tiera¡¯s proposal?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she was with us too, so it could be . ¡±

    ¡°Food prepared in a special asion¡­I wonder if it will trigger her memories . ¡±

    The three continued observing the cooking team while talking .

    It wasn¡¯t clear if Schnee and Tiera noticed them or not, as they continued working quietly .

    Soon after, Shin received the replies to his previously sent messages .

    ¡°Guys, I¡¯m leaving for a moment¡±

    The former yers, Hibineko et al, had not been much interested in the ¡°Depths of Oblivion¡± event and did not participate in it . They added that they would research it on their own .

    Berett said that they did not sell the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡», but he would look for it .

    Vizzy was back at Rashugum .

    Incidentally, they had given Wilhelm a teleport crystal for the location near Bayreuth where Tsuki no Hokora was located . After bringing Hermie back, he apparently used it to return to Bayreuth .

    Vizzy and Rashugum were flying over the center of the continent: in her reply, she asked if she should head towards their location right away .

    If she did so, she would arrivete at night . Flying with dragons was dangerous when it was dark, so Shin asked her to depart the following morning, while moving with Rashugum . Vizzy couldn¡¯t see through Shin¡¯s concealing skills, so he added that she should contact him again when she was close .

    Just about that time, the hamburg steaks were cooked and ready to eat .

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go call Shin and¡­what are you doing?¡±

    The meal mostlyplete, Tiera started walking out to go call the others, but then she found herself face to face with Filma and Shibaid .

    Filma and Shibaid were peeking inside from the corridor¡¯s shadows, while Shin, behind them, was turning around too .

    Tiera, her apron in her hands, looked at them and sighed .

    ¡°We were wondering how things were going . Hamburg steak, yeah?¡±

    Thinking it would be weirder to just keep quiet, Shin tried asking about the menu .

    ¡°Yes, it left an impression on me too, so I thought that it could maybe trigger some response . Well, my cooking can¡¯t quitepare with what master makes when she puts her heart in it, though . ¡±

    Due to the memory loss, Schnee¡¯s culinary prowess had somewhat decreased . Even so, she was still an opponent beyond Tiera¡¯s league .

    Shin and the party thought that the possibility of Schnee recovering her memories through the meal were low, but still held onto this tiny ray of hope as they sat down .

    ¡°Let¡¯s eat, then, everybody . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Shin thought that Schnee could have forgotten about this custom of theirs, but she followed with everyone without hesitation .

    When he pointed it out, Schnee looked at him puzzled .

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but¡­I did it without thinking . ¡±

    This made Shin think she didn¡¯t actually forget every little memory .

    ¡°How¡¯s the taste, master?¡±

    ¡°Good enough, I¡¯d say . No problem . ¡±

    Filma and Shibaid toomented about the hamburg steak¡¯s deliciousness .

    It was indeed delicious, but to Shin it seemed like something was missing . Tiera too shared his opinion .

    It had been a while since theyst ate Schnee¡¯s hamburg steak, so it could be their imagination . Even so, they felt that there was somethingcking in it .

    ¡°Can you remember anything?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, not especially . ¡±

    ¡°I see¡­well, I guess that¡¯s normal . If it could return so easily, we wouldn¡¯t need any items!¡±

    Tiera was clearly affecting a cheerful tone .

    Shin then decided toment in a joking way .

    ¡°If she came back like this, I would have to send messages to everyone all over again!¡±

    Shin then changed to lighter topics, implying that that conversation was over .

    Everyone else followed him too, sessfully avoiding for the meal to continue in silence .

    ¡°Thanks for the meal . ¡±

    After eating, Shin and the party prepared for the following day . They had just finished ate lunch, however, so it was still too early to sleep: all members then spent the day freely .

    Shin left the others and went to the alchemy room, located next to the smithy, to check if there were other items which could substitute the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» .

    He chose items that looked simr and were harvested in the same location, then tried the creation method of the ¡ºBlessed Tag of Bonding¡» with them . He stopped just once for dinner, but was cooped up in the room for the rest of the day .

    ¡°My lord? Are you still awake?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin heard a hesitating voice call to him as he was drawing the essences he needed from the items . He turned around and saw Schnee, with a gown over her pajamas .

    ¡°What¡¯s up? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No, but it is ratherte, so I thought that it was time for you to rest¡­¡±

    Shin thought that not much time passed since he started to work again, but it was past midnight already .

    As it had happened when he was called to dinner, when he focused time really flew by .

    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice at all . So that¡¯s why Yuzuha said that she was going to sleep . ¡±

    Yuzuha had been watching over Shin¡¯s work, but then said that she was sleepy and would go to bed¡­as Shin just remembered .

    ¡°Please do not overexert yourself . Think of yourself before me . ¡±

    ¡°That I can¡¯t do . ¡±

    Shin answered immediately to Schnee¡¯s light reproach . He wouldn¡¯tpromise on this .

    ¡°That is not good . Please rest . ¡±

    ¡°I will, after a couple more tests . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . if so, I will stay with you . ¡±

    If she left him like that, who knows how long he¡¯d continue . Schnee realized this and sat down on a chair in a corner of the room .

    She nned to not move an inch until she confirmed that Shin stopped working .

    ¡°You can go to sleep first, you know?¡±

    ¡°It is unthinkable for me to go to sleep before my lord . ¡±

    No matter how much Shin protested, Schnee did not budge from her chair . He eventually gave up .

    ¡°To your room, then . I will apany you . ¡±

    ¡°Wait, I can go to my room by myself . ¡±

    ¡°It would not do for you toe back to this alchemy room . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s words were not very believable after he forgot about the time, lost in his experiments .

    ¡°I am but one of your support characters . My lord¡¯s health must be prioritized . I am nothing to be¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s tone grew stronger .

    He did not talk loudly, considering the time, but the will contained in his words did not allow Schnee to retort .

    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t remember, even if you have forgotten everything, I remember the feelings that you expressed towards me . What you felt while you waited for me . I just want to answer those feelings . I can¡¯t just not do anything . For you, I don¡¯t care how much I¡¯ll overexert myself!! For me, you are a higher priority!!¡±

    Schnee was right too in a way, but Shin couldn¡¯t stand it .

    He knew it was one-sided, but he held her shoulders and confessed his feelings .

    Maybe because there was no one else around, or because, tired from work, his sense of restraint had weakened . He wasn¡¯t sure why, but he said exactly what he felt .

    Schnee was in a corner of the room and couldn¡¯t step backwards . He had her effectively cornered, as if he didn¡¯t want to give her a chance of escape .

    At a distance close enough that he could have stolen his lips if he wanted, after this kind of confession even Schnee couldn¡¯t maintain her expressionless face .

    ¡°I, I¡­understand¡­you¡¯re¡­too close¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry . I kind of lost control there¡­¡±

    Schnee blushed and whispered, looking down . Shin quickly put more distance between them .

    ¡°¡­ahem . My lord, I think I have fully grasped how you feel towards the past me . And because of that, I urge you to take care of yourself first . If the me before memory loss knew that you pushed yourself too hard for her sake, she would surely me herself . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­you¡¯re right . I won¡¯t push myself too hard . ¡±

    ¡°Please do . Well then, good night . ¡±

    Schnee bowed lightly and returned to her room . She seemed to have given up on taking Shin back to his quarters .

    Shin looked at her quickly walking away, then headed to his room himself .

    ¡°¡­ . hah . ¡±

    Schnee left Shin and returned to her room . After closing the door, she leaned on it and slowly slid down to a sitting position .

    ¡°As I thought¡­memories are not¡­ all gone . ¡±

    She barely managed toplete the sentence . She held her right hand over her chest, where the heart was, and tried to calm her breathing .

    The present Schnee did not feel any particr affection towards Shin . As he was her creator, she respected him and did not have doubts about obeying him, but did not have any romantic feelings .

    ¡°To feel like this even without memories¡­how lost was I for him before¡­?¡±

    Schneeughed a little at herself . She couldn¡¯t know how she was before the memory loss, but if her body was this affected, there was no choice but to believe .

    When Shin came up close to her, her heart started beating fast like never before . Surprise and joy swelled in her chest,rge enough to make it difficult to breathe .

    How happy did those words make you? Her chest had be so burning hot that she almost wanted to ask the past her this question .

    And because of that, she thought .

    The present her shouldn¡¯t approach Shin any more than strictly necessary .

    ¡°The Schnee who should stand beside my lord is the one before the memory loss . ¡±

    The present her was some sort of mirage . She would eventually disappear . If so, she will be a loyal servant, obeying her lord, until the end .

    ¡°Come back soon . ¡±

    Schnee talked to the other her .

    It looked like it would take a while before her body cooled down .

 Vol 12 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    The next morning, Shin woke up before Yuzuha, despite going to bedter than her, washed his face and headed to the living room.

    Schnee and Tiera were already up and had almost finished preparing breakfast.

    ¡°¡­..good morning.¡±

    ¡°Hey, morning.¡±

    Schnee greeted Shin with a nk expression on her face, as if nothing had happened the day before. Shin tried to reply as natural as he could.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡±

    Because of herck of expression, it looked like Schnee was putting pressure on Shin which put him at a loss about what to say.

    ¡°Er¡­.did something happen?¡±

    Tiera looked, puzzled, at the two people staring silently at each other.

    About the time when all members woke up and had finished eating breakfast, Shin received a message from Vizzy, stating that she had arrived close to their position.

    ¡°Vizzy¡¯s almost here, I¡¯ll go meet her.¡±

    ¡°Well, nothing to do here, so I¡¯ming too.¡±

    ¡°I shall join you too.¡±

    After a word to Schnee and Tiera, who were washing the dishes, Shin, Filma, and Shibaid went outside. The map showed Vizzy¡¯s marker, so Shin temporarily removed Celciutos¡¯ cloaking function.

    Vizzy seemed to have spotted Celciutos, as her marker went from moving in circles to speeding straight in Shin¡¯s direction. Less than 5 minutester, Vizzy and the Elder Dragons arrived before Tsuki no Hokora. Just like the previous time, Vizzy had brought 5 Elder Dragons of different colors.

    ¡°Hello there~~looks like you¡¯re in quite the pickle, aren¡¯t you~~¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like you really think so though?¡±

    Shin replied with a wryugh to Vizzy¡¯s unchanged ¡°mellow¡± way of talking.

    ¡°But thank you foring so quickly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I was just free~~. So~~, are we going right no~~w?¡±

    Rashugum was heading towards Shin¡¯s location. Even though the wind was not in their favor, it would still reach them by evening.

    Shin¡¯s party had nothing else to do at Celciutos, so they decided to go to Rashugum. After changing Tsuki no Hokora back to pendant form, they all boarded the Elder Dragons.

    Shin, Filma, and Shibaid mounted an Elder Dragon each, while Schnee and Tiera got on the same one. Learning from her past experience, Tiera wore a coat for protection against the cold.

    ¡°Off we go~~!¡±

    The Elder Dragons, obeying Vizzy¡¯smand, pped theirrge wings. After a short approach, they all flew up in the sky.

    Celciutos¡¯ cloaking had been restored right after Vizzy arrived. If someone had been looking in the ship¡¯s direction, they would have seen Shin¡¯s group appear from nothing.

    ¡°We¡¯ll go~~straight to Rashu~~gum, okay~~¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go!¡±

    The howling winds would normally make it impossible to talk, but thanks to abination of wind magic and ¡¾Silent Domain¡¿, Shin¡¯s party could converse normally.

    The inability to talk had been an inconvenience when they flew from Bayreuth to Sigurd, so Shin hade up with this method after testing several skillbinations.

    They passed ins, mountains, and forest areas, encountering flying monsters on their way. Most of them avoided the group, fearing the Elder Dragons, but some monsters attacked in packs¡­only to be blown away by Shin. He didn¡¯t care about defeating them, so he just created a path with wind magic and flew straight through it.

    Shin had attached spells to the Elder Dragons: they wouldn¡¯t be affected even if the monsters tried to tackle them. The wind spell caused some monsters to crash down to the ground, but Shin¡¯s group was in a hurry and did not bother with recovering the items they dropped.

    During the journey the groupnded once to have lunch, but started flying again right away: no detours. They focused on speed more than anything else, so they managed to arrive at Rashugum by sunset.

    ¡°A floating¡­castle¡­¡±

    Tiera whispered her thoughts while looking up at Rashugum, bewildered.

    She had heard about it before, but actually witnessing such a bizarre sight brought apletely different sense of wonder. Yes, not intimidating, but bizarre.

    Shin was used to seeing it by now, but when it was firstpleted he too rejoiced like a little kid.

    Rashugum floated in midair as if a castle, along with its surrounding terrain, had been scooped up from a vase and ced there. The castle at the center stood tall and imposing like a skyscraper.

    Around the castle, other than a series of cannons, there were also many protruding and floating objects, with unknown purpose at first nce.

    Originally, the terrain under the castle formed the shape of an upside-down mountain. It looked like it could crumble with even the smallest shock, but it was actually duly coated with Chimeradite.

    It was also equipped with weaponry that able to rain down attacks from above. Nicknamed the ¡°floating fortress¡±, the 6th Sky Castle Rashugum was a super-weapon impossible in reality.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it a bit too noisy here? And¡­there¡¯s a huge pack of dragons there¡­¡±

    Tiera pointed in the direction of a group of dozens of dragons, fighting with breath attacks and magic. It looked like there were at least two opposing parties at odds.

    Some dragons flew undeterred by Rashugum¡¯s protective barrier, while others were kept outside of it.

    The former group, which could pass through the barrier and, despite having inferior numbers, was made ofrger dragons and seemed to be at an advantage, wasposed of Elder Dragons.

    Thetter group, which could not prate the barrier and saw its numbers gradually dwindle because of the Elder Dragons, was made of creatures called Wyverns, types of dragons which had their front paws and wings fused together.

    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re not in danger, but should we help just in case?¡±

    ¡°No need to~~it¡¯ll all be over soon anyway~~let¡¯snd behind the castle so we don¡¯t get caught in the fighting, okay~~¡±

    ording to Vizzy, from time to time packs of flying monsters came attacking Rashugum, hoping to make it into their territory.

    Wild monsters couldn¡¯t enter Rashugum: a castle brimming with magic and protected by a sturdy barrier, seemed to be very appealing in the eyes of monsters, especially dragons; thus they often showed up to take a stab at its defenses.

    ¡°They have no chance, do they.¡±

    ¡°Exactly~~besides, we don¡¯t have only Elder Dragons on our side~~¡±

    Even discounting the barrier, it would be suicide for monsters to attack a nest of high-leveled Elder Dragons. Just now, thebined breath of 3 Wyverns had been annihted by the breath of a single Elder Dragon.

    The Wyverns were around level 400-500, while the Elder Dragons were 600-700. If there were unique specimens like Kagerou, they could be even higher.

    Normally, if the attackers did note in muchrger numbers, they would not stand a chance. Vizzy¡¯s words suggested that there were even more powerful monsters in Rashugum too. Shin began to feel a bit sympathetic towards the Wyverns.

    ¡°Whoa¡­what¡¯s that?¡±

    Tiera, who had continued look at the dragons¡¯ battle, spoke with a mixture of surprise and disbelief. She witnessed a golden beam, shot from Rashugum itself, obliterate the Wyverns.

    ¡°There¡¯s an Ancient Dragon too¡­?¡±

    A golden breath could only be unleashed by Ancient-type or superior dragons.

    Ancient Dragons were ¡°at least¡± level 800.

    For the Wyverns, it was a fatal difference.

    ¡°It¡¯s even more dangerous thanst time we came here.¡±

    So Shin said to himself as they passed the barrier andnded in Rashugum.

 Vol 12 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    ¡°Since there¡¯s always an expert here, I see it¡¯s all kept in working order¡±

    Shin got down from the Elder Dragon and whispered to himself while looking at the surroundings .

    In Palmirack and Celciutos, theck of maintenance had not caused serious problems, but in Rashugum, the aboveground part had been preserved perfectly .

    The fact that the temperature wasn¡¯t too low and it wasn¡¯t difficult to breathe, despite the altitude, was proof that the atmosphere control system was working . The dragons dwelling here surely found it very pleasant too .

    ¡°Over here~~¡±

    The group followed Vizzy to the front of the castle .

    Shin tried concentrating on his hearing as they walked, but could not hear any sound of fighting . The attackers had either been driven away or annihted . He checked the map and, as expected, found no sign of the Wyverns .

    ¡°Hey, that¡­can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    While the group was heading towards the front entrance, Tiera noticed something .

    Shin looked in the direction Tiera pointed at; Rashugum¡¯s nd area, which had been added because they felt the need for some nature, and the mass of colorful creatures crawling and squirming on it .

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s impressive . ¡±

    Shin remembered Rashugum¡¯s nickname and understood . What they were looking at was a group of dragon-type monsters, of all kinds and levels .

    Eastern-style dragons with long torsos, western types with powerful limbs and all kinds in between: it was like a dragon exhibition .

    Looking more closely, there were wyverns too, but different from the ones that had just attacked the castle .

    ¡°T-they won¡¯t attack, right?¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t, no worries . They¡¯re a~~ll good boys and girls . ¡±

    Tiera was nervous, but Vizzy replied in her usual tone .

    Some dragons noticed the group and raised their heads to look . As Vizzy was with them, the dragons probably understood that they weren¡¯t enemies . Most dragons either went to sleep or started flying again .

    ¡°You could stand up to them by now, right Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, some of them you could take down on your own . ¡±

    ¡°It might be, but¡­they¡¯re still scary . ¡±

    Even if her stats had increased, Tiera had only recently be much stronger, so dragons still looked like fearsome foes .

    Seeing so many dragons left grazing freely like that, she couldn¡¯t help fretting .

    ¡°Hey, that one¡¯sing closer¡­?¡±

    Tiera, who was looking at the dragons with a stiff expression, stopped walking .

    Shin looked too and saw ¡°something¡± covered in ash grey fur emerge from the pack and waddle towards them .

    ¡°Oh my~~¡±

    Vizzy saw it and expressed her surprise . She didn¡¯t stop it, however, so it shouldn¡¯t be dangerous .

    Looking at the creature better, the group realized that it too was a dragon . Even including its tail, it was still very small, about the size of a puppy .

    The mini dragon waddled left and right, unsteady on its feet, but straight towards Schnee . Then, despite Schnee¡¯s confusion, it proceeded to rub its face on her feet .

    ¡°Er¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh~~This is rare~~baby Illusion Dragons rarely get close to people~~¡±

    ¡°Why would ite to me?¡±

    ¡°Actually, this baby¡¯s parents were found and rescued by you, Schnee~~ . I don¡¯t know why their child would warm up to you, though¡­¡±

    Apparently, the baby¡¯s parents had a connection with Schnee . During a material gathering mission, Schnee had defeated some monsters and found young Illusion Dragons nearby .

    Illusion Dragons had peaceful temperaments, so Schnee healed them, then talked about them to Vizzy: that is the reason why they were brought to Rashugum .

    The parent dragons thought of Schnee as their saviour, so they were very fond of her .

    ¡°Since it¡¯se to you like that, why don¡¯t you pet it a little~~¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we hurry on, though?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go first . It¡¯s not like we need lots of people for what we have to do anyway . ¡±

    Schnee was not sure what to do, but Shin told her that she could give priority to the baby dragon . Following Vizzy¡¯s advice, Schnee timidly tried touching the dragon . The baby then started rubbing its head against it .

    ¡°Baby Illusion Dragons are so different from their parents¡­¡±

    Shin expressed his surprise at seeing how easily the baby dragon had approached Schnee .

    ¡°I was surprised too the first time~~¡±

    As opponents, Illusion Dragons were impossible to even touch if they weren¡¯t tamed: they were monsters formed by smoke or fog in the shape of a dragon .

    ¡°Ehm, what should I do with this baby?¡±

    The baby Illusion Dragon was ying by tapping its front paws on Schnee¡¯s hands . It was a very peaceful scene, but Shin and his party had things to do . Schnee probably thought that she couldn¡¯t just stay there .

    ¡°Keep an eye on the kid until the parentse back . ¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°The search didn¡¯t take much at Celciutos either, right? This is a rare asion too, why don¡¯t you just rx once in a while . ¡±

    ¡°Well, I admit it would be difficult to leave¡­¡±

    The baby dragon cried sadly every time Schnee tried to go, making her feel guilty . Shin didn¡¯t need much help, after all, so he asked Vizzy to stay too, for when the parents would return . Yuzuha, apparently intrigued by the mini dragon too, jumped down from Shin¡¯s shoulder .

    Shin left her to Schnee and walked away . He didn¡¯t need a guide to know what was where in Rashugum .

    ¡°Oh, herees Raster . ¡±

    Shin felt a presenceing from inside the castle and stopped . At present, Vizzy and Raster were the only ones present in Rashugum, so it had to be him .

    The map showed two ovepping light dots: he was probably riding one of his mounts . After a while, a young man riding a small dragon appeared .

    Raster Zay, servant of the Blue Trickster Cain, one of Rokuten¡¯s members .

    Characterized by his silver eyes -covered by a bandana- and copper skin, Raster was a High Lord in his twenties .

    He too was of higher race, but his stats were almost all concentrated in DEX, making direct fighting not his forte . On the other hand, he was a master at using items and supporting his allies .

    ¡°Come o~~n, you¡¯re sote~~¡±

    ¡°Whoops, sorry, sorry . The Illusion Dragon egg hatched, but the baby disappeared somewhere . I knew that lord Shin¡¯s group had arrived, but I had to look for it¡­¡±

    ¡°The baby?¡±

    After hearing the apologizing Raster¡¯s words, Shin¡¯s party directed their eyes at Schnee and the Illusion Dragon baby she was holding .

    Next to her, Yuzuha -now a fox about 1 mel in size- was looking curiously at the baby dragon .

    ¡°I looked everywhere, and there you are¡­I was worried, you know . ¡±

    Raster followed the gaze of Shin¡¯s group, then sighed in relief .

    ¡°Well, problem solved then . ¡±

    Shin tried cheering up Raster, who had clearly been worried sick . Shin knew how it felt: idents like this could be dealt with if they happened one at a time, but for some reason they tended to ur in multiples .

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it! Besides the parents were worried too, I had to go wee Lord Shin¡¯s party, yet I couldn¡¯t help but worry¡­¡±

    Shin told the apologetic Raster to not worry about anything .

    ¡°Okay then, I leave to rest to you guys . If Vizzy¡¯s here, the parents won¡¯t attack you¡­not that Schnee would have trouble with them, though . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s uncalled for . In case anything happens, I will focus on defense . ¡±

    ording to Raster, the parent dragons were on edge because of their missing child . Normally, it would be possible to spot the baby through its presence, but there were too many dragons at Rashugum, so its presence was thin and hard to find . It hadn¡¯tpletely disappeared though, so the parents would surelye back soon, or so said Raster .

    ¡°Me and Vizzy have taken out resources and stuff from the warehouse, but we neverid a hand on the Rokuten members¡¯ stock . ¡±

    Each member¡¯s sections and the materials to preserve Rashugum were stored separately, so Shin and the other members¡¯ items did not risk being used as material . Some materials, however, were difficult to find and were getting pretty low in stock .

    ¡°I¡¯ll refill the stock with the spare stuff from our generatorter . Let me just check the lists first . ¡±

    ¡°Sure thing!! It¡¯s great enough that you¡¯re going to refill our stock . I¡¯m really thankful!!¡±

    Raster bowed again .

    The maintenance materials were usually bought from Berett or gathered with the dragons¡¯ help . Highest ss items, like Drops of Erathem and Chimeradite, were always needed, albeit in very small quantities, but they were impossible to find .

    They could be reced by other items, but lowering the quality also lowered the overall result, so Raster and Vizzy were rather troubled .

    ¡°Oh yeah, you haven¡¯t learned ¡¾Generate¡¿ yet?¡±

    ¡°I only need a little more proficiency, but as you know, at this level you need to mess with really high grade materials to gain any points¡­but we don¡¯t have enough stuff, so I can¡¯t just use ¡¯em up for practice . ¡±

    Raster¡¯s proficiency was indeed just steps away from acquiring ¡¾Generate¡¿ . When practicing to raise proficiency, it was not umon to render materials unusable, which was keeping Raster from advancing .

    It involved using rare metals such as Chimeradite, Mithril, and Orichalcum to create things after all . All of them were very valuable in this world: using them inrge quantities just to increase proficiency sounded just like something out of a videogame .

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you some materials to practice after I¡¯ve refilled your stock then . Our generator¡¯s been working hard enough, so we won¡¯t run out anytime soon . How much do you need?¡±

    The items just kept piling up, so Shin made this proposal to Raster thinking of putting them to good use .

    ¡°Fo, fo, for real!?! As expected of a noble High Human, just like lord Cain! I cannot thank you enough!! I¡¯ll check the items and tell youter!!¡±

    After calming the overjoyed Raster, Shin and the group reached the storehouse and checked the item lists .

    They checked all sections twice, like they did in Celciutos, but could not find the item they were looking for .

    ¡°Nothing here either¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    Tiera was worried, but Shinughed .

    They hadn¡¯t checked the storehouse in Palmirack yet . But as they barely found any event-rted items in Celciutos and Rashugum, the probability of the same thing happening in Palmirack was high .

    Just like Shin and Tsuki no Hokora, Rokuten members had homes outside their guildhouses . He couldn¡¯t check those, however: differently from him, the other Rokuten members did not materialize their homes unless absolutely necessary .

    Cook¡¯s home, Shigureya, remained intact, but ording to Zazie the item they were looking for was not there . Cook never kept items unrted to cooking, so there was nothing to do about it .

    ¡°¡­then, what about Garden?¡±

    ¡°Garden?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a guildhouse focused on cultivating medicinal herbs, with also many structures to create all sorts of catalysts . A High Human called Hecate was in charge of it . It looks like it¡¯s in a rtively dangerous area now, though . ¡±

    During his exnation to Tiera, Shin reflected .

    ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» is extracted from a nt called Lily Orchid . The possibility of vegetable-rted materials being stored in Garden was considerable . Higher than the other guildhouses, at least .

    It had been abandoned by them, after all, so it was also a good opportunity to go check on it .

    ¡°This is the right chance . Let¡¯s go check Palmirack first though . ¡±

    Shin and the party had already visited it once, so they could teleport to Palmirack directly from Rashugum . Shin was also currently registered as Palmirack¡¯s master, so they could go straight to its storeroom .

    Leaving Tiera and the others behind, Shin teleported from Rashugum¡¯s to Palmirack¡¯s teleport point, then into the storeroom .

    Several minutester¡­

    ¡°¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    ¡°I can imagine what you¡¯re going to say, but¡­did you find anything?¡±

    Tiera guessed while looking at Shin¡¯s expression . Filma, Shibaid, and Raster could also pretty much tell, so they waited in silence for Shin to talk .

    ¡°I found the item in question, but¡­it¡¯s still not enough to make a Blessed Tag . ¡±

    Shin had actually found ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» in Palmirack, but just 1 item card of it . Adding to what he already had, he would need at least 2 more .

    From the bottom of his heart, Shin hoped that his search would end here .

    ¡°Do you know where that Garden is?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know just the ce . ¡±

    Shin answered Tiera¡¯s question .

    Arge forest area to the east of the center of the continent of Eltnia . Apparently, Garden -officially called ¡°5th Daze Garden Romenun¡±- was at its center .

    ¡°I actually went there once to check too . It was a heck of a party, poisonous nts and monsters everywhere . Monsters without poison resistance couldn¡¯t even step close to it . Even poison-bearing monsters had to be pretty strong to get close . ¡±

    Riding a dragon, Raster had gone on reconnaissance from the sky . Romenun¡¯s surroundings were covered by thick poisonous fog, and even the Elder Dragon Raster was riding refused to go near .

    Romenun itself looked unaffected and unharmed, at least from the outside .

    ¡°We can¡¯t get in contact with Oxygen and Hydro, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct . But hey, considering the location, I think they¡¯re both alright . ¡±

    Raster meant to say that the two were both so focused on their research that they didn¡¯t step one foot outside . At least, they wouldn¡¯t try to leave Romenun now that it was surrounded by toxic mists . The structure was self-sufficient, so they would not risk starving to death .

    In THE NEW GATE, in case of failure when creating or developing items, the materials used normally turned into trash . In rare instances, however, unexpected results happened: dangerous items called ¡°failures¡± .

    Such items often had ¡°Something like a¡­¡± or ¡°Fake¡­¡± in their names and were generated more easily the more valuable the materials used were .

    Some exploded when used, others summoned monsters, other bizarre ones changed the surrounding yers into swimsuits when materialized¡­etcetera .

    They were dangerous items: no one knew when they would activate or what effects they could have . The more one delved into the depths of creation jobs, the more one would encounter them . Naturally, Shin was no exception .

    ¡°Well, at least it seems they can¡¯t turn into sudden death items . ¡±

    The failure items could have all sorts of effects, but it had been officially stated that they would never exhibit sudden death effects . Shin couldn¡¯t be sure that this applied to the current world too; besides, Oxygen and Hydro were probably rational enough not to use failed items without thinking .

    Trusting in this, Shin chose to stop thinking about it for the moment .

    ¡°Raster, does the name ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» tell you anything?¡±

    ¡°Really sorry sir, but nothing . There is someone here who could know, though . ¡±

    ¡°Here?¡±

    By ¡°here¡± Raster referred to Rashugum, of course . Shin thought that only Raster and Vizzy were supposed to live there, but then an idea shed in his mind .

    ¡°The Ancient Dragon?¡±

    ¡°Yessir . There¡¯s one here that¡¯s like the boss of all the other dragons . It¡¯s been living for pretty long, so it knows all sorts of stuff . ¡±

    There were monsters who could speak humannguage in the game era too . Dragons were rather famous for it, but other than them, Element Tails like Yuzuha and Fuji¡¯s Kagutsuchi belonged to this category too .

    It was fairlymon for dragons tomunicate with humans in the novels andics Shin read too, so he remembered easily epting the idea in the game .

    ¡°Rashugum sure turned into an incredible ce, huh . ¡±

    ¡°I tell you, ever since Vizzy brought the dragons to live here, things turned pretty bizarre . The Ancient Dragon noticed that lots of dragons started dwelling here and appeared all of a sudden¡­that was a huge shock . Ah, the Ancient Dragon¡¯s name is Tzaobath . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, Tzaob¡­ . wait, really!?¡±

    Raster mentioned the dragon¡¯s name very casually, but hearing it made Shin stop in his tracks . Filma and Shibaid did the same .

    Only Tiera failed to understand why everyone stopped, and looked at them confused .

 Vol 12 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    Ancient Dragon Tzaobath¡­Shin searched through his memories for the corresponding monster and was overwhelmed by surprise .

    It was a silver dragon, simr to the ones appearing in western legends . Based on the circumstances under which it showed itself, many yers called it ¡°Silver Moon Tzaobath¡± .

    Its level was the maximum in the game, 1000 . Just like the Element Tails, it was a famous monster, both powerful and popr .

    ¡°I know it¡¯s surprising, but it¡¯s true, sir . ¡±

    Raster probably understood how Shin felt, as his smile seemed to be drier than before .

    Tzaobath appeared in random outdoor fields when the moon was out . Its silhouette, descending from the skies with the bright moon as backdrop, was as beautiful as it was powerful .

    Some yers even roamed the fields at night hoping to take a screenshot of Tzaobath .

    ¡°Well, in this world you can talk with an Element Tail, so it¡¯s not weird that it¡¯s possible to speak with Tzaobath too¡­but why would ite to live here?¡±

    ¡°The same reason why the other dragons keep trying to take over . It¡¯s apparently reallyfortable for them here, basking in the sun all the time . ¡±

    ¡°One of the most powerful monsters¡­taking naps in the sun, huh¡­¡±

    Shin had also seen Tzaobath in the game era . Simr to western dragons, it had powerful arms, with a body simr to a human¡¯s . It was covered in tinum scales; from its back sprouted two sets of wings, one physical and the other formed by pale blue light . Under the crystal-like transparent horn on its forehead shone blue eyes that clearly expressed its intelligence, as if judging whoever dared stand before the monster .

    Shin fought it when his stats were barely over 800: charmed by Tzaobath¡¯s silhouette descending in the moonlight, he had experienced a world of hurt¡­or so he remembered .

    ¡°Seeing Yuzuha sleeping next to you makes it all more convincing . ¡±

    When sleeping, Yuzuha almost always turned into small fox mode . Shibaid often shared the room with Shin when they spent the night at inns, so he had probably seen her then .

    Shin nodded at his reasoning .

    ¡°That¡¯s true . It would be a real problem if it started rampaging inside Rashugum, though . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be a nightmare . ¡±

    Filma, who fully knew how powerful Tzaobath was, frowned at Shin¡¯sment .

    ¡°That¡¯s where the defense system you set up does its work, lord Shin . It hasn¡¯t gone off yet, though . Now I can say that we¡¯d be fine even without it, but I was pretty scared at first . Also because Vizzy didn¡¯t fear it at all¡­¡±

    When Raster first saw Tzaobath he was really tense, thinking that they might have to fight it like that . They could use the weapons for fighting against guilds, so he knew they could win, but with a level 1000 monster as an opponent, it was impossible not to be nervous .

    There was never any fighting however, and the dragon simply started living in Rashugum,pletely peacefully . Vizzy, overheating with excitement, had charged blindly into the monster, but Raster stopped her, not knowing what she was trying to do .

    ¡°They say that servants resemble their masters, and that¡¯s totally true for Vizzy . To go and hug a level 1000 monster is not what a normal person would do¡­¡±

    ¡°Aah¡­yeah, that¡¯s just what Cashmere would have done¡­¡±

    Shin remembered Cashmere¡¯s tantrums during the game era, about why highest ss monsters couldn¡¯t be tamed, andughed wryly .

    The group went outside for a moment and Raster stepped forward .

    As it turned out, the ce next to where Shin¡¯s group hadnded was Tzaobath¡¯s favorite spot: if they were still there, the group would pick up Schnee and the others on the way and go there .

    After some walking, they spotted Schnee and the baby Illusion Dragon .

    The baby¡¯s parents were also there . Their grey silhouettes clearly formed dragon-like shapes, simr to eastern-style dragons .

    ¡°They look just like they did in the game after growing up, huh . ¡±

    The parent dragons were level 629: among Illusion Dragons, they were of fairly average strength . They had noticed Shin¡¯s group, but as Raster was with them they just turned their dragon bone-like heads one moment, then turned again towards Schnee .

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a baby dragon get attached to someone so quickly . Dragons don¡¯t usually get that close either . ¡±

    Raster was looking at Schnee gently cuddling the baby dragon and Vizzy smiling at them .

    The baby dragon was on Schnee¡¯s left arm, belly up . When Schnee¡¯s right arm got closer, the baby extended its paws and tried to touch it . The parents also seemed to want Schnee¡¯s attention and rubbed their heads against her .

    Schnee noticed and rubbed their heads: the parents trembled a little, their body turning peach colored .

    ¡°They turn that color when they¡¯re happy . ¡±

    Shin looked around while listening to Raster . Other than the Illusion Dragons, many other kinds of dragons were gathering around Schnee .

    Elder Dragons, Wyverns, the green-scaled two-headed Veight Dragon, the Zeranoira ¡ª a beast looking like a more brutal rhino ¡ª , the Aquoillya, or water in dragon form, and otherrge dragons .

    There were also smaller species such as Fairy Dragons, asrge as a person¡¯s arm, and Drunes, with hair like moles .

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of amazing¡­¡±

    ¡°Schnee came here many times already, but they were scared of her then . She always looked calm on the surface, but had a sort of tension inside¡­dragons are really sensitive, so they felt this and were afraid of approaching her . ¡±

    It would be different if she was a normal person, but against someone as powerful as Schnee, they probably felt in danger .

    ¡°Schnee is really peaceful now though . I¡¯m pretty sure she would be even if she hadn¡¯t lost her memories . ¡±

    ¡°You think so?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do . Before she was always tense because you hadn¡¯t returned yet, lord Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­really . Well¡­I¡¯m sorry . ¡±

    Finding out that he was the reason, Shin honestly apologized .

    ¡°Nothing to apologize about, sir . Schnee wouldn¡¯t hunt down the dragons here without a reason either, so . ¡±

    Shin replied that it was obvious she wouldn¡¯t, then went towards Schnee . She had noticed his arrival: after returning the baby to its parents, Schnee walked towards him too .

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°I found some, but still not enough . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s expression clouded .

    ¡°Raster said that we could ask the Ancient Dragon dwelling here, Tzaobath, so we¡¯re going there now . ¡±

    ¡°If so, I shall apany you . ¡±

    Schnee added that she was with the dragons enough time and there was no more reason for her not to go . Yuzuha had already hopped back to Shin¡¯s shoulder .

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take you there then . Vizzy, the rest is up to you here . ¡±

    ¡°Okay, see you~te~~r . ¡±

    Vizzy waved while holding the baby Illusion Dragon . The baby did not resist at all, it must have grown attached to her while Shin¡¯s group was away .

    ¡°Tzaobath, was it? Will it not be dangerous?¡±

    Schnee voiced her concerns .

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s alright . I know its level is what it is, and it is kind of scary, but try talking to it and you¡¯ll find that it¡¯s really a good bloke, no wait a good dragon . ¡±

    It also helped defend Rashugum: the breath attack Shin¡¯s group witnessed when they arrived hade from Tzaobath .

    Shin and the others followed Raster through the dragons¡¯ hall to arge clearing . There they found Tzaobath, itsrge tinum body resting on the ground, with its eyes closed . It was Shin¡¯s first time seeing Tzaobath during the day, and he instantly understood why the dragon would only appear at night .

    ¡°This is almost blinding . ¡±

    Filma and Raster nodded to Shibaid¡¯sment .

    ¡°Yep, this is something else . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I agree too . ¡±

    All members shared the same opinion .

    ¡°Eyes, hurt . ¡±

    ¡°Bear with it a while . ¡±

    Tzaobath¡¯s tinum-colored body reflected the sunlight . It was more than just bright or shining, but Shin couldn¡¯t find better fitting words . It was hard for him too to look straight at the dragon .

    ¡°Mister Tzaobath! Would you mind turning the light down a bit, sir?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Raster? One moment . ¡±

    A deeply resounding voice replied to Raster¡¯s plea . Just as it said, the light decreased gradually .

    When Shin looked at Tzaobath again, the scales stopped reflecting the sunlight . They looked like they had turned a more opaque shade of silver .

    ¡°How is this?¡±

    ¡°Thank you sir! Sorry to barge in so suddenly, but these people have something to ask you . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Tzaobath raised its head and looked at Shin¡¯s group . Its mouth wasrge enough to swallow Shin and its entourage in one gulp .

    ¡°My name is Shin . I havee here in hopes to borrow your wisdom . ¡±

    He was talking with a dragon that had lived for many years: even if Shin was probably stronger, he felt he needed to be especially respectful, so he also bowed to the dragon .

    ¡°Oh, this magic power¡­a High Human . I remember, I remember you! You have grown much since thest time we fought!¡±

    Tzaobath¡¯s voice was like thunder, but nevertheless easy to understand . The dragon seemed to remember Shin, even if they had fought only once . His rumbling tone seemed joyful somehow .

    ¡°This is our first meeting in such a long time, it is proper for I too to say my name . I am Tzaobath! The wandering dragon that once donned the name of Silver Moon!¡±

    Tzaobath stood up and said its name with a roar of thunder . Its intimidating presence, or majestic aura, created a gust of wind that made the surrounding trees shake . Shin felt himself instinctively prepare for battle, but suppressed it through willpower .

    ¡°Quite unusual for a High Human to visit together with an Element Tail . O Element Tail, do you remember me?¡±

    ¡°Kuu? I think I do¡­or do I?¡±

    ¡°Be clear!¡±

    ¡°I remember your name and personality . ¡±

    Yuzuha was still not in herplete form, so she still missedrge chunks of her memories . She only remembered some details about Tzaobath too .

    Tzaobath cried, disappointed, in response .

    ¡°I wanted to rejoice for this long-awaited reunion, but there is no helping that . The conversation has been derailed too . What do you wish to ask me, then?¡±

    ¡°I am looking for an item called ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» . I know it can be extracted from the Lily Orchid flower, but would you happen to know where I can find it?¡±

    ¡°Lily Orchid¡­ingredient for the Blessed Tag, is it not? I see, that youngdy was affected by the Cursed Tag, hasn¡¯t she . ¡±

    Tzaobath realized what had happened from Shin¡¯s request . It looked in Schnee¡¯s direction .

    ¡°That is correct, though I do not have any such recollection . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, yes, I know about it . Also where the tribe growing those flowers is located . ¡±

    Lily Orchids grew close to the settlements of a tribe called Tsumugi . Just like the Cursed Tag and Blessed Tag were opposites, the Tsumugi and Kishimi tribes were always at odds, and the former cooperated with the yers .

    Tzaobath said that it knew where they were located, adding that it was a ce Shin had a connection to .

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°There is no doubt that you are a High Human, thus I shall tell you . The protector of the Tsumugi tribe is the High Pixie at yourmand . Her name is¡­Sety, was it . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . eh?¡±

    Shin, along with Filma and Shibaid, couldn¡¯t hide their surprise at the sudden name .

    They would have never expected for the name of thest support character, currently in whereabouts unknown, toe up now of all times .

    ¡°She¡¯s protecting the Tsumugi tribe?¡±

    ¡°They are originally born from spirits . For High Pixies, spirit contractors, protecting such a tribe is not bizarre in the slightest, is it . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Tzaobath¡¯s words . The Tsumugi and Kishimi tribes both hailed from spirits that governed human emotions . Pixies, like Elves, were a race that befriended spirits . Tzaobath¡¯s exnation was thus convincing .

    ¡°Where would they be, then?¡±

    ¡°Slightly south from the center of the continent, near the country you call Kilmont . In a space where nothing was supposed to be, I felt a presence there simr to yours . I descended, out of curiosity, and there they were hiding . ¡±

    They were probably hiding from the outside world with the Pixie¡¯s ability to create Faerie Viges . ording to Tzaobath, that was probably a special location . If it wasn¡¯t, there was no way for a High Pixie alone to maintain a separate space, which normally required at least 100 .

    ¡°She bragged at length about you . Quite the cheerful girl, that was . ¡±

    ¡°¡­could it be that you knew that I woulde here if I returned, and waited on purpose?¡±

    This hypothesis came up in Shin¡¯s head as he looked at Tzaobath happily talking about Shin¡¯s support character . Maybe because Tzaobath¡¯s eyes, which were supposed to be the violent eyes of a monster¡¯s, gleamed in a gentle-looking light .

    ¡°No, this is simply afortable ce to be . I gave quite a scare to the caretakers here, though . Anyway, you lot will head there now, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that is the n . ¡±

    ¡°Get on my back then . I shall take you there . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Not only Shin, but all party members were very surprised to hear Tzaobath¡¯s proposal .

    Using one of the most powerful monsters in the world as means of transport had never crossed their minds .

    ¡°Er, we could borrow some other dragons from Vizzy to go there¡­¡±

    ¡°You alone would not be able to find the Faerie Vige . Well, maybe Shin could, being the master, but you do not want to waste time, correct? Besides, I can fly much faster than any other dragon . ¡±

    Shin felt that there had to be something behind Tzaobath¡¯s unexpected helpfulness . The other members probably felt so too: it was all too convenient .

    ¡°Why would you do so much for us?¡±

    ¡°Do you suspect my intentions?¡±

    ¡°I do not mean to doubt your words . However, honestly speaking, I wonder why you would help us to such an extent . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I shall answer then . There is nothing to hide . ¡±

    Tzaobath easily nodded to Shin¡¯s question, so easily that the group was kind of surprised again .

    ¡°How much do you know about the Kishimi tribe?¡±

    ¡°Only that they venerate an evil deity . They offer the stolen memories to their god, if I remember correctly . ¡±

    Shin mentioned what he knew from the event . He also added that Hameln had used the Cursed Tag this time, which he had stolen from the Kishimi tribe .

    ¡°I see, so they have already been exterminated . ¡±

    Tzaobath then closed its eyes for a brief time . More than relieved, it seemed to feel downhearted .

    ¡°I once had a friend . A Human one . This human did not fear me nor give me excessive respect, simply being at my side . I had such a friend . ¡±

    Tzaobath looked up at the skies and continued talking .

    ¡°The Kishimi tribe¡­those louts used their Cursed Tag on my friend, of all people . My friend, memories gone, did not remember a thing about me . My friend started seeing me as any other monster . Even if I knew that a Blessed Tag would return my friend¡¯s lost memories, and knew the materials needed, I did not have the skills to create it . ¡±

    Tzaobath¡¯s tone had a tinge of sadness in it .

    ¡°I looked for someone with the ability to create a Blessed Tag, but could not find anyone before my friend passed, without uttering my name even once until the end . I have never felt more powerless . ¡±

    Tzaobath probably recalled what he felt then: he anger that leaked from within was making the ground shake .

    ¡°After that, for 10 years, I have sought and crushed the Kishimi tribesmen . But could notpletely annihte them, it seems . Lending you my strength is a sort of apology for not being able to destroy them all . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I do not think there is anything you should feel responsible for, though . ¡±

    Anyone could understand that Tzaobath was not to be med . The dragon, however, simply looked at Shin .

    ¡°¡­Understood . Please give us your assistance . ¡±

    Shin could not win against its gaze . They did not know the exact location and could also reunite with Sety . There was no reason to refuse in the first ce .

    ¡°Let us depart right away, then . Or is there anything you need to do here first?¡±

    ¡°No, we already did what we had to . ¡±

    Shin could give Raster the promised itemster: they could leave anytime .

    ¡°Let us go, then . Climb onto my back . ¡±

    Tzaobathy down again and Shin¡¯s party climbed on its body, which wasrge enough to fit them with plenty of room to spare . Theck of reins or a saddle was a little worrying, but they had to make do somehow with their skills and Tzaobath¡¯s power .

    ¡°I¡¯d be no use even if I went, so I¡¯ll stay here, people . ¡±

    If the Blessed Tag did not work, they would have to go look for the evil deity and defeat it . Raster¡¯s stats were mostly below Tiera¡¯s, so he would stay back at Rashugum .

    ¡°Got it . This ce is in your hands, like before . ¡±

    ¡°Gotcha sir! Take care out there!¡±

    Raster waved as Tzaobahn soared high in the sky . Maybe because of some particr ability it possessed, the dragon just needed to p its wings a few times for itsrge body to rise up in the air . Once in midair, just one wing beat greatly increased flight speed .

    If the group looked down, they could see the mountains they had looked up to until moments ago, noticing that they had already climbed to a considerable altitude .

    ¡°Not being able to touch the ground with your feet makes you feel quite uneasy . ¡±

    Thanks to a wind skill, everyone could clearly hear Schnee¡¯s words . She was sitting right behind Shin, so he could hear even if she whispered something to herself . He wasn¡¯t sure if she was talking to him or to herself, but since her voice was different than the usual, he decided to reply .

    ¡°It¡¯s the first time for the current you to fly, isn¡¯t it . It¡¯s not weird to feel uneasy after flying so high all of a sudden . ¡±

    There were no saddles or reins, unlike Vizzy¡¯s Elder Dragons, so Shin understood being tense at flying this way . They were as high as airnes in the real world, after all . The speed was much higher than an Elder Dragon¡¯s too . If they weren¡¯t protected by their skills, they probably would have had to desperately grab onto the dragon¡¯s body in order not to fall .

    ¡°My apologies . ¡±

    ¡°Speak up if it¡¯s too tough . Tzaobath will probably adjust the height if we tell it to . ¡±

    Shin turned around and replied .

    He peeked in the direction of Tzaobath¡¯s head and realized that it had probably heard them, as the dragon¡¯s head shook vertically, as to express assent .

    ¡°Then, could I please¡­hold onto your clothes?¡±

    Schnee leant forward and asked . Because of the difference in height and her posture, she was looking up at Shin . Her pleading gaze, concealing the proud spirit she had before losing her memory, made Shin¡¯s heart skip a beat .

    ¡°Oh, ah, yeah, sure, hold onto me hard, I mean, hold fast . ¡±

    Shin replied in an exaggerated manner, to keep his emotions from showing . He looked forward, thinking that he could be blushing .

    Actually, because of the ¡¾Riding¡¿ skill, there was no immediate risk of anyone falling . In the remote case they did, Tzaobath would surely recover them quickly, but that was a different thing altogether .

    ¡°Allow me, then¡­¡±

    After her words, Shin felt Schnee moving . After about 10 seconds, though, he didn¡¯t feel her grabbing his clothes, so he turned around . Just then, Schnee¡¯s hands hugged Shin¡¯s stomach, thus holding her whole body against his .

    ¡°Eh!? Sh, Schnee!?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but voice his surprise at Schnee¡¯s sudden hug . She was so close that Shin felt something very soft against his back . Forcing his attention not to focus on those massive presences, Shin asked her what happened .

    ¡°Am I bothering you?¡±

    ¡°No, not at all, I was just surprised¡­¡±

    Before losing her memories, Schnee¡­not considering that there were others present¡­would have probably hugged him like this . The current Schnee, however loyal, was not supposed to feel romantically attracted to Shin . It was thus unnatural for her to hug him so tightly and rest her head on his shoulder .

    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­understand myself . But if I don¡¯t do this, I feel very uneasy¡­¡±

    The voice reaching Shin¡¯s ears did not seem to be joking at all . Shin touched Schnee¡¯s arms, wrapped around his waist, and noticed that they were trembling .

    ¡°Schnee, you¡¯re being pretty bold, aren¡¯t¡­hey, you look sickly pale!¡±

    Filma started poking fun at Schnee, but her tonepletely changed halfway through .

    Shin couldn¡¯t see Schnee well, as she was directly behind him, but the situation seemed worse than expected .

    ¡°Let¡¯snd for a moment . Tzaoba¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright . Please go on . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself, if you feel bad just say it . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really alright . I¡¯ll calm down if I stay like this . ¡±

    Shin felt Schnee¡¯s arms grip his waist tighter, so he couldn¡¯t just believe her and leave it at that: he decided to contact Filma via Mind Chat .

    ¡°(I can¡¯t see Schnee from here, I can only feel her arms are trembling . How do you see her?)¡±

    ¡°(I can¡¯t tell if she¡¯s shaking, but she looks really sick . She was always pale, but now she looks just unhealthy . )¡±

    Her status did not show any abnormalities, so Shin chose to believe her and press forward .

    He held her hands wrapped around his waist, and her shaking stopped .

    ¡°We will arrive soon . ¡±

    After less than 30 minutes of flight came Tzaobath¡¯s announcement . Schnee, just as she had said, had calmed down after hugging Shin¡¯s back . Shin looked down at the continent as they descended .

    He could see cities he had previously visited: the Kingdom of Bayreuth, the capital of the Falnido Beast Alliance, the fortified city Balmel and others . East from Falnido there was the Dragon Empire of Kilmont, where Shibaid used to live .

    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that impossiblyrge tree¡­?¡±

    Shin spotted a veryrge tree located in the center of the continent, surrounded by trees of normal height .

    ¡°There wasn¡¯t supposed to be anything there though . ¡±

    Shin remembered that in the map Schnee had previously shown him, nothing was marked in that area . Maybe it was a location that was not normally visible .

    Shin made a mental note to go check it out when they had the time and looked at where Tzaobath was going tond .

    ¡°Hmm? I¡¯ve felt this somewhere before¡­¡±

    At first nce there was nothing to be seen, but nevertheless Shin could sense something that gave a nostalgic feelinging from that seemingly deserted location, which made him cock his head to one side, trying to pinpoint the origin of that sensation .

    He couldn¡¯t say where, but his intuition told him that he had felt it before .

    As they descended, the mirage-concealed location gradually floated into view . Tzaobath was heading straight there, so it had to be their destination .

    ¡°Shin, do you recognize that?¡±

    ¡°No¡­is that the entrance? There is a presence I can¡¯t quite put my finger on . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, something might have changed here after the faerie vige was created . I had been told that you would understand, though . ¡±

    Tzaobath asked this question to Shin and then held its chin, deep in thought . Looks like even dragons make that gesture when thinking .

    It had been Sety who said that Shin would surely understand, apparently .

    Soon enough, they arrived a few mels from the ground . Tzaobath finally gracefully pped its wings and performed a very softnding . Shin and the party got down from its back right after .

    ¡°The faerie vige I know is over there . ¡±

    Tzaobath pointed at the location where the scenery was warped they had seen from above . It was aboutrge enough for Tzaobath to pass through it, if it crouched, but did not seem to have any depth .

    ¡°That is pretty different from how I remember faerie viges entrances to be¡­¡±

    Shin remembered to be rings of light that appeared only when the item granting permission to enter was used .

    The other side was another world: that had probably not changed, though . The difference with his memories from the game era, however, still gave Shin a weird feeling .

    ¡°By the way, we do not have the entrance permission item, can we still pass?¡±

    ¡°As long as you are with me . I have been told that Shin and his ¡®support characters¡¯ won¡¯t be stopped . ¡±

    There was probably no reason to block Shin, Sety¡¯s master, and hispanions from passing .

    ¡°It looks different than usual, but let¡¯s go through it right away . ¡±

    Shin was a bit concerned, but decided to gather his courage and go through . As soon as he stepped into the distorted space, the scenery changed instantly .

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    The newly appeared scenery left Shin speechless .

    Warm sunlight, a calm breeze . A small hill peppered with trees . He looked to the right and saw the teleport point building, as he remembered . It was all just like a view he had seen before .

    Shin couldn¡¯t believe it and looked at an area used as a flower field . There he noticed a single gravestone, standing among multicolored flowers . As he soon as he saw the gravestone, Shin ran up to it .

    ¡°Kuu!?¡±

    ¡°My lord!?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Shin!?¡±

    Yuzuha grabbed on to his shoulder, trying not to fall off; Schnee and Tiera, who had entered after him, were surprised . Shin did not notice any of that, however .

    He rushed next to the gravestone and looked at the name engraved on it . There was no mistake, it was ¡°Marino¡± .

    It was indeed the private area that Shin had acquired as a reward during an event, which he had used to bury Marino¡¯s avatar .

 Vol 12 Chapter 2.4: Chapter 2 Part 4

    ¡°So it still remained¡­¡±

    Marino¡¯s gravestone was still in that private area. Shin had lost hisposure when he saw it, but thanks to the gentle, warm sunlight shining on it and the flowers around it, he calmed down quickly.

    ¡°Is this someone¡¯s grave?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­the person that I loved.¡±

    Shin replied matter-of-factly to Yuzuha¡¯s question. His tone both included sadness and nostalgia. After hearing the answer Yuzuha jumped down from Shin¡¯s shoulder and looked at the gravestone for a while.

    ¡°My lord!!¡±

    Schnee, who was shocked by Shin¡¯s sudden dash, had followed him. As expected of a kunoichi, even in while rushing she did not step on the flowers around the grave, just like Shin did.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I kind of lost my cool there.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°This is, you see, a private area that¡­I mean, a particr ce? Who would have guessed that Sety was here¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that so. You started running with a concerned look on your face, so I thought that something grave had happened.¡±

    Schnee was honestly worried, so she sighed in relief.

    A littleter, Tiera arrived running too, but she had a hard time avoiding the flowers.

    ¡°No need to hurry. I¡¯m sorry for surprising you.¡±

    ¡°Oh really. But why did you run off like that anyway?¡±

    After Shin reassured her, Tiera calmed down and approached them while slowly walking around the flowers. Just like Schnee had, she asked Shin what had happened to him.

    ¡°I told you about my past and Marino, right? This is where I buried Marino¡¯s avatar, and this is her grave.¡±

    Tiera looked in the same direction as Shin was looking.

    ¡°¡­I see. Now I understand why you made that face.¡±

    Shin realized that he must have seemed desperate and regretted it. It was too sudden a surprise, however, so he had momentarily lost hisposure.

    All the flowers surrounding the grave had gentle colors, which calmed the heart just by looking at them.

    Shin had thought about this ce after arriving to this world. Since the very geography of the world had changed, he thought that even if it still existed it would have been difficult to find. He had considered asking Barett to look for it, but being rted to Marino, it was too emotional a subject for Shin. He thought it wouldn¡¯t be right to bother him with something like this, so he did not say anything to the other members either.

    ¡°My lord, who is Marino?¡±

    ¡°I guess you forgot her too. Marino was my lover, and this is her grave. I thought that maybe she wouldn¡¯t feel lonely here.¡±

    ¡°Lover¡­¡­.!?¡±

    ¡°Schnee?¡±

    After hearing about Marino, Schnee frowned, holding her temples. She stumbled as if affected by vertigo, so Tiera supported her.

    ¡°M-Master!?¡±

    Tiera was surprised by her sudden change.

    ¡°Hey, why did you three run ahe¡­.hey Schnee, what¡¯s wrong!?¡±

    Filma and Shibaid had lost sight of Shin and the others, as they had run to the gravestone before they could pass the portal, so they reached their position only now. Surprised to see Tiera holding Schnee, Filma ran up to her, then Shibaid asked a question.

    ¡°I did not feel any enemy presence, but what happened?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we were just talking when she started holding her temples like that.¡±

    Shin exined what happened while watching Tzaobath enter the faerie vige too.

    Schnee recovered fairly quickly, but they decided to let her rest for a while, just in case. In the meantime, Shin spoke with Filma.

    ¡°Marino¡¯s grave, I see. I get why you got all shaken up, but Schnee¡¯s reaction was pretty surprising.¡±

    ¡°Surprising?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I mean, it¡¯s a bit weird to say, but Marino is not with us any more. Even if she could stimte Schnee¡¯s memories, I didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d react as excessively as she did.¡±

    Her grave was here¡­she was buried here, so there was no risk that she could take Shin away, or so Filma thought.

    ¡°Why are you all gathered here?¡±

    Tzaobath reached the group after finally managing to pass through the entrance with its gigantic body. It was still at a distance from the group, as it did not want to risk trampling the flower field.

    ¡°Did something happen before I came?¡±

    Tzaobath wasrge enough that it did not need toe close in order to look down on Shin¡¯s group, so it noticed right away that Schnee was not feeling well: it reacted like Filma and Shibaid, so Shin gave it a brief exnation.

    ¡°I see. Indeed it does seem a particr reaction to having one¡¯s memory stimted.¡±

    Tzabath noted that in his experience, after being affected by the cursed tag, Tzaobath¡¯s friend never showed any reaction to Tzaobath telling about their memories together or showing items rted to them.

    ¡°There are, however, many differences between a High Elf female and my friend, who was a Human. I do not think it wise to treat their cases the same way.¡±

    Tzaobath added that it had never seen a reaction such as Schnee¡¯s, but no one knew what it could mean at the moment.

    ¡°No need to rack our brains over this any further. I believe we should go ahead and create the blessed tag.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You said that Sety was here, is she over there?¡±

    Shin remembered there being only one building in his private area, a kind of shrine. However, a log house was standing next to it now.

    Shin¡¯s detection field picked up a nostalgic response: inside the log house, he sensed a presence that could only be Sety. Shin noted many other small markers were spinning around it: they were probably from the Tsumugi tribe, as Tzaobath had mentioned.

    Schnee had recovered already, so the group decided to head towards the log house: that very moment, the door opened and noisy voices could be heard.

    ¡°Hey!! What are you making a ruckus for!! I know that Tzaobath brought people here!! Look at the fire!! I left the fire on!! I said don¡¯t pull on my clothes!! Or my hair!!¡±

    From the log house appeared a young girl carrying a frying pan, excited to the point of spilling its contents everywhere, pulled by flying creatures.

    With blonde twin tails poking out of her pointed hat being pulled around, tears were forming in the young girl¡¯s deep red eyes. Such an entrance almost made everyone forget that she was actually a powerful mage, Shin¡¯s fifth support character, Sety Lumiere.

    While she was quite pretty, whe was less than 160 cemels in height, so she looked like a high school freshman or a mature-looking junior high student. Compared to Schnee and Filma, who clearly had adult looks, Sety appeared quite childish.

    ¡°Keep this up and there¡¯s no dinner for you today!! Hey, wait!! I said stooooop!¡±

    Even her witch-like mantle and skirt were being pulled: Sety, irritated, started threatening to not give the little creatures anything to eat.

    The little creatures ¡ª Tsumugi tribe members stopped for an instant, but then started pulling at her again. The Tsumugi tribe looked quite fancy: cute, deformed versions of human-like upper half bodies. Thanks to their lovely appearance theirck of fingers and dark skin did not seem creepy. In the game era, many female yers and even some male yers had requested to be able to use them as mascots and take them into their homes or guildhouses.

    As per the game¡¯s settings, they all shared their memories and did not have individual names. Because of that, using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ on any Tsumugi tribe member would show the same name, Tsumugin. It was pretty well known among yers that when this name was revealed, a thread on the game¡¯s bulletin board was opened: ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the devs¡¯ naming sense¡±.

    ¡°I feel all my strength just melting away¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re much more active than usual, I suppose they have felt the cursed tag¡¯s effects, that¡¯s why they¡¯re taking Sety to us.¡±

    Shin had been taken by surprise by Sety¡¯s unexpected entrance, but Tzaobath reassured him that they weren¡¯t always like that.

    The Tsumugi tribe was very sensitive to the Kishimi tribe¡¯s aura, and vice versa. As Tzaobath said, that was probably the reason why they were pulling Sety like that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we cannot leave her like that.¡±

    The group nodded and followed Shin towards the loghouse: as they did, the Tsumugi let Sety go.

    ¡°Geez, what¡¯s with you guys, really. I know that the house won¡¯t burn up just because the fire is on, but¡­eh?¡±

    Sety was fixing her hair with a brush, holding the frying pan with the other hand, when her eyes caught Shin¡¯s group walking near Tzaobath¡¯s legs. When Shin noticed it, he greeted her very casually.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°¡­hmm? ¡­.???¡±

    Sety had not noticed him right away, but soon enough she recognized Shin. Her pouting face turned into an expression of absolute surprise. She froze in ce, while the contents of her frying pan started slipping out and falling out. The liquid falling out of the frying pan sshed on her legs.

    ¡°Ouch!! So hot!! No wait, my lord!? Ohhh!!¡±

    ¡°Yep¡­.that¡¯s Sety.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­.Sety indeed.¡±

    Watching Sety caught between surprise and heat, Filma and Shibaid nodded thoughtfully, as if hit by a wave of nostalgia.

    ¡°Was she always like this?¡±

    ¡°Eh, she wasn¡¯t?¡±

    Tiera was confused by the different reactions to Shin¡¯s question.

    ¡°I understand the surprise, but can you calm down a bit?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s these little guys¡¯ fault, for pulling me out when I was cooking. Why are you here anyway, my lord? You ditched us for 500 years, why did you evene back now!?¡±

    Encouraged by Tzaobath, Sety spoke to Shin after a moment, as if her previous confusion had not happened at all. Her red face and ears clearly showed her embarrassment.

    Her words, however, had some thorns to them.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I can say if you put it that way. Could you please at least listen to what I have to say?¡±

    ¡°Hmph. If you say that, I guess I could spare a minute or two.¡±

    Shin expected her to protest more, but Sety just red at him and scoffed, begrudgingly epting. She was acting bossy, but the dripping frying pan robbed her of any dignity.

    ¡°Shin, who is she?¡±

    Schnee, now fully recovered, asked about Sety, so Shin gave her a brief exnation.

    ¡°She¡¯s myst support character, Sety Lumiere. She was created a bitter than you, so she¡¯s like a little sister. ¡±

    Shin also exined about the Tsumugi tribe creatures floating around Schnee.

    ¡°I see, so these little creatures gathered around me because the cursed tag was used on me. Now I understand.¡±

    The Tsumugi had left Sety and gathered around Schnee, sometimes rubbing their bodies against her arms.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just ignore me like that!? And you, big sis, don¡¯t talk like you¡¯ve met me for the first time! You¡¯re horrible!¡±

    ¡°Big sis?¡±

    Schnee was puzzled by how the protesting Sety addressed her.

    When creating Sety, Shin had yed around a bit, making her call Schnee, Shibaid, and the others big sister or brother. Apparently those settings were still effective.

    ¡°Eh, you haven¡¯t forgotten, right? ¡°Our lord¡± here told me to call youdy sister, but that¡¯s too embarrassing so I switched to big sis, don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sety. There¡¯s actually an exnation for this.¡±

    Sety started looking at the strange-acting Schnee with suspicion, so Shin exined what happened.

    In the beginning Sety listened quietly, but when she heard that the affection-resetting item also deleted memories, she became furious.

    ¡°Whaat!? Does that creep know how mydy sister felt all these years waiting for master?? Unforgivable!! When we find him I¡¯m going to burn him, freeze him, smash him to pieces!!¡±

    Sety became so emotional that she used the dy sister¡± name, despite how embarrassing she imed it was. Her confrontational attitude vanished, Sety did not try to hide her anger, clearly showing how much she adored Schnee. Schnee herself, however, could not bear to look at her like this and stopped her.

    ¡°Calm down.¡±

    ¡°No way I can!! I¡¯m going to teach Hameln that he messed with the wrong person!!¡±

    Sety, however, was too far gone, so Schnee¡¯s words just poured more fuel in the fire of her rage.

    Thinking that she had to stop Sety, Schnee stepped in front of her, pulled her closer and hugged her tight.

    ¡°Nmgh!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down. Our lord and the others havee here to return my memories. I am happy that you are angry for me, but please listen to our lord.¡±

    Schnee gently caressed Sety¡¯s head while soothing her violent spirits.

    The sudden hug had caused Sety to freeze, then shudder. A little whileter, her arms and legs rxed.

    ¡°Did it pass?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a bit too easy on Sety, Schnee.¡±

    Shin was relieved that the ruckus had calmed down, and Filma added ament. Maybe because she was the little sister of the group, Schnee had said that she always felt like hugging her.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I was hugged too¡­¡± thought Shin while remembering what had happened at Falnido and Balmel. At the same time he remembered the softness of Schnee¡¯s chest, so he hurriedly shook his head to dispel such thoughts.

    ¡°I do agree that it¡¯s good that things turned quiet, but can you just leave them like that? I feel this happened before too¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Following Shibaid¡¯s question, Shin looked at Schnee and Sety. He felt a little envious of Sety, being cradled by Schnee¡¯s breasts, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it this time.

    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t Sety tapping master¡¯s back there?¡±

    ¡°¡­.hm? Now that you mention it, it does look that way.¡±

    Shin looked at the two again after Tiera¡¯sment, realizing that Sety¡¯s movements seemed strange, like a wrestler trying to tap out. Come to think of it, a good while had passed since Schnee had started to hug her.

    However, it was a mystery why the Tsumugin were touching Sety¡¯s body too.

    In stark contrast with her desperate struggle, the little creatures performedpletely fluffy movements and sounds..

    ¡°Oh yeah, Schnee couldn¡¯t control her strength in her initial settings. Hey Schnee, she¡¯s going to suffocate if you don¡¯t let her go.¡±

    ¡°Suffocate? Ah¡­¡±

    Schnee let Sety go after Filma told her to, and the high pixie panted heavily, her facepletely red above Schnee¡¯s chest. She had tasted heaven and hell at the same time, like Shin had before.

    ¡°Hah¡­hah¡­I¡­thought¡­hah¡­I was¡­hah¡­going to¡­die¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°O-of course, I¡­wheeze.¡±

    Sety was desperating recovering her breath, but did not me Schnee in any way. She knew that Schnee¡¯s embrace expressed her gratitude.

    ¡°Do you lot do this all the time?¡±

    ¡°¡­.sometimes?¡±

    Tzaobath looked at Shin¡¯s group with a sigh, and Yuzuha could only give him a short answer.

    ¡°S-so, my lord, you came looking for ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡», right?¡±

    After recovering her breath Sety, still red because of the embarrassment she was subjected to, went to check her stock. Once again, she acted as if nothing had happened.

    Lily Orchids, the nts needed to concoct ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡», grew in locations where positive emotions were strong or where pure streams of water flowed. The Tsumugins also cultivated it elsewhere. They too responded strongly to positive emotions and had the power to suppress negative ones.

    In the opposite way, the Kishimi tribe could amplify negative emotions and suppress positive ones.

    Such abilities had no effect on the yers in the game era, but in this world things were obviously different: Shin made a mental note of this while listening to Sety.

    ¡°Exactly. ording to the person who gave the information, though, there¡¯s only a 50% probability of sess.¡±

    ¡°Just 50%? It doesn¡¯t work all the time?¡±

    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t decide it. Anyway, you have ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡», right?¡±

    ¡°Of course I do. Or rather, with the Tsumugins around there¡¯s no way you can¡¯t find some!¡±

    Sety¡¯s tone suggested that it was pointless to ask such obvious things. Her attitude, however, was ill received by a certain person.

    ¡°Sety. This has been on my mind since before, but aren¡¯t your manners towards our lord Shin too disrespectful?¡±

    ¡°Eh!?! But big sis Filma doesn¡¯t speak politely to him either¡­big sis, you¡¯re pretty different than before¡­¡±

    Sety, wary of Schnee¡¯s different atmosphere than when she was hugging her, instinctively stepped backwards.

    ¡°Filma is allowed to, though. Again, I am happy that you are angry for my sake, but that has nothing to do with your attitude towards our lord. I shall not allow any excessive friendly behavior without permission.¡±

    ¡°Eek!! I¡¯m sorry!!¡±

    Despite her smile, Schnee¡¯s aura was rightfully frightening, so Sety instantly raised the white g. Even if Schnee had lost her memories, the hierarchy was the same.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind that at all, and please call me Shin.¡±

    Shin extended a helping hand, to which Sety nodded while stealing quick nces at Schnee.

    ¡°O-okay then¡­permission! I have permission now!¡±

    Sety unted her newly obtained permission under Schnee¡¯s stern gaze.

    ¡°Anyway, our first priority is the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡». Where is it?¡±

    Sety responded by beating her chest with her left hand, her right one still holding the frying pan, a perfectly smug look on her face.

    ¡°Inside my item box! Heheh, time to show your deepest gratitude to me for protecting the Tsumugins and¡ªsorrysorryimsorryioversteppedmybounds!¡±

    Sety was shot down halfway through by Schnee¡¯s darting gaze and quickly apologized.

    ¡°Er¡­anyway, you¡¯re a lifesaver. I¡¯m really thankful.¡±

    Shin calmed Schnee down, who was starting to make the mood tense again, and honestly thanked Sety. Her storing the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» was a real help.

    ¡°Here¡¯s your ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡»!¡­¡­my lord!¡±

    Sety materialized the item cards, prudently. Transparent bottles containing a semi-transparent liquid appeared in her hands.

    ¡°Turn big sis back now!¡­please.¡±

    ¡°Just talk like you want. Schnee doesn¡¯t really mind either, see.¡±

    Shin took the ¡ºWhite Scent Nectar¡» from Sety, materialized Tsuki no Hokora and went straight to the alchemy room. A few minutester, Shin returned with several blue-rimmed white cards with patterns drawn on them.

    ¡°So this is the ¡ºBlessed Tag of Bonding¡».¡±

    ¡°Yes, using these should return your memories.¡±

    The probability being 50%, it was painful not being able to say that the tags would definitely work. Shin wasted no time and decided to use the tags right away. He thought about using it and held it close to Schnee: the blessed tag then lit up with a white light.

    Schnee stood still, her eyes closed. The light emanating from the blessed tag slowly traveled through the air towards her, enveloping her body. A few momentster, it popped without a sound and disappeared. A few more moments, and Schnee opened her eyes.

 Vol 12 Chapter 2.5: Chapter 2 Part 5

    ¡°¡­ . how do you feel?¡±

    ¡°It seems like it didn¡¯t work . I feel as if I can almost remember something, but only mere fragments of the memory . ¡±

    Schnee lightly shook her head while speaking . There was a slight effect, but overall the experiment had apparently failed .

    ¡°No good, huh¡­will something happen if we try to use it one more time?¡±

    Shin was disappointed, but quickly thought that they could try to use more blessed tags, since they had spares anyway .

    ¡°I never tried, so I couldn¡¯t say . Wait a moment, let me ask them first . ¡±

    Sety then spoke to the Tsumugins . Some of the floating creatures nodded at Sety . Shin couldn¡¯t tell, but she was apparently able tomunicate with them .

    After a while, the Tsumugins shook their heads .

    ¡°Seems like it won¡¯t work . ording to the Tsumugins, the negative forces present now are stronger, so if it fails once it won¡¯t work anymore . ¡±

    ¡°Which means, the only other way is to defeat the evil deity?¡±

    ¡°Does this ¡®evil deity¡¯ really exist?¡±

    Tiera had a difficult time believing such a being actually existed .

    In this world there were monsters acting as gods, but normally were never spotted . In the game period, yers would venture into remote and dangerous areas for items or fame . Now, however, people were far less likely to perform such dangerous activities, so such adventurers and areas were currently parts of tales and legends¡­

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s called Adetropos . It looks¡­well, really creepy . ¡±

    Shin recalled Adetropos and grimaced . Adetropos had its upper-half appearing as a human and its lower-half the body of a snake .

    Its bald, earless face was covered by a mask, white with three holes, standing for its eyes and mouth . The holes were fully ck, so it was impossible to tell where it was looking .

    Its right arm was extremely short from the shoulder to the elbow and the elbow to the wrist, while the fingers were 10 times longer . Its left arm was split in two from the elbow, with multiple human eyes covering it .

    The upper half of its body was also covered by tattoos that looked like they could be used for magic rituals .

    Its lower half was simply snake-like, but with erected scales; from the gaps between them insect and crustacean-like legs grew out, allowing it to move at high speed .

    It was a monster famous for making first-time yers, both male and female, freeze at how disgusting it looked .

    ¡°As a single boss it¡¯s not that strong, but it gets stronger the more it absorbs memories . I don¡¯t know how much it has absorbed now, so we should go all out from the start to defeat it . ¡±

    The evil deity Adetropos¡¯ strength depended on the memories it had umted .

    In the game era it had umted more than 100 or 200 memories, so its power was heavily boosted . With Shin¡¯s current level, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to take care of it . Letting his guard down was a risk, but it would hardly be a difficult fight .

    ¡°They¡¯re also saying that big sis is part of the problem . ¡±

    ¡°I am?¡±

    Sety, after talking with the Tsumugins, added this statement apologetically .

    The situation had been caused by Hameln¡¯s attack, none of it was Schnee¡¯s fault . No one, herself included, had any idea how she could be part of the problem .

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°The Tsumugins saw the blessed tag and the cursed tag¡¯s powers sh, when you used it . In the end, though, it was something else than the cursed tag¡­big sis¡¯ own power that repelled the blessed tag¡¯s effect . That¡¯s why it failed . ¡±

    The Tsumugins also said that the blessed tag would have worked, had it not been for that .

    ¡°So, I myself have repelled the blessed tag¡¯s effect . I have no recollection of doing anything, though . ¡±

    ¡°They said they only felt that, but can¡¯t determine the reason why it happened . ¡±

    Schnee shouldn¡¯t have had any reason to resist . Sety looked at the Tsumugins, hoping they could provide more information . However most of them were caressing Schnee¡¯s hair, attached to her shoulders and arms, apparently trying to console her . Shin understood that there was nothing to gain in questioning them further .

    ¡°Well, I guess all we can do is gather whatever info we have and start looking everywhere, huh? I have no idea where the Kishimi could have enshrined the evil deity in this world after all . ¡±

    If the geography was the same as the game world, Shin would have an idea, but that didn¡¯t apply anymore . If the Kishimi tribe was targeting Shin¡¯s group, they could wait for them to strike and draw the information out of them, but Hameln stated that he had destroyed their settlement .

    He had no reason to lie, so that was probably the truth .

    Even if he was lying, he had no reason toe in contact with Shin¡¯s group in the first ce . Even if they waited, the solution would note .

    ¡°I can tell if we get close, but I have no idea how much it would take, even within only this continent . ¡±

    ¡°Can you recognize the evil deity¡¯s presence?¡±

    ¡°They taught me how to . Maintaining this ce is difficult, but just wasting time would be boring, right?¡±

    Sety had learned that thanks to her ability of being able tomunicate with the Tsumugins . Now her detection ability had grown enough to be on their level, apparently .

    ¡°Is that presence different from miasma?¡±

    Tiera timidly asked a question . If miasma was involved, she could probably be of some assistance .

    ¡°The evil deity takes away all memories, both happy and sad ones . There is no reason for that, neither ill nor good intentions in its actions . So its presence is not necessarily evil, like miasma . I too know what miasma feels like, and I am positive that they arepletely different . ¡±

    Sety said that she became able to tell after living for a long time with the Tsumugins .

    ¡°In the old times, people with terribly sad memories offered them to the deity, in order to not be tortured by them anymore . That changed gradually over time though . ording to the Tsumugins, the venerated evil deity wasn¡¯t actually evil from the start . ¡±

    ¡°First time I heard that . So there was a backstory we weren¡¯t aware of, huh . ¡±

    The event presented the Kishimi as an evil tribe, their deity a foe to be defeated . There was some story behind it, but in the end, the evil deity was just a monster, with no story exining the process behind its birth .

    ¡±Does that mean that it won¡¯t be enough just to defeat it then?¡±

    ¡°No, it looks like it¡¯s fine to do that . It¡¯s not just a matter of ¡°turning back¡± anymore, after all . ¡±

    Sety answered Shin¡¯s question without any hesitation . The Tsumugins had already exined the details to her .

    ¡°It¡¯s helpful that we can go ahead and defeat it without reservations, but we have to find it first . The shrine where the evil deity was venerated wasn¡¯t a big ce either¡­if only we could restrict the range a little . ¡±

    The shrine was probably about as big as Tsuki no Hokora: even if they asked for Tzaobath and the Elder Dragons¡¯ help and searched from the sky, there was no way to tell how much time it would take . If it had sank underground, for example, it would be impossible to find from above .

    Shin was thinking about the next move, when Tzaobath spoke to him .

    ¡°O Shin, I have an idea where the settlement of the annihted Kishimi tribe could be . I cannot say with absolute certainty, but there may be some clues remaining . ¡±

    Tzaobath did not remember the locations of all the Kishimi settlements, but in a situation where they had no idea where to go, the information alone was very helpful .

    ¡°That¡¯s definitely better than searching aimlessly . Could you guide us there?¡±

    ¡°I would note here with no intention to do anything . Leave it to me . ¡±

    The locations, four in all, were not scattered throughout the continent, but concentrated in the upper region, to the west of Est . There were no other settlements in the vicinity, so Tzaobath had destroyed them from the air with breath attacks .

    ¡°That makes me think that any clues might have been blown away too¡­¡±

    ¡°Apologies, I did not expect something like this to happen . ¡±

    ¡°No, it will be worth going nevertheless . Can we leave tomorrow morning?¡±

    ¡°Certainly . Ready for battle and rest well . ¡±

    Traveling to Rashugum and then to their current location had already used a lot of time . Tzaobath¡¯s speed would have allowed the group to reach their destination before night, but it would be dangerous to spend the night where the evil deity might be residing .

    ¡°That¡¯s decided then . What are your ns for dinner? There are plenty of ingredients, so you¡¯re more than wee to join us . ¡±

    ¡°You wish to feed me? I consume as much as many humans . ¡±

    Tzaobath probably meant it as a joke, as it grinned while saying it, but Shin replied with a smile .

    ¡°We have enough food for one century . ¡±

    Thanks to the generator producing materials over time, they had more than enough food items in store . Shin¡¯s party used them for cooking, but the quantity was sorge that there was no risk of running out anytime soon .

    ¡°¡­ . that is impressive . I wonder why you would have so much, but let us not inquire further . Then, I would enjoy eating a sea monster for the first time in a long while . ¡±

    ¡°How about Leviathan meat then? The volume and quantity should be enough, I think . ¡±

    ¡°That giant sea dragon? While not as impressive as me, I hear it is supposed to be quite powerful . Is it delicious?¡±

    ¡°I guarantee it is . It is a highly valuable ingredient after all: it is good grilled, boiled, even raw . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, then please do serve me some . I would need this much . ¡±

    Tzaobath then drew a circle in the air, probably enough quantity to feed thousands of people .

    The generator had been active for 500 years, though: even using that much food wouldn¡¯t cause a dent in Shin¡¯s inventory .

    Leviathan meat would berge meat weighing hundreds of kegums when materialized, so Tzaobath¡¯s request would be easily satisfied .

    ¡°Hmm, eating by ourselves would be kind of strange, so why don¡¯t we do a barbecue today? With the Tsumugins too . ¡±

    ¡°Nice idea, big sis Filma!¡±

    Sety happily agreed to Filma¡¯s proposal, maybe also because it would have been a pain to cook again, considering what she had spilled from her frying pan . No one opposed Filma¡¯s proposal, so dinner would be a barbecue in front of the log house .

    Shin prepared the tools, with Schnee cooking, helped by Tiera and Sety .

    Sety had trained her cooking skill to a certain extent, but she had stopped to the point of being able to cook satisfactorily . When she heard that Schnee¡¯s cooking skill was level IX, she quickly stated that she would assist her .

    ¡°By the way, big sis Filma is always the same, huh?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, her cooking is edible¡­but that¡¯s about it . ¡±

    ¡°What are we talking about?¡±

    Sety and Shibaid chatted while looking at Filma, so Shin wondered what they were saying, though he could more or less guess .

    ¡°I¡¯m in charge of eating, anyway . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be better if you learned to, even a little, you know? Anyway, I¡¯ll go help out . ¡±

    Sety addressed Filma and left to go help Schnee and Tiera .

    ¡°After joining up with Schnee and the rest, the food¡¯s always been really good, so¡­¡±

    ¡°I agree, but there¡¯s nothing to lose in learning . ¡±

    ¡°What about you two, then? Are you going to say that I should learn to cook because I¡¯m a woman?¡±

    Shin¡¯sment must have irritated Filma, as she turned to her two malepanions and red at them .

    ¡°As long as it isn¡¯tplicated stuff, I can cook, actually . I used to live by myself, after all . ¡±

    ¡°I myself was the leader of my tribe, so I have some expertise . ¡±

    ¡°Kh, why do you both have this feminine side now¡­?¡±

    Both Shin and Shibaid were forced to learn by outside circumstances . Shin was also helped by other skills, but stillpared to Sety or Schnee his cooking was pretty much nothing .

    Thinking they shouldn¡¯t tease her too much, Shin changed topic and asked Shibaid and Filma what they did after the Dusk of Majesty .

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m smelling something really good, I guess the food is almost ready?¡±

    Not only Filma, but also Shin and Shibaid were caught by the delicious smell, mid-conversation, and looked towards its source . The sizzling of vegetables, meat, and fish skewers cooking on the grill could be heard .

    Sety and Tiera were in charge of them, while Schnee had skewered the Leviathan meat Shin had given her and was roasting it with the ¡¾Fire¡¿ spell .

    Tzaobath¡¯s nose twitched at the sight . Even the most powerful monsters were vulnerable to good food, apparently .

    Yuzuha had been quietly sitting on Shin¡¯s shoulder, but her patience was now at its limits: she started tugging on his clothes with her front paws .

    ¡°Shin! Shin!!¡±

    ¡°I know, I know . ¡±

    Shin nodded and walked towards Tiera and Sety .

    ¡°Hmm~~yes, it¡¯s better for me to let Schnee cook, after all~~¡±

    ¡°Filma, that is quite the convenient stance, is it not . ¡±

    Shibaid rebuked Filma, who had wasted no time in filling her mouth .

    Pretending not to hear, Filma quickly hid behind Tiera¡¯s back .

    ¡°Well, let her off the hook for today . Let¡¯s eat too . ¡±

    Shin thanked Tiera and Sety for the food, then started picking up skewers too .

    The juicy vor of the meat spread throughout his mouth after the first bite, mixed with the sweet & sour sauce it had been dipped in, making it even more delicious .

    ¡°No need to hoard, Yuzuha, there¡¯s still plenty left¡±

    ¡°Kuu¡±

    Being in small fox mode probably made it hard to eat: Yuzuha changed into human form and wolfed down the food, holding as many skewers as she could . Shin thought that in human form, her contrasting looks and actions produced a jarring impression .

    ¡°Delicious, indeed . ¡±

    A bit far from them, Tzaobath swallowed the Leviathan meat Schnee cooked . While it didn¡¯t look like it could taste it as it ate, the dragon seemed very satisfied . The mountain-like mass of cooked meat disappeared at an incredible speed .

    ¡°I¡¯d love to help too, but there¡¯s too big of a difference in skill level between me and Schnee¡­¡±

    Shin could cook meat too, but with skill effects kicking in, even if the finished product looked the same, the taste would bepletely different .

    After tasting Schnee¡¯s meat, Shin¡¯s cooking would surely taste vorless .

    ¡°Bis sis¡¯ cooking can even please the strongest of monsters!¡±

    Sety looked on proudly at Schnee¡¯s cooking results . Next to her, Tiera added new ingredients on the skewers, with a troubled look on her face .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°I knew it already, but¡­the difference in skill level, huh¡­¡±

    Before going to serve Tzaobath, Schnee had cooked a few skewers herself . Tiera had tasted them, but having helped Schnee since their Tsuki no Hokora days, the difference in taste made her almost feel ashamed .

    Shin decided to try the meat and vegetables cooked by Tiera . The taste and texture might have been inferior to Schnee¡¯s, but despite herck of skill, they were very delicious .

    ¡°¡­ . yeah, the taste is not as good, but they¡¯re still pretty good, I think?¡±

    ¡°No need forpliments . I¡¯ll stick to cutting the ingredients . ¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that, really . Filma, guys, you try them too . ¡±

    Shin asked Filma, Shibaid, and Yuzuha to try Tiera¡¯s skewers too .

    ¡°No, stop, I¡¯ll just get more depressed~!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s plea fell on deaf ears: Shin was not in the mood for joking around, after all .

    She had not grilled many skewers, so they shared the ingredients between them . After a brief silence, Yuzuha was the first to talk .

    ¡°It¡¯s not better than Schnee¡¯s . ¡±

    ¡°Gah!¡±

    The mercilessment inflicted damage to Tiera¡¯s confidence .

    ¡°It¡¯s as good as Sety¡¯s, though . ¡±

    ¡°Eeh!?¡±

    It was Sety¡¯s turn to be surprised now .

    ¡°I have the cooking skill, though¡­and you say that it¡¯s the same level as mine?¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be, I haven¡¯t acquired that skill after all . ¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s evaluation confused both Sety and Tiera . Filma and Shibaid, however, agreed with her .

    ¡°That¡¯s a shocker . It means that Tiera¡¯s good enough to rival someone with the actual skill?¡±

    ¡°Can that even happen?¡±

    Tiera and Sety tasted the skewers and had to agree that what Shin had said was true, but there were still doubts left .

    ¡°Could it be that Tiera actually knows the skill? She cooked at Tsuki no Hokora too after all, and after joining our travels, she¡¯s used all sorts of ingredients . ¡±

    ¡°Is it even possible to learn skills without knowing, like that?¡±

    Sety countered Shin¡¯s hypothesis with a question . Newly acquired skills had ¡°NEW¡± disyed next to them on the menu, so it would be hard not to notice .

    ¡°Tiera was a normal person at first¡­okay, I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the best way to say it, but her menu couldn¡¯t be seen . Now it¡¯s possible though, so why don¡¯t we check?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, just a sec . ¡±

    Checking the menu was a habit of yers and support characters, who lived in the game era, and Chosen Ones, beings simr to yers .

    Tiera did not belong to such categories, so she was not used to doing so . In her home vige, she had learned that she possessed the Priestess job just because there was someone with ¡¾Analyze¡¿ .

    ¡°¡­eh?¡±

    Tiera checked her skills, only to look like she had seen something preposterous . She looked left and right, probably because she was looking at the list .

    ¡°How is it now?¡±

    Tiera was supposed to have just a few skills: Shin thought that was taking too much time to check her supposedly short list, so he asked her .

    ¡°This is weird . My Cooking skill is at IV, there are also some whip skills I never used, and the dagger skills leveled up too . I can also see magic skills I never used before . ¡±

    ¡°What the?¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help being surprised at the fact that Tiera had learned so many skills she had no recollection of . Shibaid and Filma too, of course .

    It was a fairly bizarre situation, so they decided to talk about it after the meal .

    ¡°Hmm, this elven maiden, is she not an inheritor?¡±

    ¡°An inheritor?¡±

    The group exined the situation to Schnee and Tzaobath too, and the dragon mentioned a term that Shin had not heard before . It appeared to share the same meaning as Chosen One .

    ¡°I have been told that those you call ¡°Chosen One¡± have an aptitude for learning skills . Maybe the skills she has no memory of were in her possession all along?¡±

    ¡°No, when Shin taught me ¡¾Analyze¡¿ I checked my skills and I didn¡¯t have so many . I have never used them during our travels either . ¡±

    What made it all more confusing was the presence of skills difficult to learn naturally, such as the Whip skills .

    ¡°So if we write them all down, it¡¯s like this¡­hmm?¡±

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Shin tried writing down the skills and noticed something, prompting his exmation . Schnee inquired about it, but he shook his head, implying it was nothing . He needed to be sure before making a statement .

    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it . Tiera, you were Priestess of the World Tree, or something, right? Maybe that¡¯s rted somehow?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­I didn¡¯t use magic or weapons often for that job after all . ¡±

    All members tried presenting likely theories, but could not reach a conclusion . Tiera tried using the skills, and they activated normally . They were not disyed erroneously, because of bugs or glitches, as might have happened in the game .

    ¡°What remains as a possibility, is that, I guess . ¡±

    ¡°That?¡±

    Shin took out a fragment of the¡ºDrop of Erathem¡»Filma had been sealed in for hundreds of years .

    ¡°Oh yeah, we didn¡¯t tell Sety yet . When we rescued Filma, a piece of this entered Tiera and the others¡¯ bodies . That time, their stats improved too, it¡­seems . ¡±

    Just as Shin finished speaking, the materialized fragment turned into the light and entered Sety¡¯s body . Sety tried avoiding it out of reflex, but for some reason the Tsumugins pulled on her clothes to stop her . Sety¡¯s body glowed in gold and silver light .

    ¡°¡­ . my stats went up . I could even pull off closebat now . Isn¡¯t this, like, cheating?¡±

    Sety was confused by the sudden event, then checked her status and frowned at her boosted stats . In the game, it was a boostparable to two resurrection bonuses .

    ording to the Tsumugins, the light was something that would help Sety . They did not know exactly what it was, so they could not exin where it came from, however .

    As far as Sety could tell, however, she had not acquired any new skills .

    Shin had Schnee and the others check too, just in case, but they had not acquired any new skills either .

    ¡°It¡¯s annoying not to know for sure, but Tiera got stronger after all, so isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±

    Tiera was concerned, but Filma tried to take the situation in a positive light .

    ¡°It¡¯s just all happening without me knowing, so it¡¯s kind of scary . ¡±

    ¡°Well, the Tsumugins said it isn¡¯t something evil, so don¡¯t worry too much . Better use them to your benefit instead . ¡±

    Shin also tried to relieve Tiera¡¯s fears . If what he had noticed looking at the list was true, Tiera would surely benefit of the skills .

    After a while, the group dispersed .

    Sety then said that in times like these they needed a change of pace . Tiera asked what she meant, and Sety replied that they should take a bath .

    ¡°Just behind this loghouse there¡¯s an open air bath, actually . It¡¯s not a hot spring, but it does feel good . ¡±

    ¡°That does sound nice . Let¡¯s go then!¡±

    ¡°But wait, we still haven¡¯t cleaned up¡­¡±

    Tiera protested that they still had work to do, but Sety and Filma forcefully pulled her away . Shin and Shibaid agreed to clean up, so that the girls could go take a bath together .

    ¡°You too Schnee, go ahead . ¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°We can at least clean up here . Take care of Tiera . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . understood . ¡±

    She was not as enthusiastic, but Schnee followed Tiera and the others .

    ¡°You too, Yuzuha . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu, I go with Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Go with Schnee and the others . ¡±

    ¡°Boo~~¡±

    ¡°No booing . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu?¡±

    ¡°No mewling either . ¡±

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Schnee and the other girls¡¯ looks hurt when Shin had let child Yuzuha in the bath with him . If he let her grown up form in, he would surely meet retributionter .

    After Yuzuha had run off, Tzaobath spoke to Shin .

    ¡°She seems quite attached¡­very different from the Element Tails I know . ¡±

    ¡°I saved her when she was in trouble, maybe that¡¯s the reason . ¡±

    Shinughed wryly while washing the grill .

    ¡°I doubt that is the only reason . ¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll know once she gets to herplete form . Normally she¡¯s like you, a being superior to us yers and¡ª¨C¡±

    Element Tails were originally programmed not to follow yers . When she recovered her memories and power, she would probably leave Shin¡¯s side . When Shin mentioned this possibility, however, both Shibaid and Tzaobath tly refused to consider it .

    ¡°It might be strange for me to say this, as I joinedter, but I doubt that will happen . ¡±

    ¡°And I agree . ¡±

    Both of their looks seemed to mean ¡°what the heck are you saying, man?¡±

    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s embarrassing to think that she might have feelings for me . ¡±

    ¡°I can tell . That is the face of a female that desires you . ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with your choice of words!? ¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t help but reacting to Tzaobath¡¯s all too honest evaluation .

    That night, both males and females deepened their rtionships .

 Vol 12 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    ¡°To think that I¡¯de here again.¡±

    The sun had set and the moon had risen in the sky. Shin, alone, stood in front of Marino¡¯s grave. The others were probably already asleep.

    From the clear, cloudless sky, the moon quietly shone on the grave, the flowers surrounding it, and Shin.

    ¡°Hey, Marino. Is Tiera somehow connected to you?¡±

    Shin naturally did not expect to hear an answer, but he could not help but ask. The skills Tiera had learned were ones Shin knew well. He had seen them often, since they were Marino¡¯s skills.

    She had consulted with him many times before learning some of them. It would be a different situation if the skills Tiera knew were one or two¡­but as far as he could remember, Tiera had all of them. It was too much to bebelled as a mere coincidence.

    ¡°¡­.correct. I am inside that girl.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin turned around, shocked. Even if it was in his private area, it should have been impossible for anyone to sneak up on the current Shin unnoticed.

    ¡°Tiera¡­no, Marino?¡±

    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes saw Marino¡¯s silhouette ovep Tiera¡¯s. Tiera, or rather, her host body was looking in the distance with a hollow gaze.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve exined everything to her.¡±

    Marino understood that Shin must have been worried about Tiera and reassured him.

    ¡°Is Tiera your reincarnation?¡±

    ¡°I wonder? I am just inside her. I was only able to fullyprehend it after we kissed, though.¡±

    She was probably referring to what happened in Hinomoto. Shin thought that Tiera had invoked Marino¡¯s soul, but that had apparently triggered the awakening of Marino¡¯s soul inside her.

    Until then her conscience had been blurry, as if she was dreaming. That too had started when Tiera became a World Tree priestess.

    ¡°This girl seems to be able tomunicate with many things. She can create connections with things that cannot be reached normally. That might be the reason why I ended up inside her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why she became the World Tree priestess¡­or was made one, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But it was just a coincidence that she was born like this. Same goes for the curse. That can¡¯t be said for her meeting with you, though.¡±

    Marino talked while looking straight at Shin.

    ¡°After her exile, she was found by Schnee because I called for her. I thought that she could be safe in your Tsuki no Hokora. My conscience was still hazy then, so it was really lucky that my voice reached her.¡±

    Marino said that since her conscience was still blurred, she could not give more concrete assistance then. Marino was the reason why Tiera had been saved, however. Shin told her that she should be proud of that.

    ¡°Thank you. But I helped her because I had my reasons too.¡±

    ¡°Marino?¡±

    Being inside Tiera, Marino would die too if Tiera did. Tiera¡¯s expression, however, showed that Marino meant to say something else.

    ¡°It¡¯s true that I wanted to help her. But I thought that, with her powers, I could maybe talk with you again. I could tell you what I couldn¡¯t before, the feelings lingering in me.¡±

    ¡°Lingering feelings¡­?¡±

    Her sad expression reminded Shin of Marino¡¯sst words. Marino had died saying ¡°Let¡¯s go back¡±. Shin could not tell what her ¡°lingering feelings¡± might be.

    ¡°The words I said that time¡­are tying you down. Watching you from inside her, I thought that I left you with the wrong words.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­.!!¡±

    Shin wanted to protest, but Marino sealed his lips with a finger.

    ¡°That time, I was only thinking of myself. I didn¡¯t even think for a moment that my words could tie you down. That¡¯s why I want to say something again, now.¡±

    Faint but gentle, such was Marino¡¯s smile as she talked.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to work so hard anymore. You kept your promise. You saved everyone. So, don¡¯t let my words tie you down anymore. Just do what you wish.¡±

    Marino, using Tiera¡¯s body, quietly embraced Shin and told him her feelings. Even as the person hugging him was Tiera, he felt a very nostalgic sensation.

    ¡°¡­.to tell the whole truth, I don¡¯t think I have much time left.¡±

    After a few minutes, Marino stated this all too casually. Shin could not just let it go, however.

    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°How can I say it¡­I¡¯m like the remains of a dead conscience, now. I am fully aware now, and remember most of the time we spent together. I can exist here thanks to Tiera, but I feel that my memories are gradually getting hazy. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to maintain this state for more than 10 minutes.¡±

    Her own existence was gradually vanishing, or so Marino concluded, calmly. She had probably already epted it: having dispelled herst regrets, there was no trace of sadness in her.

    ¡°You mean you¡¯ll¡­disappear?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably more correct to say that I¡¯ll fuse with her. Tiera, originally, could have been the Chosen One meant to inherit my strength¡­but since I remained, she couldn¡¯t inherit my stats and abilities, turning out as a normal person with no special powers, except the Priestess job.¡±

    Marino added that if she had been gone from the start, maybe Tiera wouldn¡¯t have been exiled from her vige.

    ¡°Who knows, maybe it¡¯s all as you said. But thinking about it in game terms, had Tiera been stronger, she would have just been attacked by stronger monsters. There would have been even more damage, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    The monsters summoned by ¡¾Cursed Gift¡¿ depended on the stats of the cursed target. While there was an upper limit, the stronger the target was, the stronger the monsters would be.

    Marino¡¯s avatar did not have exceptionally high stats, but they were still much higher than this world¡¯s average citizen. The monsters summoned in such a case would be far superior to the level 200 beasts Tiera mentioned. In Tiera¡¯s vige too, there probably were those who made fighting their profession. Thanks to the absence of Marino¡¯s stats, however, the vige was likely spared extensive destruction.

    ¡°Is, that so??¡±

    ¡°Probably, yeah.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where you say ¡®definitely¡¯, you know.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t be certain, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°As always, you be a realist in the weirdest moments¡­¡±

    Marino sighed at Shin¡¯s unconvincing answer. Her expression then turnedpletely serious.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. Do you want to go back to the former world?¡±

    ¡°I wonder. Honestly speaking, right now, half of me wants to, while the other half wants to stay.¡±

    ¡°I would have expected it to be more unbnced. This world should be much easier for you to live in, after all.¡±

    ¡°In the beginning, I wanted to go back a lot more. But, I guess after living here for a while¡­I can¡¯t just abandon everything so easily now.¡±

    A world that lets you live freely. That was very attractive, of course. What was important for Shin, however, was not that.

    ¡°Friends, family, love. Important people, a ce to back to, it¡¯s all important. Now I have those things in both worlds.¡±

    Both world contained things and people important to Shin. Choosing either had be increasingly difficult.

    ¡°Your love in the real world is no more, though.¡±

    ¡°Even so. I promised to go meet her, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°¡­.ah, for heaven¡¯s sake.¡±

    Marino¡¯s serious expression crumbled, making way for a mixture of annoyance and happiness.

    ¡°If you keep that up, Schnee and Tie-mghmgh¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    After saying Schnee¡¯s name, Marino suddenly started talking gibberish. Tiera¡¯s formerly expressionless face seemed to blush a little.

    ¡°I got attacked by Tiera¡­anyway. Schnee loves you that much, so you might as well respond to her feelings, no?¡±

    Marino tried to act as if Tiera¡¯s interruption just now had never happened and proceed with the conversation. Her expression was serious again.

    ¡°Schnee is a support character I created with the settings I wanted. Since you were inside Tiera, maybe you know already, but I used items to increase her affection level towards me. In a way, it¡¯s like I brainwashed her.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t think that it was all because of the items he used, but every now and then he would be reminded of their influence.

    ¡°Aah¡­why are men like this? No, I suppose it¡¯s just you, Shin.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­? Did I say something dumb now?¡±

    ¡°Looking back on Schnee, I wouldn¡¯t have expected you to start talking about brainwashing of all things. Those are her true feelings, get a clue already.¡±

    ¡°But she might be affected, no?¡±

    ¡°No. One hundred percent impossible. You should understand at least that.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense¡­¡±

    Being a woman, she could tell, or so she surmised. Shin had no idea why Marino could say that with such confidence.

    ¡°I want you to be happy, Shin. I don¡¯t know which is best for you, between staying here or going back, but I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡±

    ¡°Everything you know?¡±

    ¡°After all, you were flung into this world all of a sudden. Before you said that half of you wanted to go back to the former world, but you think there¡¯s a low probability of being able to, right?¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, I had no idea what happened, and I still don¡¯t.¡±

    The death game was supposed to end, so what happened next waspletely unexpected. Even if he wanted to go back, what was he supposed to do? He didn¡¯t have any actual clues.

    The existence of the Boundary Guardian monster and the Sacred ces, and other unknown elements, could be key in going back. Especially the Boundary Guardian, which was very different from other monsters.

    ¡°About that, there probably is a way to go back.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°It mainly depends on Tiera¡¯s powers, though. As you are now, it¡¯s like you have two containers. One is your body in this world, in game terms the avatar, and the other¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­is my actual living body.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s the result of me and my knowledge of the former world bonding with Tiera and her powers. I think there¡¯s a way to go back, maybe your soul, or spirit¡­if we can separate it, you should be able to return.¡±

    ording to Marino, Shin¡¯s material body in the real world was probably pulling on Shin¡¯s spirit with more strength.

    ¡°Does it mean that I¡¯d go back to the former world if I died here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but don¡¯t even think of trying, okay? If it failed, you¡¯d just make everyone sad.¡±

    ¡°I was just thinking out loud, no way I¡¯m going to try.¡±

    It was hardly the situation to gamble on something like that. Shin¡¯s equipment had also the ability of resurrecting its wearer once: he wouldn¡¯t test it, however, so he was not sure that it would activate.

    ¡°Anyway, what I meant to say is that you don¡¯t have to feel pessimistic about the chances of going back to the real world.¡±

    ¡°Actually, having more possibilities is just more troublesome. If it wasn¡¯t possible, it¡¯d be easier to give up.¡±

    ¡°I could have just not said anything.¡±

    ¡°Are you maybe enjoying seeing me conflicted?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. But it wouldn¡¯t be fair, right? There are people waiting for you over there, after all.¡±

    Shin red at Marino, half-jokingly, but she replied with a gentle yet strict tone. His parents, siblings, and friends were there.

    Shin was important to Schnee and his otherrades in this world, but so was he to the people waiting for his return in the other world.

    They were probably worried, hoping he would wake up soon. How could he ever say that they were less important than Schnee and the others?

    ¡°In the end, whether I go or stay, it all depends on me.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. With this, I said all I had to. Now you just have to choose whatever would leave you with the least regrets.¡±

    ¡°You should say ¡®no regrets¡¯ there, no?¡±

    ¡°Any choice would leave you with some regrets. That¡¯s why you¡¯re so conflicted.¡±

    Marino could see through Shin¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s about time for me to disappear. Just being here like this is taxing for Tiera, after all.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not going to vanish just like that, right?¡±

    Shin¡¯s question was very serious: he could tell Marino¡¯s expression had a tinge of sadness in it.

    ¡°¡­you found out.¡±

    Marino probably meant to hide it: sheughed, sheepishly.

    ¡°When you came here, Tiera had learned skills she didn¡¯t know before, right? Just as you guessed, those are my skills.¡±

    That was proof that Marino was about to be one with Tiera, apparently. Her very existence was vague and unstable from the start, so she could have vanished anytime.

    ¡°So¡­this is goodbye?¡±

    ¡°Honestly speaking, I don¡¯t know. But I can¡¯t be sure that we¡¯ll ever meet again. So I¡¯ll say it now¡­goodbye.¡±

    Marino¡¯s smile was too bright for Shin. She had epted that she would disappear, so Shin had no way to keep her.

    ¡°Marino¡­¡±

    Don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t disappear.

    Shin¡¯s words stopped in his throat, then vanished in thin air before Marino¡¯s smile. He stretched his hands, but could only touch Tiera¡¯s body. No matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t hold Marino in this world. Even a High Human was powerless now.

    He had to say something, but nothing woulde out.

    It wasn¡¯t set in stone that this was thest time.

    Or maybe it could be.

    Shin¡¯s chest tightened. Hurt.

    ¡°Goodbye, then. My beloved.¡±

    With thesest words, Marino¡¯s silhouette ovepped Tiera¡¯s and started shining.

    The light was gradually absorbed by Tiera¡¯s chest, on the side of her heart.

    ¡°Marino¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Marino did not answer, simply smiling serenely. Just before she disappeared, Shin managed to wring out a feeble ¡°goodbye¡±.

 Vol 12 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    ¡°¡­ . hn . ¡±

    After the lightpletely disappeared, Tiera¡¯s face regained her normal expression . As Marino had said, she was spent: she would have copsed if Shin hadn¡¯t held her up . He then helped her slowly sit down on the ground .

    ¡°Thanks for lending us your powers . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . sure . ¡±

    Tiera¡¯s reply was rather weak too .

    Tiera had interfered in the conversation once, so Shin knew that her conscience was aware throughout the possession . She had to have heard their conversation too .

    ¡°Hey, Shin, do you¡­¡­¡­¡­ . . no, forget it . ¡±

    Tiera started saying something, but stopped halfway . She sat, looking down, so Shin couldn¡¯t see her expression . He could tell what she was going to ask, however .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back and take a rest . Can you walk?¡±

    Shin did not answer Tiera¡¯s half-spoken question and offered her a hand . Thanks to Marino, he felt more hopeful about the possibility of going back to the former world, which made him waver all the more .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t stand on my own yet . Could you take me to my room, please?¡±

    The night wind was cool enough that she would risk catching a cold if she stayed out too long . It would definitely be better for her to rest in her room, too .

    Shin obliged to Tiera¡¯s request and carried her to her room . Thanks to his stats, she was not a burden at all . Tiera was probably really exhausted, as she entrusted her body to Shinpletely, and it adhered fairly closely to his back . Having just said farewell to Marino, Shin thought he could disregard the sensation .

    Because of his weakened spirit, however, Shin noticed that, unlike his conscious mind, his body fully felt the warmth of Tiera¡¯s body . He knew the reason why: he wanted to feel again the sensation of hugging Marino, which he had felt minutes ago .

    ¡°Shin, your back¡­¡±

    After leaving the flower field with Marino¡¯s grave at the center, Tiera abruptly broke their silence . Her breathing tickled Shin¡¯s ears . Maybe because of the fatigue, her voice was like a whisper too .

    Shin had been quietly resisting his urges, so Tiera¡¯s sudden whisper made his heart skip a beat .

    ¡°My back? What about it?¡±

    ¡°I was just thinking, that it¡¯s bigger than I imagined . ¡±

    ¡°Really? I can¡¯t tell myself¡­¡±

    Shin replied as normally as he could, trying to hide his struggle and resisting the breath tickling his ears . Tiera continued, her head on Shin¡¯s shoulder .

    ¡°Are all men¡¯s backs like this? Or maybe yours is special?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I feel so calm now¡­just by being here, I feel all my worries disappear . Or rather, I should say that I feel reallyforted . ¡±

    Tiera¡¯s voice was warm, serene . It was clear that she was expressing her true feelings .

    ¡°I end up thinking that¡­I¡¯d like to stay like this forever . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be troublesome, for both of us too . ¡±

    Shin tried a joke, but Tiera didn¡¯t reply . That concerned him a little, but he could hear her breathe regrly, so she had probably fallen asleep .

    ¡°Crap, how am I going to open the door now?¡±

    Shin arrived in front of the door to Tiera¡¯s room and realized that he could not open it while carrying her, so he changed his posture a little and managed to nudge it open .

    Tiera¡¯s room was simple, like Shin¡¯s: in a space about 13 square mel wide there was a bed and not much else .

    ¡°Hey, wake up, we¡¯re in your room . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­mhm . ¡±

    Tiera was still drowsy, so her answer was a mumble .

    ¡°Hey, Shin, are you going back to your former world?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t decide . ¡±

    ¡°If you can go back, then you should . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . Tiera?¡±

    Shin¡¯s question found no answer . She was sitting on her bed, rather unsteadily, so he couldn¡¯t tell if she was really awake or not .

    ¡°Your father, your mother, are waiting, right? You were born there, right? If you have a ce to go back to, you should . ¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°And, if you don¡¯t, I¡­¡±

    ¡°Tiera? Hey, Tie¡­she fell asleep¡­¡±

    Tiera copsed on the bed and fell soundly asleep beforepleting her rather intriguing sentence .

    Shin wanted to know more, but didn¡¯t feel like waking her up . He took her shoes off, put a nket on her, then left the room . He headed to his room and found Schnee in front of the door, a gown over her pajamas .

    She seemed to know that he wasn¡¯t inside and had decided to wait for him outside his room .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s prettyte . ¡±

    ¡°I was thinking that I¡¯d like to talk a bit . I wille another time if you wish to sleep, however . ¡±

    It was prettyte at night, hardly the time to visit other people¡¯s rooms . Shin had already noticed that Schnee was waiting, when he checked the map while carrying Tiera back to her room . She was probably waiting while Shin was talking to Marino too .

    ¡°Well, some stuff happened, but that¡¯s okay . Come in . ¡±

    Shin opened the door to his room and let Schnee inside . He changed in to his tracksuit ¡ª his usual joke equipment ¡ª as well .

    ¡°It seems you were talking to Tiera, but did something happen? She looked different than usual when she left, so I was a bit concerned . ¡±

    ¡°You probably forgot this too, but Tiera is a World Tree Priestess, a being quite rare in this world too . Thanks to her powers, she can recall the souls of the dead and let them possess her . ¡±

    ¡°The souls of the dead? Which means that you were talking to someone other than Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Something like that . This time, it wasn¡¯t just a simple possession . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s assent turned Schnee¡¯s expression sour .

    ¡°Who in the world were you talking to, then?¡±

    ¡°Marino . I told you about her, right? She was my lover . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I recall you mentioning her . I had a sudden headache then, I was really surprised . ¡±

    ¡°Same here . Or rather, we were even more surprised . ¡±

    Schnee had clutched her head in pain the instant she heard the word lover . Shin too was shocked, wondering what had happened to her .

    ¡°So, what did you talk with that Marino?¡±

    ¡°Well, about¡­many things . ¡±

    Thinking about Schnee¡¯s feelings, maybe it was better to hide it . Keeping things hidden, however, can sometimes happen at the worst of timings . In such cases, the situation turns even worse than expected .

    Such things happen with terribly precise timing in fiction and would be catastrophic in reality .

    ¡°¡­after saying not to hide anything, I can¡¯t be the one to do it, can I . ¡±

    When Schnee had kept quiet about the PK matter, Shin had told her not to keep secrets anymore . He thus thought that he shouldn¡¯t keep secrets either, so he told her everything about his conversation with Marino, after mentally reorganizing it .

    Marino was bing one with Tiera .

    Because of this, it was possible that Marino¡¯s conscience disappeared .

    Tiera had inherited Marino¡¯s abilities .

    There was a high chance that it was possible for Shin to return to his home world .

    ¡°Is, that so¡­¡±

    After listening to Shin, Schnee looked down, a hand covering her mouth . It was very possible for her master to go away forever . It couldn¡¯t be a pleasant prospect for her .

    Shin didn¡¯t know what to say . Schnee would probably be reassured if he told her he was going to stay in that world, but his heart wasn¡¯t set . He couldn¡¯t say anything lightly .

    ¡°My lord¡­¡±

    Still looking down, Schnee grabbed Shin¡¯s tracksuit and buried her head in his chest .

    ¡°I want you to stay . For us¡­ . for me, there is no one but you . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words could barely be heard . Her back was shaking slightly .

    ¡°Schnee¡­¡±

    ¡°I know it is a selfish thing to say . But even so, I want you to stay here, Shin . ¡±

    Shin was surprised .

    A few days had passed since Schnee lost her memories . Her reaction now, however, was much too simr to her former self . Maybe it was because of the blessed tag, or the effects of the cursed tag were decreasing . It wasn¡¯t clearly visible yet, but Schnee was going back to normal .

    Shin simply waited, silently . Schnee let go of his tracksuit and looked up at him . Something was glowing in her eyes .

    ¡°¡­ . . I apologize . I lost control for a moment . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not being able to find an answer yet . You don¡¯t have to worry about it . ¡±

    ¡°No, for a servant such as I to limit my lord¡¯s actions is the height of arrogance . ¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go that far, okay? Oh, yeah, didn¡¯t you have something to talk to me about?¡±

    It would be pointless to tell her not to worry about it any more, so Shin decided to change the subject .

    ¡°I have reacted several times to words that the original me is supposed to care deeply about, haven¡¯t I? When you used the blessed tag, I have recovered some memories, albeit very little, so I thought that if I talked with you I might remember more . ¡±

    She was probably referring to when she had experienced sudden headaches or felt abruptly sick .

    ¡°I see . How much you have remembered¡­is hard to put in words, I guess . For example, what kind of things did you remember?¡±

    Shin tried to ask with different words .

    ¡°Mainly small things that happened before your return . But the things I remembered the most are my feelings towards you, my lord¡­no, Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Your feelings for me?¡±

    She was just like the former Schnee now . Shin was happy to know that she remembered about her thoughts for him .

    ¡°As I am now¡­there is the Schnee that is your servant and the Schnee that loves you, together in the same body, I should say . Just by being with you like this, I am filled with indescribable joy . Yet¡­¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words stopped mid sentence .

    Silently, her hands stretched to touch Shin¡¯s cheeks . Slowly, as if touching something dangerous, her fingers traced his cheeks, as if to make sure he was really there .

    ¡°A part of me thinks that if I really treasure you, I should let you go . A part that thinks that I should cast away this happiness . ¡±

    I am confused, conflicted . So continued Schnee .

    ¡°Just touching you like this is something like a miracle, but I find myself desiring more . ¡±

    ¡°I find myself desiring to be loved . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s gown fell from her shoulders . Her semi-transparent nightgown, which Shin had never seen before, was revealed . The moonlight from the window was enough for Shin to see Schnee clearly . It had caught his interest since they were outside the room, but now that Schnee¡¯s silhouette was so clearly before him, Shin couldn¡¯t help but swallow his breath .

    ¡°Are you, excited?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s face was close . The voice he was supposed to be used to hearing now had a sensual tinge to it .

    ¡°What are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you saying that you do not understand?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s gaze clearly expressed how she would never believe that .

    She put her arms around Shin and held her body against his . The confused Shin easily fell under her weight . Her face was close, he could feel her warm breath . Gravity pushed her glossy silver hair on Shin¡¯s face, forcing him to see nothing but Schnee .

    That was not everything, though: Schnee¡¯s chest also pressed against Shin¡¯s . That softness, coupled with the moan of glee Schnee emitted when they fell together, strongly attacked Shin¡¯s capacity for rational thinking .

    ¡°Schnee, what¡¯s going on with you, really-¡±

    Shin managed not to be carried away by the mood and removed Schnee from him . After a brief opposition, her arms let go too .

    Schnee was still on top of him, but the dangerous atmosphere was sessfully repelled . Schnee¡¯s change, however, was more of a concern for Shin .

    ¡°Schnee? Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    The instant after Shin was relieved of distancing her body from his, Schnee held her head with her hands, apparently in terrible pain . That was probably the reason why she stopped resisting: judging from her frown, it was something Schnee didn¡¯t expect either .

    ¡°I¡¯m okay, it will go away soon . ¡±

    ¡°Could it be that, this happened without us knowing too?¡±

    Shin had witnessed it just a few times . There was the possibility that Schnee hid it, in order not to worry them .

    ¡°I¡¯m alright now . ¡±

    After less than 5 minutes, the pain in Schnee¡¯s expression subdued . At the very least, she did not seem to be lying . In such a situation, however, she couldn¡¯t just pick up from where they left off . Schnee seemed to still be in pain: Shin touched her cheek and found it very hot .

    ¡°You did something like that despite being sick?¡±

    ¡°There is no obstacle to my activity . The fever will go away soon as well . This is more important now . ¡±

    ¡±That¡¯s not good . Just go rest . I¡¯m not¡­ . going anywhere soon . We can talk another time . ¡±

    After a bit of difficulty finding the right words, Shin sat up and put his arms behind Schnee¡¯s back and knees . Maybe because of the fever, she barely resisted to being lifted like that .

    ¡°I am truly sorry . It appears Icked proper judgment . ¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yeah, that was way too proactive for the usual Schnee . ¡±

    ¡°Thinking of using my body to snare you was simply too shallow . I understand how foolish it was now, but moments before it seemed like the only way . ¡±

    Weakly, Schnee added that she didn¡¯t know why she did that .

    ¡°Maybe your half-returned memories are having weird effects on you . I¡¯m sorry, just have a bit more patience . We¡¯ll knock out that evil god in no time . ¡±

    Shin regretted a little having relied on a 50% chance and not hunting down the evil deity right away . It would have been difficult to do when Schnee just lost her memories, though .

    If they hadn¡¯t gone to Rashugum to look for ingredients for the blessed tag, they wouldn¡¯t have obtained the assistance of Tzaobath or Sety, after all .

    ¡°Anyway, see you tomor¨C¡±

    ¡°Please wait!¡±

    Shin hadid Schnee on her bed and was about to leave, when she called to him . He turned around and kneeled beside the bed . Schnee¡¯s right hand poked out of her nkets .

    ¡°Could you please¡­hold my hand, until I fall asleep?¡±

    Said Schnee, half her face buried in the nkets, her aggressiveness from moments agopletely gone somewhere, the ears poking from her hair zing red .

    ¡°¡­okay, that¡¯s an easy request . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s hand covered Schnee¡¯s . Maybe because of the fever, her hand felt hot till the fingertips .

    ¡°Am I being¡­childish?¡±

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that fine? To act a little spoiled at times like these, I mean . ¡±

    ¡°Right¡­when I turn back¡­can I¡­as¡­aga¡­ . ?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I promise . ¡±

    Shin pieced together the fragments of Schnee¡¯s question and promised . Schnee felt relieved, or was maybe too exhausted: she fell asleep almost immediately . Thinking it would be weird to just stay there staring at her, Shin left the room, with some regret .

    ¡°Even in a state like that, she thinks about me¡­¡±

    To stay or to go . Knowing that both were possible, Shin was lost as never before . However, it was also true that Marino¡¯s words tipped the scales .

    He couldn¡¯t answer Schnee¡¯s question because he wasn¡¯t ready to cut off either of the possibilities . Because he couldn¡¯t be sure that Schnee¡¯s feelings were true .

    ¡°But I guess that¡¯s just an excuse . ¡±

    As Marino had firmly stated, thinking that Schnee¡¯s feelings were due to the affection raising items would be akin to insulting her .

    Shin could have been unconsciously looking for a reason to go back to his former world .

    ¡°Putting things into words is really hard¡­¡±

    What happened until now, what will happen in the future . If he started thinking again there was no end to it . Eventually, Shin reached the conclusion that he thought would leave no regrets . Or rather he had reached it already .

    When he said goodnight to Schnee, he stopped for a moment because he was thinking of saying it already, but ultimately couldn¡¯t .

    The words that would cut his connections died in his throat .

    ¡°I have to tell her properly once she turns back . ¡±

    When Shin thought what would be the decision that brought him less regrets, the first thing that appeared in his mind were Schnee¡¯s words when they met again: ¡°Wee back¡± .

    The feeling of ¡°having returned home¡± he felt then . The answer had probably appeared then and there .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Schnee . Give me just one more night . ¡±

    So whispered Shin while looking in the direction of Schnee¡¯s room .

    He learned the next morning, however, that he did not have any such time left .

 Vol 12 Chapter 3.3: Chapter 3 Part 3

    ¡°This is¡­ . ¡±

    After falling asleep holding Shin¡¯s hand, Schnee woke up in a field of flowers . On a small hill basked in light, she saw flowers she seemed to remember, lulled by the wind .

    She quickly knew where she was . She had visited it for the first time, but Shin¡¯s shocked expression and actions impressed her deeply .

    It was the ce where Shin¡¯s lover rested .

    ¡ªYes, the ce that reminds you of the woman that continues to live in your heart . ¡ª

    ¡°My body¡­!¡±

    She could turn her head enough to look at the surroundings . Her body, however, was lying on the ground and would not move . It did not budge an inch, no matter how much she tried, as if she were tied to the ground .

    Even if she had been affected by a binding skill, Schnee, in her current state, could easily break out of it, even if she had to move the ground itself . However, she couldn¡¯t move her arms at all .

    ¡°What are you doing there?¡±

    ¡°¡­my lord?¡±

    While struggling to regain her freedom, Schnee heard the voice of her beloved master, Shin .

    Yuzuha was on his shoulder, Tiera next to him .

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you behind if you don¡¯t get a move on . ¡±

    Saying so, Shin walked past her, heading for the top of the hill . He didn¡¯t seem to care about Schnee¡¯s situation at all .

    Tiera was walking right next to him . Upon closer inspection, someone¡¯s shadow seemed to be ovepping her silhouette .

    ¡°Kh!¡±

    No, that is my ce . Those were the words that surfaced in Schnee¡¯s heart as she watched them . Schnee tried desperately to stand up, but her limbs would not move, as if she was paralyzed .

    ¡ª-Within that elf, inhabits your lord¡¯s loved one . Naturally, she walks at his side¡ª-

    ¡°My lord!¡±

    Shin did not react to Schnee¡¯s yell . He spoke to Tiera, smiling, as they climbed the hill . On top of the hill, a view that Schnee had never seen before appeared .

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    She had heard about it .

    Arge human construct, so big it was hardly possible to imagine it really existed, a skyscraper .

    An intricate structure supported by steel and powered by electricity, something that not even magic could replicate .

    Clothes she had never seen before .

    Metal carts that moved without horses .

    Bridges spanning within the city, people walking on them .

    A world without magic or monsters . A world that, despite this, created weapons that could kill millions at once . That was the ¡°real world¡± that High Humans like Shin spoke about . The ce Shin and Tiera were walking towards .

    ¡ª-That is a ce you cannot reach . You will be left behind¡ª

    ¡°Wait!!¡±

    Schnee screamed . Shin was going back to his former world . I have to go to him .

    As she thought so, the binds tying her arms and legs vanished . Even before she could think, Schnee ran .

    Shin and Tiera were walking a few dozens mel ahead: with her speed, Schnee would have reached them in seconds . The distance between them did not shrink, though: on the contrary, it grew wider and wider .

    ¡°Why!?¡±

    Why can¡¯t I reach them?

    No matter how hard I kick the ground, the scenery does not change . No matter how much I stretch my arms, they will not reach Shin . Frustration, irritation mounting . I can see them yet I cannot reach them .

    ¡ªYou will never reach him . You will never get closer . You are not fitting¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t go!!¡±

    Schnee couldn¡¯t hold back her shout .

    I have to slow him down, even just a little .

    Her pleas, however, did not even reach Shin .

    ¡°Ah!?!¡±

    Her body stopped responding again . She copsed in the dirt and mud of the ground .

    As if deriding her crawling efforts, what Schnee saw, when she finally managed to raise her head, was Shin and Tiera stepping into the other world . They were swallowed by the light before her .

    ¡°No¡­ . ¡±

    She was not chosen . He did not stay . It was one of the worst futures she could imagine .

    ¡°Noooooooooo!!!!¡±

    Schnee screams, her hands grasping for the light . They did not reach . It was toote .

    The light before her grew hazy because of the tears . The next instant, she woke up .

    ¡°¡­ . h¡­ . h¡­¡±

    For a second, she couldn¡¯t remember where she was .

    Using ¡¾Night Sight¡¿, she could see her stretched hand and the ceiling above it .

    After her quickly beating heart and ragged breath calmed down, Schnee sat up .

    ¡°I was dreaming¡­?¡±

    After a moment of relief, Schnee remembered the content of the dream and looked around her . There was no one else in the room . Shin wasn¡¯t there either, naturally .

    ¡°That¡­can¡¯t have happened, right¡­?¡±

    Schnee whispered while holding the right hand that Shin had held until she fell asleep .

    Her fear wouldn¡¯t go away . She thought she heard very ominous words .

    ¡°So cold¡­¡±

    Her right hand retained nothing of the previous warmth . Her own hands seemed to have turned into ice .

    ¡°Shin¡±

    Schnee called the name of her beloved . Not as her creator or her master .

    That sensation was proof of her feelings, as one person, as one woman .

    Or at least, it was supposed to be .

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    She couldn¡¯t be sure of her feelings . Probably because of the cursed tag, she retained little of her memories and feelings .

    When she called Shin¡¯s name, she partly felt she was being disrespectful . That was her feeling as a servant, not something that was part of her original self .

    Her original self called Shin¡¯s name with affection . There was no sense of duty in that .

    ¡°Shin¡­ . Shin¡­¡±

    Schnee got off her bed, left her room and headed towards Shin¡¯s .

    Her conscience gradually grew hazier, her senses dulled, her body unstable . So cold . Freezing .

    ¡ª-If you cannot let him go, just make him yours¡ª

    Someone¡¯s voice reacher her ears . She had heard it before .

    But where?

    Schnee did not know .

    ¡°Make him¡­mine¡­¡±

    Schnee was supposed to be going towards Shin¡¯s room, but all of a sudden found herself outside the log house . Her body was taking her to the exit of the faerie vige .

    ¡ªIf you do so, the one you so desire will be forever by your side¡ª

    ¡°Forever¡­by my side¡­¡±

    For Schnee, those words were too sweet a temptation . She did not want to even think about being apart from him . She did not want to even imagine he could be gone forever . She wanted him to touch her . To love her .

    ¡ª-even if as a silent corpse¡ª

    The words spoken by the mysterious voice did not reach Schnee anymore .

    Her heart was plunged in such chaos and confusion that she could not tell what she was feeling anymore . Even in such a state, her legs moved steady, as if they had a mind of their own .

    Wrapped in her alluring nightgown, Schnee disappeared from the faerie vige .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Schnee had disappeared . Cruelly enough, the first to find out was Shin, who wanted to tell her the words he failed to utter the night before .

    ¡°Schnee is gone!? Are you serious!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down Filma, you¡¯ve heard that already too . ¡±

    After making sure that Schnee was really gone, Shin ryed the information to the rest via Mind Chat . Even so, she couldn¡¯t help asking .

    For Filma, Schnee was someone very special .

    ¡°There¡¯s no response in the faerie vige . I think¡­she went outside . ¡±

    ¡°But why? There was no sign about any of thisst night¡­!¡±

    Filma didn¡¯t let Shin out of her sight . She was sure that if Schnee had done something unexpected, he must have been connected somehow .

    ¡°Shin . Did something happen to Schnee after dinner?¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s question put everyone¡¯s thoughts into words .

    Even Tzaobath, who was the least involved one in the group, had perceived that Shin and Schnee shared a particr rtionship .

    ¡°Hey, Shin, did something happen after that¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah, that¡¯s right . I don¡¯t want to spend too much time on this, so I¡¯ll give you the general gist . ¡±

    Shin told everyone about Marino¡¯s possession of Tiera and his conversation with Schnee afterwards .

    ¡°Why¡­ . ¡±

    Filma whispered, her body shaking . The next instant, she pressed Shin for answers .

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you tell her that you¡¯ll stay!!¡±

    ¡°Filma!¡±

    Shibaid stopped Filma from grabbing Shin and lifting him . He was physically stronger, but she didn¡¯t let go . Both exerted their power without reserve .

    ¡°Why are you stopping me, Shibaid!?¡±

    ¡°Staying here means throwing away his homnd . That isn¡¯t something you can decide so easily!¡±

    Shibaid had left his country out of loyalty for Shin . He could still return, but he had chosen Shin over his country and had told some of his closer followers that there was the possibility that they would be enemies in the future .

    Because of this, he could understand Shin¡¯s struggle to a degree .

    Filma let her arms drop after hearing Shibaid¡¯s words .

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s true too, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You lot, there is something you should be doing now before quarrelling among yourselves, is there not?¡±

    Tzaobath spoke next . The group was on the log house¡¯s terrace, so Tzaobath could participate in the conversation too .

    Shin and the others knew that looking for Schnee was more important than standing there talking: Filma probably couldn¡¯t hold back anyway .

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk again once we¡¯re back . ¡±

    Filma took a deep breath to calm down, then pped her own cheeks .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go find big sis Schnee then . We¡¯ll need some transport first of all¡­can you give us a hand, Tzaobath?¡±

    Sety asked Tzaobath to carry them, as casually as if she was asking it to help with shopping . It happened when they first arrived in the faerie vige too, so apparently they shared that kind of rtionship .

    ¡°The evil deity is involved, thus I could not possibly ignore this . I shall assist you . ¡±

    ¡°Transport first? Do you already have an idea where she could be?¡±

    As far as Shin could remember, Sety never learned any stealth skills such as ¡¾Tracing¡¿ . It would have required long and strenuous effort to train it to usable levels, but considering the time Shin was absent, it wasn¡¯t impossible .

    ¡°Of course I do . I asked the Tsumugins and they said that the cursed tag¡¯s presence left the vige . They also said they¡¯ll show us the way . ¡±

    ¡°I see . We¡¯ll try to locate Schnee with our skills too, if both point the same way, there¡¯ll be no mistake . ¡±

    Schnee was Shin¡¯s support character, so he could find her position or at least the general direction she was in on his map . The same could be said for the other support characters, but messages could not be sent until Shin actually met them .

    ¡°May we go right away?¡±

    Shin asked Tzaobath for confirmation and thetter nodded .

    ¡°I am ready anytime . You need not address me so politely either . We will berades in arms from now on . It would not sit well with me to be treated so by someone I have entrusted my back to . ¡±

    ¡°Understood¡­no, got it . Then I¡¯ll do as you say . Sety, are you ready?¡±

    Shin epted Tzaobath¡¯s proposal, then checked on Sety .

    ¡°I can go whenever too . To bring big sis back to normal, I¡¯m ready to do pretty much anything!¡±

    Sety beat her chest as she proudly made her statement . The others shared her same feelings, even if they didn¡¯t put them into words . Filma was especially brimming with killing intent towards the evil deity .

    ¡°While her memories might be faulty, the girl is still a High Elf . To be able to manipte her, the enemy surely is the evil deity itself . Have you thought of any countermeasures yet?¡±

    ¡°Please wait . Let me check what I remember . ¡±

    Spurred by Tzaobath¡¯s warning, Shin gathered what he remembered about the evil deity Adetropos .

    The first thing he remembered is that Adetropos used attacks that caused mental status abnormalities . ¡¾Confusion¡¿, ¡¾High Confusion¡¿, ¡¾Charm¡¿, and ¡¾Brainwash¡¿: the monster¡¯s greatest and most dangerous characteristic was its tendency to fire barrages of such spells . It was even capable of generating fields that reduced the effects of status effect prevention skills and equipment by one stage .

    Manyined about the Adetropos event, as it was more likely to be defeated by one¡¯s own allies than the boss itself .

    ¡°Hand me your essories everyone, I¡¯ll upgrade them . ¡±

    Shin made this request after exining his strategy against Adetropos . The ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡» Shibaid and Filma had equipped, which normally prevented status ailments, would be reduced to just increasing defenses against them when facing Adetropos: they wouldn¡¯t be enough to prevent negative statuses .

    In the game there was a limit to the number of equippable essories, so yers would focus on strengthening defenses or preventing only certain status effects . They would split the statuses among the party members, to prevent the danger of all members being affected at the same time .

    In the current world, however, essories could be powered up more than in the game era and there was no equipping limit anymore: they could take more extensive countermeasures .

    ¡°Filma, Shibaid, and Sety can equip multiple boosted ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡» . With them you won¡¯t be affected by status ailments unless something really unexpected happens . Tiera, you can¡¯t equip the ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡» because of your stats, but we¡¯ll make do with numbers . ¡±

    Shin thought about countermeasures for Tiera while upgrading the ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡» . If she couldn¡¯t count on quality, they had to rely on quantity .

    Earrings, nes, rings, bracelets, hairpins, etc . Shin would have her wear more essories, as long as they didn¡¯t make it harder for her to fight . He tried attaching a few rings to a chain, thus turning them into a ne, and they all retained their effects, so he used that method too . Shin also added a protection to the Geyl coin Tiera used as ne, for added insurance .

    ¡°OK, Tiera should be alright now . So only Yuzuha and Kagerou are left . You can¡¯t use the earrings either, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Kuu, I can . I want the ear thing . ¡±

    ¡°You can?¡±

    Yuzuha, from Shin¡¯s shoulder, pointed at Filma¡¯s earrings .

    She had worn equipment when they entered the underwater cave to go save Hermie, but that was equipment made for partner monsters .

    ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡» were made for yers and support characters, so Shin hadn¡¯t considered them for equipment Yuzuha could use . Besides, as far as Shin remembered, Divine Beasts were unaffected by skills causing mental status effects . In a way, they were natural enemies for the evil deity .

    Yuzuha had still not regained herplete form, however, so Shin decided to give her the item, just in case . He gave her the boosted ¡ºAge of Gods Earrings¡» and another item to strengthen defenses against negative status effects . Yuzuha turned into human form and wore them .

    ¡°I see, you can use them like that . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu, perfect . ¡±

    Yuzuha puffed out her chest proudly, then turned back to fox mode . The earrings covered part of her ears, and other items also transformed in a way as to not to get in the way of her movements . They were mostly covered by her fur and not visible, but Shin could tell that Yuzuha was still equipping them .

    ¡°Next is Kagerou . You can¡¯t do the same thing Yuzuha did, so we¡¯ll just use a ne . ¡±

    It was a pretty ssic method for four-legged monsters . Other types included attaching essories to their legs or tails . Kagerou did not resist at all as Shin equipped the essories . Afterwards, it made a few small jumps and ran a little, in order to check if they would inconvenience its movements .

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask just in case, but do you need anything, Tzaobath? I¡¯m not sure if you could equip my items though . ¡±

    ¡°Do man-made items have an effect on me?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? But it seems they do on Yuzuha and Kagerou, so I think the possibility is there . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm . Then I shall request the same mental protection items you gave to the Element Tail . To be manipted by that would be a worse humiliation than losing to it . ¡±

    Tzaobath spoke, sparks of fire burning in his breath . It was usually calmly imposing, but when it came to the evil deity, even the dragon would lose its temper .

    ¡°Earrings¡­wouldn¡¯t work, I guess . Could you try wearing them as bracelets or rings?¡±

    Thinking that a cor would be out of the question, Shin did not even mention the possibility .

    The size of equippable items could be adjusted, so they were supposed to growrger or smaller automatically, but nothing happened when Shin gave them to Tzaobath .

    ¡°Hmm, no reaction?¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any partner monsters your size after all . Maybe the size adjustment range has limits? If so, there¡¯s not much I¡­ . ah!¡±

    Shin took the item back from Tzaobath and took out another item card .

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°A paint-type essory . Drawing a pattern on the body¡¯s surface applies a magic enchantment . ¡±

    In the game era, it was used as a fashion item . It could be applied anywhere on the body and did not interfere with other equipment . Paint-types too, however, used up one essory slot, so most yers usually used more effective earring, bracelet, or hair ornament types .

    ¡°I see, it is applied on the skin, so size is not a concern . Let us try it then . ¡±

    Tzaobath nimbly took the item card with its ws and materialized it . Once the pattern that appeared in midair was ced anywhere on the body, the item was equipped .

    ¡°This seems to be working¡­I feel something covering my whole body . Can you tell?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I can . So paint-types work well withrge sized creatures¡­I¡¯ll keep it in mind . ¡±

    Paint-types were less effective than other essories, but there was next to no chance of them being destroyed . Even if the arm the pattern was ced on was severed, items or Divine skills could restore both the arm and the pattern . This wouldn¡¯t work with rings or armbands, however: if they were destroyed, they were almost impossible to restore mid-battle, barring very high auto-restoring abilities .

    For added insurance, Shin added paint-type essories to the rest of the group too .

    ¡°Attach them wherever you like, and the effect will activate . ¡±

    Shin then added a paint-type just above the left side of his chest . As he did, the painted pattern passed through his clothes and attached itself to his skin . He chose to apply it to his chest as, unlike arms or legs, it was a part less likely to be lost . Like Shin, Filma and the others applied the patterns to their chest too .

    Shin, Shibaid, and Sety had little exposed skin, so the patterns couldn¡¯t be seen, but Filma and Tiera¡¯s chests were more visible, so the flowery patterns were partly visible .

    Yuzuha turned into human form again to apply the patterns, then turned back to small fox mode . That form was morefortable for her apparently .

    Kagerouy down on its back as Tiera applied the pattern .

    ¡°Okay, now all preparations are done . Let¡¯s go . ¡±

    The group ate a quick breakfast with food Shin had ready in the item box, then climbed on Tzaobath¡¯s back . The faerie vige, without Sety maintaining it, would probably disappear soon after she left . It was also Shin¡¯s private area, however, so it was possible to turn it into a card and carry it . When he did, maybe because he turned the area into a card, or maybe he was the original owner, the burden of the preservation shifted on Shin .

    ¡°What is the direction?¡±

    ¡°That way, straight north-north-west . ¡±

    Sety asked the Tsumugins, then pointed towards a point in the sky . Shin¡¯s ¡¾Tracing¡¿ showed the same direction .

    ¡°Wait for us, Schnee, we¡¯ll arrive in no time!¡±

    Shin whispered while ring at the direction the evil deity was thought to be .

 Vol 12 Chapter 4.1: Chapter 4 Part 1

    The dragon instantly soared high into the sky, clearing away the clouds in its passing, ultimately reaching a height other flying monsters rarely flew at . The party rode on Tzaobath in the following order: Sety first, as guide, Shin behind her, as he also could tell which direction to go, followed by Tiera, Filma, andstly Shibaid .

    ¡°No one fell off, right?¡±

    Shin had already checked the map, but turned around to look just in case . He knew that riding on Tzaobath without any protection would be risky, so he had set up a barrier to protect all passengers from the wind and any bird or insect collisions . Even then, they sped through the air at an incredible rate .

    Tzaobath had risen so quickly that during its ascent many birds and insects had been knocked off their paths by the barrier . Had Shin not put up the barrier, high STR members like him, Filma, and Shibaid would have been fine, but Tiera would have been thrown off their dragon steed easily .

    In terms of STR, the mage-type Sety would have been in danger too .

    ¡°¡­ . it looks like we¡¯re in a different world . ¡±

    Tiera slowly opened her eyes to look down, with a mixture of excitement and surprise plus a streak of terror . The scenery that spread before her was surely very differentpared to anything she had experienced before this . The ground, usually firmly supporting her from below, was no more: more than half of her field of view was now colored blue . The ground was so far that she almost couldn¡¯t believe that she had been standing there just moments before .

    Tiera had ridden Elder Dragons before, but Tzaobath¡¯s speed and height were a whole other experience . Shin felt that they were now flying in a ce where only very few flying organisms could, which surely made it seem like a whole new world .

    ¡°It¡¯s rare to be able to look down at the earth from this high . The rideable monsters can¡¯t fly this high, after all . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes narrowed .

    He had ridden on flying monsters several times during events, but their current speed and height far outstripped anything he had experienced in the past . Their search would take much less time than expected .

    ¡°This feels just so unreal . I can¡¯t even imagine what would happen if I fell off . ¡±

    The current situation seemed to exceed the limits of Tiera¡¯s imagination . It was a normal response for someone without any experience riding flying monsters . When encountering a situation beyond one¡¯sprehension, normal people could find it difficult to even think .

    ¡°If you feel sick, just say it, all right?¡±

    While not to the same degree as Tiera, Filma and Shibaid also seemed somewhat tense .

    Shin had flown on airnes in his home world, so he wasn¡¯t as greatly affected, but the current situation could be stressful to this world¡¯s denizens .

    If they fell from this height, not even Shin¡¯s support characters would be unscathed .

    Some people felt sick when flying on a ne, even if they were not afraid of high ces, so Shin warned hispanions before anything happened .

    ¡°We¡¯re really going fast . Won¡¯t we arrive in no time, at this pace?¡±

    Sety mumbled while looking ahead, the Tsumugins clinging to her .

    ¡°Can you tell the distance?¡±

    ¡°So said the Tsumugins, at least . Besides if we go this fast we can cross the whole continent in one day . ¡±

    Tzaobath¡¯s flying speed did note only from its wings: it was also affected by magic and skill effects, as one might expect in a fantasy world . Tzaobath¡¯s unique abilities, however, were not the most important concern to Shin right now .

    As long as he could reach Schnee¡¯s location as soon as possible, he didn¡¯t care if he was riding a monster, a jet, or anything else .

    ¡°We just need to go straight like this, and we¡¯ll arrive in¡­about 20 minutes . ¡±

    Sety spoke after confirming the time with the Tsumugins . The exact distance was still a bit vague . As she said, however, they would reach their destination in about 20 minutes: Schnee¡¯s marker appeared in Shin¡¯s detection range .

    ¡°It¡¯s over there in that area surrounded by mountains!¡±

    The location Shin pointed at was to the north of the middle of the Eltnia continent . It was a in area surrounded by rather tall mountains, though there were not enough mountains to form a chain . It was an area with thick vegetation and tall trees, but a single spot seemed to have been carved by something . As the flora was different too, that might have been the spot Tzaobath had sted away previously . Maybe because of the evil deity¡¯s presence, heavy clouds hung over the mountains, making the locations appear much darker than its surroundings .

    ¡°So this is the ce . ¡±

    ¡°Do you recall anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes, among the ces I destroyed, this had thergest number of Kishimi tribe members . To think that the origin of everything was here¡­I am to me for not bringing it all to an end back then . ¡±

    Tzaobath¡¯s tone was filled with anger . The scales covering the dragon¡¯s body began glowing in response to its growing excitement .

    ¡°I understand your feelings well enough, but wait until we¡¯ve rescued Schnee . You can do whatever you want after that . ¡±

    ¡°My apologies, I¡¯ve let my feelings take over for a moment . I¡¯ll descend now, but anything could happen . Keep your guard up . ¡±

    Tzaobath urged the party to be careful while focused on their destination . They had managed to reach it in less than a hour thanks to Tzaobath . No matter how high Schnee¡¯s stats were, considering how much time had passed since she had left Shin, she had moved a distance far too great for her abilities . Shin didn¡¯t know if she had tamed a flying monster or was teleported, but the possibility that the evil deity was in wait was very high .

    ¡°In any case¡­there¡¯s really nothing here . ¡±

    Small trees grew here and there, but there was literally nothing else . Any buildings had probably been sted away, not even leaving debris behind .

    ¡°Schnee¡¯s presence¡­is over there . ¡±

    ¡°The Tsumugins are saying the same thing . ¡±

    The direction Shin and the Tsumugins pointed toward was the very center of the crater .

    The group decided tond at a certain distance away, just in case .

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anything there though . ¡±

    ¡°It is either hidden, or underground . ¡±

    Filma and Shibaid spoke while eyeing the crater .

    Shin looked in its direction too . He activated the ¡¾See Through¡¿ skill to neutralize any concealment or camouge effects, but nothing changed in his field of view . There was nothing in hiding there, apparently .

    Shin then narrowed his field of detection, thus increasing its precision .

    ¡°Looks like there really is something underground . I can¡¯t tell how wide it is, but it seems to be pretty deep . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s presence came from a rather deep location . It did not seem to be moving . Shin couldn¡¯t tell if it wasn¡¯t moving or could not move, but there was no mistake that it was there .

    ¡°So even if the aboveground part had been destroyed, the structures underground remained . We have no choice but to have Tzaobath wait here then . ¡±

    ¡°Ngh¡­I cannot reduce my body¡¯s size, after all . It cannot be helped¡­I shall stay here and watch the surroundings . Do let me know if anything happens . ¡±

    Being unable to change his body size, Tzaobath could not explore underground easily, as it couldn¡¯t go through the corridors .

    After calming down Tzaobath¡¯s fury at the evil deity¡¯s countermeasure, Shin and the group headed towards the center of the crater .

    ¡°Must be here . It¡¯s buried, but ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿¡¯s response is different . ¡±

    Sety had closed her eyes to concentrate on the ground, then announced her discovery with confidence . Shin examined the location too and found out that it was indeed different from the rest of the area .

    ¡°It would be a waste of time to dig a hole, should we just blow it up?¡±

    ¡°What!? Do you realize how dangerous that sounds? I can remove this much ground in a snap, just step back!¡±

    Shin was ready to unleash his magic, but Sety stopped him . After Schnee¡¯s disappearance, he was maybe acting a bit different than the usual .

    ¡°I¡¯ll create an entrance, then . ¡±

    Sety held her hands over the ground that was supposedly covering the entrance, which started moving by itself, as if giant arms were sweeping it away, and gradually formed a small hill next to the entrance .

    ¡°Is this magic?¡±

    ¡°Just a variation of ¡¾Earth Wall¡¿ . Ever since the Dusk of Majesty, it¡¯s been possible to modify spells and apply them to various situations . ¡±

    ording to Sety, this change did not only apply to magic: it had be possible to change martial skills too, to reduce the burden on the user or give them different effects .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±

    The newly formed cavity leading underground was about three mel tall and two mel wide . It was not exactlyrge, but Shin stepped inside without hesitation . Sunlight illuminated the entrance just slightly, but thanks to ¡¾Night Vision¡¿ Shin could proceed with confidence .

    ¡°I see, so this is a secret dungeon . ¡±

    Shin saw the hostile response on the map and recalled knowledge about the existence of such a dungeon . Information about it had been shared on the game¡¯s bulletin board, but there were conditions for it to appear, so Shin was actually seeing one for the first time .

    ¡°Well, no matter . I¡¯ll take the lead . Filma, Tiera, Sety, and Shibaid, follow me in that order . ¡±

    Shin ced emphasis in the rear guard, setting Shibaid asst line of defense . They did not think their group would proceed easily without encountering any obstacles, so they were not shaken in the least . Thanks to her gradual learning of Marino¡¯s abilities, now Tiera could use ¡¾Night Vision¡¿ too, like the rest of the party: no member was thus unable to see in the darkness .

    ¡°There was nothing like this when we went together, was there . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Filma . In your case we just defeated the monster-turned Kishimis, and that was it . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . hey, Shin . Haven¡¯t you been acting kind of weird since we got here?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m aware . ¡±

    Shin replied with a sigh to Filma¡¯s blunt remark . His words were rougher, as was his demeanor .

    He wasn¡¯t like this when they left the Faerie Vige, but he was aware that he was restless since he had detected Schnee¡¯s presence, and it showed .

    Schnee¡¯s name was disyed on the map, still as a party member, so at the very least he knew for a fact that she was not dead .

    Even so, he felt the urge to race to her side as soon as possible . Even if she was physically safe, who knew what her mental state was? She was already unbnced to begin with, so there was no time to waste .

    He walked while paying attention to his surroundings, but if Filma and the others hadn¡¯t been there he would have probably sprinted ahead as fast as he could, relying on his stats and gear for protection .

    Now that Shin was aware of his feelings, after talking with Schnee the night before, he realized how terrified he was of losing her .

    ¡°If you¡¯ve fought this boss before I think it will go okay, but if anything happens to you big sis Schnee will be really sad, ok?¡±

    ¡°I know that, I¡¯m being careful . ¡±

    After Filma, Sety also pointed out Shin¡¯s restlessness, so he cooled down a bit . While they did not talk, he sensed Tiera, Yuzuha, and Shibaid watching him . Even without looking at them, he could tell they were worried .

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Shin drew a deep breath, then pped his cheeks . Haste makes waste, he told himself, trying to calm down .

    ¡°Hey, Shin, don¡¯t you know anything about this dungeon?¡±

    ¡°I just heard bits and pieces about it . I know the route to take though, thanks to ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ . The traps will be the problem . ¡±

    Despite the fact that the boss itself used various mental-type skills, the dungeon itself housed all sorts ofrge-scale magic attack traps, or so Shin had heard .

    He just remembered other yersining about them in the bulletin board, but if it was true it would be a pain, as such attacks were very difficult to defend against .

    Some traps caused explosions via fire magic when the party reached the center of a room . There were many other traps dangerous enough in the game that would now be absolutely lethal .

    ¡°Well, just leave those to me . I¡¯ve explored dungeons solo many times, my trap detection skills and abilities have been duly trained . ¡±

    In the game some traps could easily pierce through average status effect resistance . They rarely killed the yer directly, merely slowing down their progress . Maybe because of management¡¯s malice, these traps were always set on monster routes .

    Being mauled to death while helpless because of ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ or ¡¾Petrification¡¿ or ambushed while attacking allies due to ¡¾Confusion¡¿ or ¡¾High Confusion¡¿, there were all sorts of triggers that could cause the party¡¯s destruction .

    Traps in dungeons, no matter where, were all nasty . This was a sentiment shared by all yers .

    ¡°Stop, everyone . Speak of the devil¡­¡±

    Shin signaled for Filma and the others to stop and picked up a pebble in the middle of the corridor . Then, as soon as he threw it, he activated the Divine skill ¡¾Twin Branch Purification¡¿ .

    A semi-transparent, ss-like barrier appeared before Shin . Momentster, the pebble he threw hit the ground . That same moment, an orange light shed, immediately followed by arge explosion, big enough topletely engulf Shin¡¯s party .

    It was the very same trap Shin mentioned before, which caused an explosion with the party at its center . This time, the treacherous trap had been fully sealed by ¡¾Twin Branch Purification¡¿¡¯s barrier, cast across the corridor .

    Compared to the ¡¾One Leaf Absolution¡¿ skill Shin had used in the Wraith ins, this barrier was even more resistant to physical and magical attacks and its resilience was stronger too: not only did it block the mes, it did not let the st¡¯s heat wave either .

    Even though Tiera had heard about the trap, she couldn¡¯t hide her surprise .

    ¡°I can see how scary that can be now¡­triggering that without knowing would be a nightmare . ¡±

    ¡°You need at least two types of detection skills maxed out to pick it up too . Having maxed skills as a condition is something no one usually considers, which makes the trap even nastier . Despite this, you could even find them in normal dungeons sometimes . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like they want you to fall in one¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why people said that dungeon traps were made by those with malicious intent . Anyway, it¡¯s pretty quiet here . ¡±

    Shin spoke with Tiera while looking around . It had been around 10 minutes since they had entered the dungeon, but all they found was just one trap, which seemed odd . The party continued to piece together a map of the dungeon via ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, heading towards Schnee¡¯s location ¡ª the deepest part of the dungeon ¡ª through the shortest possible route .

    Theck of monster encounters and scarcity of traps made their progress much quicker than even a normal dungeon . While they couldn¡¯t simply go straight down, they had already covered about one-fifth of the total dungeon . The party did not know much about this secret dungeon, but it was clearly bizarre for the map and detection skills to not show any signs of a monster presence .

    There were trap-riddled dungeons without monsters inside, but there were too few traps here for that to be the case .

    Before entering the dungeon, Shin¡¯s ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ had clearly showed a monster-like response too .

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re drawing us deeper? In some dungeons monsters would appear in mass after you passed a certain point, right?¡±

    Filma was referring to time attack-type dungeons, where the yers had to dispose of the boss quickly and teleport away, lest they would be crushed by multitudes of monsters .

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right . But even in dungeons like that you encountered some monsters on the way, so you wouldn¡¯t realize that you were in one . ¡±

    Dungeonspletely devoid of monsters were an all too clear sign that there was some trick to them . In the game, even if the monsters were there just for camouging purposes, there would be some prowling around, but here Shin¡¯s detection field did not pick up even a single response .

    Shin asked Shibaid, the rear guard, but there was no sign of anything approaching them from behind either .

    ¡°With things so quiet, I wonder about big sis¡­will she be okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    No one replied to Sety¡¯s whisper . Everyone was thinking the same, especially Shin .

    ¡°Hey, Shin, do you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait . ¡±

    Receiving no response, Sety was about to say something else, but Shin interrupted her .

    A red marker appeared on the map . It was a monster presence .

    ¡°Is this a test or something? Five units . Coming from the front . ¡±

    After Shin¡¯s words, Filma gripped the hilt of her ¡ºRed Moon¡» and Tiera nocked an arrow .

    The party was walking down a corridor about four mel wide: for at least 20 more mel, there were no forks in the path . The movements of the icons on the map made it clear that they were not monsters with wall-phasing abilities, such as ghosts or element tails .

    There were few obstacles in the path . Shin activated ¡¾Far Sight¡¿, in order to find out the monsters¡¯ identity as quickly as possible . As he did, he noticed something unnatural .

    ¡°Even with ¡¾Night Sight¡¿ activated, the corridor ahead is dark¡­there¡¯s a Dark Summoner . Sety!¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±

    Prompted by Shin, Sety casted a spell . The staff she held, about as tall as her, extended as to surround an eight-faced crystal . Sety¡¯s exclusive weapon, ¡ºDusk Moon¡» responded to its owner¡¯s will and started glowing . The rainbow crystal on the tip of the staff emitted a globe of light .

    The first globe was followed by two and three more, ultimately creating 30 balls of light which illuminated the path ahead of the party .

    ¡°There they are . ¡±

    In front of Shin, humanoid monsters d in tattered capes were retreating, intimidated by the light globes .

    The monsters, carrying darkness capable of shutting off ¡¾Night Sight¡¿ and ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ , were Dark Summoners .

    They appeared humanoid, but their tattered robes contained nothing but darkness, which suffered no damage when attacked . Their actual body was the candle-like item they carried, which burned with a dark me .

    ¡°Tiera, aim at the candle they¡¯re holding! That¡¯s their actual body . Filma, you take down the Shadow Stalkers behind them . Shibaid, keep watch on the rear . Sety, you watch the whole situation and support when needed . Yuzuha, Kagerou, protect the rear . ¡±

    Shin gave orders to the party, then joined Filma in fighting on the front lines .

 Vol 12 Chapter 4.3: Chapter 4 Part 3

    A straightforward assault, with all of his Limiters removed . Shin had neither the time nor intention to assess the situation . Faster than a speeding bullet, he closed the 50-mel distance between his initial position and Adetropos in a couple of steps .

    Shin¡¯s initial target was the monster¡¯s left arm, the symbol of the boss monster¡¯s heavy use of mental-affecting skills and magic skills . His ¡ºMoonless¡» carved through it easily .

    Divine/Katana Combination Skill ¡¾Scourge Divide ¨C Morning Star¡¿

    In the candle-lit room, a white-hot sh of metal sparkled for an instant .

    The Divine/Katana skill unleashed by Shin, which would cause massive damage to evil-type monsters such as demons, devils, and the undead, cut off Adetropos¡¯ left arm . Meanwhile, it was not clear where Adetropos was looking or if it had even realized it was under attack .

    The ability that activated after the boss received damage, however, did not rely on its perceptions . Before Shin could use the Movement-type Martial skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ to continue attacking, the severed arm, right before hitting the ground, erupted into ck smoke .

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Shin instantly changed directions . He moved behind Adetropos¡¯ body, using the monster¡¯srge body as a shield . A few secondster, the chamber was filled by a grey light: it was ¡¾Netherlight¡¿, a skill that caused all status effects at once . Shin could have probably resisted its effects, but decided to dodge it just in case . ¡¾Netherlight¡¿ did not affect Adetropos¡¯ body and its shadow .

    ¡°You¡¯re going to move now, huh?¡±

    Shin nned to attack as soon as the light disappeared, but Adetropos raised its snake-like body, supported by countless insect-like legs . The crawling monster was a really disgusting sight . Adetropos moved extremely quickly, though it was difficult to imagine from its snake-like, centipede-like lower body . In addition, it could easily travel not only on the ground, but also the walls and ceiling . It climbed up the walls, attached itself on the ceiling and spewed a deluge of status effects .

    Its aptitude to easily avoid the yers¡¯ attacks, affect them with negative statuses, and torture them was another reason why Adetropos was hated by the yers .

    However¡ª

    ¡°You thought I couldn¡¯t reach?¡±

    Shin could run on the walls and even on midair: he was apletely different opponent from the yers that Adetropos had probably defeated until now .

    Shin, as he was now, could easily reach the ceiling, using abination of ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ and jumping . Against Adetropos, who had to use the walls, he would never lose in speed .

    ¡°Schnee isn¡¯t damaged, right?¡±

    Shin checked Schnee¡¯s HP gauge while the monster climbed the wall . If she wasn¡¯t there, he would have targeted the boss¡¯ neck from the first blow .

    ¡°I¡¯m takInG heR bAck . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s words reverberated through the chamber . In the echo there was also another voice, not Shin¡¯s or the evil deity¡¯s .

    Shin did not notice it, however, and leapt in front of Adetropos¡¯ eyes as it hung from the ceiling .

    The instant Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡», bright with ¡¾Scourge Divide ¨C Morning Star¡¿¡¯s glow, swung down on Adetropos, the de was also adorned by purple crystals .

    Adetropos, however, was still one of the toughest bosses: it used its right arm¡¯s ws to block the attack . The ice ws, though not present in the game, were not enough to stop Shin¡¯s attack .

    ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯s sh cut off the ws, while the resulting shockwave separated the monster¡¯s hand from its elbow .

    ¡°Get lost alre¡ª-!?!¡±

    Shin had slipped close to the monster, ready to slice its head off with ¡ºMoonless¡» .

    Just as the de was about to reach the monster¡¯s body, the blue crystal containing Schnee appeared in front of Shin .

    Shin didn¡¯t know how resistant the crystal was . If ¡ºMoonless¡»¡¯s strike was more powerful, however, the sh would end up cutting Schnee too .

    Shin used ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ to create a temporary foothold and focused his strength on swinging his de in the opposite direction . Thanks to his strength, ¡ºMoonless¡» stopped just before touching the blue crystal .

    Adetropos was probably waiting for this instant: its silver hair started moving as if it had a will of its own, squirming towards Shin, attempting to grab him . The attack¡¯s range was wide, but it was slow . Shin jumped out of the way and stood on the same wall as Adetropos .

    ¡°Hey¡­¡±

    Anger-filled words escaped Shin¡¯s mouth .

    ¡°You!! Bastard!! What did you just try to make me do!?¡±

    Shin shouted, overwhelmed by rage .

    It was just an angry shout, not apanied by any skill . Shin¡¯s roar, however, caused the mes on the chamber¡¯s candles to flicker violently . A crack also appeared on the crystal trapping Schnee .

    Shin had stopped ¡ºMoonless¡» before it touched the crystal, but Ancient-grade weapons could cause damage even with just air pressure, as proved by the crack in the crystal .

    Make the personing to save a prisoner kill them instead . Adetropos¡¯ actions had positively enraged Shin .

    ¡°Your deaTh won¡¯T be painLEss . ¡±

    Shin kicked the wall, breaking it apart behind him, and rushed towards the monster . Adetropos shot ice arrows, something it could not do in the game, but Shin simply knocked away the ones in his path and instantly approached the monster .

    He targeted the monster¡¯s insect legs this time, with which it could crawl on the walls and ceiling . Making sure to be ready to react even if the blue crystal was again teleported in front, Shin swung ¡ºMoonless¡», cutting down the monster¡¯s legs from the left side . Thanks to ¡ºMoonless¡», it made no real difference whether the legs were covered by a protective shell or not .

    While avoiding or knocking away all obstacles, Shin continued cutting off the monster¡¯s legs .

    ¡°Time tO tRy thAt . ¡±

    After slicing off ? of the legs on the left side, Adetropos¡¯ lower body had grown rather unstable . Shin then stabbed the monster¡¯s snake lower body with ¡ºMoonless¡» without hesitation .

    It was a much smaller attack than the ones before: Adetropos did not seem to react at all .

    ¡°BurN frOm inSIde aNd sUFFer!!¡±

    ¡ºMoonless¡», having piercing the monster up to the hilt, was engulfed in mes .

    Katana/me Combination Skill ¡¾Garuda¡¯s me¡¿ .

    The skill Shin activated enveloped the katana in red and gold mes, that were capable of melting even Adamantine . These mes were now burning Adetropos¡¯ body from inside .

    Crimson and golden light seeped through from where ¡ºMoonless¡» stabbed the monster, then its flesh started falling out . Adetropos¡¯ body could not withstand the heat released by the de .

    ¡°Looks like you can¡¯t move the crystal inside youR bOdy!!¡±

    Shin stabbed ¡ºMoonless¡» in another location and ran on the monster¡¯s tail, with the mes following him along the monster¡¯s body . Shin managed to run almostpletely around Adetropos¡¯ tail, enough for it to be close to falling off . Shin then changed directions, running up the monster¡¯s back in a zig-zag pattern to avoid its attacks .

    ¡°xpr&r¡±&%#s!!¡±

    An intelligible wail-like sound was produced by what probably was Adetropos¡¯ mouth . Its body then turned ck .

    ¡°Tch, so it¡¯s just like the event now!!¡±

    Because of the game settings, it was not possible topletely defeat Adetropos . It was an enemy boss, but still categorized as a deity . Even if its body was destroyed, it would eventually resurrect . Maybe because of such a setting, some of those monsters tried to surprise yers with theirst resort attacks .

    In Adetropos¡¯ case, when its HP went below a certain level, it had the nasty habit of trying to take the yer down with it .

    When Adetropos¡¯ body turnedpletely ck, it would start crumbling into a blob . In the game, if the yer was still alive after Adetropos hadpletely melted away, the mission was consideredplete .

    ¡°You¡¯re not taking Schnee with you!!!¡±

    Shin shouted and ran into Adetropos¡¯ melting body . There was still the possibility of the crystal being teleported again, so he just held ¡ºMoonless¡» without swinging it . If he did not do anything he would be swept away by the turbid stream, so Shin activated ¡¾Thunder God Cloth¡¿ to break through Adetropos¡¯ former body and reach Schnee .

    ¡°There¡¯s, something . ¡±

    The ck stream did not touch him directly, but even so Shin¡¯s HP gauge was gradually decreasing . In the game, being engulfed by the ck stream was the end: it caused instant death, no matter how much HP the yer had left . The ck liquid that was trying to swallow Shin and the crystal probably had simr effects .

    ¡°If I was together with Schnee, well¡­I even thought . ¡±

    Shin talked to himself when he reached the crystal and saw Schnee¡¯s face . He had decided: as long as he was together with Schnee, no matter where he ended, he would have no regrets .

    ¡°¡ªbut I¡¯m not easy enough to be taken down by the likes of you!!¡±

    Shin activated the creation-type skill ¡¾Alteration¡¿ and buried his arms in the crystal . After making sure he had a firm grip, he activated the skill again . Purple lines formed a magic circle, with Shin and the crystal at its center . Severalplex patterns appeared in the 5-mel wide circle .

    The magic circle, glowing brighter and fainter, pushed away the ck stream surrounding Shin and the crystal as soon as it appeared, as if it had a barrier that did not allow anything to pass through it .

    ¡°DisapPEaR!!!¡±

    The magic circle¡¯s light grew stronger with Shin¡¯s shout . 6 purple mes, about 60-cemel tall, appeared on the outer side of the circle, spinning along it, all in different directions . The purple mes formed different circles and, after a few seconds, grew exponentially in size .

    The ck stream that had tried to swallow Shin gradually disappeared, as if it was erased out of existence . No matter if it was touched directly or not, the mes erased it all .

    me-type Magic skill ¡¾Purging me of Obliteration¡¿

    It was a wide range skill that caused great damage to anyone, enemies and allies alike, in a set radius, with the exception of the user . In a closed room with no way of escape, it was extremely lethal . Its effects covered the whole boss room, so Adetropos¡¯ ck stream could not escape anywhere .

    ¡°¡­there¡¯s no response anymore . ¡±

    After the skill¡¯s effects wore off, Shin scanned the area with his detection skills, looking for Adetropos¡¯ presence, then removed his arms from the crystal . He had grabbed it firmly to avoid it being affected by ¡¾Purging me of Obliteration¡¿ , so it suffered no other cracks or damage than the one inflicted in the beginning .

    ¡°It¡¯s the same as the time with Filma¡­¡±

    It could just be a coincidence, or maybe there was a reason behind it, but the crystal trapping Schnee was actually a ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» . This one was in harmony with Schnee¡¯s magic power and emitted a blue light . As it had happened with Filma, it would not be absorbed by Schnee .

    Nothing was in the way anymore, so Shin decided to free Schnee first of all . He activated ¡¾Alteration¡¿ and changed the crystal into an item card . Even the tough ¡ºDrop of Erathem¡» was like putty before ¡¾Alteration¡¿: it wasn¡¯t long before Schnee was freed .

    ¡°Schnee . Hey, Schnee . ¡±

    Shin checked her breath and pulse, then shook her lightly to wake her up . After a while, Schnee started moving .

    ¡°¡­ . . ? ¡­ . . hn¡­Shi¡­n¡­?¡±

    Her eyelids opened slowly, then her sky blue eyes met Shin¡¯s gaze . Her expression was still lost, as she probably hadn¡¯t fully woken up yet . Shin looked at her gently . The boss had been defeated, so her memories should return too .

    ¡°Do you recognize me?¡±

    ¡°What in the world¡ªeh? Er, ehm, why are we¡­like this?¡±

    Schnee was currently being held by Shin, his arms supporting her back and knees .

    ¡°Do you remember everything? Are there any gaps?¡±

    ¡°¡ª-ah . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s words caused Schnee to turn pale .

    ¡°I, I do . Or, I should say that I remember everything now . What happened until I fought Hameln, and also after that . ¡±

    ¡°You remember everything, then? What happened during the game, and also after I returned?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I also remember about fighting against you all, while under the evil deity¡¯s control . ¡±

    Schnee spoke in a feeble yet confident tone . She could have said that she did not remember anything about the time she was controlled, but didn¡¯t . She had turned pale because she had realized what she had done: the weight of her guilt tormented her .

    ¡°I, I am truly sor¡ª¡±

    ¡°Aaaahh!!! I¡¯m so d¡­!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s sudden shout cut off Schnee¡¯s apology . He then fell sitting on the ground, relieved . Schnee, on the other hand, floated for a second .

    ¡°Wah!¡±

    ¡°Oops . ¡±

    While sitting, Shin deftly caught Schnee¡¯s fall, then hugged her close .

    ¡°Eh, er, Shin¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d¡­ . I¡¯m so d . I didn¡¯t know what to do if you had disappeared because I couldn¡¯t make up my mind . ¡±

    Even if he remembered info about the event, there was no assurance that Schnee would be all right . Even if she was physically okay, mentally she could have be another person .

    She¡¯s still alive, she¡¯s going to be okay . Shin had continued to repeat these words to himself while on the way here . After realizing that Schnee was really alright, it was obvious for his outburst of joy .

    ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong . I just let down my guard . ¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s my fault . If I had decided earlier and told you, things would have gone differently . ¡±

    Schnee med herself, but Shin stopped her sternly . She had been manipted by the evil deity because there was arge enough gap in her heart for it to infiltrate . And the reason behind that was Shin . He couldn¡¯t let that slide .

    ¡°What I couldn¡¯t say that night¡­I¡¯ll say it now . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . yes . ¡±

    Shin released the embrace and ced his hands on Schnee¡¯s shoulders . Schnee understood the meaning of his words and looked straight at him, a tense expression on her face .

    Shin¡¯s answer towards Schnee¡¯s desire for him to remain in this world . That time, the words stayed stuck in his throat, but now it was different . His heart was set . He just had to say the words .

    ¡°I¡¯m going to stay in this world . So would you please stay with me? Not as master and servant¡­but as man and woman . ¡±

    ¡°¡­!?! D-do you mean¡­?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s eyes opened wide .

    ¡°Well, yes, I mean¡­I want you to marry me . ¡±

    ¡°!?!¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyes looked straight at Schnee¡¯s . It wasn¡¯t a joke . It wasn¡¯t just something said to buy time .

    They were words born from Shin¡¯s honest feelings .

    ¡°Eh!? Hey, Schnee!?¡±

    Transparent tears flowed out of Schnee¡¯s eyes . The unexpected reaction caused a small panic in Shin .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry . Ever since we met again, I always¡­I always thought, that I really wanted this to happen¡­¡±

    Schnee wiped her flowing tears and looked at Shin .

    ¡°Are, are you really sure? Someone like me¡ª!?¡±

    Instead of answering, Shin sealed Schnee¡¯s lips with his, forcefully stopping her self-deprecating words . Schnee was confused at first, but as she understood what Shin was doing, she slowly put her hands around his back .

    ¡°Shi¡­n¡­ . !¡±

    The light kiss grew gradually more passionate . In the game, kissing was the greatest show of affection possible between yers like Shin .

    I love you .

    I love you too .

    Exchanging feelings, words, and breaths .

    Schnee knew what kissing meant . She responded passionately, much more than one would expect from her . Her tears wouldn¡¯t stop, but Shin knew that they were not born out of sadness .

    ¡°¡­hah . ¡±

    After a long kiss, the two separated naturally . A string between their lips vanished, as if longing for more . Looking at it, Schnee blushed ¨C a bit toote .

    ¡°This isn¡¯t, a dream, right?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t . I can pinch your cheeks if you want . ¡±

    ¡°Please do . ¡±

    ¡°For real?¡±

    Shin meant it as a joke, but Schnee closed her eyes and put her face closer to Shin¡¯s . Despite what he said, Shin couldn¡¯t really pinch Schnee¡¯s cheeks, so he just poked them a little .

    ¡°That¡¯s not enough to wake me up from a dream, you know?¡±

    ¡°I know I said it myself, but this isn¡¯t easy to do¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re so kind, Shin . ¡±

    Shin wiped thest tears remaining near Schnee¡¯s eyes, grumbling to himself . While looking at her smile, he decided once more that he would never let her cry out of sadness again .

    ¡°Filma and the others are here too, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they told me to go ahead . ¡±

    Shin remembered about hisrades telling him to go on and smiled . He wasn¡¯t worried at all about the monsters getting the best of them .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go meet them, then . I made them worry too . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s¡ª¨C!?¡±

    Shin nodded to Schnee and was about to stand up, when the entire dungeon shook violently .

    ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡±

    He looked around and noticed that several patterns had appeared in the boss room, patterns he had seen before .

    ¡°Is that a teleportation magic circle?¡±

    ¡°It definitely is . ¡ªnow that I recall, if you don¡¯t go out right away after defeating the boss you get teleported to a random ce, I think¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t remember clearly what he had heard about the secret dungeon, or even if it was all true . But one of the things he did seem to remember referred to this very situation .

    ¡°The teleport crystal¡­won¡¯t work . I remember that no one was ever teleported inside a wall or something though . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright . I feel no maliceing from this spell . ¡±

    Schnee calmed down the restless Shin . Maybe because of her recent capture, she could tell such things now .

    ¡°Shin . Please embrace me like this . ¡±

    ¡°All right . ¡±

    They didn¡¯t know where they would end up . But if they remained in close proximity, they thought they would be sent to the same ce .

    The magic circle lit up . A bright light filled the room, and when it disappeared, there was nothing in it anymore .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    While Shin was telling his decision to Schnee, a few mels from the entrance of the dungeon, a ck liquid-like substance appeared . The ck ooze, which until minutes before had been the evil deity Adetropos, slowly begun to float towards the sky .

    It had been defeated, but Adetropos was still a monster in the deity category . Thanks to having fought inside the secret dungeon, its home ground, it had managed to escape from Shin . That was the reason why bringing its HP to zero was not a condition for victory during the game event .

    Adetropos would be defeated by yers, resurrect, then be defeated again . That was its role in this world . The event¡¯s background information stated that a deity that tried to ease people¡¯s suffering had be an insane god and ended up confined to this world .

    Until someone realized that Adetropos was not destroyed, and truly finished it off, the monster would not be stopped¡ª

    ¡°This presence¡­you . You are the evil deity, are you not?¡±

    Adetropos nned to leave the dungeon for a while, to regain its powers, but someone called to it from above . Shadow covered its body . Something was blocking the sunlight .

    ¡°I can feel Shin¡¯s magic power . Seeing you in such a weakened state¡­you have fled . ¡±

    Adetropos felt chills running through the surface of its body . The opponent looking down on him was not an average monster .

    ¡°I do not fight weakened opponents . Just this time, however, I shall discard such a creed!¡±

    It was not said that its end would be necessarily brought by a human .

    Adetropos did not know that, outside the dungeon, there was a creature much more dangerous than Shin .

    ¡°Hm!?¡±

    As if responding to Tzaobath¡¯s arrival, the hidden dungeon emitted a sh of light and disappeared .

    ¡°¡­an escape mechanism . Shin and the others must have been teleported away . ¡±

    Tzaobath, feeling the magic power, moved its neck in 3 different directions . Shin¡¯s party had been sent to 3 different locations, apparently .

    ¡°Shin and the others aren¡¯t here anymore¡­I have no more reason to hold back . ¡±

    Tzaobath looked at Adetropos, which was trying to sneak away . Its wings spread wide, and the light blue wings started glowing . At the same time, part of the clouds covering the sky cleared up . Light came down from the sky, directly above Tzaobath, which the dragon received on its back . The light did not reach the ground and was absorbed by the dragon¡¯s wings . The ray of sunlight made its body glow golden .

    ¡°Disappear . ¡±

    The golden glow gathered in Tzaobath¡¯s maw, turning into a golden beam . A blow faster than a bolt of lighting and with more force than a meteor strike . There was nothing Adetropos could do . The light from the skypletely annihted the evil deity, without giving it a single chance to avoid or defend itself against the attack .

    The beam, not content with just destroying Adetropos, carved arge crater into the ground, turned trees into cinders and left another gaping wound on the recovering earth . After the light disappeared, all that was left was ground turned into ss, an enormous crater¡­

    ¡­and a sole dragon looking down from the skies .

    ¡°O friend . Did the memory of our days together return to your soul?¡±

    Tzaobath looked at the crater in silence for a few moments, then uttered these words and pped its wings . The dragon soared quickly above the heavy clouds and flew far away in the sky .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°¡­ . The presence of Shin and the others¡¯ disappeared¡­this must be teleportation . Looks like they managed to defeat Adetropos . ¡±

    At the same time as Shin¡¯s victory over Adetropos, in a dimly lit room somewhere, Hameln was talking to no one in particr .

    ¡°Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be able to check the reaction if they get teleported . Will dear Schnee¡¯s memories be returned? Or maybe they are lost forever?¡±

    Hameln had tracked the movements of Shin¡¯s party after being separated from them . Shin and hisrades were fully focused on finding Schnee, so they had not realized it .

    Tracking yers¡¯ movements inside dungeons was impossible, except for a handful of particr skills . Hameln¡¯s job did not allow him to acquire them, so it should have been impossible for him . That was in the game era, however . Things were different now .

    ¡°If they do not return, what will poor Shin do?¡±

    Hameln, who knew Shin from the game era, grinned . He had helped Shin once before, but that was all for the sake of his objective . Being a yer killer, Hameln was normally an enemy for Shin .

    ¡°To think that Tzaobath existed in this world, however . Shin truly is amusing to observe . It would be a pity if he changed, but what happens, happens, I suppose . ¡±

    Hameln, who had been looking down, raised his head before talking again .

    ¡°I am looking forward to seeing you again . ¡±

    Bizarrely enough, the direction he was looking in was the one Shin and Schnee had been teleported to .

 Vol 13 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    In the hidden underground dungeon, Shin had sessfully defeated the evil deity Adetropos .

    While he managed to safely rescue Schnee as well, the teleport magic circle in the room had also been activated . Shin and Schnee were thus separated from theirrades, transported away to an unknown location¡­

    The first thing Shin felt after being transported was a very soft sensation in his arms . Then, he sensed someone¡¯s breath and body temperature . Next, a smell tickled his nostrils .

    ¡°Looks like we weren¡¯t separated at least . ¡±

    After checking the surroundings for any hostile presences, Shin spoke to Schnee, who he was holding in his arms . If he hadn¡¯t found her next to him after the teleport, he would have been beside himself with worry .

    ¡°Yes¡­are we¡­inside a cave?¡±

    ¡°So it would seem . I just checked quickly, but there are paths going both up and down . There are also presences moving, but not anywhere close . ¡±

    Shin had scanned their current location with ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ and detected some responses moving in a group . One response was moving by itself, while the other was a a group of six, packed close together .

    ¡°Could those be monsters?¡±

    ¡°If this is a different dungeon, they might also be adventurers . Six is the max number of people you can have in a party, after all . ¡±

    Monsters like goblins and kobolds moved in packs, so he couldn¡¯t say for sure yet . Schnee had just regained her consciousness, so Shin had her drink an ¡ºElixir¡» and rest a bit, just in case . In the meantime, he kept checking the surroundings .

    ¡°Are you all right already? Do you feel weird anywhere?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine . My memories were just sealed, so I didn¡¯t suffer any damage . Aren¡¯t you worrying a bit too much?¡±

    ¡°Well, of course I do . Our rtionship is a bit different than before . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­that¡¯s right . ¡±

    Schnee probably remembered Shin¡¯s confession: her sentence ended in a whisper . Her cheeks flushed too .

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m sorry . Please give me five more minutes to settle down . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . ¡±

    While thinking how lovely Schnee looked with her hands covering her face, Shin returned to scanning the location for threats . Five minutes passed, without anything noteworthy happening, and Schnee stood up .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the wait . I¡¯m okay now . ¡±

    ¡°I see . By the way, you don¡¯t need to keep that formal tone anymore . ¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s be a habit . ¡±

    Schnee spoke the same to everyone, usually, so it wasn¡¯t like she was being polite .

    ¡°But¡­I agree with you . Sometimes it would be nice to speak in a more familiar way . ¡±

    ¡°Well, take your time . For now, let¡¯s find out where we ended up . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee switched their focus to their current situation . Their stats and equipment were unchanged: the magic circle that whisked them away was just teleport magic, so it shouldn¡¯t have had any other effects .

    ¡°(Shin, where are you?)¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Just as Shin was thinking of contacting the others, Yuzuha¡¯s voice resounded in his head .

    ¡°(We were transported to some cave-looking ce . The evil deity¡¯s defeated and Schnee turned back too . What about you guys?)¡±

    ¡°(Tiera, Kagerou, and Shibaid are here too . )¡±

    After the events at the ¡ºCastle of the Depths¡», Yuzuha seemed to have be more familiar with Tiera too .

    ording to Yuzuha, they had been transported to some kind of forest . They all emerged unscathed from the fights in the secret dungeon, so they were not in danger .

    ¡°(I see, I¡¯m d you¡¯re all safe . Let¡¯smunicate again once we understand where exactly we are . Shibaid can use Mind Chat too, so do you want toe over here, Yuzuha?)¡±

    ¡°(Not now . Shin and Schnee, you can stay on your own for a while . Yuzuha¡¯s a fox that can read a situation . )¡±

    Shin very easily pictured the smug look Yuzuha had to be sporting when she said that .

    Respecting her wishes, Shin didn¡¯t summon Yuzuha to his side .

    ¡°Did you receive a Mind Chat?¡±

    ¡°Yes, looks like Shibaid, Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou are all together . I¡¯ll try contacting Filma and Sety now . ¡±

    ¡°(Hello there . I guess this means you defeated the evil deity? )¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, Schnee¡¯s all right too, we¡¯re together . Is Sety with you?)¡±

    ¡°(Bingo . Me and Sety were transported to a beach somewhere . )¡±

    Filma said that she hadn¡¯t found anyndmarks that could provide hints about their location yet . Shin told her that Shibaid and the others were safe and to let them know when she understood where they were, then cut the Mind Chat for the moment . He then let Schnee know about the rest of the party¡¯s safety too .

    ¡°So everyone¡¯s safe, I¡¯m d . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way any of them would go down easily, after all¡­so, what shall we do now?¡±

    Shin and Schnee could teleport themselves, but the location the evil deity had transported them to also intrigued them . Shin then proposed to Filma and Yuzuha to research a bit about each of their locations before meeting again . They agreed, and Filma and Yuzuha then informed the other members .

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start by finding out where we are . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . I suppose we¡¯ll go up first then . ¡±

    The cave was made of earth and rocks . Normally, the exit would be above .

    ¡°Oh, monsters spotted . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ picked up monster responses in front, while scanning the cave as precisely as possible . The number was just one .

    ¡°A Hobgoblin, I see . Could this be their nest?¡±

    ¡°This might very well be a dungeon . By the way, do monsters go into dungeons from the outside in this world?¡±

    In one of the game events, dungeon monsters poured out in the open, but the opposite ¡ª monsters going inside dungeons from outside ¡ª never happened .

    ¡°It does . Sometimes powerful monsters happen to be near newly generated dungeons and take over as bosses . ¡±

    ¡°Monsters can take over dungeons too!?¡±

    Dungeons generated suddenly had random monsters as a boss, so it was apparently possible . Schnee didn¡¯t know exactly the rules behind it either .

    ¡°The Hobgoblin is level 51¡­nothing unusual here . ¡±

    Shin closed in on the monster from the front, without the slightest hesitation . He didn¡¯t even bother hiding the sound of his footsteps, so the Hobgoblin spotted him quickly .

    ¡°Akdobun!! Seeeurrralsa!!¡±

    The Hobgoblin charged at Shin while shouting gibberish . The iron sword it held with both hands shone faintly, probably because of a skill .

    ¡°¡­ . all too normal . The skill is just ¡¾sh¡¿ too¡­I guess this is just a normal dungeon?¡±

    Shin grabbed the monster¡¯s sword with one hand and nted his other fist in its defenseless stomach . He only nned to punch it lightly, but the monster was blown away, vanishing soon after groaning a bit .

    ¡°Hey? This way of disappearing¡­¡±

    Looking at the vanishing monster, Shin was suddenly reminded of something .

    In this world, monsters defeated in a dungeon would disappear after a set time . The Hobgoblin Shin just defeated, however, turned into smoke as soon as its HP reached zero . This was typical of a certain dungeon in the game, one that Shin had made good use of too .

    ¡°This could be a training dungeon¡±

    ¡°One of those easily approachable by beginners too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that particr way of disappearing is typical of training dungeon monsters . I used them a lot to practice new skills, so I shouldn¡¯t be wrong . ¡±

    Training dungeons had been installed for yers not used to operating VR avatars or who wanted to test new skills .

    Monsters were as strong as normal, but yers would receive only little damage and experience points .

    Such dungeons were often quite popted, as they could be used to practice exploring in rtive safety .

    ¡°If so, we might be in Erkunt . ¡±

    ¡°Erkunt?¡±

    ¡°A country devoted to the diffusion of study and research, which gathers students and schrs from all over the world . If I remember well, it¡¯s located slightly northwest of the center of the continent . It¡¯s the only country where the presence of a training dungeon was confirmed, so I believe it is highly likely that¡¯s where we are now . Of course, there might be undiscovered training dungeons too . ¡±

    ¡°I see . There¡¯s still a lot I don¡¯t know about stuff like that, so you¡¯re really a big help . ¡±

    Shin thanked Schnee, then looked ahead .

    ¡°¡­ . now that I think about it, my limiters are still all off . ¡±

    After a few steps, Shin remembered how the Hobgoblin had been blown away . In the fight with the evil deity he had removed each ¡¾Limiter¡¿, so even if he meant to go easy on the monster, the power he unleashed was still massive . (T/N: ¡¾Limit¡¿ has been changed to ¡¾Limiter¡¿)

    He had started getting the hang of controlling his strength, but to avoid any unexpected urrences, Shin decided to cast ¡¾Limiter¡¿ again on his stats .

    ¡°I wonder if we were sent here for some special purpose?¡±

    ¡°No idea . I heard that secret dungeons sent you to random ces, so it might be just a coincidence . ¡±

    Shin could not tell what the evil deity might have been thinking . Even if they mulled over it they might never find the truth, so he decided to stop thinking about it .

    ¡°Well, now we know that this isn¡¯t a dangerous ce and there shouldn¡¯t be restrictions for leaving either . Let¡¯s take it easy . ¡±

    Judging from the monsters and traps, Shin concluded that they were in one of the higher floors of the training dungeon . Following one of the typical dungeon rules, strong monsters wouldn¡¯t appear in such a floor .

    Different monsters appeared in dungeons, depending on what the suggested level to explore them was, of course . Monsters of the same type also appeared at different levels . In a dungeon for yers with levels at two-digits, however, nothing that could pose a threat to Shin and Schnee could happen .

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep our guard up just in case, and head for the exit . Let¡¯s use the shortest path . ¡±

    Thanks to ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, he had pinpointed where the exit was ¡®supposed¡¯ to be located . He couldn¡¯t bepletely sure because ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ wasn¡¯t best suited to go above ground from underground: the skill was most useful when going underground from above or exploring locations that were only above or underground .

    In the chance they met a dead end, the mapping function was automatic, so they would never get lost .

    ¡°¡­ . there¡¯s someone fighting up ahead . ¡±

    After walking for a while, without finding any actual obstacles, Shin detected several responses ahead . Judging from the markers, there seemed to be three people surrounded by monsters . The yers had probably triggered a ¡°monster house¡±-type trap, which in turn caused a train .

    Monster houses where traps activated when the yer entered small rooms inside dungeons: the exit would be blocked and great numbers of monsters appeared . Depending on the yer¡¯s skill, they could be good sources of experience, but in most cases the monsters¡¯ numbers overwhelmed the yer .

    Trains were caused when yers, chased by monsters, ended up causing other monsters they encountered to join the chasing group, ultimately forming arge pack of pursuers . If the yers failed to lose the monsters, they could end up being overwhelmed in this case too .

    The battle situation was difficult to judge from just the markers, but it did not seem to be favorable to the people involved .

    ¡°Looks like the frontline is doing everything they can to attract aggro . Wait, it¡¯s not front or rear, though¡­but it looks like they¡¯re handling themselves . If they¡¯re adventurers we could cause trouble by interrupting, so let¡¯s make sure they don¡¯t notice us for now . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . If the situation turns dangerous, should we help them?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s dangerous, we¡¯ll help . But if things look suspicious, we might have to reconsider that too . ¡±

    It might sound cold, but in the worst case there was the option of abandoning the party engaging the monsters .

    Causing a train on purpose, making it target others, then killing them . That was one of the strategies adopted by the so-called MPK, monster yer killers .

    This world was rife with turmoil within royal families, nobles, or among privileged sses . Such troubles were something Shin wanted to stay as far away from as possible .

    Thus, in case there were assassins in the shadows, waiting for a chance to finish their targets, he nned to leave without interfering .

    If they were really in a training dungeon, even if the explorers¡¯ HP reached zero the probability of their life being saved was high .

    ¡°This is not good . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee proceeded, concealed by ¡¾Hiding¡¿, when he spotted the scene of the monsters and adventurers fighting . The monsters were superior versions of Goblins, Red Caps .

    Therge, two-mel tall monster wore a tattered hat with red spatters . The axe it wielded missed chunks of its de and was dirty with blood .

    As a category, it belonged to the Goblins, but it was more powerful than Ogres . Its level averaged at about 200, with the one Shin was looking at being level 222, slightly higher than the average .

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing one since the Dusk of Majesty, but it seems like they still fight the same way . ¡±

    Red Caps tended to y with their prey . Many yers had been traumatized by them, so it was often said to never get close to one .

    Facing against the pack of Red Caps, standing in a clearing over the wall, were still very young children .

    Their equipment seemed decent enough, but if they were ordinary children their chances of victory were close to zero . They would be quickly crushed by the enemies¡¯ numbers .

    The three children, however, were in a different situation .

    The boy wielding a spear charged into the approaching pack of Red Caps, blowing away several of them in one strike . The girl armed with gauntlets jumped down in the opened space, damaging them further . She would then quickly back away, leaving room for the other boy with a wand to cast his magic .

    When Shin spotted them, the three children were surrounded, fighting with the cave walls at their back, but they attacked in a specific direction while moving .

    ¡°Their strategy isn¡¯t bad at all¡­it doesn¡¯t look there¡¯s anyone else nearby . Let¡¯s do it, then . Schnee, heal the boy with the spear . He seems pretty spent . I¡¯ll take care of the Red Caps . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    The boy with the spear had probably acted as the tank, drawing in the enemies¡¯ attacks: his HP was one-third of the total . Shin asked Schnee to take care of him, then made his move towards the Red Caps .

    Before Shin, the girl armed with gauntlets had been caught by a Red Cap, which was about to lower its broken down axe on her . She struggled desperately to break free, but several Red Caps pinned her down .

    Even in such a situation, she managed to kick several Red Caps away, so she surely wasn¡¯t an average girl . In a normal situation, they would probably have never been surrounded like that .

    ¡°I don¡¯t really care for gore . ¡±

    Shin materialized his broadsword ¡ºKakura¡» and rushed into the Red Cap mob threatening the girl . Making sure not to hit her by ident, Shin swung his de .

    The corridor was packed with Red Caps both to the left and to the right . One swing of the de and more than 10 Red Caps were blown away .

    ¡°¡­¡­heh?¡±

    Seeing the Red Caps pinning her down getunched in midair, the girl let out amement in disbelief . If the pack of Red Caps could bepared to a red stream of turbid water, Shin was a ck gust of wind .

    The Red Caps blown in midair and disappearing were like branches knocked about by a strong wind .

    ¡°I¡¯m not an enemy, so don¡¯t attack, okay?¡±

    Shin warned the girl, who was trying to pull herself up, then strengthened his grip on ¡ºKakura¡» .

    One, two, three shes .

    The Red Caps crowding the corridor decreased in the blink of an eye .

    Shin nced in Schnee¡¯s direction and saw her sh the Red Caps with graceful, dance-like movements, while protecting the two boys .

    She didn¡¯t blow them away like Shin, but froze them to seal their movements and keep them away from the children, then finished them off .

    Just as Shin did with ¡ºKakura¡», Schnee also used a weapon of lower level than the usual, it was the Ice-elemental short katana ¡ºIce Flower¡» .

    Frozen flowers sprouted along the path of the de . The sight of Schnee gleaming as she dispatched the Red Caps was eerily beautiful, it was difficult to believe she was actually fighting .

    ¡°You¡¯re thest one!¡±

    Shin closed in on thest remaining Red Cap and once again swung ¡ºKakura¡» . The monster tried shielding itself with the hand axe it wielded, but before a heavy weapon such as ¡ºKakura¡» it was simply futile .

    Even without a sharp de, ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s sh ¡ª boosted by Shin¡¯s muscr power ¡ª crushed the hand axe and sliced through the Red Cap like a knife through butter .

    The monster was cut diagonally, its upper body slowly sliding down . Before its organs could spill out, the Red Cap vanished .

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re done . ¡±

    ¡°E-excuse me!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin checked to make sure they had taken care of all the monsters, then dered the fighting over . As he did, a hesitating voice called out to him . He turned around and saw the little girl that the Red Caps had surrounded . Her equipment was partly damaged, but she didn¡¯t seem to have suffered much damage herself: she still had over 80% HP .

    The girl had shoulder length red hair and wore an iron headband, karate uniform-like armor, and spats . Her weapons were probably arm and leg guards . Her job was ¡ºFist Fighter¡» .

    Judging from the crystal-like horns protruding at the sides of her head and her red scaled tail, it was clear that she was a Dragnil .

    ¡°Thank you for saving us from that dangerous situation!¡±

    ¡°We had our reasons, don¡¯t worry about it . ¡±

    The girl bowed energetically to Shin, who replied while putting ¡ºKakura¡» away .

    Shin and Schnee had instantly pulverized the enemies that were giving the children a hard time, so the girl¡¯s orange eyes were brimming with admiration .

    ¡°Hey, Myu! Just because they saved us, you¡¯re being too careless!¡±

    Just as Shin opened his mouth to exin their circumstances, the boy healed by Schnee shouted to the girl, while keeping his guard up .

    Deep blue hair, red eyes, metal armor, and a kite shield . His hands held an iron spear . Both his shield and armor, however, were partly shattered, as was his spear¡¯s tip .

    When he looked at Shin, his eyes glowed strangely: he probably used a magic eye-type of skill . He appeared to be a Dragnil, just like the girl called Myu .

    Raising his voice to attract attention and then use the skill was a good strategy, but it would be of little use before Shin and Schnee¡¯s resistance . There was toorge of a level gap between them .

    ¡°You too, Lecus! These people don¡¯t have the teacher¡¯s armband, they aren¡¯t instructors from the institute!¡±

    Unlike Myu and the boy called Lecus, the blue haired boy was wary of Shin and Schnee .

    Shin and Schnee did save them, but he quickly spotted that they did not belong to the institute and decided not to lower his guard . Another good judgement .

    From his words, it was clear that the dungeon was part of the institute¡¯s grounds .

    ¡°I can¡¯t fight against someone who saved my life!¡±

    ¡°What are you getting all smug for! There¡¯s no guarantee that they¡¯re on our side!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting too heated up, both of you! Calm down . ¡±

    Forgetting Shin and Schnee, the boy and the girl started fighting, as Lecus tried to appease them . He was probably a mage: he carried a brown wooden wand wrapped with rope . His long ears signaled that he was likely an elf .

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any hostility from them . Besides, even if we fought, we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance . I don¡¯t think we could even run for 10 mel . You¡¯ve seen him fight too, right Gian? Thedy is an incredible fighter too . ¡±

    Lecus seemed to be a different type than the blue-haired boy, Gian, but judged the situation calmly too . After he finished talking, Myu put her hands on her hips and shed a big smile .

    ¡°Right, right!! I thought of helping too, but there just wasn¡¯t anything I could do!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear why Myu looked so happy, but the reason why Lecus said not to resist was simple .

    Shin and Schnee abundantly proved that they could easily eliminate the monsters on their own, without the slightest sign of exhaustion . There was arge difference in fighting power between them .

    ¡°First of all, we have no intention of causing you guys any harm . I¡¯ll exin our circumstances, so would you please listen?¡±

    When Shin turned ¡ºKakura¡» back to card form, Gian reluctantly walked closer . His expression clearly showed how dissatisfied he was with the situation .

    ¡°First, please let us thank you for saving us . My name is Lecus Alvein, the leader of this party . The Dragnil girl is Myu Hamill and the rude boy is Gian Ermelt . ¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you!!¡±

    ¡°¡­hmpf . ¡±

    Myu greeted Shin and Schnee energetically, while Gian was still sulking a bit .

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin, she¡¯s Yuki . We have otherpanions too, but we got separated when we were teleported away after defeating a dungeon boss . We were just transported here, and honestly we have no idea where we are . ¡±

    Using the name ¡°Schnee¡± could have proved troublesome, so Shin used her alias . He warned her in advance via Mind Chat and had her transform to her golden haired, red eyed figure .

    Schnee smiled at the children to reassure them, and Lecus and the other two gazed at her, mesmerized .

    Shinughed wryly before talking again, and they snapped back to reality . Lecus, blushing fiercely, apologized profusely . Shin calmed him down and continued to exin their situation .

    ¡°Teleportation, is it . A trap that activated after defeating a dungeon boss¡­so there are things like that out there too . ¡±

    ¡°You can even defeat a dungeon boss!? You¡¯re too strong, Mr . Shin!!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Lecus and Myu were very interested in what Shin said, though one because of intellectual interest and the other because of the admiration towards the strong . They didn¡¯t seem to doubt his words, in any case .

    Shin expected Gian to say something too, but the boy kept an irond silence .

    ¡°We¡¯d like to go outside, first of all, so could you show us the way? We might cause trouble if we went out on our own, and I don¡¯t think you want to go on with your equipment in that state, right?¡±

    Rather than Lecus and Myu, Gian¡¯s equipment required repairs, or maybe even to be reced . Shin thought that they wouldn¡¯t proceed like that, so he made his proposal . He also told them that they would take care of any monsters that appeared on the way back .

    ¡°I see . It is true that we are not in our best condition, and we also have to report about the teleportation trap . Let us go together . We will have to take you to the security patrol, though . It is one of our rules, so you will have to ept it . Of course, we will duly let them know that you saved us . The patrol guards are rational people, I am sure they will do you no wrong . ¡±

    Even if the dungeon was meant for training, monsters still resided in it, so they had skilled guards posted at its entrance .

    Lecus continued that, based on the situation, Shin and Schnee wouldn¡¯t just end up being used of trespassing .

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way, I suppose . Hopefully things will be resolved quickly . ¡±

    They could have gone out while using ¡¾Hiding¡¿, but it was toote now that they met Lecus¡¯ party . If they didn¡¯t talk with the institute, their future movements could meet unneeded obstacles .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then . Can you walk, Gian?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m okay . She healed me . ¡±

    Gian had been struck hard, though over his armor, so he was wobbling a little, but could still stand firmly on his legs . Schnee¡¯s recovery abilities were enough to even restore severed limbs, after all .

    ¡°You¡¯re tough, even though you just got beat up a lot . ¡±

    ¡°I attracted the enemies¡¯ attention! Besides, those damn monsters went easy on us . And Yuki¡¯s¡­Ms . Yuki¡¯s ¡¾Heal¡¿ is a lot more powerful than what I¡¯m used to . ¡±

    Gian replied to Myu without hiding his frustration .

    The Red Caps often yed with enemies weaker than them . They targeted the unit with the most HP and toyed with it even when they could defeat them in one blow .

    It was possible to make use of such a strategy to make the monsters fall in a trap, but Lecus and the others did not seem to have figured out how to yet .

    ¡°Mr . Shin, Ms . Yuki, are you high-ranked adventurers?¡±

    Shin answered Myu¡¯s question by showing his adventurer card .

    ¡°I¡¯m ranked A, even though I haven¡¯t taken any guild requests since I got to this rank . ¡±

    ¡°Wow, rank A¡­that¡¯s why you¡¯re so strong!!¡±

    Shin exined with a chuckle, but Myu waspletely convinced . Lecus, however, couldn¡¯t help but point out how weird that exchange was .

    ¡°No way Myu, how do you get convinced like that?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange? The stronger an adventurer is, the higher rank they have, right?¡±

    ¡°That only works until rank B . To get to rank A and above, they take into ount your contributions to the country, to the guild, your personality¡­things unrted to how strong you are, basically . If you¡¯re strong but just violent, you can¡¯t get to rank A . ¡±

    ¡°This means that Mr . Shin is a strong and good person!¡±

    ¡°¡­ . well, that¡¯s probably right . ¡±

    Maybe because she didn¡¯t think too hard about it, Myu quickly nodded in eptance . The glow in her eyes when looking at Shin was even brighter than before . It probably happened often, because Lecus just nodded with a smallugh .

    In this atmosphere, it would be hard for Shin to say that in Balmel he just charged smack dab in to the middle of the monsters¡¯ swarm and let loose .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to level one, then . Please step on this magic circle . ¡±

    In the game¡¯s training dungeons, there were normal magic circles ready to travel to the farthest traveled floor from level one: that was probably what Lecus mentioned .

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go first and exin the situation . ¡±

    After the group teleported to level one, Lecus ran ahead towards the light pouring in from the exit .

    Left behind, Myu started talking to Shin, full of enthusiasm . She was like a fan who finally met her favorite athlete .

    On the other hand, Gian was mostly silent . His eyes often wandered towards Schnee, however .

    Outside, Lecus and three armored men were waiting for Shin¡¯s group . The men¡¯s armor had simr designs and were also enchanted . Their level was over 200, high enough to understand why they were in charge of security .

    ¡°Are you the people who were transported by ident?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was a trap that activated as soon as the boss was defeated, so ourrades were transported somewhere else . We were close when the trap activated, so we ended up in the same location, I suppose . ¡±

    ¡°Did you contact yourpanions?¡±

    ¡°We used an item we found in the dungeon, that lets you send messages to people far away . We know that they are all safe . The item was one use only, so we only have a few left though . ¡±

    ¡°I see, we understand the situation . We would like to inquire further, so please follow us . ¡±

    One of the guards went off with Lecus¡¯ party, while the other two walked ahead of Shin and Schnee .

    Lecus¡¯ party did not seem to have noticed, but other than the two guards who led Shin and Schnee, there were several other responses surrounding them . The guards were clearly very wary of them .

    Shin and Schnee were first led to the guards¡¯ station . The building itself was reinforced, so it would not be damaged even if fighting broke out inside . It had a basement too, where Shin and Schnee would probably be shipped to if they were found ¡°guilty¡± .

    In one of the rooms of the station, Shin and Schnee exined their circumstances further . The guard asking the questions was the one who had first talked to Shin, a man named Bermann .

    ¡°¡ª-thank you for your cooperation . Being transported from dungeon to dungeon must be a bizarre experience, that¡¯s for sure . ¡±

    ¡°I guess we were lucky enough not to get stuck in the ground somewhere¡±

    ¡°They say that luck is a part of skill, after all . Let me confirm onest thing: where is the dungeon you said you were? If, like you, other people might end up being transported here, we should make the necessary countermeasures . ¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about that . ¡±

    ¡°And why would that be?¡±

    Bermann¡¯s eyes narrowed because of Shin¡¯s confident reply .

    ¡°That dungeon self-destructed right before we were transported . We saw it starting to crumble and ourrades confirmed that it is no more . ¡±

    This was something that Shin learned by also contacting Tzaobath, after he talked with Filma . He didn¡¯t know if it was possible to contact monsters remotely via cards, so he tried sending one just in case, and it unexpectedly worked .

    ording to Tzaobath, it had annihted the dungeon together with the evil deity, which had crawled out . That¡¯s when Shin learned that the final self-destruction was ast resort the boss monster used to try to escape .

    Shin said that the dungeon ¡°crumbled¡± because he was sure that no one would believe him if he said that a dragon had blown it to nothingness with a breath attack .

    ¡°Is that so . I thought it was used to trespass into our country, but if it¡¯s disappeared, then our problem has too . ¡±

    ¡°Do you believe us?¡±

    ¡°If you were trespassers, you would have no reason to help the students . I doubt there would be foreign agents who attracted attention to themselves on purpose like this . ¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true . ¡±

    Shin was not so naive as to fully believe Bermann¡¯s words, but there was no point in further pressing him whether he really believed them or not .

    After the questioning, Shin and Schnee were led in a waiting room with a sofa and a table . They were asked to stay there until a response arrived from the institute¡¯s authorities . Shin and Schnee did not have any particr objections, so they epted .

    ¡°(They¡¯re pretty wary of us . )¡±

    ¡°(It doesn¡¯t look like they fully trust us . But they don¡¯t seem to have strong suspicions either . )¡±

    Shin looked all around himself while talking to Schnee via Mind Chat . Around the room there were even more responses than when they left the dungeon .

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s actions were not what someone that sneaked into the institute to perform evil deeds would do . They did not tell any lies either, so it might be difficult for the authorities to make a decision .

    After about one hour of waiting, Bermann and a group of people with different uniforms came into the room .

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Shin felt like he had seen the person leading the group before . He might be mistaken, though, so to be sure he used ¡¾Analyze¡¿ .

    ¡ª¨CHmee  Level 255 Mage

    ¡°It¡¯s really you, Hmee!?¡±

    ¡°!! C-could you really be Mr . Shin?¡±

    The female pixie leading the group, surprised, answered Shin¡¯s question .

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time . So you came over here too . ¡±

    They had met a few times during the death game; in the end, Hmee had passed while protecting children with levels lower than theirs . That¡¯s the female yer that Shin knew, Hmee .

    A pixie with emerald green eyes, Shin remembered that she was in a party with a dragnil boy called Masakado .

    The Hmee now standing before Shin was a fully grown adult woman .

 Vol 13 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    ¡°Masakado isn¡¯t with you?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s out at the moment . But Mr . Shin, why¡­¡±

    ¡°I apologize for interrupting you . Are you two, no, you three acquaintances?¡±

    A woman, part of the group that came in with Hmee, interrupted Shin and Hmee¡¯s conversation with a question .

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry . Ahem . Mr . Shin, I am currently the headmistress of this Erkunt Institute of Magic . She is the vice-headmistress, Licia . ¡±

    After Licia¡¯s question, Hmee realized that all eyes were focused on her, so she straightened her posture and introduced herself formally . Shin recalled what she had been like as a child, but that Hmee was now long gone .

    Shin had not recognized her immediately because she had grown beyond what he remembered . The Hmee that now introduced herself as headmistress retained little of the feeble girl Shin remembered .

    ¡°Allow me to formally introduce us again too . I am Shin, she is my party member Yuki . ¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, I am Yuki . ¡±

    The group of male instructors behind Hmee started buzzing with whispers after looking at Schnee lightly bow .

    ¡°I have read the report . I thought you might be agents from another country, but I see that it was a misced worry . ¡±

    ¡°He-headmistress!?¡±

    ¡°Do not worry . Mr . Shin and hispanion are not the type to be upset by such things . ¡±

    Hmee honestly stated their suspicions, so Licia hurriedly tried to stop her .

    Hmeeughed her worry away however . Shin chuckled with a feeling of nostalgia, as most eyes in the room were on him .

    ¡°Licia . I¡¯m sorry, but have them go back to the institute . We can¡¯t have many people hear what we will be discussing . ¡±

    ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡±

    ¡°There are many things I need to confirm . Mr . Shin, could Licia stay here during our conversation? She has a resurrection bonus as well and is someone to be trusted, who would never speak lightly about confidential matters . ¡±

    Why was Shin here, what had actually happened¡­there were many things Hmee needed to ask .

    Shin would probably need to reveal that he was a High Human: Hmee trusted Licia enough for her to know about it .

    ¡°No word of this anywhere else, okay?¡±

    ¡°Of course . You understand, don¡¯t you? Licia . ¡±

    ¡°Y-yes . ¡±

    Licia swallowed her breath because of Hmee¡¯s serious look .

    ¡°Okay, so I¡¯ll start talking first, but let me confirm something: how much do you know about yers, Ms . Licia?¡±

    ¡°I know that there was something called a ¡°Death Game¡± . The headmistress told me so . The headmistress died once during it . ¡±

    Licia was one of those adventurers called Chosen Ones . She was not a yer, however .

    Licia and Hmee had known each other for more than 100 years now, so she knew about what had happened in the past: about yers, the death game, and the fact that the dead came to this world .

    ¡°If you know that much, then it¡¯ll be quick . I was a yer too, like Hmee . Yuki was my support character, you know what that means?¡±

    ¡°Yes, beings created by yers . In our world they live as normal individuals, so I have no particr feelings about them . ¡±

    ¡°Good to know . Oh, by the way, Yuki is an alias, her real name is Schnee Raizar . ¡±

    ¡°You possess skills that can trick ¡¾Analyze¡¿, I see . But¡­Schnee Raizar? To give the name of an individual who performed such incredible feats to a child is¡­no, please wait a moment . I am positive it is forbidden among elves to give your child the name of another living person . So, if you im that name¡­¡±

    Licia¡¯s expression turned progressively stiffer as she talked .

    Hmee did not show any particr reaction . After all, Schnee was famous as the leader of Shin¡¯s support characters among his acquaintances . In the game era, even people outside Shin¡¯s circle knew .

    Next to Hmee, Licia let out a whisper: ¡­she¡¯s the real one?

    ¡°While I did it to protect my real identity, allow me to apologize for using a fake name . I am Schnee Raizar . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Schnee undid her camouge and showed her true appearance . Licia was overwhelmed, opening and closing her mouth without uttering a sound .

    ¡°Licia, are you fine looking that silly?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, no, I apologize . ¡±

    Schnee told Licia, who had suddenly be very respectful, not to be so formal and continued to talk . She exined why they explored the dungeon and how they were transported . After the long exnation, Hmee and Licia were deep in thought .

    ¡°An evil deity that steals memories . Who knew that the Kishimi tribe survived¡­and Hameln too . ¡±

    ¡°That monstrous criminal, whose only known information is name and race . ¡±

    Hearing the name of the man who was said to have even destroyed a whole country, the atmosphere quickly became very serious . Hmee and Licia had the responsibility to protect the students too .

    ¡°Even during the death game I had a hard time defeating him . In this world, finding a single person is very difficult . He¡¯s really good at hiding too . ¡±

    Shin would have liked to be done with him once and for all, but it was presently difficult . The only way was to wait for him to act and counterattack .

    ¡°There would be no point in thinking about this matter further, so let¡¯s leave it at that . What are your ns now, Mr . Shin? Will you regroup with yourrades?¡±

    ¡°No, everyone will gather here . Let¡¯s say they¡­read the situation well . ¡±

    Yuzuha, Filma, and the others decided to let Shin and Schnee be on their own for a while .

    ¡°So you will stay here for a while?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the n . I don¡¯t know exactly how long, but I think that it¡¯ll take one week at most for everyone to arrive . ¡±

    ¡°If so, there is something I¡¯d like to ask you to do!!¡±

    Learning that Shin would stay for a while, Hmee suddenly leaned forward .

    ¡°Headmistress, could you mean, that?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Licia . Even if something happened, Mr . Shin would definitely be okay . ¡±

    Even if Shin had said that he wanted to leave immediately, Hmee nned to ask him toe back to Erkunt after he had regrouped with his party, apparently .

    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not going to stick my neck in anything troublesome, okay?¡±

    Thanks to Yuzuha and the others, Shin finally had time to spend with Schnee, so he didn¡¯t want to have to deal with trouble .

    ¡°Please, I beg of you . It won¡¯t even take half a day . Could you please just listen to what I have to say?¡±

    Shin and Schnee sighed and agreed to listen to the very serious Hmee . If it concerned the students¡¯ safety, they had no way to refuse to at least listen .

    Hmee said that she wanted the institute¡¯s health officer to participate in the conversation . She wanted Shin¡¯s opinion on whether they were dangerous or not .

    Shin had heard from Myu that the institute also organizedbat training, and students got injured often . The infirmary in the institute was much more familiar to students than an ordinary one in the real world was . It was bizarre that the person in charge of such a facility could be dangerous .

    ¡°That officer is actually a monster . ¡±

    ¡°Monster? I remember that some of them functioned as support, but¡­¡±

    Monsters were normally enemies to be defeated; among them, however, there were some which did not antagonize humans, gave hints about quests, or even fought alongside the party temporarily .

    Element Tails were the apex of such monsters: they fought against yers in trials, and if they recognized the yers¡¯ strength they awarded them with items or equipment .

    ¡°No, in the game it was absolutely an enemy . There were events in which monsters you normally fought assisted the yer, but this monster was not included . ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that monster¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the devils of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lust . Now it goes by the name of Luxuria . ¡±

    ¡°A devil as a health officer¡­oh, I see, ultimately they achieve human form, don¡¯t they . ¡±

    Greed, Lust, Sloth, Envy, Anger, Gluttony, and Pride .

    Each one of the devils bearing these names are ordinary monsters at the beginning . As their level increases, they grow to a form more resembling a devil, and for some reason ultimately turn to a humanlike form .

    In the game, the devils would very rarely grow so much: Shin had only seen their human form in a video .

    ¡°It appeared out of the blue three years ago, now it¡¯s just like one of the other instructors . It has vast knowledge of medicine and alchemy, so honestly speaking it¡¯s great at its job, but¡­¡±

    If it went on a rampage on a whim, the institute would be destroyed, concluded Hmee .

    When they reach human-like form, the devils are at least level 700 . Even a former yer like Hmee wouldn¡¯t stand a chance .

    ¡°I see, you can¡¯t let others know that there¡¯s a level 700 monster freely walking about at school after all . ¡±

    It would be impossible to throw it out just because it was a monster . It had passed the entry exam with flying colors, performed its daily duties without problems, and was trusted by the students too .

    They wanted to confront it directly, but were afraid to trigger something which would cause things to go wrong, so they could not make the decision until now .

    ¡°So basically you want me as bodyguard . If it goes wild, I need to stop it, is that it?¡±

    ¡°Yes . I¡¯ll have all students leave the grounds on the day we talk with it . The institute was originally a guild, so if we increase the barrier output to the maximum there will be no damage done outside, even if fighting breaks out . ¡±

    The preparations had already been done, apparently . The students would soon leave for a long holiday period, so there would be few in the institute: it was the right chance .

    ¡°¡­ . I see . There¡¯s no harm in checking out how the Deadly Sins look like in this world . What do you think, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°I agree too . I don¡¯t know how devils think, but I can rte to worrying about the safety of your students . ¡±

    ¡°Th, thank you so much!¡±

    Hmee thanked Shin and Schnee profusely, seemingly relieved from the bottom of her heart . Next to her, Licia sighed with relief too .

    ¡°I would like to set tomorrow as the day, then . Mr . Shin, what will you do today?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find a lodging and rest, I guess . What time should Ie?¡±

    After Shin exined how they were transported to the training dungeon, Hmee stated that they would not be charged with trespassing, so Shin nned to find a lodging outside the institute, in order not to stand out .

    ¡°We¡¯lle pick you up . I¡¯ll write you a letter of introduction to a certain inn, so please use it . All its services have a very high reputation . ¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take you up on your offer then . Thank you . ¡±

    ¡°Depending on how tomorrow goes, we might have to thank you even more, so it¡¯s all right . ¡±

    Compared to a fight against one of Deadly Sins, arranging an inn was nothing, said Hmee, a little tired . They would go pick up Shin and Schnee the next day at 9 .

    Shin said that he would prepare equipment effective against devils, then left .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for having you take us all the way . ¡±

    Shin headed to the inn right away; concerned that they might get lost in an unfamiliar city, Hmee had Bermann apany them .

    ¡°This much is nothing . Tomorrow we¡¯ll be in your care after all . ¡±

    Bermann was one of the most skilled fighters in the institute, so he had already been informed of the n . His expression was stiff, probably imagining what would happen if they had to fight the devil .

    The inn Hmee mentioned was not too far from the institute, just about 10 minutes on foot . It was a building with four floors, the first one Shin ever saw in this world .

    The hotel was in a luxurious neighborhood: all stores around it perfectly clean and tidy . It was probably an area that the high society often visited .

    Probably informed in advance of Shin¡¯s arrival, as soon as he saw Bermann, one of the hotel workers opened the hotel door swiftly and gracefully . Like with real world hotels, it was made mostly out of ss .

    ¡°I¡¯m Bermann, from the Erkunt institute of magic . I brought guests of the institute . ¡±

    ¡°We have been expecting you . Wee to hotel Morgana . Sir Shin, Lady Yuki, our warmest wee to you . ¡±

    The four workers who weed Shin and Schnee bowed in perfect unison . Their immacte uniforms made Shin feel like he was visiting a luxury hotel in the real world .

    The staff¡¯s extremely formal movements stood out, but no one seemed to pay much attention to them . They probably acted like this often .

    ¡°Okay, a room for two, pl¡ª¡±

    ¡°We would like to stay in your best suite . ¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Interrupting Shin, Schnee specified the type of room she wanted .

    She had never asked for a specific type of room before, no matter where they stayed, so Shin was a bit surprised .

    ¡°I was informed that you were likely to make such a request . The payment has already beenpleted, so I shall apany you to your room right away . ¡±

    The ¡°information¡± hade from Hmee or Licia, probably, but Shin had no idea why they would say such a thing . He couldn¡¯t fully grasp the situation, but if that was what Schnee wanted, it was fine with him, so he did not object .

    ¡°Wow, this is really something . ¡±

    It was like renting a whole floor in a luxury hotel of Shin¡¯s home world, the suite wasrge and well-furnished enough to host a familyfortably .

    Illuminated by the sunlight, the tables reflected a dull shine . Shin was in no way an expert in regards to furniture, but the room¡¯s interior decoration gave a very neat and refined impression .

    ¡°Please ring the bell on the table if there is anything you require . We will send someone immediately . ¡±

    After a brief exnation about the facilities, the hotel clerk left the room . As expected of a luxury hotel, the room was equipped with arge bathtub too .

    ¡°We can see the whole city from the terrace . Hm? Isn¡¯t that wall taller than the rest?¡±

    Shin followed Schnee out on the terrace and noticed that part of the castle walls was clearly taller than the surrounding fortifications .

    ¡°That¡¯s the border with the capital of Erkunt . This section of the city, where the Institute of Magic was erected, has been built next to the Erkunt castle walls . ¡±

    ording to Schnee, the Institute of Magic was right outside the Erkunt castle walls: to go into the capital one had to pass through that wall . The institute had been built next to the castle walls in order to save on materials and efforts to build outer fortifications, apparently .

    Another reason was arge number of spies from foreign countries among the exchange students, called ¡°grass¡± . When the institute was built, the people in charge mentioned that its presence would attract such people inside the country .

    Shin thought that, regardless of the existence of a learning institute, ¡°grass¡± was found everywhere, but there was little point in pursuing this matter, so he didn¡¯t say anything .

    ¡°What would you like for dinner?¡±

    ¡°Since we¡¯re here and all, let¡¯s go to the restaurant . ¡±

    The hotel also had a restaurant headed by a chef with the Cooking skill . The hotel clerk had rmended it too, so Shin and Schnee dressed up a bit to match the atmosphere before going .

    Shin wore a white military uniform with red decorations, Schnee a light blue mermaid dress .

    ¡°It¡¯s really good¡­but¡­¡±

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±

    All dishes were worthy of being served in a luxury restaurant . Shin, however, did not feel fulfilled after tasting them: on the contrary, he found them somewhatcking .

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m used to your cooking, I just feel these need a little more work . ¡±

    ¡°Hehe, thank you very much . ¡±

    Schnee smiled at Shin¡¯s implication that her food was better . It was the same smile as before she lost her memories, but to Shin it was brighter than ever .

    After the meal, Shin and Schnee returned to their room right away . As it always happened, they attracted quite a bit of attention from the other guests in the restaurant . No one went to talk to them, as expected of the courtesy of guests in such a restaurant, but some kept looking at Schnee throughout the meal .

    Also considering the Deadly Sin monster matter, they wanted to avoid trouble as much as possible, so they left quickly . Back in their room, Shin and Schnee sat on the sofa and talked about their n for the following day .

    ¡°A devil health officer¡­who passed the exam without help to boot . ¡±

    ¡°Quite different from the devils we¡¯re used to, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t find it too weird¡­if this was a manga, that is . ¡±

    In THE NEW GATE, demons and devils were considered separate categories .

    Demons were born from human emotions and lived to cause suffering to people .

    In contrast, devils were born from human desires, but their way of life was not fixed . In a way, it could be said that they enjoyed more freedom .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go with anti-devil equipment, just in case . I¡¯ll have yours ready too . ¡±

    Kunoichi anti-devil equipment was a ninja garb with high skin exposure, but its stats and abilities were very high . The next day, Shin would have Schnee conceal herself as she stayed behind him .

    ¡°Shin, what do you know about the devil Lust? Luxuria, was it?¡±

    ¡°Well, I only fought against Gluttony, Wrath, and Pride . I just know that Lust is a female-type monster that used Drain skills¡­that¡¯s about it . ¡±

    Shin had participated in Deadly Sins extermination quests only a few times, so he didn¡¯t know much about the topic .

    ¡°Could it have infiltrated the institute in order to use ¡¾Drain¡¿ on the students to gather energy to grow further?¡±

    ¡°No, if it is in human form, it has already reached the limit of its growth . I don¡¯t think it could achieve anything by doing that now¡­¡±

    Shin shook his head to Schnee¡¯s hypothesis . In this world even monsters lived differently, so he had no idea what was actually going on in this case .

    ¡°Could it be that¡­no, that can¡¯t be right . ¡±

    ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Nothing!! Nothing rted at all!¡±

    ¡°Really now?¡±

    Seeing that Schnee had turned a fierce red, Shin was very interested in what she hade up with .

    ¡°No matter if it¡¯s unrted, tell me all the same . ¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s reallypletely unrted!!¡±

    ¡°Why are you so flustered? Very suspicious¡­tell me,e on . It¡¯s okay if there¡¯s no connection at all . ¡±

    Shin had no intention of seriously listening to her anymore . They were finally alone, so he nned to enjoy Schnee¡¯s blushing expression to his heart¡¯s content .

    ¡°It, it¡¯s really¡­something trivial¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t be disappointed or anything . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s insistence caused Schnee to blush even more .

    Her reactions intrigued him, but her flushed face was so cute that he chose to go even closer . As he did, Schnee moved away . The sofa wasrge, but eventually Schnee was backed into a corner .

    Schnee was about to stand up to go away from the sofa, but Shin was faster: he grabbed her arms and pushed her down on the cushions .

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you to run away like that . I am very interested in what you came up with . ¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Chasing Schnee¡¯s eyes up and down was bing increasingly entertaining for Shin: he was teasing her, in and simple .

    ¡°I thought the devil might want to¡­have carnal rtions with the students¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ . is that so . . ¡±

    Shin was convinced by Schnee¡¯s words, thinking that it was the lust devil, after all . What surprised him, however, was that Schnee hade up with such a theory .

    (I would understand if she proposed the monster charmed the students to hold them under her control, but¡­)

    Shin would never have thought that Schnee¡¯s personality allowed her thoughts to consider sexual matters . Meanwhile Schnee, too embarrassed after saying something like that to Shin, was doing her best to look away . Even her ears had be bright red .

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re a bit mean now . ¡±

    ¡°Am I? Well, I guess so . ¡±

    Who would ever imagine Schnee held down on a sofa, blushing like that? She kept her cool in most situations after all . Seeing her like this made Shin want to look at her more and more .

    There was no one else in the room . Shin confirmed it for himself again, then put a hand on Schnee¡¯s cheek, turning her gaze towards him .

    ¡°Er, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I want to look at this Schnee I don¡¯t know a lot more . I didn¡¯t know you were this cute . ¡±

    ¡°W-wha!? Aaaah¡­ . !!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s sudden confession made Schnee turn even redder, if that was possible . She tried to say something, but her mouth just opened and closed, without a sound . That was simply too lovely in Shin¡¯s eyes, so he waited for her to calm down .

    ¡°¡­ . Shin, you want to see a part of me you don¡¯t know¡­?¡±

    5 minutes had passed, probably . Schnee, a bit calmer than before, asked Shin this question .

    ¡°I do¡±

    ¡°You might be disappointed if you do, though?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t . ¡±

    Shin replied immediately to Schnee¡¯s worry . He wouldn¡¯t struggle for words in a situation like that .

    ¡°¡ª¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Hm? Sorry, I couldn¡¯t hear . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s lips barely moved . The words she whispered, however, were too faint for even Shin¡¯s hearing capabilities to catch .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­me . ¡±

    ¡°Sorry again, say it one more time . ¡±

    ¡°I said, I¡­ . . wan¡­¡­ . me . ¡±

    Schnee mumbled again, but the most important words weren¡¯t audible .

    Shin asked her to repeat a few more times, to no avail . He had started thinking about what else he could do, when Schnee¡¯s eyes changed .

    She quickly sat up and reversed their positions: she pushed Shin down on the sofa, holding his arms down .

    ¡°I said!! That I want you to make love to me!!¡±

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    The sudden deration surprised Shin . He never imagined he would hear such words from Schnee¡¯s mouth .

    ¡°Shin! You said you wanted to marry me!¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah . ¡±

    ¡°And I agreed to that!!¡±

    ¡°Y-you did . ¡±

    ¡°So this is essential!!!¡±

    Schnee was speaking loud and clear, but her face was redder than ever .

    After saying that much, Schnee held Shin¡¯s face with her hands and kissed him gently, inplete contrast with the enthusiasm she had shown just before .

    ¡°I want you to make love to me . Do you think I am lewd by saying such a thing?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s eyes were lightly zed . Her expression and atmosphere were more than enough to convey what she desired .

    ¡°¡­ . how could I ever think that . I was just a bit surprised . I suppose I have to show that I too want to make love to you . ¡±

    Shin then sat up and lifted up Schnee in his arms . She didn¡¯t resist in the slightest .

    ¡°Is it really fine for me to be so happy¡­?¡±

    Schnee whispered as Shin headed towards the bed . In response, he held her more strongly, closer to his body .

    ¡°That¡¯s my line . ¡±

    Shin replied while feeling her body¡¯s warmth .

    ¡°Someone like me, who couldn¡¯t protect Marino, is really allowed to love someone else? I¡¯ve been thinking about this forever . I can hold my head high and say that I love you now, but it¡¯s all thanks to you, Schnee . Your love for someone like me¡­makes me really happy . ¡±

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s words caused tears to swell up in Schnee¡¯s eyes . Heid her down on the bed, then wiped her tears .

    ¡°I love you . ¡±

    Schnee held her arms towards Shin, to embrace him, and pronounced her confession .

    ¡°I love you too . ¡±

    Shin replied, his body over hers . There was no need for any other words .

 Vol 13 Chapter 1.3: Chapter 1 Part 3

    ¡°¡­ . hm?¡±

    The morning after Shin and Schnee became one . Shin woke up feeling something touching his lips . He opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling and Schnee quickly distancing herself from him . She was still close enough for their foreheads to touch, so there wasn¡¯t really any distance between them .

    Remembering the sensation that woke him up, Shin realized what she had done .

    ¡°Good morning . ¡±

    ¡°Morning . ¡±

    Schnee reciprocated the greeting, the nket covering her naked body . The sunlight pouring in through the windows made her silver hair glow .

    Though still drowsy, Shin thought she was really beautiful .

    ¡°I¡¯m not awake yet¡­I need another one . ¡±

    ¡°So you noticed . ¡±

    ¡°Just a coincidence . ¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, can it?¡±

    Schnee came closer and gave Shin a very soft kiss, her lips barely touching his . However, it was more than enough for Shin¡¯s chest to be filled with happiness .

    ¡°Okay, time to get up . In the worst case scenario we might end up having to fight against the Deadly Sin, so we cannot afford to be found unprepared . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right . Carelessness is the worst enemy . ¡±

    Shin focused on their next mission . He wouldn¡¯t let anyone or anything destroy that happiness .

    If the devil went on a rampage and caused damage to the institute, Shin and Schnee would be concerned too . They finally had time to spend alone, so they did not want it to go to waste .

    After ordering breakfast to be brought to their room, they discussed what to do in case a fight broke out .

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s only me and you, so the strategy we can take has to be necessarily simple . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only way . ¡±

    Shin said so while sipping on tea after the meal . Schnee nodded in agreement .

    It was just the two of them, so Shin would face the devil while Schnee helped Hmee and the others escape, then join him in the fight . For a strategy, it was far too simple .

    ¡°To take down a devil one-on-one isn¡¯t something normally possible though . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it my all, so leave that to me . ¡±

    While Shin could somehow manage, for Schnee it would only be possible with the help of specialized equipment . Taking down a devil through sheer physical ability, like Shin could, was simply impossible for the average Chosen One .

    ¡°Oh, are they here?¡±

    Shin detected someone arriving on their floor . There weren¡¯t any other guests staying on that floor at the moment, so there was only one possibility . As expected, the hotel clerk knocked on their room¡¯s door .

    A guest hade for them, said the hotel clerk . The guest apparently knew Shin and Schnee¡¯s name, so they followed the clerk down to the lobby, where they found the vice headmistress Licia .

    ¡°Good morning . We will be counting on your help today . Er, where isdy Sch¡­Yuki?¡±

    Shin replied to Licia¡¯s polite greeting and boarded the horse carriage stationed outside . They didn¡¯t know how high the devil¡¯s perception capabilities were, so Schnee had decided to conceal her presence since she was in the city .

    He told Licia about this after they boarded the horse carriage .

    ¡°Are the preparationsplete in the institute?¡±

    ¡°Yes . All students have been made to leave, with the pretense of maintenance of the institute¡¯s facilities . ¡±

    The only people present in the institute were Hmee, the devil health officer, a few instructors tomunicate with the outside in case anything happened, and the dungeon security guards .

    After a few minutes of being rocked by the carriage, Shin once again entered the Erkunt Institute of Magic . He tried expanding his detection field and confirmed that there really were only a few responses .

    ¡°This way, please . ¡±

    Shin followed Licia through the institute . Its grounds were fairly wide, so it took about 15 minutes to reach the building where the health officer in question was supposed to be . The conversation would be held in the infirmary . When Shin and Licia arrived, they found Hmee waiting in front of the door .

    ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you today . ¡±

    ¡°Leave it to me . By the way, the infirmary is basically a health officer¡¯s home, right? Is this really okay?¡±

    ¡°We have already confirmed that there aren¡¯t any traps or such . ¡±

    ¡°I see . ¡±

    Hmee asked if he was ready and Shin nodded . She nodded in response, then opened the door to the infirmary .

    ¡°My? I see we have unexpected guests today . ¡±

    In the infirmary, a woman in a whiteb coat was sitting on a chair, a book open before her .

    When she raised her head, her waist-length wavy ck hair fluttered lightly . The woman in charge of the infirmary, the Devil of Lust Luxuria smiled, the crimson eyes behind her sses gazing at Hmee and Shin .

    ¡°There is something important we need to discuss with you today, Doctor Luxuria . ¡±

    ¡°The atmosphere seems a bit too tense for a simple discussion though . ¡±

    Crossing her arms under her chest, Luxuria calmly looked back at Hmee . Pushed up by her arms, her voluminous chest stood out even more through the sweater .

    Luxuria wore a thin pink sweater under her whiteb coat and a tight skirt .

    Even if she didn¡¯t cross her arms, it was clear that she had a voluptuous body line many men would lust after . Her skirt was pretty short too, so if she moved one leg over the other, guests would be treated to quite a risque view .

    Her voice was on the deep side: Shin felt like she was whispering next to his ears . The mole under her eye was the icing on the cake, a cake probably a bit too stimting for a boy going through puberty .

    Shin thought that some students might get injured on purpose just to visit .

    Despite the intense sexy allure she emanated, there were no Mental skills in y .

    The erotic charm surrounding Luxuria all came from her clothing, gestures, and atmosphere . At the very least, there was no ill will to be detected .

    ¡°Is the scary man behind you involved too?¡±

    ¡°He might be, yes . ¡±

    ¡°My my, that¡¯s a tense discussion all right . ¡±

    Luxuria closed the book she was reading, ced it on the table, and faced towards Hmee with her whole body . She seemed to have understood what Shin¡¯s equipment meant .

    She justughed wryly while dropping her shoulders, though, with no sign of nervousness .

    ¡°Since you didn¡¯t attack yet, I suppose there is some room for talking?¡±

    ¡°Personally, I would be d if we could just do that . ¡±

    ¡°Really? If so, I will surrender, so could you let me keep working here?¡±

    Luxuria raised both hands, to show her willingness to surrender, and asked Hmee .

    Her seemingly carefree attitude confused Shin a little, though he did not show it .

    ¡°¡­if you wanted to, you could stay here even without my permission, couldn¡¯t you? Honestly speaking, I cannot understand why you would go all the way as to pass the employment exam . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well, I actually don¡¯t like forceful ways like that¡­even if I antagonized you, there would be nothing in it for me . That¡¯s why I took the exam . I know it¡¯s weird for me to say it, but I make a pretty excellent health officer, don¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°I admit that, but¡­¡±

    Luxuria chuckled, proudly sticking her chest out, while Hmee was even more lost .

    Despite being a devil, Luxuria did not seem to be trying to deceive or trap them .

    ¡°Young man, if you have that gear on you, it means you know who I really am, right?¡±

    Luxuria left the confused Hmee alone and talked to Shin . It would be pointless to lie, so Shin chose to reply sinctly .

    ¡°¡­I do . ¡±

    ¡°I have no intention to do battle, but will fight back if I¡¯m attacked . I think the Institute will be damaged if ites to that, but do you want to fight all the same?¡±

    ¡°That depends on you . We just want to know why one of the Deadly Sins would want to work in a school as a health officer . If your reason involves causing harm to someone, I would have to fight you . ¡±

    Shin answered Luxuria¡¯s question after making eye contact with Hmee .

    ¡°I see¡­well, from a normal person¡¯s perspective, I¡¯m a monster after all . Okay, I¡¯ll talk then . ¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Hmee couldn¡¯t believe the ease with which Luxuria was ready to talk . It was hard to think that the woman before them really was one of the Deadly Sins .

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿, however, clearly showed her name as ¡ºDeadly Sins Devil ¨C Lust¡» . Her level was 700, with stats that no normal person could ever hope to match .

    ¡°My deadly sin is lust . I draw energy from the emotions born from people¡¯s sexual activities . So it is better for me to live alongside people, not be against them . The fewer the people, the lesser the amount of energy I receive . ¡±

    ¡°In the past, however, you coborated with the other Deadly Sins to destroy humanity, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    If what Luxuria said was true, she had no reason to fight against humanity . In the game, however, things were different .

    ¡°Aah, the deadly sins from a few generations back? I suppose it would be 4, 500 years ago for you . Until then, doing that felt like the right thing¡­it was like a sense of purpose? An urge, maybe? Anyway, there was something like that . After a certain event, however, itpletely ceased and everyone started living freely . That was also when us Deadly Sins gained personalities . ¡±

    ¡°Personalities?¡±

    ¡°Yes . We all have different ways to draw energy, depending on the deadly sin we house in our bodies . The only thing inmon is that it alles from people¡¯s emotions or mental state . For me, it¡¯s as I said before; Sloth and Gluttony are simr too . The more people there are, the better it is for us . ¡±

    The two other types mentioned by Luxuria could gain energy regrly even without making contact with people . She also added that she happened to meet Sloth once, finding it a rxed, slow-paced fellow .

    ¡°The ones who activelye in contact with humans are Greed, Envy, Pride, and Wrath . I haven¡¯t met the current ones, but thinking back, they¡¯re all types I dislike . ¡±

    ¡°So even among your deadly sin peers, there are likes and dislikes?¡±

    ¡°Monsters are much more free than what you think . Some fight against people, some fight and live alongside them . Some just stay on their own . I finally gained my freedom too, so I want to enjoy my life . ¡±

    The more they talked with her, the harder it was to think that she really was a devil . Thinking about it, Yuzuha was a type of monster that coborated with yers, but Tzaobath attacked them indiscriminately . Hinomoto¡¯s Kagutsuchi, Munechika, and the others are types that originally could never cooperate with people .

    Shin realized that, thinking back about the monsters he met until now, he had no grounds to object to Luxuria¡¯s exnation .

    ¡°In that case, if this institute is ever targeted by other countries or organizations, will you assist the people here in defending it?¡±

    ¡°Mr . Shin!?¡±

    Hmee reacted to Shin¡¯s question faster than Luxuria could .

    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected . You don¡¯t doubt my words, and even ask for me to be an ally?¡±

    ¡°I have met my fair share of monsters, you see . Other than demons, they are all living freely, like you said . I even flew on Tzaobath¡¯s back recently . ¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­? By Tzaobath, you mean¡­that Tzaobath!?¡±

    ¡°To ride on the Silver Moon Death God¡¯s back¡­isn¡¯t a funny joke at all . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s offhand remark caused Hmee to be even more surprised and Luxuria¡¯s expression to be clouded . Tzaobath and his strength were still very well known .

    ¡°Hmee, I told you that the dungeon crumbled before I was teleported, but actually that was Tzaobath¡¯s doing, he wiped it off the map . I learned about it bymunicating with him through message cards . Sorry for hiding it until now . ¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­all right, but¡­is it really true?¡±

    ¡°Yes, well, I have no physical proof, but if I ask him I think he¡¯lle here?¡±

    Shin thought that since they cooperated to defeat the evil deity, Tzaobath would grant him such a favor once . Then, a perplexed Luxuria interjected .

    ¡°Ms . headmistress? If what this man says is true, isn¡¯t he much more dangerous than me?¡±

    ¡°W-well¡­it¡¯s Mr . Shin, so¡­unlike a monster, he would never be hostile¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Hey, do you really need to ask that?¡±

    ¡°Well, I know how you were at that time, so¡­I got a little worried . Honestly speaking, I think that you¡¯re more dangerous than any Deadly Sin¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t dispute that, but you could be a bit more diplomatic . ¡±

    Hmee knew of Shin¡¯s ¡°Death God¡± phase, so she probably became anxious . Shin wanted to clearly say that he didn¡¯t kill people indiscriminately, but it wasn¡¯t something to talk about in front of Luxuria, so he decided to leave it forter .

    ¡°Sigh¡­I felt a terribly powerful presence, so I got tense, but I see it was all for nothing . Headmistress, I promise to take care of my duties seriously, so could you allow me to continue working here?¡±

    After hearing Shin¡¯s conversation with Hmee, Luxuria fully raised her white g . She was a level 700 devil, after all: she had grasped how powerful Shin was as soon as they met .

    ¡°So even devils get tense¡­understood . It would be painful for us too to continue in this situation, so let¡¯s get along, please . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be in your care too . ¡±

    After a chuckle, Hmee and Luxuria shook hands . Things developed quite differently than he had expected, but they reached an amicable agreement and Shin thought it was good enough .

    ¡°Oh, by the way, er, Mr . Shin? Yourpanion isn¡¯t with you today? There¡¯s something I had to ask her . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I never said that mypanion was a woman . ¡±

    Luxuria said ¡°her¡± as if she knew about the gender of Shin¡¯spanion from the start . Before replying to Shin¡¯s question, Luxuria¡¯s mouth formed an arc .

    It was a charming smile, with a slight devilish quality to it .

    ¡°I can tell . You made love to each otherst night, didn¡¯t you . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Luxuria¡¯sment froze Shinpletely .

    ¡°I¡¯m a devil, but the energy I feed on isn¡¯t evil itself . I can take both energying from actions based on mutual affection and actions born from one-sided feelings that ignore the partner¡¯s will . ¡±

    Luxuria exined that she did not differentiate if the act itself was good or bad .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why exactly, but I can tell where the energy I feed ones from . I¡¯m the devil of lust, right? If I feel such powerful emotions, I get curious about how you sought each other . To make even me feel like that, you must really love each other, don¡¯t you . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know if she was serious or joking: Luxuria¡¯s questions could be interpreted either way .

    ¡°Besides, if she can keep up with you, yourpanion must be very strong too, right? I don¡¯t think I can match her, so I would like to just talk to her a bit . ¡±

    ¡°How can you tell she¡¯s strong?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a kind of bonus when absorbing emotions . Your energy¡­in monster terms, you¡¯d be level 1000? Your emotional energy is like boiling magma . Normal people are a warm soup at most, so I can¡¯t be wrong . With emotional energy as strong as yours, a normal woman¡¯s would get swallowed up and disappear . But yesterday was different, I could clearly tell the existence of another energy besides yours . ¡±

    ¡°It might not have been as strong, but it wouldn¡¯t appear alongside yours without sufficient strength . That¡¯s how I could tell that yourpanion is strong too . ¡±

    Luxuria exined with confidence, but Shin had no idea what emotional energy could be . He had no idea he emanated something like that either .

    ¡°You can talk in her ce, it¡¯s fine by me . It must have been a night of deep, intense passion, right?¡±

    Luxuria, holding her face with her hands, had a dreamy expression .

    Shin asked why she was so interested, and Luxuria replied that, regardless of quantity, the energy born from acts of people who loved each other was more ¡°delicious¡± . It was just the difference of being delicious or not, but as Luxuria fervently exined, Shin and Schnee¡¯s was apparently ¡°a real delicacy¡± .

    Her insistence in having them confess was still very far from the oppressing image one usually had of the Deadly Sin devils .

    ¡°To even make a devil fall for you like this¡­Mr . Shin, whatever did you dost night?¡±

    ¡°You too, Hmee!?¡±

    Hmee had been listening in silence, but couldn¡¯t keep herself from asking anymore .

    Shin was thus pressed by two beautiful women, but now that he had be one with Schnee, he wasn¡¯t flustered in the slightest .

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk about such private matters . Give me a break . ¡±

    Shin quickly distanced himself from them and tly refused to speak .

    ¡°Aww, don¡¯t be embarrassed . ¡±

    ¡°Right, right!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already getting along well, huh?¡±

    Where did the tense mood from before disappear to? Asked Shin, just to receive iprehensible replies such as ¡°Well, you know?¡± ¡°Right, that¡¯s right!¡± . They looked like very good friends to him .

    ¡°I guess I can just go now . ¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you cane on your own next time . I¡¯ll dly be your partner . ¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t funny, just stop . ¡±

    Shin stopped Luxuria¡¯s sultry advance with a sour expression . Behind him stood Schnee, concealed . He didn¡¯t want her to misunderstand .

    ¡°Ok, job over?¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you very much . One less thing to worry about for now . I still have doubts, but it looks like things will go well . ¡±

    After leaving the infirmary, Hmee voiced her conclusions, making sure no one was around to hear . She had joined Luxuria in her jokes, but it wasn¡¯t like all her suspicions were suddenly cleared . Like Shin, however, she didn¡¯t think Luxuria was lying .

    Hmee stayed in the institute, saying that she still had work to do . They chatted as they headed towards the gate, where Shin spotted some familiar faces .

    ¡°Oh, here they are! Mr . Shin!¡±

    ¡°Stupid! Not so loud!¡±

    The three kids Shin and Schnee had rescued in the dungeon were standing before the gate .

    Differently from when they first met, they were now wearing military uniform-like white clothing with blue and red patterns . Gian and Lecus wore the same, so it was probably the institute¡¯s official uniform .

    Myu was waving at Shin, smiling . The tail poking out of her skirt was cheerfully swinging left and right .

    Gian scolded her for being too loud: the attention of the people near the gates all went to her . Naturally, Shin and Hmee¡¯s did too .

    ¡°They¡¯re our students . Oh, you rescued some in the dungeon, right . Could it be?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s those three . They weren¡¯t supposed to know that I woulde here today though . ¡±

    Thest time Shin had seen them was after leaving the dungeon, and he hadn¡¯t contacted them since . He couldn¡¯t tell Hmee why they were at the gates at the moment .

    ¡°We were suddenly told to go out of the institute, so we thought that it might be rted to you being teleported here!!¡±

    Myu cheerfully answered Shin¡¯s question about why they were there . Gian and Lecus nodded in agreement .

    The other students also seemed to have suspicions about the announcement .

    ¡°So? Did you wait here to confirm your theory?¡±

    ¡°No! I waited here because I have a request for you, Mr . Shin!¡±

    ¡°A request? What about the other two?¡±

    They didn¡¯t seem to be interested about Shin being teleported there . Shin asked the other two kids, who also nodded: Gian unwillingly, and Lecus apologetically .

    ¡°Well actually, if possible, we would like to ask you to impart us your teachings!¡±

    They remembered that Shin introduced himself as an adventurer, so Lecus, in Myu¡¯s ce, asked if they could make a request of him to undertake this ¡°quest¡± . They had been overwhelmed watching Shin and Schnee¡¯s strength in the dungeon apparently .

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s a great idea . ¡±

    ¡°Why are you so eager?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of a long vacation, during which students usually practice by themselves . They normally have seniors teach them or go into the training dungeon . But the dungeon is temporarily closed for inspection and these three are more skilled than average, so there is no one that can spar with them . ¡±

    Their stats were still low, but Hmee said that all three of them were Chosen Ones . While they were still far from Shin¡¯s level, they could deal with an average person easily .

    A well-trained normal person could match them as they were now, so they were usually coached by a veteran instructor . Shin wondered why they couldn¡¯t be taught by this instructor now too, but Lecus replied that they had gone back to their family during the vacation .

    ¡°Hmm, I see, it wouldn¡¯t be nice to interrupt that . ¡±

    Instructors had private lives and families: that was why the group had tried exploring the dungeon the day before, and almost risked a very bad oue .

    ¡°I heard of some fool who just blindly charged in, just because they knew they wouldn¡¯t die . ¡±

    ¡°Oh,e on!! I apologized already!!¡±

    red at by Gian, Myu¡¯s expression turned sour . From their exchange Shin knew that the mechanism to prevent fatal wounds was still intact .

    ¡°Anyway, is it okay to hire people from outside?¡±

    ¡°During vacation periods, some students even work as adventurers, so that their abilities don¡¯t suffer . There is no problem at all . If you pass our check, you can use the training dungeon too . ¡±

    ¡°Is that really okay? You know, with foreign people and all . ¡±

    ¡°We give our permission to people with proven experience and references . Not that we¡¯d need to check on you, Mr . Shin . ¡±

    Shin wondered if that was really okay . You could never tell if a person you met after a long time was the same as before .

    ¡°I can tell that you haven¡¯t changed by seeing how you look at Ms . Yuki . Right? Ms . Yuki . ¡±

    ¡°Is it so easy to tell? You too Yuki, don¡¯t justugh and speak up!¡±

    Shin asked Schnee -who had undone her concealment after they left the infirmary- for help . Her answer, however was far from what he expected .

    ¡°Hehe, I can vouch that Shin¡¯s eyes don¡¯t lie . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know what to say to Schnee, who wasughing with Hmee .

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it would be so easy to get permission . So, Mr . Shin, what will you say?¡±

    ¡°Please!!¡±

    Lecus and Myu asked again, after hearing the conversation between the three adults . Gian had no objections either, and bowed his head in silence .

    (Even if you say that, I have no idea how to train Chosen Ones, you know?)

    (These kids find it hard to even fight at full power . So I think that even if you just let them do that, it will be good enough experience . They¡¯re still very young and sometimes overconfident in their powers . I want you to show them that there is always someone stronger out there . )

    Shin whispered his question to Hmee and received this reply .

    In this world, the stat gap between normal people and Chosen Ones could often be ovee through skill .

    Because of that, many did not have a clear idea of exactly how strong they were . Others, instead, gained a too high opinion of their prowess . That was one of the reasons why Myu and the others had fallen into a bad situation in the dungeon .

    ¡°I see¡­okay, I can help them train until myrades arrive or the vacation period ends . It¡¯s important to know exactly how strong you are after all . What do you say, Yuki?¡±

    After thinking for a while, Shin asked for Schnee¡¯s opinion .

    Even if Filma and the others had left time for them to be alone, it would be a waste to justy about . He might as well raise his questpletion ratio a bit . Shin thought that because of the vacation, there would be few students about and less risk to stand out . Of course, if Schnee disapproved that was the end of it .

    ¡°Then, how about this? Battle training in the morning, review your weaknesses and train individually in the afternoon . ¡±

    ¡°That works . How about training three days and resting one, to let the body recover?¡±

    Shin made this proposal, thinking that everyone had to have other ns too; as there were no objections, it was approved as final . As an extra item, it was agreed that if there were other applicants, they too would be trained, as much as possible .

    Making it a request from the institute -instead of from Lecus¡¯ group- meant that the reward would be paid by the institute . Hmee probably thought that it would be a waste to let just Lecus and the other two make use of this opportunity .

    ¡°Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°You might have to use the training dungeon, so it would be great if you could also check it out for any anomalies . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a shrewd one, aren¡¯t you¡­¡±

    The institute staff would check it themselves: the security soldiers were currently taking turns inspecting the dungeon .

    Hmee knew that the evil deity teleported to random locations, so it was just a precaution, as she whispered to Shin .

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll start tomorrow . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much!¡±

    Shin and Schnee left the institute with Myu¡¯s cheerful greeting echoing behind them .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for epting that so easily . ¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine . You were worried about them, right?¡±

    ¡°You read my mind . ¡±

    Shin apologized for reducing the time they could spend together, but Schnee smiled .

    She had noticed that since they were too used to the training dungeon, Myu and the other two kids did not have a sufficient sense of danger .

    Not dying even if HP reaches 0 . That was like re-spawning in the game era . In this world equipment would be damaged, but it was still nothingpared to losing one¡¯s life .

    There was no risk of dying, but the risk of losing one¡¯s sense of danger was very present . It would be fatal in a battle to the death .

    ¡°I find it weird to worry about them, since I barely know them, but I saw them in danger the other day, so¡­¡±

    Myu and the others could also have experience of actual fighting . Gian¡¯s mention of ¡°some fool who just blindly charged in, just because they knew they wouldn¡¯t die¡± was a source of concern for Shin, especially because the ¡°fool¡± was Myu .

    ¡°You had ns to do something anyway, so I¡¯m not going toin about the quest . In exchange, I¡¯m going to have you spoil me a bit during our days off . Make sure you¡¯re ready . ¡±

    Schnee then locked arms with Shin, almost hugging him, her soft body pressed against his, giving birth to a sensation of happiness .

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask for more . ¡±

    Shin wanted to know more and more sides of Schnee that he didn¡¯t know . That moment, he started looking forward to what expression she made when she wanted him to spoil her .

 Vol 13 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    ¡°Good morning!¡±

    ¡°Morning . ¡±

    The day after Schnee¡¯s ¡°spoil me please¡± day, Shin and Schnee went to the institute . Their destination was the school¡¯s training grounds . More precisely, the training field used mainly for party vs party mock battles .

    ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s start with the training . Let¡¯s do a quick one-on-one first, then switch to party battle . ¡±

    ¡°Mr . Shin, I see you two have different equipment than yesterday, but is that okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that equipment would have made things too dangerous . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Lecus¡¯ question . Myu and Lecus were wearing the same equipment they had in the dungeon, while Gian¡¯s was clearly of inferior quality . It was probably a spare or gear he borrowed from the institute . The type of equipment was the same however .

    Myu and Lecus were wearing their best, in contrast to Shin who wore a blue/green jacket with cargo pants that had a rather neat design . Schnee was wearing a simr outfit too .

    Shin and Schnee both wielded handmade ¡ºSponge de¡» weapons, albeit of different length .

    Made of sponge, they looked just like wooden swords . Part of the ¡°Sponge¡± series, these weapons would cause very little damage even if Shin swung them at full power: in a way, they were an exceptional item .

    ¡°Sponge¡± versions existed for all types of weapons: depending on shape and type, they had different denominations . Long swords were ¡°Sword¡±, katanas were ¡°de¡± and so on .

    ¡°First of all, let me see how much you can fight . Even if you hurt me I can be healed right away, soe at full power . Use skills if you want . I¡¯ll be your opponent first, then Yuki will . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s implied ¡°I¡¯ll go easy on you kids¡± made Gian¡¯s eyes re up . Differently from Myu and Lecus, he had harbored a certain hostility towards Shin ever since they met in the dungeon .

    Shin¡¯s words were like a taunt for him .

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m first . ¡±

    Myu raised her hand, eager to fight Shin, but Gian stood in front of her . Myu was annoyed by the interference, but feeling the fighting spirit emanating from Gian she stopped in her tracks, wide-eyed .

    ¡°That¡¯s rare for you to be so openly hostile . ¡±

    ¡°Shut up . ¡±

    Gian spat back at Lecus to be quiet and readied his spear . He lowered his center of gravity and concentrated all of his fighting spirit in Shin¡¯s direction .

    His solid stance, fitting for the party¡¯s shield, made it seem like he could counter attacks from any direction . His gaze towards Shin was now void of hostility, but simply very serious .

    (He¡¯s not nning to hide his strategy, huh . )

    Shin waited for Schnee to move away, then readied his de . While it looked a little silly, it was tough enough that even Gian¡¯s former equipment wouldn¡¯t scratch it .

    ¡°I¡¯m ready anytime . ¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Gian moved as soon as Shin spoke . His spear closed in on Shin very quickly, leaving after-images behind . It was hard to believe that he was still under level 200 by how fast he moved .

    Shin calmly calcted the spear¡¯s trajectory and hit its tip with the de . Despite the soft ¡°poff¡±-like sound made by the sh, Gian¡¯s spear was smacked out of his hands and fell down on the ground .

    ¡°Crap¡­¡±

    Shin looked at the spear and realized his mistake . Because of the shock from hitting the ground, the part connecting the tip and handle of the spear had bent .

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped . Use this, as recement for the broken spear . ¡±

    Shin said he would fix the bent spear and return itter, then pulled out of his jacket -actually, from the item box- a card and gave it to Gian .

    The boy was looking at his hands and the spear Shin knocked down, with a grave expression, which changed to perplexion when he materialized the card Shin gave him .

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡ºSponge Lance¡», a weapon made for training . It looks soft, but it¡¯s actually tougher than Adamantine . With this, we won¡¯t have to worry about breaking weapons anymore . ¡±

    Shin was the most worried about this though .

    Gian swung the new weapon a few times, then was convinced and nodded .

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start again . Feel free to use skills or magic too . ¡±

    Shin pointed the tip of his de towards Gian and got into a fighting stance . Gian too pointed thence towards Shin .

    Gian had lost his weapon in the previous confrontation, but his strike did not rely on physical strength only . His footwork, movement of the center of gravity, and concentration of strength were definitely fruit of many days of training, as Shin was impressed to notice .

    ¡°I won¡¯t hold back . ¡±

    Gian thrust hisnce towards Shin again . His expression did not reveal how he had received Shin¡¯s words . When Shin aimed at the tip of thence, to knock it to the ground one more time, thence¡¯s de started glowing yellow .

    ¡°Gian¡¯s getting really serious . ¡±

    ¡°Right . ¡±

    Myu and Lecus¡¯ whispered conversation reached Shin¡¯s ears . They seemed to know what Gian was about to try .

    Just like before, the de knocked thence down . What followed, though, was not the same oue . Yellow des shot from thence, following the path it had before being knocked down, headed towards Shin .

    Shin¡¯s kic vision did not miss the crackle on the de¡¯s surface before the yellow des were hurled at him . They were, in fact, made of lightning: their speed was nothing to underestimate either .

    At the same time as Shin dodged them, Gian had pulled back his weapon . He had anticipated that it would be knocked down, so he did not drop it as before, but had it ready for the next strike already .

    ¡°Are you a monster¡­!?¡±

    Even if he looked cool andposed, however, the whisper that escaped his lips revealed his true thoughts . Gian wouldn¡¯t give up yet though: He thrust thence again¡­at a distance that would never reach Shin . When he did, just like the second strike, yellow des sparked from the tip .

    ¡°This brings back memories . ¡±

    Shin parried the des this time, then whispered to himself .

    What Gian had used was the Spear/Lightningbination skill ¡¾Tri-Edge¡¿ . This skill was a Spear/Lightningposite, but there existed ¡¾Tri-Edge¡¿ skills with other elements and weapons: it was a skillmon to all ded weapons .

    It allowed the attack to change elements depending on the foe, so it was used in various ways by beginners and veterans alike . The skill¡¯s effect was to add elemental follow-up attacks to weapon attacks .

    ¡°It¡¯s not over yet!¡±

    Gian looked at the lightning des parried by Shin and swung thence . He drew a cross, then added a horizontal stroke . The strikes, drawn as to divide Shin in six parts, burned bright red . Gian didn¡¯t stop there however: he quickly pulled back his weapon, then thrust it again . This time the tip released a de of wind, difficult to discern with the naked eye .

    ¡°You can usebos too?¡±

    Shin dispelled the mes and de of wind headed towards him with a swing of his weapon, then went to attack Gian, a pleasantly surprised impression on his face .

    Some skills, when used in quick session, becamebinations: Gian had used one such technique, which the yers calledbo .

    ¡°Damn it!!¡±

    Even if he used skills, Shin only had to swing his weapon to neutralize them .

    Gian witnessed this reality and cursed it . That too, however, was put to a stop when he blocked Shin¡¯s de . Sponge weapons did look soft, but when Gian blocked Shin¡¯s de with the handle of hisnce, the impact was strong enough to make his body shake left and right .

    The boy managed to parry Shin¡¯s attacks three times; the fourth time his arms went numb, and on the fifth thence¡¯s handle was pushed into his body, which flew in midair .

    ¡°Gian was using his skills, but was pushed back all the same¡­it looked like he was flying along the ground, but will he be okay?¡±

    ¡°Mr . Shin said that he would with that equipment, so I think so . Look, Gian¡¯s standing back up . ¡±

    Lecus looked worried, but Gian was already on his feet again . He touched the spot struck by Shin¡¯s de with some confusion .

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any damage except sliding on the ground, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­yeah . ¡±

    It felt very strange to Gian to not have suffered any damage after an attack like that . Shin checked Gian¡¯s HP gauge to be sure, but it really had not decreased at all .

    ¡°Next is my turn, then!!¡±

    Leaving Gian aside, the even more excited Myu ran up to Shin . They knew already that her gauntlets and leg guards could not sustain Shin¡¯s attacks, so she had switched to Sponge Knuckles and Greaves .

    ¡°I¡¯m going all out!!¡±

    Differently from Gian, Myu used skills since the start . The aura enveloping her body was probably ¡¾Ki Maniption ¨C Living Lightning¡¿ . The rtive stability of the aura showed that it was a Skill, not an Art .

    Her physical abilities boosted, Myu prepared to jump straight close to Shin¡­not that he would ever allow it . He lowered his de on Myu¡¯s frontal charge, but she made no attempt of defending herself or dodging it .

    If hit, she would be knocked to the ground, but the de simply passed through Myu . Like smoke swept away by wind, Myu simply vanished .

    ¡°Oh, ¡¾Ki Strike¡¿, huh . ¡±

    Behind the vanished Myu, the real one was not about to punch Shin . Knuckles and Greaves wrapped in mes, if she punched or kicked ming versions of her fists and feet would extend for about 30 cemel .

    Myu¡¯s illusion had been created by the barehanded martial skill ¡¾Ki Strike¡¿, while the me attack range extensions by the Barehanded/mebination skill ¡¾me Kata ¨C Crimson Lotus¡¿ .

    Myu went for a right jab, a left jab, then crouched down and did a leg sweep . As all these attacks were dodged by Shin, Myu continued with a spin kick, making use of the sweep¡¯s momentum .

    ¡¾me Kata ¨C Crimson Lotus¡¿sted for 60 seconds . Myu¡¯s aggressive offensive made it look like she was on fire herself, but Shin blocked itpletely calmly . The me attacks had physical mass, so they could be stopped by Shin¡¯s de .

    ¡°Mmghh!!¡±

    Myu was frustrated to see all her attacks miss, but she remembered about the skill¡¯s time limit, so she stepped away from Shin . Without waiting another moment, she gathered fire around her greaves .

    ¡°How about this!!¡±

    Myu drew an arc in midair with her leg, turning into a backflip . When shended, she unleashed a flying kick towards Shin . On the spot where she had done a backflip, two balls of fire formed close to the ground and also headed towards Shin .

    ¡°Oh, not bad . ¡±

    It was a method to perform an attack from multiple directions alone, very popr in the game era . Usually, long-distance attackers such as mages or archers used it, but depending on how it was used, the skill was suited to close distance fighters like Myu too .

    Feeling a bit of nostalgia, Shin ignored the mes and focused on countering Myu¡¯s attack .

    The skill Myu used was the Barehanded/mebination skill ¡¾Crawling Fangs¡¿, which allowed the user to shoot mes from the feet, at one¡¯s preferred timing .

    The mes heading for the target, however, were 20% a physical mass and 80% a magical object, so closer to magic, which meant that they were pretty much meaningless before Shin¡¯s high magic resistance .

    ¡°Look out!¡±

    Lecus, who was not aware of the mes¡¯ actualposition, shouted towards Shin, who stopped Myu¡¯s flying kick only .

    Myu meant it when she said that she would go all out: the ground-crawling mes had a rather high temperature . If they hit, Shin would be fine, but Myu herself risked to be hurt .

    Before Myu, her leg caught by Shin, could protect herself, Shin stomped his feet on the ground . With a powerfully echoing sound, the ground formed a rift . The vibration caused the rift to rise even higher, and the mes shed against it and disappeared, never reaching their target .

    Only faint sparks of lingering heat remained, brushing against Myu¡¯s cheeks .

    ¡°Game over . I¡¯m going to let you go now, okay?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so amazing, Mr . Shin¡­¡±

    Myunded without trouble . She had experienced Shin¡¯s strength firsthand, so more than anything else, her respect towards him increased . Her thirst for a battle had settled down, so she now looked at him like she was looking at a hero .

    ¡°Hey, is she always like that?¡±

    ¡°Well, actually, it¡¯s my first time seeing Myu like this¡­¡±

    Shin asked this question to Lecus, who stood before him as thest opponent, but the boy was just as confused .

    ¡°Once, she said that she likes strong people, so that might have something to do with it . ¡±

    ¡°I see¡­oh, sorry, that wasn¡¯t something to ask before training . ¡±

    ¡°No, despite knowing her for a while I was perplexed too, so I understand your question, Mr . Shin . ¡±

    Personality-wise, Myu tended to favor strong people, but it was apparently the first time she showed such a sudden change of attitude .

    ¡°Let¡¯s start then . As I said before, no need to hold anything back, all right? I¡¯ll be okay even if you hit me with all your power, so do that . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, understood . ¡±

    Lecus was not worried anymore about hurting Shin . He had seen how Shin had remained unscathed from Myu¡¯s ¡¾Crawling Fangs¡¿, so he knew that he wasn¡¯t lying .

    Lecus was a mage, so he started his battle strategy from a more distant position than Gian or Myu .

    ¡°O magic filling the air, gather in my palm¡­¡±

    (O magic residing in my flesh, rush to my foes¡­)

    Lecus started chanting . Just like he had done for Gian and Myu, Shin let him make the first move .

    ¡°So this happens when you do multiple chanting . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s ears picked up Lecus and one more voice doing the chanting . He knew it was because of the ¡¾Multiple Chanting¡¿ skill, but wondered how it exactly happened . Shin possessed the ¡¾Instant Chant¡¿ skill, which if used with ¡¾Multiple Chanting¡¿ made it possible to use multiple spells at the same time without chanting .

    He had no need to waste time chanting thanks to it, so he did not know how ¡¾Multiple Chanting¡¿ worked by itself .

    ¡°¡­well, it¡¯s the right chance to try . ¡±

    Using ¡¾Instant Chanting¡¿ was the norm, so Shin had never tried ¡¾Multiple Chanting¡¿ alone . Since the timing was just right, he tried chanting with the same timing as Lecus .

    ¡°Come hither, frozennds . What I seek is¡­¡±

    (O dew traveling in the mist, gather in my palm¡­)

    It was a very peculiar sensation: Shin¡¯s mouth chanted the words to create a magic ice barrier, while in his head resounded the chant to create magic ice bullets, ovepping with the chant he actually pronounced .

    (I can do it, sure, but¡­)

    To think while chanting was something he never did normally, but as it turned out, it was not problematic at all .

    Soon enough, the chanting ended . Shin had started a bitter than Lecus, but they finished at the same time .

    Lecus had chosen the spell ¡¾Air Bullet¡¿, which as the name saysunches bullets made of air, and ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿, which allows the caster to shoot lighting bolts in any direction they wish .

    Shin, on the other hand, had chosen ¡¾Ice Wall¡¿, which creates a barrier of ice, and ¡¾Water Bullet¡¿, which shoots a barrage of water bullets .

    The first sh was between the water and wind bullets . Shin¡¯s water bullets struck the invisible wind ones one by one, as he could see them . That was possible thanks to the ¡¾Magic Vision¡¿ skill, which let the user see magic power . In the game, it was a skill pretty much all yers had to learn topete .

    ¡°There is too much difference in the power of one single blow, I see . But in this situation¡­¡±

    Seeing five of his wind bullets being destroyed by one of Shin¡¯s water shots, Lecus realized that he could never win in terms of firepower . His eyes, however, showed that he hadn¡¯t given up yet: he probably wanted to try to strike a ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ through the spot where the wind and water bullets shed .

    The trajectory the caster could have ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ travel through varied from person to person . Inexperienced casters could only make it travel in an arc or change directions two to three times only . As the caster gained experience, they could make the lightning take moreplex routes: a very small number of yers could use it as if the lightning itself avoided the obstacles on its path .

    In order to test Lecus¡¯ skills, Shin divided his ice barrier into several smaller ones, setting up several icicles while the water and wind bullets shed . The bullets would obviously hit the icicles too, making it harder to target Shin . In such a case, even moderately experienced users would decide to make the lightning bolts take a roundabout path .

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Each one of Lecus¡¯ palms produced a lightning bolt . The bolts traveled straight through the field where the icicles and bullets were still shing .

    ¡°That¡¯s something . ¡±

    Dodging the bolts out of sheer physical ability, Shin let out ament, impressed . The lightning¡¯s streak clearly showed the difficult path they took . The boltssted for mere seconds, but to imagine two different ones in a field where magic forces shed was a very arduous task .

    Very few yers could draw suchplicated trajectories during battle .

    ¡°Hahah¡­he avoided them¡­not even blocked them . . ¡±

    In contrast with Shin¡¯s impressed tone, Lecus was both dejected and confused .

    Lightning and Light-type magic spells were often a surefire hit, unless the caster missed themselves, as they traveled at the speed of light, much faster than a person¡¯s reaction speed, thus unavoidable¡­or at least, supposed to be so .

    Some people could do just that, actually: by reading the opponent¡¯s movements, limiting the timing and direction of their attacks, detecting magic power, ¡°somehow¡±, etc . The reasons were many, but each allowed them to avoid such attacks .

    In Shin¡¯s case, he somehow ¡°felt¡± theming through pure instinct . It could be an extension of his detection of danger . Because of this, he could not exin how he avoided them .

    Lecus had witnessed Shin dodge lightning during the battle with Gian, but did not think that he could do it even while magic was shing and icicles blocked his field of view .

    ¡°Let¡¯s end this here, okay?¡±

    ¡°Aah, yes . If you can avoid that, I have nothing else I can do . ¡±

    Even if they continued, Lecus would be simply overwhelmed by Shin¡¯s ¡¾Water Bullet¡¿ barrage, so Lecus epted Shin¡¯s words without hesitation .

    ¡°Okay, the final battle is with the whole party . Do you have any other members, by the way?¡±

    ¡°We three are the only regr members . Sometimes we join with other small parties or let solo adventurers join, but it never went well . ¡±

    The other students can¡¯t keep up with Lecus¡¯ party: the difference in base ability was thatrge .

    Even the mage Lecus, from a normal person¡¯s perspective, was as strong as a physical fighter .

    There were other Chosen Ones in the institute, but for some reason they didn¡¯t blend well together .

    ¡°I see . Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do about party members . For the time being, let¡¯s focus on powering you guys up . ¡±

    Individual training and team battle practice . Based on what he had seen in the dungeon, Shin thought that they had many things they could improve .

    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, you don¡¯t need to think about holding back . ¡±

    Shin spoke after preparing his de in a fighting stance .

    Gian and Myu stood side by side, with Lecus behind them . All three of them looked very serious .

    They couldn¡¯t make Shin lose hisposure a bit one-on-one, so it was clear that they were thinking of pulling it off together . Maybe because they were fighting as a party now, only Gian had a new piece of equipment, a Sponge Shield .

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!!¡±

    Following Gian¡¯s shout, Myu and Lecus started moving too . Gian charged forward, holding his shield high, using it to hide hisnce from Shin¡¯s view . He nned to not let Shin anticipate his attack until the very end . Over Gian¡¯s head, Myu unleashed a flying kick .

    Two attacks at the same time¡­thee, counting Lecus chanting behind them .

    Shin caught Myu¡¯s flying leg, spun once and threw her in Gian¡¯s direction .

    ¡°Nwah!?¡±

    ¡°Wha!?¡±

    Gian instinctively moved his shield andnce to block Myu¡¯s fall . When Shin attempted a follow-up attack, the surroundings were filled with mist .

    ¡°Get back, quick!¡±

    The mist disappeared around Shin, but Gian and Myu had followed Lecus¡¯ order and retreated, so he could not see them . Knowing that Shin would block the offensive, Lecus had prepared a magic spell to block his field of view .

    ¡°So, what are you going to do next?¡±

    Shin knew where they were, thanks to presence detection . It looked like they would attack from three different directions . Maybe wary of Shin¡¯s reaction, they took around 30 seconds to slowly move around him . One was right in front, the other two diagonally behind Shin .

    They had probably decided the timing to strike . Without any particr signal, they all started attacking at the same time .

    The attacker from the front, piercing through the mist, was surprisingly Lecus .

    ¡°¡¾Triple Bullet¡¿!!¡±

    Fire, water, and invisible wind bullets shot from his hands .

    From behind, Myu sent ¡¾Crawling Fangs¡¿ and Gian used ¡¾Tri-Edge¡¿ before both of them charged towards Shin . Knowing that normal attacks would never damage him, they tried to strike him all together .

    ¡°You¡¯ve thought this through . ¡±

    In response to the three young warriors¡¯ offensive, Shin walked towards Lecus . Magic would barely affect Shin, especially if Lecus was the caster . As this was battle training for them, Shin advanced while knocking the bullets down, then struck Lecus¡¯ neck, who was trying to retreat . That meant that Lecus had died . Myu and Gian ¡°died¡± too after a few minutes .

    ¡°Aah¡­not even one hit¡­¡±

    ¡°Crap¡­¡±

    ¡°Justpletely out of your league . Asking you for training was the right idea . ¡±

    Myu and Gian did not even try to hide their frustration . Lecus had understood that they would never match Shin in the first battle and was thinking if there was a way for them to get back at Shin .

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s review the battles until now . Then Yuki will be your opponent . ¡±

    As long as they didn¡¯t lose all enthusiasm because of losing, they could improve . So Shin felt while he talked to the kids .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 13 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    ¡°Good morning. The sun¡¯s up, rise and shine.¡±

    ¡°Hn¡­.? Ah, good morning.¡±

    A gentle voice and hands shook Shin mostly awake. He got up from the bed and noticed that Schnee had already changed.

    ¡°Ever since we were teleported here, you¡¯re always waking me up.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    Shin cocked his head to one side, wondering if he found it harder to wake up. Usually they would have breakfast right away, but today was a rest day, so they could take it easy.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you sleeping when I wake up¡­¡±

    ¡°Why such a serious expression? That¡¯s perfectly fine, isn¡¯t it. I can see your sleeping face, after all.¡±

    ¡°No, I must protest! I too want to see your sleeping face!¡±

    ¡°What protest is that¡­really¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s childish retort left Schnee almost at a loss for words, but her expression was very peaceful.

    ¡°At night I can see your sleeping face more though.¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s because you¡¯re always so¡ªaah, what are you making me say!?¡±

    ¡°My my, I just meant to say that you always sleep early and wake up early. Whatever were you thinking about, dear Schnee?¡±

    Schnee was probably not used to such jokes yet: Shin¡¯s little trap made her blush to her ears. He smiled, thinking of how adorable she was.

    ¡°Kh¡­euh¡­.if you keep saying things like that, I won¡¯t cook you breakfast anymore!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!! Please forgive me!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s advantagested mere seconds. The room they were staying in was equipped with a kitchen, so it was possible to make simple dishes. Before, they used to have breakfast in the hotel¡¯s restaurant, but Shin started to miss Schnee¡¯s cooking, so she would prepare breakfast every day now.

    With his weakness ¡ª the stomach ¡ª struck, Shin surrendered immediately. He was bowing to Schnee on the bed, a sight no one would believe a High Human would produce.

    ¡°Do you realize your mistakes?¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, I most surely do.¡±

    ¡°¡­good grief. You should think a little more before teasing me.¡±

    ¡°How do I say it? I never get tired of seeing you embarrassed.¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m sorry! I said too much!¡±

    Feeling that the mood was not one for jokes, Shin quickly bowed his head again. A few days had passed since they became one, but Schnee¡¯s way of addressing Shin was starting to be less and less courteous, reducing the distance between them.

    Coupled with their reciprocated feelings, being alone together allowed their rtionship to change from master and servant to man and woman very quickly.

    ¡°Enough about that, what will we do today? There¡¯s no training, so we can take it easy.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡±

    Schnee¡¯s tone suggested that she wanted them to spend a rxing day together. Shin had no objections, but since they had an entire day, he would like to do some sightseeing.

    The Erkunt Institute of Magic engaged in studies in various fields: items to improve people¡¯s lifestyle, techniques to improve production technologies, etc. They did not, however, study real world sciences. They considered it dangerous to further studies in such disciplines in a world where magic existed.

    More realistically speaking, Hmee and Masakado were only junior high school students in the real world, so their knowledge only reached a certain extent.

    As far as Shin could remember, that world always tended to explore different directions than the original world¡¯s technologies, so he was interested in taking a look at what they were studying.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry, I was just thinking.¡±

    Shin apologized, then told Schnee what he was thinking about.

    ¡°I see. We can take it easy here whenever we want, so we might as well go out today.¡±

    ¡°Is that really okay with you? We can always do this another time.¡±

    ¡°No problem. For me, the most important thing now is to be with you.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words warmed Shin¡¯s heart. For a brief instant, he saw Marino¡¯s silhouette ovepping Schnee¡¯s, but that disappeared quickly. She wasn¡¯t Marino¡¯s recement. Shin hadn¡¯t forgotten his former lover, but seeing her in Schnee was wrong, or so he thought.

    ¡°Thank you, let¡¯s do that then.¡±

    Shin and Schnee hadn¡¯t gone sightseeing since they were in Hinomoto. Schnee changed into a pink sweater and white long skirt with an essory bag slung over her shoulder. Her hair was held with the hairpin bought in Hinomoto.

    She would stand out in a town crowded by adventurers, but in shopping and residential districts, there were many people dressed in a simr way: it was a relic of the game era, when all sorts of clothing were on sale.

    Clothes were ssified as essories, but there were many examples that were difficult to imagine existing in a fantasy world, such as bunny girl costumes or nurse attires.

    The clothes chosen by Schnee were categorized by the system as ¡°townsfolk clothing¡±.

    Normally, their defensive powers would be next to zero but bizarrely enough, they boasted resistance to ded weapons, fire, and thunder on par with iron armor, since they had been made by Rokuten¡¯s Cashmere.

    Being much sturdier than they looked was amon characteristic in Rokuten-made equipment.

    Incidentally, the reason why they were not equipped with water resistance was that Cashmere imed: ¡°wet clothes sticking to the body is just so sexy¡±, to Shin and Hecate¡¯s enthusiastic approval.

    In the game era, such a pointless effect (clothes sticking to the body) did not exist, so Cashmere¡¯s choice was nothing short of meaningless.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s okay if I go out like this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that looks nice on you.¡±

    Shin wore navy blue pants, a white shirt and jacket, clothing more modern than fantasy-like, in order not to let Schnee stand out too much. It was a kind of outfit he had seen in a fashion magazine before.

    ¡°I thought we¡¯d stand out more.¡±

    ¡°yers spread their clothing styles extensively after all.¡±

    The town of Erkunt was just like a western Europe town, simr to ones Shin had seen on TV. Leaving science and technology aside, clothing and everyday items were not difficult to recreate, so many wore designer clothing just like Shin¡¯s attire that day.

    Maybe it was because the institute¡¯s head of research & development, Hmee, was a former yer, but many people in the city wore clothing very close to modern fashion.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this in Bayreuth or Falnido though.¡±

    ¡°This type of clothing is not always popr, after all. They¡¯re not appreciated at all in certain locations. This town¡¯s people seem to like it quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°You have a point. The textile industry is more advanced than I thought here. The institute¡¯s uniforms could easily pass as real world ones, well, you¡¯d only find them in manga or light novels though¡­¡±

    The uniforms could easily be confused for cosy costumes.

    ¡°So, where are we going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for picking this as a date destination, but I wanted to check out a weapon store. Other than Hmee, the closebat-oriented Masakado is here too, so I figured they must have progressed in that field too. I wanted to see how developed they are.¡±

    Shin¡¯s real reason was another, but he was too embarrassed to say it clearly. He was actually worried that Schnee¡¯s mood would turn sour.

    ¡°I see, let¡¯s go to a store that deals in armor and essories too then. You can probably draw all sorts of information just by looking at the items on sale.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯d be great.¡±

    Shin was relieved to hear a proactive proposal from Schnee. He also agreed to go to a restaurant serving unique dishes without hesitation.

    Shin and Schnee left the hotel and headed towards a store in the institute district, said to be the best. They followed the map drawn by a hotel clerk and arrived at a street lined with ss shop windows.

    Looking at Shin¡¯s automatic map, they would need to make a slight detour to reach the store. They had told the hotel clerk that they weren¡¯t in a rush, so they probably drew a longer route to let them enjoy the city¡¯s sights.

    All sorts of items were disyed inside the shop windows. Most of them were clothes worn by mannequins in various poses, just like in the real world. Shoes, bags, and essories wereid at their feet, stimting the shopping impulses of the people passing by.

    Shin felt like he had been transported back to his former world.

    ¡°Hmee designed this street apparently.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see. I guess she couldn¡¯t forget.¡±

    After a slight surprise, Shin was convinced. When Shin first met Hmee and Masakado, they were still junior high school students in real life. In the death game, they had died while protecting yers younger than them. Aftering to this world, what did they feel in their hearts as they lived on? Shin could only try to imagine.

    Hmee might have be headmistress of a learning institute because she felt attached to the ¡°school¡± environment, thought Shin as he felt somewhat conflicted.

    ¡°Shin, you look so deep in thought.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I know nothinges out of just thinking, but¡­¡±

    Every time he met a former yer, Shin couldn¡¯t help thinking. If THE NEW GATE hadn¡¯t be a death game, if they had returned to their everyday lives, what would have happened?

    ¡°Whoops! Schnee?¡±

    Shin was scratching his cheek when suddenly Schnee grabbed his right arm, holding it tight to make it stretch straight. Shin lost his bnce a little, leaning towards Schnee.

    ¡°You were thinking about what would have changed if the Death Game never happened, right?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin was shaken to know that his thoughts had beenpletely seen through.

    ¡°Is that not so?¡±

    ¡°Well, a bit.¡±

    Shin understood that he couldn¡¯t deceive Schnee¡¯s pressure. He answered honestly and she hugged his arm tighter, strong enough that a normal person¡¯s arm would have been twisted in a weird direction.

    ¡°If that never happened, I would never have touched you like this. So, for me¡ª!?¡±

    Shin was confused at first, but quickly caught on what Schnee was going to say and sealed her lips. He was notpletely unaware of her feelings.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk about what happened or not happened, not anymore. In the death game, I also acquired many new bonds.¡±

    If the game remained such until the end, some rtionships with other yers would have never be so deep. Even if it was a death game, not everything that happened was negative.

    Shin¡¯s words probably calmed Schnee, because she rxed the grip on his arm. Calming down, however, they started noticing things they didn¡¯t until a few moments before.

    ¡°That was too forward¡­¡±

    ¡°Show-off¡­¡±

    ¡°Shit! I want to be that guy!¡±

    ¡°My my, so passionate.¡±

    Shin and Schnee had been walking down a quite crowded street. People, not knowing the circumstances, would think that Schnee pulled Shin closer to make him kiss her.

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s speed up the pace.¡±

    ¡°¡­yes.¡±

    Laughing embarrassedly to the surrounding people, Shin quickly pushed the violently blushing Schnee forward. The surrounding whispers had colored her expression a red more violent than ever before. Schnee¡¯s personality would never let her show her affection so clearly in front of so many people normally.

    ¡°First, let¡¯s settle down a bit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Even if camouged, Schnee¡¯s good looks attracted attention. The two took shelter in a narrow alley, but Schnee was still blushing hard, looking down with one hand grabbing Shin¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°Er, no, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have kissed you in a ce like that.¡±

    ¡°N-no! I was the one who made you worry, and I didn¡¯t hate, I mean, I didn¡¯t hate it, so¡­¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t see her expression, but the ears poking out of her hair were progressively redder.

    He felt that he had seen this expression a lot thest few days. Maybe she was relieved, her worries gone, or maybe she had lowered her defenses with Shin¡­no matter what the reason was, Shin was more than satisfied to be able to see such adorable moments so often.

    ¡°Schnee, won¡¯t you show me your face a little?¡±

    Schnee expected to be scolded, but heard an unexpected question instead. Her embarrassed expression was starting to be one of his favorites.

    ¡°Nn¡­you¡¯re much nastier than I thought¡­is it so fun to see me embarrassed!?¡±

    Schnee buried her face in Shin¡¯s chest, to prevent him from looking at it, but peeked up just a bit to protest. Her eyes, zed by tears caused by the embarrassment, red at him.

    She probably meant to use Shin, but he just found her all the more lovely. He couldn¡¯t help but pat her head, thinking of a random excuse to do so. One of his favorite pastimestely was to pat her head when they were alone in their room.

    ¡°Hn¡­don¡¯t think you can change the topic like that!¡±

    ¡°Oh, really¡­so I guess I can¡¯t do it in our room either¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I don¡¯t like it.¡±

    Schnee silently rubbed her head against Shin¡¯s hand, as if telling him to do it more. Yet another side of Schnee that Shin didn¡¯t know.

    He found it very pleasant to pat her too, so he waspletely in favor of continuing.

    They were in a narrow alley without much traffic, but from a third party¡¯s perspective they looked just like any other flirting couple.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s a bit of a shame, but we should go.¡±

    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s continue when we get back to the hotel.¡±

    Shin was the first one toe back to his senses, realizing how other people must have been looking at them. Thinking that they couldn¡¯t just continue flirting like that, he let go of Schnee¡¯s hair and pointed at the street. She nodded and they headed once more towards the store.

    After they walked for some time, Shin realized that what they would do once back in the hotel had been decided. When Schnee decided that she would have Shin spoil her, her usual cool demeanor always vanished.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 13 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    ¡°So, here we are¡­is this the right ce?¡±

    Shin looked at the storefront, then checked the map again . The surrounding buildings matched the characteristics marked in the map . What puzzled Shin was that he couldn¡¯t find any sign indicating the building was a shop .

    ¡°The door¡¯s open, so let¡¯s try going inside . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right . If it¡¯s not here, we¡¯ll just start looking again . ¡±

    Shin put a hand on the door handle and peered inside . The map was right after all: he could see all sorts of weapons disyed inside . Once they entered, they saw another row of weapons lined up along the wall, which they had not been able to see from the doorstep .

    These included longswords, twin swords, long and short spears, bows, and axes . The swords and spears were all Legend grade, the bows and axes Unique grade . A quick nce around the store revealed that the weapons, other than the ones lined along the walls, were all of Normal grade, with some Rare ones here and there .

    ¡°Looks like this is the ce . I don¡¯t see any clerks though . ¡±

    Each weapon had a price tag next to it, so Shin was sure they were for sale . The absence of a clerk was probably justified by the anti-theft skill attached to the store . If someone tried to grab a weapon and run, they would be prevented from taking it outside .

    ¡°Excuse me! Is anyone there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please wait a moment!¡±

    Shin called towards the back of the counter and a reply came back right away . Soon, a man in his twenties, wearing overalls and with a towel wrapped around his head came out .

    ¡°I apologize for the wait . Did you have an appointment?¡±

    ¡°No, I heard that this is the best workshop in town, so I wanted to have my weapons repaired . ¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t be right to just barge in and demand to see their work, so Shin nned to pick a half-used weapon from his item box, ask them to repair it, then see what level of skill they had .

    ¡°Who rmended this store? If you have a letter of introduction, I would like to see it . ¡±

    The young man was very polite . Shin pictured such workshops as ces where people didn¡¯t care that much about manners, so he was a bit surprised . From the young man¡¯s physique, Shin figured he was the cksmith or an apprentice .

    ¡°I heard it from the staff of hotel Morgana . I haven¡¯t asked for his name though . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t have a letter of introduction, so he just said that he heard about the workshop from the hotel staff . He had just asked about weapon stores to a passing clerk, so he didn¡¯t know the name .

    ¡°Morgana, I see . We are a bit busy at the moment, so it might take some time, is that alright with you?¡±

    ¡°How long would that be?¡±

    ¡°We would be able to start tomorrow afternoon . It appears thattely the monsters¡¯ turf around town changed: the new monsters that appear are much more powerful than before . ¡±

    The young man exined that because of this, requests to repair weapons and for new equipment increased exponentially, so at present theycked manpower . Shin asked if this sort of thing happened often, but the young man replied that that was not the case .

    In that world too there were areas where powerful monsters spawned, but Erkunt was not one of them . Sometimes there were reports of mass monster migrations, a possibility which was being currently investigated .

    ¡°Our boss is a cksmith skilled enough to have donated a prized sword to the king, but even so, there is a limit to what he can do . At present, we only ept orders from clients who can wait . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . I didn¡¯t know about that monster business . Time is not an issue for me, so please . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . Can you let me check the status of the equipment? Please ce it on the counter . ¡±

    The extent gear could be repaired naturally depended on how damaged it was . Sometimes there were clients who presented items beyond repair, so cksmiths always checked the item in need of repair before deciding whether to ept the job or not .

    Shin and Schnee did not seem to be carrying any weapons, but the young man acted as if they did . He had probably guessed that they had weapons in item card form .

    Shin had no intention to keep him guessing, so he took out an item card and materialized it . The young man did not bat an eye at the process . Once he checked the weapon, however, he quickly lost his cool .

    ¡°What the¡­!?¡±

    The young man let out a surprised mumble . As expected of an artisan, he understood right away what kind of weapon Shin had materialized .

    What Shin had ced on the counter were a long spear and a short sword .

    The spear was the lower Unique grade ¡ºHollow Spear¡», the short sword the lower Rare grade ¡ºAzoth¡» .

    ¡ºHollow Spear¡» had a chance of inflicting paralysis if the opponent¡¯s STR was lower than the user; ¡ºAzoth¡» slightly increased the user¡¯s magic power .

    Both had been used during the training with Lecus and the others, enough to require repairs .

    ¡°Not the slightest imbnce in magic power distribution, and not even one impurity? What the¡­¡±

    ¡°Can I count on you, then?¡±

    ¡°Please excuse me, I need to call the boss . Could you please wait a moment?¡±

    The young man had probably concluded that the job was too much for him . He went behind the counter and was about to enter the corridor in the back, when he noticed something and stopped .

    ¡°Oh? Is there something wrong, boss?¡±

    ¡°I just felt a bizarre presence . You wereing to call me, right? The reason is¡­you, right?¡±

    A man in his fifties appeared from the corridor . He was shorter than the young man, but his arms were twice as thick as the young man¡¯s arms .

    Based on his experience, Shin guessed that he was a Dwarf . Maybe he was in a bad mood, because his expression was nothing short of fierce .

    ¡°Never seen your face around here . I¡¯m Vulcan, the owner of this workshop . So, what happened?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about these, I can¡¯t really decide by myself . ¡±

    ¡°Really? *You* can¡¯t?¡±

    Vulcan looked at the young man with an amused expression .

    The fierce-looking man, wearing an outfit suited to the boss of a pack of mountain bandits, looked like a boy who had found a new toy . The sharp glint in his eyes showed that he was gauging what kind of person he was dealing with .

    ¡°¡­I see, now I know why you were flustered . ¡±

    Vulcan took the ¡ºHollow Spear¡» from the young man¡¯s hands, looked at it for a while, then spoke . He did not add anything else and proceeded to check ¡ºAzoth¡» .

    He examined the de and decorations for several minutes, then ced it back on the counter .

    ¡°You want us to perform maintenance on these?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, is there a problem?¡±

    Vulcan¡¯s serious expression made Shin wonder if there was anything off with the weapons . Vulcan did not answer immediately, looking intently at Shin instead .

    ¡°Ehm¡­¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you better suited to take care of these?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin instinctively flinched because of the unexpected question . He hade all the way to a smithy, it would be normal to think that he couldn¡¯t repair them himself . Vulcan, however, asked again, with absolute confidence .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to do here, but you¡¯re a cksmith, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin was at a loss for words, but Vulcan¡¯s tone waspletely positive . Nothing about Shin¡¯s appearance was supposed to suggest that he was a cksmith .

    ¡°You look like you don¡¯t know how I can tell . Well, if you examine me you¡¯ll find out right away, but I can tell if the person before me is a cksmith .

    I don¡¯t mean to brag, but I¡¯m pretty well known in the business . There are plenty of types that pretend to be normal people or adventurers to get close to me and steal my techniques . Thanks to that, I guess my eyes got good at spotting them, the people like you whoe up here hiding their job . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, well, impressive . ¡±

    ¡°Spare thepliments . So, what did youe here for anyway?¡±

    ¡°¡­I wanted to see how skilled this town¡¯s cksmiths were . I wanted to know if there were techniques I didn¡¯t know, but I didn¡¯t n to steal anything . ¡±

    Shin realized that it would be useless to try to pull the wool over Vulcan¡¯s eyes, so he stated his purpose with total honesty .

    Techniques were always the fruit of long processes of trial and error . Shin had decided that he would never try to steal such a thing . He could tell a number of things from looking at the finished product, but couldn¡¯t steal a technique with just that . He had nned to negotiate to achieve that, if possible .

    ¡°Who the hell are you, anyway?¡±

    ¡°Like you said, I¡¯m a cksmith . It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not familiar with recent smithing techniques, so I wanted to ask about it . ¡±

    Vulcan seemed to be slightly confused, and Shin started to feel doubtful too . Trying to test their skill had been a bad approach, maybe, so he started to feel concerned .

    ¡°Recent smithing techniques, huh . You talk like a long-living species . ¡±

    ¡°Do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Thedy over there is an Elf, but you¡¯re just a Human, right? You look just a bit over 20 . Even if you were holed up in a smithy since you were a brat, you couldn¡¯t have a presence of fire this strong, nor smell like iron like this, you¡­you can even forge Legend, no, Mythology grade weapons, can¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Grandpa!? What are you saying!?¡±

    The young man couldn¡¯t help reacting to Vulcan¡¯s question . He was his grandson, apparently .

    ¡°Did your trained eyes tell you that too?¡±

    ¡°No, this is a special skill of mine . cksmiths gain a particr presence from the furnace and materials they use . The stronger their furnace, the stronger fire presence they have . If they use high grade or rare materials, they smell different than iron or steel . Of course, without sufficient skill no one can have that presence or smell . Yours is a lot stronger, much more powerful than even the chief I used to work for . Makes me almost doubt my instincts . ¡±

    Sweat streamed down Vulcan¡¯s cheeks, but it wasn¡¯t because of the heating from the furnace room .

    ¡°I must say that I¡¯m really surprised . How did you acquire such a skill?¡±

    ¡°This is just what my senses tell me . I¡¯m proud to say that it never failed me, though . So, what do you say? Not that I want to force you to talk . ¡±

    ¡°No, I was the one that tested you after all . It is true that my skills are something that shouldn¡¯t be revealed openly, I think . But that¡¯s only what my master told me, I really don¡¯t know about modern techniques . My master was from the old generation¡­how can I say it, he was something like a hermit . ¡±

    It would be troublesome to reveal that he was a High Human, so Shin exined that he had learned his skills under a master . Hispanion, Schnee, was from a long-living species, so it was a bit more convincing .

    ¡°I see, a long-living master from the old generation¡­they probably knew heaps of lost techniques we have no idea of . If you were his disciple, well I guess that exins it all . ¡±

    Vulcan didn¡¯t seem fully convinced, but since he had just made it up, Shinughed sheepishly, acting as if he couldn¡¯t say anymore .

    ¡°¡­fine, I¡¯ll show you how I forge . But in exchange, you¡¯ll do the same too, deal?¡±

    ¡°Grand¡ªI mean boss! Is this really okay!? I know that your senses are sharp, but you¡¯ve just met this man!¡±

    The young man had listened quietly to Vulcan and Shin¡¯s conversation, but finally interrupted . Things had been proceeding really quickly, so Shin was also wondering if it was really all right, a suspicion that turned out to be correct .

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, Vaal . It frustrates me to no end to say this, but the skills this man learned make mine look like child¡¯s y . Don¡¯t tell me that you haven¡¯t realized it after looking at those weapons . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­right, but¡­¡±

    Vulcan clearly stated that looking at a weapon was enough to learn of the skills of its creator . The young man, Vaal, had no objections about that point, but was perplexed about the situation .

    ¡°Well, we n to stay in town for a while, so you don¡¯t have to decide right away¡­¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t do that . With the union as it is now, even if they see these weapons, not all of them will understand what I said . They¡¯re always boasting that their mission is to improve Dwarf techniques and technology, but there are always the types that get lost in faction quarreling . I don¡¯t want those in the way . ¡±

    Dwarves too had their own circumstances .

    Shin remembered that the union was an organization for the sharing of techniques and technology, created by Dwarves instead of forming a country . Dwarves were normally solely focused on improving creation-type skills, but in an organization, authority and position always came into y .

    ¡°But boss, if you show your skills without permission, we might be in trouble . ¡±

    ¡°Just shut up and we¡¯ll be fine . ¡±

    ¡°No way!? You want to make me into an aplice??¡±

    If it was for the sake of learning new techniques, Vulcan didn¡¯t give a hoot about the union¡¯s rules . It seemed like he thought that Shin would not cause trouble, but as a union member, it was a problem nheless .

    ¡°You say that, but you want to see too, don¡¯t you? How a man that can forge weapons like these actually tempers the iron?¡±

    ¡°That¡­that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Vaal looked away, very clearly conflicted because of Vulcan¡¯s question . He still red at the very eager Vulcan, but he actually shared the same desire .

    ¡°So what are you going to do? This sort of chance won¡¯te twice, you know?¡±

    ¡°Nnh¡­nngh¡­ . ¡±

    Vaal grimaced, as if fighting against something . Vulcan kept pressing on, grinning widely . Shin, on the other hand, stepped away from them .

    ¡°¡­okay . Today he¡­er¡­¡±

    ¡°The name¡¯s Shin . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much . Today, Mr . Shin never came here . Let¡¯s put it like that . ¡±

    Vaal finally surrendered . Between unknown techniques and the union¡¯s rules, the curiosity towards the unknown won .

    ¡°Is this okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes . As boss said before, he was assistant to the Dwarves¡¯ chief before . If he says that this was an exchange of techniques aimed to improve Dwarven technology, things will be settled somehow . Fortunately, you too are a cksmith, Mr . Shin, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for such an exchange to be held . ¡±

    Vaal looked a bit concerned still, but Shin was very eager to see Vulcan¡¯s skills, so he pretended not to notice .

    After Vaal agreed, things proceeded even quicker . Vulcan would show his technique first, then it would be Shin¡¯s turn .

    ¡°It may be toote to ask, but is this really fine? It seems like you agreed so fast¡­¡±

    Vaal talked to Schnee, who was smiling behind Shin . He was involved too, so he felt a bit ufortable .

    He had frozen for a moment when he saw Schnee, but thinking that she had to be connected to Shin, he didn¡¯t get strange ideas about her .

    ¡°When Shin seeks new techniques, it¡¯s always for our sake . I have nothing to say . ¡±

    ¡°Is, is that so . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s reply radiated trust . It couldn¡¯t be helped that Vaal felt a little envious .

    ¡°Sorry, Schnee . Please wait a bit . ¡±

    ¡°I know that it¡¯s like a sickness you have . I¡¯ll wait, don¡¯t worry . ¡±

    Shin apologized profusely, but Schnee simply looked at him as if she was thinking ¡°he just can¡¯t help it¡± . She sat down on a chair Vaal took out for her, opened a book with a blue cover and put on sses with a red rim . The book, ¡ºBook Maker¡», automatically searched for the story that the holder desired and disyed it; the sses, an item called¡ºThe Eyes¡», were a support essory .

    ¡°Schnee with sses¡­not bad . ¡±

    Shin let thisment slip when he saw Schnee take out items to pass the time . Just putting on a pair of sses gave the wearer an intellectual atmosphere; it was a mystery . Another reason was probably that Schnee usually did not wear sses .

    ¡°Stop being silly and get this over with quickly!¡±

    Schnee pushed Shin in the corridor to the furnace room, to hide her blushing face . When the cksmiths disappeared in the shadows of the corridor, she said to herself ¡°maybe changing my look once in a while would be nice¡­¡± as she tried to cool down her flushed cheeks, unaware that Shin heard that all too well .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 13 Chapter 2.4: Chapter 2 Part 4

    ¡°Right, I¡¯m starting then.¡±

    Once they arrived in the smithy, the men¡¯s atmospherepletely changed.

    Shin, Vulcan, and Vaal all fell intoplete silence. They looked like different people than when they talked with Schnee moments ago.

    ¡°The furnace and iron are ready.¡±

    Vaal, who was checking the fire burning inside, spoke to Vulcan.

    Even in the game, without skills cksmithing was pretty much the same as real life. Materials, forging techniques, and goals changed, but tools and equipment were by andrge the same.

    Furnace functions, however, varied very much. Tsuki no Hokora¡¯s furnace would imbue magic into the iron it produced automatically, so even just tempering metal could create high level weapons.

    Vulcan¡¯s furnace was a special type, close to what Shin had in Tsuki no Hokora. The iron it produced was of high purity and was imbued with magic.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start now.¡±

    After saying this, Vulcan grabbed the iron with tongs and heated it up. His hammer was specially made: every time he swung it down, sparks and magic power danced in the surroundings.

    Vulcan also possessed the cksmithing skill: just like Shin, he was really quick with his hands. That speed was probably what made it possible for them to ept orders for new items on top of repair and maintenance requests. Of course, each request was handled with maximum care.

    Until now, it was all work that Shin was already familiar with.

    ¡°Start.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    When the de shaping process started, Vaal joined Vulcan in tempering the iron. As Vulcan and Vaal swung their hammers, the magic power imbued in the de changed little by little. They both tempered the metal by pouring their magic into the hammer.

    Pouring magic inside tools was something that Shin did as well, butpared to when Vulcan was doing it alone, the de¡¯s strength and magic power were higher now. It was like the two cksmith¡¯s magic power resonated, forming something greater than the sum of their powers.

    (Their magic powers are ovepping? You couldn¡¯t ever figure this out if you worked alone.)

    Shin didn¡¯t know how it exactly worked, but he understood how their magic powers interacted with each other. Based on his experience, he felt that their magic was far too attuned when swinging their hammers: the tools themselves must have had some special trick, or so Shin guessed.

    (They make their magic ovep and createyers, huh. What effect could this have?)

    Looking at the two cksmiths work, Shin wondered what effects it could lead to. He imagined it would increase the weapon¡¯s sturdiness or sharpness. Another possibility was, in case of magic swords, an increased rate of magic-rted effects even without being attached with particr skills.

    While thinking about the possible effects, Shin also wondered whether he could use this technique himself. He had never seen this technique before, so he wanted to make use of it somehow. A method to use this new technique to reinforce weapons was already beginning to form in Shin¡¯s head.

    ¡°Phew¡­we¡¯re done.¡±

    One hour had passed since they started working. From inserting the iron in the furnace to sharpening the weapon, the process was nowplete. From a purely cksmithing viewpoint, it was an unfathomable speed. For a skill or art user, however, it was nothing but normal.

    ¡°So, did you see anything you didn¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was a very educating experience.¡±

    The finished product was the middle Legend-grade ¡ºLong Sword¡». It was a basic item that all sword users in the game had wielded at least once. Vulcan had probably chosen it on purpose: a basic shape could show differences more clearly.

    Shin examined it more closely and, as he had expected, noticed that sturdiness and sharpness were higher than if magic power had been poured into it normally.

    ¡°So it¡¯s my turn next.¡±

    Shin was exceptionally allowed to use the workshop¡¯s tools, but prepared his own hammer. It did not have any special effects, but it had been specially forged by Shin himself.

    He grabbed the metal with tongs, heated it, and struck it. He repeated the process and struck again.

    The process itself was the same as what Vulcan and Vaal did, but there was one clear difference: Shin was hitting the metal with his hammer, and nothing more. He changed the striking point a bit, but there was a phenomenon happening that such actions could not exin.

    ¡°What the¡­the iron is changing shape all by itself¡­¡±

    ¡°Grandpa, I can¡¯t believe my eyes¡­¡±

    Every time Shin swung his hammer, the metal progressively changed its shape into a sword. What shocked Vulcan and Vaal was that spots that Shin did not strike changed shape too. It was a mysterious sight, as if the iron was changing shape on its own ord. The same thing happened when Shin showed his techniques to Kanezuka Araki in Hinomoto: no cksmith worth his salt could miss such a phenomenon.

    ¡°It¡¯splete.¡±

    Shin stated that the weapon wasplete, before even touching the whetting stone. Normally, it was impossible for a weapon to beplete before sharpening, but the sword Shin was holding looked as sharp as if it was whetted by a master of the craft.

    What Shin forged was a higher Legend-grade ¡ºLong Sword¡».

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±

    Vulcan and Vaal must have heard Shin, but showed no response. What they just saw must have been just that shocking.

    ¡°Er, would you like to have a closer look?¡±

    ¡°Damn right!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Vulcan and Vaal shouted their replies to Shin¡¯s question together. They seemed extremely excited, but handled the sword as if it was a very fragile treasure.

    ¡°I never saw him temper the tip, but the shape is well done¡­did the iron change shape by itself, because of magic? That would exin the bnce¡­¡±

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t exin the de¡¯s edge, though. It can get sharp to a degree even without whetting it, but this? This is the work of a master artisan¡­¡±

    A heated debate started, with Shin¡¯s ¡ºLong Sword¡» at its center. Vaal seemed to be well trained enough to be allowed to temper alongside his master: the debate evolved to technical analysis quickly.

    ¡°Nngh¡­sir Shin¡­could it be possible for you to leave this piece with us?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, but with the grade what it is¡­¡±

    For Shin it was just a ¡ºLong Sword¡» without much importance, but for the people of this world it was a national treasure level item. He had been living in this world for a while now, so he had be familiar with the circumstances concerning such topics.

    Vulcan probably had no such intentions, but Shin couldn¡¯t just give away an almost Mythology-grade weapon without thinking carefully.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right¡­but from just this one de, we could learn so much¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°This is packed with unknown techniques. It¡¯s not like those weapons found in dungeons or ruins, which we don¡¯t know who made them or how they made it. This has been made by a person, with my furnace and iron. It¡¯s a lot more valuable than some powerful, and nothing else, national treasure. No way you could leave it here¡­kkh, I know, I understand it in my head, but¡­¡±

    Shin nned to refuse because it was too powerful, but Vulcan¡¯s words made him understand the true importance of the sword. Vulcan and Vaal had also witnessed the process behind its creation: even if they couldn¡¯t understand itpletely, it was still a lot better than not seeing anything at all.

    ¡°Sir Shin, you are an adventurer, yes? Could you grant us your teachings, even just while you stay here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m already teaching some students at the institute, I just don¡¯t have the time¡­¡±

    If he started being involved here too, his free time would disappear. Having too much of it wouldn¡¯t be good, but being too busy would be worse.

    He had epted to act as instructor for Lecus and the others so he could avoid cking off too much, but if he ended up having to give up on spending time with Schnee, he would effectively be defeating his main objective.

    ¡°Teaching? Were you hired by the institute?¡±

    ¡°Just as a front. I agreed to give some students battle training, just until myrades arrive here.¡±

    ¡°If you can handle weapons like these, you have to be quite the fighter yourself, but¡­that youngdy is a quick worker, isn¡¯t she¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know Hmee?¡±

    ¡°I sure do, I¡¯m the one that does maintenance on her partner, Masakado¡¯s sword, after all.¡±

    Shin was surprised, but understood how they were connected.

    The dwarf chief Vulcan acted as counselor for what could bepared to a king: someone directly under someone in this position was definitely skilled.

    If Masakado still used the weapon he had when he died, it was a middle Legend-grade broadsword, something an average cksmith and furnace could never hope to handle.

    ¡°Hmm, what a shame, what a shame¡­¡±

    ¡°Boss, I understand your feelings, but we can¡¯t trouble him anymore¡­¡±

    ¡°Nngh¡­!!!¡±

    Looking at the mumbling Vulcan, Shin was reminded of Barbatos¡¯ shipwright, Zigma, and thought that artisans really were the same everywhere.

    cksmiths and shipwrights builtpletely different things, but their passion, personality and feelings were quite simr. If they found new, unknown techniques, they couldn¡¯t help crave to obtain them.

    ¡°In any case, I¡¯m sorry to say that I can¡¯te share my master¡¯s teachings, but I¡¯lle whenever I have the time.¡±

    ¡°Please, you must. I haven¡¯t had this much fun in ages.¡±

    ¡°Boss, don¡¯t push yourself too hard now¡­¡±

    Vaal¡¯s shoulders dropped as he looked at Vulcan¡¯s almost menacing smile. Based on Vulcan¡¯s words and actions until now, Shin realized that he would probably start working right away, maybe even forgoing to eat and sleep.

    ¡°Till next time then.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much for today. I¡¯ll do some trial and error on my own too.¡±

    Shin collected the sword he tempered in exchange for the materials used, waved goodbye to Vaal, and left the workshop. As he noticed while leaving, the smithy¡¯s name was ¡ºAnvil of Steel¡».

    The time was still a bit after noon, so Shin and Schnee had lunch in the restaurant she mentioned wanting to try, then took a walk around town. Maybe because the institute was also a research facility, there were lots of shops selling monster materials, minerals, various kinds of catalysts, and much more. The guild also had facilities both in the institute¡¯s district and the district where the king supposedly resided.

    ¡°The atmosphere sure changes from street to street.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, they are really divided neatly into categories. If simr shops are grouped together, it¡¯s surely more convenient for everyone too.¡±

    If you wanted something, you just had to go to the area where they sold it, or so Shin figured. Vulcan¡¯s workshop too was located in a street that could be called ¡°weapon store avenue¡±.

    ¡°There are still ces we haven¡¯t seen, but let¡¯s call it a day. No need to see it all in one day.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s save it for another day.¡±

    There was still some time before Filma and the others could arrive. It would be different if they were moving at max speed, but they were going at a leisurely pace, enjoying the trip.

    Shin and Schnee still had plenty of time to spend together, so there was no need to hurry.

    They walked back to the hotel, enjoyed dinner, spent the evening together, then went to bed.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Shin made sure Schnee was asleep, then quietly went outside. His objective was just outside Erkunt¡¯s castle walls.

    Using ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to make sure no one saw him, he materialized Tsuki no Hokora.

    ¡°Here we go¡­¡±

    Shin had taken out Magic Steel and iron imbued with magic power. Holding them in ce with tongs, he swung his hammer. He held nothing back this time, so the Magic Steel started changing shape quickly, turning into a ¡ºLong Sword¡».

    Shin ced it on a piece of cloth and examined it. Differently from the one he forged before, the magic power imbued in the de was irregr, thicker and thinner in ces.

    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s how the first time goes.¡±

    Shin had tried imitating Vulcan¡¯s technique. As he was forging by himself, he couldn¡¯t use it the same way, but he thought that he could adapt it in his own style.

    Things didn¡¯t go smoothly right away, naturally; the ¡ºLong Sword¡» he tempered was simply of lesser quality than the usual.

    ¡°To makeyers of magic power, I guess doing it with another person is necessary¡­?¡±

    Shin continued striking the iron while doing trial and error.

    In the empty smithy, only Shin talking to himself and the sound of struck iron could be heard.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 13 Chapter 2.5: Chapter 2 Part 5

    ¡°Good morning, time to get up . ¡±

    A clear, gentle voice caressed Shin¡¯s ears . Usually, he would wake up promptly with just this sound, but today Shin was heavily afflicted with sleep . Recently, he often ended up falling asleep again after waking up the first time .

    ¡°Just five more¡­no, 10 more minutes¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare breakfast ande again in 15 minutes . But if you won¡¯t wake up then, you¡¯re skipping it . ¡±

    The words he received in reply seemed kind, but they actually contained a very firm warning, which Shin clearly noticed . Before, he had overslept for five minutes and really gone without breakfast .

    The reason behind his need to rest was simple: every night he would sneak out of the hotel and work hard in the smithy . He kept it a secret from Schnee because he wanted to surprise her with something after he learned the new technique .

    ¡°Morning¡­¡±

    Shin was suppressing a yawn as he sat down at the table . Thanks to his high stats, even with a severeck of sleep, the only disadvantage was a slight drowsiness in the morning .

    After the meal, Shin was sipping tea on the sofa, thinking of a training menu for Lecus and the others, when Schnee came up from behind and put her hands on his shoulders .

    ¡°Shin, there is something you have to tell me, yes?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Not really¡­¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s tone changed . Shin reacted instinctively and tried to stand up, but Schnee was faster . Her grip on his shoulders became stronger and kept him from standing up, moving to hold his neck .

    ¡°Aah¡­er, you see¡­¡±

    His back to the sofa, Shin couldn¡¯t escape if Schnee held him from behind . Because of the sofa¡¯s size, in that position Shin¡¯s head would inevitably rest against Schnee¡¯s bosom .

    From a third party¡¯s perspective, it looked like Schnee was holding Shin¡¯s head . She was just wearing a thin shirt, so Shin¡¯s head was enveloped in the soft sensation of Schnee¡¯s mounds . He even ended up thinking that it wasn¡¯t so bad a situation to be in .

    ¡°No secrets, we¡¯ve talked about this before, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­okay, okay, you win . ¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t make any objections to that .

    Because of her skills and main job, Schnee was very sensitive to the presence of others . She had probably noticed Shin¡¯s nightly outings very soon .

    ¡°You probably know already, but every night I go to the smithy to practice a new technique . I saw Vulcan use it the other time, and realized that I can still improve . ¡±

    After repeated trial and error, Shin¡¯s technique was still an imitation, but it had started to take shape . His cksmithing skill was helping his attempts . If not, it would be impossible to imitate techniques so easily .

    ¡°Shin, I won¡¯t tell you not to push yourself too hard . I know that when you do, it¡¯s always for someone else¡¯s sake . This time too, it¡¯s for me¡­no, for us, right?¡±

    If Shin¡¯s cksmithing skills improved, he could reinforce their weapons and armor further . In this world there existed monsters that not even Shin and Schnee could match, so Shin did not want to miss any opportunity to reinforce their gear .

    He wanted to do so as soon as possible, to lessen any risks as much as he could . Ever since Shin arrived in this world, Schnee¡¯s equipment was much stronger than it had been in-game .

    ¡°I am happy that you are thinking about us . But in that case, let me assist you too . Maybe I can¡¯t do anything, but I don¡¯t want you to bear the burden alone . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s embrace grew stronger . He couldn¡¯t see her expression, but her voice was enough to understand how she felt .

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for making you worry . Actually, I was thinking that it would be a lot better if you could help me . But, you know¡­¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t want to stubbornly hide the truth, but there was a reason why he preferred to .

    ¡°Is there a reason why you can¡¯t tell me?¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah . Honestly speaking, I wanted to keep it a surprise, a present . ¡±

    ¡°A present¡­ . ? Wah!¡±

    The topic shifted from reinforcing gear in an unexpected direction, so Schnee was confused . Shin felt her grip loosen and he drew her closer to him, without letting her finish .

    With a perfectly useless show of skills, Shin made her spin in midair and sat her on hisp . It looked just like Schnee had jumped over the sofa to sit on top of him .

    ¡°Er, what¡­?¡±

    Schnee could have fought back if she wanted, but since her ¡®opponent¡¯ was Shin, she leaned on him . She was still confused, but she buried her face in his chest .

    ¡°I mean that, what I¡¯m trying to create is not equipment, but something else . ¡±

    ¡°Something else?¡±

    ¡°Yes . After defeating the evil deity, well, I confessed, right? You said okay, right? So we¡¯re like, husband and wife now . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course . ¡±

    Shin was rather embarrassed to say the words ¡°husband and wife¡±, but Schnee replied with a smile beaming with happiness . He coughed a little, then started talking again while looking straight into her eyes .

    ¡°So¡­you know? It¡¯s not like I want to prove it, but¡­I¡¯m thinking of making wedding rings . Since I¡¯m at it, I wanted to properly learn this new technique first . After I craft the rings, I want to enhance them with as many buffs as possible .

    ¡°Wedding¡­rings¡­!? ¡­¡­!? Let¡¯s make them!! We must!!!¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t seem to understand right away, but as soon as she did, she grabbed Shin¡¯spel and stared at him, her eyes sparkling .

    ¡°Y-yeah, sure . So please give me a hand . ¡±

    ¡°Of course!! Leave it to me!!¡±

    Schnee never looked so eager . Thanks to her assistance, Shin¡¯s understanding of Vulcan¡¯s technique progressed rapidly too . Because of this, it couldn¡¯t be helped that Shin started wondering if Schnee was blessed with a natural talent for cksmithing too .

 Vol 13 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    ¡°We¡¯re starting to see results of your training, and you¡¯ve gotten better at fighting together too . I think it¡¯s time for a trip to the dungeon . ¡±

    Almost two weeks had passed since Shin began training Lecus¡¯ party . Thanks to training with Shin as an opponent, they had been able to give it their all without reserves, so they had already improved a lot . The dungeon¡¯s inspection had concluded too, so Shin decided that it was about time to go .

    ¡°By the way, how far have you been in the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°The deepest part, floor 200 . Rare monsters appeared and took residence there . We challenged them, but there were just too many, so we retreated before they overwhelmed us . Because of those monsters, no one has gone beyond floor 200 . ¡±

    Among the monsters that spawned in dungeons there were also rare ones that dropped valuable items and equipment . They appeared in a few spots, and it was not easy to encounter them, but as all yers knew, if you found them you had to take them down .

    Rare monsters, however, had higher stats and levels than normal ones: sometimes even superior versions of the regr monsters appeared . Such monsters appeared ignoring any and all ¡°suggested levels¡± for the dungeon, naturally, so sometimes the situation would reverse, with the yers bing monster prey .

    Shin recalled that rare encounters seldom happened in training dungeons, but the possibility was still not zero, so he simply thought it wasn¡¯t such a strange urrence .

    ¡°It¡¯s arge mob of enemies, I see . Do you know the monsters¡¯ names?¡±

    ¡°As far as I could tell, there were Mob Ant Soldiers, Knights, Searchers and Archers . I think there were others in the back too, but I couldn¡¯t identify them . ¡±

    Among all insect type monsters, ant and bee types were known for theirrge numbers . Hearing this, however, Shin had a bad feeling about the situation .

    ¡°I see, the typicalrge mob monster, that¡¯s for sure . Those aren¡¯t rare monsters, though, so the ones in the back must be . How did all the Mob Ants look?¡±

    ¡°Well, they were much stronger than the Mob Ants we were familiar with . Both attack and defense power were far higher than normal . Even the Searchers, who aren¡¯t supposed to be strong, withstood Myu and Gian¡¯s attacks, and retaliated . ¡±

    ¡°They were that different? Even if there were Queens or Commanders around, you guys should be strong enough to take out most ant-type monsters in one blow, though . ¡±

    The monsters Shin mentioned had the ability to boost the abilities of Ant-type monsters under theirmand . Commanders could boost their subordinates¡¯ abilities more, but Queens had the ability to increase their numbers .

    Mob Ants, however, were the lowest rung of Ant-type monsters . Unless there was an immense quantity of them, Lecus¡¯ party should hardly have difficulty defeating them .

    ¡°Any other particr details?¡±

    ¡°No, not that I remember¡­what about you, Myu? Gian?¡±

    ¡°¡­no, I can¡¯t recall anything special . ¡±

    ¡°Me neither¡­but! I remember something weird when I fought them!¡±

    Myu continued exining the source of her weird feeling .

    ¡°Some of them felt different than the others . Their fangs and features were sharper, like they had more thorns too¡­¡±

    When Mob Ant Soldiers were attacked, some had their carapace split open, while others just suffered some cracks, or so Myu said .

    Myu¡¯s ¡¾Analysis¡¿ was not as thorough as Shin¡¯s, of course, so she couldn¡¯t see the monsters¡¯ characteristics in detail, but even so she clearly stated that there weren¡¯trge differences between each monster¡¯s level .

    ¡°A difference in strength despite no difference in level¡­I can¡¯t say it¡¯s impossible, but what Myu said about what happened after attacking bothers me . ¡±

    One blow from Myu should suffice to defeat any monster up to level 200 . Monsters without carapace or armor would be blown away too .

    Monsters in training dungeons had levels corresponding to the floors they were in: while there might be some variations, the max level in this dungeon would be 200 .

    Based on Shin¡¯s experience, there had to be at least a 100 level difference between the monsters who had their carapaces split apart and the ones who just had it crack . For Myu and the others, it was a pretty important gap .

    ¡°They can boost their allies¡¯ stats, so¡­there might be Commanders . ¡±

    There was the possibility of rare versions of Mob Ant Commanders, which had the ability to buff their allies, to have appeared .

    Some rare monsters sometimes gained unique abilities, at the expense of reduced statspared to their regr counterparts .

    ¡°By the way, why is the institute not doing anything about them? Won¡¯t people start doubting they can properly manage the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°If the monsters turn out to be impossible for us to ovee, a teacher from the battle department is dispatched . In cases like this, they just monitor the situation for at least six months . ¡±

    They could afford to not do anything about the monsters for such a long time thanks to the status being a training type one . Fighting monsters different than the regr ones would be beneficial for the students: rare monsters too, were part of the subjects taught in the institute .

    ¡°I see . Well, let¡¯s go fight in a floor a bit higher, for starters . If there aren¡¯t any problems, let¡¯s take a crack at them . ¡±

    If the ¡°test¡± battle didn¡¯t seem to go anywhere, they¡¯d just retreat . Shin thought that he could help them that much .

    ¡°Hehehe¡­we¡¯re not the same anymore! Time for revenge!¡±

    ¡°Sure, if we have to run away again, we¡¯ll be faster too . ¡±

    ¡°Come on, Gian! Don¡¯t say stuff like that!¡±

    Myu, feeling the improvements from their training, very eagerly punched and kicked the air . Gian dampened her enthusiasms with a sarcastic remark, so she pouted back at him .

    ¡°Come on, you two, you¡¯ll be left behind at this rate . ¡±

    Prodded by Lecus, Myu and Gian followed behind Shin and Schnee .

    ¡°Hm? You are¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your assistancest time . We have proper permission today . ¡±

    ¡°Who would think we¡¯d meet again like this . I heard about it already, just write your names here . ¡±

    At the entrance of the training dungeon, Shin found a man he had met before: the security guard Bermann, whom they had met when they were first transported into the training dungeon .

    This time, Shin and Schnee¡¯s identities were verified, so there was no room for suspicion . Lecus and the others also knew him, so his demeanor was more rxed .

    Shin and Schnee had limited ess to the institute¡¯s facilities, so it was only their second time meeting Bermann .

    The training dungeon was located at the edge of the institute¡¯s grounds, so even if Shin walked around the institute, they would probably never meet .

    ¡°You won¡¯t die inside this dungeon, but let me say this all the same . Make sure you stay on your toes!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    This wasn¡¯t probably the first time they had this exchange . Gian, Myu and Lecus answered Bermann in unison .

    Shin and Schnee nodded to Bermann, then entered the dungeon . In training dungeons, you could teleport directly to floors you had already visited as soon as you entered .

    Shin judged it too rushed to go straight to floor 200, so he decided to start from five floors above, floor 195, which looked just like an average cave, the same where Shin and Schnee were first transported to .

    ¡°By the way, those Red Caps were a lot more than the usual too . What was that about?¡±

    ¡°Er, well, that¡­¡±

    ¡°That bimbo over there opened a chest without paying attention and triggered a monster house . ¡±

    ¡°Aaah!! You didn¡¯t have to say it!!¡±

    Chests in dungeons are often armed with booby traps . Disarming them would allow the explorers to obtain the contents, but if they failed they would trigger the trap, which was more dangerous the more valuable the chest¡¯s contents were .

    As far as Shin could remember, in training dungeons it was possible to tell if the chests were armed with traps even without trap disarming skills .

    If what Gian said was true, Myu had probably opened the chest without watching for the trap, thinking that things would somehow turn out okay .

    ¡°If this wasn¡¯t a training dungeon, you might have all died, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I¡¯ll be more careful¡­¡±

    Myu was aware that she had messed up, so she answered feebly to Shin¡¯s rebuke . She seemed to understand her mistake, so Shin didn¡¯t say anything else . Honestly epting a scolding, without rebelling or talking back, was one of Myu¡¯s good points .

    Her movements wererger than usual, probably because there were no monsters around . Among the three, Myu had the highest detection skill .

    ¡°Is this floor always like this? The floor we were transported to had more monsters, if I recall . ¡±

    Shin mentioned this as he could not pick up any monster presences in the dungeon . This continued in the 195th and 196th floors too, which was clearly unnatural .

    ¡°It¡¯s the first time for us too . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, like Gian said, it has never happened to not encounter even one monster like this . ¡±

    Lecus and the others, who used this training dungeon daily, found the situation bizarre too .

    ¡°Mngh!! Monster presence detected!¡±

    Finally, on floor 197 they picked up a monster presence . Myu, who had the highest detection skills of the three, pointed in a direction in the cave . She didn¡¯t know what kind of monster it was, so she quietly called for the others¡¯ attention .

    Myu, Lecus and Gian would mainly engage in fighting . Shin and Schnee would assist them in case of an emergency and look for ways for the students to improve their battle abilities .

    ¡°It¡¯sing!¡±

    A few seconds after Myu¡¯s warning, a one-mel tall Mob Ant Searcher appeared in the corridor .

    Mob Ants were the lowest level of ant-type monsters . They looked like normal ants, justrger, with thicker antennae . Their major characteristics were shells with high defense and durability and the ability to summon their brethren if the fighting continued for a long time .

    ¡°It¡¯s different from before¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it didn¡¯t have a pattern like that on the shell . ¡±

    ¡°Maybe the monsters below came up . Mr . Shin, Ms . Yuki, I think that is one of the monsters rted to the rare ones . What should we do?¡±

    Shin first used ¡¾Analyze¡¿ on the Mob Ant Searcher, to find out what level it was, but the disyed name was different than what Shin expected .

    ¡¾Mob Ant ¨C Avarice   Level 206¡¿

    ¡°Avarice?¡±

    The monster looked like a Searcher, but the patterns on its shell and the disyed name suggested it was a different monster . The patterns were red lines running all over the monster¡¯s body, like the tribal markings native Americans or shamans would use, or so was the impression Shin had .

    ¡°The monster changed? This and theck of monsters above are giving me a nasty feeling . ¡±

    Things were taking a turn for the worse, without anyone realizing it: so Shin felt when he saw the Mob Ant ¨C Avarice .

    Lecus and the others wanted to fight, but the name change concerned Shin, so he decided to fight first . He told the kids to stand back and watch, then stepped in closer to the monster . A sh of ¡ºKakura¡» and the monster was cleaved in two,pletely cut down .

    The Mob Ants in the back too were defeated in quick session .

    For Shin, the Mob Ant ¨C Avarice was just like any other small fry monster: maybe because he remembered what Myu said, though, he thought that their shell was a bit harder than normal .

    ¡°What the¡­?¡±

    What surprised Shin¡¯s group the most, however, was what happened after the monsters were neutralized . Monsters inside dungeons normally never left their remains behind . The Mob Ants¡¯ corpses, however, showed no signs of disappearing .

    After a few moments of observation, Shin noticed that the Mob Ants¡¯ remains started vibrating .

    ¡°Parts of the corpses still have HP?¡±

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, the shaking monster parts all showed to have HP, which meant that they were still alive . It was bizarre, however, for the scattered corpse parts to each have HP left .

    Insect-type monsters could sometimes survive even if their torso was cut off, but there was no way that just one of their legs was programmed to have an HP bar .

    ¡°Mr . Shin, please look at that!¡±

    Shin was trying to make sense of the situation, when Lecus¡¯ voice, indicating surprise, reached his ears .

    ¡°¡­I see, so that¡¯s why even a single leg has separate HP . ¡±

    The corpse Lecus pointed at melted in a puddle and formed a Mob Ant . Its shell had the same patterns as the Mob Ant had before being defeated .

    The only difference was the size: maybe because it was born from part of the original monster¡¯s body, just one leg too, it was just about 30 cemel long .

    However, in ce of one Mob Ant, now 10 of them, of various sizes, had appeared . If they had different sizes, but shared the same strength, they would be quite a menace .

    ¡°Even if they¡¯re defeated, their corpsese back to life? This doesn¡¯t make sense . ¡±

    ¡°Could they increase in numbers the more they¡¯re defeated?¡±

    ¡°Could be . ¡±

    Looking at the Mob Ants increasing in quantity, Lecus and the others retained their will to fight but were very confused . They had experienced Shin¡¯s strength directly, so it was shocking to see that the monsters were not defeated by his attack .

    ¡°It¡¯s still too early to get nervous . Luckily, there are still few of them . Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s an effective way of defeating them . ¡±

    In contrast, Shin¡¯s tone was calm .

    ¡°But won¡¯t they just increase more?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll test that too . To what size they change, if there¡¯s a limit to the times they can change, what happens if we burn or freeze them with magic, there¡¯s still plenty of things we can try . We won¡¯t get overwhelmed by numbers just yet, so it¡¯s our best chance to find out how to fight them . ¡±

    Shin grinned to show his confidence, and Lecus¡¯ party calmed down a bit . They looked at the Mob Ants: in terms of individual fighting strength, Shin¡¯s party was definitely superior, so as long they were careful of the enemy numbers, they would still be okay .

    ¡°First, the size . Let¡¯s see if they cane back even if they get turned to pinky size . After that, we¡¯ll burn them up and freeze them with magic, bury them, shatter them, see if anything changes . When you find unknown monsters, never charge in without a n . ¡±

    With stats like Shin¡¯s, it would be different, but the basic irond rule was to never push oneself too far and to test which attacks or elements were the most effective .

    Too many yers had been punished harshly for just charging in the enemies¡¯ ranks .

    ¡°Here we go!!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it . ¡±

    ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t get in Mr . Shin and Ms . Yuki¡¯s way . ¡±

    Following Shin¡¯s orders, Lecus¡¯ party attacked the smaller Mob Ants: Myu with punches and kicks, Gian with shes, Lecus with lightning attacks .

    Lecus¡¯ magic was the most effective, followed by Myu¡¯s blows . Thrusts and shes like Gian¡¯s were not every effective against monsters with shells or carapace: it depended on the user and the weapon¡¯s rank too, but yers normally defeated such enemies by breaking down their armor first .

    ¡°Magic slows them down, but apart from that, it¡¯s the same as before . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go around crushing ants, so we can see if there¡¯s limit to how many times they came back . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way, I guess . I¡¯ll make sure none escape . ¡±

    Shin watched the students, deciding what strategy each of them would take, nodding as he turned the Mob Ants to cinders . Most insect-type monsters were weak to fire: Mob Ants too were weak to fire in the game .

    Shin tried shooting a ¡¾Fireball¡¿, but there was too much of a level gap between him and the Mob Ants, so he couldn¡¯t tell if it had been effective or its attack power was that high .

    ¡°I guess I should turn the power down a notch . ¡±

    Shin adjusted his ¡¾Limiter¡¿ and magic power control as he continued to burn down the Mob Ants . Even at very low firepower, the effects were present: if they were burned down, the monsters wouldn¡¯te back to life .

    ¡°So fire works, after all . ¡±

    ¡°Freezing them does too, apparently . ¡±

    Schnee added her own information to Shin¡¯s assessment: she had been freezing the ants close to him . If they were frozen till their insides shattered, they would note back to life .

    ¡°Lightning can work too, depending on the power . It¡¯d be harder with wind or earth though, I guess . ¡±

    Wind and earth magic often involved slicing and stabbing, so they would be hardly effective . Magic skills that caused status effects or petrification would work, though .

    ¡°Light and darkness are¡­just as expected . ¡±

    High firepower beam attacks and attacks that made the opponent disappear altogether, typical of light and darkness magic, did not leave physical remains behind, so resurrection was impossible .

    ¡°Looks like they need to retain their original form, at least partly, and their tissue intact to be able to resurrect . ¡±

    After using both physical and magical attacks to test the Mob Ants¡¯ reactions, Schnee made a conclusion . If they used elements in their attacks, Lecus and the others would be able to deal with the Mob Ants as well .

    With ¡¾me Kata ¨C Crimson Lotus¡¿, ¡¾Tri-Edge¡¿ and other skills practiced during Shin¡¯s training, they defeated the ants one after the other .

    The Mob Ants they had initially encountered were not many, so Shin¡¯s group overwhelmed them from start to finish .

    ¡°Wow, I feel so light!!¡±

    Myu expressed her glee at realizing the fruits of her training .

    ¡°Yes, both of you move much better than before, I think . ¡±

    ¡°We got beaten down so many times, of course we¡¯d get better at fighting together . ¡±

    Lecus also seemed to have noticed their progress . Gian¡¯s tone was spiteful, but he seemed happy too .

    Not everyone could move in the same way during training and actual fighting, but there was nothing to worry about with Lecus¡¯ group, apparently .

    ¡°No trouble if this is all we have to expect . The problem is further below . ¡±

    Shin had heard of monsters with ¡°Avarice¡± in their name . He had never heard that they could regenerate from their body parts to increase their numbers, though . Having them roam around a training dungeon was extremely dangerous, he thought .

 Vol 13 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    ¡°Let¡¯s proceed a bit more and check the situation . Depending on what we find, we might have to go back to the Institute and make a report . ¡±

    The training dungeon was different than expected and not normal: this was Shin¡¯s hunch, so he wanted to go on a bit more to see if he was correct, thinking that either he or the Institute would take care of it .

    If he had to make a report to the institute, he needed more information . He regretted not taking a screenshot before . He had barely used that function in the game too, so he engaged in fighting right away . As an instructor for Lecus and the others, it wasn¡¯t a good decision, he told himself .

    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s happening? I never heard of monsters with ¡®Avarice¡¯ in their name . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never fought against Deadly Sin monsters, right Schnee? If I remember well, all monsters under Greed¡¯smand have it in their names . Which means what we¡¯re dealing with here is not just the appearance of rare monsters . ¡±

    For added safety, Shin took the lead and Schnee took the rear, putting Lecus¡¯ party in charge of defense . They were all Chosen Ones, so they wouldn¡¯t be defeated easily .

    ¡°Halt . ¡±

    Shin, who had taken the front, whispered .

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of monster presences up here . I¡¯m talking about triple digits . ¡±

    Shin answered Lecus¡¯ question and thought about what to do . About 200 mel from their position there was a fairlyrge hall, dotted with so many monster icons as to appear dyed in red . Only one of the corridors leading out of the hall showed red, so Shin guessed that it was the way to the floor below .

    Based on what he heard from Lecus and the others about the previous battle, Shin predicted that it was a swarm of ant-type monsters .

    ¡°If those escape from here, things will get nasty fast . Do monsters evere out of this training dungeon?¡±

    ¡°No, not that I know of . If that could happen, they wouldn¡¯t leave it near the institute, not even at its edges like now . ¡±

    ¡°Right . This disaster is just a matter of time though . They could spill out at any moment . ¡±

    Shin agreed with Lecus¡¯ opinion, but knew he couldn¡¯t leave such arge mob of monsters alone . ording to his detection skill, what was happening in the room before them was a prelude to the monsters spilling out of the dungeon .

    In the game era, Shin had experienced such events a number of times . Arge group of monsters gathers in one ce, but they do not fight each other . Just like a balloon pumped with air to its limits, they wait and finally explode out .

    ¡°Should we go back and report?¡±

    ¡°This situation is going to rupture while we do that . Okay then, Lecus, Myu, Gian: you three go back up and tell Bermann what¡¯s going on . From the guards¡¯ post they can probably use a fast horse or an item to contact the institute quickly . ¡±

    ¡°But we can fight too¡­ . sir!¡±

    ¡°No, what we¡¯re going to do is not fighting, but it is more like an extermination . We¡¯ll use magic to annihte them all at once, it¡¯s not going to be one on one . ¡±

    Myu was eager to do battle, but Shin dashed her hopes calmly . He was going to perform a sort of mass ughter via magic . While the opponents were monsters, it wasn¡¯t something he would have liked to show them .

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s go back, Myu . ¡±

    ¡°Gian?¡±

    Gian grabbed Myu¡¯s shoulders and stopped her attempts of getting Shin to let them go with him .

    ¡°We¡¯d just be in the way . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . It would be different if the monster count was just 10 or 20, but there are too many this time . ¡±

    They hadn¡¯t seen the enemies with their own eyes, but none of the students doubted Shin¡¯s words . The time they had spent with him was still short, but they knew that Shin wouldn¡¯t joke or lie in a situation like that .

    ¡°Nnh¡­okay . I¡¯m sorry . ¡±

    Stopped by herpanions, Myu calmed down too . She was a bit reckless, but to not lose her fighting spirit despite knowing about a veryrge swarm of monsters was something positive . If she could learn to make calm decisions, her fearlessness would be a strong point for her in the future .

    ¡°We¡¯lle back up after exterminating the monsters . There¡¯s still the chance of monsters spilling out after we leave this floor, so when youe back down, teleport to a higher floor . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . Please be careful . ¡±

    Shin nodded in response and proceeded deeper in the training dungeon, apanied by Schnee . The monsters they had encountered before were probably a few scout units which had run ahead: there was no trace of monsters in the corridor they were crossing now .

    ¡°This is really something . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost a mystery that they don¡¯te out, even amassed like that . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee, hidden behind a corner of the corridor, peeked into the hall . Inside, various types of Mob Ants crowded together . On the floor, on the walls, on the ceiling, simply everywhere . On the floor, some Mob Ants were even piled one on top of the other, while the Mob Ants on the floor joined legs to form a that acted as anotheryer . On the walls, too, the Mob Ants stacked one on top of the other .

    The various types of Mob Ants present were many, but mostlyposed of lesser variants, such as Searchers, Archers, and Soldiers . Sometimes they saw superior kinds such as Knights or Generals walking on top of the stacked lesser types .

    Shin knew what they looked like, so he could tell which types they were, but all of them had ¡°Avarice¡± in their names .

    ¡°Is Greed plotting something here? Luxuria didn¡¯t say anything though¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe she didn¡¯t notice, or hid it on purpose¡­it¡¯s hard to say . ¡±

    Shin whispered while taking a screenshot and Schnee replied . He doubted that Luxuria was hiding anything . Lust could coexist with people, while Greed could not: there was nothing to gain for them to join their forces .

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s take them down and ponder the situationter . We can¡¯t just leave them alone like this . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, there is no reason to ignore them . ¡±

    The monsters¡¯ numbers were great, but they were so densely packed together that destroying them all at once would be easy . Schnee would seal the exits from the hall to the corridors, while Shin would burn the mob down .

    They couldn¡¯t reach the units in the corridors or beyond them, but if they checked the map and picked up any remaining presences, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to get rid of the Mob Antspletely .

    Thanks to his map and detection skills, an almost cheat-likebination, Shin could tell how many Mob Ants were left on the floor, without any doubt .

    ¡°Let¡¯s do it . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Shin formed a bluish-white me in his palm, about the size of a softball . At the same time, Schnee used ice magic to block the entrances to the hall . The Mob Ants noticed the bizarre phenomenon and tried charging and biting the barrier, but the beautifully transparent ice wall did not budge .

    In a very short time, all the tunnels leading out of the hall had been sealed except for the entrance Shin and Schnee hade from .

    Schnee nced at Shin to give him the signal: he nodded back and pointed the bullet of fire hovering over his palm towards the center of the hall .

    Walls of ice extended from the floor and the ceiling, to seal off their exit . An instant before the barrier was fully formed, Shin let go of the fire bullet, which flew straight towards the middle of the hall .

    Blue and white mes rampaged throughout the hall, turning the Mob Ants into cinders in a matter of seconds . Level and type did not matter . Searchers, Archers, Soldiers, Knights and Generals turned equally into ashes .

    Shin¡¯s magic attack was so powerful that some of the ice barriers blocking the exits started cracking . Even so, they had been created by Schnee: the ice walls fulfilled their sealing duty until the mes died down .

    Shin and Schnee waited for the heat to decrease, then entered the hall . The floor was covered in ash and scorched Mob Ant remains, making it hard to walk . There would be no way to look for items, so Shin used Earth magic to create a path for them to walk along .

    ¡°There¡¯s a few left in the corridors . Guess we¡¯ll have to take them down individually . ¡±

    ¡°Shall we move separately?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s not so many left, besides it still worries me that they were under a Seven Deadly Sin devil¡¯smand¡­let¡¯s not split up . ¡±

    Shin had never faced Greed directly, but he had heard from an acquaintance that while its HP was among the lowest between all the Seven Deadly Sins, its many drain-type skills made it seem like it had much more .

    If its stats were the same as it had in the game, Schnee could easily bring down Greed by herself, but if it had absorbed other Deadly Sin devils, things would be much different . It would be much more powerful and capable of using the abilities of other Seven Deadly Sins, making the battle unpredictable .

    Shin thought that Greed might have been in hiding, waiting for the right opportunity to strike, so he judged it unsafe to act separately .

    Shin and Schnee quickly took care of the remaining Mob Ants: the real problem was the many Mob Ants in the lower floors, which were likely toe up as well . There were still three floors to go before reaching  the location where Lecus and the others said they had spotted the rare monsters .

    ¡°Even if we went back now, they¡¯d petition for our help, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes . It would be fine if there were just rare monsters, but there¡¯s the possibility of Greed, a Deadly Sin like Luxuria, being involved, so Hmee will not rely only on their own fighting strength . ¡±

    Even a former yer like Hmee could not handle a grown Deadly Sin by herself . If it also had other monsters under itsmand, she would need all the help she could get .

    ¡°First of all, let¡¯s proceed while checking if there are any swarms of monsters like the one we encountered just now . If there are just rare monsters on floor 200, the cause could be a different one, so we¡¯ll leave them alone for the moment . If not, we¡¯ll take them down . Well, I seriously doubt the cause behind this will be something other than rare monsters spawning, though . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . If they are nning to do something in this dungeon, we¡¯d better get rid of them quickly . ¡±

    The training dungeon was on the institute grounds, close to a city . It would be a disaster for monsters to break out of it .

    It was probably a coincidence for such a thing to happen while Shin and Schnee were there, but even so, Shin thought they couldn¡¯t ignore the situation . As far as Shin knew, the devil Greed was very belligerent towards people .

    Shin and Schnee continued deeper into the dungeon, wary of their surroundings . Using their detection skills, they filled the map as quickly as possible and proceeded to the floor below .

    On every floor, however, there were no monsters in the corridors, just swarms of them packed inrger areas .

    ¡°In a game, situations like this are clear signs that something¡¯s going on, usually a trap . ¡±

    ¡°But even if you know that, you go on all the same, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course . ¡±

    While rxing a bit with some light banter, Shin and Schnee reached the location where the rare monsters were supposed to be, and found a very different sight .

    ¡°Well, this is pretty amazing . ¡±

    ¡°The monsters in the halls were probably getting ready to wee the Queen . ¡±

    Floor 200 waspletely covered with Mob Ants, up to the entrance . There were Mob Ants all over the floor, walls and ceiling .

    They were not piled on top of each other like in the previous halls, but theypletely covered the corridors, so much that it was rather disgusting to look at .

    Shin¡¯s detection skill showed that, like in the floors above, the Mob Ants were especially amassed in the halls .

    ¡°We can¡¯t just burn them all down this time . ¡±

    ¡°I suppose freezing them would be better . ¡±

    Blowing them up all together presented the risk of blowing away the mastermind behind the incident too, preventing them from knowing who or what caused it .

    Because of this, Schnee, more adept in water-rted magic, stepped forward . She held a hand forward and the corridor before them started turning white . The Mob Ants on the floor, walls and ceiling froze instantly, a crackle-like sound being the sole echo in the corridor .

    A white wave swept through the corridor, as if flooding the dungeon .

    After a while, all sound disappeared from the corridor . The Mob Ants¡¯ screeching noises, the sounds of their ws scratching the walls and ceiling, the dull sound of the Mob Ants bumping into each other, all disappeared .

    ¡°We¡¯ve defeated them all, in the end . ¡±

    ¡°When we were above, I would have never thought that the situation would be this awful on floor 200 . ¡±

    If all they found were just rare monsters, they would leave it to the institute, but they didn¡¯t have the time to deliberate on what was the proper course of action: the monsters were just too many .

    ¡°Just in case, let¡¯s check the final hall, where the boss was supposed to be . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee walked down the corridor lined with Mob Ant ice sculptures . As the corridors were filled with them, they shattered the statues to open a path . Nothing was standing in their way anymore, so they quickly reached the corridor before thergest hall .

    ¡°Amazing, there¡¯s only higher types here . ¡±

    In the hall, frozen still, there were Knights, Generals, Commanders and other advanced kinds of Mob Ants . What attracted the attention most of all was arge monster, protected by Generals .

    It was about 10 timesrger than the Mob Ant Generals, which were already fairlyrgepared to other Mob Ants: the Mob Ant Queen, the mother that gave birth to other Mob Ants .

    As Shin expected, the patterns drawn on her body were moreplex than other Mob Ants .

    ¡°So this is the culprit behind it all . Let¡¯s take a screenshot . ¡±

    Compared to other Mob Ants, the Queen¡¯srge body was easily distinguishable . After capturing the image, Shin checked if the item drops had changed .

    ¡°Queen Ant Fangs and ws . Magic stones and shells . Let¡¯s skip what we know already¡­and this one?¡±

    Among the drop items, Shin found something clearly unrted to ant-rted goods . It was a palm-sized yellow crystal, called ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» . It was a very precious rare item, especially for artisans, dropped my monsters that Seven Deadly Sin devils had shared their power with .

    ¡°Now we have proof that Greed¡¯s involved . ¡±

    ¡°Could it be in the city?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I wonder . Even yers can use this item, after all . ¡±

    Shin spoke while fiddling with the ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» . If it was used on a monster, it would be changed to a much superior counterpart . The monster did not only grow stronger, but the experience points and items it awarded increased too, so some yers used them on purpose to farm items and exp .

    The ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» was a rare item dropped by the Greed devil, so it was rare to find it on sale anywhere . Even if it was,rger organizations would buy it quickly .

    ¡°Do you mean that there might be someone in league with the devil?¡±

    ¡°In the game, there were people that sided with them . It isn¡¯t that strange for people to give in to greed, anyway . ¡±

    Luxuria was even working in a school at present; it wouldn¡¯t be unthinkable for the greed devil to lure in people and manipte them . Rather, it sounded like a realistic strategy .

    ¡°I see¡­though it is quite sad . ¡±

    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve defeated the ones that were prowling here, things should be okay for the time being . Besides¡­with due apologies to the people in this town, this works great for me . ¡±

    ¡°How does this ¡®work great¡¯, exactly¡­?¡±

    ¡°Because I can get a ¡ºDrop of Avarice¡» from Greed¡¯s body . If you use it, the skill cost on equipment is lowered, which means that we can add more skills to the ring . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s expression had clouded, but Shin turned the topic in a brighter direction .

    It might sound egotistical, but judging from the current situation, it looked just like Greed had waited for them to arrive to make its move . If so, they might as well use the situation to their own advantage, so Shin mentioned the drop item .

    Thanks to the new technique he was learning, the equipment created by Shin would be even more powerful . If he could also use items to increase skill slots, the ring would be much more than a simple proof of wedding vows .

    Shin said to Schnee, with a cheerful grin, that they might as well think of the Greed devil as a sort of ¡°bonus¡± for them .

    ¡°¡­who else but you could see things like that, I wonder . ¡±

    You¡¯re just beyond help, or so Schnee¡¯s expression seemed to say, as she showed a small smile .

    ¡°Let¡¯s catch it quick and turn it into an item even quicker . It might go like with Luxuria, so there¡¯s the chance that we won¡¯t fight right off the bat . If this dungeon turned out like this because of Greed¡¯s will, however, things will surely turn rough . Depending on the opponent, we could use it to see just how much Lecus and the others have grown . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s clear intention of using the enemy as a test subject made Schnee smile even more . Rare monsters were like treasure chests filled with rare items . Shin¡¯s unchanging stance probably reminded her of the game era .

    ¡°No monster presences on this floor . Let¡¯s check the next just in case, then go back up . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . What should we do with all these Mob Ant materials?¡±

    Schnee asked Shin while looking at the frozen Mob Ants all around them . They were frozen till their insides, so unless they were turned into cards, the only items they could extract were magic stones .

    ¡°We have to turn them into cards, there¡¯s no other way . We could get Hmee to help us, but there¡¯s just so many . Besides, some researchers might get strange ideas¡­¡±

    Normal Mob Ants could be left alone, but the ones Schnee froze had ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» items in their bodies . Shin felt it would be risky to leave them to their fates .

    All floors except the 200th had been scorched to the ground, so there was nothing to worry about .

    ¡°We don¡¯t really need the parts, so let¡¯s wrap them all up together . ¡±

    When the monsters¡¯ quantity was toorge to pick up items one by one, yers used a technique to turn all monsters in a set range into cards .

    In such a case, however, the items recovered would be random, with the exception of magic stones and unique items . The yers didn¡¯t use it often, so some even forgot such a method existed .

    Shin was only interested in the ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» items, so he chose to use this technique .

    ¡°Let¡¯s be quick, we don¡¯t know when the institute¡¯s people will arrive . ¡±

    Even if Hmee was on Shin¡¯s side, the institute side would probably not find it too pleasant that Shin kept all the ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» items for himself: thus they would pick them all up first, then report about them to Hmee only .

    The institute inspection and support squad arrived when Shin and Schnee had finished collecting the items and checking the floor below . Lecus, Gian and Myu lead a group of 6 security guards, with Bermann among them .

    ¡°Might we assume that the situation is already under control?¡±

    ¡°As far as we can see, yes . We were looking for stragglers, so we haven¡¯t checked the floor below yet . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee had explored the 200th floor for the items, but they had no intention of saying that honestly, so they said that they just went around killing monsters .

    ¡°So that is why we have not encountered a single monster until here . The students told us that you met monsters never seen before¡­or should we say, mutated monsters?¡±

    ¡°We have taken photographic proof of those . Please give these to the headmistress . ¡±

    Shin took the screenshots and gave them to Bermann . He seemed to be aware of their existence, as he received them without showing any surprise .

    ¡°They show bizarre patterns, unlike normal Mob Ants . I¡¯ve seen my share of the world in my adventuring days, but I have never seen or heard about such patterns . This Queen too is muchrger than normal, judging from its sizepared to the Mob Ants around it . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to confirm, so please tell the headmistress that whenever she has time, there is something I would like to discuss with her . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . We will leave a message for you at the hotel . ¡±

    The institute forces would inspect the 200th floor and below, so Shin and Schnee left the dungeon . The dungeon was their territory, so Shin and Schnee -since they had also confirmed that there was no danger anymore- chose not to overstep their bounds .

    ¡°The previous inspection just finished, but now I guess that they¡¯ll close it again¡­¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t find anything in the previous inspection, right?¡±

    ¡°So I heard . ¡±

    Students like Lecus and the others had partial ess to information about the dungeon . As Shin and Schnee were part of the cause of the first inspection, Lecus probably thought that it was okay to share the information with them . Either the inspection party had really not found anything, or something happened during the inspection .

    ¡°Let¡¯s just do normal training today . ¡±

    ¡°Sigh, just when we could finally go in the dungeon¡­¡±

    Myu was eager to test the results of their training, so Shin¡¯s proposal made her shoulders drop in disappointment .

    ¡°Since you seem still full of energy, I suppose today¡¯s training will have to be stricter . ¡±

    ¡°Gwagh!?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s calm smile delivered a sneak attack to the sullen Myu . The dragnil girl was happy, but Gian and Lecus¡¯ shocked response clearly reflected how strict training was going to be .

 Vol 13 Chapter 3.3: Chapter 3 Part 3

    After training, Shin and Schnee headed out of the institute grounds.

    ¡°Those kids sure have gotten better.¡±

    Shin could still hear their pained voices after the training ended. When they first started they didn¡¯t even have the strength to talk, however, so they had clearly made progress.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, they¡¯ve also maderge improvements in controlling their strength.¡±

    They hadn¡¯t trained against monsters, but they had be able to win against normal opponents without injuring them.

    Lecus and the others didn¡¯t know their own stats in detail, but they could make close estimates based on their speed and power. Based on this, Shin had advised them on how to use ¡¾Limiter¡¿ to adjust their stats.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know when we can go to the dungeon again, so we might as well go out.¡±

    ¡°Some students hunt monsters as adventurers too, so I think it¡¯s a good idea.¡±

    They had already looked up what kind of monsters appeared around Erkunt. One concern was the fact that recently, monsters unlike the usual ones were appearing, as Shin had heard from various sources.

    Vaal from the smithy had also said that the monsters¡¯ territory seemed to have changed, causing equipment creation and repair orders to increase exponentially.

    There were risks, but risks existed everywhere. Training dungeons without the risk of dying were more abnormal in that sense.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin was thinking that, in case of emergencies, he and Schnee were there to help, when he spotted a familiar face, who had already noticed Shin and Schnee and was walking closer, waving at them.

    ¡°I thought you might be around, because of your presence, turns out it was true.¡±

    ¡°What are you up to?¡±

    Luxuria, one of the Deadly Sin devils, approached Shin. She smiled, her long ck hair fluttering in the wind. The eyes behind her sharply-designed ck sses housed a suspicious glint.

    ¡°What a coincidence, meeting you here. Perfect for me though.¡±

    ¡°Perfect?¡±

    What could be perfect for a devil? Shin started having a bad feeling about the situation.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so wary, please. I just meant that I was looking for you, so the timing is just perfect.¡±

    ¡°Do you need something from us?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do. Would you minding with me? It¡¯s not something to talk about standing around here.¡±

    Since she was a devil, Shin couldn¡¯t help but keep his guard up, though she did say she wasn¡¯t hostile. Thinking it bad to be too suspicious, Shin decided to follow her for the moment.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s still early.¡±

    ¡°They serve light meals here too. Besides, alcohol is only served at night.¡±

    Luxuria led them to a bar with a rather nice atmosphere. He didn¡¯t know if she chose it on purpose, but the inside of the store couldn¡¯t be seen from outside. Depending on how one looked at it, it might also look like an elegant tea shop. The bartender seemed to know Luxuria already as the group was led to a private room.

    ¡°Let me continue, then. I was looking for you two because I have something of a request.¡±

    ¡°A request?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Just after you were teleported into the dungeon, Greed¡­now they use the name Avaritia. A man under theirmand visited me.¡±

    ¡°Good thing the situation didn¡¯t turn hairy.¡±

    Greed was the second most belligerent Deadly Sin, after Wrath. If someone introduced themselves as their cohort, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to be captured.

    ¡°He was a pretty fast runner, you see. He said something about wanting to be one with me, so he probably chose not to move inrge numbers to avoid the risk of causing trouble in the surroundings and being refused by me.¡±

    ¡°The thing about devils fusing to be more powerful, right? Is that something you can refuse? I thought it happened automatically when two devils were close enough.¡±

    ¡°It did before, but not anymore. Probably because we have stronger egos now. If our personalities are different enough, it¡¯s like the stronger absorbs the weaker. Their level was higher, but I¡¯ve been absorbing energy here, so our fighting strength is more or less the same. They probably judged that we could end up just going down together.¡±

    If devils fused together, their max level was raised by 50. It was said that if all devils fused, the resulting level would reach 1000. In the game era, however, they were always exterminated before they could do that, so Shin had never witnessed it.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why he thought of another strategy¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We went down in the training dungeon today, and the rare monsters there were under Greed¡¯smand. Here¡¯s proof.¡±

    Shin took out a ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» from the item box and showed it to Luxuria.

    ¡°The dungeon¡­my detection range doesn¡¯t reach there, so I never noticed. Thank you for taking care of it before something serious happened. I¡¯m really grateful.¡±

    ¡°That was just a coincidence. Besided, if you weren¡¯t here, Greed¡­no, Avaritia, right? It might have attacked this ce. We could say that this city has been safe because of your presence. Having people I know here, I feel like I should thank you.¡±

    If Luxuria had cooperated with Avaritia.

    If Luxuria hadn¡¯te to Erkunt.

    It was difficult to imagine that Avaritia would just ignore Erkunt. When Shin and Schnee arrived, they might have found nothing but ruins.

    ¡°My, if you wish to thank me, then tonight¡­¡±

    ¡°That will not do.¡±

    Luxuria leaned over the table, looking deep into Shin¡¯s eyes, when Schnee finally broke her silence, stopping the devil from finishing her sentence.

    ¡°Oh my, I do not mean to take him away, you know? I surely cannot do it by force, and charm doesn¡¯t work either.¡±

    ¡°That. Will. Not. Do!¡±

    Schnee replied very sternly to Luxuria¡¯s teasing tone. She grabbed Shin¡¯s arm, pulling him towards her, ring at Luxuria all the while.

    ¡°My my, please, do not be like that. Or could it be that you don¡¯t have much confidence?¡±

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s enou¨C¡±

    ¡°I will not allow any loveless acts.¡±

    ¡°If you keep chaining him like that he¡¯ll end up hating you, you know? Can you really satisfy him, anyway? It doesn¡¯t look you have much experience yet¡­¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    Luxuria and Schnee¡¯s verbal contest had passed  Shin¡¯s ability to keep up. Luxuria¡¯sst retort had left Schnee blushing violently.

    Luxuria took advantage of this and slipped closer to Shin, grabbing his other arm. Her movement was far too smooth, considering she was sitting across the table. It was also probably on purpose that she locked Shin¡¯s arm between her bountiful breasts.

    ¡°If you want, I can teach you. Doing it with three of us together might be nice once in a while.¡±

    Luxuria possessed words and a body that would sway both men and women¡¯s minds. Shin then told Schnee to let go of his arm.

    ¡°Shin!?¡±

    Schnee looked tense, shocked by what she heard, but Shin smiled at her that it was all right. He then formed his hand into a knife-like shape and brought it down on Luxuria¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Ow!!¡±

    The very subdued chop struck, forcing Luxuria to let go of Shin¡¯s arm and hold her head in pain.

    ¡°I know you were joking, but you went too far.¡±

    ¡°You¡­could have crushed a normal person¡¯s head with that¡­¡±

    Luxuria was crouching, but as expected of a Deadly Sin devil, she hadn¡¯t lost *too much* HP.

    ¡°If you looked for us to tease Schnee, then we¡¯re going.¡±

    ¡°No, no, wait a moment. I¡¯m sorry, I apologize, really! I still haven¡¯t gotten to the main topic¡­¡±

    Luxuria noticed that Shin was serious, so she hurriedly apologized.

    ¡°I can guess what that is, though. You want us to help take down Avaritia, right?¡±

    ¡°Correct. I bet you could defeat Avaritia with your little finger now. I¡¯d like you to do it before it tries any other pranks.¡±

    ¡°I would have never thought of hearing a Deadly Sin devil asking for another one to be defeated¡­¡±

    Shin argued that if Luxuria defeated Avaritia, she would gain a power boost, but she turned his proposal down.

    ¡°I have no intention of absorbing that thing. Besides, if it had already absorbed the others, I¡¯d be theplete form, right? I¡¯d lose myself in the end, so I¡¯m never going to do that.¡±

    Achieving theplete form was supposed to be any Deadly Sin devil¡¯s ultimate wish, but Luxuria tly discarded it.

    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if they all thought the same way as you¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me, it¡¯s troubling me too, you know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Okay, first we¡¯ll investigate the surroundings and look for clues. I heard that monsters that never used to appear around here are increasing, so we¡¯ll go searching around Erkunt, while training Lecus and the others too.¡±

    ¡°I heard about that too. It turns out the new monsters are a bit too much for average adventurers to handle too.¡±

    ording to Luxuria¡¯s information, there were some monsters that surpassed level 150 as well. In Hinomoto they would get exterminated without trouble, but in Erkunt the average level was not as high, so there were more and more injured adventurers.

    ¡°I heard that the headmistress is going to address the monster issue during the next training session. I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll tell you to bring students with you though.¡±

    ¡°I nned to have them experience actual fighting soon, but if I tell her that they¡¯d have to fight monsters stronger than usual she¡¯ll probably worry. There¡¯s no need to go look for trouble, after all.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ll take them, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they can handle it. Besides, it¡¯s better for them to try actual fighting as soon as possible ¡ª a real battle, where the danger of death is very real.¡±

    Shin would employ certain insurances, of course, but he would not tell the students about them. He didn¡¯t want them to rely on Shin to rescue them every time something happened.

    Shin knew of the institute¡¯s policy, so there was the chance that they already experienced actual fighting before. New types of monsters had apparently showed up, though, so he thought that it would turn out to be a valuable experience either way.

    ¡°Those children have surely grown stronger.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve put them through the wringer after all.¡±

    ¡°They oftene to the infirmary for light injuries, so I¡¯ve be pretty familiar with them.¡±

    Luxuria spoke with a gentle, motherly smile, very unbing of a devil.

    ¡°Really, if you didn¡¯t do things like just now, you wouldn¡¯t look like a devil at all.¡±

    ¡°A good while has passed since I achieved human form, it would be a problem if I still looked like a devil. I don¡¯t like the devil form either, it¡¯s too stocky and snake-like. I wanted to look more sultry after all.¡±

    Worrying about appearance was very human-like too.

    ¡°Well, this is nothingpared to the problem of Avaritia arriving. Aplication could be that he feels your presence and leaves the area. I would run away instead of fighting too, honestly.¡±

    If they fought head on, level 700 was far too low to stand against Shin and his party. Luxuria had also seen Shin¡¯s anti-devil equipment, so she was even more wary.

    ¡°A devil, run away?¡±

    ¡°Even if we can resurrect, it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have a sense of danger, you know? When we first met, you were really scary. I¡¯d like you to know how nervous I was then.¡±

    ¡°Really now.¡±

    ¡°Honest. Well, Wrath would fight all the same though. As far as I can remember, they cared more for fighting than surviving.¡±

    There were clearly differences between each devil, but their basic characteristics hadn¡¯t changed.

    Among the devils that proactively interacted with people, Wrath and Greed were the most belligerent. The difference between them was that Wrath only dealt with people, while Greed attacked monsters too.

    ¡°In any case, we have to gather intel first. The headmistress and the others are moving too, but we haven¡¯t found anything important yet. Anyone who was behind the dungeon incident isn¡¯t around anymore too, I suppose. I¡¯m counting on you two.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do what we can. Defeating Greed is important for us too after all.¡±

    Shin and Luxuria then smiled at each other. She hoped for the town and its people¡¯s safety, while he thought of weapons and obtaining items. Normally, someone would point out that their goals werepletely different, but Schnee just shrugged as she looked at the two.

 Vol 13 Chapter 3.4: Chapter 3 Part 4

    ¡°What did you think of what Luxuria said?¡±

    Shin asked Schnee as they were walking back to the hotel .

    ¡°Would you too like to do it? All three together?¡±

    ¡°Not that!!¡±

    Not expecting for that topic toe back again, Shin inadvertently raised his voice . Luxuria was a beauty that was not inferior to Schnee, even if it only looks . Shin would certainly have been interested in her before his rtionship with Schnee had advanced to where it was today .

    However, things were different now . With Schnee at his side, he would nevery hands on other women, let alone a devil . There was also the fact that Schnee would be quite scary if he ever did .

    ¡°I¡¯m just joking . Personally, I don¡¯t think she was lying . Knowing her real identity, we can¡¯t help being suspicious, but she didn¡¯t say anything strange . I thought that she might n to absorb Avaritia after we weakened it, but if she did she would be not only our, but also Erkunt¡¯s enemy . It wouldn¡¯t make sense for her . ¡±

    With Shin¡¯s party and all of Erkunt as enemy, no amount of absorbed energy or increased level cap would be enough .

    ¡°As she said, we have to gather info first . Right now, we just know that someone with a ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» infiltrated the institute . ¡±

    It could be a teacher, a student, or simply someone who sneaked past the security guards and into the dungeon . It was still aplete mystery .

    ording to Luxuria, the man iming to be one of Avaritia¡¯s subordinates was a young man with short red hair and brown eyes, called Hexen .

    Being a monster, Luxuria can¡¯t use ¡¾Analyze¡¿ . Because of this, they couldn¡¯t know if Hexen was a real or false name .

    ¡°Even if with an item, he still managed to escape from Luxuria . He has to have about 600 AGI . ¡±

    ¡°Could he be a former yer?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible . If there are people that see this world as a continuation of the game, it¡¯s not too weird that some might think of siding with the devils . But I¡¯ve never heard of someone called Hexen before . ¡±

    There were tens of thousands of yers, so only very few were well known . Shin remembered the names of famous yers, or at least the yers that interested him, but they would be less than 1% of the total . It wouldn¡¯t be strange if Hexen was an advanced yer Shin simply didn¡¯t know .

    ¡°Let¡¯s check the names of people when we are outside, I guess, though I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll help much . ¡±

    ¡°We should also talk again with Hmee . This Hexen might have waited for her to go away before making his visit . ¡±

    Hexen¡¯s visit happened just when Hmee was in the royal castle, apparently . While not among the most advanced yers, Hmee was still one of the strongest individuals in this world . Her equipment hade from Shin, so she would be stronger than someone else with simr stats . In a battle, she would be much more dangerous than the average person .

    If Hexen really waited for Hmee¡¯s absence to visit Luxuria, there was the possibility that fighting was not his forte .

    Some yers preferred to focus on a single stat, like STR or AGI, so they could only show their true power in specific situations .

    If Hexen had focused on AGI, mages that couldpress space itself were a natural enemy . Hmee could do just that, so he would have surely wanted to avoid her .

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s keep that as one possibility . He might be a devil worshipper, who did noty hands on Luxuria as she¡¯s a devil herself . ¡±

    There wasn¡¯t enough information to make a proper assessment: the only thing they could do now was to keep their eyes peeled .

    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t that Bermann?¡±

    A horse carriage was stopped in front of Shin and Schnee¡¯s hotel . Bermann, whom Shin had given a screenshot to and asked to ry a message to Hmee, was talking with a hotel clerk, but noticed Shin and started walking towards him .

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m sorry to bother you when you¡¯ve just arrived, but could you return to the institute?¡±

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°No, just that it would be best to talk about that in the institute grounds . Some also objected to have the headmistresse see you herself, as unwanted rumors would arise . ¡±

    Luxuria said that the headmistress would probably contact them the next day, but Hmee was quicker .

    Hmee knew ¡¾Hiding¡¿, so she could havee to the hotel without being noticed . Though, as headmistress, there was a risk her movements would be tracked by foreign spies, thus causing trouble for Shin and Schnee .

    Some foreign agents were specialized in seeing past skills such as ¡¾Hiding¡¿, so there was the possibility that they could see past Hmee¡¯s too .

    ¡°If so, we¡¯lle with you . ¡±

    ¡°I apologize . We don¡¯t want to bother you either . ¡±

    Even if Shin and Schnee were extremely strong, having them take care of monsters too powerful for the institute to handle was not something they would really want to do, or so Bermann¡¯s expression said .

    Maybe because of their pride as security, the other guard that came with the carriage had the same expression . It was probably because of such character and personality that they were entrusted with guarding the dungeon . Shin and Schnee got on the carriage and returned to the institute .

    ording to Bermann, Hmee had returned just minutes before he arrived to deliver the message . She had been busy weing students from a foreign country: Hmee apparently had more work than Shin thought .

    ¡°Once this vacation period ends, the new term will start, after all . We had been making preparations to wee the students from abroad when you arrived, sir Shin . Because of the strange idents in the dungeon, however, we have our hands full with making sure our kingdom doesn¡¯t get too involved in this situation . ¡±

    The institute bore the name of Erkunt, though it wasn¡¯t officially affiliated with the kingdom of the same name . On the surface, they were on an equal footing, and the kingdom did not openly dictate the institute¡¯s policies or principles to follow .

    Among Erkunt¡¯s elites, however, there were individuals who tried to exert their influence from the back if they could not do so from the front .

    ¡°The kingdom itself requested us to find out who these people are, but they must be of quite high standing, because any evidence is always carefully erased . We also cannot deny the existence of people within the institute that are trying to curry favor within the kingdom¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s always all sorts of intents and goals within all organizations¡­¡±

    It couldn¡¯t be avoided in something asrge as a kingdom or the institute . Those with strong ambitions or those trying to use their standing to gain favors neverpletely disappeared .

    The kingdom¡¯s elite surely possesses considerable authority and wealth . ording to Bermann, at least half of them were upright people, which was already very positive .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making youe all the way here . ¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry . I did ask to report about the Greed business, after all . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee got off the carriage and entered the headmistress¡¯ quarters, where Hmee greeted them, bowing . She had probably heard from Bermann, as her expression was clouded as well .

    ¡°Is everything okay? I heard there¡¯s some trouble with the kingdom too . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, for now . You¡¯ve defeated the monsters under Greed¡¯s influence, so the fact that I am connected to you has helped . Luxuria is also considered personnel that I summoned here . ¡±

    ¡°Putting Luxuria aside, how does knowing me help in any way?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re quite well known, actually . There are even traveling minstrels that sing of your feats in the Barmel defense battle . People also talk of your expedition in the dangerous sea areas near Barbatos, from which you returned without losing a single party member . Merpeople and fishpeople talk of your strength in the taverns . ¡±

    ¡°¡­gah¡­¡±

    Time had passed since the Barmel battle, so Shin thought that it would be forgotten by now . On the contrary, however, new topics of conversation had joined it and became known as far as Erkunt . The words merpeople and fishpeople hit too close to home .

    ¡°¡¯Shin the shing Hammer¡¯¡­you¡¯re quite the hot topic, you know?¡±

    ¡°For real¡­? When I went to the guild to ept the battle training request, they didn¡¯t pay much attention to me, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you have your weapon with you then?¡±

    ¡°No, I just visited the reception, so I didn¡¯t bring anything . ¡±

    ¡°That could be the reason . You¡¯re pretty famous for wielding a sword that looks like a dull weapon . We¡¯re pretty far from Barbatos here, so the people that don¡¯t know you well probably didn¡¯t think that you were the same Shin . ¡±

    ¡ºKakura¡» was starting to be Shin¡¯s signature weapon . He had used it in Erkunt too, but only inside the institute, so probably rumors of it hadn¡¯t reached the guild . Thinking about it, recently there were more and more students, other than Lecus¡¯ party, joining his training sessions . Some of them looked at Shin with quite ardent gazes sometimes .

    ¡°Could it be that there are rumors spreading about me teaching here?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Many doubted it at first, buttely the students are prioritizing your training over guild requests . We¡¯re lucky that there are few people around because of the vacation period, or things would have be hectic . ¡±

    ¡°Even you say battle feats¡­there¡¯s only the Barmel thing, right? Was it really that special?¡±

    So Shin asked Hmee, thinking that there had to be other famous adventurers . He felt that she was exaggerating a bit too much .

    ¡°Guilds share information about the phenomenon of monster ¡®floods¡¯ from Sacred Lands . Furthermore, the event you yed arge part in was ssified as ¡®Grand Flood¡¯, which is many timesrger than regr ones . It has never happened in recorded history for such an event to pass without casualties . When information was first made public, there were a lot of theories thrown around about who this adventurer called Shin could be . ¡±

    Incidentally, the feats aplished by adventurers such as Shadow and Hibineko were mostly expected: unlike Shin¡¯s, their names hade under the spotlight several times, so people were not surprised by their actions anymore .

    The same was for Schnee: her feats were regarded as natural for someone of her fame .

    ¡°Ah¡­I see . A neer appearing all of a sudden, that¡¯s how they see it?¡±

    ¡°Your adventurer rank was very low at the time too . A mysterious powerful warrior appeared in Balmel, that¡¯s what everyone said . Because of the distance, official guild information is all we could get too . There¡¯s no inte or anything in this world, after all . ¡±

    ¡°So even if things are getting quieter where the information came from, in far away ces it¡¯s still the talk of the town, then? Good thing I didn¡¯t take out ¡ºKakura¡» outside¡­¡±

    ¡ºKakura¡» was a weapon that stood out easily even if it was just carried . Shin would have definitely been noticed if he simply equipped it in public .

    ¡°If so, isn¡¯t it a problem to give special treatment to Lecus and the others?¡±

    ¡°No, they did ask for it after all . We couldn¡¯t train them enough until now, so this one time please let them use their strength to their heart¡¯s content . ¡±

    Very few in the institute could train the 3 prodigies at full power: only Hmee, Masakado and few others . Chosen Ones did enroll in the institute, but not many chose to remain as instructors . Even if they did, they only taught their own disciples .

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you hire retired adventurers?¡±

    ¡°If they¡¯re really skilled, countries or guilds get to them first . Even if they wish to train sessors, it¡¯s more efficient to take in disciples . Very few people would just teach their skills to anyone . ¡±

    For adventurers, the fighting style they had honed was an asset: they wouldn¡¯t just give it to anyone .

    ¡°No one knows what the institute¡¯s students will do after getting their training, after all . ¡±

    Some would be adventurers, while others enrolled into armies . There was also the possibility of them changing aspirations and aim to be researchers . The institute simply imparted its knowledge, it was up to each individual to decide if they would use it on the field or umte it .

    ¡°I¡¯ve contacted former yers too, but they always refuse without even considering it . I suppose it isn¡¯t a very appealing position . ¡±

    The more she talked, the more Hmee became depressed . There were former yers who had formed guilds to help new yers in the game era, so she had contacted them .

    Very few former yers outed themselves as such, however; Shin too could not tell if he did not know them already . Because of that, Hmee had not managed to contact many .

    ¡°Now that I think about it, as long as they didn¡¯t n to from the beginning, not many people would think of bing teachers in this world¡­if they had battle-rted jobs, they¡¯d be adventurers or military, if they had creation-rted ones they¡¯d open their own shop or workshop¡­¡±

    If circumstances were different, Shin would have probably thought the same thing . He wouldn¡¯t have considered bing a teacher either .

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many schools like this either, which might y a part too . ¡±

    ¡°It takes a lot of money to further one¡¯s studies, so students necessarilye from rich families . I have seen several institutions like that . ¡±

    Schnee added her ownments to Shin¡¯s words . The institute needed financial resources to run . The Erkunt institute gathered finances by conducting its own research and technology development, keeping school fees low enough for not so affluent students to be able to frequent as well . It wasn¡¯t something other schools could do easily, however .

    Education was notpulsory in this world: very few aimed to be teachers, and even if they did they weren¡¯t guaranteed to be able to . There was no ¡®soil¡¯ for the people Hmee sought to grow .

    ¡°How about hiring graduated students? If they were taught here, they¡¯d know already how things go, to an extent¡­ . from your reaction, I suppose that didn¡¯t go well either?¡±

    ¡°Exactly¡­manye from outside Erkunt, so they mostly go back to their homnds . Others continue to pursue their fields of research, or use the skills they learned to be artisans . Very few choose to be teachers¡­it shouldn¡¯t be a bad career, though . ¡±

    After releasing a deep sigh, Hmee suddenly pped her own cheeks . With the sharp pping sound, light returned to her eyes .

    ¡°Anyway! I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯ve gone off topic enough . Let¡¯s get on to the main topic . ¡±

    ¡°Are you okay? Your cheeks are pretty red . ¡±

    ¡°I went a little too hard¡­¡±

    Hmee massaged her cheeks while using ¡¾Heal¡¿ on herself . Her cheeks remained red, maybe out of embarrassment . Shin didn¡¯t question her further .

    ¡°So, about the Greed affair . You¡¯ve met Luxuria, so I suppose you already heard about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we met her on our way back and heard about it . It looks like Greed, or Avaritia, tried to absorb Luxuria . ¡±

    Hmee had already heard of Avaritia¡¯s attempt: Shin made sure there were no discrepancies between what they knew, then said that, if possible, he wanted to take down the greed devil .

    ¡°It would be a great help for us, but¡­it¡¯s kind of pathetic to rely on you so much . ¡±

    Hmee looked very apologetic, her eyes lowered, so Shin interjected, a bit awkwardly .

    ¡°Well, actually, we have our own reasons for targeting Avaritia, not only helping you or Luxuria . ¡±

    ¡°What would those reasons be¡­ . . ?¡±

    ¡°Among the unique items Avaritia drops, there¡¯s one that lowers skill costs on essories . That¡¯s what I¡¯m aiming at . ¡±

    ¡°There was an item like that¡­? I¡¯m sure you could make incredible essories even without it, though . ¡±

    ¡°What I want to forge with it is a wedding ring, attach it with the best skills possible . ¡±

    Shin remembered that he hadn¡¯t told her yet, so he announced to Hmee that he had married Schnee . Luxuria had mentioned them loving each other and seeking each other, so Hmee too probably knew already, but he mentioned it just in case .

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s your reason¡­wait, a wedding ring???¡±

    ¡°Well, things happened, so we didn¡¯t have time to make one¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re way, way, way too casual about this!! That just won¡¯t do!! You need that before proposing, don¡¯t you know!?!¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t think it was absolutely necessary, but even if he told the excited Hmee to calm down, she probably wouldn¡¯t .

    ¡°We absolutely must defeat it, then!! A happy marriage is much more important than a devil¡¯s life!¡±

    Hmee was brimming with enthusiasm, clenching her fists . It was good for her to have perked up, but Shin had no idea why she was that eager .

    He looked at Schnee, wondering if she was perplexed too, but she was eagerly nodding at Hmee¡¯s words, not perplexed in the slightest .

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, okay¡­?¡±

    ¡°No problem . For the sake of a happy marriage, we must ept any sacrifice that may ur¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that really not a problem¡­?¡±

    It was a topic that probably resonated loudly within Hmee: her eyes gleamed in a way Shin found almost scary . If this was a manga, they would be definitely glowing darkly .

    ¡°By the way, who did the proposal?¡±

    ¡°I asked her to marry me . ¡±

    The situation wasn¡¯t romantic at all, which was Shin¡¯s sole regret .

    ¡°Right!! The man should be the one confessing, right!!¡±

    ¡°Is there someone you want to confess to you?¡±

    Shin could only think of Masakado, who was in the same party as Hmee in the game .

    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best to give him hints¡­I think he noticed, but still, there¡¯s no progress¡­¡±

    Hmee sighed again, her shoulders dropping . Schnee put a hand on her shoulder and nodded once more, as if saying that she understood that frustration all too well .

    Shin couldn¡¯t feel more uneasy .

    ¡°What kind of hints did you send?¡±

    ¡°Well, you see¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Hmee¡¯s love troubles suddenly took over the conversation . The words ¡°fickle¡± and ¡°can¡¯t make a proper decision¡± popped up from time to time . Thinking that Schnee might have felt the same way, Shin received damage, even though they weren¡¯t talking about him . He imagined their words as knives, stabbing him repeatedly .

    ¡°Er, could we start talking about what countermeasures to take¡­?¡±

    Shin made a timid proposal, worried to let things proceed like that . The twodies returned to their senses, coughed loudly and looked at him .

    ¡°¡­let us resume this conversation another time . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, please . ¡±

    They looked like they still had things to talk about, but the topic was shifted back to the main reason Shin and Schnee were there .

    ¡°For starters, I¡¯m thinking of going outside of the castle walls with Schnee, using Lecus¡¯ party¡¯s training as an excuse . Should we put anti-monster traps in the dungeon? We can make sure only monstersing out of it are attacked . ¡±

    ¡°I would love that, but it might be difficult if you set items only you can use . If they ever malfunction, no one could fix them . Besides, I cannot authorize something like that by myself . We would need to obtain permission from the institute¡¯s directors . ¡±

    Even the headmistress could not act as she pleased . The Erkunt institute had several other directors, whose approval was needed for most if not all major decisions .

    ¡°I¡¯m sure they would approve quickly if I told them about your actual identity, though . ¡±

    ¡°Anything but that . ¡±

    ¡°Right? So we should tell them that ¡®Shin the shing Hammer¡¯ is on our side and¡­¡±

    ¡°Whaaat!? Are you serious!?¡±

    Surprised by the unexpected development, Shin immediately stopped Hmee¡¯s train of thought . Rumors about his fighting prowess were spreading, but not about his skills with item crafting .

    ¡°What you have is a Legend grade weapon . If we introduce you as someone also knowledgeable in the field of magic items, things will work out . ¡±

    ¡°Well, that could be true, but¡­¡±

    Feeling that the rumors might power up even more, Shin felt conflicted . Because of the diffusion of the ¡°shing Hammer¡± nickname, the tales of his participation in the Balmel battles were spreading even more . Such rumors hadn¡¯t reached Erkunt yet, but were very well known in Balmel .

    Information warped as it spread, however: especially it traveled through average people, it transformed in incredible ways . At Balmel many had witnessed Shin fighting, but even so erroneous informations and rumors were spreading . He was afraid to know what things had reached Erkunt, which was quite far from Balmel .

    If they knew who he really was, they would know how wrong the rumors were, but except his party members very few people knew that in Erkunt .

    ¡°If things are like this, I might as well say that I was a disciple of Kain or Hecate¡­no, that would only make things worse, wouldn¡¯t it¡­¡±

    They could say that hispanion Schnee ¨C Yuki was skilled in crafting magic items, but Shin thought that rather than doing that, it would be better for him to step forward .

    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it¡­let¡¯s do what you said . I¡¯m here now, but won¡¯t be in the future . If you¡¯re worried about the traps malfunctioning, we¡¯ll just use them while I¡¯m here . ¡±

    The reason why the rare monster Mob Ant Queen had be a cohort of Greed was unknown .

    There was a high chance of someone having brought a ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» in the dungeon, but there could be other methods . In such a case, there was no harm in being cautious .

    If the traps were used while Shin was present, he could fix them in case of any malfunctions .

    ¡°Understood, I will use this approach then . ¡±

    After discussing other minor details, Shin and Schnee left the institute . Because of having gone back and forth twice from the institute to the hotel, the sun was already beginning to set .

    ¡°It took more time than expected, huh . At least she offered us lunch, though . ¡±

    After the dungeon¡¯s exploration and the conversation with Luxuria it was already past noon: Shin and Schnee had returned to the institute to talk with Hmee afterwards .

    There was still some time before sunset, but not enough to think about going somewhere .

    ¡°Shall we stay at the hotel tonight?¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s . Can I go do some shopping?¡±

    ¡°Sure, I¡¯lle with you . ¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t say what she wanted to buy, but Shin figured that it was probably groceries . When Shin and Schnee went shopping together, people sometimes addressed them as if they were a young married couple . Schnee herself enjoyed very much being addressed as his wife, as she said to Shin, blushing¡­obviously making him blush too .

    ¡°Come again!¡±

    Shin remembered this episode, trying hard not to grin, when he heard the shop owner say goodbye to Schnee . They were negotiating about something, but judging from their smiles, it looked like the transaction had gone well . Though she was just buying vegetables .

    ¡°I¡¯ll carry the bags . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t finish her sentence, so Shin wondered what had happened . After a brief silence, she whispered ¡°thanks¡± .

    ¡°You see! I usually speak in a kind of formal tone, but since we¡¯re hus, husband and wife now¡­well, I thought I should be less formal, so¡­¡±

    Schnee started exining herself quickly, but her voice gradually grew fainter, inversely proportional to her ears getting redder . Ever since they arrived in Erkunt, Schnee was much more expressive . Looking at her thinking too much and getting flustered always made Shinugh .

    ¡°T-there¡¯s nothing funny about this!¡±

    ¡°Well, looking at you talking like that, all red and all, is just too funny, haha . ¡±

    ¡°Wha!?¡±

    Realizing how flustered she looked, Schnee blushed even more violently .

    ¡°That¡¯s good, though . It doesn¡¯t feel right to be the only one talking casually . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, well, from now on, I¡¯ll do my best¡­only when we¡¯re alone . ¡±

    ¡°Well, you can do it any other time too . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too embarrassing!!¡±

    Schnee had used a formal tone for more than 500 years: even if she was told to speak less formally, it had be a habit of hers .

    Shin told her again that she could change little by little, as they headed towards the hotel . They had just finished shopping, so they attracted attention like before . Shin walked while lightly pushing Schnee forward . He was carrying the grocery bags, obviously .

    When they arrived, he put the groceries in the item box . It was still early for dinner, so they sat on the sofa to rest a bit .

    ¡°It feels more tiring to just go shopping, somehow¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe because people are looking? I heard from Vulcan that you¡¯re quite the celebrity too around here . ¡±

    At first she was talked about as ¡°the elf with the man that looks like the shing Hammer¡±, apparently . The students trained by them and the clerks assisting her shopping, however, started spreading rumors about her strength, personality, beauty etc .

    The fact that she visited the workshop district with Shin helped spread the rumors too: it was an area mostly visited by men, so the chance of seeing a beautiful elf there became well know quickly, ording to Vulcan .

    Vulcan was often holed up in his smithy, but Vaal often talked with clients too, many of which persistently asked him about Schnee .

    ¡°The same thing happened in Balmel too . I didn¡¯t act with this disguise, but for some reason people started talking all the same . ¡±

    ¡°Tiera¡¯s more famous there, after all, the beautiful archer who swept monsters away with a single arrow¡­you were fighting alongside her, so you became famous together, I suppose . ¡±

    Tiera¡¯s sniping from the castle walls had been talked about quite a bit, because of its high power too .

    Shin and Schnee produced more impressive battle results, but because of the appearance of the mysterious ¡°Red¡± too, they were treated as skilled adventurers and not much more .

    ¡°They asked me a lot of questions too . Which one I liked, if it was both, all stuff like that though . ¡±

    At the time, Shin¡¯s party was only 3 members, excluding Yuzuha and Kagerou . Being one man with two women, the conversation would often naturally shift in that direction .

    ¡°I was asked the same things too, but mostly by women . ¡±

    Men often asked Shin how he had hooked up with them, if they had a physical rtionship and other ¡®material¡¯ questions, but women inquired more about romance, also asking how their party had been formed and what rtionship Schnee had with the only man, Shin . Elves rarely formed parties with members of the opposite gender, which spurred even more questions .

    When they exined that the party was formed because Tiera had been rescued by Shin, many women reacted with a shriek Schnee didn¡¯t quite understand: ¡°Oh lord!! He¡¯s just like a prince on a white horse!!¡±

    ¡°I understand that you might give that impression, as you freed her from a curse thatsted over a century¡­but I too waited for you for 500 years, so I don¡¯t really like the fact that Tiera might be your partner¡­and well, at the time I was hiding my identity as Schnee Raizar, so I understand that people might focus on Tiera, but¡ª¡±

    Schnee started talking quicker and quicker, clearly annoyed .

    ¡°H-hey! Schnee! Why are you heating up like that?¡±

    ¡°Why, you ask!? Some people even told me that I should confess already, or that you surely liked Tiera better!!¡±

    Schnee, remembering things she was told at the time, pouted . Looking at her almost childish gestures, Shin smiled . After calming her down, he changed posture and put her head on hisp .

    ¡°No need to pout like that . We¡¯re together now, aren¡¯t we . ¡±

    ¡°I know that¡­but imagining you with someone else gives me chills¡­¡±

    Elves were normally monogamous . Schnee shared this belief too, so she never enjoyed seeing high-ranked adventurers or nobles with multiple partners . She understood that strong people were surrounded by people interested in them and did not criticize them, but would not want the person she liked to do the same . In simple words, she wanted theplete monopoly .

    ¡°Easy, easy . ¡±

    ¡°Hn¡­¡±

    Shin caressed her head, to which she whimpered happily . Schnee¡¯s ears flickered, as to show her good mood . Without saying anything else, Shin just continued caressing her .

    Schnee¡¯s hair, illuminated by the lights, were very pleasant to the touch . Shin had started caressing her head to calm her down, but he had lost the timing to stop and simply continued .

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    After a while, Shin noticed that Schnee¡¯s reactions were odd, or rather, she didn¡¯t react at all . He peered closer at her face to see why and noticed that her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly, asleep .

    ¡°Well well¡­¡±

    She was simply defenseless . Without the flimsiest barrier or weapon, justying there on the sofa, she waspletely rxed . Schnee would never let her guard down like this normally: she allowed herself to do so because Shin was with her .

    He tried poking her cheeks to see if she was just pretending to sleep, but she just grunted a little: she was really asleep .

    ¡°Well, usually the positions would be reserved¡­but this feels good too . ¡±

    Shin talked to himself, thinking that it was usually the man sleeping with his head on the woman¡¯sp, but the reverse was nice too .

    Schnee¡¯s defenseless figure, proof of her trust towards Shin . Looking at her peaceful sleeping face made him feel happy .

    ¡°Guess I should cover her . ¡±

    The room was warm, so there was no risk of catching a cold, so Shin opted to put his mantle over her as nket, leaving aside the question whether they could even catch a cold with their stats .

    There was still some time left till dinner time, so Shin decided to use it to leisurely enjoy Schnee¡¯s sleeping face .

 Vol 13 Chapter 3.5: Chapter 3 Part 5

    ¡°Hey,e on, don¡¯t be angry¡­¡±

    ¡°I am not angry in any shape or form.¡±

    ¡°Then why won¡¯t you look at me?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m embarrassed!!¡±

    Schnee was asleep for about 30 minutes. The fact that she had fallen asleep and that Shin had looked at her sleeping face prompted her to verbally attack him, blushing even more, about why he didn¡¯t wake her up.

    Schnee went to the kitchen to prepare dinner: as time passed after she had woken up, she calmed down a little.

    ¡°Your face wasn¡¯t weird at all, don¡¯t worry! ¡­..I did take a screenshot though.¡±

    ¡°Shin? What did you just say?¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t let Shin¡¯s mumbles go unpunished. She was facing away from him, but in the blink of an eye she had grabbed his shoulders.

    ¡°Well, you know, you were really cute, so¡­my hand slipped¡­¡±

    ¡°Your hand what!? Don¡¯t take photos of me sleeping without permission!!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to get so angry¡­do I have to delete it?¡±

    ¡°Of course!!¡±

    Schnee had started showing Shin more of her defenseless sides, but photos were still prohibited, apparently.

    ¡°But you show me sides like that sometimes, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t stay that way, and I show them because I trust you. Anyone could see the photos, so I can¡¯t let them remain¡­and besides¡­¡±

    ¡°Besides?¡±

    Schnee paused, so Shin encouraged her to continue.

    ¡°I want to look pretty before the person I love. Photos can be looked at many times¡­so I believe that even more.¡±

    As Shin seemed to fail to grasp how a maiden¡¯s heart worked, Schnee made him sit down properly before starting to preach again.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°N-nothing!!!¡±

    In the end, they had dinnerter than usual that night.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next day, Shin headed outside the castle walls, with Lecus, Myu, and Gian in tow. Other students had joined Shin¡¯s training sessions, but ¡ª unlike the three with him now ¡ª they were average, so he didn¡¯t bring them with him this time. He was nning to have them fight monsters which didn¡¯t normally appear in the area after all.

    ¡°Awright, it¡¯s time to release the frustration piled up in the training dungeon!!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting too excited again. If we die outside, it¡¯s over, got it?¡±

    ¡°I already promised Mr. Shin that I won¡¯t do anything reckless! And I know that, thank you very much. I¡¯m just getting focused!¡±

    ¡°Sure you are.¡±

    ¡°Easy there, you two. Myu, don¡¯t make us worry, okay? Gian doesn¡¯t talk like this to people he doesn¡¯t care about, after all. Having high morale isn¡¯t a bad thing, so let¡¯s be careful on our end. Myu is different from before, after all.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡±

    Myu was 100% eager while Gian looked at her, grumbling. Lecus calmed their bickering and tried to make them focus in the same direction. The three were also bnced mentally.

    ¡°You¡¯ve hunted outside the castle walls before, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I think we¡¯ve fought with all the monsters that normally appear around Erkunt.¡±

    Like all other students, Lecus¡¯ party had also experienced fighting outside the institute. The monsters¡¯ level were not very high, however, so the training dungeon was more effective for practice: they hadn¡¯t ventured outside too often.

    ¡°The wolf boss was pretty strong!¡±

    ¡°There was a Forest Wolf pack, with a stronger one among them. I think it was level 150 or 160.¡±

    Lecus added an exnation to Myu¡¯s vaguement. He continued saying that they found another group of students being attacked and helped them: Gian took down the boss of the pack and chased the monsters away.

    Their strategy consisted of Myu going wild to attract the monsters¡¯ attention, Lecus casting ¡¾Hiding¡¿ on Gian and ambushing the monsters. After crushing their legs to prevent them from escaping, Lecus finished them with magic. If the spells weren¡¯t enough, Gian would deliver the final blow.

    ¡°If the monsters weren¡¯t focused on the group that was fighting them before us, it wouldn¡¯t have gone so well, though.¡±

    Lecus said that they had chased away the monsters, so even if they took down the boss they couldn¡¯t do the same with the rest if the pack. They could have chased them down, but prioritized tending to the wounded.

    ¡°I think you made a good decision. The people that were fighting before you were in a pinch, right? If you pushed yourselves to chase the monsters and suffered a counterattack, your assistance would have meant nothing.¡±

    Some might protest that it would have been better to chase the monsters and finish them off, to prevent other people from being attacked. Forest Wolves, however, normally appeared around Erkunt: there were likely to be other packs too, so it wasn¡¯t so important to finish them off then and there.

    ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll see Forest Wolves this time. ording to guild research, the monsters spawning around here changed a lot: Mystic Wolves, and the powerful versions of Orcs and Goblins. It¡¯s not 100% confirmed, but Baghnakh-like monsters have been witnessed too. Stay on your toes, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yessir!!¡±

    Myu answered with energy, while the two boys simply nodded. Maybe not as much as her, but they were focused and eager too.

    ¡°What kind of monster is that Baghnakh, by the way? We have looked it up, but didn¡¯t find much.¡±

    ¡°To put it simply, it¡¯s like a huge mouth, about two mel tall. Imagine the head of a wolf-type monster, without ears and with a massive amount of fangs.¡±

    Baghnakhs were monsters quite simr to the weapon with the same name. Their level ranged between 150 and 200, about the limit that an average person could handle. Their fangs inflicted poison and paralysis: as they bit down on their prey, the victim would taste the fear of being slowly crushed to death as their HP slowly decreased.

    That also happened if the victim was equipped with armor to resist the bites however. Baghnakhs did not have much attack power,pared to their high HP and defense, but their biting attacks had level 200+ offensive power, which would crush to bits any armor grade Rare and lower.

    At the same level, only defense-oriented jobs could resist their bites. It just meant that they didn¡¯t die on the spot, however: being caught usually left no way out.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­pretty dangerous.¡±

    ¡°It depends on the person, but even Chosen Ones get eaten by them.¡±

    Shin used a word he knew Lecus and the others would know. Even Gian, who had the highest defense of the three, had a 50/50 chance of surviving a Baghnakh bite. Myu and Lecus would have probably resisted only a few seconds.

    ¡°It¡¯s not confirmed that we¡¯ll find any, but the possibility is there. Some of them are difficult to detect even using skills, so never let your guard down.¡±

    Even the easily excited Myu nodded seriously now. They weren¡¯t in the area inhabited by monsters yet, but there might be dangers hiding everywhere.

    Outside Shin and Schnee, Myu had the highest detection skills. There was the chance of finding monsters that, if Myu didn¡¯t detect, would leave Gian and Lecus incapable of reacting in time. Shin¡¯s warning probably made her realize it.

    ¡°Okay, Myu, you¡¯re in front. We will only assist you if there¡¯s danger. Even though we¡¯re here to help you, don¡¯t treat this lightly, got it?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    The three students answered in unison, then advanced, with Myu leading them. Gian was behind her, with Lecus in third position.

    After a while, they started seeing trees along the road. To save time, Shin¡¯s group picked a path that cut through a patch of woods. It was shorter, but presented a higher risk of being attacked by monsters or bandits than the more roundabout path.

    Both for people and monsters, the woods were an ally that helped them conceal their presence. ording to the information Shin gathered, the path they were walking on was the area with the highest number of reported casualties. Bandits were routinely wiped out by Erkunt¡¯s military and vigntes, so they rarely caused any real damage.

    Shin reviewed this information mentally while walking, when a presence in the woods started moving towards the path.

    ¡°Something¡¯sing!¡±

    When the presence was about 20 mel from their position, Myu spoke up. She had spotted the same presence Shin had noticed and stared to their right.

    ¡°It¡¯s just one unit, but it seems pretty big.¡±

    Myu continued focusing on the approaching presence, trying to obtain as much information as possible before the fighting began. A yer would be likely to use ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ or simr skills to see the monster¡¯s appearance immediately; for Myu and the others, however, acquiring skills was not an easy feat.

    Looking at the three students drawing their weapons, Shin pondered whether to teach them skills or not.

    (I know that skills can be taught in the same way as the game. But this is different from the time with Tiera¡­)

    Using ¡ºSecret Book¡» was easy, but would create all sorts of problems. In this world skills were extremely precious. Shin wanted to spread them, as means of fighting against monsters, but skills could be used against other people too.

    Looking at the history of the continent of Eltnia, conflicts and battles had broken out time and again. Shin had learned of them when he looked up the Dusk of Majesty in Bayreuth and Falnido.

    He couldn¡¯t know when, where, and how the skills he taught would be used, so he finally concluded that just teaching them on a whim could have ultimately worked against Lecus and the others.

    ¡°It¡¯sing out!!¡±

    While Shin was lost in thought, the monster had almost reached them. It rushed through the woods. A rustling sound could be heard from the bushes. A few moments after Myu¡¯s warning, a shadow jumped out of the shrubs, as if leaping over Shin¡¯s group.

    ¡°Defend!!¡±

    Shin shouted to Myu and the others, who stared at the flying shadow without moving. The shadow hadunched an attack towards them from the air.

    The students reacted to Shin¡¯s order: he had told them that against monsters defense was the first thing to focus on, as he put them through the wringer during training. Thanks to that, Myu and Gian parried the monsters¡¯ attack with their weapons and Lecus used the spell he was chanting to deflect it.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Greygunn.¡±

    Shin caught the projectile shot towards him and looked at it: it was a pointy scale. Myu and the others looked at the shadow, which hadnded on the ground. It was a lion-like monster covered in lead-colored scales.

    Its level was 248, a bit higher than Greygunns¡¯ usual range. The size was approximately three mel long. Even with all four of its legs on the ground, its eyes were on the same level as Myu and the others.

    Even though it looked like it was wearing armor, its movements were very quick and agile, its scales providing high defense. Therge hooked ws on its front paws had very high attack power; while it didn¡¯t use magic, shooting its scales allowed the Greygunn tounch long-range attacks.

    Some mutated species had elemental scales, which could be recognized by their color. The Greygunn facing against Shin¡¯s party had colorless scales, signaling theck of elemental attributes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this monster before.¡±

    ¡°This guy is tough.¡±

    Myu and Gian, their weapons pointed at the Greygunn, growling and ready to pounce, tried to find the ideal distance to attack. They knew that it could shoot long-range attacks, so they didn¡¯t go too close without a n.

    ¡°Mr. Shin, could you let us handle this?¡±

    Shin thought that it was a bit too difficult for their first opponent, but Lecus asked him to leave it to them.

    ¡°¡­.go ahead and try.¡±

    In the future, they would probably have to fight opponents they had never seen before. Thinking that he could help them if something went wrong this time, Shin decided to let them fight on their own. Just in case, he prepared a defense skill that he could activate at any time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll limit its movements with magic, so you two find an opening and strike. Attract its attention while I chant.¡±

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Lecus gave instructions to Gian and Myu, then gathered magic power. The Greygunn noticed that Lecus was trying to do something, so it looked in his direction. Before it could attack, however, Gian stood in its way.

    ¡°I¡¯m here too!!¡±

    Gian stepped to the Greygunn¡¯s right side, while Myu struck her gauntlets together to attract its attention. Just as the monster looked in her direction, Gian struck his shield with hisnce, causing a loud metallic sound to resonate in the surroundings.

    Causing the monster¡¯s attention to shift just before it attacked, they disrupted its timing and forced it to be wary of both of them, blocking the monster from focusing on attacking a single enemy. In the game it wouldn¡¯t be very useful, but in the real world it was an effective strategy.

    Myu and her party were putting in practice one of the tactics that Shin had taught them.

    ¡°Here I go!!¡±

    The Greygunn was still undecided because of the sounds and fighting aura released by Myu and Gian, when lightning shot from behind Gian. Six bolts flew over Gian and struck, leaving the monster no time to react.

    The bolts struck the monster¡¯s scales: its body shook and its movements slowed down. Lecus had prioritized the number of bolts, as they did not cause much damage. The monster growled, walked a few steps and red at Lecus, still behind Gian.

    Its rage-filled stare focused on Lecus: the monster¡¯s sight now probably only included the spear-wielding Gian and the wand-armed Lecus, an opening that Myu didn¡¯t miss. She did not raise her voice or make a sound as she slid towards the Greygunn.

    Despite her quiet approach, the Greygunn probably perceived something: it tried jumping away, but Myu¡¯s fists struck quicker than it could move away.

    ¡°Haaa!!!¡±

    From a crouching position, Myu¡¯s straight burst together with her aura. Her fist struck squarely against the monster¡¯s belly, with a ze of mes.

    me/Barehandedbination skill ¡¾Crimson Lotus Straight¡¿.

    Its highest quality was destroying shell or armor via a fiery explosion.

    Some monsters were protected by thick shells, scales or even armor: one way of fighting them was to use skills such as ¡¾Crimson Lotus Straight¡¿, which could damage armored parts.

    The Greygunn they fought had no elemental affinities, so using a me elemental attack against the scales was not especially effective, but the mes were certainly had a more powerful effect on the body under its scales.

    The explosion blew away part of the monster¡¯s scales, allowing the mes to reach its body, which burned through the monster.

    It was the status condition ¡¾Burn¡¿, caused by magical me attacks. Greygunns had sturdy scales, but its naked body did not have especially high defense. It was the ideal chance to attack.

    ¡°Here¡¯s one mo¡ªwhoops, that was close!¡±

    Myu tried to strike the exposed part with a follow-up attack, but suddenly she rolled on the ground, putting distance between her and the Greygunn. The next moment, something flew through the space she had upied moments before, hissing as it moved through the air.

    ¡°Oh, you noticed, I¡¯m impressed.¡±

    Since it was her first time fighting this monster, Myu was paying special attention to the surroundings. Shin nodded happily, d to see that the training was paying off.

    Myu had moved away because she noticed somethinging from behind: the attack hade from the Greygunn¡¯s tail, long and slender, with arge scale attached to its tip. The tail could bend and extend freely, allowing the monster to deliver powerful attacks from outside the opponent¡¯s field of view.

    Its vicious ws and fangs were easily visible, but avoiding its tail, which often attacked from blind spots, was quite a feat during the first battle against a Greygunn. Myu managed to do so thanks to her high detection skills and agility, but Gian and Lecus might have not been able to imitate her.

    ¡°It could have other attack methods too. Focus on its movements!¡±

    Lecus cast a buff on Myu and Gian, then shouted a warning.

    The Greygunn, after learning that Myu could break through its armor, moved away from her. Gian then ran towards the monster, followed slightlyter by Myu. The Greygunn looked towards Gian, but Myu¡¯s movements and Lecus¡¯ chanting disrupted its attention.

    It chose to focus on the opponents that he knew could hurt it.

    ¡°What, so you think I can¡¯t do anything?¡±

    Myu moved diagonally in front of the beast, which looked away from Gian: an opportunity that he didn¡¯t let go by.

    Thanks to the buff and the Movement-type skill ¡¾Sliding¡¿, Gian closed in on the Greygunn in a ready to attack stance: the skill allowed him to not change his stance as he neared the monster.

    Depending on the user, it was possible to make it look like the attacker was not moving, something that the Greygunn was now experiencing.

    When Gian¡¯s spear struck the monster¡¯s exposed neck, the creature emitted a growl as if shocked from being attacked out of nowhere.

    ¡°One more!¡±

    The spear¡¯s tip, still stabbed in the monster¡¯s neck, glowed a deep purple, which then spread to the monster¡¯s neck and the surrounding area.

    ¡°!?!¡±

    The Greygunn jumped away, the spear fell out and blood started staining its scales, blood the same color as Gian¡¯s weapon.

    Water/Spearbination skill ¡¾Venom Spear¡¿.

    The skill made it possible for the spear¡¯s tip to transmit a strong poison, which inflicted another status ailment to the monster.

    In this world, there were several types of poison: the one inflicted by ¡¾Venom Spear¡¿ affected magic power. Because of this, it was not very effective if the target had higher INT than the user.

    The Greygunn¡¯s stats, however, were mostly focused on physical aspects, so the poison did not just cause the monster damage.

    ¡°It¡¯s moving slower!¡±

    As Gian had struck the neck, near the heart, the poison acted quickly. The Greygunn could not react in time to avoid Myu¡¯s next attack. She dodged the monster¡¯s tail and struck the same spot as before.

    ¡°Haaahh!!!¡±

    With a dull sound, the ground trembled. Myu¡¯s strong step added even more power to her fists, causing the monster¡¯srge body to beunched in the air, its scales scattered by the attack¡¯s shockwaves.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let up!¡±

    ¡°Gotcha!¡±

    Myu wasn¡¯t the only one to move: aiming at the moment the monsternded, Lecus shot more lightning bolts, followed by another attack by Gian.

    The Greygunn, slowed down by the damage and poison, could not dodge the lightning. Bracing for impact, it focused on Gian. The spear¡¯s tip was met by the scales on the monster¡¯s forehead, the hardest it had. Since Gian had aimed between the scales, the monster figured that it couldn¡¯t break through them: for a monster, it disyed considerable intelligence.

    ¡°You¡¯re ready to receive my attack!? You got to be really confident in those scales!!¡±

    Gian shouted. Powered by Lecus¡¯ buff, the spear struck the scales and slightly stabbed them, but failed to pierce through. His movements stopped, but the attack did not.

    ¡°Take this!!¡±

    Lightening sprang forth from the spear¡¯s tip, burning the monster¡¯s head. Thanks to the weapon breaking through the scales, the lightning ran through the monster¡¯s body better than Lecus¡¯ magic bolts. Because of the point of entry, the Greygunn¡¯s whole body shook violently.

    When the lightning stopped, the beast¡¯s front right paw lost strength, causing it to copse to the ground.

    ¡°You¡¯re finish- Myu, stand back!!¡±

    Gian was ready to deliver the final blow, but suddenly he jumped between the monster and Lecus, holding his shield high. Myu too quickly understood what he meant and put distance between her and the monster.

    The Greygunn¡¯s scales stood up: about the same time as Gian took a defensive stance, then they shot in all directions, likerge throwing knives.

    Gian blocked them with his shield, Myu with her gauntlets. Lecus, behind Gian, did not need to defend himself and continued chanting.

    ¡°Gian!¡±

    Following Lecus¡¯ call, Gian jumped aside. Lecus¡¯ wand was already pointed at the monster.

    ¡°This is it!!¡±

    A single bolt flew from the wand. A single,rge bolt, very different from the ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ bolts Lecus had shot at the beginning of the fight.

    Lightning Magic Skill ¡¾Thunderbolt¡¿.

    It couldn¡¯t be used to shoot multiple bolts in different directions like ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿, but the damage it caused was much higher.

    The Greygunn, unable to move, had no means of avoiding the thunderbolt:pletely defenseless after shooting all its scales, it was struck directly. Without even a whimper, it copsedpletely, smoke rising from its body. Myu quickly approached it and struck it with a chop.

    The sound of cracking bones echoed and the monster¡¯s HP reached zero.

    ¡°Well done.¡±

    Shin praised Myu, who had delivered the final blow. Monsters, like all animals, never gave up on trying to survive, until theirst breath. Some tried to take their enemies with them, others feigned weakness to strike during an opening. It was thus important to keep attacking, even if the enemy stopped moving.

    Shin too did not know at first, but one of the highest causes of death among adventurers was to hesitate before finishing off a monster, thus allowing them a chance to attack. To prevent this, he had often told the three students to never let up before the monster was clearly dead.

    ¡°Gian, Lecus, you did well too. You fought well, without letting it focus on a single target. I think you will be able to hold your own also against stronger foes.¡±

    Attacking an opponent that couldn¡¯t move could be stressful, so Shin actively praised them after the victory. They had actually shown good cooperation, so Shin thought that if it was three vs one, they could probably take one even a level 300 monster.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go. Monsters will keep attacking, they don¡¯t care about our circumstances. We might have to fight consecutive battles, but never lose your focus.¡±

    The three students answered Shin¡¯s words with renewed energy. They weren¡¯t exactly his disciples, but Shin was pleased by their growth.

    ¡°Considering the time limit, I guess we¡¯re close.¡±

    ¡°To me, it felt a bit too long, even.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t consider this a job, can you Shin?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­you¡¯re right.¡±

    Twenty days had passed since Shin had epted the training request: the institute¡¯s holiday period would soon be over, which also meant that the training sessions with Lecus¡¯ party would be over as well.

 Vol 13 Chapter 4.1: Chapter 4 Part 1

    ¡°Four more days¡­well no, excluding today, it¡¯s only three . ¡±

    After the training, Shin whispered to himself while looking at the clear blue sky .

    After the Greygunn encounter, the party fought against a pack of Mystic Wolves, then Shin decided to return to town . He would have liked to have the three students build some more experience in monster battles, but, maybe because the timing wasn¡¯t right, they only found monsters that couldn¡¯t even be considered training for Myu and the others .

    ¡°We managed to fight against arge group, so I think that as far as training is concerned, we have achieved good enough results . ¡±

    ¡°Well, if you put it that way, I guess so . ¡±

    Saying they were coaching beginner yers would be unfair to Lecus¡¯ party; Shin, however, would have liked to coach them a bit more, even though their individual abilities and teamwork had improved .

    Schnee¡¯s words implied that he was getting too attached to them, as Shin understood too .

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity, but it can¡¯t be helped . I can¡¯t keep training them while making countermeasures against Greed . ¡±

    Hmee had said that part of nning countermeasures against the Greed devil involved coborating with the country of Erkunt . In that case, Shin couldn¡¯t continue training the students . Being Chosen Ones, there was the possibility of them ending up being involved .

    If the country was in danger, they might be summoned as fighting power . It would be difficult if they were royals or nobles from other countries, but Lecus and the others did not have such social statuses .

    ¡°I want to try having them face an enemy that mainly uses magic attacks¡­some monsters use spells now and then, but wide-area-of-effect spells would be difficult to dodge . Then, mental attacks . It would be good if they could experience what it feels to be hit by one of those . ¡±

    Shin realized that wouldn¡¯t be simple at all .

    He and Schnee could let the students experience magic attacks, but mental ones were a whole different story . Skills affecting others¡¯ mental state were prohibited by the country; even if Shin and Schnee were pretending to be Chosen Ones, on the surface, they couldn¡¯t show themselves to be able to use such skills easily .

    If the information spread, some would try to erase them, others to use them, others again to obtain those skills in secret: their lives would be just like an assassin¡¯s .

    ¡°Then, the weapons . With those almost Rare grade ones, they can¡¯t exert their full power . ¡±

    Myu and Gian had already damaged their weapons while fighting against monsters . If weapons and equipment were mismatched with the user¡¯s abilities, they couldn¡¯t use their powers to the fullest, as they probably already knew .

    They were trying hard to find good quality equipment, but the monsters around Erkunt could not provide much in terms of finances, so their goal was still very far, as the students had confessed at the beginning of training .

    Now the monsters¡¯ spawns had changed and, with the appearance of high level monsters such as Graygunns, that problem would gradually be solved .

    The students nned to request Vulcan¡¯s workshop to forge their weapons, an idea that Shin supported wholeheartedly . He too nned to give them an ¡°appropriate¡± essory as a reward forpleting the training . Since they had trained together, he thought it would be fine to do that much .

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Hmee . ¡±

    Myu and the others were still sprawled on the ground, wheezing, when Shin spotted Hmeeing towards them . There might have been developments in the matter with Greed .

    Myu and the others were on the ground wheezing because, due to ack of monsters, Shin and Schnee had sparred against them . They had been put through the wringer like never before, to the point that they barely managed to stand .

    The other students who witnessed the sparring were rtively shocked, but Shin and Schnee didn¡¯t mind .

    ¡°¡­er, are they alright?¡±

    ¡°Just some scratches . As long as they recover physically and mentally, they¡¯ll be fine . ¡±

    ¡°I think I can imagine, but just what exactly did you do?¡±

    ¡°I just faced them head on with ¡ºKakura¡» a bit . ¡±

    ¡°W-w-what did you say!?¡±

    Hmee howled after hearing Shin¡¯s answer . Even a scratch from him could inflict massive damage: it was difficult to be happy that the party survived with just scratches, when a single scratch could mean a terrible injury .

    ¡°They might have lost limbs or worse!! It¡¯s a huge problem!!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m holding back, just enough so they¡¯ll keep their limbs intact . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem!! What if you traumatized them!?!¡±

    Being well aware of the difference in strength being Shin and Lecus¡¯ party, Hmee couldn¡¯t keep quiet .

    Shin was actually using ¡¾Limiter¡¿ to lower his stats, so the possibility of causing the students heavy damage ¡°scratches¡± was low . Because of the weapon Shin wielded, the possibility was not zero, but they wouldn¡¯t end up with mangled limbs .

    ¡°I was acting as a monster, after all . Half-baked training would hurt them in the long run, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Hnnggh, yes, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    Monsters wouldn¡¯t hold back against wounded opponents: it was important to experience this . The problem was that Shin¡¯s power was far superior to the monsters around Erkunt, so even with ¡¾Limiter¡¿ active, Lecus¡¯ party might have tasted the fear of death a bit too much .

    As Hmee said, if Shin went overboard he could traumatize them .

    ¡°Please be careful . Who knows what could happen, so really, really, be! Careful!!¡±

    ¡°O-okay, I got it¡­¡±

    Shin backed away against Hmee¡¯s fierce look .

    ¡°By the way, you came all the way here for a reason, no?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, right . About your proposal of setting items at the dungeon entrance . ¡±

    In an extraordinary meeting, it was decided to authorize the items¡¯ instation while Shin was there . There was no total consensus, however .

    ¡° ¡®If Luxuria is the source of all troubles, we could just exile her . ¡¯ ¡®What will you do if that Shin is one of Avaritia¡¯s followers?¡¯ You have no idea how much I wanted to cast ¡¾Fireball¡¿ on them, then and there¡­if Shin was really an enemy, Erkunt would be a pile of rubble by now! Seriously!¡±

    Just remembering the meeting was irritating enough to make Hmee clench her fists .

    Apparently, some upper brass elites screamed unfounded opinions, such as that it was Hmee¡¯s responsibility for hiring a devil, that there was no reason to trust Luxuria etc, so the meeting went on longer than expected .

    Shin himself thought that some of those opinions were notpletely wrong: if they exiled Luxuria, the enemy¡¯s target -provided that sheplied- would shift the enemy¡¯s objective and help them buy time, so it wouldn¡¯t bepletely ineffective .

    Shin¡¯s innocence too would be difficult to prove to someone who didn¡¯t know him .

    Finally, believing a devil¡¯s words was definitely a concern for anyone .

    After appeasing such concerns, convincing and overturning the brass¡¯ arguments, Hmee looked rightfully exhausted .

    ¡°That must have been tough . Do you want some of Yuki¡¯s handmade juice?¡±

    ¡°Yes please!¡±

    Shin took out one of his favorite drinks from the item box, to help Hmee recover .

    The juice was made from fruits that did not exist in real life, with a bnce of sweet and sour that was very pleasant to the tongue . Its effects included HP, MP and fatigue recovery, a genuine super drink . Shin always kept arge stock in his item box .

    ¡°Aaah, so delicious¡­¡±

    ¡°If you like it, I can share the recipe?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that would be wonderful!¡±

    Hmee seemed to enjoy it very much, so she took the recipe from Schnee with joy .

    ¡°So, when can I set the items? Can I go today?¡±

    ¡°About that, I¡¯d like to ask you to do it tomorrow morning . I also thought to do it as soon as possible, but the staff in charge of the facility wants to be there too . They¡¯re concerned, of course, because of their position . ¡±

    Because of their work, they would be avable only the next morning . There was a training session scheduled, but the dungeon was a higher priority .

    ¡°Got it, so tomorrow morning we should go to the staff room?¡±

    ¡°No, we wille to pick you up . The time here is rather unclear, so it¡¯s difficult to set up appointments . ¡±

    While watches existed, they were quite expensive . Since merchants and government officials were always in a rush, they often used them as well . The problem was that there was no internationally unified time system, like in Shin¡¯s former world .

    All watches in this world showed slightly different hours: merchants and other people adjusted them between themselves to show the same time .

    On the other hand, apletely unified time was shown by the menu former yers and support characters could ess . Shin had asked Shibaid and the others to confirm, but there wasn¡¯t the slightest discrepancy, though it was unknown how it worked .

    ¡°Mr . Shi¡­ . n . . please, us too¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back with us?¡±

    A feeble voice made Shin turn around, and he saw Myu wobbling on her feet . Gian too was slowly standing up, while Lecus was still lying on the ground, panting . It was the difference in energy between front and back rows, probably .

    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quicker at recovering too . ¡±

    Stamina and recovery changed with level, but training could help boost both . Alongside with training, the students also worked out, which showed its effects . Especially Lecus, who had dropped out of the training halfway, had improved exponentially .

    ¡°Bwahah!!¡±

    ¡°Be quiet . ¡±

    Thanks to Shin¡¯s juice, Myu recovered instantly and jumped up, full of energy . Gian red at her: he had already drank the juice and stood up without glimpse of exhaustion .

    ¡°Whew, I live for a swig of this¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not beer, though . ¡±

    Lecus sounded like he took his first sip of beer after work, so he was brought back to reality . Myu and Gian were more the physical type, so even if he was getting used to it, Lecus still couldn¡¯t keep up with them .

    ¡°Well, if you¡¯ve reached this point, I think we can say that this short-term training was worth doing . You¡¯ve learned skills too, right?¡±

    After fighting a number of monsters, Myu seemed particrly excited and Shin heard her say that .

    ¡°Ah, yes, I have¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, no need to say it . Because of the training¡¯s structure, I more or less know all the skills you have, so I can guess, but the sessions will end soon . I don¡¯t need to hear that . We don¡¯t know who¡¯s listening¡­this ce is more blessed than others, but skills are really really precious . ¡±

    It was pointless to know at that time; Shin had shown them many skills, but he warned them all the same . He knew what they trained in, so as he told Lecus he had a good idea about what skills they had learned: recovery for Lecus, offensive for Myu and Gian .

    Many of Shin¡¯s acquaintances knew skills, so it was easy to forget, but in this world skills were extremely rare . Even knowing just one was impressive . To learn skills just by training was nothing but boasting, from a normal person¡¯s perspective .

    Luckily, there weren¡¯t other students or teachers around, so no one had heard their conversation .

    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of people with skills in this institute, but I heard that outside the Garden, people with skills are decreasing, so I was surprised when I first arrived¡­but I got used to it, I guess . ¡±

    ¡°The Garden is the elves¡¯ country, or rather, settlement, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Many people there have skills, like in Erkunt, but there are few ces protected like these castle walls, so the atmosphere is more like a Pixie vige . A barrier keeps the monsters out . ¡±

    ¡°Is it okay for you to say that to me?¡±

    ¡°Anyone can learn this with some research . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t know, but it seemed to bemon knowledge .

    He knew how the elves¡¯ country was structured, but he hadn¡¯t visited or even gotten close to it aftering to this world . He imagined that they built settlements on top of or inside trees .

    ¡°Ie from a vige near Kilmont! I remember that the people from my vige can use skills normally too¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, I just told you to stop talking about things like that so easily . Skills are really precious, never forget . ¡±

    Myu sealed her mouth with her hands . Her words were enough to reveal that her vige was not an ordinary one .

    There might be hidden viges with Chosen Ones or skill inheritors: it wouldn¡¯t be too strange a concept, so Shin decided not to inquire further about the subject .

    ¡°One of myrades too is a Dragnil with ties to the empire . I haven¡¯t asked him much about the empire, now that I think about it¡­I guess I¡¯ll do once he arrives . ¡±

    ¡°The empire is a really nice ce to live in, I really rmend it! The emperor, princes and princesses are all admirable people!¡±

    ¡°Oh, really now . ¡±

    Lecus added that since it was located close to a Sacred ce, the empire¡¯s rule could not afford to be poor .

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him more details when he arrives . ¡±

    ¡°What kind of person is he?¡±

    ¡°In one word, I¡¯d say he¡¯s a warrior . He has been fighting far longer than me, and he¡¯s better at teaching too . ¡±

    Thanks to Schnee¡¯s help, they managed to train the students even if they increased: if it was Shin alone, he would have had his hands full just with Lecus¡¯ party .

    ¡°Now that I think about it, we never heard anything about your party, Mr . Shin . What other members are there?¡±

    ¡°A Lord, a Pixie and another Elf, plus our partner monsters . ¡±

    ¡°You have Tamer abilities too!? I heard it was difficult to train them with a battle-type job . ¡±

    ¡°Well, for me, just being able to make a contract is enough . I don¡¯t have many Tamer skills, actually . ¡±

    Shin had often seen Cashmere use skills, so he knew them to an extent: there were quite peculiar and interesting ones, such as skills that increased in power as the monster¡¯s affection increased or skills that let the monster possess the yer to increase their stats .

    Shin too trained them little by little, whenever he had time . He never focused too much on them, though, so they were growing at a rxed pace .

    ¡°I used to think that me, Gian and Myu were pretty skilled . I want to say that we weren¡¯t overconfident, but looking at you both, those feelings disappeared . If they are in a party with you, the other members must be really exceptional too¡­¡±

    Lecus and the others had trouble forming parties with normal people, so he realized that Shin¡¯s party members too had to be on the level of Chosen Ones or above .

    ¡°Well, yeah, I don¡¯t mean to brag, but I think that they all could be ranked as top fighters, no matter which country they went to . ¡±

    Shin spoke while thinking that only Tiera would refuse to be described like that . She always used to say that it was all thanks to Kagerou, but she had grown much stronger in her own right . Her stats, technique, skills and experience too were above the average adventurer . Right now, she could easily defeat Kaede, Shadow and Holly¡¯s daughter in Balmel .

    Before, she had lower stats and had to make do somehow with her techniques, but now she had equal, if not superior, stats and could win without trouble, or so thought Shin .

    ¡°Once all party members gather, you could even take over a country then¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t turn us into insurgents now . We¡¯re not going to fight against countries, unless something extraordinary happens . ¡±

    ¡°What if they told you, ¡°give us Yuki or else¡±?¡±

    ¡°Then they¡¯re turning into ashes, no matter who they are . ¡±

    Shin replied instantly . He wouldn¡¯t hesitate, even if the opponent was a noble or a royal .

    ¡°Of course you¡¯d say so . You¡¯re head over heels, aren¡¯t you . ¡±

    ¡°Why ask that now?¡±

    Hmee replied that it was a joke, but Shin found it strange . Taking over a country, having Schnee snatched away¡­it was all too concerning .

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯m worried about, actually¡­I¡¯ll tell you the detailster . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . I have a really bad feeling about this though¡­¡±

    Since she had mentioned the word country, Shin figured that something might have happened at Erkunt . Hmee had just visited it to discuss the Deadly Sin matter, after all .

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Nothing to do with your training, don¡¯t worry . Speaking of which, we don¡¯t have many session left, just three days actually . I n to do a recap of everything we¡¯ve done, and one-on-one training on thest day . ¡±

    ¡°One-on-one¡­¡±

    Gian mumbled to himself, his eyes gleaming . They had mainly trained on how to connect skills, how to use them, learned their characteristics . The first goal was to raise their individual abilities and expand the range of their strategies . Because of this, they never engaged in all-out battle like the first day .

    Especiallytely they had focused on fighting as a team, so they had few chances to go all out on their own .

    Among the three, Gian was the most skilled in individual techniques . In the party, he fought in a bnced way between attack and defense, so he might have some pent-up frustrations . Differently from Myu, who enjoyed the act of fighting itself, Gian was more concerned about winning .

    ¡°Ooh, Gian¡¯s on fire!¡±

    ¡°He hates to lose, after all . ¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you two . ¡±

    Gian red at the impressed Myu and Lecus, then took his spear . Shin had sparred against them after the monsters provedcking, so it was the time they would usually go to lunch . Gian was eagerly swinging his spear, since he didn¡¯t care at all about eating .

    His training spear pierced the air . After the fierce training and fighting monsters, it swung sharper and faster than before .

    ¡°We¡¯re going now, but what will you two do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll train a little more too!¡±

    ¡°Me too . I can¡¯t lose either . ¡±

    ¡°I see . I¡¯m looking forward to thest day, then . ¡±

    Influenced by Gian, Myu and Lecus eagerly started training too . Looking at them, Shin felt fulfilled in a way different than when he coached beginner yers in the game . He felt that he acted as teacher because he enjoyed this feeling .

 Vol 13 Chapter 4.2: Chapter 4 Part 2

    ¡°What are you going to do today?¡±

    ¡°I have a forging discussion at Vulcan¡¯s ce . I¡¯m also thinking of making a small essory as parting gift for Lecus and the others . With this world¡¯s standards, of course . ¡±

    Shin could easily whip up essories that would be world-ss in power . However, he had trained Lecus¡¯ party as a request from the school, so giving them something like that would definitely cause trouble . And so, he nned to give them an essory that could work as a memento .

    Another reason was to make connections . Shin felt that not only Myu, but also Lecus and Gian came from special backgrounds . In a world where having even one skill was highly regarded, Chosen Ones with multiple skills were very rare .

    Some Chosen Ones were active adventurers, so it might not apply to all of them, but Lecus¡¯ party was still immaturepared to them . Even if the institute attracted students from all over the continent, and the three students had considerable fighting strength, sending precious Chosen Ones on their own was slightly unnatural .

    Whether they thought there really was no problem, or there was a special meaning in them being on their own, Shin had no way of knowing, but wanting to share a connection with such unique people wasn¡¯t strange .

    He had heard from Schnee that being a Chosen One would only help cover one or maybe two fields, which meant that very few people owned multiple skills in both battle-type and creation-type jobs, as Shin and his party did . For this very reason, many Chosen Ones were connected with others with skills they did not have .

    For Shin, it would be fine if the people around them viewed their rtionship like that: he had started to mind the reactions of other people more too .

    It was also a small gift to celebrate the effort they put in the training . essories with magical properties were quite expensive even if they didn¡¯t provide outstanding effects, at least more so than Rare grade gear .

    ¡°This world¡¯s essories are mostly just used as decorations, after all . ¡±

    As a creation-type job specialist, Shin wanted to object to the current thinking and state that essories were supposed to be equipment that covered weaknesses, enhanced strengths or provided abilities you did not have . Using essories just for their visuals was unthinkable for an adventurer .

    There were some exceptions, such as people that had particr preferences or chose essories that matched the rest of their equipment; but for people who earned their living through battle, using appropriate essories would be natural .

    It wasn¡¯t impossible to find essories with useful effects on the market, but they were hard to find, especially if one searched for effects useful in battle .

    Shin had heard that this was caused by the fact that the skill level required to attach magical properties to essories was different than the level needed for weapons and armor; obviously, essories required higher level .

    In this world, raising creation-type job skills required more time, money and effort than battle-type jobs, because creation-type skills required materials . Stopping after reaching a level high enough to enchant weapons and armor allowed to start crafting such enchanted gear and sell it, so the user could save time, efforts and materials .

    Depending on the person, focusing on weapons and armor meant bing able to imbue them with higher level magic as well .

    ¡°essories used in battle are normally retrieved from ruins or dungeons, after all . Items with abilities useful in battle are only made by artisans in royal capitals or their surroundings, and they¡¯re also much more expensive than other gear . ¡±

    ¡°Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped, but still . ¡±

    You couldn¡¯t just focus on skills and nothing else in this world . Making a living was the first priority, so Shin thought it natural that most people settled on increasing their skills just to an extent .

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go see our friend Mr . Vulcan then . ¡±

    They arrived at Vulcan¡¯s workshop, the Golden Anvil . Shin opened the door and saw Vaal with several other dwarves .

    The dwarves turned around to look at the neers and instantly froze in ce, with expressions as if they had been struck by lightning .

    ¡°Oh, Mr . Shin . The boss is in the back . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Vaal, greeted the dwarves with a small gesture and proceeded to the back of the shop . He had visited several times, with the pretense of exchanging techniques, and now they were discussing and exchanging opinions . It was a good stimulus for Vulcan, who told Vaal to let Shin through to the smithy when he came .

    Schnee had started assisting Shin with smithy work too, so this time she apanied him into Vulcan¡¯s workshop . After they passed, they could hear the dwarves murmur words like ¡°Thedy¡¯s going in too?¡± or ¡°That¡¯s got to be a goddess¡­¡±

    Shin realized that rumors had started circting about Schnee, who used to wait near the reception when Shin visited Vulcan . The dwarves¡¯ objective was talking to her, apparently .

    ¡°This town¡¯s cksmiths¡­are a bit off¡­?¡±

    Shin felt slightly concerned .

    ¡°Oh? Ooh, you came! With your elfdy friend too? She always waits up front though, do you want to make her do something?¡±

    Vulcan asked Shin why Schnee came along . Many cksmiths forbade women from entering their workshop, but Vulcan was different . There wasn¡¯t any dislike or disgust on his face, but simple curiosity .

    ¡°She had talent to begin with, but recently I had her help me a bit, and she¡¯s really good at it . I was thinking it¡¯d be good for you to have a look at her too, maybe give your opinion . ¡±

    ¡°If you say that, then she can¡¯t be a beginner at least . Elves are good at precise work like concocting and crafting, after all . Even if the field is different, I bet she has good enough sensibility and eye for this work too . ¡±

    In THE NEW GATE, dwarves had bonuses in all creation-type jobs, cksmithing most of all .

    After them, elves were the most blessed race in terms of creation-type jobs .

    As Vulcan said, also thanks to their innate abilities, elves did not lose to dwarves when it came to delicate craftwork, such as concocting potions or making cloth . Schnee¡¯s cksmithing skill level was low, but in skills that required nimble work, like concocting, weaving and engraving she was level VIII and above .

    ¡°We¡¯re not especially gifted in handling magic, so I want ourdy here to focus on checking that . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Elves can see things differently from us too . ¡±

    Shin had heard it from Schnee while they were eating at Tsuki no Hokora . Elves could see the ¡°life aura¡± of cooking ingredients, so he mentioned it .

    ¡°Understood . I am not yet skilled enough to actually participate in the forging, so I will focus on that . ¡±

    Schnee nodded, then Shin and Vulcan stood in front of the furnace . A small iron ingot was put inside and melted in instants . Vulcan grabbed the resulting iron with a pair of tongs and fixed it on top of the anvil .

    ¡°First, let¡¯s ovey our magic . ¡±

    Vulcan then raised his hammer . Shin aimed for the timing it struck and followed suit . The sounds of striking metal continued: the high-pitched sound of Vulcan¡¯s hammer and the slightly echoing sound of Shin¡¯s hammer reverberated in the workshop .

    As the hammers continued to strike, the iron started changing shape . The 5-cemel sized block of iron was stretched and became a thinner 10-cemel round circle when Vulcan and Shin stopped .

    ¡°Hmm, as always, when I forge something with you the shape alwayses out perfect . Even if the metal was round from the beginning, it¡¯s a mystery how it can end up sopletely rounded . ¡±

    Vulcanmented while looking at the round iron item . Such a result was caused by Shin¡¯s cksmith skills, which affected the item¡¯s shape based on the user¡¯s imagination . Even without sharpening, it was possible to create the de part of swords or knives .

    ¡°The effect is, increased defense . Looks like it can project a thin barrier . ¡±

    Shin analyzed the item with a small smile . As a category, it was a shield, an iron shield, most probably . It could project barriers, just like Shibaid¡¯s Great Shell Shield of Collision .

    Shin tried equipping it and have Vulcan attack him, so they could confirm that a 30-cemel barrier really did appear, with the shield at its center . When Vulcan¡¯s hammer struck, however, it shattered with a light sound .

    ¡°It¡¯s too frail . It felt like shattering a thin sheet of ice . ¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve made a bunch of prototypes until now, but the effects vary really wildly, huh . ¡±

    When Vulcan and Shin worked together, such failed experiments were frequent . More than 90% of resulting items were useless duds .

    ¡°When I have Yuki help, we manage to seed about once every two times, though . ¡±

    ¡°What? It¡¯s much better than with me . Hmm, I fail to see the reason, though . Race, magic power, control, affinity, equipment, materials¡­it could be anything . What do you say?¡±

    With only two types of samples, it was difficult to pinpoint the reason .

    ¡°Let¡¯s see, we use the same materials, and since you have a high rate sess with Vaal, I doubt the cause lies with the equipment . The different affinity due to our races could have something to do with it, but I feel that the difference in magic power and control is key . We strike while imbuing magic power, after all, so wouldn¡¯t a rted cause be a natural consequence?¡±

    ¡°I see, I see¡­between me and ourdy here, the difference in magic power is undeniable, and you have buttloads of magic power too . Either mine is too weak or yours is too strong . Lady, tell us what¡¯s on your mind too . ¡±

    Vulcan nodded to Shin¡¯s reply, then asked for Schnee¡¯s opinion too .

    ¡°Quantity and control of magic power, I am quite sure that these two elements are rted . I saw the magic power you two imbued sh and make sparks against one another . In the end, Shin¡¯s magic power almost fully covered the item, leaving little of Mr . Vulcan¡¯s . When I and Shin do it, our magic powers ovep, so I believe that this is the cause behind the difference in results . ¡±

    ¡°Layers of magic power, huh . I¡¯ll be damned if I don¡¯t envy you for being able to see what we barely manage to feel . ¡±

    Vulcan and Shin tried imagining theyers that Schnee exined, but far from buildingyers, they couldn¡¯t even manage to make their magic power ovep, so they both had a sour look on their faces .

    ¡°Could you show me how you forge with Vaal? If I see a sessful attempt, I might find a clearer difference . ¡±

    ¡°Sure thing . With someone with eyes as good as yours around, it¡¯d be a shame not to try it . ¡±

    Vulcan grinned and called Vaal . The cksmith¡¯s grandson had the persistent dwarf crowd leave, turned the shop¡¯s sign to the ¡°closed¡± side and started working immediately .

    When Vulcan and Vaal struck their hammers, very simr sounds echoed in the surroundings . Being master and student, their striking styles were probably very simr too . Next to Schnee, Shin too tried to focus in catching any changes in magic power .

    Differently from seeing magic power used during spells, what Shin could see was just a faint mist, when the hammers struck the anvil, as if he was looking at a blurred photograph, probably because he wasn¡¯t used to it .

    The cksmiths continued working, their hammers alternating, small sparks of magic power flying around . Shin could catch a glimpse of a thin membrane-like object .

    He continued to focus even more, and gradually the fog lifted .

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    A thin, transparent membrane covered the iron . The red film of Vulcan¡¯s strikes, the orange film of Vaal¡¯s strikes formedyers uponyers . Every time they struck a newyer appeared, but the total thickness did not change .

    When Vulcan and Vaal finished their work, the membrane had be of a color between the two and was absorbed by the iron¡¯s surface .

    ¡°I guess this is it . It went pretty well . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this has a support effect . ¡±

    The iron block formed a shape slightly more irregr than the one forged by Shin and Vulcan . The effect provided was +5% STR .

    Leaving the shape aside, the effect was much more useful than what Shin and Vulcan had produced .

    ¡°Your magic powers ovepped neatly, just like Yuki said . In they end, they mixed together and were sucked in . ¡±

    ¡°You could see it?¡±

    ¡°I focused on the item and could see it little by little, but I could see something clear only at the end . ¡±

    ¡°I thought it could happen, but¡­never so suddenly . ¡±

    Schnee thought that Shin could manage to be able to see the magic poweryers, as it was something rted to cksmithing, but was surprised that he had suddenly learned this ability .

    ¡°Shin, my man, I can¡¯t let that slide without wondering who the hell you really are¡­but I¡¯m not gonna ask any questions, and don¡¯t you either, Vaal . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry grampa, I¡¯m already positive that for Mr . Shin nothing is impossible . ¡±

    Vulcan warned his grandson after hearing Shin and Schnee¡¯s conversation, but Vaal was apparently already beyond that . Shin wondered what made him think that, and Vaal replied that it was the first sword that Shin forged . Seeing a sword already sharp just after forging convinced him that he was looking at something from a levelpletely above his .

    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­as far as I know, the dwarf elder is the only one who can do things like that . I guess there are lots of other famous cksmiths in the world . ¡±

    Vulcanughed loudly, dering how happy he was to have known one of them .

    ¡°Will you show me you and thedy forge something next? I feel like I might grasp something new . ¡±

    Shin nodded and they started working right away . Schnee¡¯s cksmithing level was still IV, lower than Vulcan¡¯s, so Shin had her focus on striking only the core of the iron .

    Shin fixed the metal block and did the first hit, then Schnee followed, matching the timing with his . Shin could clearly see the oveppingyers this time . A purple film when Shin struck, a blue one when Schnee did .

    What was different from Vulcan and Vaal¡¯s was that Shin and Schnee¡¯s membranes did not simply ovep: Shin¡¯s membrane would break through our repel Schnee¡¯s, which was likely the cause of a failed product .

    Shin noticed it now, so he adjusted his striking power . However, things didn¡¯t go as he hoped . Even if he held back, his magic power membrane would break through Schnee¡¯s often .

    The results were still better than when he forged with Vulcan, though: the resulting item had a +3% lightning resistance effect .

    ¡°This is pretty hard . ¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t adjust my strength properly either . ¡±

    ¡°Despite that, you managed to create something decent . This makes me think that magic power control is more important than cksmithing skill?¡±

    Schnee could also see the ovepping magic power membranes, so she adjusted her striking power ordingly . Based on this, Vulcan hypothesized that the secret behind sessful cooperative forging was the control of magic power .

    ¡°I feel the same . This time it went somewhat well, but rather than striking the iron, I felt I was repelled by it . ¡±

    ¡°Which means, we need both a considerable level of magic power control and cksmithing skills . Both have to be trained . ¡±

    Shin made this conclusion after hearing Schnee¡¯s reasoning .

    Vulcan was an excellent cksmith, but had poor magic control . Schnee was an expert in magic control, but her cksmithing still needed work . Shin produced better results with Schnee probably because her cksmithing skills were developed to an extent .

    ¡°So this means that we need to practice magic control too¡­that¡¯ll be hard on the youngsters . ¡±

    Vulcan mumbled that it was better to leave that after they had be aplished cksmiths . The method of imbuing magic power while forging in pairs was still rtively unknown: money and time were needed to explore it further . If beginners dabbled in it, they risked not being able to make a living .

    ¡°How did you two train your magic control?¡±

    ¡°I try adjusting the power of spells, and maintaining them active in a regted state . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t do things like that, maybe because elves are blessed with good magic control since birth . But I tried using magic skills in all sorts of derivative ways, so I believe it helped . Shin¡¯s adjusting method gave me hints too . ¡±

    Shin told Vulcan and Vaal the method that Schnee taught him . To prevent the risks of losing control over magic, they used Arts, which had low offensive power . The two cksmiths quickly understood how difficult an exercise it was .

    ¡°I see, I see . This is pretty darned hard . ¡±

    ¡°But, I kind of get it . This training is essential to perfect that forging method . ¡±

    ¡°No doubt . ¡±

    They had just started and couldn¡¯t maintain a proper ¡¾Fireball¡¿, but Vulcan and Vaal were convinced that they had to do it and smiled at each other . It was probably their instinct as artisans which told them so: skipping theories and data altogether, they could feel that ¡°this is the answer we seek¡±, a hunch only true artisans could have .

    ¡°I guess we should focus on this for a while . What are you guys going to do?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be busy soon, so I think it will be best to work separately until things calm down . ¡±

    ¡°Could it be that you¡­naw, nothing . Let¡¯s give it our all, all of us . ¡±

    Vulcan was about to say something, but stopped halfway . He shook his head and extended his hand, which Shin shook .

    When Shin and Schnee left the workshop, the sun was almost setting: they had been inside a long time . It wasmon for Shin, but rare for Schnee not to realize it .

    ¡°Well, I was always just waiting before¡­I was happy to be able to work with you, so I lost track of time¡­¡±

    ¡°Gh, what can I say¡­sorry . ¡±

    Shin apologized to the blushing Schnee . He often lost track of time while forging: it wasn¡¯t rare for the day to turn to night without him realizing . Schnee would always wait for him, never uttering a singleint . Despite the fact that Schnee now would surely think that it was precious time .

    ¡°I have to be more careful in the future . ¡±

    ¡°More careful?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing . Just my stance, let¡¯s say . ¡±

    Leaving Schnee with a question mark over her head, Shin shook his head and faced forward .

 Vol 13 Chapter 4.3: Chapter 4 Part 3

    The next day .

    Hmee said that she would send someone to pick Shin up in the morning . After preparing the necessary items, he was taking it easy by rxing while sipping Schnee¡¯s tea in his hotel room .

    ¡°Guess they¡¯re here?¡±

    Shin felt the presence of a hotel employee heading towards his room . After a few minutes the clerk knocked and announced that his escort had arrived . He went down with Schnee and found Licia waiting .

    ¡°I apologize for making you wait . Our preparations areplete, so we came to apany you . ¡±

    ¡°I was just rxing while I waited, so it was nothing . ¡±

    Shin reassured Licia that it was no trouble and boarded the horse carriage . There he learned that both of the institute¡¯s heads of the magic department and technology development department would be present while Shin installed the trap items .

    After an uneventful trip, the group reached the institute . Hmee had already left, so they followed Licia to the training dungeon . Hmee was waiting with the guards in a security tower: she was apanied by two male elves, one d in robes and another in work gear . It was clear from their clothes which department they headed .

    ¡°Thank you foring all the way here . Let me introduce you to Iggris, head of the magic department, and Seeran, head of the technology development department . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Iggris . My pleasure . ¡±

    ¡°I am Seeran . If the headmistress went to the trouble of calling someone from outside, you must be quite the big shot . I¡¯m expecting great things . ¡±

    Iggris greeted Shin tly, without changing his expression in the slightest . His calm mood reminded Shin of how elves behaved as NPCs .

    Seeran, on the other hand, reached for a handshake, clearly very interested in Shin . He looked almost like a kid that had found a new toy .

    Both elves had once been adventurers, but, after hearing that Hmee had started a school, they travelled to Erkunt and offered to help . Leaving their personalities aside, such a lifestyle was quite unusual by elven standards .

    Two male elves had answered Hmee¡¯s call¡­Shin couldn¡¯t help but think they had ulterior motives, but did not say anything . There could be all sorts of bonds between men and women outside of ¡°that¡±, and it would be something very disrespectful to imply after all .

    ¡°I¡¯ll start installing right away then . ¡±

    Showing the actual items would be faster than exining: no objections were raised, so the group headed towards the dungeon . Shin stopped in front of the entrance and took the items out of his item box, naturally pretending to do so from a pocket .

    ¡°These items are used to ambush monsters . In terms of specs, they can defeat most monsters up to level 500, even monsters only affected by physical or magical attacks . If monsters focused on one of these two items, however, they could break through without being annihted . ¡±

    There were several kinds of items to ambush monsters: Shin had chosen orthodox types, which released physical and magical damage light bullets when monsters approached .

    He had prepared two types, one that shot several bullets and one that shot one powerful bullet . Setting both of them made it possible to defeat small fry with the multiple shot trap and target more powerful units with the other, thus they covered each other¡¯s weaknesses .

    Items like these stopped acting if the monsters left a certain radius or perished . The light bullets required stored magical power to be fired, so once it was used up they stopped functioning . The items automatically absorbed surrounding magic power, however, so they rarely needed to be manually charged . This automatic recharge was pretty slow however, so charging them manually was often quicker .

    All kinds of trap items¡¯ active time changed with activation frequency, number of monsters, level etc . , so it was important to manage them precisely ording to their location . This time, they were expected to activate only in rare situations, so it would be enough to just mark down their location .

    ¡°That¡¯s all we need to pay attention to . Considering their continuous attack function, I¡¯ll set them on both sides of the entrance¡¯s ceiling and floor, two of each type on each side . Any questions?¡±

    Iggris raised his hand to Shin¡¯s question .

    ¡°How durable are the items themselves? Some monsters can attack from long distance, after all . ¡±

    ¡°The items themselves do not have really high durability . It depends on the type of attack, but a level 300 monster would need 2 or 3 attacks to destroy them . However, they are protected by a barrier, so in actuality they can survive even 10 punches from a level 500 golem . ¡±

    In such a case, they could buy enough time to defeat even a golem like that .

    ¡°How much are these really worth in battle? I did my fair share of adventuring, but I can¡¯t even imagine what a level 500 monster looks like . Could you exin in a way we can understand?¡±

    ¡°Let me see, against the monsters that spawn in this dungeon, they can hold for about two hours . ¡±

    Seeran looked deep in thought, and Shin made an example with the training dungeon monsters . They were level 255 at most and unlike a field the dungeon entrance was narrow, so the number of monsters that could pass through at one time was limited .

    In this case, even monsters that appeared inrge numbers, like the ants that Shin fought, would be stopped by the 16 trap items that Shin was going to install . As long as their magic power charge held, of course .

    ¡°That¡¯s rather powerful . It would be troublesome if the government was informed . ¡±

    ¡°Right . If the military department¡¯s ¡®nasty sses¡¯ officer got wind of this, they¡¯d definitelyin and confiscate the items . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­can¡¯t argue with that . ¡±

    Seeran nodded to Iggris¡¯ment after learning of the items¡¯ power . Hmee looked sour as well: it would definitely not be wise to let the government know . Judging from their tone, it didn¡¯t look like Iggris and Seeran had any intention to do so either .

    ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and install them, then . ¡±

    The installing process was notplicated: the items could be buried in the ground or the walls, even without needing to dig . After the item was buried, nothing suggested that there was something hidden . The only way to notice was to use trap detection skills or have very sharp instincts .

    ¡°And we¡¯re done . I already charged them with magic power, so we can just leave them be . They will give a signal if they activate, so I will let you know if anything happens . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I want one too . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed . I can¡¯t let this pass without taking one for analysis¡­¡±

    ¡°Both of you have a lot of other things to do, don¡¯t you? And you always say that there¡¯s not enough manpower!¡±

    ¡°As a technology expert, I cannot overlook this . ¡±

    ¡°If I could understand the structure, I could apply it to other uses as well . ¡±

    Hmee¡¯s warning barely even reached the two elves¡¯ ears . In a way, that was a natural reaction for researchers . Even so, Shin had no intention of providing them with items .

    ¡°Monster ambush items¡± as a name sounded very appealing, but it was possible to make them target people too . The items used in guild versus guild battles, set to activate when guild houses were attacked, were the same type as the ones that Shin just installed . He couldn¡¯t just hand them out so easily .

    Hmee dragged the two unhappy elves away, saying that their work there was done . Shin and Schnee waved goodbye to her and returned to their lodging .

    They wouldn¡¯t train Lecus¡¯ party that day: few days remained until the final training session, but the students said that they would use the time toe up with a way to fight by themselves, so they were probably busy training by themselves now .

    Shin was very much looking forward to what they would show on thest day .

 Vol 13 Chapter 4.4: Chapter 4 Part 4

    The fateful final day finally arrived.

    Shin woke up 20 minutes earlier than usual.

    ¡°Good morning, si¡­ahem. Good morning. You¡¯re up earlier than usual.¡±

    Schnee was about to give her usual polite greeting, but corrected herself halfway through. The words that followed, however, were kind of awkward.

    ¡°Morning. Don¡¯t force yourself to change, take your time.¡±

    ¡°I do it because I wi..want to.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s attempts at speaking less politely sometimes met such quirky results. She only tried when she was alone with Shin, though. It didn¡¯t go well every time: she was too used to speaking politely, so sometimes their conversations turned awkward.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s take it easy, anyway.¡±

    There was no need to rush.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go wash my face.¡±

    Shin got out of bed and went to the bathroom. He made preparations quickly and had breakfast.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hurry, there¡¯s still plenty of time.¡±

    ¡°¡­was I in that much of a hurry?¡±

    ¡°Hehe. Just like you did in the past when looking forward to an event.¡±

    Shin was eager to see how Lecus¡¯ party would fight, that was probably why he was hurrying.

    ¡°I wonder why..it¡¯s not like they¡¯re my disciples or anything, but it¡¯s just such fun to see them grow.¡±

    ¡°I understand, I had a simr experience too. You can¡¯t help being happy, seeing your pupils be stronger.¡±

    Schneeughed and Shin smiled back. She had prepared some herbal tea, to help him calm down, so Shin started sipping on it to kill time.

    ¡°Weird, how could they bete today, of all times?¡±

    Shin and Schnee arrived at the institute, eager and excited, but none of the three students showed up at the appointed time. Even if they werete, Lecus or Gian would have contacted them.

    Shin and Schnee separated to go check the boys¡¯ and girls¡¯ dorm, only to learn that the three students had apparently already left.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they had any other things to take care of¡­something must have happened after they left.¡±

    Myu was especially excited about the day, so she had talked about it with friends in the dorm as well. The students¡¯ friends, who told Shin and Schnee about their departure, all imed they didn¡¯t know anything about any other ns.

    The appointed location was inside institute grounds, so it was difficult to imagine that they had been caught up in trouble on their way there.

    ¡°Do you think they might still be in the institute?¡±

    ¡°I want to say yes, but there¡¯s something that bothers me.¡±

    What concerned Schnee was the man that Luxuria talked about, who introduced himself as Avaritia¡¯s follower: Hexen. He had fled without fighting, so his strength was unknown, but if he had been able to run away from a Deadly Sin Devil, he clearly wasn¡¯t an average person.

    ¡°After we started training, those three went often to the infirmary, as Luxuria said. If Hexen saw them, he might have thought of using them as hostages¡­¡±

    For Shin and the others, Luxuria¡¯s change of heart, which allowed her to co-exist with people without hurting anybody, was very wee. When Shin saw her earnestly concerned about people, or rather children, he was very surprised.

    This change, however, could turn out to be notpletely positive. The more Luxuria treasured people, the more her heart was closer to them, the more weakness would be generated.

    Just as it had happened to Shin in the past, when someone close to you was targeted, you can end up bing powerless.

    ¡°Schnee, please contact Hmee. I¡¯ll go see if anyone went out of town.¡±

    If they had been taken away, it was highly likely that they would be already outside the town. There was nothing else Shin could do at the moment, too.

    Even Shin and Schnee¡¯s high battle prowess was little use when looking for someone.

    ¡°Shit! Tell me that we didn¡¯t guess right!¡±

    Shin expanded his detection field as much as he could.

    ¡°Wait¡­what¡¯s that?¡±

    It was a mere coincidence. While he was expanding his detection field from their location towards outside the institute¡¯s premises, he noticed three presences moving together.

    The three dots were heading towards the supposedly sealed training dungeon. He kept following their movements and saw that 2 of the dots gathered around the entrance of the training dungeon started moving towards the three approaching dots. They were probably security guards: eventually, they came in contact with the three dots.

    One of the dots stopped moving, and all the other dots started drawing closer too. They were clearly fighting, which gave Shin a bad feeling about the situation.

    ¡°They¡¯re fighting.¡±

    ¡°Those three presences¡­could it be them?¡±

    Schnee probably noticed that something was off from Shin¡¯s reaction and expanded her detection field as well.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what could be the cause, but yes, maybe. Let¡¯s go check.¡±

    They had no other clues at the time. It could be a diversion, but it was far too difficult to find to work as one. There had to be another objective in y. Shin decided to message Hmee, then go to the training dungeon.

    ¡°Hey, are you all right!?¡±

    When Shin and Schnee arrived the fighting was already over: Bermann and the other security guards were all lying on the ground. As it turned out, they really fought against Lecus¡¯ party. Since the three ¡°intruders¡± were students they knew and chosen ones, they managed to send an emergency message, but ended up defeated.

    ¡°Kh, how shameful¡­we couldn¡¯t stop them¡­¡±

    Bermann and the guards were dejected, but based on their equipment and training, they should have been able to hold on until Shin and Schnee arrived. Shin thus inquired further, only to learn that Lecus¡¯ party moved and fought as if they werepletely different people. It was clear that, after all, they weren¡¯t acting on their own will.

    ¡°Will you go by yourselves? It¡¯s too dangerous. We should wait for the headmistress.¡±

    ¡°We have contacted her already. Saving those three is higher priority now.¡±

    If they were strong enough to defeat Bermann¡¯s group in so little time, sending reinforcements would just create more casualties. The next task was definitely Shin and Schnee¡¯s specialty. Saying that they would just do some reconnaissance, the two entered the training dungeon.

    The walls and floors did not seem to have changed. The traps and contents appeared to be just like the training dungeon always used to be.

    ¡°They have definitely gone inside. Not much time seems to have passed either. I can¡¯t tell which floor they warped to, though.¡±

    Schnee had tracked the three student¡¯s traces with her kunoichi abilities. They had gone to the teleport device room, but it was not possible to know which floor they had gone to.

    ¡°We should be able to find some traces in the floor they went to. I doubt they went to one of the higher floors in this situation¡­it¡¯s a gamble, but let¡¯s try going to the deepest part, from level 200, first.¡±

    If they didn¡¯t find any traces of the students, they would be forced to check all other floors one by one. Hoping that his hunch was right, Shin and Schnee used the teleport. At their destination, they found clear traces that someone had passed.

    ¡°The gamble paid off, then.¡±

    Their relief was very short, as they couldn¡¯t rx just yet, and resumed tracking. Thanks to ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ they could tell how the floor was structured, so they used together with other detection skills to track the three runaways.

    ¡°No response in the map. But the tracks clearly lead to the deepest part of this area.¡±

    In a normal cave, they could scan underground right away, but training dungeons allowed to see only the floor where one was currently located. Shin¡¯s detection field showed that not only the three students¡¯ responses weren¡¯t there, but no monsters were either.

    ¡°In any case, something must have happened, that¡¯s for sure¡­¡±

    The situation was very simr to when the mob ants were amassed in floor 200. While keeping their guard up, Shin and Schnee hurried to the lower levels, but found nothing anywhere. This continued five times, but when they reached floor 205, something changed.

    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, without a doubt.¡±

    Before the stairs leading down to floor 206, they found a door just like the ones ced before boss chambers. The three students¡¯ tracks led here too.

    ¡°We can¡¯t see inside, huh. Schnee, get ready for an ambush.¡±

    They had made necessary preparations for battle while they descended. Judging it likely that they would fight devil-rted foes, both Shin and Schnee equipped anti-devil gear.

    After Schnee concealed her presence with a skill, Shin opened the door and noticed the silhouette of a man, pierced in the middle by something. He wasn¡¯t anyone they knew. Based on the fact that the map didn¡¯t show his icon, he had to be already dead. What pierced the man seemed to be a half-transparent tentacle.

    It looked like the aura that appeared when Shin or Schnee used skills: its color, however, was much darker and sinister-looking.

    Shin then looked at the base of the tentacle.

    ¡°What the hell¡¯s that?¡±

    The appearance was just like the ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» that Shin found after exterminating the Mob Ants, but its size was at least three mel, muchrger than the one found in the mob ant¡¯s body.

    The tentacle was a mutation of aura, so after being removed from the man¡¯s body, it returned silently to the aura emanated by the piece, though it was hardly fitting calling it like that.

    Piece of %#ice ¨C Level 605

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ revealed the name and level, and that not only its appearance was abnormal. Judging from its size and the aura it emanated, it was surely somethingpletely different.

    The ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» was an item used to reinforce equipment: devil energy turned into a crystal. If used on a monster, it turned it into a stronger version under themand of the corresponding devil, but the piece itself had no fighting ability.

    ¡°At least they¡¯re safe for now?¡±

    Before the ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» stood Lecus and his party, with nk expressions on their faces.

    They were supposed to have received damage in their battle against Bermann and the other guards, but their HP gauge was maxed out. At the very least, they weren¡¯t controlled corpses.

    Over their heads there were ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡» with simr size as the one Shin first found. The three pieces emanated auras just like therger one, connected in strings to the three students¡¯ limbs. The three smaller pieces did not show name or level, so they were probably just support units of therger one.

    We¡¯ll save them first, then destroy the big piece.

    Shin and Schneemunicated via Mind Chat, then looked more closely at therger piece. It was very close to the three students: destroying it would have likely released them from its control, but if they were attacked while trying to save them, it would be troublesome.

    Shin was thinking about how to separate the fragments from the students, but Lecus and the others moved first.

    Myu and Gian came closer to him, with Lecus following them a few mels behind. The main piece did not move, which was unsettling, but a chance at the same time.

    Both positively and negatively, however, the three students surpassed Shin¡¯s expectations. The speed at which they were moving was much higher than what he remembered. They were probably powered up by something: the aura stretching from the fragments trailed after them, like afterimages.

    They probably hadn¡¯t noticed Schnee, who was still concealed. Myu and Gian attacked Shin from the right and left side, with a flying kick and a medium thrust. Shin grabbed Myu¡¯s gauntlet and the tip of Gian¡¯s spear, stopping their attacks with brute strength.

    They were indeed faster and stronger than before, but not enough to pose a threat to Shin. He could still make short work of the three. It was because of this that he threw Myu away and pulled the spear to knock Gian on the ground. Just then, three lightning bolts flew through the air and struck him.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d attack them at the same time too, but I guess it won¡¯t go like that?¡±

    The bolts scattered before Shin¡¯s defense power and his equipment; he then swatted away a gust of invisible wind with a hand.

    Lecus¡¯ ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ had been shot as to avoid Myu and Gian.

    If he really was under the devil¡¯s control, he would probably attack with no regard for their safety¡­so guessed Shin, but reality turned out different.

    The other 2 students resumed their attacks too: Gian came from the front, Myu from the back, with 2 other ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ boltsing from the sides. All attacks came with perfectly disced timing: there was no possibility of the 2 closebat fighters to be struck by the aftershocks of the ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿ bolts.

    Even if controlled, they clearly understood that if they came in contact with someone hit by ¡¾Thunder Line¡¿, they would be shocked too.

    ¡°You fight together even better than before.¡±

    They weren¡¯t moving with their free will, but even so they attacked with perfect timing. Such movements were possible because of their training, which seemed ironic in this situation. Shin thought that he would have preferred not seeing the results of their training in this manner.

    He ignored the thunderbolts, leaving their neutralization to his gear and defense power, and attempted to destroy Myu¡¯s fragment first, since she had the highest mobility.

    He tried to stop her with a skill that caused paralysis, but one instant before he could strike, the aura from the fragment enveloped Myu and nullified the paralysis effect.

    The impact of Shin¡¯s attack wasn¡¯tpletely blocked, so Myu shook a little, but she quickly regained her stance. She was also healed, apparently.

    If the opponent was a simple monster, Shin could take it down with one blow, but he couldn¡¯t use the same strategy with Myu.

    The main piece did not attack, but it couldn¡¯t be ignored: the situation was more difficult to handle than what Shin estimated.

    ¡°(I can¡¯t just waste time like this. Guess I¡¯ll be more forceful)¡±

    Shin was worried about leaving the three students under the influence of the sinister aura for a long period of time. He told Schnee, via Mind Chat, that he had to act with less concern for the damage that could be caused.

    Gian and Myu started their third assault. Shin, however, did not defend himself. He received Myu¡¯s kick and grabbed her head, then went on to meet Gian¡¯s spear himself.

    The spear was repelled by Shin¡¯s gear, knocking Gian off his bnce. Ignoring the spear, Shin advanced forward and grabbed Gian¡¯s head too.

    ¡°¡¾Purification¡¿!¡±

    Just like miasma, devil power could be erased with ¡¾Purification¡¿. He had caught the 2 with anti-devil gauntlets, which had started eating away at the devil power from the moment they hade in contact with the 2 students¡¯ heads, and with ¡¾Purification¡¿ the aurapletely disappeared.

    Shin then used a me-type skill, concentrated in one spot, to attack the smaller fragments that connected Lecus¡¯ party to therger piece. Because of the purification, the limbs of dark aura that chained Lecus and the others vanished, then heat lines were released.

    Shin wasn¡¯t sure that the chains would disappear if the fragments were destroyed, so he used magic to make sure to destroy thempletely.

    After the heat lines disappeared, there was no trace of the smaller pieces. Myu and Gian fell down, as if devoid of all strength. As far as Shin could tell, they were not affected by any negative status conditions.

    ¡°I am sorry, I failed.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be, that couldn¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Schnee had faced against Lecus, but since he was close to the main piece, a barrier was formed and, before she could attack it, Lecus had been transported before it.

    ¡°Devil ¨C Killer ¨C Arm¡­¡±

    Shin and Schnee were considering their next action, when Lecus¡¯ mouth uttered a series of words. Differently from his previous empty look, his eyes were now firmly looking at them.

    ¡°Luxeria ¨C Aura ¨C Trust?¡±

    The uttered words became gradually clearer. Then, before Shin and Schnee could move, the aura binding Lecus disappeared and the piece returned to therger one. At the same time, Lecus dropped like a marite with severed strings.

    He wasn¡¯t affected by status conditions, like Myu and Gian: the main piece had thus released Lecus of its own will.

    ¡°Don¡¯t need that anymore.¡±

    Normal, clear speech was heard from the main piece. Shin thought that it was trying to catch them off guard, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was going to attack. Despite itsck of eyes, however, they could feel someone, something, staring at them.

    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±

    ¡°Goal,plete.¡±

    Despite the reply, it didn¡¯t seem like they could actuallymunicate.

    Before Shin could ask anything else, the aura took tentacle form again and attacked Shin.

    ¡°Schnee, take those 2 away. I¡¯ll go rescue Lecus.¡±

    Shin shed the tentacle aura with the anti-devil longsword ¡ºI¡» and started running.

    ¡¾Spirit of Pigritis  Level 605¡¿

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ activated again, maybe because the piece was acting in a different manner. What it showed was clearly different from before.

    ¡°A piece of Sloth? Not Avarice?¡±

    Shin was confused by the new name, but his opponent didn¡¯t give him time to think. Thankfully, the aura tentacles aimed at Shin only: he avoided moving too much, so that Lecus wouldn¡¯t be a target, and moved gradually closer while parrying the tentacles¡¯ attacks.

    In case Lecus was targeted, he kept magic stocked at all times.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±

    ¡°Looks like our friend here is very interested in me. Sorry, can you take care of Lecus too?¡±

    Schnee returned, still concealed, and Shin asked her to rescue Lecus. If Shin did it himself, the tentacles might have targeted the elven student.

    ¡°Death,e. Me, I, greed, sloth, lust, all, can kill.¡±

    The aura¡¯s color changed. It was as sinister as before, but the faint yellow hue now turned green.

    ¡°OoOh, oOooh, O Death! O HuNTeR of DeAdlY SinS!¡±

    An unnaturally echoing voice spread from the piece. The aura tentacles underwent a change too. They were no more just different shapes of aura: their tips changed to sharp des, their size growing muchrger too.

    The tentacles were now 7: the many tentacles from before merged, so their individual power likely increased.

    ¡°I see, so this is Sloth.¡±

    Shin looked at the piece, split in 2 parts: it was an ability that the Sloth devil possessed. As far as Shin knew, Sloth could originally split even more, but now it was probably limited by something, and did not split into more than 2 parts.

    All tentacles rushed towards Shin: he was the sole target just like before. 14 des surrounded him, to attack from all sides.

    ¡°Yes, target me, just like that!¡±

    Shin ran in the opposite direction of Lecus¡¯ location, to make it easier for Schnee to rescue him. He lowered his stance and jumped towards one side of the tentacles, to take care of some of the des and lower their total number.

    The des attacked from all sides, but their number was limited. Since they attacked from the front, back, sides and even from above, a max of three des could attack from one direction: a number Shin could easily neutralize.

    He stopped 2 with the longsword and another with his gauntlet. The repelled des carved through the ground like digging through sand. They looked thin, but their offensive capabilities were clearly higher than their level.

    Shin then shed the aura that bound the des to the piece, severing it as if cutting through rubber. The separated des vanished, while the piece¡¯s aura formed new ones. Recovery speed was around 1, 2 seconds.

    ¡°Death! Death!¡±

    The piece continued saying the same lines while attacking Shin. It had probablypletely forgotten about Lecus and the others. It felt almost obsessed in attacking Shin. The tentacles¡¯ attacks, however, were not haphazard at all: they didn¡¯t interfere or bump against each other, moving precisely towards Shin.

    He avoided another barrage and went closer to the piece and kicked one of its 2 prongs. The aura was scattered and arge crack appeared on its surface.

    Then, something bizarre happened. The HP gauge of both soul fragments decreased. As far as Shin remembered, after splitting they should have had separate HP gauges. If it wasn¡¯t a disy error, it meant that even after splitting the soul fragments retained HP inmon.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s rted to the voice being there or not?¡±

    Shin had kicked the part that didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°You¡¯re not hearing me, are you.¡±

    Shin tried to talk with the source of the voice as he parried the des, hoping to gather information, but received no response at all. Deciding that all he could do was defeat it, he gripped his longsword with more power.

    He had already confirmed that Schnee had moved Lecus somewhere safe. There was no risk of involving him anymore.

    As he made this conclusion, the soul fragment had turned back into one. Probably due to this fusion, its HP was back at max.

    Shin faced it head on: the sharp aura des were met with the de of his longsword ¡ºI¡», which swung infused with Shin¡¯s magic power, slicing the des in 2. The longsword¡¯s silver de now had blue patterns, because of the magic power dwelling in it.

    It was the perfect situation for the anti-devil longsword ¡ºI¡» to exert its full power. Maybe because of its boosted effectiveness against devils, the des regenerated at slower pace than before. Even before regenerating, though, the tentacles continued to attack.

    The soul fragment had returned to being one, but the tentacles were still 7. Far from being enough to stop Shin.

    ¡°Take this!¡±

    Shin continued mowing down the tentacles, without an inch of restraint, then sunk ¡ºI¡»¡¯s de into the soul fragment. Its special effectiveness manifested fully, slicing the fragment in two.

    Just to be sure, Shin swung ¡ºI¡» again. 6 shattered fragments fell to the ground, melting away as soon as they touched it. Soon after, a green crystal about the size of a fist appeared.

    ¡°¡­is it over?¡±

    Shin examined the crystal, which turned out to be the item ¡ºDrop of Pigritis¡», proof of defeat of the Sloth devil. In other words, even if its appearance was different, the soul fragment that fought against Shin was the Sloth devil itself.

    The crystal¡¯s size, however, was half of what it used to be.

    Shin wasn¡¯t convinced that it was truly over. His opponent was a devil: the name disyed was Sloth, but its appearance and abilities were both different than what he remembered. It could have been pretending to be defeated, only to attack again by surprise.

    The map, however, did not show any presences except Shin¡¯s own. He asked Schnee too, who was with Lecus and the others, but she didn¡¯t feel anything either.

    ording to what Lecus and the others said, they were approached by a man on the way to training grounds, but could not recall what happened next.

    That man was on the corner of the room, deceased. Shin and Schnee had arrived toote, there was nothing to do about it. He also was probably the man who had visited Luxuria.

    Although the name changed halfway, the three students were under the control of a ¡ºPiece of Avarice¡». It couldn¡¯t be unrted to Greed.

    Shin and Schnee entrusted Lecus¡¯ party to Hmee, who had rushed to the dungeon after receiving the message, then left. Because of the nature of the incident, it would be dealt with in absolute secrecy. They headed to the institute to discuss further.

    ¡°By the way, Luxuria mentioned having met Sloth, didn¡¯t she.¡±

    Shin remembered this detail during the conversation with Luxuria as they were heading to the institute grounds. At the same time, he remembered what happened when he sliced the soul fragment in 2.

    ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, well¡­Sloth might have lured us there to decrease Greed¡¯s power¡­is what I was thinking. It wasn¡¯t as strong because it had taken Greed¡¯s power, maybe. Not that I have any proof.¡±

    Shin hadn¡¯t failed to notice that just before ¡ºI¡» struck the fragment, the aura protecting it weakened. He thought it was because of the longsword¡¯s anti-devil properties, but even so, the timing was too perfect.

    The words ¡°Death!¡±, uttered by the fragment, concerned him too. To Shin, it sounded like it was pleading to ¡°Give us death!¡±.

    ¡°ording to Luxuria, Sloth too refused to fuse. It could have been its way to fight against it.¡±

    Schnee had heard those words too. Because of this, she could agree that Shin¡¯s theory was not a far-fetched fantasy.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m liking less and less the fact that Greed is out there, doing whatever it pleases.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin and Schnee, quietly renewing their resolve, walked towards the institute.

    The day of the decisive battle was not too distant.

 Vol 14 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    After the battle and victory over the evil deity Adetropos, Shin and Schnee were transported to the Erkunt institute of magic .

    There they met former yer Hmee, now the institute¡¯s headmistress, who plead for them to help protect the students from the Deadly Sin devil who took residence in the institute .

    While they managed to reach a peaceful agreement with the source of such trouble, the devil of lust Luxuria, they learned that the aggressive devil of greed is baring his fangs at the institute .

    In such a situation, the three students that Shin met in the training dungeon near the institute ¨C Miu, Gian, and Lecus ¨C fell under someone¡¯s control . Shin and Schnee rescued them and defeated the puppetmaster .

    The dropped crystal, however, did not show greed¡¯s name, as it was a ¡ºDrop of Pigritis¡»¡­

    Shin and Schnee visit the institute, in order to discuss the matter of the students falling under maniption . In the room they were shown to they find not only Hmee, but also Luxuria .

    ¡°Have you heard already?¡±

    After a short greeting, Shin touched upon the main topic .

    ¡°Yes, it is probably as you guessed: Sloth tried rebelling against Greed . Like me, Sloth wasn¡¯t keen on Greed¡¯s attitude either . He was waiting for a chance to rebel, I think . ¡±

    Luxuria had already heard about the incident from Hmee and gave her own conclusion, in a concerned tone . Something was probably weighing on her mind .

    ¡°How are those three? Did they feel sick afterwards?¡±

    ¡°They drank the elixir you gave us, as far as we know they¡¯repletely fine . They say the same themselves . Luxuria also said that they aren¡¯t affected by the devil anymore . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m pretty sure of that . ¡±

    Hearing Hmee and Luxuria¡¯s replies, Shin felt relieved .

    All he could do to heal was use skills or items . He had asked Schnee to look at them too, but now that a devil like Luxuria confirmed it too, he felt his remaining concerns disappear .

    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the matter again, then . This time there are people involved too, so making countermeasures will be difficult, I think . ¡±

    If someone cooperated with devils out of their own free will, Shin¡¯s items would register them as normal people: it wouldn¡¯t be possible to repel them individually .

    ¡°In regards to that, I would like you to tell us any effective strategies against devils that you know . We couldn¡¯t help Myu and the others in time, but we might be able to do something to avoid simr idents . ¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know any counter-strategies, Hmee?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately not . During the game events I always depended on others, so I don¡¯t know much about items or attacks effective against devils . I asked other yers and learned a bit, but¡­actually putting it into practice is a whole other matter . ¡±

    There were anti-devil weapons and armor, which caused extra damage to devils and their cohorts, and defended against attacks causing status ailments . Concerning status ailments, there were items that neutralized them entirely . If you could gather enough, there was no risk of being utterly destroyed, even with a wide level gap .

    The problem was gathering enough items . Devils did not spawn here and there, like normal monsters or bosses, so there were few chances of using them . Moreover, materials were much more expensive and harder toe by now than in the game era . Even if you had the right recipe, it was difficult to find a cksmith that could forge the gear in question . In conclusion, fighting with numbers would be difficult if not impossible .

    ¡°Countermeasures outside of weapons and armor, huh . The quickest one would be using skills, but we can¡¯t just teach them to the whole army¡­¡±

    The regr way of learning them would take too much time; even if they used ¡ºSecret Book¡» items, they didn¡¯t have nearly enough of them . One option would be to teach skills only to executives or officers, but this had probably been done already .

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything we could gather inrge numbers? Especially if it¡¯s cheap to make and requires few materials . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it would be way too easy if something like that existed¡­¡±

    Items with low cost and low effectiveness existed, but distributing them to a whole army meant preparing a massive quantity .

    Item creation required several skills too, so spreading them to arge number of people would be unfeasible .

    ¡°Gathering a small group of strong warriors and giving them the right equipment and items is the best way after all, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Normal soldiers would just get ughtered before using the items, or fall to the enemies¡¯ pressure and not even use them . I agree that it¡¯s better to give them to warriors with reliable skills, like Chosen Ones . I can lend them weapons too . ¡±

    The enemy was a Deadly Sin devil, it wasn¡¯t time to hold anything back .

    Considering the penalties for insufficient stats, the gear Shin could lend would be Legend or Mythology grade . He was bing famous already, so there wasn¡¯t much of a point in trying to hide anymore .

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but I suppose that¡¯s the only way . I¡¯ll make a list of the weapons favored by the best warriors we have . I am a bit concerned about what will happenter, after it bes known that we have so many weapons at our disposal¡­I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ll be able to help . ¡±

    ¡°Well¡­let¡¯s see . Let¡¯s say that I am thest remaining descendant of a n of devil killers . I couldn¡¯t just run away leaving all the trouble to you and Masakado . ¡±

    ¡°¡ªif needed, simply say that you¡¯re connected to me . I won¡¯t let anyone cause you trouble . ¡±

    Schnee, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke . If they said to be connected to Schnee Raizar, people would think twice before interfering .

    ¡°Is that really alright? That¡¯s troublesome in itself, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Not at all . I had decided to ept requests only until Shin came back after all . ¡±

    Schnee left Shin¡¯s side only to deal with the consequences of jobs she had epted in the past .

    ¡°¡­it might be effective to announce that Shin is my husband too . ¡±

    Schnee mentioned it quite casually, but Hmee agreed wholeheartedly .

    ¡°It definitely would draw attention away from the anti-devil gear or your fighting prowess, but you¡¯d attract attention nheless . ¡±

    The fact that Schnee had found apanion would make a lot more noise than the news of someone capable of defeating devils .

    Hmee added that the vige of High Elves would definitely move to confirm if it was true .

    ¡°I do not care one bit about the Elf vige . Many High Elves have excessive amounts of pride, so I do not even want to get close to them . ¡±

    ¡°The vige¡¯s High Elves would cry if they heard this¡­well, they brought it upon themselves, though . ¡±

    ¡°It matters little to me, honestly . ¡±

    Unusually for Schnee, she reacted to Hmee¡¯s words in a rather curt manner . Being part of the Elf race caused her trouble in the past, apparently .

    ¡°You¡¯re both pretty free-spirited, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly it¡­¡±

    Shin was patting Schnee¡¯s head to relieve her sour mood, when Luxuria shrugged her shoulders at them .

    ¡°Anyway, wouldn¡¯t it be faster to ask Luxuria about anti-devil strategies? Being a devil, she surely knows best . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about a devil that would tell others their weakness¡­but it¡¯s pretty much as you said . In terms of information quality, I might even lose to you . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Luxuria was not just a monster now . She had the same intellect as a human, or maybe even more .

    ¡°People don¡¯t know perfectly what magic or medicine is effective on them, or what the actual effects are, do they? It¡¯s the same for us . I can tell by instinct if something would be fatal, but about the rest, well¡­who knows . ¡±

    ¡°If you put it like that, I don¡¯t have anything to say . ¡±

    Shin realized that he couldn¡¯t give a satisfying answer if he was asked about what weapons or items were most effective on him . He could say to use Ancient grade weapons, or gear specialized against humans, but that was it .

    ¡°If you used the items Shin mentioned on me, you¡¯d see how effective they are, no?¡±

    ¡°¡­is it okay to say that so casually? It¡¯s like human experimentation, I don¡¯t really like the idea . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to die instantly, so it¡¯s okay . Go ahead and try, if it works on me, it¡¯ll work on Avaritia too . ¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡¯d go so far¡­?¡±

    ¡°Of course . I don¡¯t have the slightest intention of bing one with that thing . ¡±

    Luxuria crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head left and right . Maybe because of something that happened in the past, she loathed the idea so much she even felt fear .

    ¡°Well, regardless of testing the items on Luxuria or not, it¡¯d be better to go somewhere we won¡¯t risk being seen, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    At the very least, it wasn¡¯t something to do in the headmistress¡¯ office . Shin wasn¡¯t keen on the idea at all, but they decided to meet another day .

    ¡°Is there anything else to discuss?¡±

    ¡°Yes, one more thing . This is more important, in a way . ¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯ll be something pleasant¡­¡±

    Hmee¡¯s expression made it clear that it wouldn¡¯t be .

    ¡°We received a message from the royal pce¡­they want Luxuria to appear before their inquirymission . ¡±

    ¡°An inquirymission? Wait, how do inquiries work here?¡±

    Shin had a general idea of what inquirymissions did in the real world . In this world, however, thews and structure of society were different . It might be something with the same name, butpletely different contents .

    ¡°Thismission examines individuals who caused problems within organizations tied with the kingdom of Erkunt, giving punishment when necessary . Luxuria is part of the Erkunt institute of magic¡¯s teaching body¡±, after all . Different from our former world, it¡¯s not really a fair organization, though¡­not that there was much fairness in the former world either¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?? You look tired of everything all of a sudden!?¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­no matter the world, there are always idiots that are only good at holding you back¡­someone leaked that Luxuria is one of the Deadly Sins devils¡­¡±

    The likely culprit had already been identified . With the approaching risk of a Deadly Sins devil, Avaritia, it was nothing short of a disaster that the institute was found to be harboring another devil .

    Even if she had no hostile intentions, many would definitely express extreme reactions to her strength and abilities .

    ¡°I had introduced her as someone I personally picked, which became a problem too . ¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, with a high level devil in the school, I can see that¡­¡±

    The reason why the kingdom had not simply sent someone to exterminate the ¡®threat¡¯ was to avoid instigating Luxuria, for fear that she went on a rampage in the kingdom, and that Hmee said that Luxuria was working seriously in the institute and offered to coborate against the Greed devil, so they could make use of it .

    ¡°Will she really cooperate? Is she really not hostile?¡­they also want to confirm other things . Luxuria being a devil, however, is a huge minus: more than half of themission members are in favor of her being disposed of . The member with most authority is the very person who caused this problem too¡­I¡¯m afraid there won¡¯t be much of an ¡®investigation¡¯ . ¡±

    The final verdict didn¡¯t depend on one vote per member, apparently: votes depended on the member¡¯s rank and title . This time, themission members with most voting rights were in the ¡°exterminate Luxuria¡± faction . Hmee added that if things continued like this, the result would definitely be negative .

    ¡°One person has multiple votes and the quantity is different per member? Seriously?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a relic of the age when the upper ss had more privileges¡­from the reign of the former king, many rules have been revolutionized, and the situation has been improving under the current king though . ¡±

    The nobles still held onto the concept of being ¡®chosen¡¯, which blocked certain rules from being changed and created the current snag .

    ¡°The king is a prudent person, so he would never approve of sending an extermination party right away . Luxuria never caused any problems until now after all . She has been working with the technology development department too, which has helped create products appreciated by the people . ¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, I suppose we should be d that they didn¡¯t go ¡°monsters shall perish!!¡± right away¡­but if themission judges her to be evil, then it¡¯s the same, right? Is there any way we can unequivocally prove that Luxuria is an ally?¡±

    ¡°I tried thinking about it, but¡­¡±

    Hmee¡¯s sour expression showed that she hadn¡¯te up with any useful proposals .

    ¡°Domission members ever change?¡±

    ¡°They all have membership terms, but usually they never change . Unless they cause a scandal, at least . Which we don¡¯t have any evidence of¡­¡±

    Apparently they had already tried to getmission members disqualified .

    ¡°Another possibility I thought of was a direct order from the king¡­but that brings its share of problems too . ¡±

    ¡°If the king ordered a coboration with a devil, there would be a massive bacsh . The current stance is to use Luxuria for defense, if possible, so it¡¯s still okay, but¡­¡±

    When Luxuria was exposed as a devil, Hmee rted all she knew about Avaritia too .

    Luxuria is a level 700 devil . The fact that an even stronger devil wasing to attack kept those who wanted Luxuria exterminated in check, since she could be an effective countermeasure .

    From the training dungeon events, it was clear that Avaritia used monsters to do his bidding .

    There are plenty of monsters stronger than people . Once the enemy side was ready in terms of both quality and quantity, Erkunt would definitely fall . The kingdom was probably thinking that the best oue was for the devils to take each other down .

    ¡°Unfortunately, nothing I could say would have any effect¡­¡±

    ¡°They know you have skills that affect mental states after all . ¡±

    Mental skills are very dangerous, so it was widely known which monsters could use them . Devils were some of the most infamous examples .

    Luxuria was capable of charming others, regardless of gender, so people could fall under her control without realizing anything . If she even just spoke, some would suspect that she was trying to charm them, so just making conversation was difficult .

    ¡°If Luxuria is deemed dangerous, Hmee¡¯s position is at risk too, I suppose . ¡±

    ¡°If they use me of concealing a devil, well, there¡¯s nothing I can say in return . Devils are enemies of the people, normally . I think Luxuria poses no problems though . After talking with her, I can say this with confidence . ¡±

    ¡°Oh my . You might have been charmed without your knowledge, you know?¡±

    Luxuria poked fun at Hmee¡¯s assertion, but thetter did not change expression and continued .

    ¡°We have been taking care of the students together for 3 years after all . Thinking about her level and stats, I was scared before, but since I knew how the devils used to be, that couldn¡¯t be helped . If I faced her honestly earlier, I might have understood that she was no threat earlier too . ¡±

    I don¡¯t know if I could have managed that though¡­concluded Hmee with a chuckle .

    If there was only her life at stake, Hmee would have done it, or so Shin thought . In the former world too, she had sacrificed her life for others after all .

    ¡°Oh dear, I surrender . What devil has ever seen such a smile?¡±

    Luxuria looked away, to escape Hmee¡¯s gaze . Her side profile, after the childish gesture, showed some blushing . Yes, apparently even devils can blush .

    ¡°If the Avaritia business hadn¡¯t happened, everything would have gone smoothly¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . ¡±

    Luxuria was a bit different than the usual, but she did not seem to be acting . Schnee agreed with Shin¡¯s opinion and nodded, smiling .

    ¡°Hey! Why are you looking at me like you¡¯re watching an emotional scene?? Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m a devil!!¡±

    ¡°You acted like the cool beauty type, while you¡¯re in fact more of a cute type? As expected of lust, truly . ¡±

    ¡°What are you even talking about!?!¡±

    It was rare to see Luxuria flustered . It took a few more minutes before Hmee¡¯s enthusiasm calmed down .

    ¡°So, how should we prove that Luxuria isn¡¯t dangerous¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t stop her from making fun of me, and force your way back to the main topic, I see . ¡±

    ¡°¡­about that, I thought¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ignore me!! You could have done something, you know!! Listen to me or I¡¯ll attack you! Sexually!¡±

    Luxuria continued her protest, with a flustered voice that didn¡¯t fit her former image at all . She wasn¡¯t used to be made fun of, so she was apparently quite stressed .

    ¡°You¡¯re going to see each other often from now on too, don¡¯t get all huffed over something like this,e on . ¡±

    ¡°But things like that give me goosebumps¡­¡±

    Luxuria knit her brows, still blushing a little, and held her body tight . Her well-developed breasts were pushed up as a result, pushing visibly against the sweater .

    ¡°Kh, look at her, so sexy even when she¡¯s embarrassed¡­I guess I just don¡¯t have enough volume¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s impressive how you can think of things like that at a time like this¡­¡±

    Hmee spoke while looking at her own chest, and Luxuria sighed in response .

    ¡°When you¡¯re in a pinch mentally, it¡¯s hard toe up with good ideas . We don¡¯t really have much leeway anymore . ¡±

    Hmee said that she made fun of Luxuria and stared at her chest like that just to relieve her spirits a bit . Though, it could have had the opposite effect and push her back against the wall even more .

    ¡°So, can I go back to the topic?¡±

    ¡°Please do . ¡±

    ¡°Like I said before, about the way to prove that Luxuria isn¡¯t a threat¡­I mentioned that we could say that I¡¯m from a n of devil hunters, right? What if we used that?¡±

    Shin then exined his proposal . Hmee concluded that it was better than her n, pointed out some points to improve it, and then they agreed to use it .

 Vol 14 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    After a few days, Shin and Schnee (disguised as Yuki) joined Hmee¡¯s group and entered the royal castle.

    Inquiries were usually held in a special underground chamber, but this time it would be done in a special hall for the exclusive use of people above a certain rank. They wondered if it was okay to let a devil inside the castle, but concluded that there was no other way to hold the inquiry.

    Normally, Shin and Schnee did not have the right to participate in the inquiry, but Hmee insisted that they had an important role in the matter, so special permission was granted. Only Shin was allowed inside, however, so Schnee would have to wait outside the inquiry room.

    ¡°They¡¯re pretty spooked, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    Shin whispered while looking at the soldiers surrounding them, as they followed the soldier leading them to the hall.

    ¡°Obvious, isn¡¯t it? No matter their number or how well equipped they are, I can turn them into mincemeat with a flick of my wrist. Yet they have to apany me¡­working in the castle can be rather harsh indeed.¡±

    ¡°It would be enough to just have someone guide us there then. There would be just more casualties this way.¡±

    ¡°They have to save face, I guess?¡±

    ¡°You two, walk quietly. They can hear you.¡±

    Shin and Luxuria were whispering, but the corridors were so quiet that footsteps could be clearly heard, so there was no way their conversation was unheard.

    After Hmee¡¯s rebuke they looked forward again and found the soldiers with a stiff expression andplexion so pale they seemed anemic.

    Usually, at least a couple soldiers would be smitten with Schnee, but this time none of them acted as if they were, they sternly looked ahead. They probably heard what Shin and Luxuria said, but there was no response. They possibly felt that if they said anything they risked turning into a target.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better if they learn that it¡¯s possible to hold normal conversations with me?¡±

    ¡°That might be true, but¡­don¡¯t scare them for nothing, okay?¡±

    ¡°Do not fret, I will never oppose my ¡®master¡¯.¡±

    Luxuria then shed a chilling smile, which she regarded as more ¡°devil-like¡±.

    She had just changed the way she smiled: she was wearing her usual sweater, tight skirt, and white coat, just like she did in the institute.

    The major difference was therge ck cor around her neck: the cor, one cemel wide, looked just like the ¡ºSubmission Cor¡» used by the church in the holy woman kidnapping incident.

    It only shared the appearance with it, however: what Luxuria wore was just that, a cor made of metal. It did not have any special effects and she could crush it with one hand if she wanted.

    ¡°This way, please enter.¡±

    Guided by the guard¡¯s stern voice, Shin and the others entered a room. The inquiry hall wasrger than Shin expected, with the location for the inquiry subject to stand on at the center.

    On higher seats all around this subject stand sat themission members.

    The member seats were ced along the round walls. At their center sat a fairly obese man in his forties and a man in his sixties with white hair slicked back, on seats higher than the other members. They directly faced the subject stand, so they were probably the members who would lead the inquiry. Their appearance was, respectively, of a typical noble used to a life of luxury, glittering with jewels, and thetter of an ¡°old-fashioned¡± noble that conveyed a strong sense of authority.

    As Shin expected, Luxuria and Hmee were invited to go to the center. Shin could simply stand behind them.

    ¡°We shall nowmence the inquiry ofdy Hmee Hirasato anddy Luxuria.¡±

    The old noble announced the beginning of the inquiry. His low voice echoed in the hall.

    ¡°Presently, Ms. Hmee is suspected of inviting the devil of lust, one of the Deadly Sin devils and personification of misfortune, into our kingdom, and concealing it for a long period. There is also the suspicion of trying to beckon the devil of greed into our kingdom.¡±

    The old noble red at the two women as he spoke in a frank tone.

    ¡°Sir Zear. Suspicions, you say? Are those not undeniable facts?¡±

    The old noble, called Zear, was interrupted by the obese noble sitting next to him.

    ¡°Sir Cobal. Refrain from personalments during the inquiry. These suspicions have not yet been confirmed as facts.¡±

    ¡°There is no need for inquiries. If that woman truly is a deadly sin devil, we are already under her influence.¡±

    ¡°That is not for you to decide, sir.¡±

    Cobal was trying to hasten the resolution, ignoring Hmee and Luxuria, but Zear did not budge. Shin quickly realized that Cobal was an enemy.

    After a while the inquiry started again: the first point of discussion was Luxuria.

    ¡°We have been informed that you,dy Luxuria, oppose the greed devil and would cooperate to defeat it, is that true?¡±

    ¡°Sir Zear!? You cannot speak with a devil, your mind will fall under her control!¡±

    ¡°Do not worry, such a thing will not happen. She is already under someone else¡¯s control.¡±

    ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡±

    Zear stopped Cobal¡¯s panic with a gesture, then looked at Hmee.

    ¡°The cor around her neck limits her actions and forbids her from using mental skills or to harm people.¡±

    ¡°A devil, a monster capable of obliterating entire countries, is under someone¡¯s control? Utterly ridiculous!¡±

    ¡°It is true, however. The adventurer standing behind her is her current master.¡±

    The entiremission¡¯s eyes turned towards Shin.

    ¡°I am indeed that adventurer. My name is Shin.¡±

    ¡°The weapon you carry¡­is that the rumored shing Hammer¡¯s¡­?¡±

    ¡°I have been called that, yes.¡±

    Shin made it a point to visibly equip ¡ºKakura¡», as he thought that if his name was heard along with it, people would recognize him from the rumors. If no one did, he nned to introduce himself as ¡°Shin the shing Hammer¡±.

    ¡°The neer who distinguished himself in the Balmel battle and reached rank A in one fell swoop, is it? Is whatdy Hmee said true? Is this devil really under your control?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I am the descendant of a n which earned its living hunting devils. I believe I am more knowledgeable than most about devils.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any proof? You could be under her spell yourself, could you not?¡±

    Zear did not blindly believe Hmee¡¯s words and asked Shin to prove his words.

    ¡°A fair suspicion. But, as a member of a n that thrives upon hunting devils, do you not think that I would prepare fitting countermeasures?¡±

    ¡°You probably would. Yet the devil in question is one of the Deadly Sins, a being on a whole different level than average monsters. Naturally, the power they wield is on a different ne as well. I do not think it bizarre for us to be concerned about that.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, you are right. As you are probably already aware, I am a Chosen One. I, as well as my n, possess strong defenses against mental skills. This item further increases such defenses. In our past battles against Deadly Sins devils, no one has ever been controlled. Furthermore, while I may sound arrogant, my fighting abilities are said to exceed my ancestors: I am positive that I will never be controlled.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    The item described as increasing defenses against maniption is the ¡ºAge of Gods Earring¡» Shin had equipped. Not only did it raise such defenses, but it neutralized these attacks unless the opponent was incredibly powerful.

    Zear¡¯s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Shin to determine whether he spoke the truth or not, but Shin returned his gaze calmly.

    The neutralization of mental skills was a huge advantage against devils: when fighting against them, the greatest danger was having your allies turn against you.

    ¡°Why would the descendant of a devil-hunting n appear with such convenient timing? I have never even heard of the existence of such a n. Have you made it all up to dodge our questioning?¡±

    When Zear finished speaking, Cobal intervened. His doubts were surprisingly pertinent, considering how he had one-sidedly treated Hmee as a criminal.

    ¡°I am always on the hunt for devils, so it is only natural for me to be in ces where devils are or that devils target. I have onlye here because I detected the Greed devil¡¯s movements in the area. The existence of my n is normally kept hidden, to prevent our enemies from finding us and giving unnecessary worries to the general poption. Whenever we appear, a devil is nearby: this fact can give security, but also fear, a perfect gap for devils to strike.¡±

    ¡°If so, howe that devil is under your control? Could it be that you are in fact behind all this? If you can control devils, it would be easy to use them to increase your fame and reputation.¡±

    ¡°Among adventurers there are Tamers, who train monsters to fight alongside them. In a way, devils are a type of monster too, thus they too can be tamed. Normally they are not this docile, however: the most one can expect is to prevent them from going wild. This technique was originally used to prevent them from causing damage to their surroundings, or to keep such damage at a minimum. The fact that it is possible to talk normally with the devil proves that it obeys me from the heart. Using devils for our own personal gains is one of my n¡¯s greatest taboos. Allow me to clearly state that it is simply unthinkable.¡±

    During the game era taming Deadly Sins devils was not possible. In this world, however, the rules set by the game were morex. That was why it was also possible for Tiera to form a contract with a divine beast such as Kagerou. Following this train of logic, it was impossible to deny that Deadly Sins devils could be tamed, even if it was not possible before.

    The suspicion of controlling devils for personal purposes too hit the mark, however, so Shin added that if the control was ever broken, the user would die.

    ¡°This condition was set to prevent the presence of traitors within the n. Not even Chosen Ones can undo it. If one of us ever fell under control, this condition would activate.¡±

    ¡°Considering who your enemies are, you are in need of such countermeasures, I see.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If a hunter of devils turned evil themselves, the potential damage would be much greater than just a devil¡¯s rampage.¡±

    Shin agreed with Zear¡¯sment. He had discussed beforehand with Hmee and Luxuria about the questions that might arise, so he never fumbled his answers.

    ¡°Devils can be subjugated. I still find it hard to believe, but if it is true, it will be an effective countermeasure against the Greed devil. Let me confirm once again, that devil cannot use mental skills now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I guarantee it.¡±

    ¡°If so, answer the first question we asked,dy.¡±

    ¡°My, how surprising. You believe the words of a man,ing from outside your country, from who knows where?¡±

    ¡°We have gathered our own information. I already knew that you haven¡¯t created any casualties around you.¡±

    Hmee¡¯s involvement and the training dungeon events were already known too.

    Even so, speaking directly to a devil required a healthy dose of courage. Cobal and the other members silently witnessed the exchange, with stiff expressions on their faces.

    ¡°My, I see. I had heard you were the military type, but I suppose this much must be expected from a duke.¡±

    ¡°Information gathering is vital for fighting as well. I am sure an aplished researcher such as yourself knows that well.¡±

    Zear responded to Luxuria¡¯s grin with a smile himself. The exchange seemed peaceful, but Shin could tell that both of them were being extremely cautious.

    ¡°I know that much, yes. Allow me to answer, then. Greed¡¯s objective is to absorb me, thus nearing aplete form. I am not interested in the slightest, however. You might scoff at a devil saying something like this, but I quite enjoy my current life. Greed will never be satisfied by such an answer however, and will do whatever it takes to reach his goal. I too want him to disappear. In such a case, working together would be more effective.¡±

    ¡°A devil wants to kill its brethren? O sir Zear, have I fallen prey to her spell already?

    ¡°Compose yourself, sir Cobal. It appears that she is not lying.¡±

    Zear rebuked the agitated Cobal. It seemed clear that Zear did not doubt Luxuria¡¯s words.

    ¡°Oh my, you believe a devil¡¯s words so easily?¡±

    ¡°I am not so foolish as to believe a devil¡¯s words so quickly. Yet, asdy Hmee and sir Shin stated, I understand that you are not using skills while you talk to us. Besides¡ª¡±

    Zear paused for a moment and looked at Shin.

    ¡°With an ally much more threatening than a devil, we can be at ease too.¡±

    Zear¡¯s words and look showed that he understood that Shin was more powerful than Luxuria.

    Maybe because of the people standing outside, Shin considered the Chosen One aura emanating from outside the room as he tried to dispel his restlessness. Hoping that it didn¡¯t show on his face, he firmly returned Zear¡¯s look.

    ¡°Hmm, I see it is time to draw a conclusion. Shall we havedy Luxuria exterminated, or use her? Raise your hand to vote for extermination, do not move to vote for using her.¡±

    Zear looked at his surroundings, then spoke. He probably chose the term ¡°use¡± because putting it as cooperation would not sit well with some members.

    The other members¡¯ reactions were varied: some seemed calm, some smiled, some looked sour, others were agitated. It did not seem that they would reach total consensus. No one raised their hands, however.

    In conclusion, all members voted for using Luxuria.

    ¡°Thus we deredy Luxuria as one of the countermeasures against Greed. Lady Hmee¡¯s judgment will be decided at ater date, depending ondy Luxuria¡¯s achievements. Dismissed.¡±

    Zear dered the conclusion of the inquiry and all members shuffled out of the room from the doors at the sides.

    Ultimately only Shin, Hmee, and Luxuria remained: the soldier who guided them in then motioned at them to exit through the door they used toe in.

    ¡°¡ªgood work out there.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, I guess.¡±

    Shin was a bit confused in his reply to Schnee¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t say it because of the soldiers¡¯ presence, but while the end result was positive, the inquiry was very different from what he expected.

    The inquiry was almostpletely Zear¡¯s one-man show, and the extermination faction, which Hmee was concerned about, did not protest at all. Cobal, who was probably the faction¡¯s major member, only asked obvious questions, excluding his very firstment. It felt silly to worry so much.

    ¡°Hm? Aren¡¯t we going in the wrong direction?¡±

    Shin was reflecting on the inquiry, wondering if there wasn¡¯t anything strange. After a while, he realized that the soldier was leading them towards the back of the castle.

    ¡°No, this is the right direction. A certain person is waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, ¡®a certain person¡¯, really¡­¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to stay quiet for now¡­¡±

    Not even Hmee seemed to know who was waiting. If they caused amotion here and the inquiry¡¯s conclusion was reversed it would be a big problem, so Shin¡¯s group simply followed the soldier.

    Even if the extermination faction waited for them to lower their guards to take care of them all together, Shin and the others could repel their ambush.

    However, despite their suspicions, Shin¡¯s group was led to a room that did not seem to have any traps. They found a gorgeous sofa and table, so they inferred that it was a room used to wee guests.

 Vol 14 Chapter 1.3: Chapter 1 Part 3

    Waiting for them inside the room was Zear . He looked the same as he did during themission, an aged gentleman, but he now carried a stick in his right hand .

    ¡°Thank you for leading our guests here . You may leave . ¡±

    Zear had the soldier leave, then turned towards Shin¡¯s party .

    ¡°First, let me apologize for summoning you here without warning . I had to talk to you at any cost . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s no problem, but¡­¡±

    Shin hit Hmee with his elbow to prompt her to reply . The group¡¯s leader was supposed to be her .

    ¡°Do you have any doubts concerning the inquirymission?¡±

    ¡°¡­well, yes, To be honest, we expected that we would have to argue more . ¡±

    ¡°The extermination faction, yes? I understand their point myself . I understand distrustingdy Luxuria . However, there would be no point in working quietly for three years, as she did . Her abilities allow her to easily control others after all . Even if we chose to exterminate her, very few could stand up to her . The elite warriors of our country could possibly match her in battle, but how many casualties would that cause? It would also create a gap for Greed to strike through . Both in terms of fighting power and strategy, needless fighting would be a very poor move on our part . ¡±

    The extermination faction was eerily quiet because work had been done before the inquiry apparently . Hmee had been unaware of this previous effort as things had been done in secret .

    ¡°Furthermore, we had sir Cobal infiltrate the extermination faction, but he is on our side . ¡±

    ¡°I see . ¡±

    As far as rank was concerned, both Zear and Cobal were dukes . On the surface, however, Zear appeared to be of a slightly higher rank .

    ¡°Is it alright to tell us something so important?¡±

    ¡°I thought it wiser not to keep secrets from you . That talk about being the descendant of a n of devil hunters was a lie, yes?¡±

    Zear answered Shin¡¯s question with a question of his own, a sharp look on his face . His eyes showed that he was confident that he spoke the truth, or so Shin felt .

    Shin nced at Hmee, who had perceived the same thing and nodded at Shin .

    ¡°¡­indeed . It is true that I¡­no, I will drop all pretenses now . I¡¯m not a member of devil hunting ns or anything of the sort . It¡¯s true, however, that if Luxuria ever went wild, I could dispose of her . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have heard of your strength . We have done our own research . Today I have seen you with my own eyes, so I ampletely sure . To shake after just looking at someone¡­didn¡¯t happen to me since I met sir Shibaid, who used to serve a High Human . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly at the unexpected mention of a familiar name .

    Zear¡¯s level was 255 . It wasn¡¯t clear if he was a Chosen One or a normal person, but to raise one¡¯s level to the limits couldn¡¯t have been easy . Zear aplished it, however, so he had to be much more than just the old noble he looked like . Shin had also realized that the stick he held concealed a de inside .

    ¡°Strength varies greatly, even amongst Chosen Ones . Those called former yers, thanks to their knowledge, often win even against opponents with simr stats . Could you be one too, like sir Masakado and Lady Hmee?¡±

    ¡°You know of yers, sir?¡±

    ¡°In my youth, I did my share of traveling . Thanks to that, I learned much more than I would have if I stayed inside the country . ¡±

    Former yers . Hmee was the first to react to Zear¡¯s words . They weren¡¯t exactly secret words, so it wasn¡¯t too difficult to imagine that a noble¡¯s informationwork could pick them up . Many former yers sessfully used the knowledge they acquired in the game era after all .

    ¡°What if I was?¡±

    Hmee¡¯s reaction outed Shin as a former yer . Shin thus asked Zear the reason behind his question .

    ¡°Some former yers do not disclose all the information they possess, to avoid being known as such . Our country, however, is currently in a difficult situation . You all could probably deal with Greed¡­but as you have probably heard, the monsters spawning in the surroundings have changed . Reports say that powerful monsters are increasing . Greed can enve monsters, yes? If such monsters attack us in groups, would we be able to beat them back? Even if we did, how many casualties would there be? There are few Chosen Ones in our country . We are not always subject to such danger, unlike Balmel, so our soldiers are one or two ranks lower than other countries¡¯ . ¡±

    Shin had heard from Hmee that Erkunt¡¯s armed forces were of a decent level, considering the country¡¯s size, but that was just because there were no hostile countries nearby and the monsters in the surroundings were rtively weak . They were not powerful enough to deal with cmities such as Greed .

    Masakado was temporarily absent too because he had gone to exterminate a monster that normal adventurers couldn¡¯t handle, as Hmee had confirmed .

    ¡°I wish for your assistance, for the sake of our country, for the sake of our people . ¡±

    Zear then bowed his head .

    For a duke to lower his head before a mere adventurer -ranked A, but without any title- was unfathomable in noble society . Shin knew that much too .

    The assistance of Shin and his party was indispensable . Zear had enough information to understand that . At the same time, the dangers and risk of threatening the country were enough to make him lower his head without hesitation .

    ¡°I have no intention of just leaving like this either, as I n to destroy Greed . Ah, let me tell you in advance, the drop items will be ours, okay?¡±

    ¡°Hah, you speak as if victory was certain . Consideringdy Luxuria¡¯s obedience, I suppose that you have that much in you . ¡±

    Shin expected to be told that it was too early to say that, but unexpectedly Zear just showed a wry smile . He surely knew that Luxuria was a devil, but since themission he kept referring to her as dy¡± .

    ¡°It might be strange for me to say, but in a bout between Greed and my master, my master has little chance of losing . As a devil, I guarantee it . ¡±

    ¡°I doubt I can finish him off without letting it cause any damage though . By the way, you don¡¯t need to call me that anymore . ¡±

    They had decided that Luxuria would call Shin ¡°master¡± to show that she was under his control . Now that he had dropped his facade as a devil hunter, there was no need to continue .

    Luxuria did not change it, though .

    ¡°You men like this kind of thing, don¡¯t you? Would you like me to serve you more?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the right time . At all . ¡±

    Luxuria peeked closer to Shin¡¯s face, and he answered by covering her face with his hand .

    ¡°Hmm, truly different from the devils spoken of in legends . ¡±

    ¡°We just acted on instinct then, just like animals . At present, we possess enough intellect to rival people like you . That is why we can co-exist . Because of such intellect, however, we can also use methods other than brute force . ¡±

    Sending cohorts to Luxuria, releasing monsters in the dungeon . Such things didn¡¯t happen in the game era .

    ¡°So even among people, some are fascinated by devils and decide to cooperate with them¡­¡±

    ¡°I believe it is already happening . Greed stimtes people¡¯s desires, so merchants are the most prone, for example . Even if we devils don¡¯t do anything, people act on their desires already, don¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°It pains me that I cannot deny that . No matter the era, money and power corrupt minds . ¡±

    Zear probably had someone on his mind, as his brow furrowed .

    ¡°There¡¯s no point in being negative, let¡¯s talk about what to do next instead . Ah, but I need to say something first . ¡±

    ¡°What would that be?¡±

    ¡°Luxuria can surely be an asset in battle, but I do not rmend having her fight directly against Greed . When a Deadly Sin devil defeats another, the winner absorbs the loser and grows . This includes Luxuria too . I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too likely, but our enemy is a devil, he could use tactics we don¡¯t expect . So I propose Luxuria acts as bait, then when Greed makes his appearance she should focus on defending . ¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I see . Ifdy Luxuria grows too strong, after thismotion settles other problems might arise, is that it?¡±

    ¡°If I draw in Greed¡¯s power, my personality might end up changing . We definitely have bad affinity . So I¡¯d appreciate it if someone else delivered the final blow . ¡±

    Luxuria talked while her shoulders dropped . Her current self probably had bad affinity with aggressive devils .

    ¡°Let us hear judgment on this issue too then . ¡±

    Zear then looked towards a corner of the room, though there was nothing but the wall there .

    Shin, however, could see the silhouette of people standing beyond the wall .

    A man wearing luxurious clothing and a crown, the very picture of a king, and a very young boy . With them there were also three men and one woman, all wearing armor .

    ¡ª¨CFagall Ent   Level 213 Holy Knight

    ¡ª¨CSherlene Ragass  Level 238 Holy Knight

    Among the armored silhouettes, Shin was particrly interested in these two . The youngest among the male knights and the only woman . The young man was called Fagall, the woman Sherlene .

    Fagall was approximately 170 cemel tall . He had well kept blonde hair and blue eyes brimming with confidence .

    Sherlene, on the other hand, was a bit taller than Fagall, with hair kept neatly too, tied in a side ponytail .

    Her features were handsome, her stance upright . If she wasn¡¯t wearing armor, one would think she was a model . Her sharp look made her seem cold, but, unlike the slightly nervous Fagall, she did not look too tense .

    The wall slid open, letting the group waiting beyond it inside . Fagall and Sherlene stood on each side of the person who looked like a king, ready to protect him and the prince-like boy if needed .

    ¡°I am the king of the Erkunt kingdom, Kreunzeit Fow Erkunt . I have listened to your conversation from the other room . I too shall take part in it from now . ¡±

    Just as Shin guessed, the crowned man was the king of Erkunt . He was blonde with blue eyes, rather slender but with a fierce look in his eyes .

    The boy next to him, the prince, took a nce at Schnee after entering the room and was half mesmerized . Even after Shin and the others were introduced, his eyes were glued on Schnee . When Zear called to him, he returned to his senses and introduced himself .

    ¡°My name is Hawgilear Fow Erkunt . I am still young, but please allow me to join as well . ¡±

    ¡°Allow me to speak as the representative of our group . My name is Hmee Hirasato . We offer our humble strength and abilities to His Majesty the King . ¡±

    The king nodded in response to Hmee¡¯s greeting, but prince Hawgilear was still looking at Schnee .

    Zear introduced the other members of the king¡¯s party, but among the armored knights, only Fagall and Sherlene were introduced: the other two remained unnamed . Despite having entered the room with the rest of the group, they remained standing against the wall .

    Zear, instead, mentioned more interesting information: Fagall and Shirlene possessed the title of ¡°Hero¡± .

    ¡°Hero¡±, the title possessed also by Eline, who had kidnapped the orphan Millie and try to offer her as sacrifice . The title itself had no negative connotation, but because of that past experience, Shin did not see it in a positive light .

    ¡°So you are the lust devil . I see, other than your obvious beauty, you possess a certain sensual charm . You could surely make men do your bidding, even without using any skill . ¡±

    ¡°Oh my, you certainly know your way with thepliments . Might you be interested in putting me to the test?¡±

    While Shin was trying to make sense of the situation, the conversation quickly took a problematic turn . King Kreunzeit, however, inly refused Luxuria¡¯s proposal .

    ¡°Very charming proposal, but I¡¯m afraid I shall decline . The queen would be jealous . ¡±

    Zear and Sherlene visibly winced at the king and devil¡¯s far too casual exchange . Shin shared their sentiments too .

    ¡°Luxuria, let¡¯s be serious now . ¡±

    ¡°Oh, the much rumored king can sure recognize such a joke . ¡±

    ¡°I must say those rumors are intriguing¡­but I believe this is no time for jest . How do you n to oppose the Greed devil?¡±

    King Kreunzeit smoothly entered the conversation . His previous casual manners disappeared, as a strong aura of authority filled the room .

    It wasn¡¯t like the pressure or killing intent emanated when fighting, but the sort of aura that made you want to kneel in reverence .

    ¡°Luxuria can detect Greed himself, so if he everes closer we¡¯ll be able to tell . I have supplied her with tools to contact me as soon as she detects his presence . Until he makes a move, Yuki and I will inspect Erkunt¡¯s surroundings . The spawning monsters are clearly different than normal, so there must be something triggering them; we will find that something and destroy it, to reduce Greed¡¯s pawns as much as possible, thus also limiting potential damage and casualties . ¡±

    ¡°What about the castle? I hear that the devil has allies among the people . ¡±

    ¡°That falls upon the soldiers¡¯ shoulders, I¡¯m afraid . If they are not manipted, but coborating with the devil with their own free will, it would be difficult for us neers in Erkunt to detect any unnatural behaviour . ¡±

    Not even Shin could do everything by himself . Monsters were easy and just needed to be defeated, but with people things were not so cut and dry . One wrong step and Shin himself could end up bing a criminal .

    ¡°Indeed, you are correct . This is our country, I would not be worthy of the title of king if I entrusted everything to an outsider . Sir Zear, I leave the castle issue to you . ¡±

    ¡°We will move on our own as a mobile unit of sorts . Even if we joined the army, it would just be more difficult to move together . ¡±

    ¡°That is inevitable . There is too much of a gap between the Chosen Ones and regr individuals . ¡±

    Things were proceeding much more smoothly than Shin had imagined .

    Having Chosen Ones act only among themselves was a basic tactic: this happened in every country, to avoid normal soldiers to get involved in battles between Chosen Ones .

    Once they learned that Greed wasing, the army started patrolling the areas surrounding the kingdom with increased frequency and also started specialized training . They nned to focus on buying time, leaving the extermination of the enemy to the heroes .

    The strategy itself would not change greatly, excluding the added manpower of Shin and Schnee . There was thus no need for detailed strategy meetings .

    After they decided how tomunicate and Shin provided all necessary items, the meeting seemed to be over: just then, one of the knights standing near the wall whispered something in Zear¡¯s ear .

    Zear nodded and said to let the person through .

    ¡°Who ising?¡±

    ¡°The captain of the royal knights, who I had asked to keep our useless nobles upied . He is a loyal retainer who has fought side by side with His Majesty . He does not possess any titles, but his prowess in battle surpasses even heroes . ¡±

    ¡°That is quite impressive . ¡±

    Shin was really impressed with the forces that the kingdom could muster . Two heroes would be more than enough for the surrounding countries to be wary of them, but they were hiding an even greater trump card .

    As Erkunt housed the institute, the presence of strong Chosen Ones was apparently more of a source of relief than concern .

    The door that King Kreunzeit¡¯s party had used opened again, letting a man d in stocky lead-colored armor inside . His grey hair was tied behind his head, sleepy ck eyes behind a pair of sharp sses . As far as appearance was concerned, he was not very knight-like .

    The scales growing like bags under his eyes especially gave an eerie impression .

    ¡°I apologize for the wait . These are the people in question?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they confidently stated that they can hunt down the devil . Quite reliable fellows, let me introduce you to them . This man is Namsaar Argain . He might appear somber, but I assure you that he is very capable . ¡±

    ¡°I know I look like that, but there was no need to point it out . More importantly, I know that the heroes and sir Zear are here too, but to personally appear before a devil? What were you thinking, king?¡±

    Namsaar spoke without an inch of restraint to king Kreunzeit . His expression suggested that what he really wanted to say would have been ¡°what the hell, man?¡±

    His eyes looking at Shin¡¯s group were filled with suspicion .

    ¡°A n of devil hunters, huh? Never have I heard of such people . I¡¯m relieved that, at the very least, it doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s being charmed . ¡±

    ¡°Sir Argain, the heroes are here too . Could you have some trust?¡±

    ¡°I do . But as leader of the royal guards, it is quite troublesome not to be present since the beginning in cases such as this . No one knows when something unexpected might happen . ¡±

    Namsaar was looking towards Luxuria . It wasn¡¯t clear if he knew that she was supposed to be under Shin¡¯s control, but he was very wary of her .

    ¡°Let us talk about thatter . We have to discuss our countermeasures against Greed first . ¡±

    Zear would fill Namsaar in at a different time . When he heard that the general strategy would not change much and Shin¡¯s group would move independently as a mobile unit, Namsaar gave a small nod .

    ¡°I see, there is no need for me to say anything then . Having adventurers join the army all of a sudden would just make it more difficult to move as groups . What concerns me is whether these people can actually be useful or not . ¡±

    The final sentencepletely changed the room¡¯s atmosphere . Hmee red at Namsaar, while Luxuria seemed impressed by his boldness .

    Shin, on the other hand, agreed that such a concern would be natural . Even if Namsaar knew about Shin¡¯s achievements, defeatingrge quantities of monsters in Balmel, a Deadly Sin devil was a vastly superior opponent .

    Namsaar seemed to respect Shin for the fact that Luxuria really wasn¡¯t using mental skills and they could talk normally, but he apparently viewed Shin¡¯s actual battle prowess as another matter entirely .

    In such a situation, only Schnee had the same expression as before .

    (Uh oh, she¡¯s getting irritated¡­)

    King Kreunzeit and his party, Hmee, Luxuria, no one seemed to have noticed, but Shin could tell that Schnee¡¯s mood was getting very sour very quickly .

    Her atmosphere didn¡¯t show it, nor did her expression, but Shin could clearly tell .

    ¡°Namsaar, try to choose your words carefully . Do you not feel anything?¡±

    ¡°I can tell that this man is capable, but only you and I, sir Zear, can . Many would not ept this . ¡±

    Namsaar replied to Zear¡¯s warning without batting an eysh . Shin could understand his argument, so he did not say anything in return .

    ¡°My apologies, sir Shin . This man is the leader of the royal guards, and as such does not view this matter too favorably . ¡±

    ¡°No, it is difficult to believe that a single man can defeat a devil just like that, so I do not mind at all . It would be troublesome for us not to be trusted at all, however . Should I prove my actual prowess in some manner?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have you fight Fagall then . ¡±

    Shin expected Namsaar to say that he would confirm it personally, but he instead pointed at one of the heroes .

    ¡°Wait, why do I¡­why should I be the one to face sir Shin, captain? If you have doubts about his abilities, sir Namsaar, why not engage him yourself?¡±

    ¡°Are you not alwaysining about how you don¡¯t have enough chances to duel? If he really is as strong as he ims, he¡¯ll be a worthy opponent . He might even easily crush you, I think?¡±

    Fagall was about toin, but Namsaar replied inly . Probably irritated by the fact that he was expected to lose, Fagall flinched .

    ¡°I will lose, you say?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just what I feel . To have some rootless wandering adventurer save our country in its time of need, to entrust the defeat of the devil to him¡­it might be inevitable, but as one of this country¡¯s defenders, is it not pathetic? Do show sir Shin here the worth of our country¡¯s heroes . ¡±

    Despite Namsaar¡¯s long-winded speech, what he was ordering Fagall to do was to check just how strong Shin was .

    ¡°¡­ha¡­ha . Understood . Sir Shin, I apologize for the sudden request, but would you ept my challenge to a duel?¡±

    Fagall sighed, then formally challenged Shin . His expression showed that he was apologetic, but also curious . It seemed to be true that he was not satisfied and frustrated with regr training . If Shin was indeed as strong as he said to be, he could fight to his heart¡¯s content .

    Namsaar probably chose Fagall also to let him release such frustrations .

    ¡°Yes, understood . Shall we do it right away?¡±

    The discussion was pretty much over . What remained was meeting with soldiers and officers and giving them detailed instructions, so holding the duel then and there was not a problem .

    ¡°That¡¯s alright with me, but¡ª¡±

    Fagall turned towards king Kreunzeit .

    ¡°That is quite all right . I too wished to witness his battle prowess . I authorize you to use the royal army¡¯s training grounds . I expect a bout in grand style . ¡±

    ¡°In grand style, your majesty?¡±

    ¡°Even if our heroes talk about you, sir Shin, there are those who might still not believe . If many soldiers actually witnessed you fight, however, they will have to believe . We have to have them learn that it is simply natural to entrust the important task of defeating the devil to you . ¡±

    ¡°Very well, understood . ¡±

    Facing a devil would be the task of heroes, Erkunt¡¯s most powerful warriors . Those who knew about devils would surely think so . Changing that required a very solid reason .

    There were still those who did not know about Shin and his achievements . The duel was also necessary to convince them .

    Looking at Namsaar¡¯s attitude however, Shin could not help suspecting that he nned to make him stand out and, if all went well, use him as bait .

    ¡°I guess I have to do it in grand style then . ¡±

    Shin thought that there was no real need of hiding his true abilities anymore, as this whisper escaped his lips . It was already known far and wide how he had performed incredible feats, outside his control, so he gave up on holding back .

    Shin followed the soldiers and king Kreunzeit¡¯s group out of the room .

    Hearing his mumbling, Hmee was worried that the hero might die, but Shin did not notice it .

 Vol 14 Chapter 1.4: Chapter 1 Part 4

    Shin followed king Kreunzeit¡¯s group to a training ground, a square area about 200 mels wide, where many soldiers were fighting with wooden swords and shields.

    ¡°Y-your Majesty!?¡±

    The soldiers near the entrance reacted loudly when they saw the king. Upon hearing this, the other soldiers also stopped training and stood at attention.

    ¡°I must speak with whoever is in charge. Can someone go call them?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Your Majesty! Please wait a moment!¡±

    ¡°The others may resume training! Do not push yourself too hard, just because the king is watching!¡±

    Fagall barked an order to the soldiers, who were still standing and saluting. Their training seemed much more intense than before, though.

    ¡°Hah, I wish they were always so enthusiastic¡­ well, sir Shin. What shall we do about the weapons? Using our training wooden swords would make it difficult to duel, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°I will lend you the weapons we use for practice. Even if you swing them at full power, they barely cause any damage.¡±

    ¡°Something like that exists? May I take a look?¡±

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    Shin heard that Fagall¡¯s main equipment were twin straight swords, so he gave him two of his ¡ºSponge Dagger¡» weapons, which had shorter des than the ¡ºSponge de¡», simr to the weapons that Fagall used.

    ¡°Impressive¡­even if I focus my strength, there is no damage caused.¡±

    Fagall tried swinging a ¡ºSponge Dagger¡» on the training wall, but seeing that it wasn¡¯t even scratched, he expressed his surprise.

    ¡°With these weapons, there is no risk of harming others, so there will be no effect on the uing battles. The non-lethal enchantment also affects magic: the de part can deflect spells.¡±

    ¡°Impressive for being training weapons. To know we can go all out in this duel isn¡¯t bad in the slightest.¡±

    While talking, Fagall tried a few practice swings. His elegant, flowing form made him look as if he were dancing: his movements were clearly different than Chosen Ones who just relied on their physical attributes.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have too much time, so you two shoulde here quickly.¡±

    While Shin and Fagall spoke, Namsaar was exining the situation to the person in charge of the training grounds.

    The duel would be held in the center of the grounds: all soldiers could thus witness it, but considering the objective, that was an obvious result.

    After learning that not only the king and the leader of the knights, but also the heroes were present, all the training soldiers¡¯ attention was focused on them, expecting that something was going to start. The atmosphere was very different from the loud exchanges and shouting from moments before.

    ¡°Shin, I beg you, I implore you, please be careful!¡±

    ¡°What are you worrying about? We¡¯ll use Sponge weapons, there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll be killed in one blow.¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s you, after all¡­I bet you could do that even with a Sponge weapon¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous, really. Even if I could, there¡¯s no way I would.¡±

    If he removed his limiters, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible, Shin thought; however, the purpose of this duel was to disy his strength, it was in no way a duel to the death.

    Rather, if he ended up killing a hero, it would have a negative impact on both the battle against Greed and Shin¡¯s own future activities.

    ¡°They¡¯re talking like my defeat is inevitable, again.¡±

    Shin, put off by Hmee¡¯s warning, heard Fagall¡¯s mumble. He was just whispering, but Shin¡¯s hearing could catch it.

    Sherlene, maybe because she was speaking to a hero like herself, used a in tone.

    ¡°It looks like they¡¯re worried that he doesn¡¯t go overboard, instead. Lady Hmee should know how strong you are, Fagall: if she talks like that, Sir Shin must be just that strong. I can¡¯t tell how powerful he is either. Why don¡¯t you go ahead and give it everything you¡¯ve got?¡±

    Being underestimated wasn¡¯t enough to lose one¡¯s cool, but it surely wasn¡¯t pleasant. This was what Fagall seemed to be thinking, so Sherlene gave him a piece of advice.

    She didn¡¯t speak openly, because of the presence of King Kreunzeit and Zear, but Sherlene was still wary of Shin and Schnee.

    Her instincts, honed through many battles, told her that Shin and his subordinate, Yuki, were truly strong. Luxuria, being a devil, was obviously powerful, but the power Sherlene felt was definitely different than Shin and Schnee¡¯s.

    ¡°I¡¯m nning on having him show the strength that supposedly surpasses even devils. With these weapons, I can go all out, after all. Sherlene, what do you think of sir Shin?¡±

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t tell. My instinct, however, is telling me to be more wary of him than of Lady Luxuria.¡±

    ¡°If you say so, they must be really skilled. I get the same feeling from both sir Shin anddy Yuki. While sir Shin leaks more magic power, I thoughtdy Yuki was more powerful.¡±

    Shin¡¯s magic power control had improved, but Schnee was still far above him in that aspect.

    It all depended on experience, trial & error, and time spent in training it, after all.

    In terms of magic power and MP quantity, however, Shin was overwhelmingly superior, so his magic power was much more difficult to control than Schnee¡¯s. If he had an average yer¡¯s MP quantity, Fagall would have probably seen them as equal.

    ¡°We do not have much time. Are you both ready?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡±

    ¡°I am too.¡±

    ¡°Yuki, the barrier, please.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The training soldiers were informed that the duel would soon start, so they retreated to a safe location. Before them, a blue semi-transparent wall appeared. The wall was generated along the training grounds¡¯ own walls, leaving only Shin and Fagall inside.

    ¡°There will be no need to worry about stray spells like this.¡±

    ¡°God, I knew you weren¡¯t ordinary people, but a barrier like this would require all of our specialists, and even then I¡¯m not sure if they could manage it or not. With this, however, we could seal the devil in and fight it. Was it really alright to show it here?¡±

    ¡°Not a problem. Devils inherit the memories of past battles, so I think they know about it already. Barring escape routes with barriers is amon tactic, I¡¯ve in many of them with it.¡±

    ¡°I see, so it¡¯s a strategy we are basically expected to use.¡±

    There were monsters which tried to flee when they were at a disadvantage. Some devils belonged to this category too: yers tried various methods to not let them flee, such as inflicting status ailments to limit their movements and block their escape routes with barriers.

    Judging from what Luxuria said, she clearly remembered past events. Thus, it was easy to imagine that the devils would remember about such tactics too.

    ¡°If you know how they fight, I would appreciate it if you told me too. Could you spare some timeter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you have my cooperation.¡±

    Shin and Fagall finished talking and headed to the center of the grounds. There was nothing else to do now: they both quietly created some distance between them and wielded their weapons.

    Shin held one ¡ºSponge de¡» in both hands, holding it vertically before himself.

    Fagall had one ¡ºSponge Dagger¡» in each hand, pointed down, with his left arm in front and right in the back.

    ¡°Begin!!¡±

    Namsaar made sure they had taken their stances, then gave the signal to start.

    As soon as he did, Shin quickly stepped in towards Fagall, quickly enough that an average person couldn¡¯t follow. The Chosen One and hero Fagall, however, could react: he stepped backwards to avoid the ¡ºSponge de¡¯s¡» swing, then kicked the ground to go on the offensive.

    Shin had paused one moment, then elerated again. The ¡ºSponge de¡» and ¡ºSponge Dagger¡» shed and were repelled.

    Shin and Fagall did not fight against the impact and slid to the right, once again creating distance between each other. Their speed, however, did not reduce.

    In the training grounds, those who managed to catch this lightning-quick exchange were only Schnee, Hmee, Luxuria, Sherlene and Namsaar. Shin and his opponent¡¯s movements were clear to them, but normal knights and soldiers couldn¡¯t keep up with their speed.

    Based on Fagall¡¯s reaction speed and the feeling of their weapons shing, Shin more or less grasped his stats. He had done it to figure out what kind of anti-devil gear to give him, so he did not need to know Fagall¡¯s exact stats.

    He blocked Fagall¡¯s ¡ºSponge Dagger¡», who had attempted another direct strike, and forcefully beat it back.

    Shin was currently shackled by ¡¾Limiter¡¿ level 2. Fagall¡¯s strength, even if boosted by the eleration, wasn¡¯t enough to break through Shin¡¯s defense.

    ¡°As expected by someone who can wield a heavy weapon like that¡­I couldn¡¯t push you back, huh.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to say I¡¯ve shown my power.¡±

    Fagall¡¯s attacks felt terribly light to Shin. His fighting style and speed were excellent, but he severelycked in strength, or so Shin was about to conclude.

    Fagall, however, was a Chosen One blessed by the Hero title. He had to be capable of more. Shin kept parrying Fagall¡¯s attacks with his ¡ºSponge de¡», one after another.

    At first nce it looked like Fagall was unleashing a neverending barrage of attacks; his expression, however, was grim.

    He wasn¡¯t using his full power yet, but his weapons wouldn¡¯t advance an inch. It wasn¡¯t like Shin couldn¡¯t move from his spot, he simply didn¡¯t. They were fighting with only weapons, but Shin was still very much unfazed.

    ¡°So tough¡­I feel like I¡¯m fighting against a block of Orichalcum.¡±

    ¡°I have to show what I can do, or people will interfere.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­I better make sure people don¡¯t think I¡¯m holding back, then!!¡±

    As Fagall uttered these words, his body started glowing gold.

    The light thatpletely enveloped his body was a clear sign of a physical boost due to his title and skills. Furthermore, Fagall¡¯s weapons started emitting a ck glow.

    Based on his experiences of fighting one on one, Shin guessed that he had used a Darkness elementalbination skill.

    ¡°Here I go!¡±

    The ground burst under Fagall¡¯s feet. He ran around Shin with irregr patterns, much faster than before.

    The darkness enveloping his des left a trail: to the eyes of the spectators, it looked like golden and ck lights shed around Shin.

    Shin didn¡¯t move, waiting for Fagall¡¯s next move. Thetter feigned approaching him a few times, then moved behind Shin¡¯s back and abruptly changed directions.

    Fagall¡¯s quick turn was almost a full 90 degrees, but Shin had predicted it and calmly reacted: He used his left leg as a pivot and turned, then blocked Fagall¡¯s strike with his ¡ºSponge de¡».

    ¡°Pretty heavy.¡±

    The pressure on the ¡ºSponge de¡» was much higher than Fagall¡¯s previous attacks. Shin¡¯s arm strength and ¡ºSponge de¡» could easily withstand it, but the ground couldn¡¯t.

    In a 20 mel diameter around Shin, the ground was eroded and formed a vase-like shape.

    The skill Fagall used, Sword/Darknessbination skill ¡¾Gravity Edge¡¿, was a skill that had its power halved when used upwards and doubled when used downwards.

    To sway the opponent with speed and deliver a single powerful blow,pensating stat gaps through skills, was a nostalgic strategy for Shin.

    Combining skills like ¡¾Gravity Edge¡¿, which increased in power under specific conditions, and physical boost was a tactic Shin often employed in his yer days.

    ¡°Not even flinching¡­I don¡¯t see what¡¯s funny, though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s been a while since Ist saw something like this, so I started enjoying it.¡±

    Shin apologized to Fagall for unconsciously smiling. This duel served the purpose of showing his actual strength: it wouldn¡¯t be proper to look like he was looking down on Fagall.

    ¡°It¡¯s my turn, then.¡±

    ¡°Wha-!?¡±

    Shin forcefully knocked away the ¡ºSponge Dagger¡» pressuring him towards the ground. Usually they would slide over to the right or left, freed from the shackles of gravity, but, within the same movement, Shin also knocked Fagall away.

    ¡°What ridiculous power!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment!¡±

    Shin kicked the ground and leapt up.

    Fagall recovered and was now standing on the edge of the vase-shaped area, where the ground hadn¡¯t caved in. Shin had jumped diagonally over Fagall, as to leap over him.

    ¡°You went in midair yourself?¡±

    The ck glow enveloping Fagall¡¯s weapons turned a red hue: Fagall swung his two daggers twice. Every time they drew an arc in the air, crescent-shaped me shes attacked Shin.

    The number of shes corresponded to the times the daggers were swung: it was the Sword/mebination skill ¡¾Red Moon¡¿.

    Shin could have easily avoided it using the Movement-type skill ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿. Fagall was apparently aware of the existence of this skill, however: he was trying to guess the direction Shin would fly to.

    The number of me shes ¡¾Red Moon¡¿ couldunch were four per weapon. Fagall wielded two weapons, so he had six shes left, more than enough to target Shin as he changed directions in midair ornded.

    In addition, Fagall had an ¡¾Ice Arrow¡¿ spell ready, in case ¡¾Red Moon¡¿ missed. The Sponge weapons rendered magic spells non-lethal as well, but he was seriously going all out.

    ¡°Ah, this is really fun.¡±

    To knock an opponent in midair off bnce and do a follow-up attack.

    In the game era, Shin did it every day. Thanks to the Sponge weapons, Shin didn¡¯t have to worry about killing his opponent, so he was feeling quite carefree.

    A duel was still a duel, though. Shin felt a bit sorry for Fagall, but he decided to crush his predictions straight on.

    Jumping without any preparation was just asking to be targeted. It was natural to think that an advanced yer would have something up their sleeve.

    Without a care for ¡¾Red Moon¡¿¡¯s des of fire, Shin swung his ¡ºSponge de¡» in the air.

    His de was enveloped in a red glow, just like Fagall¡¯s daggers. Heunched fire shes, just as Fagall had done, but their size and power were much greater.

    ¡°What the !?¡±

    Fagall¡¯s shes were approximately one mel wide: inparison, Shin released giant fire shes extending to three mel each.

    Fagall¡¯s shes were easily swept away, as Shin¡¯s attacks flew straight towards Fagall¡¯s position.

    He gave up on canceling Shin¡¯s shes with his when he saw how they vanished, then evaded their trajectory.

    A few secondster, the red shes struck the location Fagall was standing in. The hardened ground was gouged by deep, crimson gashes, followed by a tall burst of mes.

    Shin didn¡¯t check the aftermath of his attack, moving at high speed towards Fagall.

    ¡°Kh!¡±

    Shin¡¯s leap was much faster than his first one, so Fagall couldn¡¯t react in time. Without time to shoot me shes, he blocked Shin¡¯s attack with his daggers.

    Offense and defense had switched ces since the start of the duel. One major difference, however, was that Shin¡¯s attack blew Fagall back. Shin followed with the next attack, so Fagall released the ¡¾Ice Arrow¡¿ he had kept at the ready.

    However, the spell¡¯s effect was halved, as Shin was already next to the caster. The frozen arrows turned to snowkes, leaving trails behind.

    Shin swept away the remains of the spell and swung his weapon at Fagall. The ¡¾Red Moon¡¿ glows remaining in their weapons drew arcs between the two fighters.

    One sh, two shes, three shes.

    Fagall held his daggers to defend against Shin¡¯s shes. The sponge weapons¡¯ light, soft sounds echoed through the training grounds.

    If they had used normal weapons, the sound of their shes would surely boom like thunder. That¡¯s how much power the spectators felt through the barrier.

    The twobatants did not only cross swords, but fought with magic too.

    Spells that missed their mark would sometimes fly towards the spectators, but Schnee¡¯s barrier blocked them without budging.

    Some of the soldiers who were watching also practiced magic; looking at the level of the magic that was exchanged between Shin and Fagall, they had turned pale as ghosts.

    What surprised the spectators the most, however, was that the hero Fagall was slowly but surely falling in disadvantage.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡±

    Someone whispered a sentiment shared by most of the spectators, excluding the very few who already knew his actual strength.

    The heroes and leader of the knights were Erkunt¡¯s most powerful warriors. In terms of stats, Sherlene was higher, but Fagall¡¯s clever use of skillbinations put him on the same level.

    Who exactly was the person currently dominating Fagall, then? All soldiers¡¯ eyes were focused on Shin.

    ¡°Okay, time to shift gears then!¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    The mental burden of having to hold back was gone; the situation demanded Shin to show a certain degree of strength. He also felt safe, thanks to the non-lethal equipment in use: Shin focused his grip on the ¡ºSponge de¡» , to a degree close to the game era.

    Shin paused for a moment and the storm-like exchange of blows ceased. It stopped because Shin was on the attack and Fagall did nothing but defend.

    ¡°Ah¡­.¡±

    Fagall saw Shin hold the ¡ºSponge de¡» over one shoulder and a whisper escaped his lips.

    The ¡ºSponge de¡» was emitting grinding noises. The very same ¡ºSponge de¡» which did not even budge during the shes between Chosen Ones.

    Fagall¡¯s experience and ability as a Hero and Chosen One let him estimate just how powerful a blow Shin was about to release.

    The ¡ºSponge de¡» , which couldn¡¯t be used to kill, appeared as a very sharp de in Fagall¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°¡ªhere I go.¡±

    The sword resting on Shin¡¯s shoulder turned into a blur.

    Fagall¡¯s body leaped towards the direction the ¡ºSponge de¡» was being swung, before he could even think. At the same time, he swung his daggers with all his strength. Before he could tell what they hit, his body was being flung horizontally across the training grounds.

    ¡°Aw¡­crap¡­¡±

    Looking at Fagall being shot like a bullet, Shin let out a concerned mumble. He realized, toote, that he had gone a bit overboard.

    To make it all even worse, the barrier erected in the direction Fagall flew to boomed loudly, spider web-like cracks running through it.

    Fagall had not received the attack head-on, but the power concentrated in Shin¡¯s ¡ºSponge de¡» would not vanish just like that.

    A single attack so powerful to make a Hero shudder even before it was unleashed: it wouldn¡¯t just make the air tremble a bit.

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºSponge de¡» had drawn an arc from his shoulder to the ground: Fagall had deflected it diagonally, forcing the weakened shockwave to fly towards the barrier. As a result, the barrier was weakened to the point of copse.

    ¡°Haha¡­he can hunt devils for sure¡­¡±

    After carving a long path in the ground, Fagallughed and said this to himself, while looking at the clear skies over the training grounds.

    The soldiers beside the barrier stood still, as if time had stopped.

    As Fagall wouldter say, if he didn¡¯t deflect that attack, he would have probably died.

    The soldiers standing near the point where the barrier cracked also added that, if the barrier hadn¡¯t been there, they would have surely died too.

 Vol 14 Chapter 1.5: Chapter 1 Part 5

    Namsaar judged Fagall unable to continue and announced the end of the duel . After that, Shin¡¯s group returned to the room they had first been shown to .

    Shin was worried that he had gone too far and wanted to leave the training grounds as soon as possible, so he was relieved .

    ¡°Honestly, I went pretty much all out there, but¡­sir Shin, you are really¡­something else . ¡±

    ¡°Ahaha¡­I¡¯m sorry, I overdid it a little . ¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yes . I thought I was in real danger there . ¡±

    Fagall had witnessed a powerrge enough to ignore the Sponge weapons¡¯ supposed non-lethality, so his smile was a bit strained . Even without Shin¡¯sst powerful attack, Fagall knew he couldn¡¯t have won, or so he thought .

    Shin was unfazed from start to finish: Fagall figured Shin was likely to be superior to him in every stat .

    Fagall¡¯s attacks never put Shin on the spot . He always reacted with ease .

    It wasn¡¯t just because Shin¡¯s reactions were good, or he was more nimble, since he reacted in the same way to magic too . The only possible conclusion was that his stats were superior .

    Shin, on the other hand, was thinking that Fagall was likely trying to estimate his stats .

    ¡°If possible, I would like to request another duel before the battle with the devil . Because of our positions and duties, I cannot ask it easily to sir Namsaar or Sherlene . I would like to ask you not to use attacks like thatst one, however . Without the barrier, the training grounds¡¯ walls would have shattered to pieces . ¡±

    ¡°I will be busier from now on too, so I¡¯m afraid I cannot just say yes, unless the opportunityes . However, if it does, please be assured that I will fight in earnest . . About thatst attack, I really went overboard, I apologize again . ¡±

    Fagall hadn¡¯t reached the level cap yet: depending on the method, he could acquire new skills .

    Many advanced Chosen Ones had various skills in their arsenal, so Shin thought that their fighting strategy had room for improvement .

    ¡°Will everyone be convinced with this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there will be some who make a fuss, but with so many witnesses, I don¡¯t think there will be any real trouble . We need sir Fagall to grow stronger too . We can¡¯t have one of the king¡¯s des lose to adventurers forever after all . ¡±

    ¡°You say that even after watching that duel¡­?¡±

    Fagall mumbled a protest to Namsaar¡¯s not-so-veiledining, which seemed to reach the captain¡¯s ears: Namsaar turned towards Fagall and red .

    ¡°Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, sir . ¡±

    Fagall looked discontent until a moment ago, but just before Namsaar looked at him, his expression turned very serious .

    Next to him, Sherlene looked mildly annoyed and sighed, as if this kind of exchange happened often .

    ¡°By the way, sir Shin . You will act as a mobile unit in the campaign, but could you join the rest of the army even just once? If we say that you will fight alongside us they will understand, but if you join us personally they will understand better, especially about what kind of person you are . ¡±

    If the rumors about today¡¯s duel spread and conted, Shin could end up being regarded as a dangerous individual, so Zear made this proposal .

    ¡°Yes, that is not a problem at all . What should we do with Yuki? I can vouch for her strength, and I was thinking of having her train some of the soldiers . ¡±

    ¡°Training soldiers? Will she do something special?¡±

    ¡°She has some experience training armed forces, actually . She can also perfectly restore any wound, as long as it¡¯s not instantly lethal, so I think that training more practical than what normally can be done . In case amotion breaks out within the castle, I think it is prudent to raise the soldiers¡¯ quality, as quickly as possible . ¡±

    It would be a waste to use both Shin and Schnee for exploration .

    Shin thus proposed to Zear to use as much time as possible to strengthen the army, until the Greed devil ¡ª Avaritia made his move . When he mentioned that Schnee could easily restore whole limbs, Zear¡¯s expression stiffened .

    ¡°¡­I see . The barrier from before is enough proof ofdy Yuki¡¯s prowess, but¡­restoring whole limbs . . ? Even the church¡¯s highest prtes never attained such levels¡­no,dy Yuki is from a species with high longevity, an Elf, so if one trains enough, it bes possible¡­is it?¡±

    Zear furrowed his brow at his own words .

    Unless it waspletely isted, any city would have long-living species residing in it . Zear wasn¡¯t convinced yet because none of the Elves or Pixies he knew of could restore missing body parts to that extent .

    Shin had already heard that in the current world there were barely any practitioners who could restore missing limbs .

    There were some items in cirction which could produce such effects, given enough time, but that was it . They were very valuable as well .

    Being capable of such advanced healing skills would make any country wish to keep her at their side: that was the extent of such a person¡¯s importance .

    ¡°As far as I know, it is not something even long-living species can easily perform . ¡±

    ¡°I agree with sir Namsaar . I know elves and pixies who have lived over 300 years, but none of them has managed to hone their skills to the point of being capable of restoring missing limbs . ¡±

    ¡°Me too¡­erm, I as well, excluding rumors, know only the church¡¯s ¡®Healing Holy Woman¡¯ . ¡±

    Schnee nodded to Namsaar¡¯s words . Fagall shook his head, as he knew only of very famous examples .

    ¡°Even I can only close wounds at most . ¡±

    ¡°Er¡­a devil that uses healing skills, really?¡±

    Divine skills purified miasma and devils . In some games, they were treated as the opposite element to darkness . The skills Luxuria would use as healing would purify devils, so Shin found it pretty strange .

    ¡°Even if you call them ¡®Divine¡¯ skills, in the end it¡¯s using magic power to close wounds or restore limbs, right? It¡¯s not like you pray to some god you¡¯ve never even seen, so even devils can use them . Skills like ¡¾Purification¡¿ are out of the question though . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s surprising enough that you can use recovery skills¡­well, yeah, I just use them like I would do with anything useful, so I can¡¯t really say anything about a devil using them . ¡±

    Even if the skills werebeled as ¡°Divine¡±, there was no need to pray every time you used them, or anything of the sort . There was supposed to be a god overseeing each element, but Shin had never actually seen them . Their names were told in quest or library documents, so it was a mystery if they actually existed in this world .

    What Luxuria said wasn¡¯t wrong, at the very least .

    ¡°Sir Zear¡­I believe what we just discussed should never reach the priests¡¯ ears . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡­it ismon sense that divine skills are god¡¯s realm after all . ¡±

    Not only king Kreunzeit and Zear, but Fagall and Sherlene were also at a loss for words . The only one who did not change expression was Namsaar .

    ¡°Let us leave this for the moment¡­even so, while I understand it will be impossible, I would certainly wish for her to stay in our country . Could you consider it, even just a little? Together with sir Shin, of course . ¡±

    King Kreunzeit had been listening to the conversation with increasing interest, and ultimately made this proposal to Schnee .

    As a country¡¯s ruler, he could not keep himself from trying to secure a rare asset such as Schnee .

    ¡°I have decided to follow Shin, so I cannot answer that question . ¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡­I have no ns of entering the service of any country . I believe sir Zear said he did the same in his younger days, but I wish to see the world and expand my knowledge first . ¡±

    ¡°Is that so . If you use Zear as an example, there is nothing more I can say . It is regrettable, but I cannot force you . ¡±

    King Kreunzeit was very serious in his proposal, but Shin¡¯s reply made him sigh and agree to give up .

    Zear, on the other hand, showed  a slightly awkward expression .

    ¡°Ahem, I believe we have been sidetracked . In regards to what we were talking about before¡­sir Shin, how skilled are you at exploration and field research?¡±

    ¡°Approximately on the same level as scouting jobs such as shinobi or thieves, you could say . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s reply made Zear raise his eyebrows .

    Shin was clearly the fighting job type, hammering on enemies in the front lines; knowing that he could also act as an aplished scout surprised him greatly .

    It wouldn¡¯t be unusual to have a smattering of knowledge outside one¡¯s specialty, but to be on the same level as specialists was normally impossible . No one could be a master of all trades .

    Other than the jox he had mastered during the game, Shin also possessed the experience acquired while clearing dungeons alone and hunting down PKs . When their lives are on the line, people can progress and grow at normally impossible speed .

    ¡°You are one surprise after the other, sir Shin¡­I would then request you to inspect the areas still not fully researched, together withdy Sherlene . In case you find any of Greed¡¯s cohorts, I am sure you can dispose of them . If possible, it would be ideal to learn what exactly the devil is up to . ¡±

    ¡°Understood, I will do my utmost . ¡±

    After being told that the actual dates would bemunicatedter, Shin¡¯s group left the castle .

    As soon as they were out of sight from the gate guards, Shin stretched his body .

    ¡°Somehow or other, it¡¯s over . ¡±

    ¡°It went much different than expected, but at least it ended well . ¡±

    Luxuria sighed and Hmee agreed with her sentiments .

    Only Schnee didn¡¯t seem tired and smiled, apparently in good spirits .

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s call it a day¡­I¡¯m exhausted, mentally I mean . ¡±

    ¡°You were tense throughout after all . I¡¯ll be taking the headmistress back then . You two get a good rest too!¡±

    ¡°Who ever thought that I¡¯d have a devil worry about my health¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the health officer, after all . If you ever feel sick, drop by!¡±

    Luxuria chuckled, then walked with Hmee towards the institute . Shin and Schnee went straight back to their hotel . When they entered their suite, Shin changed into something more casual and plopped down on the sofa .

    ¡°Phew, that was tiring . ¡±

    He knew it wasn¡¯t exactly good manners, but heid his back against the sofa . He closed his eyes and sighed, then felt Schnee¡¯s presence next to him . He noticed that she sat down on the sofa too, then felt her pull his arm .

    He let her take control and felt his head lie on a different kind of softness than the sofa .

    ¡°You did great today . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­yeah . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s gentle words provoked an awkward response from Shin . She had changed too: Shin couldn¡¯t tell what she was wearing on her lower body, but she had a white sweater on .

    Schnee¡¯s eyes were smiling peacefully, but Shin could only see half of them: the lower half was covered by Schnee¡¯s soft mounds, pushing against the sweater . Because of the unusual angle, they looked even more imposing than usual .

    ¡°Shin? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing . Physically, I¡¯m not tired at all . I was just worried about going overboard against that hero guy . The soldiers looked at me not like someone they could rely on, but just a dangerous guy¡­¡±

    Shin quickly changed the topic, to divert Schnee¡¯s attention from the fact that he was staring at her chest .

    He hadn¡¯t spoken to the soldiers, but noticed that they watched him with expressions full of fear . It was toote to think about it now, but he felt that the distance between them grew even wider, instead of shrinking .

    ¡°Our future actions here all depended on that duel, so you couldn¡¯t hold back . They won¡¯t think that you¡¯re useless at least . The king and heroes recognized your strength, so I don¡¯t think you should worry too much . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too¡­well, I guess we should be d that they will cooperate . Though, I was surprised that they had made preparations already . ¡±

    They knew how powerful the enemy was and strived to keep casualties as small as possible . For allies, they were extremely reliable .

    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best to keep casualties to a minimum . Training the soldiers is the next step, I suppose . ¡±

    ¡°Hahaha, I can already picture them getting all smitten over you, then you put them through the grinder . ¡±

    Putting it bluntly, they would easily be swayed by her beauty, as Shin clearly remembered what happened to the prince .

    Some soldiers in the training grounds were the same . They would surely think they are lucky to be trained by her¡­until the actual training starts, at least .

    ¡°Shi¡ªn?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you canugh and change the topic!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, sorry . ¡±

    Schnee red at him, but wasn¡¯t really angry . Her pouting expression was kind of childish, so even if he apologized Shin felt very much at peace .

    ¡°I always act strictly because I think it¡¯s for their own sake ¡­Shin?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah, I¡¯m listening, I am¡­¡±

    Shin answered, but his eyelids were almost closing, his words unclear .

    ¡°We still have time until dinner, so rest until then . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re¡­right¡­¡±

    Resting his head on Schnee¡¯sp was really pleasant after all . So Shin thought as he drifted off to sleep .

    ¡°¡­good night . ¡±

    Looking at Shin fall asleep, Schnee smiled faintly . She was reminded that just a few days before, they were in the same situation, with reversed roles . She caressed his head, thinking that she preferred to let him sleep on herp, rather than the opposite .

 Vol 14 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    The next day, a messenger from the royal castle visited Shin .

    Shin went to the appointed location at the designed time and found Sherlene along with 48 knights under her directmand and 12 scouts dispatched from another toon, waiting for him .

    ¡°¡ªam Ite?¡±

    ¡°No . There is still time . Because of our numbers, we moved in advance . ¡±

    ¡°Do you always go scouting in such numbers?¡±

    ¡°No, this is because of your presence . Usually, there is one more squad of scouts . ¡±

    Based on the scouting area and abilityparison executed beforehand, Shin was judged to possess scouting ability equal to one squad . Shin himself wondered if he really had such a level of ability .

    ¡°We have prepared a horse for you, but will you ride it?¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern, but I will pass . I can ride, but I am faster on foot, after all . As a scout, I find it easier to move on foot too . ¡±

    ¡°Hehe, is that so . Now that I think about it, I¡¯m faster on foot too . ¡±

    Sherlene chuckled, maybe she thought Shin was joking .

    The knights behind her, however, were taken aback .

    ¡°Hey,dy Sherleneughed¡­¡±

    ¡°Lady Sherlene of all people¡­¡±

    ¡°Could it be that¡­spring hase¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, wait, that man has that elf with him, I don¡¯t think thatdy Sherlene¡­¡±

    ¡°No, you wait,dy Sherlene is a real looker too¡­¡±

    Shin overheard the knights and red at them to warn them not to say anymore . However, before they could notice, Sherlene turned around .

    ¡°Hahaha . I see we¡¯re having a funny chat here, hmm?¡±

    Sherlene was still smiling, but it was a very different smile than the one she showed to Shin: it didn¡¯t have the slightest hint of warmth .

    ¡°Looks like you need more training . Once this mission is over, we¡¯re going straight to the training grounds! Better get ready!¡±

    The knights¡¯ shoulders dropped in unison . Though, the mood didn¡¯t change, it must have been something that happened often . The exchange would have left neers perplexed about how to act .

    ¡°We¡¯ve wasted enough time . Let us head to the designated area . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t say anything else and coborated with the scouts in searching the area . Excluding race perks, in the scout corps didn¡¯t include any individuals with exceptional abilities .

    ¡°What¡¯s this? There aren¡¯t that many monsters . ¡±

    Shin was scouting ahead of the rest and noticed that the quantity of monsters in his detection field was strangely small . The situation was very different from the time he had brought Lecus and his party to train .

    He stopped scouting for the moment and returned to report to Sherlene . She had apparently noticed theck of monsters as well, after the other scouts returned and organized the information .

    ¡°There are too few monsters, after all . ording to previous reports, this area shouldn¡¯t be any different from the others, though . ¡±

    ¡°We should assume that something out of the ordinary has happened . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Do you think this might be his doing?¡±

    ¡°Considering the timing, I think there¡¯s a high chance of that . Or I should say, I hope that is the case . If something else was going on, we¡¯d have a hard time dealing with it too . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Sherlene¡¯s questions and jokingly shrugged .

    ¡°You¡¯re right, hopefully that¡¯s the case . Let us look for the cause, then . People, report anything unusual you¡¯ve noticed, no matter how small it may be . ¡±

    Sherlene gave a small wryugh, but then turned quickly serious as she addressed her knights .

    The knights were the ones who routinely patrolled Erkunt¡¯s surroundings: they would notice if something was out of the ordinary, through a viewpoint different from the scouts¡¯ .

    The scouts scattered again to search, so Shin did too . He didn¡¯t notice anything peculiar, however, except theck of monsters .

    ¡°If something happened to the monsters, I guess I should focus on that?¡±

    Shin thought this and decided to track a monster which was on the move . It was a zebra-like monster with bluish white streaks, with two twisted horns protruding from its temples, named Bluoth . Level 354, it was sometimes tamed by yers to be used as a steed, and was known for its toughness and the crushing power of its hooves .

    ¡°It¡¯s not under Greed¡¯s control¡­usually they move in packs, maybe it got lost?¡±

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ did not show the monster to be affected by Greed¡¯s influence .

    Not all horse-type monsters formed packs, but as far as Shin remembered, Bluoths always moved in groups . Now that the world wasn¡¯t a game anymore, he couldn¡¯t rule out the possibility of them acting on their own, but considering the timing, he wondered if it could mean something .

    Shin followed the Bluoth, making sure he wasn¡¯t spotted in turn . The monster didn¡¯t seem to be particrly wary of its surroundings . After about 10 minutes, other monster presences entered Shin¡¯s detection field . The new monsters were also heading in the same direction as the Bluoth .

    ¡°A cave? Monsters ofpletely different species can¡¯t be gathering in an ordinary cave¡­¡±

    The monsters heading in the same direction as the Bluoth were animal types, insect types and mineral types: a very diverse pack . ording to the game rules, they were predators and prey, but now they were quietly proceeding together .

    Some of the monster names were preceded by Avarice, showing that they were under the Greed devil¡¯s control .

    ¡°Looks like I hit the jackpot . ¡±

    Shin marked the cave on his map and left for the time being . He hurried back to Sherlene¡¯s location and reported what he saw .

    ¡°Monsters under Greed¡¯s control are gathering in a cave¡­¡±

    ¡°There must be something there that is attracting all nearby monsters . When the Bluoth I followed came in contact with other monsters, ¡°Avarice¡± appeared next to its name, so I guess he¡¯s increasing cohorts with this method . ¡±

    ¡°Which means that the more time passes, the more units it will have at its disposal . We should crush them, then . ¡±

    Shin reported the types and levels of the monsters he saw . Even if there were more monsters, Shin and Sherlene could manage to deal with them .

    ¡°I will assist you . ¡±

    ¡°I will be counting on you . Troops, we move!¡±

    The knights quickly get in formation following Sherlene¡¯s order . Their expertise was clearly high too, but the knights under Sherlene¡¯s directmand were all over level 200 .

    The soldiers in the training grounds were all around level 160 . Sherlene seemed to be as strictly disciplined as her looks suggested, so the knights under hermand were likely to be strictly trained as well .

    They weren¡¯t overwhelmed, nor did they just leave everything up to the scouts . Seeing them carefully check the surroundings, Shin felt impressed .

    ¡°The monsters seem to be entering the cave: there are only two at the entrance . I cannot detect any other monsters in the surroundings either . ¡±

    When the troops arrived close to the cave, Sherlene asked Shin to go confirm again the situation ahead . The monsters near the entrance were both over level 300, thus it would be dangerous to charge in together with the knights: she had the troops stop a bit far from the cave .

    ¡°Judging from the level, I suppose only sir Shin and I should go . Vice-captain, you and the troops stay here on stand-by . If anything unusual happens, contact me with that item . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . Please be careful!¡±

    The man addressed as vice-captain saluted, then ordered the troops to keep a strict watch of the surroundings . Based on the knights¡¯ equipment, level and expertise, they would be able to deal with monsters around level 300 .

    They would only seed, however, if the monsters were few in quantity . Inside the cave it would be difficult to get in formation, and the number of people who could fight at the same time was limited . It would be like ordering the knights to march to their deaths .

    The knights understood that as well and were eager to do everything was within their powers . In case arge mob of monsters swarmed the entrance of the cave, they would use the message cards secretly stocked by Hmee to contact Sherlene and Shin .

    ¡°Apany me inside, then . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Shin and Sherlene proceeded, using the trees as concealment, approaching the monsters without being seen .

    Shin used his ¡ºKakura¡» to cleave in half a mantis monster armed with 4 scythes, Force Scissors, while Sherlene thrusted her spear directly through the heart of Rock Boa, a monster d in stone armor .

    The monsters were defeated before they could warn their surroundings; leaving the rest to the knights, Shin and Sherlene walked onwards, with Shin in front .

    Shin used ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ and the map to search the interior of the cave .

    ¡°This is pretty small¡­what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Arge number of monsters had entered, so he thought they would find a dungeon; contrary to his expectations, however, the cave wasn¡¯trge enough to be called a dungeon .

    There were several pathways and small rooms: the cave resembled an ant colony . The only difference was that the pathways were not too steep and easily navigated by beings other than ants too .

    Judging from Shin¡¯s detection field, the various monsters gathered in small rooms, where they appeared to be simply waiting .

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like there are traps . The pathways are mostly one way, so we won¡¯t risk getting lost . The monsters are packed in small rooms, however, so please be careful . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    To proceed while crushing the monster groups was an option, but scouting the cave took priority . Shin cast the magic spell version of ¡¾Hiding¡¿ on Sherlene and they started sneaking through the cave .

    Thanks to theck of monsters with wide detection fields and the rtivelyrge pathways, they managed to proceed without fighting .

    When they passed the rooms on the sides of the pathways they observed the inside and noticed that the monsters were standing by, separated by species . They were neatly lined up, waiting quietly .

    ¡°Sir Shin . While I find it hard to imagine, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Monster toons, I guess . In every room there¡¯s a monster that looks superior to the others¡­possibly the captain . ¡±

    It was just like the monsters were formed in troops,plete with leader . Their numbers were not extremely high, but they looked just like an army .

    ¡°There are monsters which normally don¡¯t move in packs¡­this is bad . ¡±

    Monsters powerful enough on their own, now in packs . Sherlene, who was well aware of how terrifying monsters could be, understood what a fearful prospect that was . Her expression was very tense .

    Then, as if to put even more pressure on her, Shin and Sherlene found something unexpected in a room that they thought was empty .

    ¡°These are¡­weapons? But this shape¡­¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re weapons for monsters . Normally, partnered monsters would use them, but in this situation, I bet they n to have the monsters here equip them . ¡±

    The wooden boxes in the room were packed with weapons for monsters .

    Shin¡¯s instincts as cksmith detected a few very strong auras . He couldn¡¯t tell for sure without looking, but there were probably Legend-grade weapons mixed in .

    ¡°What¡¯s going on here¡­? This is just like¡­¡±

    An army . Sherlene¡¯s voice died in her throat before she could finish the sentence .

    ¡°It looks like they have been making preparations for a while . I¡¯m sure that there are people involved too . ¡±

    If all the rooms without monster presences were used to stock weapons, the stock had to be massive . Compared to the human armies, they were few, but as they were all under Greed¡¯s control, it was apletely different story .

    A single armed monster could easily battle against multiple fighters at the same time .

    If such monsters equipped gear like humans, what would happen? In terms of fighting power, they could be even more threatening than a natural disaster .

    Furthermore, based on the current situation, it was clear that the monsters equipped with this gear were clearly set to attack Erkunt . It wasn¡¯t strange for Sherlene to find herself unable to answer Shin .

    ¡°Could there be other ces like this¡­?¡±

    ¡°It looks like this cave was dug by the monsters, so we cannot rule it out . We should be d that we managed to find this ce, however . I don¡¯t know what would have happened if we learned about this when they actually attacked . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, right . We were really fortunate to find out before the attack . ¡±

    They couldn¡¯t just look at the negatives . Shin encouraged Sherlene to be more positive and she regained herposure .

    ¡°Shall we exterminate the monsters here, first?¡±

    ¡°Surely . Since we¡¯re here, let¡¯s also acquire the means to power up the troops on our side . ¡±

    ¡°Power up our troops? Are you going to gather materials from the monsters?¡±

    ¡°No, I saw that there are also magic des here, so we might as well take them for ourselves . ¡±

    Shin then started transferring the wooden crates packed with weapons in the item box . Thanks to the game settings still active, the items were categorized automatically .

    Looking at the room turning empty in seconds, Sherlene was speechless .

    ¡°¡­ . sir Shin . I do not mean to pry, but¡­if you show me something like this, I feel the need to ask who you really are . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an item box . I know it¡¯s fairly rare, but there are other people who use it, aren¡¯t there? You don¡¯t have one, Sherlene?¡±

    Shin had heard from Wilhelm that there was an item that granted the ability to use item boxes . Based on Erkunt¡¯s scope, he was sure there had to be someone who had it .

    ¡°Very few, even among Chosen Ones, have one . I do not either . I knew it existed, I thought I knew about it, but it¡¯s much more impressive than I expected . ¡±

    ¡°Is it your first time actually seeing it?¡±

    ¡°I saw it before, but the user ced items in it one by one . I have never seen anyone use it like you do . ¡±

    Shin imagined that the use of the item box could have been different between former yers and other people . There was no time to verify it now, so they set to exterminate the monsters after recovering all the gear .

    Still concealed, Shin and Sherlene went into the rooms without monster presences and swept them clean of items, putting them all in Shin¡¯s item box . The items included potions and ethers, so they decided to make good use of those too . Using their abilities as Chosen Ones, they gathered all items as fast as possible .

    ¡°With this we have recovered all items . Let¡¯s go back to the entrance, then . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the monsters¡¯ turn, then . Are we going to ambush them at the entrance?¡±

    ¡°No, some of the monsters can dig holes, so I was thinking of eliminating them all in one fell swoop . ¡±

    ¡°With magic . ¡±

    ¡°Correct . ¡±

    Even heroes like Fagall and Sherlene were Chosen Ones with warrior-like abilities . It would take them a fairly long time to defeat such arge quantity of monsters . Such a way would be poorly effective this time: while they fought monsters near the entrance, others could dig escape routes .

    Shin then decided to use one of the strategies more suitable for the location . He and Sherlene returned to the entrance: they made sure that no monsters were following them, told the knights posted outside that they would dispose of the monsters in the cave and had them go farther away .

    ¡°Here goes nothing . ¡±

    Shin activated the Water-type spell ¡¾Deluge¡¿, aiming it towards the interior of the cave . Just as the name suggested, a massive waterspout erupted from the 2-mel wide magic circle which had formed around Shin¡¯s right hand .

    Normally, the forest around the cave would be affected too, but Shin directed the wave fully inside the cave . Most of the monsters inside needed to breathe . The entrance of the cave was essentially sealed by ¡¾Deluge¡¿¡¯s water pressure, so the only path left for them was to drown to their deaths .

    In the meantime, Shin detected that some monsters started digging underground . The water current, despite its speed, could not fill rooms immediately . The water umted from the cave¡¯s floor, so there was some time until all rooms were flooded .

    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere . ¡±

    After detecting the monsters¡¯ movements, Shin lifted his left hand . After a moment, red shes shot out from it .

    ¡°Go . ¡±

    Lightning-type magic skill ¡¾Split Spark¡¿ .

    The thunderbolts, following Shin¡¯smand, flew towards the stream flooding the cave . When the bolts touched the water surface, they disappeared as if they blended in it . The monster presences on the map then started disappearing, one by one .

    Magically generated water was often an excellent conductor of magically created lightning . Shin used this to electrocute the monsters throughout the cave .

    He had also used not any lightning attack, but ¡¾Split Spark¡¿ for a special reason . Normal lightning attacks would simply reach monsters more easily, thanks to the water, but ¡¾Split Spark¡¿ could travel through water spells or water, aimed directly at monsters or yers to damage them . Even mineral monsters, which didn¡¯t need to breathe, would be finished now .

    15 minutes passed . Shin continued using skills from the cave entrance, eventually killing all monsters inside .

    ¡°You¡¯re a first ss user not only of physical skills, but also magic¡­¡±

    Sherlene whispered this after studying the power and length of Shin¡¯s spells . She knew that there were differences in power between Chosen Ones . She also knew that the same was true among those called former yers . Shin¡¯s powers, however, exceeded the Chosen Ones and former yers that Sherlene knew .

    A man that even devils feared .

    Sherlene had been secretly ordered to verify the limits of Shin¡¯s strength, but she started thinking that it might be impossible .

 Vol 14 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go look for materials.¡±

    ¡°Materials?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this isn¡¯t a dungeon, so the monsters¡¯ materials should be there for the taking. Since we¡¯vee this far, we might as well take whatever we can.¡±

    ¡°I, I see.¡±

    Shin¡¯s mischievous grin left Sherlene wide-eyed. Shin did not pay attention to her reaction, however, and told her to gather the knights and used earth magic to create a hole to drain the water in the cave.

    ¡¾Deluge¡¿ was a spell that just generated water, which did not have homing properties, unlike other water spells. If it did, it could be used to drain the water, but there was nothing that Shin could do at that point.

    The most that could be done after activating ¡¾Deluge¡¿ was to adjust the direction the waterspout proceeded to. Schnee could probably manage to direct it to a nearby river.

    ¡°It will take a bit of time until the water is fully drained. I¡¯ll go ahead and check if any monsters left the cave before we arrived.¡±

    ¡°Understood. The scouts are surveying the area too. Please cooperate with them.¡±

    The scouts were checking the area around the cave, searching for monsters and traps. After making sure it was safe, they split into groups of 2 and expanded the search area.

    After making sure that the drainage hole wasrge enough, Shin then headed towards an area the scouts hadn¡¯t checked yet.

    A cave like that was easily built by controlling monsters with digging abilities. It was difficult to imagine that that cave was the only one created for monsters and supplies. Shin studied the movements of the monsters on the map, thinking that there had to be other simr locations.

    ¡°I guess I better ask Schnee for help.¡±

    It would be difficult for only Shin and the scouts to search the whole territory surrounding Erkunt. Without Schnee and the remaining scouts, they could not find every monster hideout.

    ¡°Where did they get all that equipment from anyway?¡±

    Shin thought that there had to be humans cooperating with Greed.

    Shin understood the desire to roley as a viin in the game, but such an idea would nevere to his mind in this world. Other than the presence of a coborator, Shin was concerned by the fact that things were proceeding without Avaritia being present.

    ¡°Could it have other aims¡­?¡±

    Avaritia could be nning something else, other than attacking Erkunt and absorbing Luxuria. ording to Luxuria, Avaritia¡¯s presence was drawing closer, but it was still rather far. In the game, devils and their cohorts usually acted together.

    Shin knew this, so he wondered if there was something he had missed.

    ¡°I better talk with Schnee about itter.¡±

    Shin said to himself while filling the unexplored areas of the map.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Looks like there weren¡¯t any problems. Let¡¯s go pick up the materials then. There aren¡¯t any monster presences but be on your guard all the same.¡±

    Shin could easily recover all materials by himself, but Sherlene ordered the knights to do it, as Shin had told her that he preferred not to make the existence of the item box too public.

    Sherlene would probably report the item box to Erkunt¡¯s top brass, but that was unavoidable. Just like Ancient-grade weapons, its existence was not a mystery.

    ¡°Understood. Troops, you heard sir Shin¡¯s words. Our foes are monsters. Anything could happen. On your toes!¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±

    The voices of the soldiers echoed in the woods. Thanks to their training, they moved deftly despite the slippery cave floor, no one fell or even slipped.

    The knights usually moved in groups of four. As Sherlene had ordered them to, they moved carefully through the cave.

    ¡°Sir Shin, how are the surroundings?¡±

    ¡°As far as I searched, I did not find any caves like this one. If they were built on the mountains or deep in the forest, however, they would be quite hard to find. With enough time, I am sure they can be found, but that is the one thing we do not have right now.¡±

    Not knowing when Avaritia would make his move, they couldn¡¯t justb through the whole area. The number of avable troops was limited, and even if Schnee joined them and the search became more efficient, it was still not enough.

    ¡°I suppose we can just narrow down the search area. To acquire all that gear, Avaritia has to have a coborator. We should check the merchants¡¯ movements.¡±

    If there were people supplying the gear, there might be clues left over. Even if there weren¡¯t, it would be impossible for them to actpletely unnoticed, or so Sherlene said.

    ¡°You can¡¯t use horse carriages around here, so it could be someone with an item box, like me.¡±

    ¡°That makes things difficult, though. Materials in card form are light and require little space, sorge quantities can be transported at the same time. There would be no need to go through Erkunt either.¡±

    The owner of the item box did not even need to carry item cards, which made it difficult to find any clues.

    ¡°It¡¯s still better than doing nothing though. We might find clues in unexpected ces.¡±

    ¡°Do you speak from experience?¡±

    ¡°Well yes, you can put it that way.¡±

    As people often say, life can be quite unpredictable. Both in games and in life, sometimes things happened with unbelievable timing.

    ¡°Is that so¡­no, I will ask no more. Let¡¯s stop today¡¯s search here. I already sent for a carriage for the materials. Sir Shin, you may go back ahead of us.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will do that then. Ah, what should we do with the recovered items? Even in card form, there¡¯s a serious quantity.¡±

    ¡°Please keep them for the time being.¡±

    Shin asked if he could keep them indefinitely, and Sherlene said that she would send someone to pick them up.

    ¡°Understood. I¡¯d like to search the weapons a bit, so can I go ahead and do it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that will be fine. With sir Vulcan, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know of him?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s one of Erkunt¡¯s most famous craftsmen. The rumors of a young human and a blonde elf visiting his workshop have been spreading too.¡±

    ¡°As far as the royal pce?¡±

    Shin knew that some dwarves gathered to see Schnee, but he did not expect the rumors to reach Sherlene¡¯s ears. He expected them to circte among cksmiths, but not beyond that.

    Schnee was probably called a ¡°blonde elf¡± because of her disguise when meeting people.

    ¡°If you find out anything, please tell the person I send to recover the items.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will take my leave, then.¡±

    Shin nodded at Sherlene and headed towards Erkunt. He kept his presence concealed with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ to avoid surprising normal people as he ran through the forest. He showed the papers identifying him as a coborator of the knights and entered the country. His first destination was Vulcan¡¯s workshop, of course.

    ¡°Hey there! Is the boss in?¡±

    Shin opened the door and addressed Vaal, who was taking care of the shop. He had be friendly with Vulcan and Vaal, so his speech changed ordingly. Shin called Vulcan ¡°boss¡± now.

    ¡°The boss is in the back, as usual. What brought you here today by the way? You look different than usual.¡±

    ¡°I found something nice actually. I wondered if the boss could tell me where these were made.¡±

    Shin then materialized some of the gear he found in the cave. He thought it wouldn¡¯t be good to materialize weapons for monsters then and there, so he picked more orthodox swords, probably prepared for human-like monsters, since there existed monsters which could use gear made for yers too.

    The swords were Unique grade, with the de extending from the hilt getting gradually thinner. Shin¡¯s appraisal let him know the weapon¡¯s grade, stats and name of the creator. Though, he could not find anything else.

    A weapon with this design was made by a certain school: the cksmiths in this world could surely tell, but Shin didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°An orange de, that¡¯s pretty unusual. They probably added monster materials to magic steel. As a weapon, it¡¯s rather high quality¡­I¡¯d wager it¡¯s from either the Baiden or Reishin schools.¡±

    Being Vulcan¡¯s disciple, Vaal was also very knowledgeable about the subject. He looked intently at the de and mentioned namespletely new to Shin.

    ording to Vaal, both schools specialized in mixing materials with iron.

    ¡°The engraving was destroyed, so I thought you might know something. I don¡¯t really know much about this stuff.¡±

    Shin said while looking at the de with Vaal.

    ¡°We can¡¯t tell everything either, but with the information gathered by the union, it¡¯s still better than nothing. If our skills are recognized, we have the chance of learning new techniques from the union¡¯s collected information.¡±

    ¡°Instead of having a country, they are located throughout the world and share the information they found, that¡¯s what dwarves do, right.¡±

    Dwarves lived as citizens of other countries, with most of them belonging to an organization called the union. They had built an international informationwork, very simr to the real world.

    Sometimes in Human countries.

    Sometimes in Elven countries.

    Sometimes in Lord countries.

    Sometimes in Beast countries.

    Sometimes in Dragnil countries.

    Sometimes in Pixie countries.

    Gathered information ispiled by the various branches of the unions, then sent to headquarters, where its leaders reside. It was just like the union had spies all over the world or so some people whispered about the dwarves¡¯ union. ording to Vaal, it was just an association of artisans.

    ¡°A dwarf spy¡­? I would like to see one, honestly.¡±

    Shin asked about the spy rumor, half joking, and Vaal replied with a wryugh.

    Dwarves weren¡¯t suited at all for stealth: they could manage it if they continuously boosted their stats, but only Chosen Ones or former yers could.

    ¡°It is true that we gather information about technology. Ever since the Dusk of Majesty, precious technology was lost because of wars or monster attacks. Dwarves have developed thiswork to preserve technology and revive lost ones. People do say that a small number of dwarves have a monopoly on technology, but there are many dangerous ones which could be used for shady purposes, so we cannot just make it all public. There are other organizations engaged in simr activities too.¡±

    ¡°Right. In this world there aren¡¯t weapons of mass destruction after all, though it might be possible to create them.¡±

    Shin nodded to Vaal¡¯s fervent speech. Because unique techniques of magic existed, there were items as dangerous as missiles. In a world where war existed, monsters would not always be the targets.

    ¡°It seems that people used them normally in the world before the Dusk of Majesty, though. When I heard that, I was d to not be born in that era, honestly.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­..that¡¯s right.¡±

    Shin, who had used such weapons in the past, gave a vague answer. He had thrown items which attacked friend and foe indiscriminately where his allies were fighting enemies. It was a strategy possible because his allies were High Human, who would suffer little to no damage. An item like that would be capable of erasing a whole castle if used in this world.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve kept you too long.¡±

    ¡°Not at all, it was a very interesting conversation.¡±

    Shin told the apologetic Vaal not to worry, then went to Vulcan¡¯s forge. As he walked, he felt the heat increase and heard the sound of a hammer striking. Vulcan was forging a sword, so Shin hid his presence and waited, not wanting to disturb him.

    They were allies, but he had no intention of secretly watching Vulcan¡¯s work, so he looked towards the corridor. Vulcan was in the finishing stages of forging, so soon enough the sound of his hammer striking the iron stopped.

    ¡°Come on in.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you noticed.¡±

    Vulcan had apparently noticed Shin¡¯s presence. Shin had not exactly tried topletely hide, so he wasn¡¯t too surprised.

    Shin entered the workshop and found Vulcan holding two swords, still not sharpened. Depending on how they were sharpened, he estimated they would turn out Unique grade.

    ¡°If you¡¯re busy, I¡¯lle another time.¡±

    ¡°No, I just have to hand them to the sharpener now, my work is done. So, what brings you in? Aren¡¯t you the busy one?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s something rted to that. Take a look.¡±

    Shin showed the sword he had already shown Vaal to Vulcan.

    ¡°Oh, not bad at all. What about it?¡±

    Vulcan studied the de and hilt closely, then asked Shin what he had in mind.

    ¡°I found it in a certain ce, but the cksmith¡¯s engraving was erased. I was wondering if you could tell me something about whoever made it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been made using monster parts mixed with iron, a technique that several schools are researching, that¡¯s for sure. Without any unusual characteristics, however, I can¡¯t tell who made it.¡±

    The weapon¡¯s quality did not suggest that it had been forged by an especially skilled cksmith. Vulcan added that he could think of several that could have made it, so it was impossible to pinpoint it.

    Limiting the scope to Erkunt only, however, narrowed down the selection. Vulcan said that he would say their names to Shinter. They were all famous, so there was no need to hide it, apparently.

    Maybe the cksmith that supplied weapons to Avaritia wasn¡¯t among them, but there was no harm in checking them.

    ¡°That¡¯s all you needed?¡±

    ¡°No, there¡¯s one more thing, actually. If you have time, I wanted to ask you to make weapons using these.¡±

    Shin then materialized the gear recovered from the cave.

    ¡°What the¡­so many Legend grade weapons? The others are all high quality too¡­and theye from the same ce as the sword from before¡­Shin, is this rted to the iing attack on the city?¡±

    Vulcan noticed that many weapons were made for monsters and looked at Shin in the eyes.

    Shin was surprised, but Vulcan was a cksmith that Sherlene and Masakado trusted with their weapons, so he was likely to have heard about it.

    ¡°You know who we¡¯re up against, boss?¡±

    ¡°A devil. That sword I was tempering just then is an anti-devil prototype, I made with information I got from the union.¡±

    ¡°I see, as expected by the chief of the knights¡¯ exclusive workshop.¡±

    Apparently the union also had information about devils.

    ¡°I heard about you too, Shin the ¡®shing Hammer¡¯, was it?¡±

    ¡°Gah, that nickname¡­it¡¯s just too embarrassing¡­¡±

    ¡°Usually people are proud of them¡­anyway. You know a lot about devils, right? Do you think this could be useful?¡±

    Vulcan did not tease the sour-looking Shin any further and showed him the sword he had just forged. It was more or less medium Rare-grade; it did not have any magic imbued in it, but it did have the special attribute of causing added damage to devils. If used against a devil or its cohorts, it would cause 5% more damage.

    The number was kind of low for an added damage attribute, but it was still a prototype, so Vulcan had not given his all yet, surely.

    Added damage attributes inflicted more damage to specific species: one of the more famous examples was the Dragon Killer, which inflicted added damage to dragons.

    ¡°Against a devil, I¡¯d want at least a 20% boost. The weapons I¡¯m going to distribute have a 30% boost, after all.¡±

    ¡°Even with the species limitation, 30%¡­Can I see it?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I nned to lend it to you anyway, and if it will help you forge better quality weapons, we will have less casualties too.¡±

    Shin then materialized a longsword imbued with an attribute that caused more damage to devils. The silver de had a yellow line from the hilt to the tip. It had no engraved name, so it could be called Devil Killer.

    ¡°All the weapons you n to distribute have the same stats as this?¡±

    ¡°More or less. I n to give something a little better to the captains and such. I prepared 200 of these for the elite troops for now. For captains and troops with higher levels, I have about 50 weapons a bit better than this one.¡±

    ¡°¡­I know that they¡¯re Unique, but¡­200 of this? If I didn¡¯t know about your skills, I¡¯d never believe it.¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t say it, but the ¡°a bit better¡± weapons were Legend grade. If Vulcan knew that Shin could prepare 50 of them, he would probably be dazed.

    ¡°The union documents say to expect 10% at most. They did say that, depending on materials and cksmith, it could go as far as 20%, but¡­¡±

    Vulcan grumbled while looking at the de. He added that the records contained precious techniques to be preserved after the Dusk of Majesty.

    ¡°Wait a minute. You¡¯re going to distribute this to the troops? Which means that, you¡¯re going to use something better?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, mine has a +40% damage attribute. It¡¯s called ¡ºThe Ark¡».¡±

    It actually had a +50% damage boost, but Shin corrected himself before talking, then materialized the sword in question. Its de was about 1 mel and a half. Blue gems were set in the hilt, from which branch-like decorations extended.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve never heard the name before.¡±

    Vulcan¡¯s expression was frozen. He probably wanted to pretend he didn¡¯t hear about the stats.

    ¡°I heard the name came from an angel.¡±

    Devil killer weapons were named after angels. It was pretty natural, or so Shin thought.

    Shin unsheathed the de, which gleamed with a blue and silver hue. Its tip was not sharp, but square. It waspletely unsuited for thrusting and bore the nickname of executioner sword, being used to administer the death penalty.

    ¡°A devil killer name with the name of an angel. I only heard about them in folk tales, though.¡±

    ¡°It served its purpose, so why not?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yeah¡­I guess¡­¡±

    ¡°Boss, what¡¯s wrong? You look pale.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just feeling mymon sense as a cksmith start to shatter.¡±

    Vulcan held his head in his hands, as it had started hurting, and talked with difficulty. While he had mentioned it, he didn¡¯t really care about the weapon¡¯s name. Even Vulcan, one of Erkunt¡¯s top cksmiths, was simply bbergasted by what Shin just pulled out.

    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re not a Lord, right?¡±

    ¡°Me? No, I¡¯m Human, why?¡±

    Of course, He couldn¡¯t say anything about being a High Human.

    ¡°If you¡¯re not from a species with high longevity, then you must be a Chosen One¡­but that is also too weird¡­¡±

    ¡°I know that well, believe me.¡±

    ¡°If you say so, then let¡¯s leave it at that. I can¡¯t fathom how you aren¡¯t specialized in a production job, despite being so skilled.¡±

    ¡°I was in the beginning, but I was forced by circumstances to be abat type.¡±

    Shin had to raise his level not only to be able to gather materials more easily, but also to attain the necessary STR and DEX to wield certain hammers. Since Humans were considered weak, he would often be refused entry in parties engaged in quests to find rare materials, so in the beginning he had a very hard time finding good ones.

    Because of this -as he had told Wilhelm in the past- he had entered a loop for a time: defeat monsters, gather parts, update gear, rinse and repeat.

    ¡°A production specialist forced to take upbat? Isn¡¯t that bizarre enough already?¡±

    ¡°Where I lived, we had to be self sufficient, in more ways than one. So if you needed Red Dragon scales, you had to start from hunting one.¡±

    ¡°Say what!?¡±

    The more one focused on production, the more theirbat skills and techniques would suffer. Vulcan was no exception: his level as a cksmith was high, but as a fighter he was weaker than adventurers at the same level. Production specialists who could also fight were very rare.

    ¡°Where the hell did you live, really. Oh well, you gave me some great reference, I¡¯m going to steal what I can.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±

    Vulcan could definitely forge something much better than the prototype. Shin was positive about it, so he gave the dwarf some advice, then left the workshop.

    He then realized that the sun was already setting. Schnee was probably already back at the hotel.

    ¡°This is bad.¡±

    Not wanting to keep her waiting, Shin quickly headed back to their lodging.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

 Vol 14 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    It was two days after Shin and Sherlene found the monster den that an emergency summons arrived from the royal pce .

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°It is probably rted to the devil . ¡±

    The messenger sent by the royal pce was whipping the horses in a frenzy, so they opted not to ask questions yet . He was trying to be prudent while traveling as fast as possible . If they distracted him, he might even cause an ident .

    ¡°Your guide is waiting for you . Please, do lend us your assistance . ¡±

    After they somehow arrived at the castle, the messenger briskly saluted Shin and Schnee . They answered that they will do whatever they can and passed through the castle gates . The woman who would act as their guide approached them right away .

    Shin and Schnee were led to the room where they had previously met king Kreunzeit . The guide quickly served them both tea .

    ¡°I am sure they have been notified of your arrival . Please wait here for a moment . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    The guide had prepared tea and sweets before them, so Shin obliged without restraint . There were mainly cookie-like baked sweets with a couple other types mixed in .

    ¡°Pretty good, as expected of the royal pce . ¡±

    ¡°If you like them, I can make some at the hotel too . ¡±

    ¡°You know how?¡±

    ¡°I can pretty much tell, from the look and the vor . Then I just need to make adjustments while baking . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing . ¡±

    Level IX Cooking skills was nothing to snuff at . Thanks to visiting various countries and cities on official quests, Schnee had expanded her food repertoire .

    ¡°If you liked them, I¡¯ll have someone give you the recipeter . ¡±

    While Shin and Schnee were talking, Namsaar entered the room as somber and expressionless as ever . He addressed Shin in the same way as he had done to the king .

    ¡°Please, you mustn¡¯t bother . Is there only you today, Mr . Namsaar?¡±

    ¡°Yes, why do you ask?¡±

    Namsaar asked back to Shin, as if meaning to ask if that was a problem .

    Normally, it would be extremely disrespectful for an average citizen like Shin to address the captain of the royal guards so casually . Namsaar himself had said to not use titles when talking to him however .

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any problems with you, Mr . Namsaar . I heard it was an emergency summons, so I figured that it might havee from king Kreunzeit . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just information to be shared, so I¡¯m more than enough . There is no need to put up appearances with you, sir Shin, as we must with the nobles . I¡¯ll get on topic then . We have called you because a dungeon has been spotted about 2 kemel north of Erkunt . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty close . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is inside a forest, but it does not appear to be too deep . The knights said that they¡¯ve never seen it before . ¡±

    The location where the dungeon was found was in a ce that Erkunt¡¯s knights routinely patrolled . The forest was also visited often by adventurers on gathering or extermination quests: if a dungeon was present, it would be found immediately .

    Namsaar added that the dungeon was not in a rarely visited location .

    ¡°Could it be rted to the cave I found with Sherlene?¡±

    ¡°Probably so . The dungeon was found the day after the cave sighting, so I would be hard pressed to say the two are not rted . There could have some sort of device or hidden mechanism, unknown to us . ¡±

    Namsaar talked without changing expression, but he seemed to be in a foul mood .   There had to have been something more behind a dungeon appearing close to the kingdom when it was preparing for a devil¡¯s attack .

    This dungeon was highly likely to be rted to devils . Even if they just went to inspect it, they needed to be very careful . That was the reason why Shin and Schnee were summoned . They had enough skills to both sneak into or conquer it .

    ¡°The exploration party will be only me and Yuki?¡±

    ¡°No, likest time, you will be apanied by Sherlene and some knights under her directmand . If the dungeon is connected with the devil, I am sure only Sherlene will be of use in battle, but the knights could prove useful to take care of small fry or watch the surroundings . ¡±

    Shin found Namsaar¡¯s words concerning, but chose not to say anything . Half baked strength was of little to no use against high level monsters . Even if they were powerful as average individuals, there was a limit to the monsters Sherlene¡¯s knights could handle .

    Shin chose not to say anything about it, though .

    ¡°Understood . Should we depart right away?¡±

    ¡°I had Sherlene and the others get ready . I would like you to join them and go . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee were told that they were in the training grounds, so they were about to leave the room and go .

    ¡°Gah¡­ . ¡±

    They heard ament behind them, however, and turned around . Namsaar was holding his head, a pained expression on his face .

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°No problem . Just light exhaustion . There are many arrangements to be done to advance the preparations against the devil attack . ¡±

    Namsaar lightly shook his head, then returned to the usual stone-faced expression .

    ¡°It might be out of ce for me to say, but you should rest when you can . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I will think about it . ¡±

    Namsaar replied to Shin¡¯s words and left the room .

    ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t overdo it and copses . ¡±

    ¡°Being a captain, I am sure he knows the importance of rest, but¡­I suppose we should mention it to Sherlene . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right . ¡±

    Schnee had a point . They wouldn¡¯t go out of their way to openly worry that Namsaar was so overworked he risked not being able to fight when it was needed .

    When they arrived in the training grounds, they noticed that Sherlene and her group were waiting, just as Namsaar had said . Sherlene was wearing a light armor with a red base color, just like before .

    ¡°Hello . Namsaar told us to join you for this expedition . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be counting on you . Lady Yuki, I think this is the first time we have actually talked . I heard that you are much more skilled than your looks would suggest . I¡¯ll be counting on your assistance too . ¡±

    ¡°I will do my utmost, as not to cast shame on Shin . ¡±

    Schnee shook the hand Sherlene extended and nodded while smiling . Some of the knights who were watching were charmed and stopped in their tracks .

    ¡°Enough staring atdy Yuki, you lot! You have work to do!¡±

    ¡°Y-yes ma¡¯am!! We shall do our utmost!!¡±

    The knights exhibited a very sharp salute, then started moving again .

    Shin felt sorry for the annoyed Sherlene, but he understood their feelings all too well .

    Schnee was in a very good mood today, maybe because she could go together with Shin . Her expression clearly reflected her state of mind . Her bright smile would charm anyone: that¡¯s why Shin nodded to the knights¡¯ reaction .

    ¡°I see we are all ready . Let us depart for the dungeon in question then . ¡±

    No monsters or thieves dared attack the group of armored knights armed with swords andnces . Thanks to theck of actual battles and rtive close distance, the group reached the dungeon in less than 30 minutes .

    ¡°The entrance is much wider than the previous cave . ¡±

    ¡°ording to the soldiers we posted to observe the entrance, no monsters went inside . Though not much time has passed since it was discovered, so it could be a coincidence . ¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped . Will you leave the knights here to guard the surroundings, likest time?¡±

    ¡°Yes, this time the explorers will be us three: Sir Shin, Lady Yuki, and myself . I believe the devil is definitely involved here . Nevertheless, we cannot concentrate all of our fighting power here . It¡¯s rather troublesome . ¡±

    All countries possessed more Chosen Ones than the number they made public . Shin thought that there had to be skilled fighters in Erkunt other than Sherlene, Fagall, and Namsaar .

    Maybe they were either keeping them as a reserve or they weren¡¯t as strong as Sherlene and Fagall . As they headed towards the entrance, Shin wondered why heroes who were supposed to be the kingdom¡¯s trump cards, were used so proactively so often .

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this presence¡­¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s expression turned sour .

    Shin and Schnee felt the same, though not as much as Sherlene . There was a certain indescribable unpleasantness which they had not felt outside . It had approached them the moment they stepped in the dungeon .

    ¡°I thought this dungeon might be rted to the devil, but it looks like we¡¯ve hit the jackpot . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Sherlene understood the meaning of Shin¡¯s words after her question, as her expression showed .

    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a high chance there¡¯s one here, in the lower floors . ¡±

    It was the same in the game era . Dungeon fields where devils were present had the attribute of making yers feel unpleasant . What Shin felt now though, was not so much a strong uneasiness as it was little more than a bad feeling .

    ¡°(This didn¡¯t happen with Luxuria, so I had kind of forgotten . )¡±

    ¡°(That was probably because she is on friendly terms with humans . I can only feel hostility from this negative aura . )¡±

    Shin and Schnee talked via Mind Chat .

    Luxuria had no hostile intentions from the start . Instead, she wished to coexist with humanity . Schnee suggested that because of this, she didn¡¯t release an aura that made others feel unpleasant .

    ¡°I guess we should get ready for the worst . ¡±

    ¡°Are we proceeding like this? Should we not call for reinforcements?¡±

    ¡°No, we can fight it now without risking casualties in the kingdom . It¡¯s definitely better to defeat it here rather than let it go out . ¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s drain attacks had a very wide range . The damage would be imensurable if it used them in a popted location . Dungeons might have been rife by monsters, but were the perfect battlefield to avoid human casualties .

    ¡°I see . In that case, I have no objections . Can you defeat it?¡±

    ¡°No need for concern . I always have anti-devil gear with me . ¡±

    Shin then changed his equipment . In one instant, his attire turned into a shining full-body armor with silver and blue hues . Decorated with many thin, delicate ornaments, it looked like it was more suited for disying than fighting .

    The full-face helmet had a horn-like decoration extending towards the back; which gave the whole armor a strong impression of being poorly apt for battle . From the shoulders a dark blue mantle flowed down too . Paired with ¡ºThe Ark¡» equipped at the waist, it really looked like what a holy knight would wear .

    ¡°Well¡­I am surprised again . ¡±

    Seeing the person next to you turn into a knight straight out of a fairytale in an instant, was surely a surprise to behold .

    ¡°This is the anti-devil, anti-demon specialized gear, ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» . Just standing close to a person with it equipped reduces the effect of status ailments and debuffs released by devils and demons . Don¡¯t you feel different?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true, the unpleasantness I felt before is gone just by being close to you¡­I suppose this is your trump card?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to say, but the devil surely expects us toe with this . Many warriors d with this armor have in devils in the past, after all . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too . If we have a weapon so useful against devils, there would be no reason not to use it . ¡±

    The armor¡¯s grade was, of course, Ancient . It was strong enough on its own, but it also boosted attacks against devils . For them it was nothing but a bane of their existence . Shin was wearing it the first time he met Luxuria; she had casually remarked that she was scared, but she had to have really been quite terrified .

    ¡°We have an anti-devilnce for you Sherlene, will you use it?¡±

    Shin had procured it, but not given it to Sherlene yet, so he used this opportunity to propose it .

    ¡°May I try to use it once? An anti-devil weapon sounds very appealing, but I am more familiar with this . ¡±

    Sherlene then looked at the weapon she was holding .

    ¡°Of course . If it feels difficult to use, you can keep it as a sub weapon . ¡±

    Changing the weapon you were familiar with with a new one just before fighting a powerful enemy was a decision that required a lot of courage . Being a warrior, Sherlene knew it well .

    Sherlene wielded the ¡ºHoly Lance Guildern¡» Shin gave her and tried a few practice swings .

    She didn¡¯t look awkward at all in Shin¡¯s eyes .

    ¡°How does it feel?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost shocked¡­it doesn¡¯t feel quite like my usual weapon, but it is very easy to use . It will do nicely . I am going to use it this time . ¡±

    Sherlene judged that if she used thence in battle, there would probably be no problems .

    ¡°Let me give you this too then . This blue one is for protection, while this red one is for throwing . By the way, the one you have is for closebat . ¡±

    Shin pulled out some cards as he exined, but Sherlene waspletely lost . The reason was all the cards he showed had ¡ºHoly Lance Guildern¡» pictured on them . Just the color was different: there were 10 red and blue cards respectively .

    ¡°My apologies, Sir Shin, but¡­these are all the same weapon?¡±

    ¡°They are, but the magic enchantments attached are different . The blue ones are for protection: if you thrust it in the ground it will create a field that reduces status ailments and contact damage . The red ones are for throwing: they have aiming support and piercing boost attached . If it hits, it can cause continuous damage . The one I gave you first is for closebat, it boosts physical abilities and grants auto-recovery . The red and blue ones are generally one use only, so I¡¯d advise against re-using them as weapons while fighting . ¡±

    The different colors were meant to help not to confuse them . Not only Shin, but also other cksmiths in the game applied these adjustments . yers did everything they could in order to defeat monsters in the most effective way possible .

    ¡°A-as expected of sir Shin¡­I will make good use of them . ¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s expression was extremely tense . She could only stiffly nod to Shin¡¯s words of using Legend-grade weapons as ¡°one time only¡± items .

    ¡°Should Iunch a surprise attack with the usual set?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure the enemy is wary of us, but that will be very useful all the same . If you can,nd a blow or two . ¡±

    Schnee nodded and changed her equipment .

    Her maid attire disappeared, with an anti-devil ninja outfit in its ce .

    Just like Shin¡¯s equipment, it was anti-devil gear for ninjas, called ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» .

    ¡°This looks, quite, light . ¡±

    Sherlene wasn¡¯t sure how to react to Schnee¡¯s transformation . It was to be expected: Schnee was now covered by a very thin, rubber suit like outfit . Arm guards, leg guards, kunai holders, item holders and other essories . The pieces of armor ¡°protecting¡± Schnee¡¯s shoulders and waist could barely be called part of a ninja outfit .

    Schnee¡¯s body and curves were very entuated, so even Sherlene found it difficult to look at her straight . Just like bikini armors, this outfit too was often described as ¡°too much¡± by female yers in the game .

    Incidentally, the male version had the same design too, but very few ever talked about it .

    While it might look like something from another genre of game, its stats and effects were exceptional .

    It allowed the user to move with enough stealth topletely bypass a devil¡¯s detection field and -against devils¡¯ attacks- have more defensive power than even the ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» . The negatives of its looks werepletely counterbnced by the positives of its specs .

    If you could stand to wear it, it would prove to be a real asset against devils .

    ¡°I will conceal my presence till we reach the devil, then . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, leave the rest to us . ¡±

    It would be too tant to disappear in front of the devil¡¯s eyes, so Shin agreed with Schnee¡¯s proposal of hiding until they arrived .

    As long as extremely powerful monsters did not appear, Shin and Sherlene would be enough .

    ¡°I wonder ifdy Yuki does not feel embarrassed¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because only you and me can see her . If there were other knights around, she wouldn¡¯t have shown herself like that . ¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t care what people other than Shin thought of her, but she still had a sense of shame . As long as the devil didn¡¯t go on a rampage outside the dungeon, Schnee wouldn¡¯t risk showing herself to others like that, or so Shin thought .

    ¡°I see, I understand . Apologies, it was just¡­that stimting . I ended up asking something unnecessary . ¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve seen it plenty of times and think about it too sometimes, it can¡¯t be helped . ¡±

    He had seen it in the game era already, but in this world Schnee wearing the ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» was something to behold indeed .

    Shin then shook his head to erase the image of Schnee that had etched itself in his brain . They were going to fight a devil: no matter how much the anti-devil gear would help, they couldn¡¯t afford to lower their guard .

    ¡°Shall we go then?¡±

    Sherlene nodded and they moved . Her expression did not show the former confusion anymore . Fighting was her profession, after all, and she was quick to switch back to serious mode .

 Vol 14 Chapter 2.4: Chapter 2 Part 4

    As far as Shin could tell with ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, the dungeon only had 7 floors: it was a shallow yet wide type. It could be an instant dungeon which appeared all of a sudden and Avaritia happened to choose as base. Instant dungeons, which appeared randomly in all areas, could be conquered by a single party.

    ¡°I cannot feel many monster presences¡­what about you, sir Shin?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me. I searched throughout the dungeon and found very few monster presences.¡±

    The monsters roaming through the dungeon were 10-20 per floor. Based on Shin¡¯s experiences, they were far too few.

    Shin and Sherlene proceeded through the dungeon, without any obstacles barring their way. Their objective was to defeat the devil, so they nned to avoid fighting as much as possible, but as they couldn¡¯t even find traps on the way, it felt like they were lured in.

    ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡±

    Sherlene agreed with Shin¡¯s suspicions. It seemed like they would reach the boss chamber without a single battle.

    ¡°For added safety, please take this with you.¡±

    Shin took a card out of a pocket -from the item box- and gave it to Sherlene.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°A crystal imbued with teleportation magic. In case the enemy causes this whole dungeon to copse to bury us alive, use it to escape. You just need to materialize it and focus on it, thinking to ¡°use¡± it. I set it to teleport the user to the woods near the entrance.¡±

    ¡°¡­teleportation¡­!?¡±

    Shin gave a quick exnation, but it looked like Sherlene only picked one word from it.

    ¡°Wait, this is strange. I think I heard you say¡­teleportation¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes, teleportation. It¡¯s a rare item, so I would prefer if we did not have to use it though.¡±

    ¡°Is this, real?¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s face was, again, very tense. Much more than when she received Shin¡¯s weapons however. She looked at the crystal as if she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve used the same item in the past.¡±

    ¡°¡­.is that so.¡±

    Sherlene said no more: she carefully, very carefully ced the card in her pocket.

    She then looked at Shin, held her temples as if she was suffering from a headache, seemed as if she was going to say something, but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Whether she decided that it wasn¡¯t the time or ce to question him, or simply she stopped thinking, Shin couldn¡¯t tell.

    ¡°I will use it, in case of necessity.¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s tone had lost much of its usual confidence.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Whose fault do you think this¡­.no, that is the safest option. It would be ridiculous toin. Apologies, I was slightly shaken.¡±

    ¡°Teleportation is quite the shock, I imagine?¡±

    ¡°To receive a piece of lost technology so casually¡­is a bit too much for my heart.¡±

    Sherlene gave a small sigh, then her expression turned sharp again.

    ¡°It¡¯s just for emergencies.¡±

    ¡°It is a very valuable insurance. In case of necessity, I will not hesitate to use it. Though, I would prefer not to.¡±

    Crystals disappeared upon use. Sherlene understood that items were meant to be used, but she would have much preferred to keep it for research. If she didn¡¯t use it, however, Shin would take it back, so in any case it would not be an object of research.

    ¡°If we stay out of the monsters¡¯ roaming routes we won¡¯t have to fight, but there are still traps. Please be careful.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I cannot afford to space out any longer.¡±

    Sherlene refocused herself.

    Shin and Sherlene descended from floor to floor, checking for storage rooms like the ones they found in the cave on the way. All the items they found were collected by Shin.

    ¡°We¡¯ve had an easy enough time getting here, but things will be different from now on.¡±

    ¡°Of course, I am ready.¡±

    Arge, imposing door stood before them. It was the boss chamber, without a doubt.

    Shin instructed the concealed Schnee via Mind Chat to strike if she had the chance, then touched the gate. The doors moved immediately and revealed the inside of the room.

    ¡°Ugh¡­.¡±

    The instant the doors opened, the stench wafting from inside made Sherlene twist her face.

    Even Shin, rtively protected from the stench by ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡», could smell a nasty odor. Its source was all too clear: it was the stench of rotting and death.

    A massive amount of monster corpses were piled in the boss chamber.

    ¡°What in the world¡­¡±

    ¡°The cause is, without a doubt, that.¡±

    Shin pointed beyond the carpet of corpses.

    Its back was visible. Because of the corpses, only the upper body was visible, but even that was more than 3 mel tall.

    It was a human-like silhouette, a body with visible back bones, d in armor. Only the body below the neck could be described as human-like however.

    Its head was a lion¡¯s face, forcefully grafted onto a human thorax. From the lion¡¯s jaws, another neck extended outwards.

    Shin and his group could only see ck hair covering the neck and goat-like twisted horns.

    ¡°Nnghaah? More for meeh?¡±

    A very coarse sounding male voice. The source then turned around.

    What they saw then was a goat¡¯s face. A face of goat bones. Nevertheless, from the goat¡¯s mouth a man¡¯s voice came out.

    ¡°Humaahns? That¡¯s noht the ahn¡ª¡±

    ¡ª¡ªDeadly Sin Devil ¨C Avaritia ¨C Level 750

    While the devil talked, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ revealed its identity.

    The name and appearance were just as Shin remembered.

    ¡°¡ª-who, are, you?¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s eyes grew narrowers, its tone heavier. It was looking at Shin only.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start. I¡¯m going to charge in straight from the front, you find any openings and strike Sherlene. The attack patterns are as I told you before. It could use unexpected attacks, so always be on your toes.¡±

    ¡°I am well aware. I will give it my all.¡±

    Shin ran forward, ignoring Avaritia¡¯s question. He crossed the loads of corpses with a speed of nimbleness unthinkable of a man wearing armor, getting closer to the devil very quickly.

    ¡°Gheeah!!¡±

    Avaritia swung its fist at the approaching Shin, without hesitation, twisting its back to throw it.

    The devil¡¯s giant fist easily reached over 1 mel: for Shin, it was like a wall of flesh was approaching him. Shin, however, did not dodge the punch thundering through the air.

    ¡°Hngh!¡±

    His feet firmly nted in the ground, Shin blew out some air and swung ¡ºThe Ark¡». At the same time, the sword¡¯s de was enveloped in white light.

    ¡°Sir Shin!?¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s yell rang out at about the same time as ¡ºThe Ark¡» swung down. Tracing a white arc in the air, it shed against Avaritia¡¯s arm.

    ¡°That, can¡¯t be only the weapon¡¯s strength¡­¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s fist and Shin crossed, but Shin did not budge. Avaritia was the one to suffer damage in the sh.

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºThe Ark¡» had not severed Avaritia¡¯s arm, but vaporized it instead.

    The range only extended to Shin¡¯s immediate surroundings, but the power exerted came not from skills, but only from the weapon: it was simply destructive.

    ¡°Devil killehr¡­weapon.¡±

    ¡°You know them well, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Before Avaritia could pull back its arm, Shin attacked. He had already started moving when he talked: he had no intention of wasting time.

    ¡ºThe Ark¡» was once again swung at Avaritia, a tinum light extending like a de, carving the devil¡¯s body. It was an effect which activated only against devils, something extremely dangerous to Avaritia.

    ¡°Youuh nuisahnce!!¡±

    Avaritia screamed. At the same time, the visible half of its body grew dramaticallyrger. Avaritia¡¯s upper body was human-like, but its lower body did not exist. It was like its upper body emerged from a hole in the ground.

    It wasn¡¯t something so ridiculous however. The ¡°nonexisting¡± lower body was a slime-like shapeless mass.

    When the devil shouted a ck, pulsating, liquid mass covered the ground, with Avaritia at its center. Seeing the corpses melt as they came in contact with it clearly showed how dangerous it was.

    It was one of Avaritia¡¯s skills, ¡¾Lifedraining Sludge¡¿.

    ¡°Sherlene! The blue one!¡±

    ¡°I know!¡±

    Before Shin called out to her, Sherlene had thrust the blue ¡ºGuildern¡» in the ground.

    The ground then started glowing, with ¡ºGuildern¡» as its center, in a 5 mel radius. Only that patch of ground was freed from the ck sludge cover, as if it had been cut away.

    ¡°I¡¯m not just going to watch!¡±

    Sherlene thus found a ce to stand and readied a red ¡ºGuildern¡». The number was limited, but Avaritia¡¯s gigantic body was an easy enough target: there was no risk of targeting Shin by mistake.

    ¡°Haah!!¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s head was targeted by ¡ºGuildern¡», shrouded in a deep red glow.

    Sherlene had activated the Spear/mebination skill ¡¾Mitear¡¿.

    It was a spear skill suited for throwing: its offensive area covered a 1 mel radius around the point of impact, so it was useful when fighting againstrge monsters.

    Avaritia had perceived ¡ºGuildern¡»¡¯s presence during the fighting and blocked it with its regenerated left arm.

    ¡°Annother ooneh!?¡±

    When the mes subsided, Avaritia¡¯s left arm looked as if a wild beast had bit through it. Shin did not waste time and attacked it, shing off half of the monster¡¯s left arm.

    ¡°How the heell are you so stronng!?¡±

    Probably aware of how rapidly its HP was falling, Avaritia voiced its frustration.

    ¡°It¡¯s made just for you devils! You can thank meter!¡±

    ¡°Screew you!! Shiiht! Errkunt¡¯s yers were supposed to be small frrry!!!¡±

    The devil was apparently aware of the yers¡¯ presence. As far as Shin knew, the only former yers in Erkunt were Hmee and Masakado. It would probably be impossible for them to stop Avaritia.

    Facing Avaritia, however, were Shin and Schnee.

    Even during their conversation, Shin swung ¡ºThe Ark¡» and continued carving through Avaritia¡¯s armor and body, as Sherlene too increased the devil¡¯s wounds.

    The lower body covering the ground was also used to attack, but Shin blocked its assaults with his armor, Sherlene with the thrust spear¡¯s barrier.

    Avaritia was supposed to be a fearful enemy, with powerful drain abilities and ranged attacks that could directly hit at a rear guard and other such nasty skills, but its strongest advantages were thus nullified.

    ¡°You called forradess too¡­ who the heell arre you? Are you rreally human!? Damn monssterr!!¡±

    ¡°You take a good look at yourself now!!¡±

    Avaritia screamed at Shin, who was freely moving with no concern for ¡¾Lifedraining Sludge¡¿ and blew away parts of its body with every attack.

    Shin was moving as if ¡¾Lifedraining Sludge¡¿ wasn¡¯t even there to begin with: the drain field meant to excruciatingly torment yers was blocked by the protective field of Shin¡¯s armor, so it couldn¡¯t inflict any damage or status ailments.

    Shin¡¯s weapon, ¡ºThe Ark¡», was also lethal upon contact for devils.

    The ¡ºGuildern¡» spears thrown by Sherlene inflicted enough damage that they could not be ignored.

    If Avaritia was a yer, he would likely beining about how unfair the battle was.

    Shin and the others however, found him to be a nasty foe as well.

    ¡°Drain affects the corpses too, huh. I guess it nned ahead.¡±

    Drain barely affected Shin and Sherlene, but its targets included the monster corpses. Even if they were dead, HP could be absorbed from them.

    The room was riddled with monster corpses, so even if Shin shaved away Avaritia¡¯s HP, it also recovered at an impressive speed. The monster corpses on the ck sludge covering the room acted as potions for Avaritia.

    Because of its high recovery abilities, Avaritia had one of the lowest HP gauges among the Deadly Sin devils, but it was still much more than humans.

    Shin¡¯s attacks caused more damage but, because of the devil¡¯s recovery ratio, the damage caused was still about 20%.

    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s burn them.¡±

    Shin distanced himself from Avaritia and held ¡ºThe Ark¡» over his shoulder.

    Sword/Lightbination skill ¡ºWhite Inferno¡»

    The light permeating Shin¡¯s de grew stronger, forming a giant de thrice the original size.

    ¡°You fool!!¡±

    Avaritia didn¡¯t miss the opening. It absorbed the sludge covering the room, forming multiple spikes to attack Shin. It was an attack possible thanks to the shapeshifting properties of the sludge.

    ¡°That¡¯s my line.¡±

    ¡°Gwaah!?¡±

    Following Avaritia¡¯smentation, however, the spikes dissolved before reaching Shin.

    Exploiting the opening created by Avaritia¡¯s focus on Shin and Sherlene, Schnee hadnded a blow on the devil.

    Schnee¡¯s sh entered diagonally from Avaritia¡¯s right shoulder, reaching the spot where a human¡¯s heart would be located. Devils did not have hearts, but its body was nevertheless shed in half.

    ¡°Hngh!¡±

    Schnee¡¯s attack created an opening.

    Shin used it to charge his attack, then swung ¡ºThe Ark¡». The de struck the ground and simply damaged it.

    The light extending from ¡ºThe Ark¡», however, formed a gigantic de with a sh, slicing through the shapeless lower body of the devil as it advanced forward.

    ¡°Ggh!?¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s upper body had limited movement capabilities. Because of this, it could only block Shin¡¯s attack by crossing its arms. However, when the de of light struck, a white explosion burst forth with Avaritia at its center, briefly erasing the devil from sight.

    The attack wasn¡¯t powerful enough topletely defeat Avaritia, but what Shin needed the most now was time. He raised ¡ºThe Ark¡» again and ran towards Sherlene.

    ¡°Sir Shin!?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me!¡±

    ¡°Wha!?¡±

    Shin lifted the confused Sherlene as a red and orange light enveloped ¡ºThe Ark¡».

    ¡°Burn to cinders!!¡±

    ¡ºThe Ark¡» ,now lit aze, was thrown just in front of Avaritia¡¯s location. Like a streak of light through the air, ¡ºThe Ark¡» flew on and thrust itself into the ground. The very moment of impact, the energy concentrated in the de was released.

    Sword/mebination skill ¡¾re Crisis¡¿.

    A sea of mes covered the whole room, raging indiscriminately through friend and foe.

    The skill itself did not cause much damage to Avaritia, but it was perfect for Shin¡¯s objective. The floor covered in ck slime gradually returned to its original color. The corpses were burned to the point that not even ashes remained.

    ¡°Youu bastarrd!!¡±

    Without any more recovery sources, Avaritia let out a grunt of irritation.

    Because of Shin¡¯s light shes, the devil was now missing both its arms. Its main body was also scorched in ces by ¡¾re Crisis¡¿. It also did not seem to be recovering HP anymore.

    ¡°Please keep assisting me by throwing the spears¡±.

    Shin let Sherlene down, then again rushed towards Avaritia.

    In that small time frame, the devil had regenerated half of its arms. It was one of Avaritia¡¯s abilities, so its HP was unchanged.

    ¡°Hnngh!¡±

    ¡°Here goes!!¡±

    Shin met the devil¡¯s fist with his.

    Shin¡¯s fist was much smaller than Avaritia¡¯s, but the devil¡¯s punch was the one to be blown back.

    Shin¡¯s gauntlets were also part of ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil ¡». Naturally, they inflicted bonus damage to devils.

    Thanks to Shin¡¯s muscr power and the gauntlet¡¯s abilities, the difference in mass between the two fists was inconsequential. Because of the impact, Avaritia lost its bnce.

    Schnee also cast ¡¾Arc Bind¡¿ on the arm that was still missing its fist, slowing the devil¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°Nice one!¡±

    Shin did not waste the opening Schnee created: He picked up ¡ºThe Ark¡» with both hands and activated a skill while swinging it.

    ¡°Time to disappear!!¡±

    An eruption of light followed the arc drawn by the de in the air.

    Sword/Divinebination skill ¡¾Ster Geyser¡¿

    Blowing away everything in its path, the silver light streaked from the floor to the ceiling.

    ¡°Oooaaaoogghhhh!!!¡±

    The pir of light even erased Avaritia¡¯s scream, growing even more powerful to turn the devil¡¯s body to light.

    The skill¡¯s duration time was five seconds. As the light gradually dissipated, Avaritia¡¯s body appeared: its arms were gone, several parts of its body missing as if carved away. Half of its head was missing.

    Even after suffering all that damage, Avaritia was still alive.

    ¡°What¡­what the hell¡­arre¡­you¡­¡±

    The remaining half of the devil¡¯s face. The eye deep inside the monster¡¯s skull was incredulous.

    ¡°You have no need to know.¡±

    Shin stood in front of Avaritia and raised ¡ºThe Ark¡» over his head.

    The de now glowed in a golden, cross-shaped light, different from ¡¾Ster Geyser¡¿¡¯s pir of light, which had carved even the ceiling.

    ¡°This is the end.¡±

    The golden light, despite its brightness which didn¡¯t burned the eyes, struck down upon the unmoving Avaritia.

    Divine skill ¡¾Cross Judgement¡¿.

    The golden light did not crush Avaritia, but enveloped its body. The devil¡¯s silhouette then started vanishing, as if melting away into the atmosphere.

    When the light disappeared, Avaritia¡¯s body hadpletely vanished too. The only thing left was the proof of Avaritia¡¯s defeat, the ¡ºDrop of Avarice¡».

    ¡°Is it, over?¡±

    Shin whispered as he turned the ¡ºDrop of Avarice¡» into a card.

    ¡°I wonder. ording to Luxuria, Avaritia shouldn¡¯t have been so close yet¡­¡±

    Schnee said that if Avaritia was so close, it would be weird for Luxuria not to report it. Shin agreed too.

    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen, I wonder.¡±

    Shin then looked at the card. There was something that concerned him. It wasn¡¯t over yet, probably.

    He stopped thinking for the moment, however: the fact that one devil was gone was the truth. There wasn¡¯t much he could do, except continue defeating devils.

    ¡°This is the first priority for now.¡±

    Shin started thinking of all possible ways to keep the ¡ºDrop of Avarice¡» for himself.

    He remembered, far toote, that he hadmitted the silly mistake of not talking about how drop items would be split.

 Vol 14 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    ¡°Since you defeated the devil, it¡¯s only fair for you to keep the item, Sir Shin . ¡±

    While Shin was still wondering what he should do when they returned to Erkunt, Sherlene requested that they head directly to the king¡¯s audience chambers and report on the mission .

    Because of the magnitude of the incident, they would report directly to the king .

    Shin expected to have to give a very formal report in the throne room, but once again they were shown to the usual room . Once he heard about the defeat of Avaritia, King Kreunzuit approved of Shin¡¯s im to the drop item . Shin was taken aback by the king¡¯s immediate and frank reply .

    ¡°Is it really alright? This is a very rare item . ¡±

    ¡°That is precisely the reason . If the rumor that devils drop very valuable items spreads,dy Luxuria will be the next target . Even with anti-devil weapons, I am sure that Deadly Sin devils are not an easy target to fell . Sir Shin would never cooperate with anyone to take down Lady Luxuria . Sherlene, could you and your knights take down a devil?¡±

    ¡°Frankly speaking, without Sir Shin and Lady Yuki¡¯s prowess it would have not been possible to produce such results . If Fagall and I had gone to the dungeon, we would have fled in the best case or killed in the worst . After witnessing the battle with my own eyes, I realized how naive I was . ¡±

    There was probably another report from Shin¡¯s . King Kreunzeit nodded while listening to Sherlene .

    ¡°Lady Sherlene has actually witnessed the battle: I do not have reason to doubt her words . Sir Shin, you have saved our countrymen; we owe you a debt of gratitude . If we said that the item will be used to exterminate other devils, no one will have reason to protest . ¡±

    The king wished to hold a grand ceremony to honor Shin¡¯s exploits, but Shin would likely request not to . Instead, he would obtain possession of the item and a financial reward .

    The king and his close aides had probably discussed and reached this conclusion .

    ¡°We also considered granting yound and a court title, but surely you would not ept, yes?¡±

    ¡°Even if I did, I wouldn¡¯t know what to do with them . Honestly¡­if I received a court title, I would be a subordinate of Erkunt . ¡±

    That I cannot do, is what Shin¡¯s words implied .

    Receiving items or money was not a problem . However,nd and court titles were apletely different matter: they would generate unwanted ties . If Shin was the type to ept such things, he would already belong to another country .

    ¡°That is a pity, but I understand there is no other way . Among the nobles there will probably be those who will try to secure you in their faction . I shall forbid it in my name, but if anyone tries to contact you about such matters, let me know . They shall be dealt with . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much . ¡±

    King Kreunzeit¡¯s proposal was something Shin was extremely grateful for . If the king personally expressed such an order, only an utter fool would try to hire Shin . On top of that, Shin had also obtained the item he coveted .

    Shin thought for a moment that it was all going too well, but then considered that Erkunt had also gained valuable assets: a connection with powerful warriors, the elimination of a catastrophic threat, and arge amount of monster parts .

    ¡°Sir Shin, what will you do next? Will you depart immediately?¡±

    ¡°No, I am in fact waiting for myrades, I n to stay here until then . ¡±

    ¡°I see . If you have any spare time, would you train our soldiers? The officer in charge of training has reported that the soldiers trained by Lady Yuki have grown clearly stronger than the others . We do not know when such a threat might appear again, after all . ¡±

    ¡°If we have time until our departure from Erkunt . If you ept these conditions, then I will . ¡±

    Shin made eye contact with Schnee, then replied . They already started doing it anyway, so it wasn¡¯t a big problem .

    Shin and Schnee were told about the time the reward would be given and asked to contact the royal pce when they would leave Erkunt . After this, they left the royal pce .

    ¡°What should we do now?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s pass by the institute . There¡¯s something I want to confirm about Avaritia . ¡±

    Shin had a bad feeling about Luxuria¡¯s statement that Avaritia¡¯s presence was still far away . It would be troublesome if the typical ¡°If only I had checked that out¡­¡± development  that is somon in fiction, was lying in wait .

    There was still some time until dusk . Shin and Schnee headed towards the institute: their decision to visit was sudden, but they were sure they would not be turned away .

    Thanks to the lessons with Lecus¡¯ party, they had grown acquainted with the gate guards, who contacted Hmee right away . They were soon allowed inside and went straight to the infirmary . Normally, they would go to the headmistress¡¯ office or a meeting room, but this time they were told to go to the infirmary .

    ¡°Hello there, what brings you here at this hour?¡±

    Shin knocked and entered as Luxuria turned on her chair towards them . She was wearing a sweater and tight skirt, as per her usual style . She had her legs crossed, thus making the skirt appear even shorter . Shin thought that a gesture like that would be too stimting for the boys .

    ¡°We have something about Avaritia to confirm with you . I thought it would be risky to put this off untilter . ¡±

    After hearing Avaritia¡¯s name, Luxuria¡¯s eyes narrowed . She uncrossed her legs and took a more proper posture .

    ¡°I thought that something must have happened, but¡­did he make a move? It was supposed to take some more time before he arrived¡­¡±

    It did not seem like she was faking . Luxuria probably really felt that Avaritia¡¯s presence was still far .

    ¡°Some more time, huh . Which means, what we fought wasn¡¯t the main body . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We fought against Avaritia . Today . ¡±

    ¡°What!? How can that be!?¡±

    Luxuria stood up and quickly approached Shin . He stopped her and pushed her back on the chair . At the same time, another knock was heard on the door . Hmee entered afterward .

    ¡°Excuse me¡­I heard your voice from outside, did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Perfect timing, I wanted to ask your opinion too . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ . ?¡±

    Hmee cocked her head to the side, failing to grasp the situation . Shin¡¯s expression turned more serious, as he prepared to talk in detail about what happened .

    ¡°You found the drop item, right? It couldn¡¯t have been a total fake, then, I think . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is strange . Like I said before, Avaritia isn¡¯t supposed to be here yet . My senses can¡¯t reach inside the dungeon, so it¡¯s no wonder I didn¡¯t realize, but¡­if that was him, than what is this familiar sensation I¡¯m having even now?¡±

    Luxuria had followed that sensation and met other devils in the past, so she was positive that it was correct .

    ¡°Could you be mistaking it for another devil?¡±

    ¡°All devils have unique presences . At the very least, this never changed until now . ¡±

    ¡°Would it be impossible for two Greed devils to exist at the same time? Avaritia¡¯s level was 750 . It had absorbed other devils, that¡¯s for sure . ¡±

    Shin was trying to recollect all of his memories about the game to figure out the situation, when Schnee proposed a new possibility . It was a fact that devils could use the abilities of other devils they had absorbed .

    ¡°It could be Sloth¡¯s splitting ability . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . I have a few concerns about that, but it would the most convincing exnation for the presence of two Avaritia auras . ¡±

    Shin mentioned Sloth because during his recent fight against the Spirit of Pigritis he had directly witnessed this ability . Sloth was the weakest of all devils by itself, but it was one of the more annoying to fight, because it could create copies of itself, with the same powers .

    Even if it was the weakest, depending on its growth it meant that yers had to battle several boss-ss monsters at the same time . This made it a threatening foe .

    Moreover, Sloth¡¯s main body and copies had to be defeated all together within a certain time period . yers had to lower all of their HP to a certain point, then deliver the final blow to all of them at the same time . This was the ideal way to defeat Sloth .

    ¡°If Greed just absorbed Sloth¡¯s ability, it shouldn¡¯t be necessary to defeat the main body and all copies at the same time . The one we defeated was one of those, I guess . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s instincts whispered that what he fought wasn¡¯t Sloth¡¯s* main body .

    (T/N: I think that maybe the author meant to write Greed here¡­)

    ¡°Do you have any proof?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing to be honest . But wouldn¡¯t it be weird for the main body to just be hiding there like that?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, regardless of my instincts being right or not, Avaritia¡¯s threat still hasn¡¯t disappeared . ¡±

    ¡°I think you might be right . Instincts of yers like you get it right pretty often here . ¡±

    Luxuria said that it was likely to be a byproduct of skills . yers who had learned instincts-rted skills often had incredibly sharp perception .

    ¡°I heard from the royal pce that Avaritia had been in and thought it was probably Shin¡­but to learn the very same day that nothing was over yet¡­¡±

    ¡°I would have liked to finish it then and there too, believe me . It just went all too smoothly, though . ¡±

    Hmee sighed as Shin replied, recalling how it felt to fight Avaritia . It was the first time for him to fight against Avaritia¡¯s final form, but the battle had been too one-sided . He wondered how it would turn out based on the level and equipment, but the opponent had been too weak .

    ¡°What do you think, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°Personally, it felt like it didn¡¯t put up much resistance . Though the equipment Shin forges are extremely powerful and I myself have powered up quite a bit, so it might be just a feeling . ¡±

    ¡°I did reinforce the anti-devil equipment even more than before . I guess that would change things . ¡±

    Schnee said that she could have even defeated the devil on her own: that¡¯s how little resistance she felt from Avaritia . The excessive power of equipment was a concern too .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Avaritia is trying to do, but if it¡¯s easier to fight than before, then it¡¯s a good thing, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . What¡¯s left to verify is how many copies it made and what other manpower itmands . ¡±

    Shin nodded to Schnee¡¯s optimistic opinion and mentioned the remaining issues .

    In the game era, copies were a maximum of two . Greed¡¯s mastery of the ability had to be less than Sloth¡¯s, so the possible copies probably decreased by one too . Shin¡¯s party had defeated one copy, so what was left were the main body and one more copy .

    ¡°Avaritia was gathering monsters, right? If it leads to high level monsters to attack, what would happen, considering the fighting force we have at the moment?¡±

    Shin had heard that there was a rtively high number of battle-oriented Chosen Ones in Erkunt, Hmee included . Very few of them could handle high level monsters -as in, over level 500-, however .

    Even in the worst circumstances, Shin and Schnee could take down Avaritia . However, it was possible that the rest of the fighters, the heroes, and leader of the knights could not handle Avaritia¡¯s monster army .

    ¡°Masakado will be back soon, so our fighting power will increase a bit more, but¡­¡±

    ¡°If Avaritia isn¡¯t around, I can help too . People would panic if I turn into devil form, so I can¡¯t go all out, though . ¡±

    ¡°Even so, it would be a big difference . ¡±

    Hmee didn¡¯t seem to be aware that the monsters woulde equipped with weapons and armor . The flow of information was apparently being controlled . Shin decided to let her know, just in case .

    ¡°Then, oh right . We could ask Tzaobath to pick up Filma and the others and bring them here . ¡±

    ¡°That could be the best option we have, yes . ¡±

    Shin could contact the ancient dragon Tzaobath with a message card . He mentioned this option because he thought that Tzaobath would probably ept to do a favor this one time .

    Depending on their situation, he couldn¡¯t tell for sure that this would work, but it was worth considering .

    ¡°Even without Shin¡¯s party members, if the ¡®Silver Moon Reaper¡¯ helps us, the monsters would be annihted in seconds¡­¡±

    ¡°Right, it can bombard deadly beams from above after all¡­if you were on the receiving end, it would be nothing but a nightmare . ¡±

    Luxuria and Hmee, who knew how powerful Tzaobath was, thought that in such a case the monsters would be almost pitiful .

    After the alliance was established, the two had be quite friendly with each other . Their reactions were almost synchronized .

    ¡°In any case, let us know right away if you feel Avaritia approaching . We¡¯ll take care of it . Hmee, please tell the royal pce that we might have not defeated Avaritiapletely . We don¡¯t go to the castle often, after all . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee would sometimes go, for Schnee¡¯s training sessions or assistance in battle, but both were not scheduled regrly .

    Only a small part of the army knew Shin¡¯s name and face at the moment, and he did not have anything to prove his connections to the king or the heroes, so there was the possibility to be refused entry in the royal pce . It was a more surefire option for Hmee to rte the news .

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you would have trouble getting inside, but it¡¯s not a ce where you want to go so often . Understood, I will let the pce know . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all we came to talk about . Oh, take this too . It¡¯s an anti-devil weapon . ¡±

    Shin took advantage of the opportunity to give Hmee the anti-devil weapon he had prepared for her .

    ¡°Even without the anti-devil attribute, it has higher stats than my usual equipment¡­¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s specially made . It¡¯s probably the reason why its stats are higher than weapons of the same grade . ¡±

    ¡°If the dwarves notice it, they¡¯ll start nagging me to let them analyze it . ¡±

    Dwarves were the most apt at analyzing unknown weapons and armor . Because of this, dwarf NPCs were always eager to learn about techniques they did not know . On the other hand, Vulcan and Vaal were very quiet examples .

    ¡°Don¡¯t take that out in front of me!¡±

    Hmee materialized the weapon to check its stats, much to Luxuria¡¯s dismay . She covered her eyes and stepped back, as if she was looking at an extremely bright light .

    ¡°It¡¯s that hard?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I suffer actual damage, but I feel like my skin is being burned¡­if I touched it I would get scalded, no doubt . ¡±

    ording to Luxuria, it was like the weapon itself was hostile towards her . She slid behind Shin to use him as a shield, showing that she really hated being in the presence of the weapon .

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that if I created an anti-devil weapon form in the shape of restraining rope, it would be possible to catch devils in human form too . ¡±

    ¡°The scariest part is that I bet you could pull that off¡­if you want to restrain me, use normal rope, please . Don¡¯t you try with her, okay?¡±

    Luxuria replied while looking at Schnee .

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to¡ªno, the best way to test it would be to tie you up, but¡­wait, what am I even saying?¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re inclined to enjoy such peculiar hobbies?¡±

    ¡°No way!? Who said anything about that?? I just wanted to say that catching Avaritia in human form would limit the damage caused . ¡±

    Unlike demons, devils counted as in even if they were defeated in human form, or so Shin had seen in a website once . It was possible to defeat them in human form .

    There were no details and the information was posted just once, so Shin wasn¡¯t sure it could work with all devils .

    If Avaritia managed to enter the castle in human form, it would cause greater impact when reverting to its original form . If possible Shin wanted to intercept and defeat it while it still was in human form .

    ¡°That would be fantastic, but I honestly doubt that even you could do that . If Avaritia attacks, it¡¯ll be in devil form from the start, after all . ¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll go that well either . If it did, then all the better . Anyway, the bigger it is, the easier it¡¯ll be for us to stop its movements, so I¡¯ll try making both anti-devil ropes and chains . ¡±

    ¡°And once the ropes areplete, you¡¯ll test them on me, won¡¯t you!? What are you going to do with me after I can¡¯t move an inch!?¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s embarrassment was clearly an act . What made Shin sigh the most was that she felt almost hopeful something like that could happen .

    ¡°Will you stop changing the tone of the conversation? You¡¯ve got the wrong idea of me, really . . ¡±

    ¡°Well, there are people who like tying others, or to be tied up, right? I don¡¯t really care, but I guess it feels good?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re interested in¡­?¡±

    ¡°My sin is lust after all, of course I¡¯m interested¡­¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s expression was nothing short of seductive . To stimte human desire so much without using mental skills was literally the devil¡¯s work .

    Even Shin, who had strong resistance to mental attacks, felt goosebumps . Schnee stepped back while taking a wary stance as Hmee blushed fiercely .

    ¡°Don¡¯t show that face to anyone else, okay? It would only bring trouble . If the rumors about a devil doing nasty things to people spreads, you¡¯ll lose your ce . ¡±

    ¡°I know that . I am careful about who I show it to, you know . ¡±

    Luxuria then casually took Shin¡¯s hand in hers . It was a very natural movement, without any hostility or ill will . Because of Shin¡¯s position, Hmee and Schnee could not see it .

    Luxuria wasn¡¯t using any force, so Shin let her do it . If she showed even the slightest hostility, he could tear off her whole arm easily .

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so wary¡­¡±

    Luxuria then moved one step closer . One more step and their bodies woulde in contact .

    ¡°I told you, I am very careful about who I show it to . ¡±

    With an enticing smile, Luxuria pulled Shin¡¯s hand towards her chest, over the sweater .

    Betraying Shin¡¯s expectation that she would not actually do it, his hand was squeezed between her hands and chest .

    Shin reacted not to the sensation and inexplicable situation, but to the chilling aura he detected behind him: he pulled back his hand and stepped away from Luxuria .

    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t use skills against you, so I tried using the mood . How was it? I bet it felt nice even through the sweater . ¡±

    ¡°Listen now¡­¡±

    Shin couldn¡¯t decide whether to get angry or annoyed and let out a sigh .

    He didn¡¯t check behind his back because he already know whom the chilling aura belonged to . Shin¡¯s detection ability was now sounding the alert of maximum danger .

    ¡°Shin? What might you be doing?¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    A hand was thenid on Shin¡¯s shoulder . The chill in the voice that followed was as powerful as Luxuria¡¯s erotic charms .

    The whisper reached Shin¡¯s ears and made him jolt .

    ¡°That¡¯s not good at all, you know?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sor¡­no, I will be more careful!!¡±

    Shin slowly turned towards the source of the voice and saw Schnee wearing very chilling smile on her lips . All he felt were chills down his spine . His speech turned more prim and proper too .

    ¡°Y-yes¡­I¡¯ll be careful too . ¡°

    Luxuria too replied in the same way as Shin . She probably felt the same chill .

    ¡°If you understand, it¡¯s fine . We have said what we had to, I believe it¡¯s time we excuse ourselves . Hmee, thanks for rying the message for us . ¡±

    ¡°Y-yes . Thank you two for letting us know so quickly . I¡¯ll go to the caste tomorrow, so I will ry the message then . ¡±

    Influenced by the atmosphere, Hmee stood up straight too .

    ¡°O-okay then, we¡¯ll go now . ¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­I¡¯ll let you know as soon as I notice something . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee left the institute . The sun had already set, so magic lights were lit here and there in ce of streetlights .

    ¡°Er¡­ . hm¡­Lady¡­Schnee?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Shin called Schnee to change the awkward atmosphere, but received no response .

    Shin started having cold sweats, realizing how bad the situation was . Nothing good happened, despite his light panic . Shin did not speak a word until they reached the hotel .

    ¡°Sit down on the sofa . ¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!!¡±

    Schnee locked the door behind them and finally spoke . Unable to resist the silent pressure, Shin obeyed immediately .

    A few momentster, Schnee walked in front of the very stiff Shin, then sat on hisp, looking at him .

    ¡°Ah, er, Lady¡­Schnee?¡±

    Shin was puzzled, as they were practically hugging . Schnee¡¯s chest was exactly at the height of his eyes . He just needed to bend his upper body forward a little to bury his face in her breasts; not that he would be reckless enough to do so .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Schnee stared at Shin, still silent . Feeling her cold stare from above, Shin was even more ill at ease . It wasn¡¯t clear if Schnee was aware of how he felt, but she took his head in her hands and pushed it towards her breasts .

    Shin thought that he was going to taste heaven (the sensation of Schnee¡¯s chest) and hell (difficulty breathing) at the same time, but unexpectedly, Schnee¡¯s chest was not pushing back with much strength .

    Shin felt the softness of her breasts, changing shape as his face moved, with enough space to breathefortably . It was like she was embracing him, so the situation was actually very pleasant . He couldn¡¯t figure out her intentions, though, so his hands waved helplessly in the air .

    ¡°How does it feel?¡±

    Five seconds passed since Schnee started hugging Shin . She asked a question in a voice so feeble that Shin wouldn¡¯t be able to catch it without his ¡°Listen¡± skill .

    It was a very difficult question to answer, however .

    Shin didn¡¯t have the slightest idea of what Schnee wanted to do . He felt that it would be wrong to simply say ¡°soft and pleasant¡±, so he couldn¡¯t reply .

    ¡°Please answer . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s chest pushed a bit harder . Shin¡¯s face buried even deeper, making the situation even moreical .

    ¡°Well, ehm¡­I feel, extremely happy . ¡±

    Shin squeezed out an answer, meant to imply that he would have enjoyed it a bit longer . It wasn¡¯t an answer much different from the one he previously discarded . Excluding the very serious matter of Schnee¡¯s mood, it was a fact that Shin felt bliss at the moment . Hugging was nice, but to be hugged was not bad at all either .

    ¡°More than¡­Luxuria¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Obviously!¡±

    Shin answered the following question immediately . He then finally understood Schnee¡¯s actions .

    ¡°The greatest woman is right next to me . I wouldn¡¯t even think of touching a devil! That caught me by surprise too, you know . ¡±

    Shin wrapped his hands behind Schnee¡¯s back and embraced her too .

    After a few moments, Schnee released him .

    ¡°You mean that?¡±

    ¡°I do . ¡±

    Shin replied as if he was stating the obvious . Luxuria was probably trying to liven the mood in her own way, but this time she only ended up stirring Schnee¡¯s feelings .

    ¡°I would never expect you to do something so forward, though . Seeing this new side of you was great for me, personally . ¡±

    Shin moved his hands on Schnee¡¯s hips and continued .

    ¡°You¡¯re actually quite the jealous type, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . . !?¡±

    Seconds passed after Shin¡¯s question . Schnee understood its meaning and blushed . Her actions had indeed been motivated by the jealousy she felt after seeing what Luxuria did to Shin . Schnee¡¯s eyes wandered left and right, as she actually understood her current position: she then tried to jump away from Shin .

    Shin stopped her, though, holding her hips firmly . They looked at each other in the eyes, at very close distance .

    ¡°L-let me go!¡±

    Schnee realized that she had lost her cool .

    ¡°Request rejected . I finally have the chance to gaze at jealous Schnee! In exchange for what you did, I¡¯m going to savor this moment!¡±

    ¡°What are you even saying!?¡±

    Schnee grabbed Shin¡¯s arms and tried to pull them away, but Shin was overwhelmingly more powerful, in terms of muscr strength et al . She wouldn¡¯t be able to escape him, unless they damaged the surroundings . In addition, Schnee could only exert about half of her usual strength at the moment .

    ¡°Don¡¯¡­don¡¯t look at me¡­so much¡­¡±

    Trying her hardest to escape Shin¡¯s gaze, Schnee covered his face with her hands . It was meaningless before Shin¡¯s ¡¾Through Sight¡¿, however .

    Schnee, having been unusually sensitive to people¡¯s eyes, realized that she couldn¡¯t escape Shin¡¯s gaze . Her already flushing face turned beet red .

    ¡°Yet another uncovered side of Schnee was thus brought to light . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it!! I don¡¯t like it!! Of course I get jealous too!!¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it the first time that you showed it so clearly?¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Schnee¡¯s voice flickered out . Shin didn¡¯t miss her ¡°even so, I couldn¡¯t suppress my feelings . . ¡± though .

    (¡­I guess it¡¯s because she held back all this time . )

    If Schnee hadn¡¯t lost her memories because of Hameln, Shin might be still undecided whether to remain in that world or not . Schnee had probably kept her emotions bottled up, especially the negative ones, thinking of Shin¡¯s feelings .

    Shin¡¯s feelings were now aimed towards Schnee, so those shackles were gone: her original personality and feelings now surfaced freely .

    Thinking about this, Shin chuckled .

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny now¡­?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, sorry, I¡¯m not making fun of you, believe me . I was thinking that from now on I¡¯ll see your honest feelings more and more, so I felt kind of happy . ¡±

    Schnee was no longer Shin¡¯s servant, instead she was his life partner . He would then see more and more of her human-like qualities, which he thought was pure happiness .

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like you thinking this is happiness! It¡¯s like I¡¯m not the usual me, it¡¯s so, so embarrassing¡­¡±

    Shin thought that Schnee looking away like that was very cute too, but avoided saying it, lest she became angry again .

    The distance separating them until minutes ago had vanished into thin air: in the end, they were flirting as usual .

 Vol 14 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    ¡°Ehm, I¡¯d like to go down now. Do you mind letting me go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it after you hug me again.¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m joking,e on.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s rebuke made Shin realize that he had joked enough, so he let her go.

    Still blushing, Schnee went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. When the meal was ready, she had returned to her usual self.

    After dinner, Shin went to check his gear. He didn¡¯t think there would be problems, but the enemy was a devil: there would be no harm in facing the battle in the best state possible.

    Shin took out ¡ºThe Ark¡» and ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡», in card form, then told Schnee to take out her anti-devil short sword ¡ºDaybreak¡» and ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡».

    ¡°There¡¯s no real damage, but the arms and legs part were consumed a bit, after all.¡±

    The greaves, having walked over Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Life Draining Sludge¡¿,  and gauntlets, which had shed against the devil¡¯s knuckles, had slight decreases in their endurance values.

    Thanks to their anti-devil attributes, the decreases were very small. Without the right preparation, fighting devils were always very taxing.

    The ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» wasn¡¯t too affected, so Shin simply used his cksmith skills to perform minor repairs on the simpler broken parts, such as fittings and decorations.

    ¡ºThe Ark¡» was more damaged than the armor, but there would be no problems even if it was used as is. Shin disassembled it to make sure there was nothing wrong with it, but judged its condition was perfectly okay.

    ¡°Here you are.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Shin took Schnee¡¯s equipment and materialized it. He checked ¡ºDaybreak¡» first. Schnee had attacked only a few times, so its endurance was unchanged. Even after disassembling it, there were no problems.

    He put ¡ºDaybreak¡» back together, turned it into card form, then moved on to ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡».

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Shin was carefully checking the gear, as he did with all other items, when he realized that Schnee looked very embarrassed.

    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    Despite her reply, Schnee was still looking away: she clearly had something on her mind.

    ¡°If there¡¯s anything that concerns you, say it, I¡¯ll fix it.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­there¡¯s nothing I have to say about the item itself. It doesn¡¯t get stuck anywhere, it¡¯s actually really easy to move in. It¡¯s just that¡­seeing you check it so thoroughly, it¡¯s like¡­you¡¯re looking at every nook and cranny of my own body. It¡¯s embarrassing, I feel kind of bothered¡­¡±

    ¡°Ooh, I see¡­¡±

    Schnee blushed a little again and Shin nodded.

    ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡»¡¯s endurance was unchanged. There was no problem with it as an item, just like Schnee had said. The gear, however, was modeled closely after Schnee¡¯s body. It didn¡¯t stretch or shrink like other items, as it was created to fit a very specific shape.

    Because of this, the bust, hips, arms and thighs were all Schnee¡¯s exact size. Measuring the ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» would result in knowing Schnee¡¯s three sizes and other detailed measurements.

    Schnee felt embarrassed even if Shin wasn¡¯t actually looking at her.

    ¡°It seems a bitte to worry about that though¡­no?¡±

    They hadn¡¯t registered with the authorities, but Shin and Schnee were husband and wife, as a matter of fact. They lived under one roof now so, as Luxuria had pointed out, their rtionship was also physical.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the same thing! What are you saying!?¡±

    ¡°I-it isn¡¯t?¡±

    Shin staggered because of Schnee¡¯s piercing gaze. He decided not to pursue the matter further and change the topic.

    ¡°Anyway, the ¡ºShinobi Gear ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» is alright too. Well, I should have expected it, since today¡¯s battle was over quick and all.¡±

    Shin gave Schnee her equipment¡¯s cards, recalling the battle against Avaritia.

    ¡°It¡¯d be great if the next battle went that smoothly too.¡±

    ¡°It would be ideal if we found a method not to let it inside the town.¡±

    If it snuck inside in human form, not even Shin could do anything.

    ¡°We need to ask Hmee first, but we could set some traps all around Luxuria.¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s target was Luxuria. Shin never expected that he would act to protect a devil, but he realized that this could happen in this world.

    ¡°Hehe, I bet she wouldn¡¯t like it at all.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯d be anti-devil traps, after all. They would affect her too.¡±

    The topic was a serious one, but Shin found it amusing as well.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The next day, Shin and Schnee headed towards the institute to meet with Hmee.

    ¡°It¡¯s noisier than usual today.¡±

    Shin had this impression as they walked down the street lined with shops. He used the same path to go to Vulcan¡¯s workshop, so he knew the street rather well.

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly people arguing prices. It happens often, but everyone seems more frantic than usual.¡±

    Schnee often negotiated the price of groceries, with Shin carrying the heavier bags, so he frequently witnessed other clients arguing prices. The mood was usually brighter as that too was a form ofmunication. Today, however, things weren¡¯t as peaceful.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    Schnee approached one of the stores she usually visited, looked around a bit, then talked to the owner. Shin went close enough not to be in the way and gestured a greeting.

    The owner seemed troubled, as Schnee listened to him with a serene expression. Thanks to that, she could obtain various pieces of information.

    ¡°The flow of supplies is slow, huh.¡±

    Shin whispered to himself while looking at fruit sold at a higher price than usual. All stores were in the same situation, so the citizens¡¯ wallets were in a pinch.

    Most merchants¡¯ carts had not arrived yet, despite the scheduled date having already passed.

    Erkunt traded with various cities, so the cause could not be pinpointed to something that happened in one particr city. In other words, something had likely happened to the trade routes that connected Erkunt to its partners.

    ¡°The country is already investigating the cause. I heard they sent knights to check on some of the routes.¡±

    ¡°Crushing trade routes¡­it¡¯s either Avaritia or its coborators.¡±

    Shin hypothesized that monsters, armed with gear like what he had recently found in the cave, had been used to attack merchant convoys. For parties of armed monsters, merchant convoys would be easy prey.

    Shin, Sherlene and the knights had neutralized only one cave. They didn¡¯t know how many of those caves there were, but even one would be enough to cause serious damage.

    It wouldn¡¯t be possible to have powerful Chosen Ones guard all convoys. Even if they did, only warriors on par with Fagall or Sherlene could survive the encounter with Avaritia¡¯s monsters.

    ¡°It¡¯s way cheaper over there!! Why do you set prices so high!?¡±

    ¡°Enough out of you!! I told you I can¡¯t do anything!!¡±

    Shin heard the quarrelling voices of a customer and shop owner from another shop. The two were arguing rather fiercely, so the passersby steered away from them.

    It looked like a fight could break out any minute: Shin wasn¡¯t a guard, so he thought that only in case they started fighting he would go to stop them.

    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s..¡±

    Just then, a silhouette separated the two quarreling parties. It was a tall man, one head taller than the two, carrying arge sword on his back, which signaled how he couldn¡¯t be just any young man.

    The young man listened to the customer and the shop owner, a warm smile on his face.

    ¡°Prices are rising everywhere. You know that convoys are being attacked, right? The shop you¡¯re talking about will have a hard time keeping prices down, you know?¡±

    Like Schnee heard from the shop owner, Erkunt¡¯s citizens already knew that trade convoys were not reaching the areately. If the current situation continued, all stores would be forced to raise their prices.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like the authorities are sitting there doing nothing. Besides, if you keep making amotion you¡¯ll have the guards on your neck soon. You don¡¯t want to go that far, do you?¡±

    At the mention of the guards, the customer¡¯s expression stiffened. He hadn¡¯t lost all reason yet, so he apologized to the shop owner and left.

    ¡°That¡¯s really like him.¡±

    Shin approached the young man, feeling a wave of nostalgia. The young man noticed him too and smiled, after a moment of surprise.

    ¡°Shin! You¡¯re really here! And Schnee too!¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±

    The young man who came running up to Shin and Schnee was Masakado, a former yer who lost his life alongside Hmee.

    Shin gave him a casual greeting and Schnee nodded at him.

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re Shin even up close!¡±

    ¡°It would be weird if I wasn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Shin replied with a sigh to the wide-eyed Masakado. He had brown hair and red eyes, just like he was in the game era. Though he was a Dragnil, he made his appearancepletely Human-like, so the only traces of his actual species were a few sparse scales on his arms and legs. He did not have horns, so he lookedpletely Human.

    Shin remembered that he was a level 211 Holy Knight, but now his level had increased to 231.

    ¡°Did you just return today?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,pleted my mission with flying colors.¡±

    Masakado said that he had gone on a mission to exterminate a pack of Shadow Hounds which attacked trade convoys.

    Shadow Hounds were wolf-like monsters which could conceal themselves in shadow, with levels ranging from 250 to 300. The pack wasrger than normal, so exterminating it took some time.

    ¡°But just as I return, I get told that another convoy was attacked in another location! I was just talking with the others, things are really getting crazy.¡±

    Masakado thought that the trade route was finally secure, but heard that another route had been squashed. He was going to report to Hmee that something fishy was definitely going on.

    ¡°If you¡¯re just making a report, couldn¡¯t you use Mind Chat?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, you know, some things should be done in person¡­¡±

    ¡°Ooh, yes, I see it now¡­¡±

    Shin perceived the meaning behind Masakado¡¯s words and grinned. It was clear that Hmee and Masakado enjoyed each other¡¯spany, to say the least.

    Shin remembered Masakado as a 15 year old boy: he had to be older now, but to Shin he didn¡¯t seem much different.

    ¡°We were nning to go see Hmee too, but I suppose we¡¯d be in the way?¡±

    ¡°Not at all! If you¡¯re going to see her, it must be about the devil, right? If Hmee learns that I had you go home, she¡¯ll never let me hear the end of it.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just win with her, huh?¡±

    ¡°Well,e on, you know, her position is higher and all¡­¡±

    Masakado replied with a fair reason, or at least tried to.

    Shin didn¡¯t know how they met: as far as he could remember, Hmee had always kept the reckless Masakado in check with her staff, that¡¯s the kind of rtionship they had. He had heard that in the real world, Hmee was older than Masakado. Even if she wasn¡¯t however, the result would have probably been the same.

    ¡°Hmm, yes, let us ask in detailter. About you and Hmee, first of all.¡±

    ¡°God, please, no¡­¡±

    Shin grinned even more, to Masakado¡¯s dismay. His otherrades probably joked about it too. Schnee was silent throughout, but the smile on her lips hinted that she shared Shin¡¯s thoughts.

    When they arrived at the institute, they were let inside right away thanks to Masakado¡¯s presence. The guard, who also was a Chosen One and instructor, was one of hisrades.

    They went straight to the headmistress¡¯ office. Masakado knocked and asked permission to enter, which was granted right away.

    ¡°The Shadow Hound exterminations has beenpleted. This is the proof.¡±

    ¡°Duly noted. I will take care of the documentation.¡±

    The report, part of the headmistress¡¯ duties, was carried out formally. Hmee checked the material cards Masakado gave her and signed a document.

    ¡°Masakado.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Wee back. I¡¯m d to see you safe.¡±

    Hmee showed a defenseless smile, very different from the one she showed to Shin or other teachers.

    ¡°Ah, yeah, thanks. It¡¯s¡­this feels kind of embarrassing with other people present¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I mean, there¡¯s Shin and Schnee too¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh!? What!? Where!?¡±

    ¡°What are you getting surprised about? They¡¯re right behind¡­¡±

    Masakado turned around, confused by Hmee¡¯s surprise, but Shin and Schnee were nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°¡­You sure got us good.¡±

    ¡°Haha, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±

    ¡°You two are quite adorable.¡±

    Shin and Schnee deactivated ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and showed themselves.

    ¡°W-w-w-whaaa¡­¡±

    Hmee, unable to grasp the situation, was at a loss for words. She knew that she had been seen with a very ¡°unprofessional¡± face on though, so her face quickly became beet red.

    ¡°Looks like I was worried for nothing. I¡¯ll go call Luxuria, so please continue.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you too.¡±

    Shin nodded satisfied, then slid out of the room, followed seamlessly by Schnee.

    ¡°Shi¡ª¨Cn!!!¡°

    ¡°Hmee, calm down! Hey Shin, how could you leave us like that!?¡±

    Shin heard the voices through the door and thought he might have gone a little bit overboard, maybe.

 Vol 14 Chapter 3.3: Chapter 3 Part 3

    When Shin and Schnee returned to the headmistress¡¯ office with Luxuria in tow, Hmee¡¯s face was still red . Luxuria didn¡¯t let go of this chance .

    ¡°Oh my, are we blushing, headmistress?¡±

    ¡°Not another word, please . ¡±

    Hmee replied right away . After that, sheined to Shin for a good while .

    ¡°What is your business today, anyway? I suppose it is something different from yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was wondering if we could set some anti-devil traps around Luxuria . ¡±

    Shin exined that if the enemy initiated battle unaware of the traps, the tide could easily turn in their favor .

    ¡°Wait, let me make sure, but wouldn¡¯t these traps activate against me too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, so you¡¯ll have to learn their locations really well . ¡±

    Anti-devil traps would react to any devil . It wasn¡¯t possible to set them such that Luxuria wouldn¡¯t set them off . At the very least, Shin could not do it .

    Luxuria put her hands on her cheeks and sighed .

    ¡°It¡¯s all that Avaritia¡¯s fault¡­go ahead and install something huge, so that he can suffer massive damage at least . ¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯ll risk suffering high damage too . ¡±

    ¡°I just have to dodge it . ¡±

    Luxuria seemed very confident in her dodging skills, but Shin couldn¡¯t help but worry . It was also true that average traps would mean little against Avaritia¡¯s abnormal recovery abilities .

    Shin then took out one of his highest quality traps, which he had prepared the night before .

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°The immobilizing trap I mentioned before and a trap that inflicts great damage to devils only . The right one is for immobilizing, the left one for damaging . ¡±

    Shin did not yet have traps that could target human form devils, but only ones meant for their true devil forms .

    ¡°Avaritia¡¯s lower body doesn¡¯t have a fixed shape, so the immobilizing trap uses a water spell to freeze and stop it . Even if activated inside the institute grounds, there¡¯s no risk of blowing up buildings . However, if there are people other than devil within its radius they will freeze too, so be careful . As for the damaging traps, I have basic ones that just shoot beams of light while others that damage anything inside their radius . It only affects devils, so there¡¯s no concern even if there are people inside the radius . ¡±

    ¡°Would people die if they got caught in the activation radius?¡±

    ¡°The main purpose is immobilization, so it barely does any damage . The damaging types are specialized against devils, so make sure you stay away from it . ¡±

    Shin estimated that a direct hit would shave off about 10% of Avaritia¡¯s HP . At the very least, ¡¾Lifedraining Sludge¡¿ would be blown away .

    ¡°Will you try it¡­on me?¡±

    Shin was serious when he mentioned testing the effectiveness of anti-devil items on Luxuria before, so she asked Shin if he really would . Herplexion was very pale .

    ¡°Things would turn nasty, so I won¡¯t . I packed it with magic, after all . ¡±

    ¡°I see . I don¡¯t really like it too rough, after all . ¡±

    Luxuria seemed relieved . The conversation was supposed to be serious, but herst words seemed to head in apletely different direction: after all, she was the devil of lust .

    ¡°I¡¯d like to set them up as soon as possible, can you give us permission?¡±

    ¡°Just to make sure, the students will not be in danger, right?¡±

    ¡°They won¡¯t be . These traps only react to devils, so even if the students touch them nothing will happen . ¡±

    One of the characteristics of the traps was that they would show no reaction to all species except devils .

    ¡°Then it¡¯s okay . That kind of friendly fire would be too scary . ¡±

    Hmee was tasked with preserving the students¡¯ safety too, so Shin¡¯s words gave her relief .

    Shin then went to install traps with Luxuria . As there was the possibility of being spied upon by people from Avaritia¡¯s side, infiltrated in the institute, they made sure to camouge their actions .

    ¡°I really can¡¯t tell that there¡¯s something there¡­I have to be really careful . ¡±

    Luxuria carefully looked at Shin setting up traps, then spoke with a tense expression on her face . In order to make sure the enemy did not find out about the traps, they did not create any maps or write down the locations .

    Only Shin, Schnee, Luxuria, and Hmee knew about the location of the traps .

    ¡°Aaah, it¡¯s all your fault, Avaritia!¡±

    As Luxuria frowned, Shin and the others could feel her heartfelt exasperation .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    After Shin¡¯s group set up the traps, Hmee left the institute to go to the royal pce: she had to report the information received from Shin to the top brass . She had actually nned to go first thing in the morning, but news of Avaritia¡¯s defeat was being spread around the castle, so it took some time before she could schedule an appointment .

    ¡°There¡¯s still some time before Avaritia arrives, though¡­¡±

    She wanted to rte the news as soon as possible . She thought that Shin¡¯s group would be authorized an audience with the king quickly, but apparently some nobles did not see them positively . They were people who did not know how fearsome devils could be: if Shin and Schnee requested an audience, they would surely get in the way .

    Hmee also realized that Shin had entrusted her with the task because he expected something like this might happen .

    ¡°I suppose Shin and Schnee would easily realize if someone was looking at them with malicious intent . ¡±

    Hmee could tell, so Shin surely would too . She had heard from him about such bothersome looks in the game era too .

    Hmee was lost in such thoughts when a knock was heard at the door .

    ¡°I apologize for the wait . His Majesty cannot move for the time being, so I havee in his stead . ¡±

    The king¡¯s envoy was one of the kingdom¡¯s guardians and heroes, Sherlene . Hmee, who often visited the royal pce due to her duties as headmistress, often had the chance to meet with Sherlene, so they had be close .

    ¡°Thank you for sparing time for me in this hectic period . ¡±

    Because of their positions, their first greetings had to be formal . The mood quickly lightened, however, as smiles appeared on their faces . No one else was present, so there would be no problem even if they talked informally .

    ¡°There¡¯s something you need to report immediately, right? Could it be rted to the devil?¡±

    ¡°Yes . Shin realized that Avaritia hasn¡¯t beenpletely defeated yet . ording to Luxuria, Avaritia is still a few days from here . ¡±

    ¡°How can that be!? Sir Shin defeated it, I¡­I saw it with my own eyes!¡±

    The usuallyposed Sherlene couldn¡¯t help losing her cool .

    ¡°Devils can use the abilities of other devils they absorbed, albeit as weaker forms . Shin said that Avaritia probably absorbed Sloth . That devil can create copies of itself, so the Avaritia you defeated was probably a copy created like that . Avaritia¡¯s main body will be stronger than that . ¡±

    ¡°Oh god¡­so that wasn¡¯t its actual strength¡­¡±

    The battle had been one-sided, but only Shin could do something like that . Without the anti-devil weapons, Sherlene wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance .

    ¡°The news of Avaritia¡¯s defeat is spreading through the pce¡­and this happens . ¡±

    Sherlene held her head with her hands . The king and his aides with some knowledge about devils would understand that a devil could not be defeated easily, but the soldiers¡¯ morale would definitely take a hit . Some might even say that Shin had made a mistake .

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s better to say that the report came not from sir Shin, but from our research . We haven¡¯t even distributed all weapons yet¡­¡±

    ¡°I agree, that would create less of amotion . There were no casualties among the soldiers in the previous battle, so if you riled them up with a speech, saying that now it was the knights¡¯ turn to protect the kingdom, morale won¡¯t decrease too much¡­I hope . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s for me and Fagall to think about . If Avaritia is heading here, the institute is the area in the most danger . Will you be alright?¡±

    Luxuria was in the institute¡¯s infirmary: being Avaritia¡¯s target, it was only natural for the institute to be the enemy¡¯s number one target .

    ¡°We are making countermeasures . In case of necessity, there¡¯s always the emergency escape function . ¡±

    ¡°Emergency escape? That¡¯s a first . ¡±

    ¡°We can instantly transfer all people in the institute to the underground shelter . It can be used only once, so it¡¯s for emergencies only, but that¡¯s the situation we are in right now . ¡±

    Hmee nned to use it without hesitation if Avaritia entered the institute or any equal emergency urred .

    If devils fought in their true forms, their surroundings would turn to rubble . It would be impossible to have people take shelter by other means if a battle between such humongous beasts broke out .

    ¡°Teleport, again¡­¡±

    ¡°Again?¡±

    ¡°Sir Shin gave me a teleportation crystal card for emergencies . He took it back after the battle against Avaritia, but to see supposedly lost magic mentioned so often, I started thinking that maybe it¡¯s not actually so rare . ¡±

    It was a technology impossible to replicate at present: only former yers, chosen ones and a few inheritors could use it . In addition, not even all former yers or chosen ones could use teleportation, so there was no progress in its research .

    ¡°I too only had the guild house function, so I can¡¯t actually use teleportation . Depending on how it¡¯s used, it can be a lethal weapon, so this ability would be dangerous if it spread . ¡±

    It could be extremely effective for assassination or invasion: while convenient, Hmee thought that it shouldn¡¯t be spread . Sherlene could understand her opinion too .

    ¡°We went a bit off topic¡­today I came to report only about the devil . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine . I will duly report to the king . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you . ¡±

    Hmee added that she would get in touch if there was anything new and left the pce via horse cart, as Sherlene saw her off . She still had many things to do in the institute, as its headmistress .

    ¡°A devil more powerful than that ising? We really must be ready for anything . ¡±

    Sherlene went to report to the king as soon as Hmee left .

    Sherlene recalled the pressure she felt during the fight against Avaritia and clenched her fists . Shin and Schnee would surely be wary of any signs of Avaritia . It might be possible not to have to face it directly . Sherlene, though, asked herself what she could do .

    Thanks to the weapons Shin gave her, she could put up some resistance, but depending on the location, even those weapons might not be useful . Sherlene, who had heard from Shin about Avaritia¡¯s abilities, sadly concluded that if the devil appeared in the city, all she could do was buy time until Shin arrived .

    She would have to entrust someone else with the protection of her country . This was what frustrated Sherlene the most .

    ¡°Lady Sherlene, the meeting is already over?¡±

    ¡°Sir Namsaar? I thought you were overseeing the soldiers¡¯ training . ¡±

    Sherlene was stopped by Namsaar on her way to the king¡¯s audience room . The leader of knights had his usual gloomy expression and mood, but Sherlene was used to it .

    ¡°An urgent request from Hmee, who is connected to sir Shin¡­I thought something serious happened, so I left the training to the vice-captain . There is no concern about that . ¡±

    ¡°I see . Indeed, there is something I need to report to His Majesty as soon as possible . It appears that Avaritia was defeated was just a copy and the main body is still alive and well out there . ¡±

    Sherlene made sure no one was around them and whispered the news . Namsaar simply raised an eyebrow .

    ¡°I see . So it hadn¡¯t been defeated after all . ¡±

    ¡°You do not seem very surprised . Did you foresee this happening?¡±

    Sherlene was surprised that Namsaar seemed to know that something like that would happen .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Sir Namsaar? What do you¡­gh!?¡±

    Before Sherlene could act on her suspicions of Namsaar¡¯s peculiar silence, something wrapped around her neck . That something, which did not emanate the slightest presence, tightened its grip more and more .

    Because of her high stats, Sherlene wouldn¡¯t have trouble breathing if she was just being choked, but she was having unexpected difficulty now .

    ¡°!?!¡±

    The situation waspletely unexpected, but Sherlene would not faint without a fight . Thanks to her diligent training, she had managed to materialize one ¡ºGuildern¡» as soon as she realized that she was under attack .

    Before she could attack whatever was constricting her neck, however, a shadow extended from Namsaar¡¯s back and knocked ¡ºGuildern¡» away .

    The unexpected development increased Sherlene¡¯s agitation . She had been caught just when she exhaled, so her consciousness was starting to fade .

    If she took out other weapons they would be just knocked away, so she tried to forcefully remove what was wrapped around her neck, but its grip was too tight to budge . It was so tough that Sherlene¡¯s muscr strength wasn¡¯t enough to rip it apart .

    ¡°As expected of a hero, not giving up till the very end . ¡±

    A male voice came from somewhere . It sounded rather young and gave Sherlene a strong feeling of uneasiness . She couldn¡¯t understand what was going on . Even as her consciousness was fading, she knew that she couldn¡¯t let Namsaar go like that .

    ¡°You can¡¯t do anything . Stay quiet . ¡±

    Sherlene was about to resort to a self-detonation spell, when a shock ran through her body . Almost unconscious, Sherlene could not resist anymore .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°Nngh¡­where am I¡­?¡±

    Sherlene mumbled to herself and stopped . She looked around and found the familiar corridor of the royal pce .

    ¡°Lady Sherlene? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s nothing . ¡±

    Sherlene reassured Namsaar, who was walking a few steps ahead, that nothing was wrong . She wondered if she had fallen asleep while walking, then resumed her pace .

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that everyone is a bit too festive about the ¡°Avaritia has been vanquished!¡± business?¡±

    Sherlene sighed after hearing the conversation between some passing nobles .

    ¡°I agree . The spread of the monsters surrounding the kingdom is still unclear and there have been sightings of high-level monsters as well . On top of that, the merchant convoys are being attacked by monsters, so trade and supply are stalled¡­it certainly isn¡¯t the right time to be festive . ¡±

    Just as Namsaar said, there were many problems left to solve .

    ¡°The defeat of Avaritia, however, is one of the few great news as ofte . I suppose we can turn a blind eye then . ¡±

    ¡°That might be true . I shall take my leave, then . Lady Sherlene, please take care of your health . ¡±

    With an expression that suggested all but such sentiments, Namsaar left . Sherlene watched him go, then headed towards the troops¡¯ barracks . She still had many missions of monster research and extermination to organize .

    ¡°Okay, time to work . ¡±

    Sherlene did not notice that her neck still showed faint traces of being choked . Nor that shecked the memories about what happened before she regained consciousness .

    Avaritia was not dead yet . The threat to the kingdom was approaching quickly .

 Vol 14 Chapter 3.4: Chapter 3 Part 4

    ¡°It¡¯s almost here, huh . ¡±

    Three days had passed since Hmee visited the royal pce to make her report . Shin heard from Luxuria that, based on the current pace, Avaritia would arrive in a few days .

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about the kingdom¡¯s preparations¡­they seem rather slow . ¡±

    Schnee spoke while looking out the window towards the royal pce . The kingdom¡¯s troops were researching the missing trade convoys, but Shin and his party felt that they were not preparing adequately to counter the devil¡¯s army .

    Schnee had visited the pce the day after Hmee supposedly rted her report, but the mood among the troops was very much rxed . At the moment, she thought that the news hadn¡¯t been released yet .

    ¡°Maybe they thought it was too early and the soldiers would be shaken?¡±

    ¡°They would panic when the monster troops actually appear though . The morale might fall, but I believe that is better to make sure every single soldier knows what ising . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±

    Shin¡¯s group had been disposing of the monster packs attacking the convoys in thest few days . Countless requests for extermination were sent to the guild, so Shin¡¯s participation was very wee .

    After the first three days, the monsters apparently realized that there was a group of warriors hunting them down, so the attacks on the convoys became scarce . Shin sold some of the parts they obtained and stocked the rest .

    ¡°Maybe boss Vulcan knows something¡­let¡¯s try asking him . ¡±

    Vulcan was in charge of the knights¡¯ gear, so he would probably know how the army was going to move based on the equipment orders he received .

    They had nothing in particr scheduled that day, so they went to the workshop right away . Shin opened the door and found Vaal behind the reception counter, as usual .

    ¡°Mr . Shin, Ms . Yuki . I have been hearing of your exploits . ¡±

    It seemed news of Shin¡¯s exterminations had reached Vaal¡¯s ears too . Kicking wolf monsters measuring several mel in midair, sniping flocks of bird monsters, and much more . While they might sound like exaggerated stories, Vaal did not doubt them at all .

    He had known Shin for a fairly long time now, so he knew well how extraordinary Shin was .

    ¡°I feel I better not ask about those exploits¡­I¡¯d like to talk with the boss, is he in the back?¡±

    ¡°Yes . You look different than usual, did something happen?¡±

    Shin had felt it also when he hade to bring in the weapons he found in the cave, but Vaal had a keen eye . He noticed right away that Shin had note for the usual exchange of techniques .

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯m worried about, but I can¡¯t confirm my suspicions easily . It concerns the safety of Erkunt as a whole, so I want to verify as soon as possible . ¡±

    ¡°The safety of the whole country? Could it be, that?¡±

    Vaal lowered his eyes, deep in thought .

    ¡°Do you know anything that might fit?¡±

    ¡°I heard gramps¡­the boss talk with some knights, and¡­well, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s okay for me to talk about it, so please speak directly with the boss . ¡±

    Shin understood that Vaal couldn¡¯t just talk about state secrets like that, so he nodded and headed towards the back of the workshop . Schnee went with him this time .

    The sound of hammering metal couldn¡¯t be heard . Shin found Vulcan sitting, his arms crossed .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s strange to see you sitting in the workshop doing nothing . ¡±

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s you . cksmiths don¡¯t just hammer on metal all the time, you know . Well, this time it¡¯s not rted to cksmithing, though . ¡±

    Vulcan had a sour expression, as if he was frustrated about something .

    ¡°Can I ask what happened? Vaal said you talked with soldiers from the kingdom . He didn¡¯t say what you talked about, though . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine . You¡¯re involved too, after all . ¡±

    ¡°I am? Then it must be something rted to the devil . ¡±

    Shin figured it had to be something like that . He had no other connections to the kingdom and cksmith work .

    ¡°Those fellows from the kingdom came here saying that the devil had been defeated, so they didn¡¯t need anti-devil equipment anymore . I have no intention of ruining their mood when they¡¯re all so giddy and happy, but devils don¡¯t die that easily, do they? Don¡¯t they always have an ace up their sleeve or something? That¡¯s what is rubbing me the wrong way . ¡±

    Vulcan had learned about the devils while making weapons that worked against them, so the kingdom¡¯s actions did not convince him at all .

    ¡°Boss, when did they tell you to stop?¡±

    ¡°When? Today, just today . Either the top brass knows something we don¡¯t, or¡ª¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be . ¡±

    Shin reacted before Vulcan could finish his sentence .

    ¡°What can¡¯t be?¡±

    ¡°The devil isn¡¯t dead yet . And the top brass should know too . ¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡±

    Vulcan¡¯s frown changed into surprise .

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right . Why did they stop the orders of anti-devil equipment, then?¡±

    ¡°The information has been stopped somewhere¡­or there¡¯s something wrong with the brass themselves . Either way, the situation is really bad . ¡±

    Hmee said that she had duly ryed the message . It didn¡¯t look like anything unusual happened to her, so Shin thought that either the person she gave the message to or their superiors were suspicious .

    Some time had passed since he met the king, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary with him at the time . He didn¡¯t want to think that the kingdom¡¯s top brass had fallen into the hands of the devil in such a short time .

    ¡°Maybe the devil did something to interfere?¡±

    ¡°I wonder . They say that there are people willingly following the devil too . They might have done something . ¡±

    ¡°There are people like that?¡±

    Vulcan joined in Shin and Schnee¡¯s conversation . He probably couldn¡¯tprehend how people willingly cooperated with devils .

    ¡°The devils¡¯ sins are originally a reflection of people¡¯s desire . It¡¯s not impossible for people to be seduced by them . ¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand it, but¡­I can¡¯t deny it . ¡±

    Vulcan held his head with his hands and closed his eyes .

    ¡°In any case, we better figure out what¡¯s going on with the top brass . ¡±

    ¡°Is there any way you can do that?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes, I have my ways¡­ . . ¡±

    Shin shrugged and gave a vague reply .

    ¡°I¡¯ll check with my connections too . Don¡¯t you go cause amotion now, you hear? Also, should I resume making weapons?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to cause any problems . If you have the time to make more weapons, by all means do . We¡¯re going to need them . ¡±

    Shin didn¡¯t say that the devil would arrive soon, but Vulcan understood the situation by the expression shown by Shin¡¯s eyes . He replied, ¡°Got to hurry . ¡± He then started hammering right away .

    Shin nodded and left the workshop .

    ¡°Are we going to the royal pce?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t have the luxury of going through the proper procedures . ¡±

    Shin implied that he nned to sneak inside . Information about the devil had been intercepted: even if he asked to visit the castle, he would likely be rejected .

    Shin entered a narrow back alley, immediately concealed himself with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and jumped . Hended on the workshop¡¯s roof, made sure Schnee was keeping up, and headed towards the castle .

    The very moment he stepped forward, somethingpletely unexpected happened .

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    What he heard was a sound simr to an explosion . Surprised, Shin looked towards the source of the sound .

    ¡°That¡­can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    Schnee looked in the same direction and couldn¡¯t help but voice her surprise, with good reason: they saw Avaritia¡¯s massive body, supposedly still a few days away from Erkunt, destroying the castle¡¯s outer walls .

    It was more than double the size of the monster Shin, Schnee and Sherlene fought in the dungeon, measuring up to 7-8 mel . Its fists easily shattered the walls protecting the castle .

    Clouds of dust rose to the sky as the booming sounds of the crumbling walls reached Shin¡¯s ears .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go . I don¡¯t know what happened, but Avaritia¡¯s here already!!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Behind Avaritia, a horde of monster presences was approaching . They proceeded in orderly ranks, and Shin remembered the monsters he had seen in the cave . These were probably simrly armed too .

    On the other hand, there were a few human presences near Avaritia, moving in various directions . The ones that did not move were either paralyzed by fear or wounded by the crumbling walls .

    ¡°This is bad . If it manages to get inside, it¡ª-¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Schnee asked why Shin stopped talking and he replied that he had just received a message card .

    ¡°Not even Luxuria understands what happened . It moved while avoiding her detection¡­could it be that it teleported!?¡±

    ¡°With a crystal, it could be possible . ¡±

    Teleportation was a skill avable only to yers . That wasmon sense for Shin .

    No monster possessed teleportation abilities, nor did they need to .

    Normally monsters would roam established routes or lie waiting in specific locations .

    Only yers moved from town to town, from guild houses to fields, etc .

    ¡°Shit, I should have realized when we determined  Luxuria¡¯s level of intellect¡­an ambush via teleport! It knows how to fight!¡±

    Shin shouted out of frustration for falling in the enemy¡¯s trick .

    Avaritia ignored the east and west gates, focusing instead on destroying the walls between them . It was the point closest to the forest . It was the ideal location to hide the monsters until the veryst moment .

    ¡°Schnee, please take care of the monstersing from outside . Rescue the people that can¡¯t escape in time . ¡±

    ¡°Are you going to face Avaritia by yourself?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry . Even if it has its full powers, I¡¯m not going to lose . I¡¯m going to punch it as hard as I can first, so I can send it flying . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee ran on the roofs as if they were flying . Avaritia was focusing on destroying the outer walls, so it wouldn¡¯t get inside to rampage just yet .

    Shin thought that he would make it just in time, but  ¡ªas if to counter Shin¡¯s efforts ¡ª Avaritia¡¯s massive body disappeared, just moments before Shin could arrive .

    ¡°That bastard¡­! It turned into human form!¡±

    Avaritia¡¯srge icon had turned into one of the many dots on the map . Mingled with the panicked crowd, it would be very difficult to find .

    Monsters and people, however, had different presences . Not all locations were swarming with people .

    Now that the monsters hadn¡¯t yet prated the castle premises through the crumbled walls, there was no mistaking it . Shin¡¯s expectations, however, were betrayed yet again .

    ¡°What? There are monster presences in town already?¡±

    ¡°What in the world¡­?¡±

    Schnee was confused too . The monster presences outside the walls were still far from the town . The monsters which suddenly appeared inside came from somewhere else .

    The worst case was for Avaritia to mingle among the monsters, making it impossible to see which one it was . It probably prioritized hiding among the monsters instead of heading straight to Luxuria .

    ¡°I lost track of Avaritia¡¯s presence¡­¡±

    ¡°Me too¡­¡±

    They could track it in the beginning, because of the low density of monster icons, but after Avaritia arrived in a location where a pack of monsters was prowling, they lost it .

    ¡°This just gets worse¡­the monsters¡¯ presence are even in the royal pce . What the hell¡¯s going on?¡±

    Even within the range of  Shin¡¯s detection field, there were groups of monsters rampaging in various locations throughout the town . Unlike the monsters outside, marching forward in a well-organized manner, the monsters within town had movements that seemed random, as if they were just following their instincts .

    ¡°I suppose the ones inside are expendable pawns, meant to confuse us . They¡¯re still powerful enough to hurt the citizens though . Damn it . ¡±

    Around the adventurers¡¯ guild and soldiers¡¯ posts, there were many people used to fighting, so they could take care of any attacking monsters . The ones that suddenly appeared in town were level 200 at most and generally moved by themselves, which was a silver lining .

    ¡°What are we going to do?¡±

    Schnee stared into Shin¡¯s eyes .

    There were no skills that could conveniently only blow monsters away . Only Shin and Schnee were present at the moment: they had to decide what to do .

    ¡°Like I said before, please take care of the monsters outside . They¡¯re much more powerful than the ones inside, after all . Very few people here can deal with those . ¡±

    The monster troopsing from outside were probably around the same level as the monsters Shin found in the cave . They were much more threatening than the ones currently running wild in the town .

    ¡°Where will you go, Shin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find Luxuria first . If Avaritia appears somewhere, it¡¯s likely to be where she is . ¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s goal was clear: Shin couldn¡¯t think of any other options . Shin could defeat it on his own, so he decided to go to the most likely location .

    ¡°When you finish with the monsters outside,e back and deal with the ones in town . We can¡¯t do both with just the two of us¡­¡±

    If only Shibaid and the others were here¡­Shin found himself thinking .

    He had asked Tzaobath to take them to Erkunt, but Filma and Sety were upied with retaking a city conquered by a demon, while Shibaid and Tiera were restoring a weakened World Tree, so they couldn¡¯t go right away .

    They were all upied with important tasks, so Shin couldn¡¯t count on reinforcements .

    ¡°Understood . I will do so as quickly as possible . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee nodded to each other, then ran off . The former towards the institute, thetter towards the crumbling castle walls .

    Erkunt¡¯s threat had struck with timing that no one expected .

 Vol 14 Chapter 4.1: Chapter 4 Part 1

    The outer walls were being destroyed, with parts of the walls falling into the city. For Erkunt¡¯s citizens, it was more than enough to create panic. The people and carts that were unfortunate enough to be close to the walls were crushed by the debris. Even just the vibrations caused by the impact injured many of those near the source.

    The nightmare, however, had just begun. From the other side of the destroyed walls, the very perpetrator of this disaster had shown itself.

    ¡°What in the world¡­is that¡­?¡±

    Despite being as tall as the walls, only the upper body was visible. Centered on its torso, with bones protruding from the sides, was a lion¡¯s head that looked to be grafted into it. Its head, shaped like a goat¡¯s head made of bone, was adorned with ck curved horns that signified the ominous catastrophe.

    The beast¡¯s appearance was much different than the monsters the people were used to seeing, enough to make even adventurers quiver.

    ¡°Gh, I feel¡­sick¡­¡±

    Some people, who did not have the strength to move, and fell prey to the devil¡¯s aura. Their almost non-existent resistance caused them to be affected by Avaritia¡¯s status ailments all too easily.

    Thanks to their stats, Shin and Sherlene¡¯s only felt an unpleasant sensation, but the average citizens had levels of only one or two digits, so they were powerless. Not only were the citizens immobile, but also the ones screaming in pain due to their wounds stopped, unable to voice their pain due to the status effects.

    The same applied to guards and adventurers. They were much stronger than the average citizens, but they still could not match Avaritia¡¯s power.

    Level 750. Only a very small number of Chosen Ones could hope to be able to fight it.

    It was a level of strength that most humans, whose level cap was fixed, would never reach. It would be almost impossible to even reach a level high enough to actually ¡°do battle¡± against so much power.

    Without exceptional strength, the ¡°battle¡± would only devolve into ¡°ughter¡±.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on!? Didn¡¯t they say that the devil had been defeated?¡±

    The guards, who firmly believed in the good news they had received, struggled to get back on their feet, to no avail.

    Thanks to the efforts of the heroes and devil hunter n, the devil threatening Erkunt had been vanquished. The information hade from the kingdom¡¯s higher ups: they couldn¡¯t not believe it.

    What was the creature before them then? That ominous figure and power was a devil¡¯s through and through.

    The guards, who had been informed about the potential threat of a devil, would naturally identify the beast destroying the walls as a devil.

    ¡°Someone, help¡­¡±

    ¡°Can anyone move?¡±

    ¡°Shit¡­my body feels¡­so heavy¡­¡±

    Voices requesting help could be heard from here and there.

    Some of the guards and adventurers were somehow able to stand back up, but that was all they could do. They barely had the strength to help themselves, so helping others was out of the question.

    There were many wounded, maybe even deceased, in that ce alone. No one could tell when the walls wouldpletely crumble, letting hordes of monsters inside, even then, it was impossible for the people take shelter elsewhere.

    Unbeknownst to the guards, the situation was changing. The oppressive aura suddenly vanished.

    ¡°W-what?¡±

    ¡°My head¡¯s spinning!¡±

    ¡°Hey! That thing disappeared!¡±

    The soldiers were still having trouble regrouping, but one of them quickly recovered and shouted while looking at the walls.

    The other soldiers looked too, but found nothing but piles of rubble, with no sign of the monster that created them. Arge, gaping hole was left in its ce.

    The soldiers could also see the clouds of dust hanging over it.

    ¡°Something¡¯sing..!¡±

    ¡°Monsters!! But¡­wait! They¡¯re armed!?¡±

    A soldier with better eyesight than most shouted something unbelievable. The monsters marching towards the city, forming orderly files, were all d in armor and wielding swords, spears, or other gear reinforcing their horns and fangs.

    ¡°Shit!! Send an emergency dispatch to the guild and the army!! If you can move, grab a weapon!! If we don¡¯t stop them here, they¡¯re going to break into town!!¡±

    ¡°Us against that many!? I¡¯ve never even seen most of them! There¡¯s no way we can stop them¡­we should retreat.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t! If those get inside the walls, there are going to be massive casualties!!¡±

    The soldiers who were shouting at each other both held their weapons with trembling hands.

    They were guards who received training to keep the city safe. They understood very well how dangerous the packs of monsters before them were.

    If they fought, they would, without a doubt, be annihted. However, thinking about what would happen next, they couldn¡¯t just withdraw. After all, the majority of the people in the city could not fight.

    If they were attacked by monsters, they would be killed if they were lucky, or yed with if they weren¡¯t. As guards, they couldn¡¯t simply let that happen.

    ¡°Dammit all!! If I could protect the city, I would do it too!!¡±

    ¡°Lend me your ideas, then. Even if we make a wall here, we¡¯re just going to be routed.¡±

    ¡°Tch, alright. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth jack shit, but let¡¯s buy as much time as we can with bows and magic! If you want to run away, go and don¡¯t turn back!!¡±

    Realizing that there was no time to waste arguing, the guard that was previously using the other guard advocating to protect the city shouted to the others. He too was one of Erkunt¡¯s protectors: he was certainly not only worried about his own safety.

    However, contrary to his expectations, not one guard fled.

    ¡°Hah, no one¡¯s running? Guess I was a real dumbass for arguing!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think so. Our little spat here served to make some of us make up their minds.¡±

    ¡°Some fools they are. You¡¯ve got me in this, you better get me some good boozeter!¡±

    ¡°If we survive, sure enough!!¡±

    A grin on their lips, born from their newfound courage, the soldiers faced the monsters. The other guards and some of the adventurers that happened to be close by were wielding their weapons too.

    Everyone was smiling, but they knew they were way over their heads.

    ¡°They¡¯reing¡­¡±

    The ones who used bows or long range magic were attacking, but not even one monster fell. Even if their attacks struck, the enemies¡¯ armor protected them.

    The troops of monsters approached, the ground trembled beneath their feet.

    However, that foul army, could not prate the hole in the wall and invade the city. Flying over the soldier¡¯s heads, a storm of lightning arrows rained upon the monsters.

    The lightning struck through the monsters¡¯ armor, which had repelled all magic until then, burning through their hides and scales too, putting the monsters on the front lines out ofmission.

    Some still breathed, but the damage and fear prevented them from moving. The monsters on the front lines, who had stopped in their tracks, were crushed under the feet of the monsters behind them, which couldn¡¯t stop in time, disrupting their progress and creating chaos among the ranks.

    ¡°Seriously¡­? What was that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯sing again!¡±

    After the lightning storm, a rain of ice arrows started falling. However, it was hundreds of timesrger than the one the soldiers knew. Rather than ice arrows, it was a rain of ice pirs: they shattered over the monsters, creating multiple ice arrows that rained over the monsters. Those outside the range of lightning were struck this time too.

    The ice arrows, just as the lightning storm before,pletely disregarded the monsters¡¯ protective gear and hide, stabbing them as if skewering through fruit. The arrows passed through some monsters and stayed lodged in the bodies of others, but nevertheless it was enough to halt their momentum.

    ¡°Amazing¡­¡±

    The spectators mumbled suchments while seeing the monsters drop one after the other.

    If former yers were present, they would have recognized that the lightning attack was the Lightning magic skill ¡¾Thunder Split¡¿ and the ice arrows were created by the Water magic skill ¡¾Eis Ast¡¿.

    Some monsters remained, but the soldiers thought that those massive magic spells couldn¡¯t have left many. They all agreed in their minds that such a powerful magic user had to be widely renown. Lightning and ice. Based on the spell¡¯s power, they had to be skills, not arts. No one present, however, could think of a magic user that fit the description, so they were all puzzled.

    This mysterious spellcaster then appeared.

    A red long coat, hot pants and long boots, golden hair flowing in the wind. A slender silhouette, long ears and incredible magic power: the soldiers behind her realized that she had to be a High Elf.

    At the same time, they found it unusual that she was wielding blue and red short swords. Judging from the strength of the spells, they were sure the caster was a mage with a powerful staff.

    Before the confused guards, the High Elf pointed the red short sword in her left hand towards the remaining monsters. After a few instants, the tip started glowing deep red.

    me magic skill ¡¾Crimson Ray¡¿.

    A magic-powered beam of highly concentrated heat ran through the monsters, followed by bursts of mes blooming from the ground. The mes and explosions swept through the remaining monsters: the spell was much more powerful than the ones which preceded it.

    The monsters directly struck by the beam melted away immediately: the ones who did not, regardless of how armored they were, were destroyed or burned by the explosions.

    The heat beam then vanished, leaving behind a horrifying scene of scorched earth and corpses.

    ¡°What were we all ready to die for¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, we did reaffirm our convictions.¡±

    The situation continued changing suddenly, so the guards were left quite puzzled. At the same time, though, they were also relieved. While it could be temporary, the threat was now gone.

    They could not feel reassured for long, however.

    ¡°Hey!! There are monsters running amok in town!! If you can fight,e help us!!¡±

    ¡°What!?!¡±

    The guards, bbergasted by the High Elf and the magic she wielded, were forcefully brought back to reality by a new warning, heard from inside the castle walls.

    There were monsters already inside the city: the guards thought that the city¡¯s gates had been prated. Closing the gates would allow them to resist for a while, but if arge number of monsters attacked them from behind, the area around the gates would fall into panic. The possibility that the gates fell before being closed was more than likely.

    ¡°The only walls or gates breached were here. I do not know the cause, but it seems that monsters suddenly appeared within the city. Their levels are low, but their numbers great: it seems this is happening on a wide range too. I will seal the gap here, so please start subjugating them from the closest location.¡±

    After finishing off the few remaining monster units, the High Elf talked to the guards in a clearly resounding tone.

    The monsters she saw while heading to the outer walls were level 100 at most. Their numbers were many, but it was nothing the guards and adventurers could not handle.

    ¡°Damn, just what the hell is going on here?¡±

    ¡°Easy there. If what she says is true, we can handle it. Let¡¯s leave this ce to her and go somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped!!¡±

    Some were overwhelmed, someined, others were relieved. While the reactions were all different, they all took up arms and scattered.

 Vol 14 Chapter 4.2: Chapter 4 Part 2

    ¡°I have to hurry . ¡±

    After the guards and adventurers left, the High Elf looked at the walls and whispered to herself .

    Overwhelmed by the monsters and magic spells, the guards had not realized that the High Elf was Schnee in disguise . Because of the disguise, she had chosen light equipment that was easy to move in .

    Except for the one spot that had crumbled, the outer walls were untouched . It wasn¡¯t clear how much they had been damaged by the aftershocks .

    In order to prevent further damage to the walls, Schnee had first crushed the closest enemies with ¡¾Thunder Split¡¿ and ¡¾Eis Ast¡¿, then took care of the rest with ¡¾Crimson Ray¡¿ .

    If she started with¡¾Crimson Ray¡¿ , she would have dealt with them even faster, but the resulting explosions and mes risked damaging the walls even further .

    ¡°I better reinforce them to be safe . ¡±

    If the walls were left as is, they would invite invasions by other monsters . Schnee used Earth magic to form a of tightly packed earth, then created a giant wall of ice to contain it .

    Thanks to Schnee¡¯s magic power, the resulting barrier was as sturdy as the walls . The ice would melt over time, but, as an emergency countermeasure, it was more than enough . Even if Schnee did not do anything more, it wouldst one full week .

    ¡°Were those all the monsters¡­?¡±

    Schnee climbed on the outer walls and surveyed the forest where the monsters supposedly hid . Her detection range wasn¡¯t as wide as Shin¡¯s, but it was wide enough to cover her field of view . There were no movements simr to the one just before in the forest or other locations .

    The monster presences were just in groups of two or three . Their directions and movements were all different, so they were likely unrted to the invasion .

    ¡°Let¡¯s take care of the monsters inside, then . ¡±

    She could go to the closest location, but instead peered at the map and the presences she had detected . Defeating monsters alone would not resolve the problem, so she first tried to find monsters that exhibited unique behavior or locations with abnormal concentrations of monsters .

    If not defeating Avaritia meant that monsters would continue spawning, she just needed to keep going until Shin defeated it . But, if that was not the case, Schnee had to find the cause behind the monster¡¯s appearance and deal with it .

    ¡°!! That¡¯s¡­¡±

    A few minutes had passed when Schnee¡¯s eyes focused on one point of the map . After the monsters moved away from a spot where they were looking for prey, it suddenly happened . In the now empty spot, new monsters suddenly appeared .

    ¡°I see, the monsters are being sent from somewhere . I guess they setup such points throughout the city . ¡±

    It was either a Tamer¡¯s ¡¾Summon Partner¡¿ or a teleportation point . Schnee ran towards the spot where the monsters appeared, using the rooftops as tforms . She found monsters running wild with greater quantity near the spawning point .

    ¡°Out of the way . ¡±

    Schnee resolutely advanced through the monsters in the streets . With pale blue mes from ¡ºLazuli re¡» in her left hand and zing red mes from ¡ºScarlet ze¡» in her right, Schnee let out fiery shes that scarred the monsters before spreading to their whole body and burning them to cinders .

    As if performing a beautiful ritual dance of ughter, Schnee advanced while leaving mounds of ash in her wake . The monsters in town were low level and unarmed, so it was an inevitable result .

    She could have used the roofs to proceed while ignoring the monsters, but she opted to use the ground route to help the citizens and adventurers in trouble . Crushing the main cause was the quickest way to solve the situation, but Schnee wasn¡¯t so cold as to let people die in front of her .

    Shin would do the same, she thought .

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Schnee arrived at her destination and found a store like any other . The entrance, however, was destroyed and monsters prowled about . She quickly incinerated them and entered the store .

    The main cause of the issues was likely to be found inside the destroyed store . What Schnee found, however, was slightly surprising .

    The stockroom was about five mel wide . In front of the magic circle drawn on the floor, a wizard-looking silhouette was wielding a staff . Before Schnee¡¯s eyes, the magic circle glowed and a monster appeared . Apanied by a groan of pain from the man .

    ¡°Hel¡­ . p¡­ . . ¡±

    A strained voice escaped the man¡¯s lips, his wand still in the air, the monster before him .

    Schnee noticed that the man¡¯s cheeks were emaciated, his skin ravaged, as if he was about to die . What hair remained was unnaturally white . He was just like a mummy wielding a wand .

    All the signs indicated that the man had been subjected to powerful drain attacks .

    ¡°How horrible¡­¡±

    Schnee realized the truth by looking at the man . During the 500 years she had spent waiting for Shin, she had seen many, many things, of which some were unspeakable horrors .

    The perpetrators were sometimes people, sometimes monsters . What happened to the man was not too rare . He had been forced to summon monsters, effectively being used as a magic battery . This often happened when the culprit was a person .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Schnee silently wielded her ¡ºLazuli re¡» . A blue sh streaked through the air and severed the man¡¯s neck . His corpse was engulfed in blue mes as it hit the ground, burning into ashes .

    When the man died, the magic circle went silent . It was connected to his lifeforce, which was converted into magic power to feed the magic circle .

    When Schnee found the man, his HP and magic were already zero . The only reason he was conscious was that he was kept alive to drain away his magic power . There was no way to save him, but it was possible to at least put him out of his misery by finishing him .

    ¡°Is this happening in the other locations too?¡±

    Just in case, Schnee used the screenshot function Shin taught her and recorded the magic circle . If the same method was used elsewhere, the summoning would stop when the caster died . It was possible that, if enough time had passed, the summoning circles would be useless on their own .

    Of course, there was no concrete proof . Some areas might have had different summoning methods, or the monsters summoned could constantly increase in power .

    Schnee decided to disregard this option and crush all spawning locations . She checked her map again, narrowing down the options to stores or stockroomsrge enough to house the magic circle .

    ¡°This is strange¡­¡±

    The monster presences in the city .

    She had not kept count of them, so she did not know at what pace they increased, but ording to Schnee¡¯s experience, magic circles allowed to summon one monster every few minutes . In one hour, that would amount to 20 or 30 monsters at most .

    Only about 30 minutes had passed since the outer walls crumbled, yet, the monsters had increased at an extremely fast pace, which meant that there was arge number of magic circles .

    However, Schnee felt something strange from the numbers of spawning locations, as well as the locations they were set up in .

    In the beginning she only searched for locationrge enough to house the magic circle, so she hadn¡¯t noticed, but she realized that monsters were appearing in very unusual ces .

    ¡°There¡¯s a spawning location in the middle of the street? The citizens or guards would definitely realize¡­¡±

    The location was easy to find, but difficult to set up . As far as Schnee could tell, the magic circles were not concealed in any way .

    ¡°This presence¡­is moving despite there being no paths here¡­?¡±

    Schnee spotted a few presences moving through walls in the shopping area . However, they were moving far too fast . It was like there were no obstacles in their way . Schnee then had a realization and modified the map to show a 3D disy, showing the underground too .

    ¡°I see¡­the underground waterways . ¡±

    Even if they weren¡¯t as developed as the former Sacred ces, cities that reached a certain size created underground waterways . They reached everywhere under the city, just like waterways of modern cities, and it was said that few people in the country knew about their total extension . That is where the magic circles were set up .

    ¡°This is not good . ¡±

    They were far too many for Schnee to crush by herself . Some of the presences were also moving beyond the internal walls, inside the royal pce .

    ¡°Miss Yuki!¡±

    The numbers were not on their side . Schnee was thinking of a countermeasure while going to the closest point, when she heard someone shouting her name .

    It was Masakado, his loyal weapon at his side, with a group of adventurers in tow .

    ¡°I apologize to bother you when you¡¯re in a hurry . Is there a way to solve this situation? We have been destroying all monsters we saw on our way here, but it doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re decreasing at all . ¡±

    It was the first time they talked in a while, but Masakado skipped all preambles and went straight to the point . Schnee quickly reported her findings .

    ¡°Summoning using people as fuel, and the underground waterways¡­¡±

    ¡°There are many monster summoning magic circles above ground, but the numbers underground are considerable as well . Maybe the pace of the summoning will not increase over time, but considering who our opponent is, I doubt things will go over easily . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen them too, they seem like a pretty nasty bunch . ¡±

    Masakado said that many witnessed the destruction of the walls . He himself never participated in a devil extermination mission, but he had seen what devils looked like from message boards rted to the game . When he saw the monster destroying the wall, he remembered instantly .

    ¡°It might be dangerous, so I don¡¯t like saying this, but we seriously need manpower . Rather than waiting for the summoners turned magic batteries to expire, we should defeat them in order to reduce potential casualties . If you have a map, I can show you the general locations . I need the cooperation of as many people as possible . ¡±

    ¡°Roger! I¡¯m sure I can help with that!¡±

    Based on the monsters being summoned, simply putting the magic circles out ofmission was possible even for those who weren¡¯t Chosen Ones, so Masakado turned to the adventurers .

    ¡°You heard, right? We need numbers more than anything . If we subdue the ces where the monsters are being summoned, the situation will improve significantly . We can¡¯t let them do whatever they please like this! But if things turn sour, run!¡±

    Masakado¡¯s words were met by an energetic ¡°Roger!!¡± .

    It would be just as dangerous to fight the monsters prowling the city . All the adventurers present nodded without hesitation . Some of them ran to contact the guild and the guards .

    Schnee wrote down the location of the magic circles on Masakado¡¯s map, made copies with a skill and gave them to the other adventurers, who split in groups of three and scattered throughout the town .

    ¡°What will you do Masakado?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay above ground and deal with the more difficult looking spots or areas with a higher density of monsters . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . I will go underground . Just in case, take this . ¡±

    Schnee then gave a stack of cards to Masakado, potions especially made by Shin . They healed more than regr ones and acted instantly .

    ¡°Never let your guard down . Or Hmee will be really sad . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­I know . I am more worried about her though, since she is in the institute . ¡±

    Luxuria is in the institute: Avaritia was surely headed towards her .

    ¡°Shin is going to the institute as we speak . He also set up anti-devil traps, so I believe everything will be alright . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­okay, time to get busy!¡±

    Masakado ran off towards the monsters with an expression full of confidence .

    While he was worried, he didn¡¯t let it show . He knew what he had to do .

    ¡°I can¡¯t lose either, can I . ¡±

    Schnee also started moving right away . Her first destination was the entrance to the underground waterways . She had to exterminate the monsters, as soon as possible .

 Vol 14 Chapter 4.3: Chapter 4 Part 3

    Shortly before the outer walls were destroyed and monsters started spawning in Erkunt¡­

    Something abnormal happened inside the royal pce .

    Most soldiers were gathered in the training grounds, separated into toons, to check their equipment . They were all nervous, some of them confused .

    ¡°To think that there were other devils¡­¡±

    ¡°Could it be that the institute was keeping it hidden? If so, then the staff is¡­¡±

    All soldiers on stand-by were whispering .

    Just when everyone in the pce was relieved by the news of Avaritia¡¯s defeat, another piece of news had arrived . All pce workers and especially the soldiers were shaken .

    They had to fight with mere swords and spears against a beast that could level entire cities . No matter how many they were, they could never hope to match it .

    There weren¡¯t enough anti-devil weapons to supply the whole army .

    ¡°I heard that the anti-devil n guys were possessed by the devil . ¡±

    ¡°If they fight alongside the devil, we have to fight them too, right? Can we really win?¡±

    Information was spreading in a chaotic manner . Conflicting information was reaching even the lowest ranked soldiers . They all talked about information, regardless of its veracity, and believed it all .

    ¡°Hey, what is going on here!?¡±

    There were some who hadn¡¯t lost all reason, though . One of Erkunt¡¯s heroes, Fagall, and the knights serving directly under him .

    When Fagall returned to the castle after an inspection outside Erkunt, he found the soldiers ready for war, with a heavy atmosphere hanging over them .

    The confused Fagall asked nearby soldiers what was going on and was told that the captain of the royal guards personally ordered them to go exterminate the devil dwelling in the institute .

    ¡°This can¡¯t be¡­¡±

    Information about Luxuria had been halted by the country¡¯s elite . It was impossible for mere footsoldiers to know about it .

    The captain of the royal guards, Namsaar, also knew that Luxuria opposed Avaritia and would not harm normal people .

    Fagall then asked the soldiers if anything happened about the devils, as there had to be a reason behind this order . All soldiers, however, replied that they did not know anything .

    They also spouted unbelievable things, such as that Shin and Yuki were on the devil¡¯s side and the institute as a whole was under the devil¡¯s control .

    ¡°Just what is going on here¡­¡±

    ¡°I believe that there are mental skills at work . You can train your body, but things are different for the mind . ¡±

    One of Fagall¡¯s subordinates, specialized in magic and healing, gave her opinion . She was one of Fagall¡¯s vice-captains, a female Chosen One called Nakuri .

    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason why I feel this indescribable unease¡­if so, we have an emergency on your hands . I will go inquire to His Majesty . Based on the circumstances, we might need the King¡¯s permission to act . Kassh, Nakuri, take the knights with you and go ask Lady Sherlene what¡¯s going on . If they are already in formation in a toon, tell them to standby until Ie back . I¡¯ll take responsibility . And¡­¡±

    ¡°Be ready to fight, yes?¡±

    The stern-looking man called Kasshpleted Fagall¡¯s order . He too was a Chosen One .

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Nakuri, use defensive skills on the men, as much as possible . If you feel the atmosphere bes more suspicious, retreat from the pce . If we end up under the enemy¡¯s influence too, there will be no one left to protect the kingdom . ¡±

    ¡°¡­understood . Please take care . ¡±

    Both vice-captains replied at the same time, but Kassh sounded notpletely convinced, while Nakuri was worried . Kassh out of frustration for not being able to do anything, Nakuri out of concern for Fagall, who would be left on his own .

    ¡°Hopefully we can learn something . ¡±

    Fagall passed through the pacing soldiers, hurrying towards the king¡¯s chambers .

    ¡°It¡¯s too quiet¡­¡±

    Normally, the king would be carrying out his duties at this time . Fagall noticed that the more he approached the king¡¯s chambers, the less noise he heard .

    Armed soldiers would not be found in this area, but if there was another reason for theck of people in the surroundings, the situation was extremely dire .

    Fagall hurried even more, trying to keep his nerves in check . He arrived close to the room where the king executed his duties and found two soldiers standing guard . Fagall knew both of them .

    ¡°Is His Majesty here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but why the hurry? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°The whole castle is . The soldiers are getting ready to go exterminate the devil, but I came to check with the king if there are no mistakes about their orders . ¡±

    Fagall didn¡¯t know where Namsaar, the one who actually gave the order, could be . As he told Kassh and the others, the king had to be aware of the situation, so Fagall came to ask him about the reasons behind the order, while also making sure the king was safe .

    ¡°I have heard nothing about such orders . Could it be that your information is wrong?¡±

    ¡°I understand why you would think that . The soldiers below, however, are preparing to battle this very moment . There is conflicting information going about, but as far as I heard, they were told that there is a devil in the institute . ¡±

    The guards looked just as confused as Fagall was when he arrived in the castle . Fagall then judged that they hadn¡¯t lost their reason yet .

    ¡°I wish to speak directly to the king . ¡±

    ¡°Just a moment . ¡±

    One of the guards turned his back to Fagall and knocked on the door .

    While he was supposedly speaking with the king inside, the other guard held the hilt of his weapon and kept Fagall firmly within sight . Even if confused, he would not let down his guard . Not even if his opponent was a hero or an acquaintance . That was their job .

    After a few seconds, the first guard turned the doorknob and allowed Fagall inside . The other guard silently opened his side of the door too .

    ¡°For you toe without prior notice¡­what is happening?¡±

    Kreunzeit understood right away that something was off . After hearing Fagall¡¯s report, the king¡¯s brow furrowed .

    ¡°That is a first for me too . Namsaar would inform me first of all . ¡±

    ¡°I do not know why this happened . I did not know where sir Namsaar is, so I decided to confirm Your Majesty¡¯s safety first . ¡±

    ¡°You have done well . What in the world is¡ªwhat!?¡±

    A booming sound interrupted Kreunzeit¡¯s words . The sound came from the direction of the window: Fagall looked outside and saw a wall crumbling, with an enormous monster attacking it .

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    Fagall was speechless for a moment . A wall that could easily withstand attacks from giant-sized golems was destroyed, revealing a horde of monsters behind it .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡±

    ¡°The outer wall has been destroyed . It couldn¡¯t withstand the attacks of a gigantic monster . ¡±

    The king¡¯s words let Fagall return to his senses . He then started reflecting on what he just saw . Then, he realized . A human-like shape . A torso with a lion head grafted onto it . A head wearing a goat skulling out of the lion¡¯s mouth . It all coincided with Sherlene¡¯s report about Avaritia¡¯s appearance .

    ¡°This is absurd¡­why would the devil be here¡­?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯tdy Sherlene supposed to have defeated it?¡±

    ¡°That is correct . The soldiers who went to inspect the area said that they found clear traces of fighting . ¡±

    If so, then why? Doubts and questions ran through Fagall¡¯s mind .

    Maybe they only thought they defeated it? Maybe it managed to flee? The reason was unknown, but the reality that the devil was attacking was an undeniable truth .

    ¡°It disappeared? Is it going to wheredy Luxuria is?¡±

    The devil¡¯s gigantic body disappeared in an instant . Fagall thought he saw a small shadow, so he hypothesized that the devil turned into human form and went into the city . Based on the information he had, the destination was surely the institute .

    Should he rush to the crumbling walls? Go fight the devil in the institute? Stay here to protect the king? A series of choices appeared within Fagall¡¯s mind .

    If the devil went on a rampage, the city would surely suffer extensive damage . The monsters approaching from beyond the crumbling walls could not be ignored either, though . No matter what he prioritized, damage and casualties were inevitable .

    Fagall was unsure what to decide, but one of the choices was quickly crushed . The monsters outside the walls were swept away by magic spells, the gap in the wall sealed with ice .

    ¡°That has to be either sir Shin ordy Yuki¡¯s doing . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . That should prevent the monsters from prating the city . ¡±

    ¡°Then all is left is to deal with the devil . I do not know if Namsaar predicted this, but the situation is in our favor . Select the troops equipped with anti-devil gear and send them to exterminate it . Sir Shin¡¯s group is certainly on the move as well . If possible, join with them and take down the devil . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty!¡±

    There were too many potential risks . Defeating the devil, however, took priority . Fagall was about to leave to execute the order he received .

    ¡°Hngh!?¡±

    He put a hand on the doorknob, but jumped back as if something had repelled him . Fagall drew his sword, warily looking at the door .

    ¡°¡­I suspected there was someone behind the soldiers¡¯ confusion, but I suppose they came straight here . ¡±

    ¡°Please flee . This ominous presence¡­it will be a very dangerous opponent . ¡±

    Outside the room, there were the guards too . Considering that this new threat had approached the room without Fagall realizing, it had to be an assassin very skilled at hiding their presence .

    Fagall could not tell how powerful the enemy was, but estimated them to be very able, so he immediately asked the king to escape . If Fagall fought seriously, the king would be in danger too .

    ¡°Well damn . I thought I had finally taken over this guy, and here I find another pain to deal with . ¡±

    As Kreunzeit leapt into the secret passage, the door opened . The voice heard as the door revealed the intruder was very familiar to Fagall . Its tone was very casual, however . Fagall knew that the owner of this voice would never use such a tone .

    ¡°I surely didn¡¯t want this prediction toe true¡­¡±

    Fagall whispered to himself, looking at the man who entered the room .

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that? We¡¯re pals, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever met . Who are you? What did you to Namsaar!?¡±

    Voice, body, ¡¾Analyze¡¿ data¡ªeverything said Namsaar . The ominous ck armor that covered its body, the goat bones that covered half its face, however, clearly showed that Namsaar was not currently himself .

    Probably because he had just seen Avaritia, Fagall quickly realized who had taken over Namsaar¡¯s body .

    ¡°My other self was knocked out before they even managed to introduce themselves, so I guess I better do it, yeah? You are in the presence of one of the Seven Deady Sins, Avaritia the devil of Greed . You¡­ . are not the one who defeated my other self in the dungeon, are you . ¡±

    Avaritia peered at Fagall and spoke after he had gauged the knight¡¯s skill .

    Avaritia¡¯s words let Fagall understand that the devil could create copies of itself . He didn¡¯t know how many, however .

    ¡°Your other self, hmm . Which means, if you are defeated here everything will be over?¡±

    Let it be so . Fagall tried his hardest to hide his nerves and asked the question .

    ¡°Too bad buddy, I¡¯m not the real body either . If you take me down things will be easier though, that¡¯s for sure . ¡±

    Avaritia drew his sword, Namsaar¡¯s loyal partner . Its de had lost all its shine: ck vein-like tendrils ran across it .

    ¡°I might be an enemy, but this is yourrade¡¯s body . You know what it means to attack me, yeah?¡±

    ¡°I surely do!¡±

    Fagall answered Avaritia¡¯s threat by swinging his sword . He aimed at the face, the side not covered by the goat mask . Avaritia parried Fagall¡¯s unhesitant strike with his sword .

    Fagall saw how his swing had been effortlessly blocked, despite the fact that he had not held back at all, and realized that his opponent might be using Namsaar¡¯s body, but his abilities exceeded the host body¡¯s limits .

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty strict on your buddies, huh?¡±

    ¡°Sir Namsaar would take me to task if I wasn¡¯t . ¡±

    Hiding his concern about his opponent¡¯s actual strength, Fagall replied in turn to Avaritia¡¯s quip . While it might be hard to imagine from his appearance and atmosphere, Namsaar was extremely loyal to the king . His fighting prowess and loyalty had granted him the position of captain of the royal guards .

    If Namsaar was himself, he would rather take his own life rather than point his sword at the king .

    Thus Fagall knew that he had no reason to hesitate . Ready to take Namsaar¡¯s life if need be, he once again swung his de .

    ¡°Is that so . Let¡¯s see how long you can struggle, then!!¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s de shed with Fagall¡¯s . The devil¡¯s movements were the same as Namsaar¡¯s . Every strike was much heavier, though .

    ¡°Plenty, you will see . I cannot be useless forever . ¡±

    Fagall had his pride as a hero as well . If necessary, he was ready to die and take his enemy with him .

    The two warriors¡¯ des crossed again . Even brighter sparks flew about, as if to show the strength of Fagall¡¯s renewed conviction .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    A thundering sound made the ground tremble, echoing through the pce gates and training grounds . In response, abnormal events happened throughout the pce .

    Monsters appeared out of thin air . Their levels were low, but the soldiers fell into confusion because of the sudden event . The booming sound that deafened their ears was a sort of signal .

    ¡°What is going on here¡­?¡±

    The monsters appeared when Sherlene, informed of the order to exterminate Luxuria, was in the barracks to inquire further about the sudden orders . Sherlene rushed out of the barracks and found the training grounds in utter chaos: soldiers feeling from monsters and others fighting them .

    ¡°What the . . !?¡±

    The soldiers were supposed to be well trained, so even if the monsters had appeared all too suddenly, their response was far too poor .

    ¡°Do not cower!! Troops with shields, go to the front and block the monster¡¯s attacks! Troops with spears, gain enough distance and seal their movements! The monsters are few! Face each of them in groups!¡±

    Sherlene shouted orders at the soldiers, also using the support skill ¡¾Hearten¡¿, used to encourage one¡¯s allies . Even the toon leaders were panicked: there was no time to worry about the chain ofmand .

    Struck by Sherlene¡¯s orders, the soldiers started moving in a well organized manner, making it seem unreal that they were running around until moments ago . Sherlene then realized that they had to be influenced by something .

    ¡°So that was the reason why the soldiers¡¯ information waspromised?¡±

    ¡°It does seem to be like that . ¡±

    Sherlene talked to herself, but received an answer .

    ¡°Sir Kassh . ¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯am . I and Nakuri have been ordered by sir Fagall to contact you . ¡±

    Kassh rted to Sherlene about the bizarre situation in the castle and that Fagall had gone to see the king .

    ¡°I am d to see that you seem to be in full possession of your wits . ¡±

    ¡°No, I did not notice the situation before, so I cannot say that I was not influenced at all . I heard just now about the order to exterminatedy Luxuria, but it would be strange for me not to realize the soldiers¡¯ unusual state . Taking down a devil is not such a simple task either¡­¡±

    Sherlene remembered the battle against Avaritia and her brow furrowed . She then materialized a spear . It was one of the weapons she borrowed from Shin, the holy spear ¡ºGuildern¡» .

    ¡°I have never seen such a spear . It is quite heavily adorned . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ . ¡±

    An instant after materializing ¡ºGuildern¡», Sherlene opened her eyes wide and stopped . Kassh, concerned, called to her: Sherlene regained her senses and shouted .

    ¡°What¡­what a blunder!!¡±

    ¡ºGuildern¡» was a holy spear meant to fight devils . Because of this, it could protect the wielder from devil attacks and dispel devil influences .

    Depending on the devil¡¯s power, it might only weaken their powers, but this ¡ºGuildern¡» had been reinforced by Shin, so it was more powerful than the default version .

    Thanks to its boosted ability, the fake memories Avaritia¡¯s copy had nted in Sherlene disappeared . She recalled the conversation she had with Hmee .

    Avaritia hadn¡¯t been defeated yet . There were copies remaining . Something was controlling Namsaar too .

    ¡°Sir Kassh, Lady Nakuri . I want you to take my troops and take care of the monsters . The chaos will continue, I fear . Also, do not follow sir Namsaar¡¯s orders . ¡±

    Namsaar was the captain of the royal guards: he had nearly unlimited ess to the royal pce . Sherlene thought that the monsters¡¯ appearance had been orchestrated by him, or rather, whatever was controlling him .

    She chose not to say it at the time, however . The presence that had hid in the shadows until now finally showed itself . Sherlene was also concerned about the sound that thundered through the castle minutes before, but there were other, greater priorities .

    The king¡¯s safety, most of all . If the leader of the royal guards was under enemy control and the king dead, the whole country would fall into chaos . It would be almost impossible to bring things under control .

    There was enough confusion because of the monsters rampaging in the pce . For the devil, it was the perfect chance to strike . Sherlene thought that Avaritia aimed to take advantage of the confusion to kill Luxuria .

    ¡°If it appears in town, not even sir Shin could¡­¡±

    Thanks to her experience fighting against the copy, Sherlene understood very well how dire the current situation was .

    ¡°Lady Sherlene . Do you know what is actually happening?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but forgive me, there is no time to talk . We must take control of the situation as soon as possible, then have the citizens take shelter . This is just a prediction, but I believe that the monsters have appeared in town too . The devil I and sir Shin defeated was a copy . There is also another one in the pce too . ¡±

    ¡°Do you really think so??¡±

    ¡°Oh my god¡­¡±

    The two vice captains could not hide their surprise at Sherlene¡¯s statement .

    ¡°That devil is more and more dangerous the more people are around . We have to make everyone¡­no, everyone still alive evacuate the pce and institute as soon as we can . ¡±

    While she said it, Sherlene was aware that it would be impossible . There wasn¡¯t enough time or manpower in Erkunt at the moment .

    ¡°I will go see His Majesty . Sir Fagall is probably fighting the devil as we speak . I must leave the monsters here to you . If possible, have the citizens take shelter too . ¡±

    Sherlene hurriedly gave her orders, then rushed deeper in the pce, towards the royal duties¡¯ chamber .

 Vol 14 Chapter 4.4: Chapter 4 Part 4

    At the same time the heroes started moving inside the royal pce, someone in the institute noticed the abnormal urrences.

    A devil just like Avaritia, Luxuria.

    ¡°!? No way¡­!¡±

    Luxuria thought Avaritia was still far from Erkunt. All of a sudden, however, that distance became zero. The devil¡¯s presence moved right next to Erkunt¡¯s outer walls in an instant.

    ¡°Luxuria? What happened?¡±

    Luxuria stood up out of the blue and was looking in a certain direction. Hmee called to her, but Luxuria couldn¡¯t reply.

    She took out a message card and quickly started writing on it, thinking that she had to let Shin know as soon as possible.

    ¡°Sent! Hmee, I think that Avaritia will being here any minute. Evacuate the students!¡±

    After sending the message, Luxuria exined the situation to the confused Hmee. While Luxuria was talking, the booming sounds gave further credibility to her words.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too soon!? To cover a few days¡¯ worth of distance all at once is impossible without teleporting¡­wait, you don¡¯t mean¡­¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s abnormal appearance could be exined in one way. Hmee reached the same conclusion Shin and Schnee did: as a yer she used teleportation on a daily basis after all.

    ¡°A devil using yer techniques¡­well, I can do simr things after all.¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s expression was indescribable. The institute was riddled with the anti-devil traps Shin had set up. Luxuria had also borrowed anti-devil items which wouldn¡¯t affect the user, so it could be said that she was doing simr things to Avaritia.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough contemtion, evacuate the students already. Avaritia will probablye here: I¡¯ll stay as a decoy.¡±

    Luxuria was surprised by Avaritia¡¯s sudden appearance, but she felt his presence even now.

    He wasn¡¯t heading straight for the institute. Even if its path was a roundabout one, the presence gradually approaching the institute was without a doubt Avaritia¡¯s.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t use that word.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, it feels nice to hear you say that.¡±

    Luxuria tried to relieve the atmosphere, but Hmee¡¯s expression was deadly serious.

    ¡°I was wary of you in the beginning, but now I consider you one of us. You¡¯re going to keep protecting the institute with us, so don¡¯t you dare get absorbed by that Greed!!¡±

    ¡°No need for concern. I haven¡¯t the slightest intention to.¡±

    Luxuria saw Hmee off, a reassuring expression on her face.

    ¡°Why did you have to go and say something so nice¡­¡±

    Luxuria whispered towards the door as she felt Hmee¡¯s presence go.

    From a devil¡¯s standpoint, people were supposed to be nothing more than cattle to satisfy their desires. Whether to raise them or ughter them was up to each devil¡¯s will. At least originally.

    The feelings born in Luxuria¡¯s heart, however, were very far from her original instincts.

    ¡°This is so strange¡­I¡¯m supposed to be a devil, and yet¡­¡±

    Luxuria then pulled out a message card and another card from her bosom. Pictured on the card was a human-shaped slime-like being, in the process of being erased by the rays emitted by a globe of light. It was a very powerful anti-devil item: Shin had told Luxuria to use Avaritia as a shield if she had to use it.

    ¡°One wrong move and it¡¯s suicide, so I didn¡¯t want to use it¡­but if worsees to worst, I¡¯ll have to. I wonder why I¡¯m able to think like this¡­¡±

    Luxuria questioned herself while looking at the item that could very well blow her away too.

    She had already performed many actions unthinkable for a devil. Luxuria didn¡¯t understand why.

    However, there was no time to look for answers. She felt that the presence had entered the institute. It had probably destroyed one of the walls protecting it.

    Following Avaritia¡¯s presence, an avnche of monsters broke in too.

    ¡°Looks like Hmee and the others are okay.¡±

    Hmee had already nned an escape route, so she acted quickly. The teleport had already been activated: only Luxuria remained in the institute.

    Avaritia too detected Luxuria¡¯s presence and proceeded on a straight line towards her, uncaring for any obstacles or buildings in the way.

    Luxuria didn¡¯t move an inch. Avaritia probably thought that she had given up on resisting or nned to face him without fleeing.

    Though, both assumptions would be wrong. Luxuria told Hmee that she would act as a decoy, but her aim was to let Hmee and the others flee and also lure Avaritia into a trap.

    ¡°Two devils with the same level, disregarding affinity, are pretty much equal. He¡¯s stronger than me for now, but there¡¯s no reason to fight head-on like a simpleton.¡±

    The distant noise of destruction reached Luxuria¡¯s ears. Avaritia had stepped into Shin¡¯s trap zone.

    Like Luxuria, Avaritia was likely aware of the existence of anti-devil traps. If her memory was correct, they could damage devils, but not straight up kill them.

    Shin¡¯s traps, however, far exceeded Luxuria¡¯s memory. Maybe it was because the traps Luxuria knew of had been made by inexperienced yers, but Shin¡¯s traps had far superior offensive power.

    The explosions continued. Even the sounds caused by the anti-devil traps making the air vibrate and made Luxuria jolt when they reached her ears.

    Some of Shin¡¯s traps were set up to activate chain reactions, so underestimating them would result in very painful regret.

    Shin¡¯s traps exceeded Luxuria¡¯s knowledge such that she even thought that there was the possibility that Avaritia decided to retreat.

    However¡ª

    ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re looking quite manly now.¡±

    Sitting in the infirmary¡¯s chair, Luxuria spoke to Avaritia. He hadn¡¯t stopped even if damaged by the traps, and was now right before Luxuria.

    Because of the destruction, the infirmary was half wrecked too.

    ¡°You can say thAt again. Thanks to that, I was fORced to eat up All the fodDEr I brought wIth me.¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s body was covered in wounds, though they were gradually healing. His HP was also down to about 10%.

    Luxuria almost wanted to praise him for surviving the traps with only 10% HP left. If he had done so with only his powers though.

    The presence of the monsters which entered the institute waspletely gone. Some had probably been destroyed by the aftershocks of Shin¡¯s traps, but most had been devoured by Avaritia.

    Low-level monsters couldn¡¯t survive Avaritia¡¯s drain. Their presence was gone, probably because Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ had swallowed them, corpse and all.

    ¡°You would be even manlier if you went through another round of that, you know? ¡­by the way, are you a man now?¡±

    ¡°GendErs don¡¯t mAtter to dEVIls. WhAT¡¯s manlY abOUt this faCe, anYWay.¡±

    Avaritia, in devil form, looked down on Luxuria. As they spoke, his ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was in the process of surrounding the building and her.

    ¡°We finally meet after all this time, why not chat a little bit?¡±

    ¡°AftEr thoSE trAps? You SUrelY haVe somethINg else in stoRe.¡±

    Avaritia didn¡¯t let his guard down: the traps had surely given him a rough time. The ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ generated by his lower body rushed towards the half-destroyed infirmary.

    ¡°TheRe were MORE?¡±

    Avaritia cursed under his breath. The ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ that tried to attack Luxuria was blocked by a barrier of light, so it couldn¡¯t get any closer.

    It was a barrier set up by Shin, of course. Though it was a trap originally used to seal devils inside, this time it was used to protect the sealed devil from the attacks of others.

    ¡°You cAn¡¯t attACk eithEr LIke this¡­yOU¡¯re buying tIMe.¡±

    ¡°Bingo.¡±

    Avaritia turned towards the presence approaching him and Luxuria grinned smugly. That High Human wouldn¡¯t stay quiet in such a situation. That was the reason why Luxuria chose not to move and buy time.

    ¡°Tch¡­GWAAH!?!¡±

    Avaritia started gathering the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ around himself, as a rain of shining spears fell on him.

    ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was only slightly faster, forming a sphere, it acted as a wall against the spears. The devil managed to protect himself in the nick of time. Avaritia thought so, but only for mere seconds.

    Those spears didn¡¯t just disappear after being blocked. They kept thrusting towards Avaritia, trying to break through the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ barrier.

    Just like booster-powered harpoons, they gradually scattered the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿.

    ¡°NNGH!!¡±

    Avaritia wouldn¡¯t just stay there and suffer though. With arms more powerful than its copies, it punched away the spears blocked by the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿.

    Not even the spears could stand such attacks: leaving behind trails of light, they were sent flying and stuck in the piles of rubble.

    ¡°ThE bASTard is hEre¡­¡±

    Ignoring his sizzling fists, caused by the contact with the spears, Avaritia looked in the direction from which the spears came. What he saw was a knight d in blue and silver armor.

    ¡°You went straight to Luxuria, so you¡¯re the main body I wager?¡±

    ¡ºThe Ark¡» slung over his shoulder, ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡» protecting his body, Shin spoke.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°You¡¯vE tAKen good CAre of my coPIes¡­¡±

    ¡°No need to thank me. My business is with you.¡±

    Shin gauged the current situation while looking up at Avaritia.

    Avaritia¡¯s attack had reduced 1/4 of the institute into rubble. Shin also noticed that the traps had affected Avaritia with weakening debuffs. The only other presence he detected was Luxuria¡¯s: Hmee and the others had clearly evacuated already.

    ¡°Luxuria, don¡¯t step a foot out of there!¡±

    ¡°I know. Even if I tried to force my way out, I wouldn¡¯t be unscathed.¡±

    Luxuria tried touching the light barrier, but her hand was pushed back with a loud snap. The barrier was originally meant to constrict devils, so its effect was tried and true. It blocked magic power from traveling inside or outside it, making it perfect for creating a safe area.

    ¡°Is YOuR liTtle chaT oVEr?¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ erupted from under Shin¡¯s feet. The devil had moved it underground to strike an ambush.

    Shin, however, dispelled the attack by drawing a circle with his ¡ºThe Ark¡».

    ¡°I exPecTed as much, but that swORd is a royAl pain.¡±

    Avaritia probably shared memories with his copies. It was supposed to be the first time the main body saw ¡ºThe Ark¡», but he didn¡¯t show signs of surprise.

    (He¡¯s stronger than thest one?)

    Shin found the sensation transmitted by ¡ºThe Ark¡» to be peculiar.

    During the previous battle against Avaritia¡¯s copy, ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ hadn¡¯t proven to be much of an obstacle.

    Thanks to ¡ºHoly Armor ¨C Vanquisher of Evil¡», ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was just an annoying recovery option Avaritia possessed.

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed that the main body¡¯s level was the same as the copy, 750. The different sensation when slicing ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿, however, convinced Shin that the main body had to be more powerful.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time to waste. I¡¯ll have to end this quick.¡±

    Avaritia did not have any sources of recovery in the surroundings. If they stayed inside the institute, Shin could limit the damage to material ones.

    ¡°DoN¡¯t get YoUr hopES up, bOy.¡±

    Before Shin could move, however, Avaritia said something concerning.

    ¡°Do yoU rEALly ThiNK I didn¡¯t prEpAre anythINg to coUNTer yOu?¡±

    ¡°¡­.what do you want to say?¡±

    Engaging a devil in conversation was risky. Avaritia, who shared memories with its copy, wouldn¡¯t say such a thing without a reason, though.

    ¡°HuMan deSIre knowS No boUnds. EsPEcially for tHE yoUng. It wAs a cINch to set up, yoU know?¡±

    ¡°You¡­!¡±

    Among the students evacuated by Hmee, some had to be under Avaritia¡¯s control. If Shin didn¡¯tply with the devil¡¯s instructions, he would order them to do his bidding.

    ¡°SuIciDe works, aTTacKing the oTHers too. How mANy do yoU thiNK thEy aRe?¡±

    ¡°Filthy bastard¡­¡±

    Shin tightened his grip on ¡ºThe Ark¡». He wanted to wipe Avaritia off the face of the then and there, but if he didn¡¯t literally do so in one blow, the devil wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do what he said.

    Cool your head down. Nothing has been decided yet.

    Shin whispered to himself and rxed his grip on the hilt of the de. He then thought of contacting Schnee via Mind Chat and telling her to contact Hmee.

    Mind Chat did not use magic power, nor required any particr movement. It was possible to contact distant parties without the opponent realizing.

    ¡°What are your demands, then?¡±

    Luxuria probably noticed that Shin¡¯s expression changed, so she spoke to attract Avaritia¡¯s attention. The pupils hiding deep within the goat skull turned towards her.

    ¡°You knOw thAT alrEAdy. I cAMe all the WAy herE to maKe yoU mINe. The hoSTAges are thERe to keEp anyOne elSe out oF the wAy.¡±

    ¡°My, and here I thought you wanted to use them to force me not to resist.¡±

    Luxuria was a staff member of the institute too: keeping students as hostages would work as a threat against her too.

    ¡°A devIl liKE yoU? YoU doN¡¯T caRe aboUT huMAns, do yoU?¡±

    Avaritia honestly wondered why Luxuria would say something like that. Shin started thinking that Luxuria might start fighting without regard for the hostages.

    ¡°You know me well, don¡¯t you.¡±

    Shin saw Luxuria¡¯s cold smile for the first time. He knew what she actually thought, so that smile could only be described as devilish.

    Because he knew Luxuria, though, Shin found her smile somewhat strange. He had only found her devilish in her sensual gestures and alluring provocations. She didn¡¯t disy any of the cruel and cold attitude characteristic of devils, so in a way, she didn¡¯t fit the image Shin had of devils.

    Shin felt that she had to be acting. That¡¯s how different her atmosphere was from the usual Luxuria.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have the human remove this barrier, then. If this stays up, I can¡¯t go out but you can¡¯t do anything either, can you?¡±

    ¡°ThAT¡¯s riGht. Do It, hUMan.¡±

    ¡°¡­.got it.¡±

    Shin had set up the trap, so naturally he could disarm it too. As soon as he did so, Luxuria jumped away from the spot she was standing on.

    ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ had poked out of the ground like a flurry of spears from beneath her.

    ¡°I told you, keep being hasty and you¡¯ll never be popr.¡±

    ¡°I doN¡¯t hAve muCh tIMe, yoU sEe. LeT¡¯s jUSt fUse alrEady. YoU stAy out of It, aLl rIGht?¡±

    Avaritia told Shin to stay put. As long as the hostages were under the devil¡¯smand, Shin couldn¡¯t do anything. He could only wait for the right chance.

    ¡°Hmm, I just don¡¯t like this look, after all.¡±

    The moment Avaritia spoke to Shin, Luxuria turned back to her devil form. She was now about 5 mel tall. A very rough description of her new appearance would be a female upper body on a ball of tentacles. From the tentacles, however, arge arm-shaped appendage extended forward.

    The upper body looked like Luxuria was hugging her generous feminine parts. The arms, however, were attached to her chest: bird-like wings sprouted from her upper arms and shoulders and thorns covered her face from the mouth upwards.

    Her voice was exactly the same as her human form, which sounded like a nasty joke in this situation.

    ¡°YoU lOok jUst wonDErfuL to me.¡±

    ¡°Yourpliments thrill me.¡±

    Avaritia raised a fist: in response, the giant arm protruding from Luxuria¡¯s lower body formed a fist too.

    In stark contrast with the casual tone of their words, the institute was gradually filled by killing intent and insanity. The battle between devils, which had to be avoided at all costs, was about to start.

 Vol 14 Chapter 4.5: Chapter 4 Part 5

    Avaritia and Luxuria . While the two devils began to fight, Hmee couldn¡¯t hide her surprise at the information received from Schnee .

    Some of the students had been charmed by the devil and were now being used as hostages .

    ¡°I have to do something¡­¡±

    Hmee felt she had to act quickly, however, nothing useful came to mind . ¡¾Analyze¡¿ could show if someone was affected by status ailments, but it wouldn¡¯t show anything abnormal if the mind control was performed via skills that used drugs or words .

    Just then, some students approached Hmee .

    ¡°Headmistress, there is something we need to tell you . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very important!¡±

    The students were among the top fighters of the institute, the Elf Lecus and the Dragnil Myu . Gian was behind them too . They had probably been training when they evacuated, as they wore their battle gear .

    ¡°This is an emergency, please standby with your assigned teacher . I will listen to youter . ¡±

    Hmee thought that they wanted her to exin the current situation, so she told them to wait with their teacher .

    ¡°We know that very well . We must speak now, though . ¡±

    ¡°Yes!! Or it will be toote!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no time . As we speak ¡ª¡±

    Luxuria is in danger, is what Hmee was about to blurt out, but she stopped herself just in time .

    These three students would probably be okay, thanks to the mental training they had received from Shin and Schnee, but the other students would likely fall into panic .

    ¡°Headmistress, we aren¡¯t here to waste your time . The students here might be in danger . Please listen to what we have to say . ¡±

    Seeing Hmee turn silent, and Gian stepped forward to talk to her, in a very calm tone . His eyes were deadly serious . Looking at them helped Hmee to regain someposure she had lost .

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°We feel that some of the students here¡­are under the influence of something bad . We thought that you might know something, headmistress . ¡±

    Gian looked at Lecus, who exined further . The allegedly influenced students were enveloped in impure magic or were acting strangely .

    One of them happened to be nearby, so Hmee used ¡¾Analyze¡¿, but no status ailments were disyed . Lecus and the others, however, all said that they were acting strange, albeit each in a different way .

    That was the difference between former yers and pure denizens of this world .

    Most yers thought that learning skills was everything . Because of their experience in the game, their concept of skills was fixed .

    Lecus and the others, however, had a more abstract understanding of skills . Because of this, they couldn¡¯t fully unleash their effects, but they could also sense things and produce effects that yers couldn¡¯t .

    ¡°Did Shin give you any skills?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing . We learned new skills during training, though . I learned ¡¾Magic Vision¡¿, Gian ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿, and Myu ¡¾Insight¡¿ . ¡±

    Skills weren¡¯t something to reveal lightly, but because of the dire situation, Lecus did not hide anything .

    Unlike Shin¡¯s expectations, they all learned perception-rted skills . The reason why they learned different ones was that, in this world, there were conditions to learn skills were different from the game rules Shin was familiar with .

    Before learning the skills, they had never felt sensations such as those they were feeling now, so Lecus was sure that the skills were the cause, a theory that Hmee agreed with .

    ¡°Let¡¯s iste one of them and ask them some questions, then . ¡±

    ¡°I think that person would be the best choice . ¡±

    They needed as many clues as they could . Hmee thought of asking other teachers to help, but Lecus pointed to an instructor before she could .

    ¡°That person feels the same too . ¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the one that¡­¡±

    The instructor Lecus pointed to was listed among the possible spies who leaked ssified information out of the institute . However, the investigation had only reported him as possiblypromised .

    It would be easier to ask a teacher to talk in private . Hmee then called him to one of the shelter rooms used to store goods .

    ¡°What do you need to talk about, ma¡¯am? Will you exin the current situation?¡±

    The male teacher was still rtively shaken because of the sudden teleportation . His eyes swiftly shifted from left to right, his behavior slightly erratic .

    Hmee, without a word, took a card out of the item box and materialized it .

    It was a yellow crystal set on top of a green and white spiral, the ¡ºClear Storm Wand¡» .

    Hmee lightly touched the confused teacher with the tip of the wand . That moment, his whole body trembled and he lost consciousness .

    The ¡ºClear Storm Wand¡» was an anti-devil weapon Shin gave to Hmee .

    Shin had attached it with added magic damage to devils and the ability to clear the influence of devils from whomever it touched .

    It wouldn¡¯t have any effect on those not contaminated by a devil¡¯s influence, so it was clear that the male teacher had been controlled by a devil .

    ¡°Ooh! That weird feeling is gone!¡±

    ¡°Amazing, as expected of our headmistress . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to feel about thatpliment¡­¡±

    Shin had given her that weapon . By herself, Hmee couldn¡¯t have solved the situation so easily .

    Though she was a former yer, by the game¡¯s standards she was in the lower middle ranks at best .

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to worry about that, though . Bring all the people that feel influenced here, I¡¯ll take care of them . Try not to cause amotion . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Lecus replied, Myu gave a huge nod and Gian a smaller one, then they all left the room . Soon enough, they returned with a female student with them .

    Hmee touched the confused student with the wand and she fell down, as if struck by vertigo . Unlike the male teacher, she didn¡¯t lose consciousness .

    ¡°Where¡­am I?¡±

    The girl looked around puzzled: it looked like she didn¡¯t recognize the ce .

    Hmee asked her if she remembered how she came here, not mentioning the devil, and the girl replied that her memories were hazy, as if she had been dreaming . She couldn¡¯t clearly remember what she had been doing .

    Gradually realizing the current situation, the student was starting to panic, so Hmee put her to sleep with a magic spell . She didn¡¯t like doing such a thing, but there was no time tofort her .

    After the male teacher and female student were moved to an empty room in the shelter, Hmee had Lecus¡¯s party continue bring in influenced people to her .

    The students and teachers that gave an unusual feeling were not few, but,pared to the total number of evacuees, they were still a small fraction .

    While waiting for the next victim, Hmee prayed that Shin and the others could buy enough time and stayed safe .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Thundering sounds echoed through the institute .

    No one would think that they were produced by fists striking against fists, flesh shing against flesh .

    They could, however, if those fists belonged to devils . Fistsrge enough to crush people .

    The reinforced bodies of high level monsters wereparable to rare metals in terms of resilience .

    Their massive bodies, ignoring allws of physics, were packed with mass, heavy enough to carve the ground they walked on . Now, two of such walking cmities were battling each other .

    Each sh of their fists shook the earth and the air .

    ¡°LoOks liKe yoU¡¯ve goT yoUr shAre of pent-UP frUStrAtioN!¡±

    ¡°Spare me the disgustingments!¡±

    The devils exchanged casual quips along with blows . There was a gap of 50 levels between them .

    Unlike yers, whose level cap was 255 and individual stats varied greatly, the stats of monsters depended heavily on their level . The higher the level, the stronger the monster: it was as simple as that .

    Excluding affinities and the monsters which specialized in specific stats, normally the monster with higher level was stronger . This was especially true for devils, which had high stats overall .

    No clear difference could be seen from the two devils as they exchanged punches, however . The reason was the magic power Luxuria had umted while in Erkunt .

    The source for her magic power was human desire, which strongly spiraled around human towns . There was a limit to how much magic power could be stocked, but Luxuria had enough to fill a 50 levels gap .

    ¡°How loNg can yoU keEp up, HMMm?¡±

    ¡°Kh!¡±

    Naturally, however, such magic power would be depleted as the battle continued . As it did, the gap between Avaritia and Luxuria would widen .

    Devils possessed vast powers . Precisely because of that, the magic power decreased at rming speed . Little by little, Luxuria was starting to lose the edge in their battle of blows .

    Luxuria¡¯s lower body tentacles were also being approached by Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ .

    ¡°Get that disgusting thing away from me!!¡±

    In response to Luxuria¡¯s shout, her tentacles trembled, unraveled from the ball, and emitted purple smoke from their tips . Their aim was the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ crawling on the ground .

    When touched by the purple smoke, the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ spread all over the floor disappeared with a sizzling sound .

    It was one of the skills Luxuria could use in devil form, ¡¾Fading Purple Haze¡¿ . It could inflict heavy damage to equipment and, to yers, ¡¾Paralysis¡¿ and ¡¾Bloodred Poison¡¿ .

    The mist¡¯s strong acidic properties would continuously inflict damage if one stayed inside it: that was the reason why ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was disappearing .

    ¡°BabE, I jUst wanTEd to celEBRate our meeTIng with a hUG . ¡±

    ¡°Too bad, I already have a special someone . ¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s tentacles endlessly spewed the ¡¾Purple Haze¡¿, burning through Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ . The Greed devil, however, always looked in control of the situation . Luxuria¡¯s ¡¾Purple Haze¡¿ was very effective against yers, but against devils it barely managed to sear the skin surface .

    The unique abilities devils possessed weren¡¯t very useful against other devils . That applied to Luxuria too . Even among specimens of the same species, however, there was good or bad affinity .

    Avaritia¡¯s ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was a draining ability . As opposed to Luxuria¡¯s ¡¾Purple Haze¡¿, it couldn¡¯t be ignored because it would have little effect .

    Because of the two devils¡¯ affinity, if Luxuria touched the sludge even a little she would be sapped of her strength even more than the usual .

    ¡°If yoU waAnt to gIVe up, now¡¯s tHE beSt, TIMe, yoU knOw? Make my lIfE a lITTle eASier . ¡±

    Avaritia urged Luxuria to surrender, confident of being in an advantageous position . Despite his boastful attitude, the blows he unleashed were as fierce as before .

    ¡°Too bad for you, I never know when to give up . Why are you even asking a devil to be a good loser?¡±

    Luxuria switched to a defensive stance, focusing on buying time .

    Shin could not move because of the hostages, but Luxuria thought that he had to have contacted Schnee . In addition, Avaritia¡¯s attitude and speech were as cocky as ever, but Luxuria felt that he actually wasn¡¯t as confident as he wanted to sound .

    The reason was obvious: standing right behind him was an opponent he couldn¡¯t defeat even if he fused with Luxuria . If the hostages were rescued or Shin decided to ept a few sacrifices, the situation would change in a sh .

    Avaritia was definitely acting confident to hasten a conclusion, or so Luxuria thought while blocking his attacks .

    ¡°Do you n to absorb him too after me?¡±

    ¡°No wAY . As sOOn as you¡¯RE mINe, I¡¯m hIGhtaILing it oUt of Here . EvEn uSIng the hOStaGes, that gUy is tOo mUCh of a bEAsT . ¡±

    Avaritia replied to Luxuria¡¯s question, for the first time with a cold and dry tone . He knew that even after absorbing two other devils and using hostages, he couldn¡¯t win against Shin .

    Avaritia¡¯s fists struck again, shaking Luxuria¡¯s body .

    Not much time had passed since they started fighting, but the magic power Luxuria had stocked was already half depleted by Avaritia¡¯s flurry of punches and ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ .

    Because of that, the level difference between the two devils was growing ever starker .

    Luxuria did not have much leeway either . Most of her skills inflicted the opponent with status ailments, but were of little use against other devils .

    Her strongest strategy was to shower the enemy party with status ailments and disrupt their teamwork . Against a single opponent or someone who resisted status ailments, her strongest point was practically useless .

    ¡°I still have a couple cards to y, though . ¡±

    She didn¡¯t know how useful it could prove to be, but she would just gradually lose like that . Ready to y all cards at her disposal, Luxuria released her power even more .

    The vines covering her head squirmed . After a few seconds, countless rips and cracks appeared on the surface of the vines .

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Avaritia clicked his tongue and packed even more power into his punches . Luxuria could still defend herself, albeit barely .

    The rips and cracks on the vines grew wider, gradually revealing human mouths . The countless mouths that appeared on the vines drew in air .

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Luxuria activated her skill after making sure that Shin, still behind Avaritia, had covered his ears with his hands .

    All the mouths emitted a shriek . Shrill voices, low voices, clear voices and twisted voices . A multitude of mixed voices that attacked the opponent¡¯s mind .

    It was a shockwave attack that also inflicted status ailments, called ¡¾Dread Luby¡¿ .

    Most status ailments couldn¡¯t affect other devils, but the shockwave would .

    This too was a wide-range indiscriminate attack . It blew away both Avaritia¡¯s own body and the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿, with a deadly luby that would turn a normal person into a lifeless husk .

    ¡°YoU¡¯re tOo dAMN lOUD, bITch!¡±

    Avaritia cursed while holding the ground with his hands . The ¡¾Dread Luby¡¿ was one of Luxuria¡¯s most powerful attacks .

    Even if Avaritia was safe from the status ailments, he couldn¡¯t just shrug it off .

    The more powerful Avaritia was gradually pushed back . The attack was a shockwave in all directions, so it damaged the institute too, but with a battle between devils going on so close, that was par for the course .

    Incidentally, Shin quietly used Avaritia as a shield against the attack .

    ¡°TIme for pAYbAck . ¡±

    As the effects of Luxuria¡¯s ¡¾Dread Luby¡¿ subdued, ck lights started glowing from the tips of Avaritia¡¯s goat horns .

    After a few seconds of charging, the ck lights were shot towards Luxuria . Compared to Avaritia¡¯s massive body, the lights seemed quite small, but were actually one mel wide .

    Luxuria couldn¡¯t avoid Avaritia¡¯s attack . The ck globes traveled close to Luxuria and exploded, enveloping herrge body in the st .

    Just like blots of ink falling over the painting of a scenery, the very air around them seemed to be covered in ck, for the three seconds of the attack .

    It was Avaritia¡¯s most powerful skill, ¡¾Bullets of Corruption¡¿ .

    ¡°Kh¡­¡±

    Luxuria had forgone the option of avoiding the st and did all she could to protect herself .

    It was of course a very powerful attack, but if a yer was hit with it, their max HP would also be reduced to half . For this reason, it was nicknamed the ¡°frontline killer skill¡± .

    Other devils wouldn¡¯t be affected by the half max HP effect, but being hit by all bullets would cause considerable damage .

    Part of Luxuria¡¯s tentacles and wings was gone, herrge arm was partially torn off, the other half charred ck, still .

    ¡°That was pretty rough¡­¡±

    Differently from Luxuria¡¯s focus on status ailments, Avaritia¡¯s skills were primarily designed for draining . Luxuria suffered heavy damage because this skill had low draining capabilities, being primed for causing damage .

    This was the same for yers and monsters alike, and did not change in the new world either . If one wanted to raise the drained amount, it was necessary to either attack more times or raise the damage of each attack .

    Avaritia¡¯s skills increased in draining ability as the damage increased .

    ¡°ThAt wAsn¡¯t eNOugh, huh . ¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I would go down this easily, did you . ¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s stats were based on defense . Even after suffering Avaritia¡¯s brutal attack, she could still move enough .

    The ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ sent as follow-up was burned by ¡¾Purple Haze¡¿ . Luxuria¡¯s tentacles had decreased in number, however, so the sludge was closer than before .

    Because of the damage suffered by her giant arm, Luxuria could not fully parry Avaritia¡¯s attacks anymore .

    ¡°Ladies, should be, treated with care!¡±

    ¡°HaH! No nEEd fOR cOmplImEnts bETweEn uS!¡±

    The situation was nowpletely one-sided .

    Luxuria could only parry one of Avaritia¡¯s fists with her arm: the other had to be blocked by her tentacles . Because of that, she couldn¡¯t stop ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿¡¯s progress as well as before .

    Luxuria, locked in a defensive stance, saw her body gradually surrounded by ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ .

    ¡°What a nuisance!!¡±

    ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ was also limiting Luxuria¡¯s movements . Little by little, Avaritia¡¯s fists started breaking through Luxuria¡¯s defenses .

    With shes strong enough to make the air vibrate, Luxuria¡¯s body floated in the air slightly .

    ¡°YoU serIoUsly puT up a gOod fIghT . ¡±

    Avaritia continued to attack relentlessly . His rush of fists didn¡¯t let up, together with ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ . The greed devil¡¯s punches rained through Luxuria¡¯s defenses .

    She was still parrying, but it was just a flimsy difference from her opponent¡¯s attacks hitting cleanly: Luxuria was practically turned into a sandbag .

    ¡°Haha!! HahAhAhaHA!! HaHAHaHA!¡°

    Avaritia¡¯sugh echoed through the surroundings . Luxuria¡¯s body was tattered, more than half of it was painted ck .

    She could tell, somehow, that Shin was holding himself back from acting .

    She had secretly sent him a message before turning to devil form, so he wouldn¡¯t do anything until all hostages were freed .

    ¡°¡­ . HahAha¡­hAh . ¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s fists stopped .

    ¡°What¡­are you doing?¡±

    Only Luxuria¡¯s head remained uncovered by the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ . She couldn¡¯t imagine what Avaritia was nning by stopping to attack then and there .

    ¡°ThAt¡¯s mY lINe . YOur atTAckS aRe liGht, yoU dOn¡¯t eVen dOdge . YoU stOckEd alL tHat pOwEr, but Didn¡¯T eVen usE it rIGhT . ¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s level was higher, but after they both used their skills, one was almost unscathed, the other almost out ofmission . The gap was far too wide .

    The key fact was that Luxuria failed to dodge the ¡¾Bullets of Corruption¡¿ . Even if her body was now gigantic, her high level also granted her high speed . It was unthinkable that she would be hit by all bullets, shot right in front of her .

    ¡°DoN¡¯t tELL me thAt yoU wOrrIed aBOut the dESTrucTIon? YoU, a dEVil?¡±

    If she had gone all out, ¡¾Dread Luby¡¿ would have extended its reach as far as outside the institute .

    If she had dodged the ¡¾Bullets of Corruption¡¿, some of them too would have caused damage outside the institute .

    Luxuria¡¯s behavior, bizarre enough to make Avaritia stop attacking, was motivated by her desire of wanting to limit damage and casualties .

    ¡°Hmm¡­? I don¡¯t know¡­what you¡¯re hinting at . ¡±

    Luxuria had no intention of giving Avaritia an honest answer .

    She didn¡¯t know herself why she had done that . Her own life should be the most important thing, but before she realized it, she had blocked all ¡¾Bullets of Corruption¡¿ with her own body .

    She couldn¡¯t resist anymore . Avaritia would now absorb her, erasing her existence for the world .

    Her body would resurrect, one day . It will probably inherit her memories too . The next Luxuria, however, would be a different entity .

    Even with the same memories, her feelings would not be the same . In a way, that was the same as ¡°death¡± .

    ¡°Are yoU¡­rEAlLy the dEvIl of lUst?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Luxuria did not have enough strength left in her to even speak . Avaritia¡¯s eyes grew narrower as he watched the defenseless Luxuria . His ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ then resumed its progress, without meeting any resistance .

    Luxuria was fully covered by ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ and turned into a ck cocoon .

    ¡°ThIs¡­iS¡­¡±

    Avaritia looked at the cocoon with suspicion .

    The battle was over, Luxuria did not resist anymore . The fusion should have started already .

    Despite this, Luxuria was still existing inside the cocoon .

    Avaritia had no recollection of such a phenomenon . That was enough to create an opening .

    Explosions resounded behind Avaritia, attracting his attention . That very instant, a blue and silver sh passed right next to the devil .

    ¡°YOu¡ª!?!¡±

    The sh deftly kicked the air to dodge Avaritia¡¯s fist and approached the cocoon .

    ¡°I pray it¡¯s not toote¡­haaaAAAAh!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºThe Ark¡» sliced open the cocoon .

 Vol 14 Chapter 4.6: Chapter 4 Part 6

    Sparks scattered in the air . Two des shed both chipping away at each other .

    ¡°You¡¯re not half bad!¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much!¡±

    The battle between Fagall and Namsaar, which started before Luxuria and Avaritia¡¯s, was continuing, in favor of Namsaar ¨C as controlled by Avaritia¡¯s copy .

    The room¡¯s interior was almost unrecognizable because of the fighting .

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use your full power? Are you still ying around?¡±

    Either he decided to only use a certain extent of power or something was limiting him . Fagall couldn¡¯t tell by Namsaar¡¯s slight changes in expression, but fully focused on it .

    ¡°Defeat me and I¡¯ll tell you . ¡±

    The thrust longsword was redirected by Fagall¡¯s twin swords . Namsaar was superior to Fagall in terms of muscr power, so shing against him head on was not a smart strategy .

    Fagall considered his options . He wanted to stop Avaritia and Luxuria from fighting, but he couldn¡¯t leave Namsaar unchecked . It was especially dangerous if his aim was the king .

    There were also other workers and soldiers in the pce . Even if he was at a disadvantage, he couldn¡¯t simply ditch them and run .

    ¡°It really doesn¡¯t feel like someone else is controlling you . ¡±

    The swordy was just like Namsaar¡¯s . Fagall had asked why his opponent didn¡¯te at him with his full power, but if he had from the start, Fagall¡¯s situation would be in a much worse now .

    The longsword, deflected by Fagall¡¯s twin des, stopped and abruptly changed direction to a horizontal sh .

    Fagall jumped in the direction of the sh and put some distance between himself and his opponent .

    ¡°That¡¯s a nasty weapon you got there . ¡±

    ¡°We knew that a devil wasing . We had to be prepared this much . ¡±

    A kind of ck smoke rose from Namsaar¡¯s longsword, from the part that had shed against Fagall¡¯s twin swords .

    The des Fagall was equipped with were the twin swords ¡ºRegulus¡» . They had anti-devil attributes, of course .

    He had received them from Schnee when she hade to the pce to train the soldiers . Without them, the situation would surely be much worse .

    ¡°You and that woman too, you¡¯re a pain in the ass with your weapons¡­¡±

    Namsaar, controlled by Avaritia, was superior in terms of fighting prowess, but Fagall had better weapons .

    Fagall thanked Shin mentally and went on the offensive .

    The right ¡ºRegulus¡» was imbued with lightning, the left ¡ºRegulus¡» with mes .

    Fagall used a different skill for each sword . It was the first and foremost advantage in using a two-sword fighting style .

    Fagall swung the thunder-d ¡ºRegulus¡» first .

    Namsaar would recover quickly thanks to the devil¡¯s power, but his movements would at least slow down .

    He would either deflect the attack with his longsword or dodge it . So Fagall predicted, but things went differently this time . Namsaar, against all expectations, grabbed ¡ºRegulus¡» with his left hand .

    ¡°Wow, this sure packs a punch!¡±

    The thunder attack ran across Namsaar¡¯s whole body and slowed down his movements .

    The gauntlet covered hand that caught ¡ºRegulus¡» emitted a sizzling sound, like water poured over melting iron . The grasp on the de was still firm, though .

    ¡°You, bastard!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too early to stop, man . ¡±

    Fagall¡¯s hesitation was punished by Namsaar¡¯s longsword . The former managed to intercept the sh with his other sword, so he avoided being cut in half .

    He couldn¡¯t fully block the longsword with just one of his swords, however: the left ¡ºRegulus¡» was blown away and Fagall was shoved against a wall, moaning in pain .

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time for the coup de grace . You¡¯ve dyed me long enough . ¡±

    ¡°I got to say¡­I¡¯m honored to be considered so important¡­¡±

    Fagall wondered why he received such ¡°special treatment¡±, then thought: at least Sherlene was free to act .

    Namsaar¡¯s words, however, made him realize that he was wrong .

    ¡°I¡¯ve already dealt with her . You people would be ready to sacrifice few to save many¡­I can¡¯t stop you like I did with the other guy . Besides, you¡¯re still worth using . ¡±

    Namsaar readied his longsword .

    ¡°¡­ . I see, that¡¯s why you¡¯re not concerned with Lady Sherlene then¡­¡±

    Fagall let out a very faint whisper . The tone of his voice had changed .

    In the blink of an eye -a speed that could not be described any other way- Fagall moved .

    His twin swords drew two arcs in the air . One deflected Namsaar¡¯s longsword, the other aimed for his neck .

    ¡°Sheesh, that was close!¡±

    Namsaar touched the fresh wound . ¡ºRegulus¡» had undoubtedly reached his neck .

    However, Namsaar didn¡¯t just let himself be attacked . He had twisted his body in order to limit damage to the smallest possible area .

    His neck had been sliced up to the carotid, but his magic power quickly stopped the blood loss .

    ¡°Never seen such a technique . You didn¡¯t even tell yourrades? You lonely bastard . ¡±

    Fagall¡¯s speed was much higher than before: it was obvious for Namsaar to be wary .

    Fagall didn¡¯t answer . He used Namsaar¡¯s wariness to draw a deep breath .

    ¡°!!¡±

    The knight then moved again . A lightning quick technique,sting a fraction of a second .

    If Avaritia wasn¡¯t in control of his body, Namsaar¡¯s head would be rolling on the ground .

    ¡°Tch, you¡¯re pretty damn fast now . ¡±

    Namsaar¡¯s defense couldn¡¯t keep up with Fagall¡¯s speed . However, he wasn¡¯t defeated since he avoided lethal wounds and recovered at insane speeds .

    Fagall couldn¡¯t inflict lethal wounds, while Namsaar couldn¡¯t keep up with his speed . Their bout continued, with neither able to break the stalemate .

    However, the first to reach his limits, was Fagall .

    Gradually, the wounds he inflicted on Namsaar were shallower and shallower, fewer and fewer . In the end he stopped, breathing heavily .

    ¡°I see, you¡¯ve been using your own lifeforce, reckless fool . ¡±

    Namsaar understood thanks to his own draining abilities . Fagall was attacking one-sidedly, but losing strength in the process .

    Fagall had used the support skill ¡¾Overboost¡¿ . It was a skill born from one Shin had used in the past, which provided better boosts than normal support skills, at the cost of one¡¯s HP .

    Naturally, if used for a long time it would corner the user before the opponent .

    ¡°Too bad you had to fight me . I guess you would have defeated anyone else with that . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­ . . ¡±

    Fagall didn¡¯t answer . He was severely fatigued and had no way to recover .

    Namsaar continued talking before his weakened opponent, taunting him to try to do anything .

    ¡°Why work so hard? Your hero buddy isn¡¯ting to save you . You should have turned tail a long ass time ago!¡±

    ¡°Too¡­bad¡­I can¡¯t¡­do that¡­¡±

    Fagall felt like that was a possibility too, but he bit his lips to seal his weakness inside .

    He remembered what his subordinates said when they saw the royal soldiers, under the influence of mental skills .

    ¡°Ifdy Sherlene cannot fight, then I must stand¡­¡±

    ¡°You? You¡¯re weaker than her . What can you do?¡±

    In terms of stats, Sherlene was superior to Fagall .

    Fagall himself was aware that, even if they wereuded as the two heroes, there was a gap in strength between them .

    ¡°That¡¯s easy¡­I¡­swore an oath . ¡±

    What was that worth, though? If one was weak, they should let the strong handle everything .

    That wasn¡¯t the point, though . That was wrong, thought Fagall .

    ¡°I have taken upon the sword to protect this country . Even if I am weaker, I am still its hero . I shall stand in the way of those who threaten my country, till I draw myst breath!¡±

    Before finishing the sentence, Fagall activated a skill and attacked .

    His HP was already in the red . If he didn¡¯t change strategy, his HP would reach zero in a matter of minutes .

    He would either stop right before dying or just die . Fagall never tried before, so he didn¡¯t know if it would work . In any case, he wouldn¡¯t stop . He was ready to bring down his enemy with him .

    He could only pray that Shin and the others somehow stopped Avaritia¡¯s main body . That was his only regret .

    ¡°OOOOOOAAAAHHHH!!!¡±

    Fagall¡¯s roar shook the very air in the room . His sh was even faster, even sharper, s it attacked Namsaar .

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ve got to get serious too . ¡±

    Seconds before the sh hit, Avaritia released his power . He had held back in order to keep using Namsaar, but if his enemy was going to self-destruct, he didn¡¯t need to anymore .

    Namsaar¡¯s body, with stats already equal to a hero, was further boosted by the devil¡¯s power . Its movements even Fagall, who was consuming his own lifeforce to power himself up .

    Fagall¡¯s shes were all blocked by Namsaar¡¯s longsword, now fully d in ck mist . Not only that, the devil-controlled captain of the guards even aimed to strike a counter .

    Fagall wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge or even defend himself against Namsaar¡¯s new speed if he hadn¡¯t reinforced himself .

    ¡°Just give up, you¡¯ll feel much better . ¡±

    ¡°I refuse!!¡±

    As he spoke, Fagall instinctively felt that the next attack would be hisst, and focused everyst ounce of his strength into it .

    ¡°That¡¯s a damn shame . ¡±

    His right de cut into Namsaar¡¯s left side, while the left one shed him from the shoulder towards the chest .

    He failed to cut himpletely, however, because of Namsaar¡¯s resilience and the protection provided by his armor .

    The sizzling sound of burning flesh rose from the wounds: ¡ºRegulus¡» managed to damage Namsaar¡¯s body, but it was far from being lethal . The body was Namsaar¡¯s, but the recovery speed was Avaritia¡¯s . The wounds would bepletely healed soon after the swords were removed .

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡±

    Fagall¡¯s hands released his swords . He was not dead, but he did not have the strength to even stand anymore .

    Namsaar extended a hand towards the falling Fagall . Thetter¡¯s life was almost spent: with the devil¡¯s powers, it would be simple to turn him into a puppet .

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Just before he could touch Fagall, Namsaar readied his sword again . The next instant, a spear emitting blinding light flew in from outside the room .

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    Namsaar knocked away the spear, but the impact pushed his back to the window .

    ¡°Looks like I barely made it . ¡±

    Sherlene caught the deflected spear and prepared to defend Fagall from Namsaar .

    ¡°What the, how the hell did you regain your senses?¡­Ahh, no need to answer, I got it . ¡±

    Looking at Sherlene¡¯s spear was enough to know the answer . The sacred aura emitted by the holy spear ¡ºGuildern¡» was clearly felt by those in the room .

    Just like Fagall¡¯s ¡ºRegulus¡», it wasn¡¯t just a powerful weapon .

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how long you canst, with that weight on your shoulders and all!¡±

    Sherlene parried Namsaar¡¯s longsword with the hilt of her spear . He was still at full power, so a single blow was enough to force Sherlene to her knees . Fagall¡¯s twin ¡ºRegulus¡» swords were still lodged in Namsaar¡¯s shoulder and stomach, but there was no blood .

    ¡°You had to dodge that, so the weight would be gone too . Or do you want to finish him off yourself? I can wait that long, go ahead . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a pretty chatty fellow . ¡±

    Sherlene¡¯s expression clearly showed how dire the situation was . She had used a recovery potion on Fagall without being noticed, but maybe because he had pushed his body to the limits with the power-up skill, his limbs couldn¡¯t move yet .

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to kill you off, but I guess I have no choice . ¡±

    Namsaar¡¯s longsword pushed against ¡ºGuildern¡» . Even if the spear was a superior weapon, Namsaar¡¯s own stats were higher . The jet ck sword was closer and closer to Sherlene¡¯s face .

    ¡°In the end you just bought some time . Why did you even attack at that timing?¡±

    ¡°Just say, whatever . ¡±

    The de and hilt grinded against each other . It was just a matter of time¡ªanyone would say so, but the next moment, they all felt something burst out: it struck Fagall, Sherlene and Namsaar too .

    There was no sound, but all of them felt ¡°something¡± propagated throughout Erkunt .

    ¡°What the¡­? Gah¡­GHAAAAAHHHH!!!¡±

    When this ¡°something¡± passed through Fagall and Sherlene and reached Namsaar, the situationpletely changed . Namsaar, who was pressuring Sherlene, started screaming in pain .

    Fagall, who barely managed to stand back up, saw ck mist rising from the wounds his ¡ºRegulus¡» had inflicted on Namsaar¡¯s body, leaking at a very high speed .

    Soon enough, the ck mist formed a sort of ck puddle next to Namsaar¡¯s body .

    ¡°What in the world . . ?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know . But whatever just passed through our bodies seems to be on our side . ¡±

    Fagall walked next to Sherlene . He was feeling much better all of a sudden . Looking at the progressively disappearing mist, he felt that the devil¡¯s power was fading away .

    Namsaar¡¯s armor and longsword were gradually returning to normal too . Soon after, the mistpletely disappeared from Namsaar¡¯s body . The ¡ºRegulus¡» des fell on their own, leaving no wounds behind . Namsaar¡¯s body copsed to the floor, unscathed but powerless .

    ¡°WhAt . . DId¡­yOu¡­¡±

    The mass of ck mist forced out of Namsaar¡¯s body spoke . The two heroes did not know what it was, but readied their weapons nheless .

    They did not reply . Without a word, Sherlene thrust ¡ºGuildern¡»and Fagall swung ¡ºRegulus¡» .

    The shapeless mist reduced in mass after every blow, as if blown away by the wind . The area struck by the weapons disappeared along its surroundings, so it did not take much time until the mistpletely vanished .

    ¡°Is it¡­over?¡±

    ¡°Possibly . Sir Namsaar¡¯s body seems to be healed too . This time we¡¯re always getting rescued, aren¡¯t we¡­¡±

    Sherlene replied to a sigh to Fagall, their nerves finally rxed .

    The threat wasn¡¯tpletely gone, but they were confident that the end was near .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The people under the devil¡¯s influence were all freed . Shin received this message just as Luxuria had been swallowed by the ¡¾Lifedrain Sludge¡¿ .

    ¡°!!!¡±

    The moment he understood Hmee¡¯s message, Shin kicked the ground with all his might .

    The cocoon had already formed . Though he didn¡¯t know how devils absorbed each other, he had no intention of giving up .

    Shin passed by Avaritia with one step and leapt towards Luxuria with the second .

    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not toote¡­haaaAAAAh!!¡±

    ¡ºThe Ark¡» sliced through the cocoon, which put up little to no resistance .

    Shin¡¯s momentum made himnd behind Luxuria . The following instant, an explosion of light burst behind him .

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    Shin got back on his feet, turned around and saw light seeping out of the cocoon . He also saw Avaritia, his arms crossed to protect his body, being pushed back . The light from the cocoon was burning his whole body .

    ¡°The cocoon is breaking down?¡±

    Cracks extended all over the cocoon from the gash cut open by Shin .

    Dozens of secondster, the cocoon crumbled . Luxuria¡¯s silhouette, as it was before the fight, was nowhere to be seen .

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Luxuria was there, but in human form . However, she was much different than what Shin remembered .

    Luxuria, floating inside white light, was wrapped in white bandages, shining as strongly as the light . A bright halo was even shining behind her .

    The shining halo was projecting a kind of pattern, as tall as Luxuria was . There were 4 of such patterns on her right and 4 on her left, looking just like wings .

    ¡°Is that really¡­Luxuria?¡±

    The moment she appeared, a wave-like ¡°something¡± expanded in the surroundings . It passed through Shin¡¯s body, but he didn¡¯t feel anything .

    The only one affected seemed to be Avaritia .

    ¡°GWAAAAAHHHHHH!?!¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s whole body distorted and contorted . He had to be in indescribable pain .

    ¡°Who knew something like this could happen¡­¡±

    Pale blue and white light shone from Luxuria¡¯s hands, the same color as her wings . She shot repeatedly spears of light, which stabbed Avaritia¡¯s body, still in the throes of pain, openingrge holes in it .

    ¡°Y . . yoU¡­thAt¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you even need to ask? Any devil could tell . I was really surprised too, though . ¡±

    ¡°A deVIl¡­tuRnIng inTo an AngEl¡­? GivE¡­me . . a¡­fUc¡­¡±

    Avaritia¡¯s body then vanished into smoke . What remained was just the ¡ºDrop of Avaritia¡», proof of his defeat .

    Shin was confused by the sudden development, and Luxuria looked at him, chuckling .

    ¡°Oh my, did I scare you?¡±

    Luxuria descended next to Shin and asked him a question, cocking her head to the side .

    ¡°I¡¯ve just never seen or heard anything like this . To be perfectly honest, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good thing or a bad thing . ¡±

    Before disappearing, Avaritia mentioned the word ¡°angel¡± . Seeing that she had defeated a devil, it was fair to think that she would be an ally .

    However, Shin -despite his vast knowledge of THE NEW GATE¡¯s bestiary- had never seen an angel . The game¡¯s producers had hinted at their existence, but no yer ever reported encountering one .

    Angels were often depicted as the counterparts of devils . Just like devils, however, they were categorized as monsters . As long as they were monsters, there was the chance that they would antagonize humanity .

    ¡°I understand where you¡¯reing from, but I have no idea why this happened . But I do understand that I¡¯ve turned into an angel, and still have my memories as a devil . I remember you all too, of course . ¡±

    ¡°So angels really existed¡­¡±

    ¡°I suppose they were a transformation of Deadly Sin devils . I kind of felt it after transforming, but it looks like I¡¯m the protector of ¡°Love¡± now . ¡±

    ¡°The virtue opposite to the deadly sin, I guess? I heard that they aren¡¯t officially established as opposites though¡­anyway, there¡¯s no need to probe deeper into that right now, I suppose . ¡±

    Shin tried recalling what he had read when researching about the deadly sin devils, but did not remember much in detail .

    ¡°Whoa, I almost forgot . Now that Avaritia¡¯s defeated, I have to go into town . The summoned monsters are going wild . ¡±

    ¡°No need to worry, that¡¯s already taken care of . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . what?¡±

    Shin was about to leave to go help Schnee, but Luxuria stopped him . ording to her, the first wave of energy thing she released ¨C ¡¾Saint Wave¡¿ ¨C erased both the magic circles influenced by devil power and the monsters they summoned .

    Shin checked the map and confirmed that the presences of monsters across town were indeed nowhere to be seen .

    ¡°Amazing¡­and I thought that we had still a lot to do . ¡±

    ¡°It only work against devils and their influence . Though, I could only do this thanks to you . If you didn¡¯t cut open the cocoon, I think I would have been assimted by Avaritia . ¡±

    ¡°If you have to thank someone, thank Hmee . They freed all the hostages, that¡¯s why I could act . ¡±

    Shin was forced to do nothing while Luxuria was suffering Avaritia¡¯s attacks, so he felt guilty instead .

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that . I could do my best because you were there . ¡±

    Before transforming in devil form, Luxuria had sent a message to Shin, telling him to not do anything until the hostages were freed, even if she were to lose .

    She had asked Avaritia if he would withdraw after absorbing her for the same reason . She had fought while considering her assimtion a viable option .

    ¡°Even if I lost, Avaritia would be defeated by you . Thanks to this experience, it would be possible to prepare countermeasures against hostages in the future . That¡¯s why my sacrifice wouldn¡¯t have been in vain¡­after I realized that, I felt a weight off my chest . ¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Shin was about to say that she shouldn¡¯t even think about things like that, but Luxuria smiled and put a finger on his lips .

    ¡°I¡¯m free to choose who to be grateful to, so you don¡¯t need to concern yourself with anything . Isn¡¯t there anything you¡¯d like me to do, instead? I¡¯m not a devil anymore, so you can entrust your whole self to me, you know? Incidentally, I¡¯m not wearing anything at the moment, up here or down there¡­so I¡¯m a bit chilly, I would love to be warmed up, honestly . ¡±

    ¡°Hey! Tell the truth, you¡¯re still half a devil, aren¡¯t you? Or maybe you¡¯re an angel, but the angel of lust¡­¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s words quickly took a turn for the ¡°romantic¡± after she mentioned Shin entrusting himself to her, causing Shin to sigh in disbelief .

    Stopping Luxuria from removing her belt, he was relieved that at least one major threat was over .

 Vol 15 Chapter 1.1: Chapter 1 Part 1

    At the Erkunt Institute of Magic, Shin fought with one of the Deadly Sin Devils, the greed devil Avaritia . During the battle, another one of the deadly sins, the lust devil Luxuria, had transformed into the counterpart of a devil, an angel . Thanks to her power, Shin was victorious .

    After neutralizing the devil¡¯s attack, Shin contacted Schnee, one of his support characters . Thanks to Luxuria¡¯s powers, the monster summoning circles had vanished, however, the damage and casualties were still great . Schnee did not know the overall situation either, but, thanks to the monsters¡¯ disappearance, the rescue and healing of the wounded popce could start .

    ¡°I¡¯m going into the city, but what about you, Luxuria?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­I think I will teleport to the institute¡¯s shelter and meet up with Hmee . I already messaged that it¡¯s safe now, so I think everyone¡¯s probably back already . But before that I have something to request of you, would that be fine?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the request . ¡±

    Shin would be in a spot if she started saying, again, how she wasn¡¯t wearing anything down there or up there, so he replied cautiously .

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so defensive . I just want to borrow some clothes . As you can see, I only have this belt¡­cloth? Well, this piece of clothing covering my body, which was given form thanks to my powers, but I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t be proper to walk around like this . ¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s shoulders dropped .

    Shin focused on her single piece of clothing and the words ¡ºAngel Sash¡» appeared . It was handled as a material apparently .

    The ¡ºAngel Sash¡» covered Luxuria from her chest to her thighs . It hugged her body very tightly, evidencing her curses . Other than the parts wrapped by the sash, there were bands on her arms too, which floated loosely around them .

    Maybe because the fighting was over, the halo of light on her back and the wings that extended from it had disappeared .

    ¡°Well, I guess I can do that . Clothes and shoes first . ¡±

    Shin opened his item box and took out a random outfit . It was something used to raise skill level and did not have any particr attributes .

    He recalled Luxuria mentioning not wearing anything ¡°down there or up there¡± and casually sorted his inventory, wondering if he had forgotten anything in there . Indeed, he found several items that he almost had forgotten the existence of .

    ¡°Then¡­underwear, I guess . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . oh? Did you say¡­underwear?¡±

    Luxuria had heard very clearly .

    ¡°Dear Shin? Do you mind telling me the reason why you are in possession ofdies¡¯ underwear, sopletely naturally? You won¡¯t say that you made underwear of your liking for Schnee to¡ª¡±

    Luxuria looked at the item cards and asked the question . While talking, her expression turned to incredulity .

    ¡°No way!! I just left in some I had made to raise my creation skills, who knows when . I did them when I was still a newbie, so they don¡¯t even have automatic size adjustment capabilities . ¡±

    The item box was said to be uselessly spacious . Because of this, items created in the early stages of adventuring sometimesy forgotten in the depths of the box . It happened often to creation-oriented yers like Shin: his item box contained many items that could only be considered trash by now .

    Shin had half-forgotten he still stored that underwear, after all .

    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±

    ¡°I feel another horrible misunderstanding has been created¡­¡±

    Luxuria seemed to clearly question Shin¡¯s exnation, but he didn¡¯t know what else to say . He, a male yer, had female underwear in his item box . Anything he said would surely sound like an excuse .

    ¡°Never mind . I¡¯ll change then . ¡±

    After Luxuria¡¯s words, the sash wrapped around her body vanished . It happened so suddenly that Shin couldn¡¯t process what happened right away . He looked at Luxuria¡¯s naked body, frozen, for a few seconds .

    After he finally realized what had happened, he turned his whole body away from Luxuria .

    ¡°You can keep looking, I don¡¯t mind . ¡±

    ¡°Give me a break¡­¡±

    Maybe because she used to be the devil of lust, even after turning into an angel her beauty and proportions were still very alluring . If she was still a devil, she would exude excessive erotic charm, but as an angel, she did not emanate such a seductive aura anymore .

    It could be said that she was closer to an artistic rendition of a naked beauty now .

    ¡°Hey, Shin . I feel bad for saying this after you let me borrow these clothes, but could you add automatic size adjustment?¡±

    ¡°¡­just give me the cards . ¡±

    The reason was clear . Shin had given Luxuria thergest size he had, but that wasn¡¯t enough, apparently . Shin knew that Luxuria¡¯s ¡°those¡± were muchrger than the average woman with the same height, so he half expected this request .

    He took the card without looking at Luxuria and quickly attached the automatic size adjustment attribute . Luxuria was indeed not wearing anything ¡°up there¡± right now .

    ¡°Okay, perfect . I heard about it before, but it really is convenient . I always have to order underwear just for me, so this is really helpful . ¡±

    The sound of rustling clothes stopped, so Shin thought Luxuria finished changing and was about to turn around, when he felt something pressing against his back .

    It was Luxuria, of course . She was pressing her body against his, so Shin could clearly feel a very soft sensation on his back .

    ¡°Hey . ¡±

    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s just a little thank you . This much is fine, no?¡±

    The soft sensation disappeared and Shin turned around, to see Luxuria¡¯s pleased smile after aplishing her prank .

    She was now wearing a white sweater and a long ck skirt . The gesture made her look more childish than usual .

    The next instant, however, she ced her index finger on her lips, giving off a more mature air, so Shin couldn¡¯t tell how serious if she really meant what she said or not .

    ¡°I actually wanted to kiss you, but Schnee would scold me, so I won¡¯t . ¡±

    ¡°I would get the worst of it if that happens, so please don¡¯t . ¡±

    Schnee¡¯s mood would definitely turn very foul if that happened . Shin would be more than happy to avoid triggering such andmine .

    Shin and Luxuria separated, as she headed to the shelter¡¯s teleport, and he went to the city .

    He proceeded from the outer walls that were destroyed by Avaritia to the city center, so he could have a clear picture of the destruction caused by the monsters .

    Some buildings had been fully destroyed, others only partially . Most houses in the residential areas only suffered minor damage, like part of the roof copsing or something simr .

    It was probably caused by someone fighting against the monsters .

    As Schnee had said, the people¡¯s expressions did not seem as grim as he¡¯d expected . They clearly already knew that the monster threat was no more .

    ¡°I should do whatever I can to help too . ¡±

    Looking at the map through ¡¾Sign Perception¡¿, Shin could tell that there were still people trapped under the wreckage . He decided to start by rescuing them and headed towards the closest one .

    ¡°¡­ . two people . ¡±

    He detected two presences inside the building .

    ¡°Hey, you can tell that there are people inside?¡±

    The man standing next to Shin heard hisment and called out to him . Judging from the leather armor he was wearing, he was probably an adventurer .

    ¡°It¡¯s an alternative way of using presence detection . I¡¯ll ensure their safety with magic first, to make sure they¡¯ll be okay even if the buildinges down . Please stand back . ¡±

    The man nodded to Shin and had the other men in the surroundings step back . He was likely the leader of the rescue operations in the area .

    Shin first used ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ and ¡¾Analyze¡¿ to check the condition of the trapped survivors .

    It appears they were lucky enough to be in a space between two pirs .

    Shin used the earth-type magic spell ¡¾Earth Wall¡¿ to cover and protect the two survivors .

    ¡°Okay, done . I¡¯ve covered the people inside with an earth barrier . It won¡¯t copse easily, so let¡¯s get rid of the wreckage . ¡±

    The men around Shin then started removing the wrecks . Shin joined them, easily lifting up the wreck that looked difficult to transport and piled it somewhere else .

    There was no need to hold back when rescuing others: even if he had to pick up part of a wall or a broken pir, Shin whisked them away without hesitation . Every time he removed a piece of wreckage, a ¡°swipe¡± and loud ¡°thud¡± could be heard .

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be¡­ . ¡±

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    Looking at Shin lifting wreckage many timesrger than himself, the other men were bbergasted .

    ¡°Folks, your hands aren¡¯t moving!! Leave therge stuff to the guy and carry the smaller ones!¡±

    The leader snapped out of it before the others and shouted at them to get moving again, which they promptly did .

    After removing therger wrecks, Shin pinpointed the survivors¡¯ location and, after a while, a ball made of y appeared . It was too hard for the men to break through, so Shin opened a hole in it . Inside it were a mother and child, hugging themselves tightly .

    The mother and daughter, carried out by the men, had no idea what had happened .

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you . I¡¯m going to the next spot . ¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll take care of things here . ¡ªTake care . ¡±

    Shin nodded and hurried to the next location .

 Vol 15 Chapter 1.2: Chapter 1 Part 2

    ¡°You truly have aplished much . On behalf of all of Erkunt, I thank you . ¡±

    Three days after Avaritia¡¯s strike, Shin was in an audience with king Kreunzeit in the royal castle . Schnee was with him, camouged as her ¡°Yuki¡± persona .

    Hmee, informed by Luxuria, had reported to the royal castle, so king Kreunzeit and the royal elites had learned of Avaritia¡¯s extermination on the same day . The audience happened three dayster because Shin told the knights that came to summon him that he wanted to prioritize rescue operations .

    To dy the audience with a king would normally be considered the epitome of contempt, but because of the reason behind Shin¡¯s refusal, it was epted .

    The knights who visited Shin even pleaded to join the rescue efforts after hearing his reasons . They deeply regretted not having been able to do much during Avaritia¡¯s attack .

    ¡°No, we were mostly on the defensive this time, so we were simply lucky that there weren¡¯t many casualties . I almost want to apologize for acting so haughty, then not aplishing much . ¡±

    Shin felt very awkward, as he actually couldn¡¯t do very much because of the hostages .

    ¡°Sir Shin, if you were of little use, then we were of even less¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed . Without the weapons sir Shin offered, we wouldn¡¯t be standing here now . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s wryugh was followed by Fagall and Sherlene, knights of Erkunt who had also fought during the monster attack, who felt equally awkward . They fought against their superior Namsaar, under Avaritia¡¯s control, but they struggled against a mere copy of Avaritia, so they felt apologetic .

    Namsaar was exhausted both body and mind because of Avaritia¡¯s control and was still unconscious, apparently .

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough! In any case, casualties and damage were little, so we should rejoice, right!? No one here cked off or anything, so let¡¯s improve what we should and stop fidgeting like this!¡±

    Luxuria interrupted the conversation, which lingered on how pathetic Shin and others apparently were . She was clearly tired of it .

    ¡°Indeed . We will strive to do better next time . ¡±

    ¡°It is asdy Luxuria anddy Yuki said . Let us gather more information about devils and monsters and develop proper countermeasures . We should speak of the reward for sir Shin first . ¡±

    King Kreunzeit nodded and changed the topic . The new direction, however, was unexpected for Shin and the others .

    ¡°I would be more than satisfied if I could just have the drop items, though . ¡±

    They were items that would be next to impossible to obtain at present . Shin considered more than enough for a reward .

    ¡°I am aware . But some are talking of awarding yound and a court title . Your achievements are that important, it wouldn¡¯t be strange, actually . ¡±

    ¡°I believe I already refused that in the beginning . ¡±

    Adventurers rising to the rank of noble because of their achievements . It wasn¡¯t an unthinkable development, Shin had read about such stories of sess, but he simply thought it was more trouble than what it was worth .

    The search for the guild houses, inspection of the Sacred ces¡­there were still many things for him to do . He had no time to waste serving in any court . If he was forced to, he would have to take the appropriate countermeasures .

    ¡°I am aware of that as well, of course . But there are some stubborn folks that will not relent unless they hear the wordsing from the mouth of the person in question . ¡±

    Apparently, the discussion about Shin¡¯s reward had been held before the audience . Fagall and Sherlene too wereughing wryly . No matter where, there were always those who wished for someone as powerful as Shin to be tied to their country .

    ¡°Shin, Yuki, your powers are fascinating after all . Oh, by the way, I will not help for anything other than defense, is that alright?¡±

    ¡°Of course . To use an angel¡¯s power for invasion¡­would surely bring forth a hefty price to pay . We are going to keep that information as hidden as possible . ¡±

    King Kreunzeit had also been informed about Luxuria¡¯s transformation from devil to angel . The problems associated with her status as devil would all change now that she was one no more . Some doubted her change, but when she showed her angel wings -the eight patterns on her halo- everyone was surprised and convinced .

    Adorned by the wings, Luxuria emitted a holy aura . Shin and Schnee too thought that she would do no harm to people . Her personality, however, had not changed a bit, so in a way, she was a ¡°threat¡± in the same way as before, which was the only disappointment .

    King Kreunzeit and the others had been overwhelmed by Luxuria¡¯s holy aura . Shin and Schnee were not affected very much, but for the denizens of that world, it was a divine sight .

    In ¡°THE NEW GATE¡±¡¯s world, angels only existed in legends, but now one was before them . It was like a mything into life .

    They would never match it in pure power, that was a fact, but more than that, the simple idea of using an angel was taboo for most . No one among the elites dared to object about it .

    ¡°A wise decision, I think . If the existence of an angel was revealed, the rtionship with other countries couldn¡¯t remain the same either . ¡±

    ¡°It would disrupt my work in the institute, so I will be thankful if you do that . ¡±

    Shinughed at therge difference between what Schnee and Luxuria were respectively concerned about . If Luxuria¡¯s status as angel was revealed, it would be impossible for her to simply continue treating students in the infirmary .

    ¡°We have nothing else to discuss, I think?¡±

    ¡°Yes, thank you foring all the way here . I have also heard that you have spent these days rescuing our citizens . Allow me to express my gratitude again . ¡±

    King Kreunzeit bowed his head . Normally, his subordinates would frown at their king casually lowering his head, but both Sherlene and Fagall werepletely calm . Shin and Schnee had aplished something worthy of a king¡¯s reverence .

 Vol 15 Chapter 1.3: Chapter 1 Part 3

    After leaving the castle, Shin, Schnee, and Luxuria headed towards the institute. Though the town had been severely damaged, the institute ¡ª albeit only part of it ¡ª was in a pitiful state.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got more than enough time to fix it.¡±

    Shin spoke while looking at the ruined structures as they headed towards Hmee¡¯s office.

    He was a cksmith, but there was also a reason why he was so confident.

    All Rokuten members shared part of their specialty with other members.

    In Shin¡¯s case, he taught his smithing and metal engraving skills to Reed and Cook. On the other hand, when he built his guild house, Tsuki no Hokora, another Rokuten member, Cain the ¡°Blue Magician¡±, taught him  all sorts of things.

    Thanks to that, his architecture skills, while not too high, were proficient. Architects also required imagination: taking advantage of the fact that he was in a game, Shin had also built all sorts of bizarre constructions.

    ¡°I already knew that you were something else, but well¡­you really can do anything.¡±

    ¡°Not really¡­I just have a bit of experience, but, by professional standards, I wouldn¡¯t be good at all. Other than cksmithing, Architecture and Alchemy are the only skills I can handle.¡±

    Shin¡¯s architecture skill level was IV, alchemy was X. He needed alchemy to create potions for his cksmithing, so it was much higher, but that was all.

    If he was told to create the same things as the ¡°Red Alchemist¡± Hecate, his answer would be a t no. Alchemy required much more than just a high level.

    On the opposite side of the spectrum, his trading skills, farming and animal raising skills etc were all around II: he had just acquired them and leveled them no further.

    After taking in Yuzuha as partner his taming skills had grown a little, but he was still inferior to professional tamers even in this world.

    ¡°Being able to do ¡®only¡¯ that seems already enough to me¡­well, I guess it¡¯s different if we use the standards of the past era.¡±

    Luxuria knew of the ¡°Game Era¡± before the ¡°Dusk of Majesty¡±, so she understood why Shin ssified himself in that way.

    ¡°It would be more than what we could ever ask, but is it really okay? You will end up standing out, won¡¯t you?¡±

    In the headmistress¡¯ office, Hmee made a troubled expression after hearing Shin¡¯s proposal.

    Being a skilled fighter was already enough to draw attention. If the information that he was capable of creation skills spread, many would seek to contact him. Even if there were particr circumstances, Hmee was concerned that Shin had shown his true abilities before others more than necessary because of his involvement with her and Erkunt.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do just enough to let people think I¡¯m worthy of my A rank. It¡¯s a bitte to worry about standing out anyway.¡±

    Shin had already given up on avoiding standing out too much.

    He was not based in any country, so, as long as he left the country where he wasst seen, it was pretty much impossible to contact him. If someone followed him, it would be all too easy to lose them.

    ¡°The circumstances are what they are, so let¡¯s just ept our sweet Shin¡¯s kindness, no? We just have to thank him properlyter.¡±

    Luxuria held Hmee¡¯s shoulders from behind and interjected. Hmee couldn¡¯t see it, but Shin did not miss that her smile widened when she said the words ¡°thank him¡±.

    ¡°I know already that your ¡°thanks¡± is going to be something bad¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh my, I¡¯m hurt.¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s lips pouted. It was rather childish for an adult, but her charm made it mysteriously eptable.

    Shin, however, red at her. Even as an angel, he couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling that her gratitude would be sexual in nature. She was not a devil anymore, so Shin thought that Luxuria wouldn¡¯t need to draw energy from people¡¯s sexual activities, but contrary to his expectations, she still possessed that ability.

    ¡°Not even a king could ever hope to have an angel service him¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what you really mean anyway. Besides, why would I go to any other woman when I have Schnee at my side?¡±

    Shin then pulled Schnee closer to him. Her look had turned sharper because of Luxuria¡¯s words, but Shin¡¯s sudden action took herpletely by surprise. Even though they were husband and wife, she still seemed unused to such physical contact.

    ¡°Look at them, I¡¯m getting jealous¡­in this world polygamy is not all that rare you know?¡±

    ¡°Where I¡¯m from monogamy is the norm, and fiction is more than enough for harems. Why are you so persistent, anyway? Because I¡¯m a High Human?¡±

    In the beginning, Shin thought she was provoking him out of curiosity. Though, it wasn¡¯t enough to exin her behavior anymore.

    ¡°To fall in love with the person who saved you in a tight spot¡­is not so strange, is it?¡±

    ¡°I watched you get beat up without doing anything and attacked once in the end. That¡¯s what made you fall in love?¡±

    Luxuria said that Shin¡¯s attack was what triggered her transformation, but he argued that those were two separate things.

    ¡°That was one of the reasons. Maybe because I used to be the lust devil.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The strong emotion you and Schnee share¡­I think I was attracted to that. It¡¯s clearly different than other humans¡¯.¡±

    Luxuria had grown interested because she was the lust devil. Before she could realize it, it had changed into a feeling unlike infatuation or love.

    ¡°Maybe one other thing¡­you don¡¯t show an excessive reaction after learning of my true nature? Normally, people would outright reject any contact with a devil.¡±

    ¡°¡®Maybe?¡¯, she says¡­¡±

    Luxuria caressed Shin¡¯s hand, the one opposite to Schnee¡¯s side. Shin didn¡¯t react much, but a normal person would probably scream and knock it away. Even if she was an angel now, people would usually hate to be even remotely close to a devil.

    King Kreunzeit, who wasn¡¯t a Chosen One or even a former yer, normally conversed with Luxuria, but that was an exception among exceptions.

    For Shin too, Luxuria was ¡°someone to defeat¡±. Surely a troublesome opponent, but still not enough to show an excessive reaction to.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it, can I? I don¡¯t care about how it started anymore. I¡¯m surprised too to be so attached, you know? I have never felt like this before in my life¡­¡±

    Luxuria¡¯s had tightened her grip on Shin¡¯s.

    Normally, devils yed around and toyed with others. They sought the weaknesses in their hearts, stimting their desires, charming them. There was no affection in that. In other words, they wereplete beginners in terms of approaching someone simply because they hoped the other person would like them, not manipte them.

    ¡°Well¡­I can understand if you¡¯re feeling confused. Even so, it has nothing to do with this.¡±

    Shin thought what people call ¡°first love¡± had bloomed inside her. Considering that, Luxuria¡¯s words and actions were understandable. The feeling of liking someone else couldn¡¯t be suppressed, even if one wanted to.

    He couldn¡¯tply with her desires, though. Schnee hade closer, as if hugging him, so Shin was presently sandwiched between them. He couldn¡¯t see Schnee¡¯s expression, however, which was quite scary for him.

    ¡°Schnee is a much more fearsome enemy than you, I see.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you go any further.¡±

    Between the twodies¡¯ smiling gazes, sparks were flying. Schnee was ready to do battle.

    Hmee, who was observing the situation, decided to interrupt at that moment.

    ¡°Ehm, if possible, I would like to resume our discussion about the reconstruction¡­aaah!?¡±

    The twodies focused their gaze on Hmee, which was enough to make her retreat several steps. Shin mentally saluted her courage.

    ¡°What is going on here¡­¡±

    Masakado, who had arrivedte, expressed his confusion at the situation. His expression clearly showed that he thought he had arrived at a very bad moment.

    ¡°Anyway, like Hmee said, let¡¯s discuss the reconstruction now, okay?¡±

    Shin used the silence created by Hmee and Masakado and tried to change the topic with all his might. It was their reason for visiting, after all: Luxuria¡¯s topic waspletely unrted.

    ¡°¡­.understood. We will talk about this again another time.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to¡­¡±

    Luxuria winked and Shin felt a headacheing.

    They finally managed to get back on topic, so he avoided thinking about Luxuria and talked with Hmee about rebuilding the school. Shin¡¯s skill level was high enough to restore the mostly ruined buildings to their original state. He also mentioned using the opportunity to reinforce them to be stronger than before.

    The institute used a modified version of the technology employed to build guild houses, but the building itself used the same standards as that world¡¯s architecture.

    ¡°Both I and Masakado have battle-focused skills, so all we could do was use the sturdiest materials to build it.¡±

    In the game era, all they had to do was to send a request to a creation guild that, provided an appropriate price was paid,  could build a school as strong as a fortress which could repel monster attacks easily. That was not possible now, though. It was obvious for the buildings to be damaged after suffering the brunt of a devil¡¯s attacks.

    ¡°I guess I will focus on making it as resilient as possible. My skill level isn¡¯t high either, but I should be able to use Cain¡¯s techniques to fill the gap.¡±

    The ¡°techniques¡± Shin mentioned were real-world techniques, adapted for use in this world. Schnee¡¯s method to temporarily repair the breached wall, an earthen supported by ice, was based on the structure of concrete.

    In game, many yers thought of walls aspact masses of earth or metal.

    However, Cain, who was a real life architect, came up with this idea and put it into practice. Thus some real-world techniques could be adapted to the game world. Other yers also noticed that creation skills did not have to be used strictly as they were created, so a part of creator-type yers knew about such techniques.

    Shin too was one of the yers who realized it by himself. When smithing, he thought that, since he was moving his body, he might as well imitate real cksmiths, and noticed that the resulting gear was higher in quality.

    ¡°Don¡¯t imitate Cain so well that you add in self-detonation devices, okay?¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t¡­.there¡¯s no one else who would put stuff like that, anyway.¡±

    Hmee, who knew of the High Human that made it a personal rule to insert self-detonation devices in everything he created, made it clear that she wanted no such thing.

    Shin too had been encouraged to equip Tsuki no Hokora with one, but refused.

    The detonation devices themselves were made by Hecate, designed to blow away only the building and its interior. They boasted that it was an incredible item that would never cause damage to anything outside it, but, because of its concentrated power, not even a High Human could necessarily survive the st.

    ¡°Leaving bombs and such aside, I¡¯d like to start working immediately, but is there anywhere you want me to start from?¡±

    ¡°Let me see¡­we cannot start the lectures right away anyway, so I would ask you to start from the dorms next to the school buildings. It¡¯s difficult for us to let the studentsing from afar stay in inns for a long time, after all.¡±

    Many foreign students came to Erkunt to study, but, except for a few affluent ones, most of them lived in the student dorms. Their school expenses would be a little higher because of it, but it would still be much cheaper than renting a room at an inn.

    The inns in the city had also suffered damage because of the monsters, so the situation was still problematic. For the students¡¯ sakes, rebuilding of the dorms was the highest priority.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll start right away then. I¡¯ll finish today, so they can rest easy.¡±

    Shin headed to the student dorms right away, there was no time to lose.

    He found a half-destroyed building there. The parts still standing were cracked in many ces, looking like they could crumble anytime.

    ¡°I see, I see, looks like it won¡¯t be hard.¡±

    Shin used a skill and disyed the dorm¡¯s structure in his mind. The parts used to build it were not too rare, so he could handle it by himself. Since the wreckage was still there, so he had materials to spare. Shin touched the wrecks and activated a skill.

    The structure n of the student dorms, as disyed in Shin¡¯s mind, materialized itself before his eyes, with the same size as the actual building. Shin moved his hands in midair and the wreckage turned into a liquid, gradually filling the blueprint he materialized.

    The wreckage started filling the building n, like water filling an empty container. It seemed as if it were dancing ording to themands of an invisible conductor¡¯s baton.

    ¡°A few more adjustments and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Hmee had been watching over the construction, but she apparently couldn¡¯t wipe the thought of the self-detonation device from her mind and grabbed Shin¡¯s shoulders from behind. Her tone was enough to express that she was admonishing him not to y any tricks.

    ¡°Easy, easy, I¡¯m not going to do anything weird. I was just thinking of reinforcing the walls a bit.¡±

    ¡°Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Shin was offended by the suspicion. High Human abilities were well known, but their personalities were often not trusted.

    Shin continued and raised the walls¡¯ resilience by about 30%. The mostlypleted dorm glowed faintly, then showed itself just as it was before the destruction. The furniture and essories likely used by the students were all outside. Many things had been broken when the building came down.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about that, so the rest is up to you.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t impossible for Shin to fix them too after a bit of research, but repairing the buildings took precedence. Thus, he thus decided to leave that kind of work to Hmee.

    ¡°The structure inside is the same as before. I can¡¯t do anything about the furniture, so they¡¯ll have to do something about it themselves.¡±

    With sleeping bags or something simr, the students should be able to get by. Regardless, the most important thing was to have a roof over their heads. Hmee informed Masakado via Mind Chat and they started rying themunication to the students.

    Masakado had stayed in the school building, ready to contact the students as soon as the dorm was restored.

    ¡°Okay then, onto the next one.¡±

    Skill-based construction work could be done at a speed that would leave professionals speechless. The Erkunt institute of magic regained its original look within the day, with added resilience to boot.

 Vol 15 Chapter 1.4: Chapter 1 Part 4

    ¡°Err¡­ why have I been summoned again?¡±

    ¡°Are you really sure you don¡¯t know why?¡±

    During the restoration of the city, Shin was summoned by the Adventurers¡¯ Guild and was now in the Erkunt branch . He was told that he would be informed once he arrived at the guild, but as soon as he arrived he was brought to a private room .

    He could think of a few reasons why he would be summoned, but he had no evidence for any of them .

    ¡°We are aware that you are coborating with the city¡¯s reconstruction . That is the same reason why we wanted you toe to the guild . ¡±

    ¡°I see¡­?¡±

    ording to the receptionist, the guild agreed to cooperate with the country¡¯s reconstruction efforts; there were requests avable ording to each adventurer¡¯s abilities . Shin was expected to use his abilities for rescue operations, but he acted independently from the guild, helping wherever he found it necessary .

    ¡°We are very thankful to you, sir Shin . Without you two, many would have surely died . But without prior procedures here, it bes impossible to add such efforts to your achievements . ¡±

    Because of the guild¡¯s system, aplishments not covered by a registered request were hardly evaluated or considered . Because of the scale of Shin¡¯s actions, he would receive some sort of recognition all the same, but it would be much smaller than what he would garner if he acted officially .

    ¡°The reward bes smaller too¡­as a citizen of this country, I feel terribly sorry . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­I see . Well, er, I¡¯m sorry . But we weren¡¯t thinking about any rewards anyway . We¡¯ll be more careful next time . ¡±

    Shin actually hoped that there wouldn¡¯t be a next time, but chose not to mention that .

    ¡°Thank you . So, these are the requests specifically for you, sir Shin . ¡±

    The receptionist took out one sheet of paper from the file . The request was about removing wreckage from destroyed buildings and rescuing trapped survivors .

    Because of Shin¡¯s fighting abilities, he was apparently deemed to be very strong . Since several days had passed since the attack, the rescue of survivors had to be prioritized if they were still alive .

    ¡°We are aware of your achievements, sir Shin,dy Yuki, so if you ept this request, we can add more to your aplishments . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee¡¯sbination of Earth-type magic and ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ was very effective . They could quickly find any survivors inside the rubble and ensure their safety first with earth spells .

    Normally, removing wreckage had to be done with extreme caution, but since they didn¡¯t have to worry about the safety of the people inside, speed could be prioritized .

    The adventurers or the guards were not trained to rescue people in this situation: but if all they had to do was use their muscles to remove wreckage, things were very different . Shin¡¯s assistance was a godsend for them .

    ¡°We have no reason to refuse the request, of course . ¡±

    Shin signed the request . There was no time limit, so they could step down anytime they wished . The achievements and rewards were fixed, but it was an emergency rescue operation request . Operation evaluation would be carried in secret by the guild: in any case, they wanted people to assist restoration efforts as soon as possible .

    Shin was curious about how the assistance efforts would be evaluated, but there was no time to think about that . After leaving the guild, Shin and Schnee headed to the district where Vulcan¡¯s workshop was located .

    ¡°There aren¡¯t many damaged buildings around here . I guess it should be expected since there are so many workshops . ¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re built sturdier than other buildings after all, so they can withstand much damage when something happens . ¡±

    That world¡¯s workshops were always built fairly sturdy, thanks to the widespread usage of magic, a set of techniques developed that were different than science-based techniques .

    Using too much magic power could cause explosions, so it was necessary to prevent any such incidents from affecting the workshop . A side effect to this precaution was that the workshops were thus stronger to attacks too .

    Monsters had gone wild in the workshop district too, but because of their sturdy construction, the number of destroyed buildings was much lower than the districts where inns or stores predominated .

    ¡°I guess that the problem is that any wreckage is too heavy to be moved, so they called us . ¡±

    In the real world, transportation would be difficult even with heavy-duty machinery . The materials used were unique to this world, which were much stronger and resilient .

    ¡°Oh, you came . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re helping with wreckage removal too, boss?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m stronger than most humans after all . Besides, this is more important than forging swords or armor right now . ¡±

    The monster invasion had left Vulcan¡¯s workshop unscathed, and his disciple Vaal was safe and sound too . The building¡¯s sturdiness had definitely kept damage to a minimum . Another fortunate coincidence was that because of therge size of most monsters, they couldn¡¯t enter the workshops . If people had taken shelter inside such sturdy buildings, casualties could have been avoided .

    ¡°I thought I knew already, but you really are strong . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that unusual, is it? There are plenty of high-ranked adventurers as strong as me . ¡±

    ¡°I know that, but in your case, it¡¯s a whole other level¡­well,pared to yourdy, you don¡¯t look as unusual though . ¡±

    Vulcan meant that as Shin was a man, being so powerful was not as surprising . Because of his profession, he had the chance to observe all sorts of Chosen Ones .

    Seeing Schnee¡¯s thin arms easily lift wreckage many timesrger than her, however, left even him dumbfounded . Shin thought that he would feel the same if he didn¡¯t have his abilities from the game era .

    The removal operations elerated immensely after Shin and Schnee joined in: thanks to the fact that few workshops were damaged in the first ce, the whole district¡¯s wreckage removal waspleted the same day . There was no one in need of rescue either .

    ¡°Now that I think about it, we¡¯ve spent a fairly long time here in Erkunt . ¡±

    Shin voiced his thoughts while rxing after dinner, back in their hotel room . It was the first time he stayed longer than one month in a single country . They had stayed a long time in Hinomoto too, but never in the same ce, so he didn¡¯t feel like he stayed as long there .

    ¡°It¡¯s also the first time for our party to scatter like this . ¡±

    In the beginning, Shin was by himself . Then Yuzuha, Schnee, and Tiera joined, soon followed by the others, leading to the current six members and two ¡°pets¡± .

    Shin had proceeded ahead of the rest of the party before arriving to Hinomoto, but it was not because the party had scattered, but because he decided to act on his own . While he was lost in such thoughts, he felt a warm and soft feeling on his right arm and shoulder .

    ¡°I find myself hoping for this time to continue, even just a little more . ¡±

    Schnee spoke while leaning against Shin . There was no need to worry about the other party members, unless an emergency happened, so now that Avaritia was gone they could spend time rxing together .

    ¡°Right, right¡­with the others around, you¡¯ll be too embarrassed to act spoiled around me¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­! ¡­¡­I mean, isn¡¯t it¡­embarrassing?¡±

    Schnee blushed fiercely and looked away . Because of her serious personality, she found it impossible to flirt when other people were around . If she was provoked, however, all bets were off .

    ¡°Besides, Filma and Sety would definitely ask about every little detail¡­I¡¯m sure I¡¯m going to be interrogated when the party is back together . ¡±

    The party¡¯sdies will definitely have a lot to be curious about . No matter the world, love affairs were a never-ending source of curiosity .

    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind though . You¡¯re not going to tell everything, right?¡±

    ¡°Not! Absolutely not!! Those two would definitely tease me to no end!!¡±

    Shin thought for a moment that they might as well reveal everything, but Schnee¡¯s panicked reaction was so cute that he kept quiet . This is pretty nice too¡­he thought as he felt all warm and fuzzy inside .

    While caressing her head, Shin wondered how long such a time would continue . It was that very moment, that the notice of an iing message was disyed .

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s from Tiera . ¡±

    ¡°A message?¡±

    Shin whispered to himself and Schnee, happily enjoying being caressed, raised her head .

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s see¡­ . hmm, it turns out things are getting troublesome on their end . ¡±

    Shin read the message andughed bitterly . Their peaceful days had finallye to an end .

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­Tiera and Shibaid were working to resurrect the World Tree, right? It looks like it¡¯s not going too well, or rather, it¡¯s turned into something pretty nasty . ¡±

 Vol 15 Chapter 1.5: Chapter 1 Part 5

    The next day, Shin and Schnee prepared to join Tiera and decided to visit their acquaintances in Erkunt to inform them of their imminent departure . In other countries, they would have left immediately, but in Erkunt they had made many acquaintances , from the king to former yers .

    Shin first informed the guild that they would leave on a journey, as to not be reprimanded again . Then, they headed to the institute of magic to meet Hmee . Being former yers, they decided to keep in contact in case anything happened . Just then, Luxuria arrived: she had somehow caught wind of Shin¡¯s departure .

    ¡°You¡¯re going already? You could take it easy a little longer¡­¡±

    Luxuria grabbed Shin¡¯s right hand and brought it to her chest, looking up at him with pleading eyes . While she didn¡¯t state it outright, it was clear that she wished for him to stay there forever .

    ¡°Myrades contacted me, looks like they got involved in something troublesome . We¡¯re in the same party, so I can¡¯t ignore them, can I?¡±

    Shin spoke while slowly removing his hand from Luxuria¡¯s grip, thinking that her gaze alone would be enough to make any Chosen One fall for her .

    The fact that Tiera sent him a message meant that his assistance was needed .

    ¡°We n to leave right after we¡¯ve said our goodbyes . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really sudden¡­¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped . Ms . Luxuria, you should know when to give up . ¡±

    Masakado, who had joined them in Erkunt just a few days before, was rather dejected . Hmee agreed with Shin and tried to appease Luxuria, but she didn¡¯t hide the fact that she felt lonely as well .

    For former yers that knew of the game era and the current era, they couldn¡¯t help but hope for Shin to be in the same country, if possible .

    ¡°I¡¯m a former devil, of course I don¡¯t know that . ¡±

    Luxuria herself knew that it was impossible to keep Shin there . She wasn¡¯t acting, she really felt lonely .

    ¡°¡­well, it can¡¯t be helped, can it . I¡¯d like to go with you, but I grew fond of this ce, so that won¡¯t do either . ¡±

    Luxuria had grown quite attached to her title of health officer of the institute of magic . Masakado added: now that she was an angel, the infirmary had gained a divine-like atmosphere .

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything special though . ¡±

    ¡°Why not use the chance to behave more angel-like too?¡±

    ¡°If you mean that you like the well-behaved type better, I¡¯ll think about it . ¡±

    Luxuria talked while looking at Schnee and Shin raised his hands in surrender . He just meant to crack a joke but felt that any more banter wouldn¡¯t sound like a joke at this point .

    ¡°In any case¡­thank you both for everything . If you evere around here again, please visit . You will always be wee . ¡±

    ¡°Next time visit when I¡¯m here too!¡±

    Shin and Schnee still had ces to visit, so Hmee and Masakado prompted them to go . At the rate they were going, they wouldn¡¯t ever stop talking, so Shin dly took the cue .

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity, but I very much look forward to seeing you again¡­¡±

    Luxuria finally gave up and said her goodbyes . Before Shin could reply, though, she went up to him and whispered:

    ¡°That thing you gave me after the battle¡­makes me feel like I¡¯m always being embraced by you, so it¡¯ll do for a while . But next time, you¡¯ll have to keep me warm yourself, okay?¡±

    ¡°Wait, what!?¡±

    Shin hurriedly closed Luxuria¡¯s mouth, but it was toote: the bomb had already been dropped . Hmee and Masakado tilted their heads, as they hadn¡¯t heard clearly, but Schnee was next to Shin, so she had to have heard everything .

    Shin, slowly and timidly, turned towards her, but found her smiling as usual .

    (She¡¯s the same as always¡­chillingly so . )

    Shin understood well how terrifying it was for her to remain unchanged . He wasn¡¯t inferior to her in terms of ability, but he definitely couldn¡¯t win against her as far as their rtionship¡¯s power bnce went .

    ¡°Well, Shin? We should go soon, or we won¡¯t be able to depart before the sun sets . ¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah, you¡¯re right . So, see you guys . If anything bad happens, don¡¯t hesitate to contact us . ¡±

    Egged on by Schnee¡¯s smile, Shin quickly left the institute . The remaining locations were the royal castle, where Sherlene and the others were, and Vulcan¡¯s workshop . They hadn¡¯t met Lecus and the other students, but, because of Avaritia¡¯s attack, many inquiries and messengers were keeping them busy, so they couldn¡¯t move freely .

    Since there was no other way, Shin left a letter and some items as parting gifts for them .

    ¡°I see, so you¡¯re leaving . It¡¯s a pity¡­sir Namsaar wanted to thank you in person too . ¡±

    ¡°Myrades requested my help, after all . I¡¯m d that Namsaar recovered, though . ¡±

    Sherlene said that Namsaar had regained consciousness and was gradually recovering, though he still struggled to move on his own . After waking up, he had apparently said that he would take responsibility for the incident and step down from his position as leader of the knights .

    King Kreunzeit, however, pressured him to earn more aplishments to cover for this failure and stopped him . Shin and Schnee said that if Namsaar stepped down, there would not be much difference between Sherlene and Fagall, so he resolved to strive more to fight for the country .

    The problem was that there was no one skilled enough to seed him . That was how important Namsaar and the two Heroes were for Erkunt .

    ¡°Then, we will be going now . Thank you for finding the time to meet us .

    Shin and Schnee had arrived during training, so they kept their farewell brief .

    Sherlene and Fagall thought of stopping them, but after hearing that Shin¡¯srades needed his assistance, they couldn¡¯t . They saw Shin and Schnee off with bitter smiles .

    Shin thought that if he lingered in the royal castle he could get involved in something troublesome, so they left quickly . Disappearing without a word would be disrespectful, so he visited the people he knew more, but he didn¡¯t have much time to spare .

    Soon enough, Shin and Schnee reached the next destination, the workshop that had be quite familiar by then .

    Vaal was at the reception desk with about three other dwarves nearby . Based on past experiences, it was clear that they were there hoping to catch a glimpse of Schnee .

    ¡°Good day, Shin, Yuki¡ªare you in a hurry, perhaps?¡±

    ¡°Wow, keen eye as usual . Yeah, we¡¯ve got some urgent business to take care of, so we have to leave right away, but it felt wrong to do so without a word, so we came . ¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pity . I¡¯m sure the boss will say the same too . ¡±

    The dwarves reacted to Shin¡¯s words with evident disappointment .

    ¡°Where¡¯s the boss?¡±

    ¡°He went to a craftsmen¡¯s meeting . The situation has improved, but the city still needs rebuilding . When will you depart?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame, we have to leave today . It¡¯s faster if we run instead of using a horse carriage, so we don¡¯t need to make any preparations . ¡±

    ¡°Eh!? Today!?¡±

    Vaal didn¡¯t expect them to leave the same day as the visit, so he was very surprised .

    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re in a hurry . Please tell Vulcan that I¡¯m looking forward to talking about smithing with him the next time wee . ¡±

    ¡°¡­understood . Please take care . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee left Vaal and the dwarves and headed towards the gate . He was strangely impressed by the sight of the three dwarves, crying and waving handkerchiefs as they saw them off .

    ¡°Ok, shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Yes . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee passed Erkunt¡¯s gate, waited until they were in a ce where no one could see them, and then started running . They used ¡¾Hiding¡¿ at the same time, so they could go as fast as they wanted without worrying about being seen .

    Their destination was the elf vige called ¡ºLanapacea¡» . Shin had never heard of it, but Schnee said to have been there before .

    ¡°The resurrection of the World Tree¡­ording to Tiera¡¯s message, it isn¡¯tpletely dried up, so hopefully we can do something . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . Personally, I¡¯m more worried about Tiera . ¡±

    ¡°About Tiera? What do you mean?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s tone and expression gave Shin a very bad feeling .

    ¡°The Lanapacea vige is Tiera¡¯s hometown . I believe that is the reason why, as she wrote in the message, things aren¡¯t progressing well . ¡±

    ¡°¡­I see . ¡±

    Shin recalled the image he had seen of Tiera holding the remains of a woman, weeping loudly .

    ¡°Tiera is an adult now, so maybe there is no reason to worry¡­but please keep it in mind, just in case . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . ¡±

    Schnee didn¡¯t seem to be all that worried about any potential issues . After all, Tiera had always been together with Schnee since losing her homnd . They had lived together far longer than Shin had .

    Shin nodded, thinking that her judgement could be trusted more than his .

    After all, hundreds of years had gone by, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they hade to an agreement .

    ¡°Anyway, she was teleported next to her hometown¡­it feels like it was intended . ¡±

    Shin noticed that he had never heard the name of Tiera¡¯s hometown before . Her message didn¡¯t mention it either and he wasn¡¯t aware of the circumstances surrounding Tiera after she was cursed .

    Shin thought that it was probably tied to her particr status as Priestess of the World Tree .

    Other than Yuzuha and Kagerou, the experienced Shibaid was with her too . If something truly dangerous happened, he would surely contact them via Mind Chat . The message didn¡¯t describe their situation in detail, but it looked like they were stuck at an impasse . In order to break through it, Shin¡¯s assistance was needed .

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s hurry while resting when we can . ¡±

    They would take proper rest at night in Tsuki no Hokora and use the remaining time to proceed . They nned to maintain the maximum speed possible, while ensuring they wouldn¡¯t arrive at Lanapacea exhausted .

    ¡°Understood . Oh, there is something I must ask youter, so please give me some time tonight . ¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it . ¡±

    Shin answered Schnee casually, but he had forgotten . Forgotten that, now that there were no immediate emergencies, he could not avoid being interrogated about certain things .

    ¡°The meaning of Luxuria¡¯s words: being enveloped by you . I will need a thorough exnation, is that clear?¡±

    ¡°Gwah!?¡±

    What Shin exined that night and what happened next is a secret only Shin and Schnee knew .

 Vol 15 Chapter 1.6: Chapter 1 Part 6

    One week after leaving Erkunt, Shin and Schnee finally reached the elf vige of Lanapacea . Thanks to their high stats, they managed to shorten one month¡¯s worth of travel via horse carriage to only seven days . They could run through forests and crags, without the limitations a horse carriage would have, which also helped shorten the travel time .

    The fact that Schnee had visited the vige before also helped . If Shin was alone, he would have had to proceed whileparing the map and the environment, which would have been definitely troublesome . There was no navigation technology after all .

    ¡°We¡¯re finally here, but it doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯re quite wee¡­everyone¡¯s ring . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s strange . Thest time I came, there wasn¡¯t such exaggerated security . ¡±

    ording to Schnee, the clearly defined line between forest and fields was the outer edges of Lanapace .

    Simr to the ¡°Gardens¡± Pixies created, a magical barrier prevented monsters from entering . Though it looked unprotected,cking  any castle walls or the like, the entrances into the vige were actually limited .

    To be overconfident in such barriers, however, would be foolish . In the outer edges, where monsters could appear, soldiers with rtively high fighting prowess were always stationed .

    Many of such troops were currently stationed near the entrance to the vige, as gate guards . From another perspective, the normally invisible entrance was thus made visible .

    ¡°Elf, human . This is the entrance to our domain . If you havee upon this ce by chance, retrace your steps and be on your way . ¡±

    One of the elves, with equipment superior to the others, shouted in Shin and Schnee¡¯s direction .

    Elves were a very long lived species and always looked young . The male elf who spoke to Shin and Schnee looked around 40-50 years old, in human terms .

    He had probably lived a fairly long life . His gaze was sharp, as if he could see right through Shin and Schnee . Even if the atmosphere was tense, he did not give off the impression that he would attack them .

    ¡ª¨CAnaheit Luderia  Magic Archer Level 233

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ revealed the elf¡¯s identity . His level was the highest among the elves . His job was magic archer, the archer version of the magic swordsman, so to speak . The job¡¯s skills allowed the user to exterminate multiple targets at the same time: it was one of the most popr jobs in the game era .

    ¡°We havee to Lanapacea for a reason . We have no hostile intentions . ¡±

    ¡°You wish to enter, I see . Do you have any proof of identity?¡±

    Shin took out his adventurer¡¯s card, which he was told would work as proof of identity . He was also told that not all countries epted it . In that case, he would ask Tiera toe meet them .

    ¡°Oh, an adventurer¡­ . what? Rank¡­A?¡±

    The elf who checked the adventurer card frowned . Shin was used to seeing people surprised by it, but the elves also showed a sense of wariness simr to hostility . They probably checked Schnee¡¯s card too, but didn¡¯t show any reaction to it, maybe because her rank was C .

    ¡°Is there something wrong with my rank?¡±

    ¡°¡­my apologies . A human with your appearance must still be very young . I was of the impression that adventurers that reached rank A were all of advanced age . ¡±

    The male elf¡¯s expression softened . His first warning had been intimidating, but he did not keep the same tone in conversation .

    Shin thought of any adventurers that reached rank A despite being young, and could onlye up with Wilhelm . He was a Chosen One, however . The others he could think of were all former yers or support members, all clearly different from normal people .

    Shin reflected that normally adventurers who reached rank A had to be of a certain age, like Bayreuth¡¯s guildmaster Barlux ¨C though he was a Chosen One too .

    ¡°What business would a high rank adventurer have in our country? There is no adventurers guild here, so even if you gather materials you would need to bring them to a neighboring country for them to be appraised, which is quite a hassle, I¡¯m sure you understand . ¡±

    ¡°Our reason is another . There isn¡¯t a guild here though? I thought they were present in all countries . ¡±

    The Adventurers¡¯ Guild, an organization that transcended borders, was present in most countries and cities . As far as Shin had seen, all countries and cities of a certain size had a branch of the guild . It wasn¡¯t present in small fishing viges though, naturally .

    Despite the absence of the adventurers¡¯ guild however, Anaheit seemed to be aware of the significance of being an A rank adventurer .

    ¡°Our vige does not have frequent contact with the outside world after all . As a country, it is quite small as well . Because of that, we protect the popce from monsters with our own fighting forces . To be perfectly frank, very few peoplee from outside . ¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a famous tourist location, nor was it a spot well known for rare materials or unique monsters . The presence of the World Tree was kept a secret too .

    Shin knew about it because he had heard from Tiera and Schnee . He probably wouldn¡¯t have ever visited Lanapacea if it wasn¡¯t for them .

    ¡°Our reason foring here is to meet an elf named Tiera . We have been informed that she is staying in the elf vige called Lanapacea . ¡±

    It didn¡¯t look like they would be let in without stating their purpose outright, so Shin mentioned Tiera¡¯s name .

    ¡°Lady Tiera?¡±

    ¡°Lady?¡±

    The elf¡¯s response was slightly unexpected .

    For Anaheit, Tiera was apparently someone that had to be addressed with ¡°Lady¡± . The male elf looked intently at Shin . Some of the elves behind him armed their bows with arrows .

    ¡°The atmosphere¡¯s turning sour . ¡±

    Shin looked at the elves as he spoke to Anaheit . He very much doubted that Anaheit hadn¡¯t noticed the movements of the elves behind him .

    ¡°The vige is in a bit of a tense situation at the moment . If someone as powerful as you enters, we fear that the situation might take a turn for the worse, you see . ¡±

    Anaheit spoke clearly . While not as much as the other elves, he didn¡¯t seem to be very weing towards Shin either .

    Shin and Schnee had not yet been targeted, so they were still quiet, but if the bows turned towards them, they would respond appropriately . Judging by the situation, Tiera¡¯s circumstances were much worse than what she wrote in the message .

    ¡°We have no intention of causing any trouble, so could you let us in?¡±

    ¡°My apologies, but we need some time . As I said before, your presence could instigate trouble . If you were a normal human, we wouldn¡¯t react like this though . ¡±

    Shin asked to be let in, but Anaheit maintained his stance of refusal . Neither was going to budge, and it wasn¡¯t ¡°yet¡± time to force his way in, so Shin decided to retreat for the moment .

    ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped . I am sure that even if we persisted we would just give you more work to do, so we¡¯ll be back at another time . ¡±

    ¡°Apologies for the trouble . As you have an elf with you I am sure you already know, but do not think of sneaking in . If you do, we will be forced to work even harder at our jobs . ¡±

    ¡°Haha, who would do something so reckless?¡±

    Both men smiled, but the topic of conversation wasn¡¯t amusing at all . Shin, incidentally, did not say that sneaking inside would be impossible .

 Vol 15 Chapter 1.7: Chapter 1 Part 7

    ¡°So, looks like we aren¡¯t getting in anytime soon.¡±

    After distancing themselves from the gate, Shin shook his head and spoke.

    ¡°It seems like they are on high alert. If I wasn¡¯t with you, they probably would have resorted to more direct methods.¡±

    Schnee talked while looking in Anaheit¡¯s direction. Shin agreed that, since an elf like them ¡ª though Schnee was actually a high elf ¡ª was together with Shin, the elves limited themselves to arming their bows.

    Even Anaheit looked at Schnee first before speaking to Shin. The elves who hadn¡¯t armed their bows all focused their gazes on her too. Even among elves, known for their beauty, Schnee was probably a special case.

    ¡°¡®Lady¡¯ Tiera, hmm¡­¡±

    Shin and Schnee headed away from Lanapacea, to a nearby forest. Despite being surrounded by trees, they felt like they were being watched. The elves were probably using abination of ¡¾Far Sight¡¿ and ¡¾Through Sight¡¿. Shin had used it often in the game era too.

    ¡°Tiera used to be the World Tree priestess after all, it is not strange for her to be addressed with such a title, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Normally no one would call someone who¡¯s been banished by that title¡­.¡±

    People are respected and revered because of their abilities and status. However, Tiera had been banished by her vige once. Shin and Schnee agreed that she likely wouldn¡¯t be treated in the same way as before.

    ¡°The fact that the curse has been lifted is visible to everyone, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, any elf would know right away if they saw her. That is probably the reason, or rather, I cannot think of any other reason.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that has to be it.¡±

    The curse was the reason she had been banished, something even the priestess Tiera had given up on. Now that the curse was removed, it could be possible for her to regain her title and honor. She could even be exalted even more, as she had aplished an unprecedented feat.

    Furthermore, Tiera¡¯s own abilities had increased exponentially since she left the vige. That alone would be enough topletely change how they treated her.

    ¡°In any case, we should go meet them soon. I guess we could try contacting Shibaid.¡±

    ¡°I agree. If Tiera herself calls for us, they will not have a choice but to let us in.¡±

    It didn¡¯t feel right to use her authority like that, but joining Tiera and Shibaid was the highest priority. Considering the freedom of movement once inside the vige, entering openly from the main gate was surely better than sneaking inside.

    Shin attempted to contact Shibaid via Mind Chat right away.

    ¡°(O Shin. Looks like the message was delivered sessfully.)¡±

    ¡°(Yes, we¡¯re already outside Lanapacea. They won¡¯t let us in, though. What¡¯s going on?)¡±

    ¡°(I thought that things could work if Schnee was with you¡­but I guess there was no such luck. I¡¯ll tell you the details once we rejoin. I¡¯lle out to meet you.)¡±

    ¡°(Roger.)¡±

    Shin asked when exactly Shibaid woulde, then cut themunication. They hadn¡¯t actually spoken aloud, but Shibaid¡¯s voice seemed exhausted somehow.

    ¡°How was it?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯sing out to meet us. The details will wait until then.¡±

    Shin and Schnee left the forest and headed straight to the vige entrance, but at a leisurely pace. Anaheit watched them from the start.

    ¡°You¡¯re back so soon? You aren¡¯t thinking of ¡°literally¡± breaking through the impasse, are you?¡±

    Shin and Schnee had left just a short time ago, but were now approaching the gate again. It was enough to suspect that they were up to something.

    ¡°Of course not, we would already be firing magic spells in that case.¡±

    Shin spoke calmly to the wary Anaheit. Shibaid wasing to meet them, so there was no need to start any trouble. If he provoked them and things turned sour, it would only be a problem.

    ¡°Let me be clear once and for all, but talking won¡¯t solve anything, do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I suppose. But it would feel wrong to not even try, I think.¡±

    Shin kept talking, hoping to at least get some information out of Anaheit until Shibaid arrived. He kept acting like he had simplye to visit an acquaintance and mentioned that he had traveled together with Tiera before. He first stated that Schnee was his wife and it was through her that Shin had had the chance of traveling with Tiera.

    ¡°Captain, someone calling themselves a messenger from the main house wishes to speak with you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    During the conversation, an elf emerged from the forest and whispered in Anaheit¡¯s ears. Shin¡¯s ¡¾Listen¡¿ skills revealed what he said to him.

    ¡°Why is a messenger from the main house¡­.agh!¡±

    As to corner the confused Anaheit even further, another elf appeared from the forest. Light blue eyes, blue hair extending down her back. The female elf, wearing priestess-like loose-fitting clothes, walked up to Shin and Schnee, ignoring Anaheit and his elves¡¯ attempts to stop her.

    ¡°Sir Shin, Lady Yuki, I presume? Mdy Tiera calls for you. I will be your guide, so could you please follow me?¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Lady messenger!¡±

    Shin nodded, but at the same time Anaheit interrupted.

    ¡°I wish for an exnation. Surely you must know about the current situation¡­!¡±

    They probably belonged to different factions: Anaheit couldn¡¯t back down without an exnation.

    ¡°Lady Tiera deemed it necessary. In that case, it is our duty toply.¡±

    ¡°I must insist! Lady Yuki is an elf, but sir Shin is a human! Surely you have not gone senile to the point of not realizing what that means?¡±

    ¡°I just said that such a human has been deemed necessary. Besides,dy Tiera¡¯spanion, sir Shibaid, said the same. You already know that he is someone worthy of trust, do you not?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.but, if we let any more races in, the head might be irritated.¡±

    While the conversation was not a heated one, both sides did not relent. Anaheit seemed to be concerned about matters other than the World Tree. Tiera was probably involved too.

    ¡°I too am aware of that much. However, the World Tree is the first priority. The head is far too concerned with boosting our forces.¡±

    ¡°¡­I see it is inevitable, then. I will pretend I did not hear yourst words.¡±

    The clearly ominous conversation ended and the messenger resumed walking, after again inviting Shin and Schnee to follow her. They promptly did so, without any more words from Anaheit or the other elves.

    After they stepped through the barrier into the vige, the forest turned into streets crowded with elves and houses built in harmony with the trees. The border between the forest and the ins literally separated the vige from the outside world.

    Shin and Schnee followed the guide, named L, and were invited to board a horse carriage waiting for them. The carriage was equipped with cushions and traveled on paved roads, so it did not shake much during the ride.

    It was of a quality rare for this world, though it still could notpare to Tsuki no Hokora or Shigureya. Shin thought that thanks to their long lives, elves probably attained high skill levels.

    L, who was sitting quietly in front of them, had the high level of 240. Shin didn¡¯t know if she was a Chosen One or not, but she was very skilled for this world¡¯s standards.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, I was just thinking that we hadn¡¯t introduced ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I am but a guide, you do not need to concern yourself so.¡±

    L did not budge an inch. Shin, who knew of her level, was sure that she couldn¡¯t be just a guide. She was probably an escort for important figures. As there was nothing to do, Shin thought of looking outside, but realized that the horse carriage did not have windows. The interior was lit by light magic crystals set at the four corners of the roof of the carriage.

    ¡°This carriage doesn¡¯t have any windows, I see. Are all carriages used by elves like this?¡±

    ¡°No, this is a special carriage used by the Luderia house. Normal carriages are the same as the ones humans use.¡±

    The carriage looked like it could be used to transport important people or prisoners, so it wasn¡¯t clear if they were being wary or they simply had many enemies. Thinking back to the conversation with Anaheit, both hypotheses were probably correct.

    Since he couldn¡¯t see outside, Shin used the map and his detection skills and noticed that they were traveling along arge road. There were a few people out and about, but all of them were above 150 in level: it was hard to believe that they were regr citizens. Since the country was small, Shin imagined that military service was a duty.

    As Shin was quietly gathering information, the horse carriage stopped. The map showed arge building in front of the carriage. When they got off, they found a building muchrger than expected.

    The other constructions in the surroundings were more akin to treehouses, but this building¡¯s architecture was very different. The gate and walls around it were made of stone, reinforced by special vines and rare materials.

    ¡°This way, please.¡±

    L headed through the gate without hesitation. There were guards posted at its side, but they just nced at Shin and said nothing.

    The interior of the building was very spacious, with manyplex corridors. Intersections and doors were built at regr intervals, with each passageway being roughly the same length, so after a few turns it was difficult to know where one really was. It was a structure meant for defense.

    ¡°Please go in. Lady Tiera awaits you.¡±

    L stopped in front of a certain door and spoke. She wouldn¡¯t go in with them, apparently. Shin felt five presences inside the room. Four of them were Tiera, Shibaid, Kagerou and Yuzuha. Thest remaining one did not belong to any one of Shin¡¯s party members.

    Shin thanked L and opened the door. Other than Tiera and the others, an elf unknown to Shin was in the room. Her clothing was simr to L, but wore many more gorgeous decorations.

    White, almost transparent skin without the slightest blemish, silver shoulder-length hair and golden eyes. Her appearance was very beautiful, as expected of an elf.

    Her appearance suggested she was a young girl in herte teens. She looked younger than Tiera. Her appearance and luxurious jewelry signaled that she had to be of rather elevated status.

    ¡°That human is sir Shin?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Among us, I think he knows the most about the World Tree.¡±

    Shin¡¯s expectations were suddenly increased.

    ¡°(Shin!!!)¡±

    ¡°Whoops!¡±

    Shin wanted to tell them to wait a bit before saying things like that, but Yuzuha rushed to him before he could. She was in a small fox mode, so she jumped and fit right into his arms. She called to him via Mind Chat because of the presence of someone other than the party members.

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    They had been separated for a while, so she wanted to cuddle more than the usual. She had been kind enough to let him have alone time with Schnee, so he let her do it for the time being.

    After Yuzuha, Shibaid approached them too.

    ¡°You finally made it through.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but the wee was rather rough, you know?¡±

    Shin mentioned that the elves at the gate armed their bows against them and Shibaid frowned a bit.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad when we arrived.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because I arrived, I guess.¡±

    Shin talked to Shibaid while coddling Yuzuha, then Tiera joined the conversation with an apologetic tone.

    ¡°So it¡¯s really connected to that, Tiera?¡±

    ¡°It is. Because of that, things turned reallyplicated, so I had no choice but to contact you.¡±

    Tiera apologized for having to do so. She would have wanted to solve the situation by herself, if it was possible.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be shy of asking us for help. But it¡¯s not like I know everything about the World Tree.¡±

    ¡°But you know more than us, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­I guess.¡±

    Compared to this world¡¯s people, I guess I do¡­was what Shin meant to say, but he stopped himself. If the knowledge acquired in the game era was still valid, Tiera was definitely right. Problems would arise if symptoms of sickness Shin was unaware of were present.

    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s take care of introductions before going into the details. I haven¡¯t met the youngdy before, after all. As you have heard from Tiera, I am Shin, an adventurer. This is¡­¡±

    ¡°His wife, Yuki.¡±

    Introduced by Shin, Schnee smiled and greeted the youngdy. She casually stressed the ¡°wife¡± part, causing Shibaid and Tiera to react.

    Tiera couldn¡¯t process the new information and stared at them, her mouth wide open. Shibaid quickly understood and smiled.

    ¡°Ehm, my name is Lymliss Luderia. Er, pleased to meet you.¡±

    Maybe because it was their first meeting, after introducing herself Lymliss looked timidly at Shin. She was probably shy with strangers. Her surname was the same as the gate guard Anaheit, so they were probably siblings.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. So, going back on topic, what¡¯s the situation? Judging from the conversation between the messenger L and the gate guard, it looks like there are factions at odds here?¡±

    Thinking that he would be questionedter anyway, Shin did not say anything about Tiera and Shibaid¡¯s reactions. At the same time, he tried saying what he thought could be the core of the situation. From the conversation between L and Anaheit, he surmised that there had to be several factions in y.

    ¡°It¡¯s just as you say. The Lanapacea vige was born to supervise the World Tree, so its structures are different than other countries. There is a king, but the ones in charge of the World Tree have more authority.¡±

    Shibaid too judged that it wasn¡¯t the right time to talk about Shin and Schnee¡¯s rtionship and inly answered Shin¡¯s question. Because of the World Tree¡¯s importance, its caretakers had the highest clout.

    ¡°What does that say for this country¡­?¡±

    ¡°Well, up until now it has been functioning normally, it seems.¡±

    ¡°Up until now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, up until now.¡±

    Those repeated words highlighted the fact that no one knew what was going to happen in the future.

    ¡°Normally, the World Tree¡¯s caretakers don¡¯t interfere in the country¡¯s politics. The current leader of the caretakers, the head of the Luderia house, seems to be a bit different, though. He seems to be involved with outside forces.¡±

    Why must the caretakers of the World Tree, an existence vital to the whole world, be confined in such an isted vige? This was apparently the focus of the question.

    ¡°I have a bad feeling about all of this.¡±

    ¡°But normally, things wouldn¡¯t turn out as bad as they did.¡±

    Tiera, who overcame her shock, joined in the conversation.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Normally, the caretaker ns are two: if one goes out of control, it is the other¡¯s duty to keep them in line.¡±

    Shin then had a sh of a realization.

    ¡°Could it be that the other is the Lucent n?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. Because of my curse, their duty was terminated, though.¡±

    There still were those who carried the Lucent name, but being the n who gave birth to a cursed elf, they were treated rather harshly.

    ¡°I returned with my curse gone, so things turned problematic.¡±

    ¡°I bet they did¡­¡±

    The Lucent n, considered by all an impure lineage. The banished priestess, however, had ovee her curse and had returned, more powerful than ever. She also retained her priestess powers to boot.

    ¡°The retainers of the Lucent n got all excited, saying it¡¯s the rebirth of the n and simr stuff.¡±

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    Tiera and the other n members used to be loved by all: if it wasn¡¯t for the curse, they would have been able to stop the Luderia n.

    Shin, personally, thought that it was way toote for such a reaction.

    ¡°I am telling them that I have no such intention, though.¡±

    ¡°It depends on what they are nning. Maybe they did not really want to banish¡­.no, sorry, I said something weird.¡±

    No matter the reason, the banished party would feel abandoned. Shin stated his honest thoughts, but quickly realized it and apologized to Tiera.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. If I was in their same situation, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop it either.¡±

    ording to Tiera, not all elves agreed with the banishment. That was the reason why she managed to survive until she met Schnee. Originally she was nned to be executed, not exiled.

    ¡°But then, right now what is your status here?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have my status or authority as a Lucent, but I am still a priestess, so I have some sort of special treatment.¡±

    World Tree priestess was something that not everyone could be. One had to be recognized by the World Tree and be able tomunicate with it. Such a talent was not inherited, but appeared more easily in certain lineages.

    ¡°Then I guess the other priestess must be unhappy about it, right? There was another priestess bearing that role before you returned, I suppose?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not really it. One of the priestesses is this child, after all.¡±

    Tiera then brought Lymliss before her.

    ¡°Ah, er, ehm¡­yes¡­I am¡­¡±

    She was already about to cry. Her job was indeed priestess.

    ¡°I apologize in advance for disrespect, but¡­will she be okay?¡±

    Shin thought that a priestess would have a firmer, dauntless attitude, so he couldn¡¯t help but be worried about her.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. They supported this country while I was away, after all. Their talent and skill are proven.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­.wait, are there so many priestesses?¡±

    Tiera had clearly said ¡°they¡±. It meant that there were at least two or more.

    ¡°Of course, why? We don¡¯t know when someone with talent is born, after all. It can happen for more than one to have it in the same generation. Lymliss was like my junior when I was still a priestess. As of now, she has been acting as priestess longer than I did, so she kind of became my senior.¡±

    ¡°Not at all!! Sister Tiera, you are much more amazing than someone like me!! You overcame the curse, became stronger, and still have your priestess abilities¡­while I¡¯m sure I couldn¡¯t even go out of the vige.¡±

    Lymliss retorted enthusiastically. All her former shyness seemed to be gone. Her tone when she listed everything Tiera aplished was so innocent that it was hard to imagine her fulfilling an important role such as World Tree priestess.

    The subject of her retort, however, wouldn¡¯t have it. In contrast with Lymliss¡¯ enthusiasm, Tiera had turned bright red.

    ¡°Stop, stop, enough already!¡±

    Tiera had been helplessly withstanding all the praise, but at a certain point couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that, it means you¡¯re that respected.¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­it¡¯s all too exaggerated, it¡¯s like they¡¯re talking about a whole different person¡­¡±

    Tiera¡¯s immature self, as she was before meeting Schnee, was apparently still present within her. While she said it was all exaggerated, Shin knew that she used her abilities without meaning to. She thought she wasn¡¯t anything special, but there was the possibility that the truth was quite the contrary.

    ¡°I am not exaggerating at all! Sister Tiera¡¯s spirit channeling can summon the spirits of the deceased, so she bes like someonepletely different.¡±

    Shin wanted to correct Lymliss, saying that an actually different person inhabited Tiera¡¯s body, but stopped himself in time. Apparently, Tiera could now use skills that she did not know before. Shin imagined she was like a spirit medium, but apparently Tiera was now even beyond that.

    In the past there were priestesses with simr powers, but unlike Tiera, no one had managed to master their skills during their lifetime. That was the reason why Tiera was regarded as a genius.

    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to say, but sometimes that caused me to act very shamefully, or so I was told¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an amazing ability, but yeah, I don¡¯t really envy that part¡­¡±

    When her soul returns to the World Tree, some skills be unusable. Tiera cannot retain her memories of that time, so it could be said that she does not benefit much from this talent. She receives the gratitude of the people she could help, but that was it. In exchange, she is granted treatment fitting to her role, though.

    ¡°The people around me envied me, but looking back at that time, I had barely any free time, all my meals were really frugal, training was super harsh, everyone looked at me with pity until the spirit channeling ended¡­I really worked hard¡­didn¡¯t I¡­?¡±

    ¡°Tiera!! Come back to us!!¡±

    The treatment she received wasn¡¯t enough, after all. Tiera¡¯s gaze went farther and farther as she talked, so Shin hurriedly brought her back to reality.

    ¡°Ehm, sister Tiera, are you all right?¡±

    ¡°Eh!? What was I¡­? My head hurts¡­¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s better to go back on topic.¡±

    Shin told Tiera to take it easy and summarized the situation.

    First, the World Tree¡¯s current caretaker n was only the Luderia. The n¡¯s head also seemed to be involved in suspicious activities. Tiera had no authority, but former followers of the Lucent n, holding her as figurehead now that she had ovee her curse, are starting to move in order to restore the n.

    ¡°(That L we met before is from the Luderia n, right? Why is someone from the Luderia n serving Tiera instead of their head? Wait, does it mean that¡­)¡±

    Since Lymliss, priestess belonging to Luderia n, was with them, Shin used Mind Chat to talk with Shibaid. As he did, however, he came up with the answer to his question.

    Shin had lived in a world where all sorts of stories and tales intertwined. He could recall many simr events like what was unfolding in Lanapacea at the moment.

    ¡°(It¡¯s probably as you think. While they are using the Luderia name at the moment, there are many here who used to have the Lucent name or are connected to it. L is one of them too.)¡±

    ¡°(I see, so the Luderia absorbed the fallen Lucent n in itself.)¡±

    The Lanapacea vige was formed by several ns. Among them, those possessing the most authority were the n of the royal family and the n of the first priestess, Lu, whichter split into two: Lucent and Luderia.

    The ns following the Lucent were absorbed by the Luderia, which bore the same role of looking after the World Tree.

    ¡°This ce too belongs to the Luderia?¡±

    ¡°Yes, at the moment it¡¯s used as a second home of the Luderia n, but it used to be the ce where we lived. It was assigned to me since they thought I would find it easier to stay here.¡±

    The former retainers of the Lucent n were gathered there at present.

    ¡°Some people even abandoned their jobs toe here¡­it¡¯s getting really problematic.¡±

    Shin wondered if that wasn¡¯t considered neglect of duty.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Luderia n say anything about the situation?¡±

    ¡°Of course they do. Since you are a priestess, start helping with the purification of the World Tree, they said. That¡¯s my goal too, so I have no reason to refuse, but lots of other problems havee up.¡±

    Shin only knew that the World Tree had started dying. As soon as he arrived in Lanapacea he heard of the dispute between the Luderia and Lucent ns, but as it turns out there was more.

    ¡°First, about the priestesses with the ability of purifying the World Tree. Other than Lymliss there was one more, but she disappeared a long time ago. She was born after I left, but she was kidnapped, so recently Lymliss has been working hard on the purification by herself. One of the reasons why the World Tree is weakening is that her powers alone aren¡¯t enough to keep up with the speed at which the World Tree is dying.¡±

    The World Tree crisis was not known to all of Lanapacea¡¯s poption. Even if someone simply visited the vige they wouldn¡¯t know of it.

    ording to the elves who had inspected the location where the missing priestess was kidnapped, there were traces of miasma, so they suspected demons were the culprits. There were no other clues, however, so it was impossible to go look for her.

    ¡°The World Tree cleanses this world from impurity. Because of the decrease in World Trees and increase of impurity, however, many World Trees are gradually bing contaminated. If Tiera wasn¡¯t here, this World Tree would be in serious danger.¡±

    Shibaid added that Lymliss¡¯ ability as priestess was notcking by any means, but the World Tree¡¯s contamination had advanced to the point that it wasn¡¯t enough.

    ¡°That is one of the underlying reasons why some people are adamantly pushing for the resurrection of the Lucent n. The kidnapped priestess came from a n called Lc, which was supposed to keep the Luderia n in check: they had the caretaker role in ce of the Lucent. Since the priestess was taken, their authority and influence have grown smaller, so as I said before, right now the Luderia are front and center.¡±

    The Lucent n had been absorbed by the Luderia, but because of the birth of another priestess, the situation had returned to two ns acting the role of World Tree caretaker.

    The kidnapping incident, however, put an end to it. Things would be very different if Lymliss was the one to disappear, but the priestess that was taken away belonged to the new n of caretakers, the Lc.

    Because of this, the authority and influence as World Tree caretaker n once again concentrated in the Luderia¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Since the purification isgging I was weed in the vige, but as you can tell the situation is prettyplicated.¡±

    Tiera¡¯s expression was clouded. Because of the situation, however, her standing was rather strong. She used to be a priestess, so she knew what had to be done. Her abilities were also much superior to Lymliss.

    It was thanks to Tiera that the situation was now somewhat stable. It was obvious for the Luderia to request her assistance.

    ¡°I am sorry, if only I wasn¡¯t so ipetent¡­¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, the World Tree is in a much more terrible state now than when I was here. It¡¯s not something one person can solve by themselves.¡±

    Lymliss looked down in shame, but Tiera defended her. Shin knew of the extent of Tiera¡¯s purification powers. If Tiera and another priestess could only barely keep at bay the contamination, the situation was indeed dire.

    ¡°I see now why you¡¯d call for me.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Please, we are in your hands.¡±

    Shin first had to see the World Tree before being able to say anything, but he was ready to do anything he could.

    ¡°By the way, Tiera¡­there is something else you need to say, isn¡¯t there? Something very important. You should speak now.¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­! I didn¡¯t forget about it, really! But I wanted to act like it didn¡¯t happen¡­¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s question turned Tiera¡¯s expression sour. If Tiera wanted to act like it didn¡¯t happen, it had to be something serious, so Shin prepared to listen to her seriously.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­the current head of the Luderia n has a son, and he¡­says he wants to take me as his bride.¡±

    ¡°¡­..oof.¡±

    Completely surprised, Shin could only emit a sort of whimper. Schnee¡¯s self introduction as his wife probably contributed too.

    ¡°Does he n to pull you in with them before you be the n¡¯s leading figure?¡±

    ¡°Actually, it seems that¡¯s not the case. When I returned here I had the chance to talk a bit with him, but he proposed to me then and there.¡±

    After the purification, the son of the n leader with the Luderia retainersing to apany Lymliss and proposed to Tiera on the spot. Tiera added that he didn¡¯t say anything about causes such as the purification of the World Tree or the world atrge, but simply appealed to her persistently.

    ¡°For real?¡±

    ¡°Before you ask, I refused.¡±

    Tiera half red at Shin and replied. Shibaidter said that she refused immediately, without even the time to act surprised.

    ¡°Did you know him already?¡±

    Shin thought that a sudden marriage proposal would leave anyone surprised, so there had to be a reason why Tiera wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Yes, I knew him since I was a priestess, well he¡¯s kind of a childhood friend. Elves have few children, so it¡¯s not like it was only him, though. Since I was the daughter of the Lucent n head, because of customs and things like that¡­well, a lot happened. To put it simply, he¡¯s my childhood friend and former fiance.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it.¡±

    Shin had heard that high-ranked families used to marry their sons and daughters in order to preserve their rtionships. It wasn¡¯t something that could ever have urred to him, but it wasn¡¯t unheard of in the real world.

    He didn¡¯t know that Tiera was the daughter of the head of the n, but that exined the situation well. In that world kings and nobles existed, so it wasn¡¯t strange for such things to happen among elves as well.

    Shin wondered, however, if it was okay for the children of the two different caretaker ns to marry.

    ¡°When I was cursed the marriage n was dispelled just like that, but now that the curse is gone he acts like nothing happened! It¡¯s just horrible!¡±

    Tiera recalled the proposal and her temper red up again. She was now utterly furious.

    ¡°Calm down, Tiera. Your anger is definitely justified, but this is not the time to cause a ruckus.¡±

    ¡°Y, yes¡­I¡¯m sorry, master.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s words calmed Tiera instantly, as expected of her mentor.

    ¡°Ehm, sister Tiera¡­what exactly is your rtionship withdy Yuki?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t tell you about it, did I. When I was banished from the vige, master rescued me. She took care of me until the curse was gone. She taught me not only skills, but also new ways of thinking, ways of looking at things, many things I didn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°W-wow! Amazing!¡±

    Lymliss, who had great respect for Tiera, looked at Schnee, Tiera¡¯s master, with sparkles in her eyes. Her shyness seems to disappear when she turns like this.

    ¡°By the way, is it okay for miss Lymliss to be here?¡±

    In order to help Schnee, who was feeling awkward because of the young elf¡¯s burning stare, Shin asked about something he wondered since his arrival. Lymliss addressed Tiera with the same respect as the Luderia retainers who nned for the Lucent¡¯s revival, after all.

    Lymliss called Tiera ¡°sister¡±, but from her behavior everyone would think that Tiera was of higher standing. Regardless of Lymliss¡¯ feelings, the Luderia n surely did not view the situation positively.

    ¡°It normally wouldn¡¯t be okay, but since we are purifying the World Tree together, shees here with the pretext that it wouldn¡¯t be bad for us to strengthen our rtionship.¡±

    ¡°Sister Tiera taught me how a priestess should act and use my abilities, so¡­¡±

    All her enthusiasm when looking at Schnee vanished: in front of Shin, Lymliss lost all of her momentum. She seemed to act differently when talking with elves and other species, or maybe she wasn¡¯t used to talking with men.

    ¡°I see, she¡¯s your senior as priestess then.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t teach her anything special, though. The way a priestess should act, manners and such are different in the Lucent and Luderia ns, and a priestess¡¯ abilities are learned more through practice than theory.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not true!! Your teaching is very easy to understand!!¡±

    ¡°R-really? Well, I¡¯m d then.¡±

    Tiera sumbed against Lymliss¡¯ momentum, even stronger now than how it was with Schnee.

    ¡°Anyway, won¡¯t it be bad if you don¡¯t go back by now? They¡¯re not very happy with your presence here, right?¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be able to meet again soon.¡±

    Pushed by Tiera¡¯s smile, Lymliss returned to the Luderia n¡¯s main house. Her escort was waiting in another room.

    ¡°It¡¯s a fine mess, more than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­it was too much to write by letter, I didn¡¯t know when to start¡­¡±

    Less tense now that Lymliss was gone, Tiera looked quite tired.

    ¡°At first, I was just worried if I could visit my mother¡¯s grave or not. But the aura of the World Tree was totally different from before, so I couldn¡¯t leave it alone. Poor Lymliss was really emaciated when I arrived.¡±

    The World Tree is always protected by elven warriors, so normally it isn¡¯t possible to get close to it. Thanks to Shibaid¡¯s skills and equipment, however, they managed to get close enough to inspect it. Since Shibaid did not know many concealment skills, it had taken considerable time to do it, though.

    When they finally managed to slip inside, they found Lymliss, on the brink of copsing for using too much strength to purify the World Tree.

    ¡°We carried Lymliss back and asked her what was going on. She remembered me, so we weren¡¯t treated as intruders. I then revealed who I was officially, and here we are.¡±

    ¡°Here you are, admired as priestess and turning into the trigger for a feud¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that, please. As soon as the World Tree is healed, I n on leaving this ce.¡±

    Lanapacea was Tiera¡¯s hometown, but she had no intention of staying there.

    ¡°Okay, now I know how you feel. Next is the World Tree, is its condition that bad?¡±

    ¡°I think that if I didn¡¯te back, it was a matter of time until it dried uppletely. I¡¯ve never seen it in such a sorry state.¡±

    Part of the trunk had lost all gloss, as if it was dry, and had started changing color. Tiera said that during the time she was a priestess, it had never turned like that.

    ¡°It¡¯s really strange. I learned about the World Tree from the previous generation¡¯s priestess, but no one ever said anything about such a phenomenon. If something happened to the World Tree, they would surely record it for future generations¡­I asked Lymliss too, but she said she never learned about anything like that. It probably never happened before.¡±

    Tiera said that ording to elven knowledge, the only countermeasure avable was purifying the World Tree.

    ¡°Part of the World Tree had dried up and fell on the ground, so we recovered it.¡±

    Shibaid then took out two item cards and materialized them. One was an orichalcum te, the other the World Tree fragment he mentioned.

    It was probably part of the World Tree¡¯s bark. Laid on the orichalcum te, it had a sickly dull color.

    ¡°This is seriously bad¡­¡±

    Shin was almost speechless. In the game there was a rescue quest that involved healing sick World Trees, but he remembered that they never turned in such a horrible state.

    ¡°This is miasma¡­? No, it feels like a devil¡¯s aura, but it¡¯s also different.¡±

    In the game era, the affected World Trees were enveloped in a dark aura visual effect, but now that the game had be reality he could feel the aura from the fragment. It was an aura simr to the many kinds of ¡°noxious presence¡± Shin had felt in this world, but it was also different from each of them. It could only be defined as impurity.

    ¡°Does it return to normal after you purify it?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the state. If it gets like this, we can only cut off the contaminated part. Maybe you would be okay, but an average elf will be confined to bed for days after just touching this a little. Some even be paralyzed or confused.¡±

    Tiera said that whoever touched it was affected by serious status effects. The fragment had been recovered by elven warriors, under the priestess¡¯ supervision. During the process, one of them had touched it by mistake.

    Even trained warriors, with levels much higher than regr elves, could not withstand its effects.

    There weren¡¯t Chosen Ones among those affected, so they didn¡¯t know if the impurity would affect Chosen Ones as well.

    ¡°They just touched it and couldn¡¯t move anymore¡­is it any different from paralysis?¡±

    ¡°The paralysis is the same as the normal one, they just can¡¯t move. But they also lose all their energy. I asked Shibaid to check, and it looks like, what do you call them? HP and MP? They were both in the red.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I believe it either robbed them of their life force or absorbed it.¡±

    Shibaid added his hypothesis toplement Tiera¡¯s words.

    ¡°We can try solving the problem with skills then. The World Tree bark is treated as a material, so it might tell us something.¡±

    All creation-type jobs had a skill inmon, ¡¾Analyze Material¡¿, which could tell all creation-rted information of the analyzed material. If used, the item exnation window listed when that material was used in the creation process and what effects it would have on the finished product.

    For example, if used on medicinal herb it listed that it was better to cut them into small pieces and that they boosted the finished product¡¯s effects. Such information was often vague, however, so an extensive process of trial and error was still necessary. Nheless, they were helpful hints for effective item crafting.

    Shin was thinking that he would have no use of that World Tree bark as material as he activated the skill. The information was disyed to him on a semi-transparent window.

    ¡°Ah, no good.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s bugging¡­I mean, it¡¯s a jumbled mess. The information was probably ruined by the impurity.¡±

    Shin looked at the disyed information, then raised his arms in surrender. There were letters, numbers, and unrted symbols mixed in it, making it unreadable. The barely readable parts seemed to describe the original World Tree bark.

    ¡°Nothing to see here. I suppose that even if it was used to craft something, it wouldn¡¯t even work.¡±

    ¡°I hoped we could find out something, but I suppose it will not go so easily.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, we would have been lucky if it worked.¡±

    Just in case, Shin tried using all sorts of status healing items and skills on the World Tree bark fragment. As he did, the discolored part gradually regained their original color. When Shin and Tiera purified it, the effects were clearly visible. As they might have expected, Tiera¡¯s had a greater effect.

    ¡°This is strange¡­I tried purifying it when we recovered it, but it didn¡¯t have this much effect.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s separated from the World Tree now. I guess the World Tree was acting as a source of impurity.¡±

    Impurity from the whole world gathered in the World Trees. Shin thus thought that it would be difficult to purify it entirely.

    ¡°I see¡­no wonder. Me and Lymliss would never be able to purify the whole world after all.¡±

    ¡°¡­.can it be that¡­we can¡¯t do anything?¡±

    ¡°No, wait, I¡¯m just listing possibilities. As far as I know, it¡¯s not possible topletely annihte impurity. But it should be possible to erase enough impurity so that the World Tree can purify it by itself or to increase its purification abilities.¡±

    In a past event, Shin had set purification boosting devices and created nutrients specific for the World Trees. The problem was how different the increase in impurity was between the game era and now. He could think of possible countermeasures, but there were many unknown factors in the game, so he couldn¡¯t guarantee they would be effective.

    ¡°We can¡¯t just do nothing, though. First of all, I will get permission so that you can enter the World Tree area to inspect it.¡±

    They wouldn¡¯t be let through simply because they were a priestess¡¯ acquaintances.

    ¡°If it turns out to be necessary, we can use my real name. I¡¯m an elf too and I¡¯m pretty well known, after all.¡±

    ¡°In that case, I will do so too.¡±

    ¡°No, Shibaid, you used to be the monarch of another country after all. They might be needlessly suspicious. I will go by myself first.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, indeed you are right.¡±

    Shibaid nodded to Schnee. At present, he was simply an adventurer, but he was still widely known as emperor Shibaid of the dragon empire of Kilmont.

    Even if he was not rted to Kilmont anymore, if his identity became known not only the Luderia n, but also Lanapacea¡¯s king would be forced to make a move.

    ¡°Not that the news of your real identity wouldn¡¯t cause a stir, master.¡±

    ¡°Right. I bet that there¡¯s not an elf that doesn¡¯t know Schnee, after all.¡±

    Shibaid nodded, but Tiera and Shin remarked that Schnee¡¯s fame was not to be underestimated either. She was well known among the royals of several countries, so it was an understatement to define her as just ¡°pretty well known¡±.

    ¡°I do not belong to a specific country, though, so we could just say that I came out of concern for the World Tree.¡±

    ¡°I doubt they would refuse, but the current n head is a really stubborn person.¡±

    Tiera expressed her concern and Shin couldn¡¯t help but wonder if such a person was fit to be the n¡¯s leader.

 Vol 15 Chapter 2.1: Chapter 2 Part 1

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get permission right away, then . ¡±

    Tiera was ready to go to the Luderia . She was probably keen on solving the problem and leaving the vige as soon as possible . Kagerou, who was lying quietly at her feet, slipped inside her shadow .

    ¡°I¡¯ll apany you, then . ¡±

    Schnee followed Tiera . If permission wasn¡¯t granted to them, the group would have to consider sneaking in .

    Shin and Shibaid stayed behind and waited . Because of Lanapacea¡¯s circumstances, they might cause trouble if they walked around outside .

    ¡°Hey, Shibaid, there¡¯s something I need to ask . ¡±

    ¡°What would that be?¡±

    Shin talked to Shibaid, while carrying Yuzuha in his arms . It was a bit difficult to ask the person in question, so Shin decided to talk about it with Shibaid first .

    ¡°Tiera said she first came to visit her mother¡¯s grave, right? How did that go?¡±

    Shin had seen a vision of Tiera¡¯s past, of her younger self embracing her dead mother and crying . Based on that, Tiera¡¯s mother probably died while attempting to let her flee .

    For Tiera, her mother was someone to be proud of, but, for Lanapacea, she was nothing but a traitor at the time . Tiera couldn¡¯t have built a grave at that time, so Shin wondered if they had given her a proper burial .

    ¡°Tiera¡¯sdy mother¡­I haven¡¯t heard anything in detail . As Tiera said, however, not all elves agreed with her banishment . Tiera¡¯s mother was surely well respected too . While it was a bit to the side, her grave was definitely there . It also seemed well kept, like all the other graves . ¡±

    Shibaid said that Tiera had visited the grave already, so there could be no mistaking it . There was no way of knowing if or how proper rites had been held, but at least Tiera¡¯s mother hadn¡¯t been neglected, so Shin was slightly relieved .

    ¡°Anyway¡­the World Tree is in lethal danger and Tiera just happens toe back for a visit? It¡¯s all too convenient . ¡±

    ¡°I agree . The World Tree, however, is one of the pirs sustaining this world . It might have interfered with our teleportation at the time . ¡±

    The evil deity was already defeated, so such a thing wouldn¡¯t be impossible to do with a World Tree¡¯s powers, or so Shibaid theorized .

    ¡°If you put it like that, it does sound feasible . I just feel that these kinds of convenient developments happen to us way too often . ¡±

    In the Wraith ins, Shin happened to be where the Skullface Lord appeared .

    Shin being transported together with Rionne .

    Shin visiting right when the merfolk were facing a crisis .

    Shin and Schnee being transported to a country threatened by a devil¡¯s invasion .

    If they started counting smaller cases too, the number would grow exponentially . The encounters with Yuzuha and Kagerou were such cases as well .

    Most of these events could hardly have been solved by the local people . Shin wasn¡¯t the only one concerned by this string of coincidences .

    ¡°I see¡­you have been involving yourself with all sorts of trouble even when I wasn¡¯t around . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I went looking for trouble myself!¡±

    ¡°I know that . We don¡¯t know if there are actual connections, though . Demons or devils seem to be frequently involved, but there are other cases too . What happened at Bayreuth, for example, seemed to be nothing but a random urrence to me . ¡±

    Only the attack on Erkunt was caused by a devil, but many other events were rted to demons . In the beginning, however, they didn¡¯t know of the demons¡¯ involvement .

    Shin and Rionne¡¯s teleportation to a Sacred ce was the first example . If Shin hadn¡¯t caused the Skullface¡¯s sword to fly all the way to the royal castle, they wouldn¡¯t have ever met .

    ¡°Kuu! Shin is special!¡±

    ¡°Hm? Yuzuha, do you know something?¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s sudden mumble halted Shin and Shibaid¡¯s conversation . Yuzuha felt their gazes concentrating on her, so she jumped out of Shin¡¯s arms,nded on the ground and took human form .

    It was Yuzuha¡¯ste teens version, as they hadst seen her before separating . Shin thought: if she had be familiar with the power received from Ishkar in the Castle of the Depths she would look older, but apparently this was her current limit .

    ¡°It¡¯s easier to talk in this form, so I transformed . I recalled something about you, Shin, and learned something new . ¡±

    ¡°You said that I¡¯m special? What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°I can feel a power different from yours within you . I think that is what guides you to sources of harm for this world . Others are influenced by it too . ¡±

    ¡°A power¡­inside me?¡±

    ¡°Yes . That power is originally used to protect this world . That is why it¡¯s attracted to demons or devils, why it connects you to them . Do you have any idea what it could be?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I can¡¯t be sure, but I do have an idea . ¡±

    In a world where game rules still applied, there was a skill and title that probably only Shin possessed . Thinking about how he had acquired them, he could only think of one possibility .

    ¡°Thest opponent I fought to clear the death game . When I defeated the monster called Origin, I received Gifts granting me powers that, for this world¡¯s standards, might as well be called cheating . ¡±

    The three Gifts Shin had talked about with Schnee before: Aplished One, Limit Breaker and Liberator . Among them, the first two were especially amazing . Because of Shin¡¯s maxed out stats, their effects were particrly ¡°game-breaking¡± .

    ¡°You told me about that before . When I heard about their effects, I honestly doubted my ears . ¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes either . ¡±

    Shin recalled with a sort of nostalgia how many times he had checked to see if he hadn¡¯t read wrong .

    ¡°I have also acquired skills, but I haven¡¯t used them yet . Or rather, it¡¯s more correct to say that I can¡¯t activate them . I have never seen them before and don¡¯t know what the conditions for activation . ¡±

    The three skills Shin acquired after defeating Origin, ¡¾Hades Surge¡¿, ¡¾Scattering Surge¡¿, and ¡¾Concentrated Surge¡¿ were still impossible to activate, as Shin didn¡¯t know the necessary conditions .

    Normally, MP consumption, effects etc . of yer skills could be checked via the menu . Some skills that could be used in events had particr activation conditions, but they were usually easy to predict from their names or the event¡¯s contents .

    The three skills Shin acquired, however, had no rted events or hints about their activation . From their names, Shin could guess that ¡¾Hades Surge¡¿ was a boosting skill or a trigger to use the two other skills .

    ¡¾Scattering Surge¡¿ was probably a wide-range attack . ¡¾Concentrated Surge¡¿ was maybe a high firepower strike concentrated into one point, but these were all predictions .

    ¡°I have never heard of such skills before either . However, there is something that concerns me . ¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°During Shin¡¯s battle against Ishkar, his body seemed enveloped in a sort of deep purple aura . Could that possibly be ¡¾Hades Surge¡¿?¡±

    Shin hadn¡¯t noticed this at all, so Shibaid¡¯s words surprised him very much .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have no idea¡­I can¡¯t recall . ¡±

    ¡°Plenty of time has passed . After that, I too was engrossed in the exchange with Ishkar and the merfolk¡¯s affair, so I neglected mentioning it until now . My apologies . ¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, that¡¯s the same for me too . Schnee and Filma didn¡¯t say anything either, it can¡¯t be helped . ¡±

    Shin had heard that during his battle with Ishkar, Shibaid and the others had been stopped by an invisible barrier . No one mentioned anything about the surge skills, so it wasn¡¯t strange for them not to put the two things together, so Shin told Shibaid to raise his head .

    ¡°Now that I think about, I get the feeling that there was something different at that time . I felt really eager to fight¡­but I feel that¡¯s not the power to protect the world Yuzuha mentioned . ¡±

    ¡°The power within you doesn¡¯t have a defined will . The power probably reacted excessively to your feelings, boosting your will to fight too much . When power grows too strong, people are intoxicated by it and their restraint to harming others is lost . ¡±

    ¡°Right, it might be as Yuzuha said . I always restrain my powers with¡¾Limiter¡¿, but when I don¡¯t, I feel like I could do anything . ¡±

    Shin had fought very few times at full power, removing all the restrictions imposed by¡¾Limiter¡¿ . Every time he did, however, he could not see himself losing in the slightest . That feeling of omnipotence was probably what Yuzuha meant when she said to be intoxicated by power .

    ¡°Is it dangerous to remove¡¾Limiter¡¿?¡±

    ¡°Not as long as you maintain control . If anything happens, I will stop you . ¡±

    Yuzuha was usually expressionless, but now her eyes clearly had a strong light within them .

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it better to talk about this with Schnee and Tiera here too?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still¡­a bit early . ¡±

    Shibaid wondered if it wasn¡¯t better to share the information with the others and Yuzuha replied, back in her usual sleepy tone .

    ¡°Why would that be?¡±

    Shibaid asked why Yuzuha talked about the matter to him too and not only Shin .

    ¡°Tiera and Schnee are too reliant on Shin . If¡­ anything happened to him, they would not be able to draw their swords against him . I might not be able to stop him by myself . ¡±

    Yuzuha spoke with a telling pause after the word ¡°if¡± . She clearly wished that possibility never became reality .

    ¡°So you say that I could?¡±

    ¡°Shibaid, what lies within you is loyalty . You do not wish to be someone special for Shin, like Schnee does . That is why, when there is no other option left, you will be able to wield your weapon . ¡±

    Yuzuha looked straight at Shibaid, who was not concealing his intimidating tone, and spoke firmly .

    ¡°Even when a leader is mistaken, is it not the follower¡¯s duty to obey?¡±

    ¡°That possibility is not zero either . However, I believe that if you think your leader is going down the wrong path, you will try to stop him even if you must fight . That is why I spoke about it to you too . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Shibaid did not object to Yuzuha¡¯s words . He admitted to himself that in an emergency, he would probably take up arms as she said . Shibaid was Shin¡¯s support character, but at present he was not bound by anything . He would not act on predeterminedmands, as he would in the game, but decide which path to follow based on his own will .

    He was not forced to be Shin¡¯s ally unconditionally .

    Listening to them, Shin too thought that Shibaid would stop him if it was necessary . He was the one to set Shibaid¡¯s personality, after all . In a way, he knew him much better than Yuzuha did .

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to worry about as long as Shin is like this, though . I believe in Shin . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you do, but don¡¯t hug me in that form, please . ¡±

    Wiping away the heavy mood in one stroke, Yuzuha waddled closer to Shin and hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his back, so her fully grown curves softly changed shape against his body .

    Looking at her happily wagging tail, signaling her mood, Shibaid felt all tenseness leave his body and his shoulders dropped .

    ¡°I too believe that Shin will not be consumed by that power . Would you be able to stop him if he ever did, anyway?¡±

    ¡°When the going gets tough, Yuzuha gets going . ¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Yuzuha replied with a very smug face, while resisting Shin¡¯s attempts at pushing her away . Shin and Shibaid, both rendered speechless, simply stood there, powerless .

 Vol 15 Chapter 2.2: Chapter 2 Part 2

    Ten minutes had passed since Shin told Yuzuha that, if she had to stick to him, she should at least do so in small fox form . While waiting for Schnee and Tiera to return, Shin watched Yuzuha merrily snoozing on hisp when he heard quarreling voices from the entrance .

    Shibaid had also noticed and was looking in the same direction as Shin . The residence they were in was fairlyrge, so normally it wasn¡¯t possible to hear people talk in the entrance from their room: Shin and Shibaid could thanks to their ¡¾Listen¡¿ skill .

    They didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop all conversations in the residence, so they usually kept it inactive and only used it when necessary .

    Shin detected two presences walking around the entrance, so he activated it thinking that they were heading inside the residence . One of them was saying that someone hade to meet Tiera and they wanted to wait inside, while the other, an elf working in the residence, refused . The residence was veryrge, so a number of helpers worked in it .

    Shin kept listening and the conversation took a strange turn: they started talking about the Lc n leader, the problems of the Lucent and Luderia ns and simr questions, so Shin decided to conceal himself and go to the entrance .

    ¡°¡ªand thus, we requestdy Tiera toe to the residence of our Lc n . If things continue like this, the Luderia will grow even more powerful . As a caretaker, this cannot be considered correct . ¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! You are simply afterdy Tiera¡¯s powers . The Lucent are now a part of the Luderia, thus, it is natural fordy Tiera to be at our side . ¡±

    Shin was now close enough to hear the voices normally, but rather than angry he felt simply exasperated . In the end, they both wanted to use Tiera for their own benefit . Considering the status of the 2 male elves quarrelling before him, it was pretty obvious for them to do so . However, Shin knew of Tiera¡¯s feelings so he couldn¡¯t help but think that they were engaged in a pointless debate .

    ¡°It cannot be helped, I see¡­I shall return for today . ¡±

    The representative of the Lc n turned around and the man, likely belonging to the Luderia n, left too . Shin followed their presence for a while and noticed that, for some reason, they were heading in the same direction, even walking side by side .

    Even if they had to head in the same direction, there was no reason to walk so close together . Besides, there was another presence behind the two, which seemed to be tailing them .

    ¡°This is strange¡­their ns seemed to be at odds . If the presence following them is an escort¡­why would they conceal their presence? It doesn¡¯t seem like they are dealing with private affairs, so normally they would be alone, or the escort would be together with them¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed, this merits suspicion . Some, however, dislike having their escorts walk with them, so it would be understandable if thetter was concealed . If those two are of high rank, that might be it . Though, I do not understand why they would be together . I suppose not all members from the ns are up in arms against each other, but judging from their conversation, their rtionship did not seem positive in the least . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right . I suppose I should follow them for a while . ¡±

    For whatever reason, the two were avoiding crowded streets, so Shin suspected something was afoot and told Shibaid that he was going after them . Yuzuha, now awake, climbed on Shin¡¯s shoulder and went with him . Shibaid was not suited for such stealth activities, so he said he would wait back in the residence .

    ¡°Okay then¡­looks like they¡¯re talking about something . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re fighting¡­now . ¡±

    Shin and Yuzuha, still concealed by ¡¾Hiding¡¿, followed the two elves . Between their quarrels, they would sometimes whisper among each other, inpletely different tones . The loud quarrels were apparently a camouge tactic meant for the presence following them .

    Shin decided to focus only on what the two elves whispered .

    ¡°That manner of speaking would only worsen people¡¯s impressions . If you wish to apologize, then why not use a more peaceful method? It¡¯s like you¡¯re begging people to hate you . ¡±

    The Lc representative¡¯s brow furrowed, his blue eyes looking at the man next to him . He was quite handsome, as normal for most elves, with short hair parted at the sides of his face . His tone was casual and he appeared fairly confident .

    ording to ¡¾Analyze¡¿, his name was Herald .

    ¡°You too . It sounds like you want to use Tiera as a substitute for your missing priestess . That would be a worse blow to the people¡¯s impression of your n . ¡±

    The man likely belonging to the Luderia replied . He was an elf, naturally, with silver hair reaching up to his shoulders, his green eyes ring back at Herald . His name was Orlean .

    ¡°Like I don¡¯t know that already! Our old man was more than happy to banishdy Tiera at the time . ¡±

    ¡°But look at him now! She came back so much stronger, with a divine beast to boot, so he¡¯s pissing his pants worrying that she¡¯s going to get her revenge . Yet he won¡¯t admit his faults all the same¡­he¡¯s just hopeless . I get it that I wasn¡¯t even born then, but acting as the one in charge of drawing her to our side is just absurd . And I¡¯m supposed to ¡°tread the water¡±? What the hell am I supposed to do? On top of all that, that residence¡¯s retainers are former Lucent people, so even if I say the truth, who knows if they¡¯ll believe me¡­¡±

    Some former Lucent retainers were invested in making Tiera the figurehead of the n¡¯s revival, after all . From their point of view, the Lc¡¯s actions would be easily thought to mean that they wanted to use Tiera for their own goals . Herald was so irritated that he managed to raise his voice while whispering, a rather impressive feat .

    ¡°What about me, then? I was her fiance and couldn¡¯t even protect her . If she wanted to take revenge, I¡¯d be the first in line! If this would give her some relief, that¡¯d be fine, though . ¡±

    Orlean agreed with Herald¡¯s idea that honestly bowing their heads and petition Tiera¡¯s assistance was better, then said his piece .

    ¡°What are you saying, you idiot . I did greet her officially as representative of the Lc, and I can tell that she¡¯s not that kind of woman . The guys who escorteddy Tiera to the purification said they started crying just by watching her do it! Someone with that kind of power isn¡¯t going to feel any relief by killing you, man . ¡±

    Unbeknownst to Shin, Tiera¡¯s reputation had been on the rise . He had seen her purification before, but did not recall being moved to the point of tears . He wondered what could have ever happened .

    ¡°I know that already . I just regret what happened that much . That is why I want to cooperate with her as much as I can, but she¡¯s always being watched . If I said anything like that, they¡¯ll go straight to father to report . We¡¯re already butting heads about how they¡¯re treating Tiera¡­in the worst case I won¡¯t be free to act anymore either . It wasn¡¯t so bad before, but fathertely is acting really strangely . ¡±

    ¡°Should we speed up the n?¡±

    ¡°No, I want to know as much as possible about what father is trying to do . Besides, the Lc warrior chiefs are still mostly on father¡¯s side . At least the majority follows the head as warriors protecting the country and the World Tree, though . ¡±

    The conversation was getting more and more suspicious and Shin could not shake an increasingly bad feeling . Their speech suggested that they might be nning something like a coup d¡¯etat .

    More than anything, the fact that Tiera was being watched was a problem . Shin was sure that there was no such person when they were together . She was possibly followed only when she went to purify the World Tree .

    (So this guy is Tiera¡¯s former fiance? The one who proposed to her as soon as they met¡­)

    Shin¡¯s impression of Orlean changed a bit after hearing their conversation . He seemed to have several doubts about the current situation, and the same could be said about Herald . Based on their words, it was clear that they had other coborators too .

    The proposal too seemed to serve the purpose of having Tiera, who had returned stronger than ever, be taken in by the Luderia n, the most powerful faction at the moment, and to protect her from the n head .

    ¡°It was a mistake to let the Luderia be the most powerful n for all this time . But those who know about the World Tree are aware that the Luderia are up to no good¡­hell, your father doesn¡¯t even try to hide ittely, does he?¡±

    ¡°It might be because their preparations areplete . But I really have no idea about what he¡¯s trying to do . Even if I¡¯m next in line for the n head position, I only oversee very little of the n¡¯s activities¡­ just stuff that anyone else could do . He¡¯s definitely acting strange, but I have no idea what changed him and he won¡¯t tell me anything about his ns . It¡¯s really frustrating . ¡±

    Shin nodded to himself as he kept following the two and organizing the information he gathered . There seemed to be a rift between the Luderia¡¯s current head and the next in line, Orlean . The current head and his closest retainers were up to something .

    Judging from his words, Orlean was keen on earnestly protecting the World Tree . Herald was a childhood friend of his, that¡¯s why they spoke so frankly . He too seemed to think that taking care of the World Tree was his mission .

    Drawing Tiera within their family was the n head¡¯s intention, but Herald too was of the opinion that Tiera¡¯s powers were necessary to keep the Luderia in check and protect the World Tree at the same time .

    Part of the Luderia n was also involved in suspicious activities, so he believed that for Tiera it would be safer to be with the Lc, which bore the same role as World Tree caretaker n .

    ¡°See ya . Better think of a better invitation next time . ¡±

    ¡°Like I need you to tell me . You better talk smarter next time too . ¡±

    The two elves¡¯ whispered conversation stopped there . They acted like they quarreled again, then went their separate ways . Shin considered following one of them, but realized that they wouldn¡¯t talk about important information by themselves, so he stopped following them .

    In any case, he had already gathered information that had to be reflected upon .

    ¡°So the Luderia¡¯s next head sees this situation as bizarre¡­¡±

    ¡°Is the World Tree in danger because of the same cause?¡±

    ¡°If the boss of the caretakers is up to something, it would be strange if it was unrted . ¡±

    Yuzuha¡¯s suspicion was well-founded . Shin sighed: there was surely going to be trouble before the situation could be solved .

 Vol 15 Chapter 2.3: Chapter 2 Part 3

    About one hour after Shin and Yuzuha returned to the residence, they were talking with Shibaid when they hear a loud bang .

    ¡°Tiera and the others are back . ¡±

    ¡°In a foul mood too, I doubt they will have good things to report . ¡±

    The bang they had heard was the sound of the doors being thrown open .

    ¡°Yuzuha, let¡¯s talk about what you said before when this business is taken care of . With Filma and the others too . ¡±

    Yuzuha had avoided mentioning it to Schnee and Tiera, but it would not be good to hide it . Some members were also elsewhere, so they decided to discuss it again when everyone was gathered . Shibaid nodded to Shin¡¯s proposal, as Tiera and Schnee approached their room, with footsteps much more agitated than usual .

    ¡°Wee back . Permission¡­wasn¡¯t granted, I guess?¡±

    Tiera¡¯s foul mood didn¡¯t need an exnation . She was clearly still holding back her anger .

    ¡°Oh yes, exactly! For heaven¡¯s sake! ¡°Mere humans cannot be trusted¡±, they say! You¡¯re the ones who don¡¯t deserve any trust!! Making Lymliss work so hard while you sit back!!¡±

    Since she was surrounded by Shin andpanions, Tiera let all her anger out . She had never shown such seething rage .

    ¡°Okay, okay, calm down now . Even if I am a priestess¡¯ acquaintance, it¡¯s hard to trust someone right away, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true too, but¡­they never even met you, yet say things like ¡°he¡¯s probably deceiving you¡± or ¡°there can¡¯t be someone like that other than us¡±¡­aah, I¡¯m getting irritated just thinking about it!!¡±

    ording to Tiera, the area around a World Tree was a sacred ce for elves, where other races were not allowed to enter . The current situation, however, was an emergency . Even with Tiera here, all they could do was stall the contamination .

    Tiera tried to persuade them that it wasn¡¯t the time to worry about things like that, but they found it doubtful that Shin was really knowledgeable about the World Tree .

    ¡°I get why it makes you angry, but it¡¯s pretty normal for them to find it suspicious . The World Tree is not something a human would normally learn about . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s . . ! That¡¯s true, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I guess we should have them ask me a question that only someone with actual knowledge could respond, reply correctly and go on from there . If they ask where I¡¯ve learned it from, just say that I was trained by a High Elf . ¡±

    If that didn¡¯t work, the only way left was to sneak in . Lanapacea was Tiera¡¯s hometown and housed the World Tree, an existence vital for the whole world, so Shin wanted to avoid trouble as much as possible . As long as the World Tree problem was taken care of, no matter what the elves said or did, they just needed to hightail it out of there, or so Shin thought . If they could, of course .

    ¡°It would be easy if they were convinced like that . ¡±

    ¡°Did you reveal Schnee¡¯s name, by the way? With her support, they have to be more careful with their words, no?¡±

    ¡°We did, but this was the result . Without master, they wouldn¡¯t have even listened to us, I guess . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ . wow . ¡±

    Were they being extremely careful because of the gravity of the situation, or were they simply distrustful of other species? Based on the information he had, Shin leaned towards thetter option . If it wasn¡¯t for the World Tree, he would definitely steer clear .

    ¡°Well, regardless of whether they trust us or not, what we have to do doesn¡¯t change . Let¡¯s start making preparations . ¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t checked the World Tree yet, how can we prepare?¡±

    ¡°For starters, I¡¯ll prepare the countermeasures to the symptoms I know of . The special nutrient ¡ºHealer EX¡» to give energy to the World Tree, the magic circle ¡ºEraser EX¡» to reinforce its purification abilities, then the magic crystal ¡ºEmpower EX¡» to lessen the damage caused by impurity . With these three, it should be more resistant to impurity . ¡±

    In the game, just one of them was enough to create sufficient effects . Using all three should be enough to resurrect withering World Trees . They should work in this world too, so Shin decided to use them all without reserve .

    ¡°Healer, Eraser, Empower¡­one of them has a pretty ominous name¡­¡±

    ¡°Forget about the names¡­I didn¡¯t choose them, just so that we¡¯re clear . I haven¡¯t used them in this world yet, so I¡¯m not sure how effective they will be, but they should work as intended . ¡±

    Shin looked through his item box and took out items he didn¡¯t use during their events . He had 2 Healer EX, 2 Empower EX and 1 Eraser EX .

    Healer EX was used by nting the nutrient case into the ground .

    Eraser EX, a magic circle sticker, was to be applied directly to the trunk .

    Empower EX was a magic crystal to be buried near the roots .

    ¡°I should craft some too . ¡±

    Items created in this world might have different effects than the ones created in the game era . Shin decided to make some more, just in case .

    Eraser EX and Empower EX had simple production processes, the former required one to draw a magic circle and thetter to attach a certain enchantment, but the liquid Healer EX needed a bit more work .

    ¡°If you want to materialize Tsuki no Hokora we can do it in the inner garden, but it¡¯ll stand out . ¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re pretty simple to make, I don¡¯t need Tsuki no Hokora for these . ¡±

    Shin made sure no one was around and took out several metal fragments and 2 ss bottles from the item box . One of them contained a semi-transparent silver liquid, the other a golden liquid .

    ¡°Hey, Shin . That silver liquid¡­is that World Tree sap¡­?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you noticed? As expected of a World Tree priestess . This golden liquid is elixir, these fragments are orichalcum and scarletite minerals . They¡¯re small because they¡¯re leftovers from crafting . I¡¯ll also use a magic steel alloy I created for Healer EX . ¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­you¡¯re going to use materials from a World Tree to heal it? Isn¡¯t that weird?¡±

    Tiera stopped Shin as he was listing the ingredients . She found it bizarre to use materials from the World Tree to cure it .

    ¡°On the contrary, they¡¯re necessary . The sap allows the World Tree to more easily absorb the medicine . Normally you would first use medicine without it, heal the tree to a point, then make medicine with it . If possible, I¡¯d like to use the sap from the sick World Tree, so acquire some if you can . ¡±

    Shin then gave an empty ss bottle in card form to Tiera .   He had some items in stock from past events, so he would use them this time .

    Shin mixed gold and silver with skill and dropped the fragments inside . Like ice inside water, the metal fragments melted and the liquid turned a pale green color . The container changed too, transforming into a thin vial about 20 cemel long .

    ¡°And it¡¯s done . We just need to nt it in the soil near the tree . ¡±

    It looked just like a nt nutrient vial for home use, mayberger than normal . The liquid would be automatically absorbed by the ground, so there was no need to do anything after setting it .

    ¡°Then, the other two¡­one, two, three¡­done . ¡±

    Without the slightest bit of tension, Shin created the other items . He made some spares and gave them to Tiera too .

    ¡°I know I should feel grateful, but you make it all seem so simple¡­well, as expected of Shin . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    Shin lightly poked Tiera for her ungrateful remark, then exined in detail how to use the items . He would be more than happy to be able to avoid the elves¡¯ inspection .

    ¡°Okay, duly noted . I doubt they will allow you in the holy area anytime soon, so I¡¯ll test these first . ¡±

    ¡°Please do . Honestly, I hope they¡¯ll be enough to close the case . ¡±

    That way, there would be no need to go through all the trouble to enter the elves¡¯ holynd . As long as the World Tree problem was solved, there was no need to worry about appearances . Even if the n head was up to no good showed up, they just needed to give him a good pounding . Any trouble that followed could be left to the next head, Orlean, to handle .

    ¡°By the way, do you and Lymliss go purify the World Tree at fixed hours?¡±

    ¡°We do it twice a day now, once in the morning and once at night . It takes energy to purify it, so we can¡¯t do it many times a day . It takes less of a toll on me now¡­or rather, I¡¯m stronger now, so I can still move after, but there¡¯s Lymliss too, so¡­¡±

    Tiera added that this pace was very close to Lymliss¡¯ limits .

    ¡°Her purification powers aren¡¯t weak at all, the impurity is just too thick . Now that we do it together, the burden on her should be a lot lighter . As I said before, when I arrived I found her in a state that¡­it would have been lethal for her to continue . ¡±

    The ability to purify hailed from a holy power, but it was still used by people . Their energy was not limitless .

    One more reason for Tiera¡¯s anger towards the Luderia was that they forced Lymliss to continue purifying the World Tree despite her state .

    ¡°I know that only priestesses have the ability to purify, but isn¡¯t there anyone that can provide support? Just using ¡¾Heal¡¿ or ¡¾Cure¡¿ on the priestess would help a lot, I think . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no one like that, unfortunately . There are 2 guards, for whatever reason . Priestesses don¡¯t use magic power for purification, but something close to life force . You know, I tried using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ on Lymliss and noticed that the magic power indicators, ¡°MP¡±, right? They hadn¡¯t decreased much . Well, they were a little less than the max value, but in spite of that she was really spent . I tried it on myself too, and they hadn¡¯t decreased much either . ¡±

    Skills like ¡¾Heal¡¿ or ¡¾Cure¡¿ could not restore the energy spent for purification .

    ¡°HP is supposed to stand for life force, but I¡¯m not sure what they actually are either . Hmm, purification doesn¡¯t use magic power, huh¡­we can¡¯t use MP transfer skills in case of emergencies, then . ¡±

    ¡°You can do that? But yes, we couldn¡¯t drink ethers while purifying anyway . ¡±

    To purify while doing other things -even just drinking a bit of a potion- would be very difficult .

    ¡°It¡¯s not in the list, but it¡¯s probably a skill or something . It¡¯s a sacred activity, so if it could be done easily it would take away a lot from it, I guess¡­¡±

    As skills were based on patterns, Shin thought that the same probably worked for purification too . It wouldn¡¯t be strange if there were conditions for its activation .

    ¡°Anyway, I did everything I can at the moment . ¡±

    ¡°We have to wait for the Luderia to contact us or until the next purification . We could also move on our own, though¡­¡±

    ¡°Conceal ourselves and sneak in the Luderia house?¡±

    Shin replied to Schnee¡¯sment, in a joking tone, with the proposal that hade up several times in conversation already . He considered it again, thinking it could be worth it . They could manage to learn what the Luderia n head was actually up to .

    ¡°Shall we?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . no, let¡¯s wait until the next purification . We might be able to sneak in without being spotted, but they are the World Tree caretakers . They might have set up rms we are not aware of, using the powers of the World Tree . If intruders were detected the same day visitors came from the outside world, we would be suspected right away and Tiera¡¯s standing would get worse . Let¡¯s give it some time . ¡±

    The World Tree still had many unknowns even for Shin . It would be harder to move freely if they were distrusted any further, so they decided to wait . That was also the reason why he had not followed Orlean into his residence .

    ¡°So, we should gather information for now?¡±

    ¡°Right . Information about the World Tree is restricted, but we might find out something about the Luderia or the Lc . By the way, while you two were away, elves from the Lc and Luderia came here . I followed them for a while and found out that¡ª¡±

    The timing was right, so Shin told Schnee and the rest about what he heard from Orlean and Herald .

    ¡°That Orlean is the elf that proposed to me, there¡¯s no mistake . But who would think things were like that¡­well, now that I think about it, to propose the moment he met me, after all these years, was quite bizarre . ¡±

    ¡°He wanted you at his side to protect you, I suppose . What Shin heard isn¡¯t enough to exin it, however . Based on how they talked, whoever was following them in secret must have been sent by the n head . ¡±

    Shin had suspected as much . The two elves knew they were followed, so they pretended to fight as they talked . If they were quarrelling, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to go in the same direction at the same pace . If Shin hadn¡¯t heard their whispered conversation, he too would have thought that they were too invested in their fight and lost sight of the surroundings .

    ¡°It might be worth it to contact them . There¡¯s information I might not be able to find by myself, though¡­what about Shibaid?¡±

    ¡°As Tiera¡¯spanion, I can manage a mundane conversation with them, but I doubt we could delve deeper . ¡±

    Schnee could probably have an easier time talking with them . High elves and elves looked practically the same . For Shin and Shibaid, human and dragnil, it wouldn¡¯t be easy though .

    ¡°There¡¯s merit in trying . Insider information about Lanapacea is very important for us right now . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee could investigate them while concealing themselves . Even if Orlean and Herald were always being watched, they wouldn¡¯t be found .

    ¡°I can help with information gathering too . Or rather, the people aiming to resurrect the Lucent n will talk even without me asking¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a really important source? Some of them work for the Luderia, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right, but only the elders and people of high rank know the really important things . I heard that they¡¯re even more secretive since I returned . The former Lucent retainers are never assigned important tasks, anyway . ¡±

    Either they didn¡¯t trust the Lucent retainers or simply trusted no one outside their own n . The former was more likely, as they suspected they could be spies . They were already leaking information, so their suspicion was legitimate after all .

    ¡°Tiera and I will start gathering information, then . ¡±

    ¡°In the meantime, we should¡­hm?¡±

    Shin was thinking of concealing his presence and going into town to eavesdrop¡­gather information, when a message icon shed at the edge of his sight .

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I received a message . The sender is¡­Lilish?¡±

    Shin wondered for a moment who that was, then recalled the elf cleric who helped them in Palmirack, during the Holy Woman rescue . She was the one who told Shin what it meant for an elf to form a party with someone of the opposite gender and another species .

    ¡°Is it something urgent?¡±

    ¡°Just one moment¡­ well¡­¡±

    Shin replied to Shibaid, then scanned the message . The message stated that the elven girl that was found imprisoned in the room of ¡°pig cardinal¡± Bulk had finally regained consciousness . It also said that she had to return to Lanapacea .

    ¡°Could it be that the girl is the missing priestess?¡±

    Pulling the strings behind the cardinal were the demons: the Lanapacea priestess was also said to have been kidnapped by demons .

    The elf also said that she had to return to Lanapacea, so she was very likely the kidnapped Lc priestess .

    ¡°That girl¡­she was born after I was gone, so it¡¯s no wonder I didn¡¯t recognize her . ¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell if another elf is a priestess like you?¡±

    ¡°Some can, but not me . She was corrupted by miasma at the time, so I doubt I would have noticed even if I had that talent . ¡±

    Being able to tell if others had the same power apparently depended from person to person .

    ¡°If that girl is really a priestess, then¡­I know it sounds strange to say this, but how can she be still alive? While they attacked me with that crazed look in their eyes¡­¡±

    Tiera was probably recalling the two demons they had battled at the Summit Faction¡¯s hideout, Adara and Scoruas . Shin thought about it too .

    It was true that as soon as they perceived Tiera¡¯s powers, they ignored Shin and others to target her . In that case, they would not have kidnapped the priestess, but killed her on the spot .

    ¡°It could be that when they kidnapped her they could seal her powers, or she was so weak they could not feel them . I do not know who kidnapped her, but, if it was by demons, any rank would be very dangerous . Even a priestess could not defend against a demon by herself . If she was kept alive, it has to be because they had something nned . ¡±

    Even if the priestess was escorted, depending on the demons¡¯ rank, a martial strength on Schnee or Shibaid¡¯s level was needed to put up a fight . Shin agreed that it was pretty much impossible for someone from this world to do that .

    ¡°The sooner we bring her back, the better . But if they ask how we brought her back, we can¡¯t answer . ¡±

    Lilish and the elf girl are in Palmirack, one of Rokuten¡¯s guild houses . Even without using Tsuki no Hokora, they could use a teleport crystal to bring her there instantly . Shin had prepared some for situations when Tsuki no Hokora was problematic to use -like now- or when they physically couldn¡¯t materialize it . If they registered the current location, it was easy to go back and forth from one point to another .

    If Shin¡¯s group, just arrived in Lanapacea, showed up with the kidnapped priestess out of nowhere, a huge scandal would definitely erupt . If they arrived together they could say they escorted her there, but Shin and Schnee had entered the vige by themselves . They would be hard-pressed to answer where the girl hade from .

    ¡°The people here know of crystals with teleportation enchantments . We could say that she was weakened and we left her somewhere to recuperate, nning to teleport herter, what do you think? Knowing how important priestesses are, it wouldn¡¯t sound strange to use a precious teleport crystal for one, I think . ¡±

    Shin nodded in agreement to Schnee¡¯s proposal . If they were questioned as to why they hadn¡¯t mentioned it in the first ce, they could say that they were concerned they wouldn¡¯t be trusted . The fact that Schnee was together with Shin also contributed to the credibility of the story .

    ¡°What incredible timing, though¡­¡±

    Shin recalled what Yuzuha said . Thinking that this event might have been caused by the power inside him made him feel conflicted . The timing was perfect for them . Too perfect .

    ¡°Is there something on your mind?¡±

    ¡°Kind of . I¡¯ll tell everyone once this is over, Filma and Sety included . ¡±

    Shin said he wanted to prioritize the priestess . With 3 priestesses, the purification of the World Tree might progress as well .

    ¡°Understood . I will go gather information then . ¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go ask about the purification . ¡±

    ¡°Okay, see youter . ¡±

    Shin left the information gathering to Schnee and Tiera, replied to Lilish¡¯s message, then teleported to Palmirack with Shibaid and Yuzuha . They arrived in Palmirack¡¯s heart, the control room . They hadn¡¯t told Lilish they could ess it, so they concealed themselves with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and re-entered from the main entrance .

    They found a female elf with pale green hair and brown eyes waiting for them: the sender of the message, Lilish .

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while . You arrived really soon, were you in the vicinity?¡±

    ¡°Yes, something like that . So, about your message¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, we should take care of that first . This way, please . ¡±

    Lilish led the group to a sector where personal rooms were lined up, then knocked on the door of one of them . Inside there was a young female elf, wearing apprentice cleric robes .

    Green hair cut at shoulder height and nted, pale green eyes . She gave a rather strong-willed impression . In human years, she would be in her mid teens .

    ¡°Ehm, who are these guests?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the people who rescued you, as I told you before . ¡±

    ¡°I see . You have my gratitude for that . ¡±

    The young elf stood up from her chair and bowed her head . After raising it again, she politely and firmly introduced herself .

    ¡°My name is Lina Lc . ¡±

    ¡°I am Shin, this is my partner Yuzuha . ¡±

    ¡°My name is Shibaid . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s group entered the room and introduced themselves in turn .

    ¡°Er, is anything the matter?¡±

    Shin inquired about the reason why Lina was staring so intently . Even before saying her name, her eyes had been fixated on him .

    ¡°No, just¡­¡±

    Lina did not give a clear answer and her words trailed off halfway . She nced at Lilish a couple times .

    ¡°Lilish, we n to bring her back to Lanapacea as soon as possible, would that be alright?¡±

    From Lina¡¯s expression and nces, Shin supposed that she could not talk if Lilish was around, so he moved the situation along .

    ¡°Lina¡¯s condition is not bad, I think, but she just regained consciousness . I fear that such a long journey would take its toll on her . ¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m alright . I am not really sure why, but I feel in a very good form . I would like to request their assistance in bringing me back . ¡±

    Lilish was worried about Lina, but thetter said she was fine and Shin added that they will not push her too much, so she relented . Preparations were done quickly: Lina had no personal belongings, she just had the clothes the church had supplied her .

    Shin would provide both food and transportation, so all that was left was for Lina to go .

    ¡°Leave the rest to us, then . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much . Please take this too . ¡±

    Shin materialized a horse carriage and climbed on the coachman¡¯s seat, when Lilish gave him a stack of paper .

    ¡°This is¡­?¡±

    ¡°The documents about Sacred ces I mentioned to you previously . We could not gather extensive information, though . ¡±

    Lilish had evidently prepared to give them to Shin right away . He turned the papers into items and ced them in his box .

    ¡°Thank you for your help . We will depart now, then . ¡±

    ¡°Pleasee withdy Yuki and everyone next time . You will always be wee . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s horse carriage left, under Lilish¡¯s gaze . Kagerou was not with them, so Yuzuha pulled it .

    ¡°Lady Lina, it looks like you wanted to say something . Could we hear it now?¡±

    After putting some distance from Palmirack, Shin talked to Lina . Judging from her behavior when Lilish was present, Shin thought that she hadn¡¯t revealed the fact that she was a World Tree priestess .

    ¡°You are my savior, there is no need for titles or polite speech with me . There is something I wish to know¡­who are you, exactly?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that, then . I¡¯m sorry to answer a question with another question, but, concretely speaking, what do you want to know?¡±

    Shin was not sure what to answer her, so he asked a question instead .

    ¡°I can feel a faint aura of the World Tree from you . Besides, despite being a Human you also have magic power of other species within you . The Dragnil and monster with you are unusual too, but you are exceptionally so . Also¡­it¡¯s hard to exin, but I feel overwhelming power from you . Are you really a human being?¡±

    Lina was evidently at a loss . Her tone changed more than once as she talked .

    ¡°I think I¡¯m a human being . About the aura, maybe it¡¯s because one of myrades is a World Tree priestess . As for the reason why there¡¯s a mix of magic power within me, that I don¡¯t know . But my priestesspanion told me the same thing . ¡±

    Shin replied while thinking that the mixture of magic power was because he was a High Human who performed several resurrections in the game era .

    ¡°Anyway, it was brave of you to juste with us like that . We helped you, sure, but it doesn¡¯t mean we can be trusted, right?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go back to Lanapacea by myself, and if I told the church my reasons for having to go back urgently, I would be making a risky gamble . ¡±

    ¡°A gamble?¡±

    With the church¡¯s assistance, it would be possible to travel back to Lanapacea much more safely and quickly than doing so alone .

    ¡°If I wanted to return as quickly as possible, I would need to talk about my circumstances . But speaking about the World Tree is extremely dangerous . It is a very precious source of materials and there are those who wish to obtain its powers . When strength is within their grasp, people will always reach for it . However, if I did nothing, the World Tree might fall into ruin . ¡±

    ¡°Thirst for power¡­I cannot deny that . But more importantly¡­the World Tree is in such grave danger?¡±

    Shibaid had been silently listening to Lina, but could not help but react to her final words .

    ¡°Lina¡¯s words aren¡¯t far from the truth, yeah . ¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t participate in those events, right Shibaid? It¡¯s no wonder you don¡¯t know . If all World Trees fall into ruin, are cut down, or for any reason disappear, a world-ending catastrophe will happen . ¡±

    Shin recalled about the game and recounted his memories without thinking . Only after noticing the silence that followed he realized it .

    ¡°Hey? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Well, you said all that so naturally, that¡­¡±

    ¡°I wonder that too . It¡¯s supposed to be a secret revealed only to priestesses . ¡±

    Shin then realized his mistake .

    The world destruction event that happened in-game had been caused by certain yers cutting down all World Trees . In a way, it was a disaster caused by human hand . yers fought together to protect the major cities, but the damage was massive nheless . In the game, it was nothing but a secret event, though .

    In the game, the ¡°end of the world¡± only meant that buildings, etc . were damaged and yers received penalties for dying, but naturally no one actually died . In this world, however, it wouldn¡¯t go like that .

    ¡°I can¡¯t say why I know, at least for now . But it¡¯s true that we wish to bring you back to Lanapacea . One of ourpanions and Lymliss are currently working hard to purify the World Tree . You are the kidnapped Lc priestess, right?¡±

    ¡°So you knew . ¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah . We used a bit of a trick toe to pick you up . We will do the same to go back . I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions, but our goal is to heal the World Tree . If possible, I would like you to cooperate with us once we return to Lanapacea . ¡±

    Lina was quiet for some time, then nodded . She had made her decision, apparently .

    ¡°Understood . Let me ask onest thing, then . Your World Tree priestesspanion, is that Tiera Lucent?¡±

    ¡°¡­yes, that¡¯s right . The cursed and banished priestess . Let me tell you first that the curse has been dispelled, though . Monsters won¡¯t invade Lanapacea like that . ¡±

    ¡°Is¡­that so . It¡¯s her, after all¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know Tiera?¡±

    Shin thought it strange that Lina seemed sure that hispanion was Tiera, even if they were both World Tree priestesses .

    ¡°The elder told me about her . One of the most powerful priestesses in history, banished from the vige because of a curse . That¡¯s not the only reason, though . If you know what kind of abilities World Tree priestesses have, I¡¯m sure you can guess?¡±

    Lina implied that if they really werepanions, they should know already .

    ¡°The abilities World Tree priestesses have?¡±

    ¡°Yes . My ability is ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ . I can see any location under the influence of the World Tree¡¯s powers, no matter how far it may be . I can also speak with the deceased, albeit only a little . ¡±

    ¡°Wait a moment . Is it really alright to tell us so much? We¡¯re not from Lanapacea, you know that . ¡±

    Shin was surprised to hear Lina talk about her powers in such detail . Shibaid did not say anything, but looked at her with suspicion too .

    Despite Shin¡¯s words and Shibaid¡¯s gaze, Lina¡¯s expression became unexpectedly softer .

    ¡°Actually, because of this power, I already knew that I could trust you both . Palmirack was apparently built over a Ley line, so I could use my powers a bit . ¡±

    Through the ability tomunicate with the deceased, Lina learned that Shin and Shibaid could be trusted .

    ¡°The souls of the dead¡­could you tell us who that was?¡±

    ¡°That I don¡¯t know, unfortunately . ¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    All Lina could tell was that it was an elf connected to the World Tree priestesses¡¯ lineage . Lina¡¯s ability could tell that it was the truth, so she trusted Shin¡¯s group . The soul that told her about Shin, however, never mentioned their name . ording to Lina, however, that wasn¡¯t unusual .

    ¡°To go all the way to tell you about us¡­did something happen to the World Tree?¡±

    ¡°Indeed¡­it could be a situation so dire that the assistance of a far away priestess was needed . ¡±

    Shin quietly prayed that the items he gave to Tiera could be effective .

    ¡°Okay, I guess it¡¯s time . Yuzuha, change routes . ¡±

    As they talked, Shin noticed that there were not many people or carriages around them, so he told Yuzuha to head to the forest . It was an unnatural change of direction, but Lina did not say anything . Even if the World Tree had told her about Shin, he couldn¡¯t help but think that she was being too trusting .

    ¡°Oh yeah, there¡¯s one more thing I need to confirm, do you mind?¡±

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°About when you were kidnapped . The demons we encountered in the past tried to kill Tiera the instant they realized she was a World Tree priestess . Why did they let you live?¡±

    They knew that Lina had been kidnapped by demons because of the traces left . It was all very unnatural .

    ¡°I believe that they meant to use my powers . My ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ cannot hurt others, but depending on its usage, it can be a powerful threat . I can¡¯t do it myself, but it is told that in the past one could see the whole world with it . It was possible to see all the secrets people wished to hide . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty different from the ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ skill¡­ so the demons found it worth using, and had found a way too . ¡±

    Lina said that she willingly absorbed miasma within herself to fall into a kind ofa and prevent them from manipting her . They kept her alive because they could manipte her even in that state or she was still worth using in other ways .

    ¡°If you go back to Lanapacea, will the demonse for you again?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible . It was so powerful that I couldn¡¯t even resist for an instant . ¡±

    ¡°¡­ . are you okay?¡±

    Shin noticed that Lina¡¯s arms, crossed in front of her chest, trembled a little . She acted like everything was okay, but she had been kidnapped by monsters and almost died . It was impossible for her not to be afraid .

    ¡°Sir Shin, you are cooperating withdy Tiera, but not with the Luderia n, is that right?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Yes, that¡¯s right . I haven¡¯t met him yet, but we¡¯ve heard rumors that the Luderia n head is up to no good . I¡¯m thinking of finding out the truth about that too . ¡±

    ¡°¡­in that case¡­after we return to Lanapacea, could I stay with you for a while?¡±

    Shin looked at Shibaid . If the missing Lc priestess returned, all of Lanapacea would surely know of it instantly . Even if the Luderia head was plotting something, the Lc had enough clout for him to put his ns into action easily .

    The risk of Lina being attacked by demons was still present, however . Shin concluded that Lina hade up with that proposal after considering what she should do .

    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that staying with us is safe, though . ¡±

    Shin stopped the carriage, turned it into a card and answered Lina . The card slipped into his shirt¡¯s pocket¡­actually, the item box .

    ¡°They say my detection abilities are the highest in the history of priestesses . I can tell that you all- sir Shin, sir Shibaid,dy Yuzuha- are more powerful than the demon who attacked me . This is why I wish to ask for your assistance, until the n head is captured . ¡±

    Lina then prostrated herself . Shin was surprised by her disregard for her hands and clothes turning dirty because of the soil and mud .

    ¡°What¡¯s with you, all of a sudden!?¡±

    ¡°I¡­have seen it . I have seen the head of the Luderia n¡­dealing with demons . The reason why I was attacked was probably that I saw that scene through my ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ . I want to do something about the World Tree¡­but I¡¯m scared¡­¡±

    Lina talked with a very feeble voice . The feelings she had been holding back gushed out . Her slender shoulders trembled .

    ¡°¡­ . I see, that was also meant to keep you quiet . ¡±

    Proof of the n head¡¯s wrongdoings came up from an unexpected source . From Lanapacea, located right at the foot of the World Tree, even the n head¡¯s private rooms were visible to ¡¾irvoyance¡¿ .

    If Lina spoke the truth, they couldn¡¯t let the n head run free . There was even the possibility that Tiera was being attacked right now .

    ¡°You can rest easy . We aren¡¯t going to leave you to fend for yourself, not at this point . ¡±

    Shinid a hand on Lina¡¯s shaking shoulders and raised her head . She had to be really terrified: her eyes were gleaming with tears .

    ¡°Will you¡­help me?¡±

    Lina¡¯s tears did not suggest she was acting at all . Her eyes still showed the struggle between her will to aplish her mission and the terror she felt .

    ¡°Leave it to us . Even if a duke demon pops up, we¡¯re bringing them down . ¡±

    ¡°Indeed . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Shin, Shibaid and Yuzuha all nodded confidently .

    For the sake of the world? To erase impurity?

    It was a mystery that, rather than such lofty ideals, fighting to help theirrade, who strove to fulfill her duty despite being banished, and to wipe the tears of a terrified girl made them much more motivated .

 Vol 15 Chapter 2.4: Chapter 2 Part 4

    ¡°Okay, now that the terms of our alliance have been set, let¡¯s teleport . ¡±

    Shin waited for Lina to stop crying, then made preparations for the teleportation . She seemed a bit embarrassed to have lost control, so her face was still red .

    ¡°Teleport?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a secret technique that allows you to go to a faraway ce instantly . It¡¯s attached to this crystal . With this, we can go to Lanapacea in a second . We¡¯d stand out if we used it in an open space, so we waited till we reached a more secluded ce, like here . ¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why we went to a forest . I was wondering what was going on¡­ . er, sir . ¡±

    Lina awkwardly turned up the politeness of her tone . She seemed to have suddenly noticed that she was speaking casually .

    ¡°I am sorry, I was a bit out of it . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all right . I¡¯m just a no-name adventurer, so feel free to speak as you like . You only need to worry about that when there are other people around . ¡±

    Shin made up the fact that it would be bad if a World Tree priestess addressed him too politely and told Lina to adopt a more casual tone . They would be fighting together to heal the World Tree and bring down the Luderia n head, so he honestly didn¡¯t want her to treat him with such restraint .

    Shin also personally disliked being treated with respect and admiration because of his strength .

    ¡°Ok, so, er, thanks . ¡±

    Lina awkwardly lowered her head to Shin, who nodded .

    ¡°Ok, ready to go . ¡±

    Shin infused the crystal with magic power . The attached spell properly activated and the next instant Shin¡¯s group was in the Lanapacea residence .

    ¡°Wow, we really are in Lanapacea¡­¡±

    Lina seemed to know about the residence: she looked around the room and realized they were back in Lanapacea . From how she looked around, however, she seemed a bit confused all the same .

    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re back . ¡±

    Schnee and Tiera were in the residence too: they probably detected their return . The door opened and they entered the room .

    ¡°You¡¯re back . A bit too quick, no?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s almost time for the next purification . I haven¡¯t got much information, but I wanted to tell master at least . ¡±

    Tiera managed to acquire new information, albeit only a little .

    ¡°So this is the girl Lilish wrote about . I am Tiera Lucent . How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°M-my name is Lina Lc . I¡¯m honestly surprised, but I feel really good!¡±

    Tiera knew what Lina had gone through, so she talked to her with a warm smile . Lina had noticed Tiera even before thetter introduced herself, so she replied with a rather excited tone .

    ¡°Is the miasma not affecting her anymore?¡±

    ¡°It surely doesn¡¯t look like that . She probably recovered because we made her drink an elixir . She also said that the World Tree used its powers for her . ¡±

    Shin replied to Schnee¡¯s whispered question with what he heard from Lina .

    ¡°Past priestesses told her about you¡­? Well, I suppose a priestess could do something like that¡­I wonder who she was, though . ¡±

    ¡°A priestess?¡±

    ¡°Yes . It¡¯s not too rare for priestesses to be able to speak with the dead . The current situation is pretty unique, though . I can¡¯t help but think that there must be a reason why she was chosen . ¡±

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s right . If a random priestess had been chosen, like in a game, it wouldn¡¯t sit right at all . ¡±

    Shin and the others didn¡¯t know who the elf that Lina saw was, though . Lina had told them about the elf¡¯s facial features, but as expected she was very beautiful, which did not help to narrow down the options . She had silver hair and green eyes, abination that was not unusual among elves .

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t help that she doesn¡¯t seem to have unique features¡­since she contacted Lina from her side, it¡¯s difficult to call her from this side too . ¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t pinpoint exactly which spirit to channel either, it just can¡¯t be helped . ¡±

    Tiera said that even if she could speak with the dead, she couldn¡¯t do it with just anyone unconditionally .

    ¡°If a disaster is approaching, someone with the ability to counter it appears; tomunicate with the remaining family, someone from the same family is necessary . Calling the perfect person to do such things isn¡¯t something I can do, but I heard that past priestesses had this ability . ¡±

    As far as Tiera knew, only one of the World Tree priestesses ever had such an ability . She was a very powerful priestess, like Tiera .

    ¡°I see¡­well, if it¡¯s not possible, then that¡¯s that . If she everes in contact again, please ask for her name . We can¡¯t do anything special even if we know, but it¡¯s always better than not knowing . ¡±

    ¡°Okay, got it . ¡±

    Lina nodded to Shin . Like before, she was unusually close to him .

    ¡°¡­ . by the way, Shin . Lina¡¯s back safe and sound, so shouldn¡¯t we bring her to the Lc? Their authority and clout would be restored if she returned to them . ¡±

    Schnee noticed Lina¡¯s attitude, her eyes narrowed and she voiced this doubt . She added that Lina would be given proper items to defend her from demons, of course .

    ¡°About that, well, before we came here I promised that she could stay with us . ¡±

    If the Luderia n head, who was connected with the demons, knew that Lina was back, she would surely be attacked again .

    A demon that made deals with people was definitely high-ranked . In that case, the Lc n¡¯s fighting power was likely insufficient .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m afraid things might get a bitplicated . ¡±

    ¡°A bit? They¡¯re going to get *very*plicated . ¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡±

    Shin had promised, partly, on the spur of the moment . Even if Lina was equipped with anti-demon items, as Schnee suggested, it wouldn¡¯t mean anything if others were attacked in her ce .

    In the orphanage, Millie had been given such items, but the demons took hostages, forcing her to remove the items herself . Lina had friends and family in Lanapacea: Shin¡¯s party couldn¡¯t protect them all . The items they provided could also potentially be handed to others or used in other ways .

    ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped, then . Fortunately, among the Lc there are those whoment the current situation . If we contact them and exin the circumstances, further interference from the Lc n should be reduced . ¡±

    ¡°The same goes for the Luderia . If we talk to Orlean, their movements should change a bit . Considering what Shin heard, they will probably get in contact with me when I head for the next purification . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s party would not mention the n head¡¯s connection with the demons yet . If Orlean and Herald came to know, they -along with their allies- might resort to violent means .

    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the holy area now . What should we do with Lina?¡±

    ¡°Purifying the World Tree is our top priority, but I¡¯m thinking of trying the items first and bringing Lina next time too . They won¡¯t just let her in anyway, we would just start a ruckus . ¡±

    The return of the kidnapped priestess would definitely be huge news for the vige . If she showed her purification powers no one would doubt she was the real Lina, but the Luderia n head was on the side of the perpetrators . In the worst case scenario, Shin¡¯s party could be used of the kidnapping .

    ¡°Herald is my older brother . If I talk to him, I¡¯m sure he will understand . ¡±

    Shin mentioned what he heard from Herald and Orlean; Lina was slightly surprised, then said this .

    ¡°I guess we might go talk to them while Tiera goes to the purification . We need to sneak into their residence, but are there any traps we should watch out for?¡±

    Lina didn¡¯t know the extent of Shin¡¯s stealth abilities, which could make it hard for her to reply, so he erased his presence and turned invisible to show her an example . Lina¡¯s eyes widened .

    ¡°I think that they probably reinforced the security since I was kidnapped . I do not think that they would ever find you as you are now, sir Shin . ¡±

    ¡°I guess we need to go actually go there to find out . Why the ¡®sir¡¯, though? You don¡¯t need to address me with titles . ¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t do . ¡±

    Lina¡¯s tone had be a bit more casual, thanks to Shin¡¯s attitude and atmosphere, but she clearly stated she couldn¡¯t address him without a title . Apparently, it was something she wouldn¡¯t budge on .

    She addressed not only Shin, but all party members in such a way . Shin had no strong preferences about that, so he let her do as she wanted .

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s move then . I¡¯ll go to the Lc with Lina . ¡±

    ¡°I will apany you . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Schnee and Yuzuha said that they would follow Shin .

    ¡°It would be suspicious if we all disappeared except Tiera . I shall remain here . ¡±

    ¡°I will go the purification, as scheduled . ¡±

    After deciding what they would do, Tiera left for the World Tree and Shin¡¯s group for the Lc residence . Since Lina was with them, they wouldn¡¯t risk getting lost .

    Shin concealed their presence with skills and proceeded via the vige¡¯s rooftops . Lina couldn¡¯t jump like them, so Yuzuha let her ride on her back . Proceeding without care for the streets, they could reach the residence in little to no time .

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯ll find any nasty traps . Can you feel anything, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°No, I do not detect any dangerous traps either . I believe we¡¯ll be fine as long as we are wary of people¡¯s eyes . ¡±

    If the kunoichi Schnee said she didn¡¯t feel anything, they concluded there weren¡¯t any traps to worry about and jumped on the residence¡¯s roof . If they found a trap they couldn¡¯t detect, it couldn¡¯t be helped .

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Right before entering the residence, Shin felt something pass through his body . He thought he might have triggered an rm, told Schnee and the others not to move and carefully scrutinized the surroundings, but no one inside the residence seemed to react .

    ¡°Was there a trap?¡±

    ¡°No, but I felt something pass through my body¡­¡±

    Lina said that she had no recollection of such traps . Thinking it might have been his imagination, Shin kept his guard up as they descended into the residence¡¯s garden .

    Guided by Lina, the group headed to Herald¡¯s private quarters, where they detected someone was present . ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ revealed that Herald was reading something in the room . He hadn¡¯t gone to see Tiera, evidently .

    They nned to leave a message if he wasn¡¯t there, but it was much more convenient for him to be present . Shin¡¯s group entered without a sound, closing the door behind them . Herald did not notice and continued looking at the letter he was holding .

    ¡°Brother . ¡±

    ¡°!? Who¡¯s there!?¡±

    Surprised by the sudden voice, Herald assumed a fighting pose and turned around . His pose showed that he was likely versed in martial arts .

    ¡°Wait! It¡¯s me, Lina!¡±

    Shin deactivated the skill and they became visible . Herald recognized her and his eyes opened wide .

    ¡°¡­what exactly is going on here?¡±

    ¡°You know that I was kidnapped by demons, right? These people saved me . But since Lanapacea is in an abnormal situation now, we decided to let you know that I was safe first . ¡±

    ¡°Are you really Lina? No, ifdy Schnee is with you, I¡¯m sure you are, but¡­¡±

    Herald was confused, but as he talked with Lina he gradually recovered his cool . He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes yet, to good reason: after all, his missing sister, who he didn¡¯t know whether was alive or dead, had suddenly appeared before him .

    ¡°Look, this should be proof enough . ¡±

    Lina held her hands as in prayer and concentrated . Her body then started glowing in a faint light .

    ¡°The light of purification¡­you really are¡­Lina . ¡±

    Herald staggered towards her, as if attracted by the light . When the light of purification, proof of Lina¡¯s identity, faded away, he hugged her tightly .

    ¡°Hey, b-brother!?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m so d . You¡¯re alive¡­!¡±

    Herald, still hugging the squirming Lina, barely managed to put his feelings into words . He was clearly overjoyed that Lina was still alive . Tears were streaming down his cheeks .

    ¡°Can we talk now?¡±

    ¡°I apologize for making you wait . You have my most heartfelt gratitude for saving Lina . I will never forget this debt as long as I live . ¡±

    Herald bowed deeply and expressed his gratitude . His frank tone when talking to Lina was subdued, his speech extremely polite .

    ¡°So, what do you wish from me?¡±

    Herald raised his head and his expression turned serious . They happened to save Lina, who happened to be a World Tree priestess, so they brought her here¡­he knew things couldn¡¯t be that simple .

    Shin exined why Lina had been kidnapped and that she wished to stay together with them for a while .

    ¡°Considering such circumstances, I cannot possibly oppose you . I know of Lady Schnee¡¯s martial prowess: if she says so, sir Shin must be equally strong or even more . You are both far superior to me, but I can tell that you are strong . Our Lc n has warriors with special powers like Returned Ancestors, but I do not know how they would fare against demons . I am sure my sister would be more than sufficiently safe with you . ¡±

    Though there were Chosen Ones in Lanapacea, most were chiefs of the warrior corps in charge of protecting the vige .

    Herald then told Shin¡¯s party what he knew of the current situation . Since he had saved Lina and Schnee was his ally, Herald found him worthy of trust .

    Herald¡¯s information included the fact that recent cases of missing persons happened frequently and some warrior chiefs¡¯ personalities suddenly changed drastically . Thanks to his rtively high rank in the country, he had gathered a fair amount of confidential intel .

    Shin was especially concerned by the information stating thattely, the n head had not shown himself to anyone . Whenever he spoke with someone, he did so through a curtain, so in thest few months, only a select handful of people had actually seen him .

    ¡°How was it during the audience, Schnee?¡±

    ¡°It was just like Herald said . The curtain was attached with an enchantment that neutralized all visual skills like ¡¾Analyze¡¿ . That by itself is not too unusual, so I did not mention it . ¡±

    Shin thought that some still existing game settings were probably involved . In the game, it was possible to block magic eye-type skills .

    Schnee had connections to Tiera, but she was still an outsider . Even if she was a well-known personage, they would still be wary around her . Among Magic Eye-type skills, there were some that could charm and manipte the target .

    In the game, Lords were often connected to such visual barrier items . One of the Lords¡¯ characteristics was having Magic Eye skills: in order not to be suspected of abusing such skills for evil deeds, they produced items that could neutralize them . This was true for NPCs in the game era, however, Shin did not know if it applied to this world as well .

    Schnee said that royals and nobles other than Lords often conducted audiences in that way . Other than Lords, Elves and some Beasts did, at the very least .

    ¡°Judging from the information we have, there might be a reason why he doesn¡¯t want to be seen . ¡±

    Shin recalled the woman who had turned into an Invader he had fought in the church . The real n head could be already dead .

    ¡°That¡¯s possible . If it¡¯s a fake, it wouldn¡¯t be strange that it stayed hidden to prevent being found out . It would also exin his strange behavior . ¡±

    ¡°This is just a theory, though . He might be under someone¡¯s control, or¡­as much as I hate saying it, the probability that he¡¯s cooperating with them of his own volition is not zero . ¡±

    Shin hoped for thisst probability to be a clear zero .

    ¡°We need to investigate more to be sure . Fortunately, the son of the Luderia n head is not pleased with the current situation either . He will let me know if he finds out anything, so I will let you know as soon as I can . Can I talk to Orlean, the son of the head chief, about you, sir Shin?¡±

    ¡°Lina ns to participate in the next purification, so I would like you to keep it a secret until then . I don¡¯t mean to suspect you, but Orlean might be under surveince . I want to avoid any risk that the n head discovers us . ¡±

    Shin said that it was a possibility, but Orlean being under surveince was a fact . This would probably happen to Shin¡¯s group too, but as far as their detection field extended, it hadn¡¯t urred yet . They teleported back inside the residence and always concealed their presence when they were outside .

    Not even the elves working in the residence had seen them, so very few knew of Lina¡¯s return to Lanapacea . There was a chance the n head learned about their ns or other parties interfered, so they wanted to keep it a secret until right before the purification . If they were attacked they could just beat the assants back, but if they used their authority it wouldn¡¯t be so simple .

    ¡°Understood . I will keep this meeting a secret, then . ¡±

    It would be risky to talk for too long . Theypleted their objective of informing Herald of Lina¡¯s safety, so they decided to go back to the residence . Before they did, Shin took out an item card from the box .

    It was a simple ne with glowing clear magic stones about 1 cemel in size . Shin gave it to Lina .

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an essory enchanted with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and various defensive skills . Even if you are separated from us, with this you can hide your presence and buy enough time to flee . If you take it off the effects will disappear . I¡¯ll make sure at least one of us will always be with you, so I think everything will be alright, but take it just in case . ¡±

    ¡°From the description, it looks like a national treasure¡­but okay¡­it¡¯s for my safety¡­for my safety . ¡±

    When Shin lent it to Millie, he realized that the ne had a weakness: if the wearer removed it, its effects were lost . Shin had rearranged it to be active only when the registered person wore it, but in the end, it just served as insurance .

    Lina whispered to reassure herself and equipped the ne . Her detection abilities probably told her that the item she was so casually given could be astoundingly precious in that world .

    ¡°Hm? Someone¡¯sing . ¡±

    Shin detected a presence and, from the map, noticed that it was heading straight for their room . No one had approached that room before, so he concealed them just in case .

    ¡°Lord Herald!! Lord Herald!!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Herald opened the door and talked with a panicking female elf . Apparently, the path leading to the World Tree had turned into a dungeon: they couldn¡¯t contact Tiera, Lymliss and the warriors that were escorting them anymore .

    ¡°What the¡­what happened to the warriors protecting the holy area?¡±

    ¡°They apparently suffered heavy casualties while fighting monsters when the dungeon appeared . The Luderia n has contacted all ns, to gather warriors in order to clear the dungeon . The elders have already started doing so, but¡­¡±

    The monsters in the dungeon were all over level 300, apparently . With enough numbers, it wasn¡¯t impossible to defeat them since, among the warriors, there were some who could even defeat such monsters on their own . However, there were simply too many monsters . There seemed to be even more powerful units too .

    Not much time had passed since the dungeon appeared, so information was still scarce, but the surroundings of the holy area had been shut due to the emergency .

    ¡°We must go as well . Ready the equipment . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    Herald gave orders to the female elf, who quickly left .

    ¡°The n head made his move? Or maybe the demons he¡¯s connected with¡­¡±

    ¡°Or the World Tree is reaching its limits . ¡±

    Shin hypothesized while taking out a message card, then Schnee added a possibility . In game terms, her theory was more probable .

    Shin tried extending his detection field and caught Tiera, Kagerou and Lymliss¡¯ presences . However, they were so faint and unstable that they were shing on the map .

    ¡°I can¡¯t read their presences well, since they¡¯re inside the dungeon-turned holy area . If I can detect their presence, however, they should still be safe . Kagerou also with them after all, and Tiera, as she is now, won¡¯t go down easily . If a duke demones up, they¡¯ll be in trouble, though¡­they¡¯re definitely being targeted, so we¡¯re going to blow through the dungeon without holding back this time . ¡±

    Tiera and Kagerou could hold their own, but Lymliss¡¯ fighting ability was low . She could easily be a weak point if attacked . If a high-ranking demon appeared, they would definitely target her . There was no guarantee that there was only one demon attacking either .

    There was no time to wait for the elves¡¯ rescue operation . Shin decided to go help Tiera¡¯s group, regardless of the consequences .

    ¡°S-sir Shin!? I understand thatdy Schnee is with you, but won¡¯t it be dangerous!?¡±

    Herald was surprised to hear what Shin said to Schnee . He didn¡¯t know how strong Shin was, so he probably thought that Shin was saying something absurd .

    ¡°I might not look the part, but I have defeated duke demons in the past . I have Schnee Raizar¡¯s seal of approval too, so please believe me . We need speed above everything now, so I¡¯ll have Shibaid watch over Lina . Please wait here for a while . ¡±

    Shibaid excelled in muscle power and defense, so his speed was inferior to Shin and Schnee . He regretted having to do give him this role, but contacted Shibaid to ask him to guard Lina .

    ¡°Yuzuha, please stay here until Shibaid arrives . Once he¡¯s here, I¡¯ll call you with ¡¾Summon Partner¡¿ . ¡±

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Probably happy to be relied on, Yuzuha deftly stood on her hind legs and saluted Shin, then jumped down at Lina¡¯s feet .

    ¡°Yuzuha looks like a small fox, but if she goes all out she can turn this whole country into a wastnd . Please rest easy . ¡±

    ¡°Er¡­yes . . ?¡±

    Herald was convinced of her power, so -albeit a bit lost- he nodded .

    ¡°Once Shibaid arrives, please stay with him in the residence . ¡±

    ¡°Okay . Please take care . ¡±

    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll be back with Tiera and the others . ¡±

 Vol 15 Chapter 3.1: Chapter 3 Part 1

    Shin and Schnee left the room immediately and made use of their explosive strength to leapt to their destination. They used roofs and walls as footholds, but if they kicked at full power they would surely be destroyed.

    It would be troublesome if they caused needless destruction, so they used ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ to create footholds in midair, using roofs and walls only when the skill¡¯s usage limit did not allow them to create any more footholds. The n was to reach the holy area using ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ as much as possible.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    As they were moving, Shin felt an indescribable feeling when using the skill. In this world, when he used a skill he could understand how it worked through his senses. In case of sword skills, how the sword had to be swung; in case of magic, what effect and power it would have. In Shin¡¯s case, he could also check the skill details via the menu.

    Shin was now having a bizarre feeling about the Movement-type skill he was using, ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿. The skill in question allowed the user to create up to 2 tforms in midair to use as a foothold, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was possible to create more.

    ¡°Could it be¡­?¡±

    Shin felt a sort of irritation towards the two foothold limit: not expecting anything to really happen, he tried activating the skill. He jumped off a roof and used it once, then one more time in mid-air.

    Then, when he would usually use a wall or roof again to reset the counter, he tried making a third foothold. Normally, nothing would happen and he would end up kicking empty air. What Shin¡¯s feet felt, however, was the same hard surface that appeared when the skill was properly activated.

    Guided by his senses, Shin activated the skill a fourth, fifth, sixth time, continuing to leap through the air.

    ¡°Shin!?¡±

    Schnee¡¯s surprised reaction reached his ears. She needed to use actual surfaces to proceed, so, by blitzing through the air, Shin achieved a pace much higher than hers.

    Shinnded on a roof and waited for her, then ¨C without a word- picked up the perplexed Schnee up in his arms in the so-called ¡°princess carry¡±.

    ¡°Ehm, Shin? What are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Looks like I can use ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿ without limits now. I don¡¯t know why it happened, but I¡¯ll make the most of it.¡±

    It was so sudden that it was normal to be confused, but Shin somehow felt that it was a good thing.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to jump at full power. Hold on tight!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Schnee wrapped her arms around Shin¡¯s neck, while he also strengthened his hold. Then their preparations wereplete.

    Shin lightly kicked the roof to jump up, then put more power in his legs. An invisible tform formed under his feet. This tform, strong enough to withstand his kicking power, catapulted them in the air. Now that he didn¡¯t have to worry about damaging any property, Shin could take the shortest route to the holy area turned dungeon.

    ¡°(Tiera sent a reply. Can you read it, Schnee?)¡±

    The wind pressure would make it difficult to speak, so Shin talked via Mind Chat. He held her even tighter, to avoid any chances of her falling. Schnee unwrapped her arms and quickly caught the message card materialized from Shin¡¯s item box, then opened it.

    ¡°(Tiera is safe. Apparently, the World Tree and its surroundings didn¡¯t turn into a dungeon.)¡±

    Schnee scanned the message and reported on the situation surrounding Tiera¡¯s group. The World Tree and its surroundings, in a 200 mel radius, were unchanged. Outside of that, a bizarre haze of colors covered everything, making it impossible to move.

    Despite looking like mist, it was hard enough that Tiera¡¯s arrows couldn¡¯t even chip it.

    The mist also covered the air around the World Tree, so it was impossible to see the sky. The path leading to the World Tree had turned into a dungeon, so there was a cave-like entrance.

    The message also mentioned that Tiera felt that it looked like a living creature.

    ¡°(I thought it would be an instant dungeon, but maybe it¡¯s using the impurity?)¡±

    ¡°(It could be, but there¡¯s also the possibility that a demon turned its body into a dungeon.)¡±

    ¡°(A demon dungeon¡­yeah, it¡¯s possible.)¡±

    Instant dungeon appeared randomly in various fields. ¡°Demon Dungeon¡± was a sort of variation of such dungeons.

    The dungeon boss would be, needless to say, a demon. The biggest difference with instant dungeons was that it was impossible to escape. In ordinary dungeons, using the highest grade crystal allowed the user to exit, but it would not work in demon dungeons. There were only two ways to leave: clear it or die.

    ¡°(It seems that Tiera is not under attack at the moment.)¡±

    ¡°(Even if it¡¯s corrupted by impurity, it¡¯s still the World Tree¡¯s zone after all. It might not have enough power to appear as a boss. If there are multiple demons, however, it¡¯s just a matter of time until she is attacked.)¡±

    The current world did notpletely abide by the game¡¯s rules. Phenomena impossible in the game era could happen anytime. Shin nodded to Schnee and kicked the air with even more strength. Advancing as if flying through the air, it took them less than 10 minutes to reach the holy area, now transformed into a dungeon.

    Shinnded on a nearby roof and observed the situation. As Tiera had written in her message, the mist had taken the shape of a dungeon. The mist extended from the ground until high in the sky, so it was not possible to leap over it and reach the World Tree.

    Shin considered circling around it, but the area around the World Tree waspletely white, save for the presence of Tiera¡¯s group. The map showing the town around the World Tree had been erased. Apparently, the entrance was the only way inside.

    The entrance was about 10 mel tall and 20 mel wide. Armed elves were standing in a fan-like formation in front of it, fighting against a monster that had just emerged from the dungeon.

    The monster in question was a rhino-like monster with green rocks sprouting from its body, a level 344 Radseya.

    It could not perform long-distance attacks and moved rather slowly, but its exceptional defense made it very hard to damage. In terms of defense only, it was in the same league as level 400+ monsters.

    The elves¡¯ arrow and magic attacks had little to no effect. On the other hand, the attacking elves were growing more and more apprehensive.

    ¡°This is bad¡­the charge is almost maxed out.¡±

    Many yers thought that a Radseya was to be defeated with long-range attacks while kiting. However, it wouldn¡¯t be called a monster, if it was eliminated so easily.

    The ¡°charge¡± Shin mentioned increased as Radseya was attacked: when it maxed out the monster¡¯s movement speed increased exponentially and it used its defensive power to trample its enemies. Many yers got too excited attacking it, only to end up squashed by the monster¡¯s charge.

    Apparently there were already casualties; there were monster corpses and other puddles of blood at the dungeon¡¯s entrance, as well as limbs scattered here and there.

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to waste talking, we¡¯re going in.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Shin kicked the roof to jump in mid-air, then elerated via ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿. That very instant, Radseya¡¯s whole body glowed bright green.

    ¡°I-it¡¯sing!!¡±

    One of the elves shouted after seeing the shining Radseya. One secondter, the monster¡¯s massive 3 mel bodyunched into an explosive eleration. Most of the elves couldn¡¯t react in time to the sudden change. Just a few of the elves on Radseya¡¯s path managed to crouch and prepared to defend themselves with their shields.

    Elves as a species had low physical resistance and VIT. As long as they weren¡¯t high-level Chosen Ones specialized in defense, no shield would prevent them from being crushed to pieces. The elves¡¯ desperate expressions clearly showed that they did not expect to survive the monster¡¯s offensive.

    Radseya charged towards the dumbfounded elves. Moments before it could trample the shield elves, Shin¡¯s kick firmlynded on the monster¡¯s cranium.

    ¡°Off you go!¡±

    With a snap-like sound, Radseya flew even faster than before-but in the opposite direction, straight into the dungeon. One secondter, the dull sound of raw meat crashing into a hard surface echoed.

    ¡°¡­wha?¡±

    The shield elves let out a hapless grunt, unable toprehend what happened. Their eyes were directed at Shin, but it wasn¡¯t clear if they had really grasped who had just kicked Radseya back where it came from.

    ¡°Hey, did any other monsterse out of the dungeon?¡±

    ¡°Eh? N-No¡­that was thest one.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha. We¡¯re going to rescue the priestesses. We will defeat as many monsters as possible, but some might get out of the dungeon. Those are all yours.¡±

    ¡°What are you s- L-Lady Schnee!?¡±

    The elf noticed that Schnee was standing next to Shin: his surprised shout shook all the other elves back into their senses and they stared fixedly at them.

    ¡°The dungeon is likely filled with monsters such as that one. We¡¯re going to find the priestesses, so I would ask you to stand guard and prevent any monsters to leave the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°If Lady Schnee goes, there is nothing to worry about, but that human¡­¡±

    Because of the difference in species, Shin couldn¡¯t be trusted as Schnee was, apparently.

    ¡°He¡¯s mypanion. If he can keep up with me, you understand that he is strong enough, do you not?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    After Schnee¡¯s words, the elf who objected swallowed his breath. He apparently finally realized what Shin had just done. A level of strength high enough to stop Radseya¡¯s charge with a single kick.

    ¡°I leave the rest to you, then.¡±

    ¡°P-Please take care.¡±

    They were allowing someone from another species into their holy area -even if it currently was a dungeon- but no elf said anything. As they fought against the monsters from the dungeon, they gradually understood that it definitely was not the case to talk about permissions or foreign species. The elves thus simply watched Shin and Schnee enter the dungeon.

    Looking at the floor and walls, they noticed that the dungeon was made out of mist, as Tiera had written. It felt more akin to metal than a stone to the touch.

    Shin told Schnee to wait a moment and activated ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿. He wanted to reach Tiera as soon as possible, so filling in the map little by little was out of the question.

    The goal was clear and the dungeon was above ground, unlike the ones they cleared until now, they could use more forceful methods.

    Shin¡¯s map disyed the dungeon¡¯s maze-like structure. It was veryplex: even seen from above, it was difficult to find the path that would lead to the exit. The World Tree was also farther than the actual distance, as if space was warped inside the dungeon.

    Normally it would be just 500 mel from their location to the World Tree, but it was over 5 kemel inside the dungeon. Walking inside the dungeon¡¯s tortuous paths would make it even longer.

    ¡°How did it get this big?¡±

    ¡°Surely they want to buy time. All other routes are unusable, after all.¡±

    ¡°What a troublesome bunch¡­¡±

    Shin muttered his irritation as he red at the depths of the dungeon. He checked for Tiera¡¯s presence one more time and detected hostile presences right next to her. The presence moving around and in front of Tiera and the others was probably Kagerou.

    ¡°Enemies appeared. I guess they wouldn¡¯t just sit and wait¡­let¡¯s hurry.¡±

    Kagerou was not an average Gruefago. No demon could easily defeat a mutated Divine Beast, and a very powerful one at that, paired with Tiera.

    After a while, Shin and Schnee found the Radseya he had kicked inside. Its head was crushed, its body squashed as if pressed from both ends.

    ¡°Shin?¡±

    Shin stopped in front of Radseya¡¯s body and Schnee called out to him. He gestured her to wait a moment, moved Radseya¡¯s body and looked at the wall behind.

    As he expected, the wall was dented. In the game, dungeon floor, walls, and roof were indestructible, barring a few exceptions.

    In this world, Shin had yet to see something that could not be destroyed. Everything had a set resilience and durability. In that case, hitting it with superior strength should make it possible to destroy it.

    ¡°We¡¯re taking the shortest path to the goal.¡±

    Shin then punched the wall. He didn¡¯t use skills, but his fists alone were powerful enough to smash orichalcum into pieces. What he felt on his fist was the sensation of having punched a cotton-like substance. The wall felt metallic to the touch, but against Shin¡¯s punches it had the same resistance as paper. With a poof-like sound, arge hole opened up in the wall.

    ¡°I see, a shortcut.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more brittle than I thought. We¡¯re above ground this time, so even if we go on a bit of a rampage, there¡¯s no danger it wille down on us. It¡¯s faster if we go straight ahead.¡±

    As he talked, red and yellow globes of light formed around Shin. The 8 globes circling around him glowed in a white-hot light when he pointed forward. Each globe, measuring about 20 cemel, let out a thickser-like beam of white-hot light. The floor, walls and roof of the dungeon melted away before the beams.

    Boosted by Shin¡¯s magic power, the beams pierced through wall after wall.

    Light and mebination skill ¡¾re ster¡¿.

    Normally, this skill would create one globe of light and one beam, resulting in a red hot beam with piercing powers, but the current Shin could simultaneously cast multiple instances of the same skill.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Shin and Schnee advanced through the melted walls. There were monsters inside the dungeon, but they ignored them all.

    Demon Dungeons were a category of instant dungeons: if the boss was defeated, the dungeon would disappear along with the monsters inside. Fighting them was just a waste of time.

    ¡°It¡¯s recovering. Guess I should have expected it.¡±

    Shin and Schnee advanced through the gaps in the walls, directly heading towards the World Tree. They could just continue, but the Demon Dungeon wouldn¡¯t just let them. Shin saw on the map that the melted walls were gradually repairing themselves. Not just as they were, but stronger than before.

    ¡°Shin, will you destroy the walls again? I will try to cover the hole with ice, to dy the recovery.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    Shin answered Schnee andunched another array of ¡¾re ster¡¿. The burning beams shot straight forward, piercing the walls as if they were nothing. Schnee then activated a skill herself.

    Water-type magic skill ¡¾Clear Blizzard¡¿.

    Crystal-like light spirals followed the paths traced by ¡¾re ster¡¿ beams. The burning walls and ceiling were frozen instantly.

    Shin monitored the gaps as they ran over the ice, but there was no sign they were recovering. The freezing was acting perfectly as an obstacle for the recovery.

    Nothing else could dy their progress now: Shin and Schnee ran at full speed towards their destination. In the end, it took them just 5 minutes to approach the exit. They didn¡¯t pierce their way out simply because the beams might have hurt Tiera¡¯s group. Shin busted open thest remaining wall and they arrived before the World Tree.

    ¡°Shin! Master!¡±

    Tiera noticed Shin and Schnee as they smashed their way out of the dungeon and reacted with joy. Before Tiera and Lymliss, Kagerou was facing a monster of simr size.

    The monster, growling while baring its fangs, was named Oggbrym.

    It was a beast-type monster with four limbs and tiger-like yellow fur with ck patches. It had a wolf and a boar¡¯s heads and a reptile-like scaled tail.

    Its level was 712: if Kagerou was not a mutated specimen, it would have had a hard time fighting while also protecting Tiera and the others. Kagerou¡¯s body had injuries here and there.

    Tiera was assisting Kagerou with her recovery skills, but the demon was mostly unscathed. Demon Dungeons provided boosts to the stats and abilities of demons. Even if its level was higher, Kagerou had to fight while defending Tiera and the others, while the demon only had to attack; thetter was clearly at an advantage.

    ¡°This is the end for now¡­loathsome guardians¡­!!¡±

    The Oggbrym likely perceived it was at a disadvantage; its back directed to Shin and Schnee, it ran off towards the mist, as if nning to dive into it. Being a four-limbed beast type, it had reached the mist of the dungeon in a few seconds.

    In the time required to notice Shin¡¯s arrival, make a decision, turn on its heels and flee, Shin was not just standing idly. As soon as he saw the Oggbrym turn around, Shin moved too.

    The Oggbrym was indeed fast, but it could not move instantly. Shin jumped high in the air, his left and raised high in a throwing motion. In his empty left hand a 4 mel long, giantnce-like weapon appeared.

    It was a superior Ancient-grade sword specially made to mow downrge hordes of weaker monsters in a single strike, named ¡ºGeatharma¡».

    ¡°!?¡±

    Shin looked at the ¡ºGeatharma¡» that appeared on his hand and his movements stopped for a moment. Originally, its 2 mel long de was wrapped in red mes, but the sword that Shin wielded was engulfed in white fire. The moment the mes changed color, the silhouette of a female elf blinked before his eyes for a second.

    He did not feel anything negative from the power transmitted from the de to his hands. On the contrary, the mes had now a sort of sacred aura to them.

    His hesitationsted but an instant. Shin¡¯s eyes turned back to the Oggbrym as he targeted the beast. The mist forming the dungeon was changing shape, letting the Oggbrym slip through.

    ¡°You¡¯re not getting away!!¡±

    Using a tform created via ¡¾Flying Shadow¡¿, Shin managed to keep his stance, despite being in the air, andunched ¡ºGeatharma¡».

    Thanks to his superhuman strength, ¡ºGeatharma¡» flew through the air leaving behind a trail like aet. The white ming de disappeared inside the mist, piercing Oggbrym¡¯s back and stabbing the ground under the monster.

    The shock caused the mist around Oggbrym to disappearpletely.

    ¡°GWOOOOOHHHH!!!!

    White mes burst forth from ¡ºGeatharma¡». As if the mes had a will of their own, they burned the beast both inside and out.

    A few secondster, the mes turned red again. What remained was ¡ºGeatharma¡», stuck in the center of a small, charred crater.

    ¡°Hey, Shin. What weapon is that?¡±

    Shinnded on the ground and Tiera approached him. She felt that the monster had been annihted by the weapon¡¯s powers, rather than Shin¡¯s strength, so she couldn¡¯t help but be curious.

    ¡°It sure did something amazing, but normally it doesn¡¯t have powers like that. I saw an elf-like silhouette when I was about to throw it, so I guess one of the past World Tree priestesses granted it her powers? We¡¯re right in front of the World Tree after all.¡±

    Shin looked at ¡ºGeatharma¡», which had turned the demon into ashes, then to the center of the room. In the center, beyond the depths of the dungeon-turned holy area, the World Tree towered over them.

    Its trunk, about 5 mel wide, did not seem to grow any thinner no matter how high one looked. Its branches and leaves glowed with a golden hue, which made anyone who looked at it feel more peaceful with just a nce.

    As Tiera had said, part of the tree was painted ck, and its glow became fainter at times. It was probably caused by the impurity; the mist made it impossible to see the tree beyond a certain height.

    ¡°We defeated the demon, but the dungeon is still there¡­I guess it wasn¡¯t created by that demon, then.¡±

    Normally, defeating the boss demon caused the demon dungeon to disappear. However, this dungeon did not show any signs of copse.

    ¡°Was that the only monster that attacked you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it suddenly came out of the mist and attacked. We could resist only because Kagerou did his best.¡±

    Tiera patted Kagerou¡¯s head. After the battle, the divine beast returned to its 1 mel wolf form. Its wounds were already healed, its eyes turned into slits as it enjoyed Tiera¡¯s head pats.

    ¡°Did you finish the purification already?¡±

    ¡°Not yet. It all happened when we were about to start.¡±

    ¡°How about trying the items I gave you while you do it, then? No matter what demonse out, I¡¯m not going to let them get in your way.¡±

    Schnee nodded and Kagerou howled in agreement.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Who knows when we¡¯ll be interrupted again, and if the World Tree regains its power things might return to normal.¡±

    ¡°I m-might not be able to help much, but I¡¯ll do my best too!¡±

    Lymliss, despite not being able to keep up with the rapidly changing situation, was influenced by Tiera and expressed her resolve. The two priestesses started the purification, under Shin and the others¡¯ surveince. The World Tree recovery items had already been set up.

    ¡°~~~~~~~?¡±

    The two priestesses held their hands over their chest, in prayer, as they intoned a wordless melody. It was a rhythm unknown to Shin¡¯s ears, but it somehow felt soothing.

    The purification was different from what Shin and the others had witnessed before. Tiera and Lymliss¡¯ bodies were enveloped in a gentle light as the rite began.

    The light then grew fainter and floated towards the World Tree, mixing with its aura. As it did, the World Tree¡¯s light gradually became brighter. At the same time, the parts ckened by the impurity decreased more and more.

    ¡°Schnee, could that be¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, one of the past priestesses, surely. She must be lending her powers to them.¡±

    After about 10 seconds from the start of the purification, a female elf with silver hair and green eyes appeared in mid-air. The silhouette floated behind Tiera and Lymliss, holding her hands as if offering a prayer. Somehow, Shin thought she looked simr to Tiera.

    ¡°The mist is changing.¡±

    ¡°Yes, something is bound to happen. Let¡¯s stay on our toes.¡±

    As the World Tree purification progressed, the mist started changing. Shin and the others prepared to be able to deal with any sudden developments as the mist gradually grew thinner.

    A few seconds before the purification ended, the mist concentrated into a single point, a short distance away from the World Tree. The priestess who had appeared behind Tiera and Lymliss disappeared before they could open their eyes.

    ¡°The dungeon master finally graces us with their presence?¡±

    Any demon dungeon had a demon as its core. If this demon wasn¡¯t defeated, the dungeon would never disappear. Such bosses were usually located deep inside the dungeon, so it wasn¡¯t bizarre for it to appear here. The mist changed shape, finally forming a human-sized silhouette. For unknown reasons, the silhouette had elf-like features.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    Shin looked at the name disyed by ¡¾Analyze¡¿ and his brow furrowed. The reason was that the human-sized demon possessed two names.

    One of them was Ragoj. Its level of 802 ranked it as a Duke among the demons. Being the next rank after Grand Duke, it wasn¡¯t strange for this demon to be able to assume human form.

    The other name was Crissot Lucent. Lucent, just like Tiera. The name of a member of the World Tree caretaker n was disyed as the identity of a demon. Shin couldn¡¯t help but be puzzled.

    ¡°¡­no¡­it can¡¯t be.¡±

    While Shin was confused by the double identity, especially the Lucent part, Tiera expressed her utter disbelief. Her eyes shook, as to express her inner turmoil, as did her head, refusing to ept what she saw. Tiera stepped back.

    ¡°Father¡­¡±

    No one expected to hear the whispered words that barely escaped Tiera¡¯s lips. In response, the eyes of the stone-faced demon turned towards her. The moment she was reflected in his pupils, the demon¡¯s expression contorted.

    ¡°Ng¡­gah¡­¡±

    Not only the demon¡¯s expression, but his outline itself contorted. He too looked like he had seen something absolutely shocking.

    ¡°¡­.he ran away.¡±

    The demon lost its outline and disappeared as if melting in the air. Its presence was no more and the dungeon was disappearing, but no one thought he had been defeated.

    One of the demons had been defeated, but the whole group felt that the situation had be even more muddled andplicated.

 Vol 15 Chapter 3.2: Chapter 3 Part 2

    ¡°Tiera, are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Shin called out to Tiera, who was staring at where the demon was before disappearing with an empty look in her eyes .

    ¡°In any case, the dungeon has disappeared and the holy area is back to normal . The items seem to be having an effect too . Just in case, let¡¯s get some sap and go back . ¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­yes, right . ¡±

    Tiera¡¯s response showed that she had not yet recovered, but Shin did not press her and went to collect the World Tree¡¯s sap . He thought Lymliss would say something, but she seemed to be worried about Tiera and did not look in Shin¡¯s direction . She looked distraught, probably regretting not being able to do anything .

    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ll give you this just in case Lymliss . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an item that can temporarily protect you if you are attacked again . I made it, but Schnee Raizar can vouch for it, so don¡¯t worry . ¡±

    An incident had happened right in front of the World Tree, so it was safe to assume that nowhere was safe in Lanapacea . The item Shin gave Lymliss could only provide temporary protection, but it was still better than nothing .

    A few minutester, elven warriors approached their location . Now that the dungeon was gone, there was only about one kemel of distance between them . Elves riding horses were leading the group, most of them over level 230 . Shin assumed they were Chosen Ones or captains .

    ¡°Lady Lymliss, Lady Tiera, are you safe!?¡±

    The older elf leading the group inquired about the priestesses¡¯ safety . Lymliss replied, but Tiera was still looking down, standing next to Shin and Schnee .

    ¡°I am the Luderia n¡¯s warrior chief, my name is Ordoss Luderia . Let me give you my thanks for saving our priestesses . As expected ofdy Schnee Raizar, your prowess surpasses even your great fame . ¡±

    Ordoss probably thought Schnee was the group¡¯s leader: after expressing his gratitude he bowed to her .

    ¡°No, it was not only my own strength . The World Tree itself resisted and the priestesses¡¯ purification was effective as well . ¡±

    ¡°I see . It is unprecedented for such an event to ur in the holy area . We suspect the increase in impurities may have caused it . What is your opinion, Lady Raizar?¡±

    ¡°I do not believe that is the only reason . ¡±

    They didn¡¯t know what kind of person Ordoss was, so it was difficult to judge whether they should mention the demons or not . However, he did not seem charmed or confused .

    ¡°Perhaps¡­demons could be involved¡­¡±

    Schnee was still trying to gauge him, but Ordoss spoke first . His words rmed Shin and the others .

    ¡°Do you have any information?¡±

    ¡°As you probably already know, among us warriors there are some whose personalities changed¡­no, I should say that they becamepletely different people . Some elves that were born before the Dusk of Majesty hypothesize that they are under the effects of forbidden mental maniption techniques . ¡±

    Ordoss continued talking, making it clear that he was revealing such information only because of Schnee¡¯s presence . Lymliss had just been attacked by a demon, so she did not show any surprise . Ordoss probably thought that she needed to know too, so he decided to speak while she was present .

    ¡°Your n head is also acting strangely¡­do you know anything about it?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I do . In the past few months, he has not shown himself to anyone except a select few retainers . Some warrior chiefs view this with suspicion, but there is nothing unnatural in the way he talks and he carries his daily duties as usual, so any usation or doubt would be regarded as unfounded . ¡±

    Ordoss¡¯ words were consistent with what Herald said . Apparently, there were rifts among the warrior chiefs .

    After Ordoss mentioned that, another group of elves arrived .

    ¡°Let us stop here for now . The approaching warrior chief is one of the changed ones . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . We will investigate the matter on our own too . ¡±

    ¡°Thank you . ¡±

    Ordoss bowed again, then stood beside Lymliss . Soon enough, another elf arrived, apanied by troops . The neer looked still young .

    ¡°Lady Lymliss, are you safe!?¡±

    The elf leading the group then rushed to her, but Ordoss stepped in front to stop him .

    ¡°Sir Ordoss, what is the meaning of this?¡±

    ¡°Lady Lymliss¡¯ protection is my duty . Yours is to inspect the holy area, is it not? Let us both carry out our duties . ¡±

    Ordoss apparently had no intention of letting the newly arrived elf approach Lymliss . It was true that it was Ordoss¡¯ duty to guard Lymliss, so the other elf did not object .

    ¡°We¡¯ll go back to the residence, then . ¡±

    ¡°Please wait a moment . Lady Tiera is the priestess of the now defunct Lucent n . Now that the Lucent are part of our Luderia n, is it not proper for her toe with us?¡±

    Because of Tiera¡¯s presence, the elf that came after Ordoss stopped Shin¡¯s group when they tried to leave . However, his request was not one they felt willing to ept .

    ¡°Tiera is ourpanion . We¡¯ll protect her no matter what happens . ¡±

    ¡°Who are you, human? I am speaking to Lady Raizar!¡±

    The elf clearly looked down on Shin . They couldn¡¯t know if that was his original personality or his transformed one, but it was clear that their interaction would hardly be friendly .

    ¡°I agree . If anything happens, we are capable of protecting Tiera . Or do you say that you cannot trust my words?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­no, if Lady Raizar says so, then I suppose her safety is guaranteed . ¡±

    The warrior chief was probably aware of Schnee¡¯s strength, so he did not object any further . Thinking that staying any longer would only lead to more trouble, Shin turned around and headed towards the residence . They walked normally through the streets this time .

    When they returned, they found the female elf in charge of the residence waiting for them, clearly distressed . She had heard of the appearance of the dungeon and was very worried .

    Tiera was in low spirits because of her father¡¯s matter, but she smiled brightly .

    ¡°So¡­here we are . It¡¯s really hard to ask, but we can¡¯t ignore it, unfortunately . Tiera, you said that the demon took the appearance of your father? What does that mean?¡±

    Shin wished he could leave Tiera alone, but the matter had to be addressed .

    ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s going on either . But yes, that appearance was definitely my father, Crissot Lucent . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s group gathered in the residence after taking a short break . It could be said that they took some time for Tiera¡¯s sake . She seemed to have calmed down a bit, but her expression was still stiff . Her tone was also different from usual .

    Even so, they needed to talk about it . After all, a member of the Lucent family, a World Tree caretaker n, could be allied with the demons .

    ¡°Now that I think about it, you¡¯ve told us about your mother before, but never about your father . ¡±

    ¡°Of course . I never said much about him to master either . ¡±

    Shin looked at Schnee and she gave a small nod .

    ¡°My father was the Lucent n¡¯s head . It might be biaseding from his daughter, but he was well-loved and trusted by everyone . He was a really admirable person . ¡±

    He treasured Tiera and his wife Irene, without ever spoiling them . Tiera continued, saying he was a good, strict father .

    Those happy days, however, ended abruptly . Without the slightest hint or notice, Tiera was stricken by the curse . When she was still allowed to live in the vige, she witnessed Crissot being ndered or insulted many times .

    The day Tiera¡¯s exile was decided, her mother and father made another important decision . Tiera¡¯s mother, Irene, would take Tiera and flee from the vige, while her father would remain . It was a painful, heart-rending choice made by parents trapped between the heavy burden of responsibility as a World Tree caretaker n and love for their child .

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to father after that . When I returned here I learned that he died due to an illness a few years ago, but nothing else . ¡±

    His grave was apparently located in a location separate from Tiera¡¯s mother¡¯s, but Tiera did not feel ready to visit it when she returned, so she had not gone to see it yet .

    ¡°Did anyone take care of him before he died to this supposed illness?¡±

    ¡°Despite the circumstances of my curse, he was still the head of a caretaker n, so they tried curing him . During that time, the doctor took care of him . I knew him, so I went to ask about it, but he told me that there was no mistake about it . ¡±

    Elves are a species with high longevity: as long as they are not killed, they could easily live for hundreds of  years . That is the reason why Tiera could talk with the doctor who oversaw her father¡¯s care . Crissot¡¯s funeral services were held and he was properly buried .

    ¡°In this vige, people are buried by¡ª¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re buried in the ground, yes . Elves and Pixies believe that after death one should return to nature . ¡±

    ¡°I see, so it¡¯s just like that guy¡­¡±

    Shin recalled Eline, who in Palmirack killed himself and turned into a demon . This time the host died by illness instead of being killed, but the dead body was clearly being manipted .

    ¡°It kind of feels different from that time, though . ¡±

    ¡°The demon reacted to seeing Tiera . It might retain some memories or will from the past life . ¡±

    ¡°Wait, that can¡¯t¡­no, it might be . ¡±

    Shin listened to Schnee¡¯s hypothesis and recalled something . In the game era, he participated in a demon-rted event that involved rescuing NPCs resisting possession by demons . Ultimately the NPCs would die, but thanks to the yers¡¯ intervention they could be freed of regrets and leave items behind .

    In other words, as Schnee said, it could be possible to retain one¡¯s memories even after a parasite-type demon inhabited one¡¯s body . It would exin why it seemed to recognize Tiera . However, that would also cause suffering to both him and Tiera .

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, I could see the demon¡¯s name too . I am not going to plead you to save my father¡­I wish for him to rest in peace as soon as possible . ¡±

    Tiera spoke with a brave smile on her lips, without showing her sadness and anger, so Shin and the others responded in earnest .

    ¡°Tiera¡¯s father, Crissot . Did he really die of an illness? In Eline¡¯s case, he was clearly controlled and killed by a parasite demon . ¡±

    ¡°That seems to be clear . The illness itself was amon one . Anyone can catch it, but normally people get better . If you push yourself too hard or are in bad shape, it can get worse . That¡¯s the kind of illness it was . ¡±

    Tiera¡¯s exnation made it seem it was a sort of cold . If it worsened it could be lethal, but it all depended on the person¡¯s condition .

    ¡°The doctor said that he was already at his limits, in more ways than one . ¡±

    His wife and daughter were lost, his n disbanded: reason enough for him to be extremely distressed, both physically and mentally . However, Crissot¡¯s suffering would not end so easily .

    At the time, he was about 400 years old: as an elf, he was still young .

    Because of that, he continued to live ¡ª or rather, was kept alive ¡ª as a ¡°stud¡±, needed in case the bloodline of the caretaker ns began dying out or the Luderia and Lc ns failed to produce new priestesses .

    In the end, he didn¡¯t give birth to any offspring, but, while necessary to preserve the bloodline, it had to be a harrowing, painful decision beyond Shin¡¯s imagination . He thought that he would have probably abandoned his duties to flee with his family .

    ¡°That might have made him a target for the demons . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­for them, he would have been an ideal host . ¡±

    Schnee nodded in response to Shin¡¯s words . The conditions necessary for Crissot to be possessed were all there, almost too conveniently .

    ¡°It is strange, however, that despite targeting Tiera¡¯s group, he faltered after seeing her . I would understand if he had been hiding to spy on us though . ¡±

    ¡°Demons sometimes fight among their ranks too, or it could be that he was just told that their target was a priestess, with no other details¡­though it sounds a bit out there . ¡±

    Demons often acted independently . Even in the game, the miasma lords¡¯ lineage or each demon¡¯s powers could provide a hint, but were not enough to urately predict their actions . In the current world their level of freedom was even higher, so even making a general guess would be difficult .

    ¡°We won¡¯t get anywhere just thinking about it at this point . What we know is that Crissot is being manipted and we have to defeat him . I¡¯m sorry, Tiera . I wish there was something else we could do . ¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay . I know that there are things that not even you can do, Shin . Besides, I¡¯m furious that they would use my father¡¯s body like that . Please, don¡¯t hold anything back . ¡±

    Tiera still seemed a bit down, but herst request was spoken with strength in her voice .

    ¡°Okay, I guess this is all the information we needed . I¡¯ll go back to Shibaid and the others, they might worry if we take too long . ¡±

    ¡°I was wondering why he wasn¡¯t with you . ¡±

    ¡°I asked him to guard the Lc priestess . Though very few people know of her return, it¡¯s just in case . ¡±

    Shin entrusted Tiera to Schnee and headed towards the Lc residence . This time, he didn¡¯t feel the bizarre sensation he had as the first time .

    After making sure no one was around, Shin was about to knock on the door of Herald¡¯s room, but the door opened first . It opened just like an automatic door, so Shin was frozen in a ¡°knocking¡± pose .

    ¡°Kuu!¡±

    Yuzuha had opened it . Shin had reached and defeated the demon quickly, so he lost the timing to summon her .

    ¡°Ah! Sir Shin! You¡¯re safe!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­er, yeah . We defeated one demon, for now . ¡±

    ¡°For now¡­?¡±

    Behind Yuzuha and Lina, happy to see Shin back, Herald cocked his head to the side, wondering if taking down demons was so simple . His reaction was the most normal one .

    ¡°At the very least, there is another one in hiding somewhere . Please stay safe . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    He knew that there were limits to what Herald could do, but Shin said so all the same . Resisting the demon possessing Crissot and escaping would be difficult even for a Chosen One . Although the items Shin offered could provide some assistance, there was nothing else he could do if he wasn¡¯t with him .

    However, Herald refused to ept the items offered by Shin .

    ¡°Okay, brother, I¡¯m off . ¡±

    ¡°Yes, make sure you fulfill your duty . ¡±

    Shin returned to the residence with Lina . Before he left the residence, Herald told him ¡ª careful not to be heard by Lina ¡ª that if he was ever manipted by a demon, Shin should kill him without hesitation . His expression showed that he epted that it might be thest time they met .

 Vol 15 Chapter 4.1: Chapter 4 Part 1

    ¡°It¡¯s starting to take shape.¡±

    Shin was looking at the erupting light as it gathered in one ce and started to harden. When it reached itsplete form, Reforgerer would be born.

    ¡°If we can defeat the demon before it bes the Divine Beast, we don¡¯t even have to fight it, right?¡±

    ¡°I think it might work¡­ From what I remember, it appeared and started rampaging immediately.¡±

    Time had passed since Shin and the others first saw the pir of light. In the game era footage he had seen, Reforgerer had appeared less than a minute after the pir manifested, so he couldn¡¯t deny the possibility of what Tiera said being true. However, it would be extremely difficult to pull off.

    ¡°There¡¯s a cluster of presences. Let¡¯s go there first.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group advanced straight into the holy area, heading towards the presences he had detected. As expected, he found Lymliss and the elf guards escorting her. They noticed Shin¡¯s group approaching them but did not appear to recognize Shin¡¯s group, as they had their weapons in hand, ready for battle.

    Yuzuha and Kagerou were in their original forms ¡ª although Yuzuha¡¯s was notplete ¡ª, so theirrge bodies and high levels would surely be intimidating. The guards probably noticed that Shin and the others were riding the beasts, but they couldn¡¯t afford not being wary.

    ¡°We are not enemies!¡±

    Tiera spoke on behalf of the group. Thanks to the authority of the priestess¡¯ words, the elven warriors were reassured and put down their weapons.

    ¡°Lady Tiera, a light appeared from the World Tree¡­and I feel an unpleasant presence too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably the cause of all this. We came to protect the World Tree¡­and we need the power of purification. It will be dangerous, but we need your help.¡±

    There was no time to exin in detail what was going on. Lymliss, however, understood that the situation was truly dire, so she nodded with a stiff expression on her face. Despite the abnormal phenomenon, the World Tree was still alive. Lymliss could feel it too.

    Some elves objected, saying it was too dangerous for her to go, but Lymliss convinced them saying that if she didn¡¯t go now, there would be no point in her being a priestess anymore, so they did not try to stop her.

    The elite guards knew they could never rece the priestesses¡¯ importance, but were experienced warriors. Because of this, they felt a sense of intimidation and fear from the pir of light.

    ¡°What do you n to do?¡±

    ¡°Me, Schnee and Yuzuha will deal with the monstering out. Meanwhile, I want you to purify the World Tree and get rid of as much impurity as possible. You might encounter demons, so Shibaid will go with you.¡±

    ¡°Understood. I will protect them, even if it costs my life.¡±

    Shin was giving orders instead of Schnee, but no one interjected.

    He had already removed all ¡¾Limiter¡¿ restrictions to be ready whenever Reforgerer appeared. The elite elves understood, through their instincts rather than reason, who was the most powerful person present.

    ¡°I was thinking of making the residents in the area evacuate, but with the situation as it is¡­¡±

    Fighting among elves had broken out throughout the city. It was impossible to make people evacuate in a situation like that. Reforgerer¡¯s attack power also made it meaningless to just go a little farther away.

    ¡°If we take care of the cause, the manipted people should turn back to normal.¡±

    ¡°I really hope they will.¡±

    Shin¡¯s group headed towards the World Tree, together with Lymliss and the elven elites. The gradually shaping light was rtively far from the World Tree. The reason was unknown, but it worked in their favor. After entrusting Lymliss to Shibaid, Shin, Schnee, and Yuzuha headed towards the light.

    ¡°Are we toote?¡±

    Shin saw the light before them glow stronger. After it briefly disappeared, a giant figure appeared, exactly as he remembered.

    ¡ª¡ª Guardian Divine Beast ¨C Reforgerer

    ¡¾Analyze¡¿ disyed Reforgerer¡¯s data. Theck of a level disy and the ¡°Guardian¡± title before its name both reflected Shin¡¯s memories.

    In the same location as Reforgerer, Crissot¡¯s presence appeared as well. As expected, he was the reason behind the divine beast¡¯sing. He might have be one with the divine beast or possessed by it, but in any case he was a very dangerous existence.

    Reforgerer did not start moving immediately after appearing, so there was still some leeway for observation. Its head was covered by a smooth silver carapace, only showing itsrge mouth lined with snaggleteeth, surely unsuited for eating. Its body was covered by rough skin colored dark green, almost ck, equipped with two robust arms and an even more massive set of legs.

    Its tail, about as long as its body, was also covered in the same skin armor and was very flexible. The tip, about 10 mel long, was covered in an extremely sturdy-looking shell. The guardian also had crystal-like minerals growing from its back, which it could use to fire searing hot beams.

    Once Reforgerer received a certain amount of damage, the crystals would turn into rainbow-colored wings, which could also restore its HP and were very sturdy to boot. A yer armed with arge sledgehammer tried to smash them to prevent the monster from restoring its HP once, but was blown back without even managing to crack them, or so Shin remembered.

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit smaller than normal?¡±

    ¡°It might not be in itsplete form. Based on what you told us, it was not summoned in a legitimate way.¡±

    ¡°Kuu! There¡¯s a mix of miasma in its aura!¡±

    The monster before them was clearly smaller than what Shin remembered. Looking at it from the side, Shin also noticed that its back was not lined with as many crystals, as he recalled, they were missing here and there.

    Yuzuha¡¯s observation also corroborated Schnee¡¯s hypothesis. A sort of ck aura enveloped the monster, one it did not have before: the miasma. It might be the reason why Reforgerer had not moved yet.

    ¡°Hm? That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Reforgerer was not moving, but there were monsters sticking to its arms: arge shelled spider with a human-like upper body and a horse-like beast with two tiger heads.

    As ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed, they were both demons.

    Shin wondered what they were trying to do, when Reforgerer finally moved. It started closing its paws, clutching the demons. They both tried breath attacks or blowing strings to resist, but Reforgerer¡¯s scales repelled everything.

    ¡°If he still retains his feelings as a parent, it won¡¯t leave any demons alive, as they could target priestesses¡­I guess.¡±

    The demons were crushed to death in the divine beast¡¯s paws, with a squelch-like sound. They were Crissot¡¯s former allies, probably.

    We¡¯d be lucky if it¡¯s weaker than normal, since it was summoned in an irregr way¡­so thought Shin, but it did not look like his hopes woulde true. As he considered starting the offensive, he felt a horrifying chill down his spine. Reforgerer¡¯s gaze was turning towards them.

    Shin could tell. The eyeless Reforgerer was looking right at them.

    ¡°Behind me, all of you!!¡±

    Shin noticed a faint bluish-white glow seep out of Reforgerer¡¯s closed mouth and stood in front of Schnee and Yuzuha before thinking. Shibaid too did the same, shouting as he stood in front of the group. They prepared the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡», activated a defensive barrier and another protection skill.

    Reforgerer¡¯s beam struck as soon as the double protection was set in ce. The transparent white beam of light filled the distance between them instantly.

    The double barriers created by Shin and Shibaid provided slight resistance to the beam before shattering.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s smaller, it¡¯s as strong as before!?¡±

    ¡°What incredible power¡­!¡±

    Shin and Shibaid shouted as they held the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» against the beam. The beam was wider than the shield, but it was Ancient-grade gear after all: it managed to scatter the beam away and prevent it from hitting those behind the shield.

    The cksmith Shin, however, could tell that the shield¡¯s endurance was gradually decreasing. The ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡» had been powered up since the game era, but it still wasn¡¯t enough. If the elves were targeted, they could do nothing to defend themselves.

    ¡°What in the world¡­¡±

    ¡°How can you fight with such a monster¡­?¡±

    Thanks to Shin and Shibaid¡¯s defense, the whole group was unscathed. The heat and pressure of the beam, however, scattered and caused explosions wherever itnded. Although weakened, the beam¡¯s damage was enough to dispel any optimistic outlook of the situation.

    The elven warriors were especially surprised, as the weakened sts were more than enough to blow whole houses away. Some of them lost all will to fight because of the overwhelming power of Reforgerer¡¯s beams.

    ¡°Kuu, its attacks are mixed with miasma too!¡±

    Shin and Shibaid were too focused on parrying the beam to notice, but Yuzuha, behind them, could tell. Miasma had been released together with the beam, as if enveloping it. Considering that the miasma might be boosting the beam¡¯s power, it might be even more dangerous than the game era¡¯s Reforgerer.

    ¡°This position is bad. It shouldn¡¯t be able to fire beams like that often. I¡¯ll draw its attention while going to the other side! Tiera, you guys, go to the World Tree!¡±

    Shin shouted so that Schnee and the rest could hear. With Lanapacea behind them, they couldn¡¯t simply dodge the monster¡¯s attacks. If they let the beams through, the whole country would turn into a sea of mes. In the worst case scenario, it might even hit the World Tree. They definitely could not fight there.

    Shin thought that the most effective strategy as present was for Tiera and the other priestesses to purify the World Tree while they acted as decoys.

    The beam started weakening and vanished after about one minute. The ground in front and around them had changedpletely. The path remained only on their side: on the other side, it waspletely melted, even boiling here and there.

    ¡°I¡¯m going ahead!! Shibaid, I leave Tiera to you!!¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    Shin kicked the ground and leaped high in the air, Shibaid¡¯s reply trailing behind him. The melting ground shattered and scattered. He could now freely travel through the air, so he jumped as high as Reforgerer¡¯s eye level and headed straight towards its head. The guardian¡¯s head moved to follow his movements.

    ¡°You can see, can¡¯t you.¡±

    In the game era, he never had the luxury to observe it in detail. As the yers scattered to avoid its beams, he never felt the guardian¡¯s eyes on him so clearly.

    ¡°There¡¯s more than Crissot¡¯s will at y here.¡±

    The beam would have struck down Tiera too, if Shin and Shibaid didn¡¯t block it. Crissot¡¯s will to protect Tiera was possibly mixed with the demon¡¯s will to ughter humans and Reforgerer¡¯s original will to attack humanity.

    ¡°Whoa!?¡±

    A ck shadow darted at the side of Shin¡¯s field of view. He quickly sidestepped and itsrge mass flew by. It was a Reforgerer¡¯s tail attack, as fast as a whish and much more powerful than a hammer.

    In the past it was enough to crush any ¡°tank¡± yer, without a chance to block it. Scouts or rear guard yers would be killed instantly if it just brushed past them.

    He was worried about Schnee and the others, but the equipment he gave them was reinforced as much as possible. At the very least, they shouldn¡¯t be killed instantly.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the same asst time we fought!!¡±

    Shin¡¯s grip on ¡ºMoonless¡» tightened as he closed in on the monster. Before, approaching Reforgerer was a feat in itself: other than gigantic, the divine beast was also extremely fast. Its movement was not too quick, but its arms and tail moved as if they were separated from its body.

    Without any restrictions on his movements, however, Shin could avoid them on the three-dimensional ne, easily slipping very close to the beast. His target was its neck, as tall andrge as a building.

    Shin knew well about Reforgerer¡¯s healing capabilities. It was still a living creature, however. If its neck was cut off, it couldn¡¯t move again so quickly.

    Shin¡¯s ¡ºMoonless¡» emitted a grinding sound. Shin¡¯s powerful grip, without¡¾Limiter¡¿, was making it wail. Even so, Shin did not rx his arms. He could not hold anything back against this opponent: he knew that in the worst case, he would throw away the weapon.

    The light shining on the tip of his de was as zing hot as Reforgerer¡¯s beam. Stone or flesh, living or not, he would cut through it all. With such strong conviction in his heart, Shin activated a skill.

    Katana/mebination skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C ze Divide¡¿

    A white hot sh arced in the air, as if it could cut the very atmosphere. The de sliced through the scales and cut the monster¡¯s flesh. It was not deep enough to slice the monster¡¯s neck, however. The technique was powerful enough, as it cut a much wider range than the arc drawn by ¡ºMoonless¡». Even so, it managed to sever only about one third of Reforgerer¡¯s neck.

    The guardian¡¯s beast¡¯s scales were very sturdy, but its flesh was extremely tough as well, so Shin¡¯s sh did not go as deep as he expected.

    Shin had unleashed the skill aiming to cut cleanly through the guardian¡¯s neck: if the opponent wasn¡¯t Reforgerer, the sh would have surely reached as far as the forest in the distance.

    ¡°You¡¯re seriously tough.¡±

    The response Shin felt through ¡ºMoonless¡» was the heaviest he ever felt. He managed to draw the de out, but if he didn¡¯t give it his all it would have remained stuck in the monster¡¯s flesh. Many yers had lost their weapons in such a way.

    ¡°But I can still cut you.¡±

    Shin managed to damage Reforgerer more than their previous encounter. In the past, he needed multiple attacks just to destroy the scales, so he felt more confident in his ability to fight it. Such confidence, however, created an opening.

    ¡°Shin!! Above you!!¡±

    Shin heard Schnee¡¯s almost shrieking voice and looked upwards. He was located close to Reforgerer¡¯s neck, so above him there would be¡­its head, naturally. Its mouth, ready to fire another searing hot beam. Blue and white lights leaked from Reforgerer¡¯s mouth.

    Shin was right next to the divine beast¡¯s neck, so he was not in danger of being hit, but he knew that without Schnee or anyone telling him.

    ws came from the right, the tail from the left, centering on Shin¡¯s position. If he was caught between them, he didn¡¯t know what would be of him, even as he was now. If he jumped away, however, he might end up in the beam¡¯s course.

    Shin thus decided to jump diagonally right. If he passed next to the neck, he did not risk to be hit by any attack.

    ¡°Shit¡­!!¡±

    Shin nned to stick next to the monster¡¯s neck and climb it. If he went as far as its back, he risked being hit by the crystals¡¯ beams this time. Because he knew that, however, his response was dyed.

    Beam attacks from the mouth and back, w and tail attacks. Shin focused too much on them and neglected to consider attacks from other sources.

    The scales covering Reforgerer¡¯s body started glowing, all at the same time. The power and heat was low, but it was undoubtedly a beam attack. Thanks to his high stats and defensive gear, Shin did not receive any damage.

    That was not the problem, however.

    Shin had gained the ability to move freely in midair, but in the end he always leaping: he could not float or fly. He could parry attacks from above, but could not stay in ce while being attacked from other directions.

    Shin quickly shot a fireball in the direction he was blown to, using the explosion¡¯s shockwave as a buffer, to prevent Reforgerer from putting more distance between them. His position was just outside the range of the guardian¡¯s beams.

    I can dodge them here.

    So thought Shin, an instant before his field of view was engulfed in white light.

 Vol 15 Chapter 4.2: Chapter 4 Part 2

    As Shin¡¯s group started fighting Reforgerer, the group led by Shibaid headed towards the World Tree . No one intended to go help them . Looking at the scale of the battle, they understood that any support they could provide would be a hindrance instead .

    Their current location was also still inside the attack range of Reforgerer¡¯s tail . If they attracted the divine beast¡¯s attention, its tail would pound them like a hammer . Tiera moved as quickly as possible, knowing that their best way to help Shin was for all the priestesses to reach the World Tree as soon as possible .

    ¡°We will be okay¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Without a shred of a doubt . We could block its most powerful attack with the shield . There is no need for concern . ¡±

    Shibaid replied calmly to Tiera¡¯s doubt . She had seen the beam blocked before her eyes . What Shibaid said was definitely true .

    (And yet¡­)

    Everyone in the group had seen Reforgerer¡¯s massive body and the power of its beam, as well as Shin blocking it . Only Tiera was slightly different .

    Until now, she had encountered Grand Duke demons and even one of the most powerful monsters in the world, Ishkar, all opponents much, much stronger than her . Because of that, she had the leeway to observe the shield defending them from the beam .

    (It¡¯s melted a little . If someone takes the full brunt of that attack¡­)

    The image of Shin disappearing within Reforgerer¡¯s white st of light appeared in her head, which she desperately tried to shake away .

    The shield¡¯s surface was melted and deformed here and there . Shibaid probably realized it too, but there was no time to fix it, nor anyone capable of doing so .

    Even an Ancient-grade shield tempered and reinforced by Shin was not indestructible .

    Shields were designed to protect the wielder, being more resilient and sturdy than offensive weapons .

    It was very rare for weapons crafted by Shin to break . The only instance she could remember was during the battle with Girard, but that was a weapon with less endurance than a shield .

    (We have to do something quickly, to end this battle as soon as possible!)

    Tiera hurried with a renewed conviction in her heart .

    ¡°We cannot lower our pace . Follow us if you can keep up . ¡±

    ¡°I suppose we must . Everyone, run as fast as you can!!¡±

    Next to Tiera, looking straight ahead, Shibaid and Ordoss called to the others . Tiera looked back and saw that the number of guards with them had decreased .

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going too fast for them . Tiera, your stats increased a lot, so I guess you didn¡¯t notice . ¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ . ¡±

    Tiera was surprised and found herself at a loss for words .

    Tiera knew the warrior chiefs as elites among the elite in Lanapacea . She knew that she had grown stronger during her travels, but she believed they would still be superior .

    ¡°Lady Tiera, you have grown much stronger indeed . ¡±

    Ordoss was running next to her, but he was short on breath . Tiera¡¯s wasn¡¯t though . She could still go faster .

    ¡°It might be thanks to your gear too . Everyone, the World Tree is near! Give it your all!!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s group had taken a detour to reach the World Tree, in order to avoid being involved in the battle between Shin and Reforgerer . Even if they were separated, they wouldn¡¯t be too far .

    After a while, Tiera reached the base of the World Tree . They discovered that the tree had turned to a pitch ck color . About 70, 80% of the World Tree waspletely ck: it was barely alive . Tiera called out to Lymliss and Lina, riding on Kagerou .

    ¡°The condition is horrible¡­but it¡¯s still alive! Lend me your strength, both of you!!¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    Both priestesses had a very stern expression on their faces . However, they did not show the slightest sign of giving up . They jumped down from Kagerou, stood side to side with Tiera and spread their arms in front of them, closing their eyes to focus .

    ¡°This is¡­!¡±

    Shibaid¡¯s surprised voice reached Tiera¡¯s ears, but there was no time to ask about it . Tiera calmed her spirit and focused on the tiny light deep within her .

    She didn¡¯t know if it was really a light . She focused on the tiny, faint, yet powerful existence that resided within her from as long as she could remember, and erged it inside her .

    The light eventually filled her body and overflowed . She directed it in front of her .

    Tiera¡¯s eyes were closed, but she could clearly see the presence of the World Tree and the impurity that was corrupting it . She released her light towards the turbid aura that enveloped the World Tree . It was a special kind of purification, different from the one used with miasma, exclusively performed for the World Tree .

    Tiera could see that two simr lights flowed to the World Tree from her sides . Hers was a pale emerald green, Lina¡¯s was yellow mixed with orange, and Lymliss¡¯ transparent blue .

    As each light touched the impurity, it gradually disappeared as if melting away . However, because of Reforgerer¡¯s appearance,  the purification was different than usual .

    ¡°Aah¡­¡±

    After about a minute, a pained whisper escaped Lymliss¡¯ lips . She was sweating profusely, despite the temperature not being high at all . Lina, on the other hand, did not emit a sound, but her light was trembling . It was a signal that there was something wrong with the priestess releasing it .

    Tiera wondered what could have happened to them, when a horrifying sight suddenly appeared in front of her .

    It seemed to be a battlefield: people shed by swords, people impaled bynces, people scorched by magic, people devoured by monsters . Various kinds of death appeared one after the other before her eyes, and she could also feel their pain .

    The pain itself was probably less than what would actually be felt in such a situation, but being forced to experience dozens, hundreds of different kinds of pain would be simply excruciating, even if it was not actual physical pain .

    (I see, so that¡¯s how it is . )

    The two priestesses next to her were suffering because of this . Tiera was experiencing the same pain, but could somehow keep her cool . Unlike the other priestesses, always protected by guards in the vige, she had been chased by monsters, lost people dear to her, and risked her life, without a shred of hope supporting her .

    After joining with Shin and the others she had encountered powerful foes many times and had witnessed battlefields of people and monsters . Thanks to those experiences, she knew that the pain and suffering she was experiencing now were nothing but illusions .

    ¡°These are all illusions created by the impurity!! Get a hold of yourselves!!¡±

    Tiera¡¯s voice echoes forcefully . As if called by it, several globes of light appear around her . Their shapes changed and took an elf-like form . Some of them were known, others were not . The only thing they did know was that they were all World Tree priestesses .

    Floating in the air, they surrounded each of the 3 priestesses . Light began flowing from their bodies, enveloping Tiera, Lymliss, and Lina .

    ¡°I¡¯m okay now . I can do it!!¡±

    ¡°I have to be useful . It¡¯s now or never!!¡±

    Lymliss drew a deep breath, Lina firmly focused again, then they loudly shouted together . The priestesses¡¯ lights probably dispelled the illusions tormenting them . Their light of purification regained its original strength .

    Tiera then felt something warm on her shoulder . There was no physical sensation, but she could tell there was a warm hand holding her . Somehow, she felt she knew that sensation from before .

    ¡°Allow me to use your power!¡±

    It was not the right time to think about that: Tiera focused anew on the purification . Something warm seeped inside Tiera from the hand on her shoulder . It was a purification force, but different from Tiera¡¯s or the other two priestesses¡¯ .

    The past World Tree priestesses, who had be spirits and could not purify the World Tree directly, did so through the bodies of the three priestesses physically present . The powers to protect the World Tree, to protect the world, to protect all people became one .

 Vol 15 Chapter 4.3: Chapter 4 Part 3

    ¡°Shin!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay!!¡±

    Shin managed to switch to the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡»just before the beam struck. It was one of the remaining functions from the game, weapon swap. The beam was weaker than expected: he was blown away, but received no damage. Shin replied to Schnee and Yuzuha¡¯s worried call, then stood back up. He had been hit in midair, so he had crashed into the ground.

    Shin looked at his surroundings and understood what Reforgerer had done. The ground was scorched in a ripple-like pattern, with Shin at the center. The attack range was wider than the regr beam, but being struck from such close distance, he should have been buried deeper into the ground and the temperature should have been much higher. Shin¡¯s location was also outside the usual beam¡¯s scope.

    ¡°Less power, more range, huh.¡±

    Such an attack did not exist in the game era. The range was too wide and therefore difficult to avoid. The sole advantage was that it was not very powerful.

    The shield¡¯s durability had barely decreased too. Shin realized that the defensive gear he had equipped should be enough to resist it.

    ¡°If I get too close, ws and tail¡­if I stay far, beam attacks. On a 360¡ã range to boot.¡±

    Shin tried talking casually to make the situation seem less dire, but it didn¡¯t work very well. Since the guardian could have other unknown attack patterns, it was difficult to go on the offensive. Reforgerer¡¯s attacks were usually lethal.

    ¡°Well, I guess I should be thankful that he¡¯s targeting only me¡­not that I know why.¡±

    Schnee and Yuzuha attacked Reforgerer to attract its attention, but the divine beast was focused solely on Shin. At first, he thought it was because Shin was the first to attack, but it kept attacking Shin even after Schnee and Yuzuha started attacking.

    Was it because he was the strongest among them? Or maybe because of the force Yuzuha mentioned. Or some other unknown reason. There were other things to do now, however, before thinking about this.

    Shin stood back up and Reforgerer¡¯s tail came down to strike him. It was like a whole skyscraper wasing down on him. Compared to the beams, however, it was easy to deal with. For yers, fighting againstrger opponents was fairlymon. Bosses were often gigantic monsters, after all.

    Shin kept the shield pointed upwards, holding it diagonally. The moment the tail struck, he swung his arms upwards and activated a skill.

    Shield-type Martial skill ¡¾Shock Glide¡¿

    It was the powered up version of a skill that allowed the user to dodge enemy attacks, the so-called parry, specialized forrge size monsters. The tail, set to crush Shin against the ground, slid along the shield¡¯s surface as if it meant to do that all along, directed above.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t get your neck, but what about your tail then?¡±

    Reforgerer¡¯s tail grew progressively thinner towards the tip. Shin could not sever the divine beast¡¯s neck, as it was protected not only by scales but also by robust muscle fibers, but the tail was different.

    The tail was packed with muscles too, but they were thinner than the neck and, because of their flexibility, not as resilient. Shin readied his de targeting the tail, full of openings now that it missed its mark. He made full use of his unfettered stats as he jumped high in the air and swung down ¡ºMoonless¡».

    Katana/Waterbination skill ¡¾Still Water¡¿.

    Following the sh, the tail was enveloped in blue light. The next instant, with a clear, sharp sound, a 10 mel portion from the tip of the tail was cut off and danced in midair.

    ¡°Okay, I can cu¡ª-¡±

    Reforgerer¡¯s rage for this wound made it roar. Shin was ready to run to make a follow-up attack, but a very worrying crack-like sound reached his ears. At the same time, he felt a slight vibration through his right hand.

    Shin looked down to his right. There he saw ¡ºMoonless¡» with a crack in the center of its de. Part of the de was missing, and cracks spread through it like shattering ice.

    ¡°Seriously!? I just cut it twice¡­!¡±

    The katana¡¯s remaining durability was a mere 20%. Shin estimated that it was not damaged by the monster¡¯s scales or flesh, but by his own power. He could see the cracks spread as he continued to grip  it.

    His cksmith skills could tell him what happened: the magic power he imbued into the de when using skills exceeded the weapon¡¯s limits.

    ¡°¡­will I run out of weapons first, or will Tieraplete the purification first¡­?¡±

    Even an Ancient-grade weapon could only do so much. A Mythology-grade weapon would not even withstand one strike. Shin was prepared to sacrifice his weapons, but did not expect them to be consumed so quickly.

    He mentally listed his avable weapons, then looked at Reforgerer. It wasn¡¯t attacking again because Schnee and Yuzuha were giving their all to keep it upied.

    ¡°Even their attacks can¡¯t prove fatal for this beast.¡±

    Schnee¡¯s ¡ºBlue Moon¡» shed the scales and the flesh under them, Yuzuha¡¯s ws and magic spread the wounds. They had hardly ever fought together before this, but their attack and defense were seamlessly coordinated. Even so, the damage they caused to Reforgerer was minimal.

    Reforgerer¡¯s HP was incredibly high, so no matter how much it was damaged, it was a mystery if it could really be defeated.

    Can we defeat it? Shin asked himself.

    Pointless question, he answered.

    I¡¯ll cut off its neck first. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll crush its heart. If it doesn¡¯t die even with that, I¡¯ll keep attacking it until it does, or seal it. There¡¯s a lot of things I haven¡¯t tried yet. I can¡¯t die until I have tested them all, nor will I let anyone else die.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist fought like this.¡±

    His conviction renewed, Shin browsed through his item box and materialized new weapons.

    An enormous battle axe appeared on his left hand, a longsword on his right. The battle axe was not the regr single-sided or double-sided de type: its single-sided de extended along the handle, as to protect the wielder¡¯s grip. Being as tall as Shin, it looked like a fusion between an axe and a broadsword. A yellow, almost golden aura surrounded the de.

    The longsword on his right hand was a simple double-edged weapon without decorations. The de was painted in ck and blue, with a reddish ck streak running along the center. This sword was enveloped in a very dark red and blue aura.

    Shin¡¯s left hand wielded the so-called ¡°Thundersteel Axe¡±, ¡ºKeravnos¡».

    His right hand held the sword called ¡°Cursed Storm¡±, ¡ºStormbringer¡» .

    Both of them were superior Ancient-grade weapons. The usage of two different weapons at the same time was one of the battle styles Shin developed in THE NEW GATE in order to survive.

    ¡°Using all sorts of weapons, one after the other, that¡¯s how a cksmith fights!¡±

    After shouting something that all cksmiths in this world would vehemently disagree with, Shin ran forward, holding ¡ºKeravnos¡» and ¡ºStormbringer¡» like spreading wings, heading straight towards Reforgerer.

    Thanks to Schnee¡¯s and Yuzuha¡¯s attacks, the guardian¡¯s attention was drawn away from Shin. He concealed himself with ¡¾Hiding¡¿ and approached the monster.

    ¡°Here goes, a huge one!¡±

    Using his running momentum, Shin swung ¡ºKeravnos¡».

    Lights shed, and a momentter, thunder roared.

    Axe-type Martial skill ¡¾Core Breaker¡¿.

    It was a skill that createdrge openings, so it could not be used often, but it ignored enemy defense and, paired with an axe¡¯s normally very high offensive power, was powerful enough to blow away monsters many times the size of the wielder.

    What would happen if the current Shin used it? As an answer to this question, Reforgerer¡¯s massive, robust right leg was carved for more than half of its width and disappeared.

    In exchange,the tip of ¡ºKeravnos¡»¡¯ de cracked and shattered.

    Shin quickly turned it into a card and put it away, then kicked the ground. Reforgerer, having lost most of its right foot under the ankle, lost its bnce.

    Shin twisted his body in midair, targeting Reforgerer¡¯s head with ¡ºStormbringer¡». The longsword emitted grinding sounds because of Shin¡¯s powerful grip. Focused fully on his target, Shin did not notice that ¡ºStormbringer¡»¡¯s de was wrapped in a bright purple aura.

    ¡°Take thiiiissss!!!¡±

    Shin thrust ¡ºStormbringer¡» with as much strength as he could. He was still far from Reforgerer¡¯s head, but an enormous half-transparent de extended from ¡ºStormbringer¡», quickly filling the distance.

    Sword-type Martial skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Dimension¡¿

    This skill ignored enemy defense. It could be used only with a thrusting motion and created a de of magic from the tip of the wielder¡¯s weapon. Its strongest characteristic was that the de of magic could extend. The de grew thinner as it stretched, so at its limits it was only a few cemel wide, but it was still enough to target the opponent¡¯s head or heart.

    It was a physical attack with a magic de, so it could damage even frontline warriors. Because of this, in a certain period the bizarrebo of ¡°sword snipers¡± was fairly popr in the game. Because of this, management ¡°nerfed¡± the skill, making it unable to damage units other than the target and making it less damaging the more distance there was between the caster and the target. In the current situation, with the opponenting closer to Shin on their own, there was no problem.

    Shin¡¯s target was Reforgerer¡¯s throat, the spot he damaged with ¡¾ze Divide¡¿. Shiden-caused wounds healed slowly, so the gash was not fully closed yet.

    The de wrapped in purple sparkles of light did not fail: it stabbed the wound on Reforgerer¡¯s throat and pierced through its flesh, boosted by the skill¡¯s power, Shin¡¯s muscr strength ¡ª supported by the ground ¡ª and the monster¡¯s own weight.

    The de¡¯s width depended on the user¡¯s stats. Shin¡¯s ¡¾Dimension¡¿ de was much wider than what it was during the game era, because of his reinforced stats.

    It would be plenty for him if it was three times the size of the de, but it stretched as far as ten times the original width.

    ¡°Your head¡­is mine¡­!!!¡±

    Shin felt it as ¡ºStormbringer¡» pierced the center of Reforgerer¡¯s throat and swung it to the side. Normally, the de would break if it was forced to do such a sweep. The sword wrapped in sparkles, however, showed a sturdiness that ¡¾Dimension¡¿ normally did not have. Slowly but surely, the de cut through Reforgerer¡¯s neck.

    The divine beast would not sit still, though.

    Above the neck half severed by ¡ºStormbringer¡», the monster¡¯s mouth opened. A sh of light then formed: Reforgerer¡¯s searing beam. Even with its throat shed, it could apparently still fire.

    ¡°(Shin!?)¡±

    Schnee and Yuzuha¡¯s voices ovepped. Shin, still holding ¡ºStormbringer¡» high, had no way of dodging. The beam reached Shin, but split in a ripple-like shape before hitting him, scorching the ground.

    Shin, holding ¡ºStormbringer¡» with one hand, used the other to quickly materialize the ¡ºGreat Shell Shield of Collision¡».

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    He managed to deflect the beam with the shield, but the ¡¾Dimension¡¿ de shattered. He could not protect the de extending from his hands to Reforgerer¡¯s neck with the shield.

    As the beam vanished, Reforgerer¡¯s ws struck. It was a monster through and through, after all: even with most of its neck cut off, it continued attacking.

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    Shin clicked his tongue and jumped away. He turned¡ºStormbringer¡», only a handle after its de shattered, back into a card and materialized ance glowing in gold and arge katana with an emerald hue.

    The ¡°Divine Lance¡± ¡ºGungnir¡» in his left hand and the ¡°Cleaving de¡± ¡ºMurakumo¡» in his right. It was a festival of Ancient-grade weapons.

    ¡°(Schnee! Yuzuha! Act while I¡¯m drawing its attention!)¡±

    Shin called them via Mind Chat, thenunched ¡ºMurakumo¡» towards Reforgerer¡¯s neck, holding back some of his strength so as not to break it.

    It¡¯s still looking at me. This confidence prompted Shin to attempt the shot. ¡ºMurakumo¡», flying boosted by a skill, was knocked away before it could reach the scales covering Reforgerer¡¯s head. The shock, however, pushed the monster¡¯s head back, erging its wound. Then, Reforgerer¡¯s body touched the ground.

    With a heavy, dull sound, the ground shook. Reforgerer was solely focused on attacking, with no regards for supporting itself.

    ¡°Herees the big one!!¡±

    Shin had jumped just before the monster came crashing down, so he was not affected by the tremors. He readied ¡ºGungnir¡», calmly targeting the divine beast¡¯s wounds. Ignoring the grinding soundsing from the handle, Shin activated a skill.

    Spear-type Martial skill ¡¾Flying Circle Thrust¡¿.

    ¡ºGungnir¡» would always strike its target when thrown, but thanks to the skill its glow was even stronger. Copsed on the ground, Reforgerer had no way to defend itself.

    ¡ºGungnir¡» flew straight and true.

    Even in such a situation, however, the monster moved. It shot the wide-range beam, the same attack Shin had been surprised about earlier. Its power was reduced, so it could not destroy ¡ºGungnir¡». The weapon¡¯s aim, however, was deflected.

    ¡ºGungnir¡» was supposed to strike the remaining part connecting Reforgerer¡¯s head to its body, but passed through the already severed section, finally impaling  the ground, blowing away a huge chunk of the surrounding terrain. The remaining flesh on Reforgerer¡¯s neck had just been brushed against: about 10% of it remained.

    The strategy to cut off that remaining 10% had already been prepared.

    Something cast a shadow over the copsed Reforgerer. It was Schnee, glowing in gold thanks to Yuzuha¡¯s assistance, wielding ¡ºMurakumo¡» veiled in a light purple hue.

    Schnee activated a skill, adding it to Shin¡¯s power lingering within ¡ºMurakumo¡».

    Katana-type Martial skill ¡¾Shiden ¨C Heaven sh¡¿.

    The coup de grace. If it connected, the monster¡¯s neck would surely bepletely severed. Reforgerer, however, would not give up even then. Its massive tail flew towards Schnee.

    ¡°Not a chance!!¡±

    Yuzuha, in giant form, created magic from her tails and used it in a mass to repel and blow away the monster¡¯s tail. She was clearly regaining her original strength.

    They werepletely out of range of beam attacks. The monster¡¯s ws would not reach, its tail was knocked away. Reforgerer¡¯s defenses were finally spent.

    ¡°This is the end!!¡±

    Schnee¡¯s tone was brimming with conviction. The de she swung severed Reforgerer¡¯s neckpletely. The sh¡¯s shockwaves carved deep into the ground, transmitting the high power of the skill.

    Reforgerer¡¯s head rolled away on the ground, as strength clearly abandoned its torso. They couldn¡¯t let their guard down yet, however: its HP was still not zero.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on now?¡±

    The torso remained the same, but the monster¡¯s head was changing shape. It turned into a sort of mist, then took human form. Using ¡¾Analyze¡¿ showed not Reforgerer¡¯s name, but Crissot¡¯s.

    ¡°Aah¡­Tie¡­ra¡­.Tie¡­ra¡­.¡±

    Before Shin, still armed, Crissot whispered such words before vanishing without leaving a trace.

    ¡°He teleported¡­? It can¡¯t be that¡­he went where Tiera and the others are?¡±

    Shin did not know how he did it, but he could only think of one ce where Crissot might have gone. Sure enough, moments after the disappearance Shin and his group received a Mind Chat from Shibaid. Crissot had suddenly appeared before them.

 Vol 15 Chapter 4.4: Chapter 4 Part 4

    ¡°Father¡­¡±

    It all happened out of the blue .

    Crissot appeared before Tiera and the other priestesses purifying the World Tree and extended a thin rope made of mist towards her . Shibaid managed to stand between them at thest moment, but the rope was much stronger than it seemed . His stance was not ideal, but Shibaid was knocked back by the impact .

    ¡°Shin and the others did it, I suppose . ¡±

    Shibaid spoke while holding up his shield . Tiera had noticed too . Reforgerer¡¯s gigantic body could be seen from the holy area, but it was nowhere to be seen anymore . They thought it was defeated, but the World Tree priestess Tiera knew Reforgerer hadn¡¯t disappeared yet .

    She could feel something close to its powerful presence right in front of her .

    ¡°Lina, Lymliss, please continue with the purification . ¡±

    ¡°Lady Tiera, that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Lina replied to Tiera, but thetter did not notice . Lymliss had heard her words: she looked at Tiera, wide-eyed .

    ¡°This is something I must put an end to . ¡±

    She was about to do something reckless . Tiera herself knew it . She might even end up ruining the efforts of Shin¡¯s group . There might be a safer way .

    She felt it, however . That Crissot¡¯s soul, her father¡¯s soul, was right there .

    She could not sense her father¡¯s soul when Reforgerer was still active, but now she clearly could tell . His presence was the reason why it had appeared here, and that he was not trying to attack .

    ¡°Tiera, what are you¡­?¡±

    Shibaid was focused on Crissot, but looked with bewilderment at Tiera, standing beside him .

    She knew the reason . Her figure was probably different than usual . When Crissot appeared, she felt something descending inside her . She had experienced it many times when she lived in the vige, it was quite a nostalgic sensation .

    ¡°It¡¯s okay . Please leave it to me . ¡±

    Tiera stepped forward, beyond Shibaid¡¯s shield . Crissot did not attack in the meantime .

    ¡°Aah¡­aah¡­¡±

    Crissot reacted to Tiera stepping forward with a sort of pained, or very emotional,ment . From his eyes, marked by tears of blood, now flowed transparent tears .

    ¡°So this is spirit channeling¡­¡±

    Tiera could hear Shibaid¡¯sment . She put her hands forward and saw someone else¡¯s hands ovepping hers . Lymliss and Shibaid were probably surprised by them .

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it . ¡±

    They weren¡¯t someone else¡¯s, a stranger¡¯s hands . She could tell . She had a premonition . The features of the elf Shin and Lina saw matched with someone Tiera knew . Her whole body was filled with a nostalgic sensation . Tiera knew that warmth very well .

    She approached Crissot, slowly . As she did, mist rose from Crissot¡¯s body, melting away like steam . Tiera knew: it was miasma . As the miasma vanished, Crissot¡¯s body started to change . His figure, identical to how he looked when still alive, started to shrivel .

    It was a natural change, as what kept Crissot alive was disappearing . When Tiera was in front of him, half of Crissot¡¯s body turned into a mummy .

    ¡°Father . ¡±

    Tiera softly embraced her father¡¯s pitiful figure . The miasma¡¯s presence was no more .

    ¡°I am here, I am alive . Your daughter lives on, strongly . ¡±

    Tiera¡¯s feelings mixed with those of the woman enveloping her and turned into words . Tiera did not actually know what to say . She could understand Crissot¡¯s pain, but she could not feel it . At the time, she was doing all she could to survive and did not have the leeway of thinking of her father¡¯s feelings .

    She gained some peace after she was in Tsuki no Hokora, but she unconsciously put away the painful memories of her vige . Thus she now responded to the emotions transmitted by Crissot .

    About how she was rescued by Schnee and stayed at Tsuki no Hokora . How she met Shin and her curse was lifted . How she met all sorts of people and visited many ces . Tiera talked about an adventure she could have never experienced, had she stayed in the vige .

    Crissot¡¯s arms moved . Thin arms that could break at any moment embraced Tiera in return .

    ¡°Aaah¡­I¡¯m so d¡­ . ¡±

    His words trailing in the air, Crissot disappeared . The wind moving through Tiera¡¯s hair brought the ashed Crissot dissolved into the sky . The wind circled the World Tree once, then vanished in the air . Crissot was no more . It had all happened in mere moments .

    The emotions Crissot transmitted were all born from concern about Tiera . There was nothing about himself . It seemed like the hate towards the world he shouted about during his first battle against Shin never existed in the first ce .

    ¡°Was this¡­alright?¡±

    The question was not directed to Shin or another party member, nor to a priestess like Lymliss, but to the silver-haired woman who appeared after Crissot vanished .

    ¡°¡­ . . ¡±

    Irene, Crissot¡¯s wife, Tiera¡¯s mother, embraced her daughter, silently . She had no physical body, but Tiera could feel her embrace all the same . Even without words, she could feel her emotions . Sadness for not being able to protect her . Pain for not being able to save her . Anger towards their absurd circumstances . They all lingered within her, even after death .

    Those were not all that lingered, however .

    Tiera¡¯s growth, the smile she showed her, the fact that she saved Crissot, filled her with happiness and love . Her emotions not as priestess, but as mother, passed into and filled Tiera¡¯s heart .

    ¡°Mother¡­¡±

    Tiera¡¯s voice trembled . She held back, she could not cry . This time, this dialogue, was a miracle that would nevere again .

    World Priestesses are the guardians of the World Tree and the bonds between people . The cornerstones of peace . There was something that not even Shin and hispanions knew, however . That priestess was not allowed to use their powers for themselves .

    Priestesses with the ability to speak with the deceased ¡ª barring certain exceptions ¡ª were not allowed to willingly summon their parents, siblings, or anyone close to them . Because of that, this was the only chance Tiera had to express her feelings . Once it was over, she could not do it anymore .

    Because of that, Tiera smiled . She did not want thest expression her mother would see to be a crying one . She wanted her mother to remember her smiling .

    ¡°Be healthy and strong, my beloved daughter¡­¡±

    Irene left these words as she disappeared . She turned into a small, flickering light and joined the other lights that appeared, to be absorbed once again in the World Tree .

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    ¡°So, is it all over?¡±

    Shin whispered while looking at the fading lights . He had left Reforgerer¡¯s body to Schnee and Yuzuha and had moved first . When he arrived, Tiera was already embracing Crissot . He saw that Shibaid was not interfering, so he decided to wait as well .

    Just in case, he checked the presences in the city via his map, but could not find any moving in a way that suggested there was fighting going on .

    ¡°Reforgerer has disappeared, so I believe we can say so . ¡±

    Shin heard Schnee¡¯s words from behind him and used ¡¾Through Sight¡¿ to look in the direction where Reforgerer was . Its icon was on the map no more, leaving only arge crater where it had copsed, but not even the smallest scale . It was clearlypletely gone .

    Shin looked again at Tiera, who had not moved a step and waspletely still .

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Losing to the silent pressureing from Schnee and Shibaid¡¯s gazes, Shin eventually called Tiera . Lymliss and Lina also noticed, but found it hard to approach her .

    ¡°Shin¡­¡±

    Tiera turned towards Shin . She had held back her tears for long: they were now gleaming on her eyes . Tiera let herself go, as if falling on Shin¡¯s body .

    ¡°Did I . . do good enough¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . they were both smiling . You did for sure . ¡±

    Her voice trembled . Shin replied to her question with confidence .

    Both Crissot and Irene showed a peaceful smile in the end . Looking at their expressions, no one would think she had failed .

    ¡°I see¡­I see¡­¡±

    Her voice trembled even more .

    You don¡¯t have to hold back anymore . So Shin wanted to express as he lightly embraced Tiera and patted her head . Tiera¡¯s body turned stiff for a moment, then she started to weep loudly .

    The World Tree watched over the group, silently .

 Vol 13 Chapter 11: Part 1

    In the hidden underground dungeon, Shin had sessfully defeated the evil deity Adetropos .

    While he managed to safely rescue Schnee as well, the teleport magic circle in the room had also been activated . Shin and Schnee were thus separated from theirrades, transported away to an unknown location¡­

    The first thing Shin felt after being transported was a very soft sensation in his arms . Then, he sensed someone¡¯s breath and body temperature . Next, a smell tickled his nostrils .

    ¡°Looks like we weren¡¯t separated at least . ¡±

    After checking the surroundings for any hostile presences, Shin spoke to Schnee, who he was holding in his arms . If he hadn¡¯t found her next to him after the teleport, he would have been beside himself with worry .

    ¡°Yes¡­are we¡­inside a cave?¡±

    ¡°So it would seem . I just checked quickly, but there are paths going both up and down . There are also presences moving, but not anywhere close . ¡±

    Shin had scanned their current location with ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ and detected some responses moving in a group . One response was moving by itself, while the other was a a group of six, packed close together .

    ¡°Could those be monsters?¡±

    ¡°If this is a different dungeon, they might also be adventurers . Six is the max number of people you can have in a party, after all . ¡±

    Monsters like goblins and kobolds moved in packs, so he couldn¡¯t say for sure yet . Schnee had just regained her consciousness, so Shin had her drink an ¡ºElixir¡» and rest a bit, just in case . In the meantime, he kept checking the surroundings .

    ¡°Are you all right already? Do you feel weird anywhere?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine . My memories were just sealed, so I didn¡¯t suffer any damage . Aren¡¯t you worrying a bit too much?¡±

    ¡°Well, of course I do . Our rtionship is a bit different than before . ¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­that¡¯s right . ¡±

    Schnee probably remembered Shin¡¯s confession: her sentence ended in a whisper . Her cheeks flushed too .

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m sorry . Please give me five more minutes to settle down . ¡±

    ¡°Got it . ¡±

    While thinking how lovely Schnee looked with her hands covering her face, Shin returned to scanning the location for threats . Five minutes passed, without anything noteworthy happening, and Schnee stood up .

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the wait . I¡¯m okay now . ¡±

    ¡°I see . By the way, you don¡¯t need to keep that formal tone anymore . ¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s be a habit . ¡±

    Schnee spoke the same to everyone, usually, so it wasn¡¯t like she was being polite .

    ¡°But¡­I agree with you . Sometimes it would be nice to speak in a more familiar way . ¡±

    ¡°Well, take your time . For now, let¡¯s find out where we ended up . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee switched their focus to their current situation . Their stats and equipment were unchanged: the magic circle that whisked them away was just teleport magic, so it shouldn¡¯t have had any other effects .

    ¡°(Shin, where are you?)¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Just as Shin was thinking of contacting the others, Yuzuha¡¯s voice resounded in his head .

    ¡°(We were transported to some cave-looking ce . The evil deity¡¯s defeated and Schnee turned back too . What about you guys?)¡±

    ¡°(Tiera, Kagerou, and Shibaid are here too . )¡±

    After the events at the ¡ºCastle of the Depths¡», Yuzuha seemed to have be more familiar with Tiera too .

    ording to Yuzuha, they had been transported to some kind of forest . They all emerged unscathed from the fights in the secret dungeon, so they were not in danger .

    ¡°(I see, I¡¯m d you¡¯re all safe . Let¡¯smunicate again once we understand where exactly we are . Shibaid can use Mind Chat too, so do you want toe over here, Yuzuha?)¡±

    ¡°(Not now . Shin and Schnee, you can stay on your own for a while . Yuzuha¡¯s a fox that can read a situation . )¡±

    Shin very easily pictured the smug look Yuzuha had to be sporting when she said that .

    Respecting her wishes, Shin didn¡¯t summon Yuzuha to his side .

    ¡°Did you receive a Mind Chat?¡±

    ¡°Yes, looks like Shibaid, Tiera, Yuzuha, and Kagerou are all together . I¡¯ll try contacting Filma and Sety now . ¡±

    ¡°(Hello there . I guess this means you defeated the evil deity? )¡±

    ¡°(Yeah, Schnee¡¯s all right too, we¡¯re together . Is Sety with you?)¡±

    ¡°(Bingo . Me and Sety were transported to a beach somewhere . )¡±

    Filma said that she hadn¡¯t found anyndmarks that could provide hints about their location yet . Shin told her that Shibaid and the others were safe and to let them know when she understood where they were, then cut the Mind Chat for the moment . He then let Schnee know about the rest of the party¡¯s safety too .

    ¡°So everyone¡¯s safe, I¡¯m d . ¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way any of them would go down easily, after all¡­so, what shall we do now?¡±

    Shin and Schnee could teleport themselves, but the location the evil deity had transported them to also intrigued them . Shin then proposed to Filma and Yuzuha to research a bit about each of their locations before meeting again . They agreed, and Filma and Yuzuha then informed the other members .

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start by finding out where we are . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . I suppose we¡¯ll go up first then . ¡±

    The cave was made of earth and rocks . Normally, the exit would be above .

    ¡°Oh, monsters spotted . ¡±

    Shin¡¯s ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ picked up monster responses in front, while scanning the cave as precisely as possible . The number was just one .

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    ¡°A Hobgoblin, I see . Could this be their nest?¡±

    ¡°This might very well be a dungeon . By the way, do monsters go into dungeons from the outside in this world?¡±

    In one of the game events, dungeon monsters poured out in the open, but the opposite ¡ª monsters going inside dungeons from outside ¡ª never happened .

    ¡°It does . Sometimes powerful monsters happen to be near newly generated dungeons and take over as bosses . ¡±

    ¡°Monsters can take over dungeons too!?¡±

    Dungeons generated suddenly had random monsters as a boss, so it was apparently possible . Schnee didn¡¯t know exactly the rules behind it either .

    ¡°The Hobgoblin is level 51¡­nothing unusual here . ¡±

    Shin closed in on the monster from the front, without the slightest hesitation . He didn¡¯t even bother hiding the sound of his footsteps, so the Hobgoblin spotted him quickly .

    ¡°Akdobun!! Seeeurrralsa!!¡±

    The Hobgoblin charged at Shin while shouting gibberish . The iron sword it held with both hands shone faintly, probably because of a skill .

    ¡°¡­ . all too normal . The skill is just ¡¾sh¡¿ too¡­I guess this is just a normal dungeon?¡±

    Shin grabbed the monster¡¯s sword with one hand and nted his other fist in its defenseless stomach . He only nned to punch it lightly, but the monster was blown away, vanishing soon after groaning a bit .

    ¡°Hey? This way of disappearing¡­¡±

    Looking at the vanishing monster, Shin was suddenly reminded of something .

    In this world, monsters defeated in a dungeon would disappear after a set time . The Hobgoblin Shin just defeated, however, turned into smoke as soon as its HP reached zero . This was typical of a certain dungeon in the game, one that Shin had made good use of too .

    ¡°This could be a training dungeon¡±

    ¡°One of those easily approachable by beginners too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that particr way of disappearing is typical of training dungeon monsters . I used them a lot to practice new skills, so I shouldn¡¯t be wrong . ¡±

    Training dungeons had been installed for yers not used to operating VR avatars or who wanted to test new skills .

    Monsters were as strong as normal, but yers would receive only little damage and experience points .

    Such dungeons were often quite popted, as they could be used to practice exploring in rtive safety .

    ¡°If so, we might be in Erkunt . ¡±

    ¡°Erkunt?¡±

    ¡°A country devoted to the diffusion of study and research, which gathers students and schrs from all over the world . If I remember well, it¡¯s located slightly northwest of the center of the continent . It¡¯s the only country where the presence of a training dungeon was confirmed, so I believe it is highly likely that¡¯s where we are now . Of course, there might be undiscovered training dungeons too . ¡±

    ¡°I see . There¡¯s still a lot I don¡¯t know about stuff like that, so you¡¯re really a big help . ¡±

    Shin thanked Schnee, then looked ahead .

    ¡°¡­ . now that I think about it, my limiters are still all off . ¡±

    After a few steps, Shin remembered how the Hobgoblin had been blown away . In the fight with the evil deity he had removed each ¡¾Limiter¡¿, so even if he meant to go easy on the monster, the power he unleashed was still massive . (T/N: ¡¾Limit¡¿ has been changed to ¡¾Limiter¡¿)

    He had started getting the hang of controlling his strength, but to avoid any unexpected urrences, Shin decided to cast ¡¾Limiter¡¿ again on his stats .

    ¡°I wonder if we were sent here for some special purpose?¡±

    ¡°No idea . I heard that secret dungeons sent you to random ces, so it might be just a coincidence . ¡±

    Shin could not tell what the evil deity might have been thinking . Even if they mulled over it they might never find the truth, so he decided to stop thinking about it .

    ¡°Well, now we know that this isn¡¯t a dangerous ce and there shouldn¡¯t be restrictions for leaving either . Let¡¯s take it easy . ¡±

    Judging from the monsters and traps, Shin concluded that they were in one of the higher floors of the training dungeon . Following one of the typical dungeon rules, strong monsters wouldn¡¯t appear in such a floor .

    Different monsters appeared in dungeons, depending on what the suggested level to explore them was, of course . Monsters of the same type also appeared at different levels . In a dungeon for yers with levels at two-digits, however, nothing that could pose a threat to Shin and Schnee could happen .

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep our guard up just in case, and head for the exit . Let¡¯s use the shortest path . ¡±

    Thanks to ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿, he had pinpointed where the exit was ¡®supposed¡¯ to be located . He couldn¡¯t bepletely sure because ¡¾Magic Sonar¡¿ wasn¡¯t best suited to go above ground from underground: the skill was most useful when going underground from above or exploring locations that were only above or underground .

    In the chance they met a dead end, the mapping function was automatic, so they would never get lost .

    ¡°¡­ . there¡¯s someone fighting up ahead . ¡±

    After walking for a while, without finding any actual obstacles, Shin detected several responses ahead . Judging from the markers, there seemed to be three people surrounded by monsters . The yers had probably triggered a ¡°monster house¡±-type trap, which in turn caused a train .

    Monster houses where traps activated when the yer entered small rooms inside dungeons: the exit would be blocked and great numbers of monsters appeared . Depending on the yer¡¯s skill, they could be good sources of experience, but in most cases the monsters¡¯ numbers overwhelmed the yer .

    Trains were caused when yers, chased by monsters, ended up causing other monsters they encountered to join the chasing group, ultimately forming arge pack of pursuers . If the yers failed to lose the monsters, they could end up being overwhelmed in this case too .

    The battle situation was difficult to judge from just the markers, but it did not seem to be favorable to the people involved .

    ¡°Looks like the frontline is doing everything they can to attract aggro . Wait, it¡¯s not front or rear, though¡­but it looks like they¡¯re handling themselves . If they¡¯re adventurers we could cause trouble by interrupting, so let¡¯s make sure they don¡¯t notice us for now . ¡±

    ¡°Yes . If the situation turns dangerous, should we help them?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s dangerous, we¡¯ll help . But if things look suspicious, we might have to reconsider that too . ¡±

    It might sound cold, but in the worst case there was the option of abandoning the party engaging the monsters .

    Causing a train on purpose, making it target others, then killing them . That was one of the strategies adopted by the so-called MPK, monster yer killers .

    This world was rife with turmoil within royal families, nobles, or among privileged sses . Such troubles were something Shin wanted to stay as far away from as possible .

    Thus, in case there were assassins in the shadows, waiting for a chance to finish their targets, he nned to leave without interfering .

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    If they were really in a training dungeon, even if the explorers¡¯ HP reached zero the probability of their life being saved was high .

    ¡°This is not good . ¡±

    Shin and Schnee proceeded, concealed by ¡¾Hiding¡¿, when he spotted the scene of the monsters and adventurers fighting . The monsters were superior versions of Goblins, Red Caps .

    Therge, two-mel tall monster wore a tattered hat with red spatters . The axe it wielded missed chunks of its de and was dirty with blood .

    As a category, it belonged to the Goblins, but it was more powerful than Ogres . Its level averaged at about 200, with the one Shin was looking at being level 222, slightly higher than the average .

    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing one since the Dusk of Majesty, but it seems like they still fight the same way . ¡±

    Red Caps tended to y with their prey . Many yers had been traumatized by them, so it was often said to never get close to one .

    Facing against the pack of Red Caps, standing in a clearing over the wall, were still very young children .

    Their equipment seemed decent enough, but if they were ordinary children their chances of victory were close to zero . They would be quickly crushed by the enemies¡¯ numbers .

    The three children, however, were in a different situation .

    The boy wielding a spear charged into the approaching pack of Red Caps, blowing away several of them in one strike . The girl armed with gauntlets jumped down in the opened space, damaging them further . She would then quickly back away, leaving room for the other boy with a wand to cast his magic .

    When Shin spotted them, the three children were surrounded, fighting with the cave walls at their back, but they attacked in a specific direction while moving .

    ¡°Their strategy isn¡¯t bad at all¡­it doesn¡¯t look there¡¯s anyone else nearby . Let¡¯s do it, then . Schnee, heal the boy with the spear . He seems pretty spent . I¡¯ll take care of the Red Caps . ¡±

    ¡°Understood . ¡±

    The boy with the spear had probably acted as the tank, drawing in the enemies¡¯ attacks: his HP was one-third of the total . Shin asked Schnee to take care of him, then made his move towards the Red Caps .

    Before Shin, the girl armed with gauntlets had been caught by a Red Cap, which was about to lower its broken down axe on her . She struggled desperately to break free, but several Red Caps pinned her down .

    Even in such a situation, she managed to kick several Red Caps away, so she surely wasn¡¯t an average girl . In a normal situation, they would probably have never been surrounded like that .

    ¡°I don¡¯t really care for gore . ¡±

    Shin materialized his broadsword ¡ºKakura¡» and rushed into the Red Cap mob threatening the girl . Making sure not to hit her by ident, Shin swung his de .

    The corridor was packed with Red Caps both to the left and to the right . One swing of the de and more than 10 Red Caps were blown away .

    ¡°¡­¡­heh?¡±

    Seeing the Red Caps pinning her down getunched in midair, the girl let out amement in disbelief . If the pack of Red Caps could bepared to a red stream of turbid water, Shin was a ck gust of wind .

    The Red Caps blown in midair and disappearing were like branches knocked about by a strong wind .

    ¡°I¡¯m not an enemy, so don¡¯t attack, okay?¡±

    Shin warned the girl, who was trying to pull herself up, then strengthened his grip on ¡ºKakura¡» .

    One, two, three shes .

    The Red Caps crowding the corridor decreased in the blink of an eye .

    Shin nced in Schnee¡¯s direction and saw her sh the Red Caps with graceful, dance-like movements, while protecting the two boys .

    She didn¡¯t blow them away like Shin, but froze them to seal their movements and keep them away from the children, then finished them off .

    Just as Shin did with ¡ºKakura¡», Schnee also used a weapon of lower level than the usual, it was the Ice-elemental short katana ¡ºIce Flower¡» .

    Frozen flowers sprouted along the path of the de . The sight of Schnee gleaming as she dispatched the Red Caps was eerily beautiful, it was difficult to believe she was actually fighting .

    ¡°You¡¯re thest one!¡±

    Shin closed in on thest remaining Red Cap and once again swung ¡ºKakura¡» . The monster tried shielding itself with the hand axe it wielded, but before a heavy weapon such as ¡ºKakura¡» it was simply futile .

    Even without a sharp de, ¡ºKakura¡»¡¯s sh ¡ª boosted by Shin¡¯s muscr power ¡ª crushed the hand axe and sliced through the Red Cap like a knife through butter .

    The monster was cut diagonally, its upper body slowly sliding down . Before its organs could spill out, the Red Cap vanished .

    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re done . ¡±

    ¡°E-excuse me!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Shin checked to make sure they had taken care of all the monsters, then dered the fighting over . As he did, a hesitating voice called out to him . He turned around and saw the little girl that the Red Caps had surrounded . Her equipment was partly damaged, but she didn¡¯t seem to have suffered much damage herself: she still had over 80% HP .

    The girl had shoulder length red hair and wore an iron headband, karate uniform-like armor, and spats . Her weapons were probably arm and leg guards . Her job was ¡ºFist Fighter¡» .

    Judging from the crystal-like horns protruding at the sides of her head and her red scaled tail, it was clear that she was a Dragnil .

    ¡°Thank you for saving us from that dangerous situation!¡±

    ¡°We had our reasons, don¡¯t worry about it . ¡±

    The girl bowed energetically to Shin, who replied while putting ¡ºKakura¡» away .

    Shin and Schnee had instantly pulverized the enemies that were giving the children a hard time, so the girl¡¯s orange eyes were brimming with admiration .

    ¡°Hey, Myu! Just because they saved us, you¡¯re being too careless!¡±

    Just as Shin opened his mouth to exin their circumstances, the boy healed by Schnee shouted to the girl, while keeping his guard up .

    Deep blue hair, red eyes, metal armor, and a kite shield . His hands held an iron spear . Both his shield and armor, however, were partly shattered, as was his spear¡¯s tip .

    When he looked at Shin, his eyes glowed strangely: he probably used a magic eye-type of skill . He appeared to be a Dragnil, just like the girl called Myu .

    Raising his voice to attract attention and then use the skill was a good strategy, but it would be of little use before Shin and Schnee¡¯s resistance . There was toorge of a level gap between them .

    ¡°You too, Lecus! These people don¡¯t have the teacher¡¯s armband, they aren¡¯t instructors from the institute!¡±

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    Unlike Myu and the boy called Lecus, the blue haired boy was wary of Shin and Schnee .

    Shin and Schnee did save them, but he quickly spotted that they did not belong to the institute and decided not to lower his guard . Another good judgement .

    From his words, it was clear that the dungeon was part of the institute¡¯s grounds .

    ¡°I can¡¯t fight against someone who saved my life!¡±

    ¡°What are you getting all smug for! There¡¯s no guarantee that they¡¯re on our side!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting too heated up, both of you! Calm down . ¡±

    Forgetting Shin and Schnee, the boy and the girl started fighting, as Lecus tried to appease them . He was probably a mage: he carried a brown wooden wand wrapped with rope . His long ears signaled that he was likely an elf .

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any hostility from them . Besides, even if we fought, we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance . I don¡¯t think we could even run for 10 mel . You¡¯ve seen him fight too, right Gian? Thedy is an incredible fighter too . ¡±

    Lecus seemed to be a different type than the blue-haired boy, Gian, but judged the situation calmly too . After he finished talking, Myu put her hands on her hips and shed a big smile .

    ¡°Right, right!! I thought of helping too, but there just wasn¡¯t anything I could do!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t clear why Myu looked so happy, but the reason why Lecus said not to resist was simple .

    Shin and Schnee abundantly proved that they could easily eliminate the monsters on their own, without the slightest sign of exhaustion . There was arge difference in fighting power between them .

    ¡°First of all, we have no intention of causing you guys any harm . I¡¯ll exin our circumstances, so would you please listen?¡±

    When Shin turned ¡ºKakura¡» back to card form, Gian reluctantly walked closer . His expression clearly showed how dissatisfied he was with the situation .

    ¡°First, please let us thank you for saving us . My name is Lecus Alvein, the leader of this party . The Dragnil girl is Myu Hamill and the rude boy is Gian Ermelt . ¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you!!¡±

    ¡°¡­hmpf . ¡±

    Myu greeted Shin and Schnee energetically, while Gian was still sulking a bit .

    ¡°I¡¯m Shin, she¡¯s Yuki . We have otherpanions too, but we got separated when we were teleported away after defeating a dungeon boss . We were just transported here, and honestly we have no idea where we are . ¡±

    Using the name ¡°Schnee¡± could have proved troublesome, so Shin used her alias . He warned her in advance via Mind Chat and had her transform to her golden haired, red eyed figure .

    Schnee smiled at the children to reassure them, and Lecus and the other two gazed at her, mesmerized .

    Shinughed wryly before talking again, and they snapped back to reality . Lecus, blushing fiercely, apologized profusely . Shin calmed him down and continued to exin their situation .

    ¡°Teleportation, is it . A trap that activated after defeating a dungeon boss¡­so there are things like that out there too . ¡±

    ¡°You can even defeat a dungeon boss!? You¡¯re too strong, Mr . Shin!!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­ . ¡±

    Lecus and Myu were very interested in what Shin said, though one because of intellectual interest and the other because of the admiration towards the strong . They didn¡¯t seem to doubt his words, in any case .

    Shin expected Gian to say something too, but the boy kept an irond silence .

    ¡°We¡¯d like to go outside, first of all, so could you show us the way? We might cause trouble if we went out on our own, and I don¡¯t think you want to go on with your equipment in that state, right?¡±

    Rather than Lecus and Myu, Gian¡¯s equipment required repairs, or maybe even to be reced . Shin thought that they wouldn¡¯t proceed like that, so he made his proposal . He also told them that they would take care of any monsters that appeared on the way back .

    ¡°I see . It is true that we are not in our best condition, and we also have to report about the teleportation trap . Let us go together . We will have to take you to the security patrol, though . It is one of our rules, so you will have to ept it . Of course, we will duly let them know that you saved us . The patrol guards are rational people, I am sure they will do you no wrong . ¡±

    Even if the dungeon was meant for training, monsters still resided in it, so they had skilled guards posted at its entrance .

    Lecus continued that, based on the situation, Shin and Schnee wouldn¡¯t just end up being used of trespassing .

    ¡°There¡¯s no other way, I suppose . Hopefully things will be resolved quickly . ¡±

    They could have gone out while using ¡¾Hiding¡¿, but it was toote now that they met Lecus¡¯ party . If they didn¡¯t talk with the institute, their future movements could meet unneeded obstacles .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then . Can you walk, Gian?¡±

    ¡°¡­ . I¡¯m okay . She healed me . ¡±

    Gian had been struck hard, though over his armor, so he was wobbling a little, but could still stand firmly on his legs . Schnee¡¯s recovery abilities were enough to even restore severed limbs, after all .

    ¡°You¡¯re tough, even though you just got beat up a lot . ¡±

    ¡°I attracted the enemies¡¯ attention! Besides, those damn monsters went easy on us . And Yuki¡¯s¡­Ms . Yuki¡¯s ¡¾Heal¡¿ is a lot more powerful than what I¡¯m used to . ¡±

    Gian replied to Myu without hiding his frustration .

    The Red Caps often yed with enemies weaker than them . They targeted the unit with the most HP and toyed with it even when they could defeat them in one blow .

    It was possible to make use of such a strategy to make the monsters fall in a trap, but Lecus and the others did not seem to have figured out how to yet .

    ¡°Mr . Shin, Ms . Yuki, are you high-ranked adventurers?¡±

    Shin answered Myu¡¯s question by showing his adventurer card .

    ¡°I¡¯m ranked A, even though I haven¡¯t taken any guild requests since I got to this rank . ¡±

    ¡°Wow, rank A¡­that¡¯s why you¡¯re so strong!!¡±

    Shin exined with a chuckle, but Myu waspletely convinced . Lecus, however, couldn¡¯t help but point out how weird that exchange was .

    ¡°No way Myu, how do you get convinced like that?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so strange? The stronger an adventurer is, the higher rank they have, right?¡±

    ¡°That only works until rank B . To get to rank A and above, they take into ount your contributions to the country, to the guild, your personality¡­things unrted to how strong you are, basically . If you¡¯re strong but just violent, you can¡¯t get to rank A . ¡±

    ¡°This means that Mr . Shin is a strong and good person!¡±

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    ¡°¡­ . well, that¡¯s probably right . ¡±

    Maybe because she didn¡¯t think too hard about it, Myu quickly nodded in eptance . The glow in her eyes when looking at Shin was even brighter than before . It probably happened often, because Lecus just nodded with a smallugh .

    In this atmosphere, it would be hard for Shin to say that in Balmel he just charged smack dab in to the middle of the monsters¡¯ swarm and let loose .

    ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to level one, then . Please step on this magic circle . ¡±

    In the game¡¯s training dungeons, there were normal magic circles ready to travel to the farthest traveled floor from level one: that was probably what Lecus mentioned .

    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go first and exin the situation . ¡±

    After the group teleported to level one, Lecus ran ahead towards the light pouring in from the exit .

    Left behind, Myu started talking to Shin, full of enthusiasm . She was like a fan who finally met her favorite athlete .

    On the other hand, Gian was mostly silent . His eyes often wandered towards Schnee, however .

    Outside, Lecus and three armored men were waiting for Shin¡¯s group . The men¡¯s armor had simr designs and were also enchanted . Their level was over 200, high enough to understand why they were in charge of security .

    ¡°Are you the people who were transported by ident?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was a trap that activated as soon as the boss was defeated, so ourrades were transported somewhere else . We were close when the trap activated, so we ended up in the same location, I suppose . ¡±

    ¡°Did you contact yourpanions?¡±

    ¡°We used an item we found in the dungeon, that lets you send messages to people far away . We know that they are all safe . The item was one use only, so we only have a few left though . ¡±

    ¡°I see, we understand the situation . We would like to inquire further, so please follow us . ¡±

    One of the guards went off with Lecus¡¯ party, while the other two walked ahead of Shin and Schnee .

    Lecus¡¯ party did not seem to have noticed, but other than the two guards who led Shin and Schnee, there were several other responses surrounding them . The guards were clearly very wary of them .

    Shin and Schnee were first led to the guards¡¯ station . The building itself was reinforced, so it would not be damaged even if fighting broke out inside . It had a basement too, where Shin and Schnee would probably be shipped to if they were found ¡°guilty¡± .

    In one of the rooms of the station, Shin and Schnee exined their circumstances further . The guard asking the questions was the one who had first talked to Shin, a man named Bermann .

    ¡°¡ª-thank you for your cooperation . Being transported from dungeon to dungeon must be a bizarre experience, that¡¯s for sure . ¡±

    ¡°I guess we were lucky enough not to get stuck in the ground somewhere¡±

    ¡°They say that luck is a part of skill, after all . Let me confirm onest thing: where is the dungeon you said you were? If, like you, other people might end up being transported here, we should make the necessary countermeasures . ¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think you need to worry about that . ¡±

    ¡°And why would that be?¡±

    Bermann¡¯s eyes narrowed because of Shin¡¯s confident reply .

    ¡°That dungeon self-destructed right before we were transported . We saw it starting to crumble and ourrades confirmed that it is no more . ¡±

    This was something that Shin learned by also contacting Tzaobath, after he talked with Filma . He didn¡¯t know if it was possible to contact monsters remotely via cards, so he tried sending one just in case, and it unexpectedly worked .

    ording to Tzaobath, it had annihted the dungeon together with the evil deity, which had crawled out . That¡¯s when Shin learned that the final self-destruction was ast resort the boss monster used to try to escape .

    Shin said that the dungeon ¡°crumbled¡± because he was sure that no one would believe him if he said that a dragon had blown it to nothingness with a breath attack .

    ¡°Is that so . I thought it was used to trespass into our country, but if it¡¯s disappeared, then our problem has too . ¡±

    ¡°Do you believe us?¡±

    ¡°If you were trespassers, you would have no reason to help the students . I doubt there would be foreign agents who attracted attention to themselves on purpose like this . ¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true . ¡±

    Shin was not so naive as to fully believe Bermann¡¯s words, but there was no point in further pressing him whether he really believed them or not .

    After the questioning, Shin and Schnee were led in a waiting room with a sofa and a table . They were asked to stay there until a response arrived from the institute¡¯s authorities . Shin and Schnee did not have any particr objections, so they epted .

    ¡°(They¡¯re pretty wary of us . )¡±

    ¡°(It doesn¡¯t look like they fully trust us . But they don¡¯t seem to have strong suspicions either . )¡±

    Shin looked all around himself while talking to Schnee via Mind Chat . Around the room there were even more responses than when they left the dungeon .

    Shin and Schnee¡¯s actions were not what someone that sneaked into the institute to perform evil deeds would do . They did not tell any lies either, so it might be difficult for the authorities to make a decision .

    After about one hour of waiting, Bermann and a group of people with different uniforms came into the room .

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Shin felt like he had seen the person leading the group before . He might be mistaken, though, so to be sure he used ¡¾Analyze¡¿ .

    ¡ª¨CHmee  Level 255 Mage

    ¡°It¡¯s really you, Hmee!?¡±

    ¡°!! C-could you really be Mr . Shin?¡±

    The female pixie leading the group, surprised, answered Shin¡¯s question .

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time . So you came over here too . ¡±

    They had met a few times during the death game; in the end, Hmee had passed while protecting children with levels lower than theirs . That¡¯s the female yer that Shin knew, Hmee .

    A pixie with emerald green eyes, Shin remembered that she was in a party with a dragnil boy called Masakado .

    The Hmee now standing before Shin was a fully grown adult woman .